At this point, the Old Dean paused, his chest heaving violently.
"They were all raised by my own hands. They gave everything for the Empire." The old man lifted his head, flames seeming to burn in his eyes. "But it shouldn't have been like this."
Lu Yuan did not answer him.
He knew the Old Dean was right. But then again, sacrificing only the children of a Tower of Erudition in some remote major city could save more cities in the Empire, save more people.
No matter when or where, such a matter was almost never something that needed consideration.
Except for one place.
The country he had come from. Perhaps only there would they make a different choice.
Other than that, perhaps the Empire had done nothing wrong.
Ah, perhaps.
The room fell silent for a while.
"There is one more thing." The Old Dean slowly reined in his emotions. "While I was unconscious, I wandered through the Sea of Knowledge for some time. I saw you. In that sea, it seemed you had encountered something different."
Lu Yuan's pupils suddenly contracted.
But then he relaxed.
Right, he really had wandered through the Sea of Knowledge. So what?
"I think there may be something more important for me to do with the rest of my life."
The Old Dean suddenly propped himself up and reached out to seize Lu Yuan's hand.
That hand was dry and thin, without much strength, yet it gripped Lu Yuan tightly.
"Lu Yuan," he murmured. "I hope you can carry this conviction and keep walking forward. The Empire should not be this cold-blooded. So many people should not be sacrificed for nothing like this. At the very least, not like this."
Feeling that faint strength against the back of his hand, Lu Yuan looked