This Is My Law

Li Lin sat in the chair, closed his eyes, and quietly considered the current situation and the information provided by Nia.

Reviving the Magic Empire will be no easy task. Over the past millennium, those who survived and possessed the blood of the Magic Empire have been completely assimilated by the five nations, becoming accomplices of their murderers. Many more perished in that brutal war. Afterward, the empire's remaining population was less than one percent. Now, it's practically zero. Relying on a limited number of people like Li Lin and Nia, there's no way to rebuild the kingdom.

Therefore, during her travels across the continent, Nia took a liking to this city, the city of half-bloods. Due to their innate curse, they did not believe in any gods, because no matter what the purpose of a god's teachings was, they could not accept the curse that had accompanied them since birth. They even joked that "even a pure-blooded drow who worships a Goddess of the Forest is more easily accepted than they are." Moreover, half-bloods generally possess considerable magical talent, as evidenced by the fact that even the owner of a magic shop in this city had a knowledge of magic far exceeding what one would expect from a profession.

They have been subjected to oppression, fear, and scorn.

If the Zhuoer could at least inspire fear, then they could only inspire disgust.

Everyone who lives here has a tragic past, and they would never associate with humans. Mages, on the other hand, are not so stubborn about these things; in fact, they seem quite unscrupulous. No matter what kind of mixed blood they are, as long as they love magic and are eager to learn, they can become citizens of the Magic Empire.

"Back then, it was a group of mages who loved magic who came together and eventually created an empire."

This is the first sentence in the history book of the Magic Empire, and it also shows that racial barriers are not so important when it comes to passion itself.

Nia chose to help these mixed-race people with the same thought in mind. To her, these people were indispensable to the future revival of the Magic Empire. Although the dwarves and elves were now on her side, it was more because they shared a common enemy than a common goal. The dwarves possessed powerful enchanting skills but had no interest in magic. The elves had extraordinary spellcasting abilities, but they loved nature more. Even if they ultimately won and gained the assistance of those races, they would still only be travelers, not those who could resurrect the entire empire.

Now, the primary motivation connecting them is hatred.

The hatred over the destruction of the Magic Empire and the hatred over the expulsion of hybrids—if these methods can be effectively used to give them a common goal, then the subsequent actions will naturally be much easier.

Li Lin did not intend to be an enemy of the entire continent, but in his view, the destruction of the five nations was necessary. Their people would have to wash blood with blood, use corpses as tombstones, and offer skeletons as sacrifices in order to vent the destruction and pain of the Magic Empire. Hundreds of thousands of the Magic Empire's people died in that war, while the Five-Nation Alliance, like a greedy plant, absorbed nutrients from the corpses to take root and sprout. Now, they possessed a territory and people far exceeding those of the Magic Empire and themselves.

These people must die, regardless of age or gender; leave no one alive.

Li Lin will never forget the Magic Empire's creed: those who offend us will be repaid tenfold.

"Sir? Respected sir!"

The hesitant voice of the portly merchant rang in Li Lin's ears. He opened his eyes and looked at the portly merchant before him, who suddenly shivered. Perhaps he saw beneath those calm eyes a fire of hatred and murderous intent that even he himself could not comprehend. However, no matter how intensely these flames burned, Li Lin's rationality formed an unbreakable barrier of sharp ice, firmly controlling them within.

What happened?

"Well, the guards have already informed us to prepare for court... you..."

Perhaps influenced by that hint of murderous intent, the fat merchant's tone was much more respectful than before.

"Has the time finally come?"

Li Lin stood up, dusted himself off, and was surprised by the passage of time. He didn't say much and quickly walked towards the guards standing at the gate. Ever since Nia sensed they were being watched when they entered the city, Li Lin had already made his plans. He used himself as bait to lure out those ambitious infiltrators, and then had Nia take care of eliminating them all. After all, Li Lin didn't want any unstable elements to appear in his plans; it was best to eliminate any unforeseen circumstances.

Only what you have in your own hands is real.

Fortunately, the guards did not drive them down the stone steps like the other prisoners, but rather kindly led them onto floating stone discs—which made the fat merchant's face contort in a grimace, as if a condemned prisoner were enjoying his last feast, but which meant nothing except that his death was imminent.

Along the way, the guards were exceptionally polite to Li Lin and his group, which solidified the fat boss's idea. After all, only when a person is about to die will they receive a little bit of selfless kindness from others for free.

If he knew that the guard was being so respectful to the two of them because he was acting on orders from above, the fat merchant might be in a better mood.

People are always terrified and uneasy when facing the unknown. This is why Li Lin remained expressionless when he stepped into the courtroom, while the fat merchant was drenched in sweat. He was especially dismayed when he saw the young half-elf man sitting on the high platform before him. As a native of this place, how could he not know that this half-elf captain of the guard was utterly abhorrent to evil deeds, and that no criminal he judged received leniency? Upon seeing the aged figure sitting on the three chairs behind him, the fat merchant was so frightened he nearly collapsed to the ground.

Good heavens, it's just the buying and selling of contraband, why did they have to involve these three archmages?

The entire courtroom was a relatively small, hollow, circular cavern, much like the stadiums Li Lin had seen on Earth. Layer upon layer of artificial recesses that extended upwards served as seats and also as barriers. Many people came to observe the proceedings; thanks to the deliberate propaganda of certain individuals, almost everyone came out of curiosity and a desire to witness the misfortune of others, waiting for the drama they desired.

"Pikachu, the Magic Shopkeeper."

Just then, the half-elf spoke.

