"What?"
"'Disappear for a while'? What does that mean? "
In the chess room in Spear District, Thales stared at the Air Mystic in front of him in astonishment. "How many lessons have we had in total? And most of the time, we've been asking and answering questions for no reason. And now you're telling me that you're going to 'disappear for a while'? "
'Forget about Little Rascal. That's because she's on her period …
'Forget about Putray. That old man has been going missing like a maniac …
'Forget about Lisban and Nicholas. They're just like that anyway …
'But …
'But you …'
The prince took a deep breath and stared at the man in blue in front of him in dissatisfaction. "According to what you said, are you really my 'guide'?"
Wya and Justin, who were standing at the door, noticed the prince's loss of composure when he was' talking to himself '. They looked at each other and cast him a strange gaze.
Thales noticed their behavior. He coughed and pretended to read the lines from the drama book in his hand aloud.
Wya and Lord Justin both withdrew their gazes.
"Quiet." Asda, who was sitting in front of Thales, snorted softly. "Right now, you're like a river prawn jumping up and down in boiling water. This is not a good thing, especially for Mystics."
Thales took a deep breath, put down the book, and adjusted himself.
The Mystic raised his gaze slightly. "Your condition today is worse than last time. What happened?"
'What happened?'
Thales recalled Saroma's behavior a few days ago. He shook his head with an unpleasant expression.
"Nothing. It's just an old problem."
The prince did not want to say more. He adjusted his state of mind and changed the topic. "So, what's the reason for you leaving in such a hurry?"
Asda paused for a long time. During this time, his gaze was fixed on Thales' face, as if he was doubting his words.
His stare made Thales feel inexplicably flustered.
But the Air Mystic did not ask any more questions. He said flatly, "Do you know about the Tower of Eradication?"
'The Tower of Eradication?
Isn't that Wya, Cohen, and the rest … '
Thales raised his eyebrows slightly. "I've heard of it … That swordsman's camp that claims to be independent of power and only passes down skills for the future of mankind?"
The Mystic nodded.
Thales frowned. "So, what does it have to do with you and us?"
Asda chuckled softly. "As a group that did our best to encircle and annihilate the calamities six hundred years ago, and have been on guard against calamities for the past six hundred years, tell me, what is the relationship between us and the Tower of Eradication?"
Thales mouthed 'Oh'.
"Hmm, let me think …" Thales shrugged. "A cat and a mouse?"
"Or the Farmer and the Snake?"
Asda ignored Thales' deliberate teasing. His tone became solemn. "Recently, a suspicious piece of information has been circulating in the Tower of Eradication. I have to go on a long journey to investigate its authenticity."
Thales asked curiously, "What information is so important?"
Asda gently rubbed the chess piece in his hand, his eyes narrowing slightly.
The Mystic nodded elegantly and said, "Even though that information is very interesting and is even good news for us … for your own good, I cannot take the risk and tell you the details."
Thales chuckled and put on an expression that said, "I knew it", and rolled his eyes at Asda.
The Air Mystic was unmoved. He gently tapped the chess piece on the chessboard. "But I can tell you that this is information that would make the two Magic Empresses pale with fright."
Thales froze.
'Make the two Empresses …
'Pale with fright?'
Thales stared at Asda's face, wanting to see something from the Mystic's expression, just like how he looked at the others.
But after more than ten seconds of confrontation, he gave up in the end.
"It's alright." Thales sighed. With slight dejection and self-deprecation, he retreated back to his chair and waved his right hand at the indifferent Asda. "Anyway, I'm already used to your habit of only saying half of what you want to say."
Asda snorted through his nose. Thales could not discern his emotions.
The two of them fell into silence.
Thales shook off the bad mood brought about by the bad news. He frowned again and thought about the current situation. "How long will you be gone for?"
"I don't know."
"Maybe a long time." Asda shook his head. "It's not easy to get close to the Tower of Eradication."
Thales frowned and stared at the Air Mystic in front of him. He exhaled in annoyance and helplessness. He rubbed his forehead in frustration.
"Of all times, at this time …"
'This is terrible.
'When Dragon Clouds City is at its most troubled …'
"Ah." Thales sighed softly. "You don't seem to be worried that in your absence and Dragon Clouds City isn't peaceful, I'll suddenly be so unlucky that I'll be assassinated?"
The Air Mystic narrowed his eyes.
"Why did you come out to play chess, Thales?"
Thales tensed up.
"Maybe you can hide it from others, child." Asda snorted coldly and said meaningfully, "But look around you. You already know where you're going."
Knowing what he was talking about, Thales coughed awkwardly.
In the private room, he turned his head and glanced at the Archduchess' Guards and patrols on the street, on the opposite building, and at the door. Then, he turned back and flashed the Mystic a deliberate and ugly fake smile.
The afternoon sun shone on the platform of the open-air private room and dyed the prince's forced smile golden.
"What's wrong?"
Despite being under the sun, Asda's expression strangely did not change. He lifted his chin slightly and raised his voice slightly. "Looks like you still have expectations of me?"
