Debate and Trust

Many people were missing from the hall, especially the mages. The crystal tainted by Fel was gone as well. They were probably still somewhere, struggling to contain it.

"Young man, you've got some nerve, tampering with a Conduit Crystal." Landra watched the young mage calmly survey his surroundings, her brows drawing together slightly. Her icy voice was like a drawn sword, ready to pierce him through at any moment.

"As the Ley Line Warden of the Eastern Temple, I should execute you immediately." Her gaze shifted to Vereesa, and Landra's expression softened a little. "But out of respect for Lady Vereesa, I'll give you a chance to explain yourself."

"Lies!" Before Lanlos could speak, Vereesa stepped forward first. "Velania told us to bring the Conduit Crystal here, and Lanlos and I have been together the whole time. There's no way he could have done anything to it like you claim."

Lanlos knew how much the girl despised evil, but he hadn't expected her to argue so fiercely on his behalf—even at the risk of offending the Ley Line Warden, and despite him being the "villain."

A trace of warmth flickered across Lanlos's darkened face. He placed a hand on her shoulder, cutting off the ranger before she could continue explaining. He wasn't so weak that he needed an inexperienced young girl to shield him from the storm.

"Vereesa is right. I only came to Fastherin a month ago to work as a teaching assistant. The Academy assigned me to take the students to work at the Western Temple, and Velania was the one who asked me to bring the crystal here. Do you really think I had the time or the opportunity to plot this whole disturbance?"

Lanlos's words were logical and, on the face of it, quite convincing. Unfortunately, Landra wasn't swayed. On the contrary, her gaze suddenly sharpened, as if she were looking at something revolting.

"The energy on that crystal bears a strong resemblance to the demonic magic described in the records. If you've made some kind of deal with demons, then none of those questions matter." Landra's eyes blazed as she watched Lanlos's every move, clearly already convinced that he was guilty. "I know what happened in Golden Branch Village a month ago..."

Golden Branch Village was a remote hamlet, but it still lay on the edge of Ban'dinoriel's protection. Even with the barrier resisting incursions from other planes, the village had still suffered a demonic attack. Its only survivor was this mage, an elf who had migrated north from beyond the barrier half a year earlier.

The Golden Branch Village incident had been partially covered up because demons had appeared inside the barrier, and the authorities feared the public would lose faith in the kingdom's defenses. But as a Ley Line Warden, Landra had her own ways of learning the details.

Now the fellow had caused another demon-related incident right in front of her. How could she not suspect him?

"If you want to prove your innocence, that's not impossible." Lanlos showed none of the nervousness Landra had expected. There was only sorrow, and anger held in check. She couldn't help questioning her own suspicion, but she didn't let down her guard.

"I know a great deal about the nature of magic. Would you be willing to let us conduct a thorough examination of your magical energy?"

It was phrased as a question, but Lanlos could hear the unmistakable command in her voice.

The Fel he used came from sacrificing his own life, but that didn't mean there were no traces of it on him under normal circumstances. He couldn't risk it. Besides, a magical examination was like being stripped naked and handled however they pleased. He would never accept such humiliation.

"Heh. Do you think now is the time for that?" Lanlos didn't answer directly. He let out a cold laugh, as though he had no idea that she was a Ley Line Warden of the highest rank.

Before Landra could fly into a rage, the crowd erupted into an uproar. Some mocked him for his arrogance, some berated him for his lack of manners, and others cursed him for insulting and challenging his superiors.

Lanlos ignored them all. He stood motionless, meeting Landra's gaze and paying no attention to the noise around him. "Are you finished? Then I'll continue."

"The person most suspicious in this whole affair isn't me. It's Velania." As soon as Lanlos said her name, the crowd, which had only just quieted down, grew loud again. Nearly everyone condemned him for slandering another Ley Line Warden.

"Silence!" Landra slammed her hand on the table, forcing down her fury at the thought of turning the mage to ash. Her burning eyes swept over the crowd, and the force of her glare made everyone fall quiet.

Her murderous gaze finally settled on Lanlos. The powerful mental strength and surging magic of a high-ranking spellcaster pressed down on him, as if she meant to slap him into the ground.

Though she looked down on Velania for becoming a Ley Line Warden through means other than strength and experience, the latter still held the same position she did. She represented the dignity of Quel'Thalas's ruling class. And this elf—this nobody—had just slapped her, a fellow Warden, in the face.

Audacious, reckless, unforgivable!

Lanlos held himself together with his own considerable mental strength. Ignoring her deeply ingrained belief in the class system, he hardened his expression and carefully laid out the terrifying suspicion that had been haunting him.

"Velania is the Ley Line Warden of the Western Temple. She had both the time and the ability to tamper with the Conduit Crystal. As you said, the power in the crystal is demonic. If she really did make some kind of pact with demons, then the consequences would be unthinkable, given her position and authority..."

Based on what Lanlos knew about demons, he could almost be certain that the Burning Legion wanted to use the vast stores of magic controlled by the various Sanctums to open a portal to the Twisting Nether. As he remembered it, on some future day, demons would use the power of the Sunwell not only to send a large army into this world, but also to bring the Burning Legion's commander, Kil'jaeden the Deceiver, to Azeroth.

Even if the three Sanctums only diverted some of the Sunwell's magic, that would still be enough to let a great many demons enter this world.

