Master 47 (9th Update!)

Chapter 49: 47 (Ninth Update!)

Transgression is a grave offense in any feudal autocratic country.

But similarly, in any feudal autocratic country, nobles and royalty possess power that transcends the law.

What is considered transgression for ordinary people is indeed a grave offense. But for nobles and royalty, it can be a big deal or a small one.

When it's a big deal, they might seize the opportunity to accuse someone of hoarding armor, leading to the extermination of their clan. But when it's a small deal, it might just be a scolding or two, and then it's dropped.

If this is the case in feudal autocracy without supernatural power, then it's easy to imagine what happens in feudal autocracy with supernatural power.

In worlds without supernatural power, those in power oppress ordinary people. In worlds with supernatural power, it becomes those in power and those with supernatural power oppressing ordinary people.

Like now, the reason Sane is attacking Yuan Chen is not to target Yuan Chen himself, but to use this opportunity to target, attack, and slander Qiyana.

"If wearing the Vydalian Robe is considered transgression, then please allow me to ask, what does the Vydalian Robe represent?"

Turning his gaze to the surroundings, Yuan Chen spread his palms—if Nedeli or Mordas were here, they would immediately realize that Yuan Chen was about to begin.

But Yuan Chen did not shout or give a grand speech. This was not a village, and his audience was not the ignorant villagers of the past.

Facing a group of masters of elements and philosophy, Yuan Chen did not believe his understanding of the world surpassed theirs. Instead, he spoke in a more measured way:

"In my opinion, the Vydalian Robe represents not just a symbol of power and position, but a contemplation of wisdom and philosophy."

Upon hearing this, some neutral Yuentar scholars nodded in agreement.

The privileged class of Ixialia is unique. Apart from King Yuen, it consists of traditional nobles, Yuentar nobles, and Yuentar scholars.

This is said because many traditional nobles are also Yuentar scholars, but compared to traditional scholars, these nobles possess greater authority and are also more conservative...

"I have heard that every master who wears the Vydalian Robe is a wise person who has undergone countless trials, practices, debates, and contemplations," Yuan Chen said calmly and steadily, enunciating each word clearly and forcefully.

"A friend once told me that the truth of this world cannot be simply explained or told."

"One must see it with their own eyes, hear it with their own ears, think, practice, and verify... Countless threads form every decision, and in unraveling these threads, one must possess sufficient wisdom to avoid being swayed by emotions, to set aside initial reactions, and to attain the Final Enlightenment with calmness and Reason."

"I believe the Vydalian Robe does not represent a single type of wisdom. But, what kind of wisdom is it?"

Yuan Chen posed the question, but before anyone could ponder or answer, he offered his own thoughts:

"I believe it is because the Yuentar have protected the citizens of Ixialia from harm from the outside world, it is the continuous exploration of the mysteries of the Yuan Chu Axiom that has made Ixialia stronger, and it is the continuous regulation of the constraints of the Axiom that has protected people from harm."

Neither humble nor arrogant, upon hearing Yuan Chen's words, the Yuentar nodded in agreement.

As the noble class of Ixialia, the nobility of the Yuentar far exceeds people's imagination. Even a Yuentar who has just been promoted has the qualification to lead a Prefecture.

In this situation, those who have successfully been promoted to Yuentar, whether of noble or commoner origin, share one common trait: they are all exceptionally outstanding—the Vydalian trials treat everyone equally.

Before being promoted to Yuentar, even Nobles wouldn't know everything about the outside world in advance—except for the Royal Family.

Rather than praise for their identity, bloodline, and Position, they identified more with, and were more willing for people to recognize, their wisdom.

"Esteemed First Alai, I reiterate, I am a vassal of Princess Qiyana."

Yuan Chen said calmly, completely ignoring Sane's increasingly displeased expression:

"Princess Qiyana allowing me to wear the robe is not overstepping, but trust in me, and recognition of my wisdom."

"Moreover, as far as I know, Ixialia's laws have never stipulated that non-Yuentar cannot wear the Vydalian Robe."

Ixialia's laws indeed did not stipulate whether commoners could wear the Vydalian Robe, because commoners were simply not qualified to undergo the Vydalian trials.

Behind any absurd regulation, there is often an even more absurd event, such as prohibiting playing with feces, prohibiting keeping pets in dormitories, prohibiting drinking on the sports field, and so on...

Although these regulations seem absurd, they happened because university students engaged in a "shit fight" that went viral online, raised a pig in their dorm that grew to three hundred pounds, and got drunk on the sports field and beat up a senior student who was out for a walk.

And whether commoners could wear the Vydalian Robe had no explicit regulation in Ixialia; people just subconsciously believed that ordinary people were not qualified to wear this attire representing wisdom and Position.

But the absence of explicit regulations meant Yuan Chen had ample room to maneuver.

