Debate and Trust

The hall was missing many people, especially the mages, and the crystal infected with Fel energy had also vanished; it was clear they were still struggling with the latter somewhere.

"Young man, you are truly audacious to dare tamper with the Conduit Crystal." Landra Sunstrider looked at the young mage, who was observing his surroundings with calm composure. Her brows knit together slightly, her icy voice like a drawn blade, ready to pierce him through at any moment.

"As the Ley Line Warden of the Eastern Temple, I should have executed you immediately." Her expression softened slightly as her gaze shifted to Vereesa, "But for the sake of Lady Vereesa, I will give you a chance to explain."

"Nonsense!" Before Lanlos could speak, Vereesa stepped forward first. "Velania asked us to bring the Conduit Crystal here, and Lanlos and I have been together the entire time; it is impossible for him to have done anything to the crystal as you claim."

Lanlos knew well the girl's nature—how she loathed evil—but he had not expected that even for him, a 'villain,' she would be willing to argue her case at the cost of offending a Ley Line Warden.

A flash of softness crossed Lanlos's grim face, and he pressed down on her shoulder, interrupting the ranger who still wanted to explain. He was not so weak as to let a girl who had yet to see the world shield him from the storm.

"Vereesa is right. I only came to Fastherin as a teaching assistant a month ago. Bringing students to work at the Western Temple was purely an academy arrangement, and bringing the crystal here was Velania's request. Do you really think I had the time and opportunity to plot this chaos?"

Although Lanlos's words were logically credible, Landra was not swayed. On the contrary, her gaze suddenly sharpened, as if looking at something nauseating.

"The aura on that crystal bears a striking resemblance to the demonic magic in our records. If you have struck some deal with demons, then these questions are no longer questions." Landra's eyes were like torches, locked onto Lanlos's every move, clearly convinced of his guilt. "I am well aware of what happened at Golden Branch Village a month ago..."

Golden Branch Village was a remote hamlet, yet it still fell within the protective periphery of Ban'dinoriel. Even with the barrier's resistance to other planes, it had suffered a demonic incursion. The only survivor was this mage, an elf who had migrated from the south, outside the barrier, half a year ago.

Although the Golden Branch Village incident had been partially suppressed by the higher-ups due to concerns over public confidence in national defense, Landra, as a Ley Line Warden, had the means to learn the specifics.

Now that this fellow had triggered another demon-related incident right before her eyes, how could she not be suspicious?

"If you wish to prove your innocence, it is not impossible." There was no tension on his face as Landra had expected, only sorrow and a suppressed, simmering anger. She couldn't help but question her own deduction, yet she did not lower her guard.

"I have studied the nature of magic extensively. Are you willing to let us perform a thorough examination of your mana?"

Though phrased as a question, Lanlos could hear the unquestionable tone in her voice.

While the Fel energy he used was obtained by sacrificing his own life, that did not mean traces of it were invisible during normal times. He could not afford to take this risk; furthermore, a so-called mana examination was like being stripped naked and prodded at will—he could not accept such an insult.

"Heh, do you think this is the time for such things?" Without answering her question directly, Lanlos gave a cold laugh, seemingly oblivious to the fact that she was a high-ranking Ley Line Warden.

Before Landra could flare up, the crowd erupted into an uproar. Some mocked his self-righteousness, others rebuked his lack of decorum, and some cursed his offense and defiance toward a superior.

Lanlos ignored it all. He simply stared at Landra, unmoved by the surrounding noise. "Are you done? Then I will continue."

"The greatest suspect in this entire incident is not me, but Velania." When Lanlos mentioned the name, the crowd, which had finally quieted down, grew rowdy once more. Almost everyone was attacking his slander against another Ley Line Warden.

"Silence!" Landra slammed the table, suppressing the rage that threatened to turn the mage into ash. Her eyes, burning with fury, swept over the crowd, and the shock of her intimidation forced everyone into silence.

That predatory gaze finally fell back on Lanlos. The high-ranking spellcaster's formidable mental strength and surging mana pressed down on him, as if to crush him into the earth.

Though she looked down on Velania for becoming a Ley Line Warden through means other than strength and experience, the latter held the same status as her and represented the face of the ruling class of Quel'Thalas. For this elf—this nobody—to speak such words was equivalent to a slap in the face to her as well.

Audacious, reckless, unforgivable!

Relying on his own formidable mental fortitude to keep his composure, Lanlos ignored her deep-seated class-based ideology. He darkened his expression and detailed the suspicion that filled him with such dread.

"Velania is the Ley Line Warden of the Western Temple. She has sufficient time and ability to tamper with the Conduit Crystal. As you said, the power on the crystal is demonic. If she has truly struck a bargain with demons, then given her status and authority, the consequences would be unimaginable..."

Based on Lanlos's knowledge of demons, he could almost conclude that the Burning Legion intended to use the vast magical power controlled by the major temples to open a portal to the Twisting Nether. In his memories, one day in the future, the demons would use the power of the Sunwell not only to transport a massive army into this world but also to bring the commander of the Burning Legion, Kil'jaeden the Deceiver, to Azeroth.

Although the three great temples only diverted the mana of the Sunwell, it was enough for a large number of demons to enter this world.

Regardless of the impact on Azeroth, with the Sargerite Keystone in his possession, he would undoubtedly become the primary target of the Burning Legion.

