Warped Light Wall

"Te Mude? Is it really you?"

Lan Le looked at the smiling man holding the Platinum Child's headdress as if he had seen a ghost, and could not believe that this was his brother Te Mude.

It's no wonder he found it hard to accept, because Te Mude was full of things he wanted to criticize.

Putting aside the Platinum Child's hood, why is he wearing a simple, unpretentious shirt? The shirt has exquisite embroidery, clearly belonging to a beautiful woman with four hands and blue skin.

If Lan Le wasn't blind, that woman should be Princess Ranni of the Moon! And her shirt even had a replica of the portrait hanging at the Raya Lucaria Magic Academy!

Not only that, the shirt was also covered with medals, and a quick glance revealed many of the most popular monsters and their afterimages from the Zane Dungeon.

The pants seem to be a fan-made version of the Farron Undead Legion from the Bede Family, with Old Wolf of Farron engraved on the brass belt.

Besides these seemingly normal clothes, he also had some incomprehensible accessories. This outfit might not be close to being a god, but it was far removed from being a human.

Lan Le was speechless for a long time, not knowing how to comment on Te Mude's outfit.

He looks like a blissful otaku who just came back from a huge shopping spree at a comic convention!

Which hell did you crawl back from? The hell that surrounds the Zane Dungeon?

If Lan Le were a bit more outgoing, he probably would have grabbed the other person's leg right now and loudly questioned where my little brother was.

Where did Te Mude go? He used to be a stern, war-loving man who always demanded strict military discipline from himself and had no love whatsoever.

Lan Le thought for a moment, then immediately raised his hand and cast a [Human Appraisal] spell on the other person. He needed to confirm whether the other person was a shapeshifter.

The spell, which looked like Light Bullet, quickly rushed towards the smiling Te Mude. Although the spell would not cause any real damage, it was still quite frightening to be hit like that so suddenly. If it were the old Te Mude, he would have simply dodged it and then become furious.

Lan Le hopes to awaken the foolish younger brother he used to know through familiar brotherly quarrels.

This time, however, Te Mude stood still and didn't move.

Just as he was about to be hit by the magic, his left arm suddenly turned into a blur and swung forward.

A light effect resembling an explosion of gold dust suddenly appeared before them. In an instant, the trajectory of the [Human Appraisal was abruptly altered by an external force, shifting and striking the attendant beside Te Mude!

The servant's body twisted and melted, his tall and strong frame slowly transforming into a pink, shape-shifting monster.

Te Mude took out the red and white ball and put away the Ditto, still smiling at Lan Le.

"Ah"

Lan Le didn't know where to begin complaining. Whether it was the way the opponent deflected the magic or the servant who turned into a Ditto, every single one of them was full of flaws.

Ultimately, he chose to criticize the most important one.

"Topus's Force Field!?"

Lan Le stared in astonishment, his eyes wide, pointing at Te Mude's hand with disbelief.

In his understanding, the only magic that could deflect magic was Topus's Force Field, a god-level spell. Why did Te Mude manage to get his hands on something so rare?

And this thing seems to be disposable, so why would I use it against my measly Human Appraisal?!

My younger brother has become a spendthrift!

"Lan Le, has traveling around the country every day really narrowed your horizons?"

Te Mude laughed and said something rather sarcastic, raising his left arm where a small shield was strapped to his wrist. It was so small that it looked no different from a gauntlet.

"The move I used against you just now was called [Warped Light Wall]."

Moreover, it's the battle ash version attached to this small shield.

[Warped Light Wall]

The lost magic of the ancient golden magical kingdom of Oolacile can distort light and deflect magic.

[It is a type of arcane art within the magic of manipulating light; the moment the fundamental laws are distorted, all illusions will lose their direction.]

If someone with a deep understanding of the magic of the Zane Dungeon were here, they would likely discover that this so-called Warped Light Wall had a name before.

It was one of the spells that the Elden Lord referenced when he was improving the Topus's Force Field.

For a time, researchers were still discussing what the effects of these magic spells used as references would be, but now, looking at it, the effect of this Warped Light Wall seems to be quite similar to Topus's Force Field.

Lan Le's expression suddenly changed, and he asked with a slightly urgent tone, "Where did it come from? Are there any restrictions on its use? What are the conditions for obtaining it—"

"Don't rush, let's go inside and talk about it."

Te Mude raised his hand in a "please" gesture. Lan Le paused for a moment, then led the other man to the reception room. Although he was the owner of the mansion, he felt as if Te Mude was in control of the situation.

I'm very annoyed, but there are many things I want to know and need to ask, so I can't argue for now.

After they were seated, he inquired about the Warped Light Wall.

As if deliberately keeping them in suspense, Te Mude didn't answer the question immediately, but instead asked in return:

"Lan Le, when did we start blindly believing in magic?"

"What?"

Lan Le frowned. Blindly believing in magic? He certainly didn't.

Wait a minute, if it's ordinary people, it does seem like there's a trend like that.