As the First Princess, Sane knew this as well. Therefore, after hearing Yuan Chen's words, Sane simply thought for a moment before saying coldly:

"Ixialia's laws indeed do not stipulate this, but your act of wearing the Vydalian Robe as an outsider undoubtedly tarnishes the brilliance of all the wise men of Vydalian."

"Wearing the robe signifies bearing a part of the brilliance of Yuentar. And those who are not wise enough, their own foolishness will tarnish the brilliance of the entire Yuentar class!"

Sane clearly understood what Yuan Chen was trying to convey, so she tried to shut down Yuan Chen's next words in a more direct manner.

But clearly, there was a significant information gap between Sane and Yuan Chen.

Through Lupe, Yuan Chen learned about the various classes in Ixialia, the different factions within Yuentar, the hidden conflicts between traditional Nobles and Yuentar Nobles, and the disagreements between the Royal Family and the young Yuentar.

And Sane?

She knew these things too, but she only knew that Yuan Chen was Qiyana's vassal.

Compared to strength, this exploitation of the information gap was the key to Yuan Chen daring to impersonate a Prophet—well, Scout Skill also played a supplementary role.

And now, upon hearing Sane's words, a smile appeared in Yuan Chen's eyes—he had laid the groundwork for so long with his lengthy discourse, just waiting for Sane to say this.

As expected, facing Sane's sharp retort, Yuan Chen turned his gaze to Sem beside him.

Although he didn't know Sem's exact Position, based on the attitudes of Sane and Qiyana, the respect from other Yuentar, coupled with his age and the information revealed in his words.

Yuan Chen could guess that this elder named Sem held a high Position even among the Yuentar.

Furthermore, he was not influenced by the traditional views of Ixialia—at least, when mentioning his old friend from Ionia who had long since passed away, his voice held more nostalgia than disgust or Hostility.

He looked at Sem, and after a brief exchange of glances, Yuan Chen turned his gaze to the other Yuentars. Facing the scholars' gazes, tinged with a bit of inquiry and amusement, Yuan Chen wasn't nervous. Instead, he said:

"I believe truth knows no borders."

It was a simple sentence, but it quickly galvanized the Ixialia scholars who had been merely gossiping about the royal succession.

Even the Elder Yuentar named Sem looked up, stopping Sane, who was about to retort, and said:

"Young man from Ionia... do you know what your words represent?"

"I am well aware, Elder." Facing Sem, Yuan Chen was not as assertive as he had been with Sane. He said humbly:

"But I believe everyone has the right to interpret truth."

"And what I have done, and what I am saying, is by no means a negation of the explorations and pursuits of truth by past Yuentars. It is meant to express that even in places other than Ixialia, there are people exploring the boundaries of truth in their own ways."

Hearing Yuan Chen's words, Sane clearly realized something was amiss. She didn't look at Yuan Chen but cast a deep glance at Qiyana, a hint of solemnity in her eyes--

In the past, Sane merely disliked Qiyana. She disliked Qiyana's lack of decorum, disliked Qiyana's constant desire to be a conspicuous attention-seeker. But even so, Sane hadn't considered Qiyana a true rival in the struggle for the throne.

Because Qiyana lacked political resources and followers. Whether it was the conservative traditional nobles, the contemplative Yuentars, or the Yuentar nobles caught between the two, none of them believed Qiyana possessed sufficient capability to become the next King Yuen.

But now, Yuan Chen's words were clearly not something Qiyana... at least, not the Qiyana of the past, could have conceived.

If she could have thought of this, she wouldn't have incurred the displeasure of her Father King and Mother Queen!

But now...

Sane rationally refrained from speaking further--their interaction had already drawn the attention of other Yuentars.

With the slightest misstep, this simple verbal exchange could escalate into a ideological divergence between the Ixialia princes!

Sane rationally refrained from speaking further, but since the conversation had reached this point, it didn't matter if she spoke or not; someone else would--like Sem, for instance.

Hearing Yuan Chen's words, a flicker of surprise appeared in the elder named Sem's eyes. He looked at Yuan Chen, his bright old eyes filled with contemplation, and said:

"Do you know that these words are not to be spoken lightly?"

"Respected Elder, I am certainly aware of that." Yuan Chen looked up and said:

"This is a place where only the wisest of Ixialia can linger and read. Being here, I can feel the fire of wisdom from the contemplative efforts of Ixialia's past sages."

"Though young, I am honored to introduce myself to you all."

"I come from the distant Land of Myriad Spirits, the place the Vastaya call the Land of Genesis, Ionia."

"I am a young..."

"Master!"

Including the six chapters from early this morning, nine chapters were updated today!

There could have been one more chapter. But during the period before the book went on shelves, I felt a lot of pressure due to uncertainty about the final results. After seeing the initial subscription numbers, I calculated the ratio and breathed a huge sigh of relief.

I relaxed, had a bit of wine, and slept through the afternoon...