Where the People's Hearts Lean

Seeing Yu Sheng'an's puzzled look, Doman did not dare keep him in suspense. He hurriedly said, "Sir, just take a look at the school Forum. They're already talking about it there."

Yu Sheng'an's heart stirred at those words, and the Phantom Scroll unfolded before him.

He deftly entered the Felix Forum and typed the keyword "Erin" into the search bar. Instantly, more than a dozen posts came into view.

"Breaking news! Erin was humiliated by Archmage Marchie and forced to kneel and beg for mercy!"

"Is that true?"

"I saw it with my own eyes! Erin's flowerpot was smashed to pieces. You can still see the rubble at the scene—it happened in the Belka-style Garden, three hundred steps directly in front of the Magic Forest."

"Erin? That name sounds familiar. Is she the lucky girl who received Asheff's Purple Snow Wood Wand?"

"That's her!"

"What kind of rumor is this? Let me explain. I saw it myself. It seemed Erin offended Mentor Marchie, which was why Mentor Marchie smashed her flowerpot."

"What kind of grudge is that? An Archmage bullying a Magic Apprentice?"

"Even when beating a pet, you have to consider its owner. Calling this bullying Erin is one thing, but isn't he really insulting Asheff?"

"This is going to be good! The moment Asheff arrived, he took all the Wood Spirit Magic Apprentices away. Some mentors have been seething with resentment for ages. This definitely wasn't an accident!"

Erin, who had always had virtually no presence, had only ever appeared in Felix Forum posts for two reasons.

The first was when she received Yu Sheng'an's reward.

The second was, startlingly, her humiliation at Marchie's hands.

As Yu Sheng'an browsed the Forum posts, his gaze gradually turned cold.

"Erin, come here!" Yu Sheng'an called. His voice was not loud, yet it carried through the entire Underground Laboratory.

Erin, who was assigning tasks some distance away, hurried over at the sound.

"Mr. Asheff, were you looking for me?" Erin asked uneasily as she looked at the somewhat stern-faced Yu Sheng'an.

"Marchie gave you trouble?" Yu Sheng'an's face was icy.

"No..." Erin instinctively wanted to deny it, but when she saw Asheff's eyes, she ultimately nodded.

"Tell me exactly what happened." Yu Sheng'an's voice was as still as an ancient well, betraying neither joy nor anger.

Erin bit her lower lip and, trembling with unease, softly recounted everything that had happened.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"I was the one who angered Mentor Marchie. It had nothing to do with you, sir," Erin hurriedly explained.

Yu Sheng'an looked at Erin's terrified expression. In the end, he said nothing and turned to walk outside.

Doman froze at the sight, then suddenly realized something. He hurriedly called out, "Mr. Asheff? You... what are you going to do?"

Yu Sheng'an remained silent as stone. He neither answered nor stopped.

"Th-this... You're not going to find Marchie, are you? Hey, wait!" Doman panicked and hurried after him.

His shout alerted every Magic Apprentice in the Underground Laboratory.

Countless people looked over and began whispering among themselves.

"What happened?"

"Apparently Erin was humiliated by Mentor Marchie, and Mr. Asheff is furious."

"Check the Forum. It's all over there."

"Where is Mr. Asheff going?"

"I don't know. After hearing about it, he just turned and left... Damn, do you think he's going to settle the score with Marchie?"

"My gods!"

The Magic Apprentices were stunned, staring at one another in shock at the thought.

Someone suddenly could not restrain their curiosity any longer and ran after them.

The moment that person moved, it triggered a herd effect.

Many people had not even been assigned tasks yet, so they simply rushed after them in a great wave.

Those who had been assigned tasks saw their companions leaving. Gritting their teeth, they followed as well.

Surely they could not punish everyone!

At that moment, Erin stood frozen.

It took her quite a while to come to her senses. Then she gritted her teeth and took off after them.

Yu Sheng'an was not moving quickly, and the crowd soon caught up. They saw Lord Doman walking beside him, constantly saying something, apparently trying to persuade and calm him.

Mr. Asheff, however, did not say a word as he headed out of the academy.

For a time, they walked in front while the Magic Apprentices trailed behind, creating a truly spectacular sight!

Along the way, countless Magic Apprentices and even mentors were dumbfounded. Everyone began asking what was happening. Was this some kind of group outing?

The Felix Magic Academy Forum exploded as well.

"What's going on? What are Asheff's people doing?"

"Is the Magic Forest heading out for some large-scale magic experiment? Why is such a huge crowd walking out of the academy?"

"Who knows what's happening? Hurry up and explain it! I'm dying of curiosity."

This was when the convenience of the Internet became apparent.

One person witnessed it; the entire academy watched.

Every kind of comment appeared on the Forum. Some people who loved excitement and had nothing better to do simply ran after them too.

That pursuit swept up another huge crowd.

After all, who did not have a few friends? A couple of close girlfriends?