Before he could answer, Te Mude continued:

"What do you think our mages would do if they were the first to discover the existence of the Warped Light Wall in the dungeon?"

"That must be—"

They must be panicked and feel a strong sense of crisis. If the conditions for learning and using this thing are not high, the mages should be in danger, and even think about hiding the Warped Light Wall so that no one can find it, or try to destroy the Zane Dungeon.

Lan Le was about to say that, but he stopped himself, because he suddenly realized that if he said it, he would be playing right into Te Mude's hands.

Even though they hadn't seen each other for so long, the two brothers still started their familiar routine of teasing each other.

"What do you want to say?" So Lan Le simply answered the question directly.

"I know your answer without you having to say it; it's the same as what I expected."

Te Mude took off a badge with a large image of Topus on it, played with it, and said:

"This trip to the Arnor Kingdom with the delegation has really shown me many different things. Even though we have fought a war, I didn't know anything about that country until now. I've realized that the atmosphere there is completely different from ours."

Completely different?

A question mark appeared above Lan Le's head. What was so different? He clearly remembered that the intelligence from the previous two thousand spies sent to the Arnor Kingdom indicated that the atmosphere in the Arnor Kingdom was not much different from that of the Warrior Country, and that various ancient traditions were deeply rooted in people's hearts. The atmosphere was quite serious and high-pressure.

How different can they be?

"That country is very joyful; both the common people and the nobles exude confidence and carefree spirit."

How come I heard about the villagers who revolted against the land seized by the Light Eagle Legion last year and were all wiped out? Lan Le's eyelids twitched.

Te Mude launched into a long list of the Arnor Kingdom's merits, then used them to launch a scathing critique of the problems within the Warrior Country, revealing a sorrowful expression on his face.

Lan Le was stunned by these words. Could this be the kind of thing his former iron-blooded wolf brother would say?

"I saw hope in the Arnor Kingdom, but our country's future is bleak. Even now, the country is still in chaos due to the controversy over magic and Weapon Skill. How can we govern a country well if we keep going with these insects?"

Seeing Te Mude's appearance, Lan Le suddenly remembered a rumor he had heard before.

It is said that during the Black Eagle Rebellion, Iliphis also led a large number of nobles, officials and other high-ranking people to revolt. When the turmoil subsided, the royal family faced a serious shortage of manpower. Promotion was carried out by selecting officials from the lower ranks and even from the common people. In addition, Anzi III was awakened and Princess Serena presided over the event.

It seems that the upper echelons of the Arnor Kingdom suddenly became much clearer after that?

When Lan Le first heard about it, he thought it was a joke. How could the political environment change so easily just because a group of people died? But now, seeing Te Mude's behavior, he suddenly realized that the rumor might actually be true.

"Even the people there are much more enlightened than those here, and their speech and behavior are often better than those of educated nobles, especially the residents near the Leyndell."

Te Mude changed the subject, saying, "You don't know, but I was the one who discovered this magic called the War Ash Form, which is called the Warped Light Wall. I found it and brought it back from Oolacile in the [Painting World: Wolf Knight]."

"That was a hellish place. Not just Oolacile, the entire Zane Dungeon was a living hell. It's hard to believe I came back alive."

"When I brought it out, I was surrounded by magicians, including many high-ranking individuals certified by the Magic Association. Do you know how they reacted when they saw this magic?"

What is it?

Lan Le knew he shouldn't chime in and fall into Te Mude's rhythm, but he just couldn't resist his curiosity.

"They applauded each other, eagerly learning from each other, and even wanting to spread it widely."

Te Mude raised the corners of his mouth and continued, "It's a pity that this War Ash is quite difficult to obtain and use. Even I had to practice hard before I could barely find the right angle to deflect the magic. It certainly won't be widely adopted anytime soon."

"I noticed that when the magicians of that country saw their hard-earned magic deflected by the technology brought from the Zane Dungeon, there was no frustration in their eyes. Do you know why that is?"

Before the other person could answer, he began to speak to himself:

"Because after witnessing firsthand how that godlike golden meteor was deflected by Topus's Force Field, they will never blindly believe in magic again! If they don't treat magic as a faith, how can they be discouraged even if they are deflected?"

"This thing is just a tool, a tool that allows us to move towards a higher level!"

Te Mude slammed his hand on the table like a referee in a sweeping comeback, and said firmly:

"The current situation in our country where there is excessive trust in and even reliance on magic is absolutely abnormal. Now that I and everyone in the delegation have returned, I must thoroughly correct this unhealthy trend!"

His gaze was intense, his eyes brimming with confidence.

"You'll be waiting to lose at next month's War Festival!"

Lan Le misjudged one thing.

Judging from Te Mude's drastically changed words and actions since his return, he assumed that the other party had been Brain Control by the Arnor Kingdom and had become a superficial person who thought that foreign air was sweeter and the foreign moon was rounder.

However, he now realizes that his younger brother seems to have never changed, or rather, he has improved.

He still cares so much about the Warrior Country!