"You are accused of trafficking prohibited magical items, and you have been caught red-handed. We have sufficient witnesses and evidence to prove this. Do you have anything to explain about this?"

"This... Lord Ailas..."

The portly businessman nervously crossed his hands, rubbing them together, his brow furrowed, trying to explain.

"Please let me explain..."

However, before he could think of a reply, the half-elf had already shifted his gaze to Li Lin.

"Outsider."

His tone became increasingly serious.

"You have violated our laws, and no matter who you are, you should not escape punishment. I hereby announce that you will be imprisoned in the water dungeon until you show sincere remorse. Do you have anything to say?"

"In fact, I object."

Compared to the panicked and anxious merchants, Li Lin was much calmer and more composed. He looked around but couldn't find the little girl. He didn't know where the best viewing spot she mentioned was. But this was a question Li Lin didn't need to ponder. He continued to stare at the half-elf nobleman before him, seeing the anger burning in his eyes, and felt even more strongly that this was still just a child.

"You have no evidence to prove this, and in fact, even if you could, I wouldn't admit I ever did it. Therefore, our communication will be deadlocked—produce evidence that can convince me; that would benefit both of us."

"The pocket at your waist is proof of your intrusion."

Ailas's expression was serious and focused.

"If we examine that pocket, we can naturally find the contraband you purchased."

"This doesn't mean anything."

Li Lin's fingers twitched involuntarily.

"I imagine you wouldn't just go out on the street and point at someone's purse, claiming the gold coins inside were stolen from you. That's not any evidence. Besides, these materials don't have any markings indicating their origin. How can you prove they were purchased from this shop owner? Do you have any evidence that we ever traded?"

"A foolish excuse."

Ailas stood up, clapped his hands, and soon the guard who had been in the shop came out from the side.

"He is a witness to this transaction."

Ailas looked at Li Lin triumphantly, then nodded to the guard, signaling him to recount what he had seen.

"... When I pushed open the door, I saw this outsider standing in front of the counter, and in front of him was a large pile of contraband."

The guard quickly began his statement.

"It was obvious that he was discussing an illegal transaction with this boss, so I immediately took it upon myself to detain them."

"Very good."

Ailas smiled with satisfaction at the guard.

"Outsider, what else do you have to say?"

"In fact, there is much more I want to say."

Faced with the guard's statement, Li Lin did not change his expression.

"According to the guard's statement, he only saw me standing in front of the counter, and the shopkeeper standing behind it, with a pile of magical materials between us..." He deliberately omitted the word "contraband." "Then, how did he see us making a transaction? A transaction involves exchanging money for goods. Did I give him money? Why weren't we discussing the quality of the goods? I'm a scholar with a unique interest in researching various magical items. Why weren't we discussing and exchanging ideas?"

"That's right, Lord Ailas."

Perhaps encouraged by Li Lin, the fat businessman also mustered up his courage. Rather than being sentenced and thrown into the dungeon, he thought he might as well take a gamble here, and maybe things would turn out differently.

"We were just arguing about the quality of the items, not buying or selling contraband."

A commotion began to rise around them. Although most people had come with the expectation of a good show, it was hard not to feel a sense of shared sorrow for the fat merchant's plight. After all, while the law was supreme, the severity of punishments for crimes in this era, with the half-elf as the captain of the guard, had exceeded the limits of the residents' tolerance. No one wanted to be imprisoned and punished for a minor offense. However, they also knew that such a small oversight would not become the turning point of the trial.

That's enough.

Ailas waved his hand menacingly.

"We don't need to listen to your excuses. We brought you here simply to make you realize the evil you've committed by breaking the law. But now, your devilish words show that you have no intention of admitting your mistakes. Therefore, we have no choice but to extend your sentence!"

Having said that, Ailas looked around smugly before uttering his carefully crafted words.

"Don't think that just because you're that Golden Leaf Mage's companion, we'll show you leniency! Here, no one is exempt from the law!!"

These words shocked everyone. Although the commoners were unaware of the coup Nia had secretly orchestrated, most of them had received favors from the Golden Leaf Mage and held her in high esteem. Hearing that this man was actually a companion of the Golden Leaf Mage, yet had not received any special treatment, surprised them. At the same time, they were filled with suspicion and doubt.

Looking around, Ailas's confident smile slowly faded. He had expected the crowd to now praise his fairness and impartiality. But to his surprise, much of the murmured discussion revealed deep concern, even discontent, about his actions. Why? Why did these people think this way? Did they not want to see the privileged class lower their proud heads?

"Please be quiet."

Just then, an old monk sitting above spoke, and with his voice, the previously chaotic courtroom fell silent once more.

"Sir Ailas, we have heard your story, and now we have our own to say."

As he spoke, the old mage stood up and bowed slightly. Soon, Nia appeared beside him. She was still wrapped in a cloak, seemingly unwilling to see anyone, but this was the image of the Golden Leaf Mage that everyone was most familiar with.

"I don't intend to argue about this much, but since you're saying that buying these materials is contraband..."

Nia sighed.

"Therefore, I hereby declare that, starting today, this law concerning contraband will be completely abolished. After all, materials for necromancy are still just magical materials, not dangerous commodities. So, I think you no longer need to do anything."

What are you saying?!

Nia's words caused an uproar. Ailas could no longer remain seated and stood up to look directly at her.

"What qualifications do you have to make this change?"

"Because this is the law I enacted."

Nia's tone remained gentle and mild, yet unwavering.

"Therefore, I naturally have the right to modify it."