Unfortunately, not everyone had lived two lives like him, possessing such extraordinary experience and perspective.

"Are you finished?" Landra remained unmoved, her cold eyes scanning Lanlos as if looking at a tiny, clawing ant. "Guards, lock him up until he is willing to confess!"

Seeing the guards and mages stepping forward, Vereesa was startled and quickly blocked his path. "What are you doing? What Lanlos said makes perfect sense; by what right do you pass such a judgment?!"

It wasn't just Vereesa; even Lanlos hadn't expected things to turn out this way. His gaze swept over the guards and mages one by one, finally landing on Landra. In their eyes, there was a shared color.

They all believed he was guilty!

Why?

After a brief moment of confusion, he looked at the opulent, luxurious chair beneath Landra and the extravagant crimson velvet carpet, and he suddenly understood. He finally grasped what it meant to be a commoner fighting against the authorities.

Landra Sunstrider was a high-ranking Ley Line Warden, a lord holding real power. And he, a nobody, no matter how silver-tongued he was or how well-intentioned his warnings, was merely a buzzing fly in the eyes of these powerful figures.

In this world, the existence of magic exacerbated the severity of class division. Power consolidated authority, and magic drove production; those without talent or opportunity had little chance to change their fate. The gap between the strong and the weak would only widen, and in the eyes of some utilitarian power-holders, the value of the weak might not even equal a single mana crystal.

Just like him and Landra right now.

From the very beginning, there was no possibility of dialogue between them, because the premise of dialogue is equality and human rights. Lanlos had no status, no power, and even his right to life and death was a matter of a single word from Landra.

Moreover, he was 'slandering' another 'noble' Ley Line Warden.

Everyone here subscribed to this worldview. They all believed that Lanlos had no right to judge the correctness of authority, and they all believed that the words of someone at the bottom of the hierarchy had no value.

So this is the 'High' Elf? Ha, hahahaha...

Despite his dire situation, the corners of Lanlos's mouth curled upward. He laughed silently, not knowing if he was mocking this ridiculous concept or satirizing his own insignificance.

"Everyone, stop!" Glancing at Lanlos, who had lowered his head in silence, Vereesa grew anxious and shouted immediately.

Unlike Lanlos, Vereesa was the third daughter of the Windrunner family, and the Windrunners were the leaders of the troops that had guarded the lands of Quel'Thalas for generations. Although her weapons had been confiscated, her name alone commanded their respect.

"Vereesa, are you going to shield him?" Landra's anger subsided slightly, but it was not enough to make her abandon the idea of punishing this insolent elf.

"I am not shielding him, because he is simply not a criminal!" Vereesa shouted, her silver-bell-like voice revealing a hint of youth, yet remaining firm. "The simplest evidence is that it took you such a long time to suppress the power of that crystal; this is something he could never have accomplished."

The implication being, am I too weak?

Lanlos was caught between laughter and tears, but Vereesa's trust quietly awakened his resolve. He could not give up, nor could he escape, even if what stood in his way was the decay and corruption permeating the entire ruling class of Quel'Thalas.

"If I were truly the one responsible, I would have intervened to stop your suppression the moment the crystal erupted, rather than waiting until now, when everyone is on high alert, to leave myself in such a position." Lanlos raised his gaze to look at the Ley Line Warden. This time, he did not bother trying to clear his own name, but instead attempted to approach the situation from her perspective.

"I know you won't listen to a word I say, but Landral, Velania is a Ley Line Warden—can you guarantee that she is qualified for this position?"

This sentence struck Landral's mind like a bolt of lightning.

It's fortunate that this guy showed his dissatisfaction with Velania and those associated with her the moment we met.

Clearly catching the tremor in her eyes, Lanlos breathed a sigh of relief and continued, "Besides here, Velania ordered other students to take another crystal to the Northern Temple. As long as you make contact with the Ley Line Warden there, Kaidenis, you should be able to understand."

"Scoundrel, do you think we need you to tell us that?" An elven mage jumped out from the crowd, his face flushed red as if Lanlos were his sworn enemy. "Lady Landral used Wind Message to contact the Northern Temple and the Western Temple first thing."

The 2nd-level spell Wind Message differed from the 1st-level spell Message primarily in range; Wind Message could transmit information over dozens of kilometers, whereas Message was generally limited to a few dozen or a hundred meters.

"No response?" Lanlos narrowed his eyes. If there had been a response, this ridiculous trial would have been unnecessary. "It seems the chaotic magic has disrupted the ley line nodes; I fear Wind Message cannot accurately travel dozens of kilometers under these conditions."

"I suggest you arrange for someone to go to the Northern Temple immediately."

"Ha, are you trying to take this opportunity to weaken the temple's defenses?" Landral sneered coldly, clearly having seen through Lanlos's 'sinister intentions.'

"I never said it had to be a spellcaster." Lanlos shrugged indifferently. Landral's contempt did not shake his composure; a life with a low Charisma score had taught him many things.

To the side, seeing the crowd whispering and Landral failing to provide a response, Vereesa immediately stepped forward to volunteer: "Then let me go. I am Vereesa Windrunner, and since I have been dragged into this chaos, I have an obligation to do my part for Quel'Thalas."

"However, if I find out that you are persecuting innocent people, I swear by the name of Windrunner that I will make you pay the price!"