Falan's Confusion

Hill returned Alice to her room and told her to stay put.

He stood at the door waiting for Adrian to come downstairs, then went with him into Falan's room.

Falan sat upright in the small, dark sitting room, his expression grave.

He looked up at the two of them. "Sit. I wonder how the other cities are doing?"

"They should know," Hill suggested. "I saw a few of them using their communicators."

Falan nodded. "Adrian, go take a look later."

Looking at Hill, he said, "They really are interesting. They don't care at all about winning this way."

"That lady was there too," Adrian said. "Very proud. She kept praising herself."

"Winning the greatest victory at the smallest cost is their creed," Hill said slowly. "Schemes and tricks don't matter. They didn't think they'd actually get to use them anyway. It was more about having fun."

"Everyone uses schemes and tricks," Falan said. "Their methods were crooked and accidental. They happened to run into an inexperienced Legendary. How many like that could there be?"

"They never expected to truly scare anyone," Hill said. "They were just entertaining themselves. They've been fighting for a full day and night. They probably wanted to lift their spirits."

"This is lifting their spirits?" Adrian said. "Then their entertainment must be very rich. Unlike us, even Legendaries can lose focus."

"A perfectly good Legendary, mocked for tens of thousands of years even after death." Falan could barely endure it. "If I died like that, I'd have to fall into the Abyss."

"Only Legendaries who spent their lives cultivating in temples would be like that, right?" Hill changed the subject. Better not make it about himself.

"I lost focus too," Falan said blandly. "Adrian stood there dumbfounded for several minutes. That was enough time to die dozens of times."

"No one will be frightened by it again!" Hill said. "Something like this can only fool someone the first time."

Falan was still upset. "A Legendary died so disgracefully!"

"There will only be more things like this in the future!" Hill said firmly. "If Grandfather can't get used to it, stay farther away. Uncle Adrian can deal with them. In their eyes, Grandfather is an Alchemy Grandmaster with no interest in communicating with others."

Falan slumped back against his chair. "I once thought that once I became a Magus, I would no longer have to yield to anything. As expected, nothing goes as one wishes."

Few Alchemists could reach Legendary, after all. There was simply too much to learn in alchemy. Hill had realized his energy was limited and focused most of it on equipment alchemy. Adrian, meanwhile, preferred brewing potions.

Yet both of them were still far from becoming Alchemy Grandmasters. Only Falan, who was proficient in everything, had touched the threshold of mastery.

But Adrian would soon become a Magus. One could imagine how much Falan's advancement had been delayed.

An Alchemy Grandmaster at the level of Magus was someone even Legendaries had to show some respect to.

Throughout Falan's many years as a Mage, Melanie might originally have been his only regret.

Unfortunately, reality was always cruel.

Falan let out a deep sigh. "Once this is over, I'll go back and cultivate in seclusion. I should reach Legendary sooner."

"The future isn't something we can interfere with anymore," Adrian said. "Even Legendaries died like this. What are Archmages compared to that?"

Hill looked at the somewhat dejected Adrian. "The affairs of the Gods were never something we could interfere with."

Adrian turned his head to look at Hill.

"Was that their own power? It was the power of the Gods!" Hill said. "If the Gods no longer need them, they will disappear together."

"We merely need to keep enduring," Hill said softly. "Didn't my mother's matter make us endure for eighteen years? Now we only need to remain silent and stay in our own territory. That's already quite good. Perhaps it will just be another eighteen years."

"I thought you would serve William," Falan suddenly said. "You agree with him so much."

"Grandfather, I am the child of a territorial noble." Hill smiled faintly. "Every child of a landed noble with inheritance rights takes a Loyalty Oath to the royal family and to Salar on their eighth birthday.

As for the monarch of my own country, so long as his orders do not harm my interests, I am very willing to obey."

Adrian asked in confusion, "Master, didn't you know? You were already at the royal palace when Prince William took his oath!"

"By the time House Fran passed down to me, we were only barons, and in severe decline. Since childhood, I buried myself in studying magic and had no interest in politics at all." Falan looked out the window. "If I hadn't had Melanie, I probably would have traveled outside until I became a Magus.

I thought only princes took the oath."

"Only those who have taken the Loyalty Oath have the right to inherit land," Adrian said. "That is why noble territories can only be passed down through the direct line. If there is no such heir, only the title can be inherited, while the land will be reclaimed."

He looked at Hill in confusion. "Why did Hill take it? I thought Melanie would stop you. You shouldn't have had much interest in an earl's territory."

"Mother thought I would never become an Advanced Magus." Hill turned to look out the window. "When the earl sent someone to summon me, he said that if I did not take the Loyalty Oath, I would not even be granted a baron's title. She thought I needed some security."