By the time Yu Sheng'an stepped out of the academy gates, nearly six or seven hundred Magic Apprentices had gathered behind him.

That was nearly a quarter of the academy's students.

When this group reached the streets, it instantly caused a sensation throughout Willis City, as expected!

As the capital of the Kevil Empire, Willis was full of talent. Mages were naturally nothing unusual there, and lucky citizens occasionally even glimpsed a Magic God draped in black robes.

But seven or eight hundred Magic Apprentices moving out together in such a massive crowd? To everyone present, that was like seeing the sun rise in the west—a first in their lives!

"What happened?"

"No idea!"

"Quick, see what the Internet says!"

"Even the Internet doesn't seem to know what's going on?"

"Should we go take a look?"

"Let's go, let's go!"

Driven by herd mentality, curiosity, and the urge to watch a spectacle, more and more Willis citizens joined the procession.

Like a rolling snowball, the crowd grew larger and larger.

Walking at the front, Yu Sheng'an was like a comet dragging an enormous tail behind it, dazzling beyond measure!

But Doman, walking beside him, was miserable beyond words!

With all those eyes converging on him, he could neither leave nor stay.

More importantly, he was confused now too.

What was Asheff trying to do?

If he was looking for trouble with Marchie, should he not be going to Marchie's residence?

Even if he wanted to complain to Dendall, should he not be heading to the Ring Magic Tower?

Why was he going out of the city?

Amid the clamor of the crowd and the uproar on the Forum, Yu Sheng'an left the city and stopped before a neatly arranged stretch of magic fields.

"Doman, if I remember correctly, the land extending thirteen hundred steps outward from here is all Marchie's Magic Plantation, right?"

My dear grandpa, you finally decided to speak... Doman was so moved he nearly cried. He hurriedly said, "That's right, Mr. Asheff. What exactly are you trying to do?"

Yu Sheng'an grinned and beckoned Erin over.

Erin hurried over at a jog, looking increasingly frightened. "Mr. Asheff."

Yu Sheng'an did not respond. Instead, he looked toward the vast crowd that had followed him and called out, "Does anyone know Winter Mallow?"

Under the power of the Godhead, his voice was not loud, yet it reached everyone's ears with perfect clarity.

Most Magic Apprentices looked confused, but the citizens of Willis exchanged astonished glances, unable to understand why this Master Mage had brought it up.

A bold voice shouted, "Master Mage, I know it! It's a kind of wild vegetable. When winter comes, it grows all over the mountains and fields."

Yu Sheng'an nodded. "That's right, it's a wild vegetable! For those of you who don't know Winter Mallow, let me tell you this: in the countryside you never see, countless impoverished people survive the long winters on Winter Mallow!"

"Winter Mallow is a good thing, but it is also a bad thing. Not only is it bitter, eating too much of it causes stomachaches and diarrhea, and can even kill you! But in the face of hunger, if you don't eat it, you will certainly die! If you eat it, you might still have a chance to live!"

As Yu Sheng'an spoke, the crowd that had followed him gradually fell silent.

Some were dismissive.

Some looked utterly bewildered.

Others had old pain deep within their hearts stirred awake, leaving them staring blankly.

"Her!"

Yu Sheng'an seized Erin's wrist and raised her arm high.

"My assistant, Erin. She is an outstanding Magic Apprentice. Through countless days and nights, she used magic to remove the toxins from Winter Mallow, making it no longer bitter, no longer poisonous, and even eliminating the need for magical modification. You can simply take it home and plant it! Do you know what that means?"

"It means that in winter, we will have an inexhaustible source of vegetables! No bitterness, no toxins, no diarrhea, no death!"

The crowd fell silent.

Countless people looked in shock at the thin, dark-skinned girl standing beside Yu Sheng'an.

Erin herself stared blankly at Mr. Asheff, the idol in her heart, while a voice kept ringing in her mind:

Huh? Wasn't it just one night? How did that become countless days and nights? And... I'm not even sure whether White Wrinkled Winter Mallow is poisonous. I only know it isn't bitter. How did it suddenly become free of side effects?

Before her mind could process it, Yu Sheng'an suddenly roared:

"It was this kind of wild vegetable, capable of saving countless lives, that Archmage Marchie destroyed! He destroyed the only sample! All because his Magic Plantation needed Magic Apprentices, so he would not allow Magic Apprentices to study crops or wild vegetables!"

Yu Sheng'an paused, his voice brimming with rage. "Tell me, does he deserve to die?"

The crowd fell silent.

"He deserves to die!"

An inconspicuous curse rang out from within the crowd.

"He deserves to die!"

Someone repeated it.

"He deserves to die!"

More people echoed it.

"He deserves to die!"

Everyone began shouting together!

"He deserves to die!"

The surging roar drowned out every other sound, becoming the only sound in this corner of the world.

"What is that—"

At that moment, the rolling cries abruptly stopped!

Countless people widened their eyes in terror and looked behind Yu Sheng'an.