He didn't even need to consider what that would do to Azeroth. With the Sargerite Keystone on him, he would undoubtedly become the Burning Legion's top target.

Unfortunately, not everyone had lived two lives like him, with an extraordinary wealth of experience and perspective.

"Are you finished?" Landra showed no sign of being moved. She looked at Lanlos with icy eyes, as if he were a tiny ant putting on a show. "Guards, lock him up until he's ready to confess!"

When the guards and mages hurried toward them, Vereesa was startled and quickly stepped in front of him. "What are you doing? What Lanlos said makes perfect sense. What gives you the right to pass judgment like this?!"

Vereesa wasn't the only one surprised; Lanlos himself hadn't expected things to turn out this way. His gaze passed over the guards and mages one by one, then settled on Landra. They all had the same look in their eyes.

They all thought he was guilty!

Why?

The confusion lasted only a moment. When he saw the lavish chair beneath Landra and the extravagant crimson velvet carpet, he suddenly understood. This was what it meant that ordinary people couldn't fight the authorities.

Landra Sunstrider was a lofty Ley Line Warden, a powerful lord with authority in her hands. He was a nobody, a commoner with nothing. No matter how eloquent he was or how good his intentions, in the eyes of these powerful people, he was nothing but a buzzing fly.

In this world, magic only made the divide between classes more severe. Power upheld authority, and magic drove production. Ordinary people without talent or opportunity had little chance of rising in their lifetimes. The gap between the strong and the weak would only keep growing, and in the eyes of some powerful pragmatists, the weak might be worth less than a single Mana Crystal.

Just like him and Landra now.

From the very beginning, there had been no possibility of a real conversation between them. A conversation required equality, required rights. Lanlos had no status, no power, and not even the right to live or die; that was entirely up to Landra.

On top of that, he had "slandered" another "noble" Ley Line Warden.

Everyone here agreed with that way of thinking. They all believed Lanlos had no right to judge those in authority, and that the words of someone at the very bottom of the social order had no value.

So this was what "high" elves were? Ha. Hahaha...

Despite his dire predicament, Lanlos's lips curled into a wide smile. He laughed silently, though he didn't know whether he was mocking their ridiculous beliefs or sneering at his own insignificance.

"Everyone, stop!" Seeing Lanlos lower his head and fall silent, his thoughts unreadable, Vereesa panicked and shouted at once.

Unlike Lanlos, Vereesa was the third child of the Windrunner family, and the Windrunners had led the forces guarding Quel'Thalas for generations. Her weapons had already been confiscated, but her name alone was enough to make these people take her seriously.

"Vereesa, are you going to protect him?" Landra's anger had eased a little, but she still had no intention of letting the insolent elf off without punishment.

"I'm not protecting him, because he isn't guilty!" Vereesa cried out. Her voice rang like silver bells, still carrying a hint of youthful softness, yet every word landed with conviction. "The simplest proof is that it took all of you so long to suppress the crystal's power. There's no way he could have done it."

Did that mean I was too weak?

Lanlos couldn't help laughing wryly, but Vereesa's trust quietly brought him back to his senses. He couldn't give up, and he couldn't run away—not even with the rot and corruption of Quel'Thalas's entire ruling class standing in his way.

"If I'd done it, I would have tried to stop you from suppressing the crystal the moment it erupted. I wouldn't have waited until everyone was on guard, leaving myself in this position." Lanlos lifted his gaze to the Ley Line Warden. This time, instead of figuring out how to prove his innocence, he tried to see things from her perspective.

"I know you won't listen to me, but Landra, Velania is a Ley Line Warden. Can you guarantee she's qualified for the position?"

The words rang out like a thunderclap in Landra's mind.

It was fortunate that this fellow had made his dislike of Velania and those connected to her clear as soon as they met.

Noticing the flicker in her gaze, Lanlos let out a breath of relief and continued. "Besides here, Velania also told other students to take another crystal to the Northern Temple. If you contact Kaidenis, the Ley Line Warden there, you should be able to understand what's going on."

"Idiot! Do you think we need you to tell us that?" An elf mage jumped out of the crowd, his face red with anger, as if Lanlos had murdered his father. "Lord Landra already used Wind Message to contact the Northern Temple and the Western Temple!"

The second-circle spell Wind Message differed from the first-circle spell Message mainly in range. Wind Message could send a message dozens of kilometers, while Message usually reached only a few dozen or a few hundred meters.

"No reply?" Lanlos narrowed his eyes. If they'd received a reply, there would have been no need for this ridiculous trial. "The chaotic magic must have disrupted the Ley Line nodes. Wind Message probably can't reach its destination accurately across dozens of kilometers under these conditions."

"I suggest you send someone to the Northern Temple immediately."

"Heh, are you trying to weaken the Sanctum's defenses?" Landra gave a cold laugh, clearly seeing through Lanlos's "sinister intentions."

"I never said you had to send a spellcaster." Lanlos shrugged indifferently. Landra's contempt didn't shake him. Life with low Charisma had taught him a lot.

Nearby, Vereesa saw the others whispering among themselves, while Landra still gave no answer. She immediately volunteered. "Then let me go. I'm Vereesa Windrunner. Since I've been caught up in this disturbance, it's my duty to do my part for Quel'Thalas."

"But if I find out you've persecuted an innocent person, I swear by the name of the Windrunner family that I'll make you pay!"