"Melanie has always had poor judgment," Adrian said.

Falan furrowed his brows. "Did it affect you much?"

"Not really. I have no interest in treason or rebellion," Hill said. "Even without taking that oath, I would not easily betray the motherland that raised me.

I am now a pioneering noble, and there are very few laws binding me in the first place. I simply agree with William's policies and am willing to fully implement William's laws and policies in my territory. There are few people there, so I can do whatever I want."

"Even if he taxes you in the future?" Adrian suddenly asked.

"Ah, you saw it too!" Hill said indifferently. "He can only levy commercial taxes, right? Territorial taxes are impossible. Farmland can only belong to the lord—that is the Gods' Oath. William wouldn't dare violate it.

Besides, beyond the Western Frontier may be the last direction left for expansion. By the time our place is incorporated into Salar's territory, Grandfather should have become Legendary. There are few people in my territory, and it doesn't make money."

Adrian nodded hesitantly. "Forget it. It has nothing to do with us."

Falan asked, "So that is why those people were killed, stripped of their titles and lands, and no one objected because of treason? While Edward and Charles's followers nearly took William's life, yet were only exiled?"

"Yes. Resisting the king's orders is nothing; at most, the king can exile them. But if they use armies to oppose him, then losing means treason. Only death awaits.

As for Edward and Charles, royal struggles have always been like this. The losers leave the stage and find their own way to survive." Adrian answered without hesitation.

"Losing means treason?" Falan let out a breath. "I truly wasted all those years at court."

Hill thought silently, A research genius whose skill points were not in political struggles, much less court warfare.

"We're almost there. I'll go up and take a look. Hill, are you coming?" Adrian asked.

"No." Hill shook his head. "It is best for us to maintain this polite distance from them."

Adrian nodded in agreement and turned to leave.

"Was I wrong to devote myself to alchemy and the pursuit of magic?" Falan asked. "I thought that as long as I was strong enough, no one would dare bully me. Yet while I shut myself away cultivating, my daughter was led astray. I exhausted myself trying to avenge her. By the time I finally became a Magus, someone else had already taken revenge."

"Grandfather wasn't wrong. They truly didn't dare lay a hand on you. But no matter how strong someone is, they cannot guarantee that those around them won't be tempted." Hill said blandly, "My mother herself was the most at fault. She later learned regret as well. Her love was gone, and after several years without meditating, she lost all hope of becoming an Archmage. Alchemy was the only thing left for her to rely on in life.

You taught her all her magical knowledge and her ideas about life. When she told me about them, I could understand that you had always hoped she would become independent and strong.

Unfortunately, she was tempted by the extravagant, decadent life at court. Compared with listening to you and cultivating diligently, becoming a noble lady was much easier.

She thought I was soft-hearted and too much like her, that I would never succeed in the future. That was why she didn't like seeing me."

"Melanie's judgment." Falan sighed. "Kindness is not weakness. She could kill people, so what use was that?"

The two remained silent for a long time. That woman was the link between them, their only family. Yet their love for her was not that deep. Thinking of her brought only a sigh.

The floating ship slowly came to a stop.

Hill looked out the window. The players jumped down one by one, standing below and waving farewell to the ship.

"Why aren't they using the Teleportation Array?" Hill suddenly remembered.

"William ordered it shut down the day that Legendary arrived," Falan said irritably. "What if a city was breached and they came straight through the Teleportation Array to William? He doesn't want to die!"

"Then did they fly here directly?"

"You mean the others? Aren't they defending their cities? What if someone else attacks?" Falan was extremely surprised.

"Sky Knights and Swordmasters will ride over. Magi will definitely fly." Hill weighed it up. If it were him, with such a huge spectacle, he would surely rush over to watch regardless of everything else. "Some people will be too lazy to move and stay behind. But most will come. They'll probably activate a full-defense magic array. They have money."

"They would rather spend money just to watch the excitement?" Falan was beginning to understand the players' way of thinking.

"Let's go up. Dionysio should have received the message by now." Falan suddenly smiled. "I wonder how he feels."

Probably relieved, Hill thought to himself. That was the holy son, the future pope, untouched by mortal dust and above worldly affairs. If he lost focus too, how could he maintain that pure and noble bearing?

Adrian stood before the window and turned back to them. "Master, Hill. The Legendaries from two cities received the message and flew back. The one in the city at the southeast corner is still attacking."

"A message from the Undead?"

"Yes. Their communicator is really useful. They knew almost instantly."

Falan thought for a moment, then rapidly raised the floating ship. "Dionysio will certainly find a way to counter it. Otherwise, he won't even have the face to use Divine Descent."

"We won't sleep tonight," Adrian said. "Let's wait and watch the night raid!"