Thales rubbed his increasingly furrowed brows and spread his hands helplessly.
"Yes."
"There's nothing to hide." The second prince thought hard about the news from the City of Faraway Prayers. "I do treat you as one of my trump cards. If things really reach a point of no return, at least I still have one last option.
But now it seems … "
Thales shook his head and did not continue.
"In fact," Asda's eyes brightened slightly, and the tone that Thales had experienced countless times in an attempt to bewitch others appeared again. "You can choose the 'last option' now.
As long as you want to, the door to becoming a Mystic will open for you at any time. Do you want to go to the Tower of Eradication with me? "
But Thales coughed softly, as if he did not hear him. He nodded sternly and waved his hand.
"Farewell. I won't be seeing you off."
Asda glanced sideways at his disrespectful student. He was neither angry nor annoyed. He only curled his lips slightly.
"Thales." A blue light flashed in the Mystic's eyes. "While I'm away, you can only rely on yourself."
Thales, who was still troubled by his situation, exhaled. "You speak as if you've helped me a lot in the past few years."
Asda snorted softly.
"Very well. As a parting gift, Thales," the Air Mystic said softly, "Let's finish the content of the first lesson."
"The first lesson?"
"Thales." Asda nodded. "You once asked me how the Magic Empress betrayed us."
His expression became serious. "It's time to tell you: our greatest enemy and threat."
Looking at the unusual expression of this unusual teacher, Thales also became a little nervous because of him.
"Oh, that's a surprise."
Thales nodded awkwardly. Then, he looked around suspiciously. "Wait, you're not going to suddenly 'end the class' in the next second, are you?"
The corners of Asda's lips curled up.
He sat up straight and 'personally' placed the queen's piece, which he had been stroking for a long time, back on the chessboard. This was really a rare thing for the Air Mystic. He then said faintly, "Speaking of the Battle of Eradication, Thales, this was not a quick, one-sided war. Instead, it was a bitter tug-of-war that lasted ten years. It was about beliefs and standpoints, resistance and compromise."
Thales focused. He could not help but notice that Asda did not mention whose beliefs and standpoints it was.
He also mentioned who was resisting and who was compromising.
"On one hand, the war between the warriors and the army, as well as politics and schemes, has been going on and on. On the other hand, the war between the two Obscurists and the six Extremists has never stopped. That war even involved the Gods and demons, as well as the dragons and the magic towers."
"I've read some incomplete records." Listening to the Mystic's narration, Thales nodded and muttered, "It's about how the King of Renaissance and the Dragon Rider King mediated and gathered the people's hearts in a complicated political situation, and how the Holy Sun Church repeatedly issued orders to enlist and appeal to the people.
"I think that the battle that decided the fate of the world might not be as simple as we think it is."
'No.'
'According to my discussion with Hicks a few days ago, no battle is simple, whether it's between us or the enemy, victory or defeat.'
Asda did not comment. He habitually crossed his fingers and narrowed his eyes slightly.
"After the Magic Tower was destroyed, the survivors still worked tirelessly to study the Mystics' weaknesses. They also obtained results. The warriors who wore anti-mystic equipment were more or less immune to some of the Mystics' abilities, but they were still at a loss as to how to restrict the Mystics' movements."
'Anti-mystic equipment.'
Thales grasped this familiar yet unfamiliar term.
In the next second, Asda's tone suddenly changed.
"However, the real turning point came in the eleventh year."
The atmosphere around them was like a chamber with a curtain pulled down. It became dark and obscure due to Asda's gloomy tone.
Even Thales could not help but frown.
"The first Mystic to fall was Bann," Asda said calmly, as if he was talking about something that had nothing to do with him. But Thales could clearly feel that he was in a different state. "When he once again displayed his terrifying ability and descended upon the nightmares of tens of thousands of people, his chest was pierced by the only enemy who was conscious with an unusual anti-mystic equipment."
'Bann.'
Thales vaguely remembered that Giza had also mentioned this name a long time ago.
"Then …" Asda narrowed his eyes slightly. "Bann disappeared."
'Disappeared.
'After a Mystic's chest was pierced by a weapon …
'Disappeared?'
The Mystic's choice of words was very simple, but it made the prince shudder.
Thales looked at Asda and recalled what he knew and heard in the past. In his uneasiness, he had a premonition of the ending of the story.
"This news is very frightening …"
"During those few days, almost all the Mystics evolved, knocked on the Door, and ascended to their original forms just to search for Bann, who had disappeared from their senses." Asda's expression remained the same, but his tone became deeper. "But we could not find any trace of Bann anymore. Only a lump of dead matter was left in the Nightmare Mystic's world, and it was completely unconscious."
'A lump of dead matter.
'Completely unconscious.'
Thales could not help but recall the moment he 'knocked on the Door' that year, and the various strange things he encountered in that intoxicating darkness.
"Whether it was the extremists on the battlefield or us who lived in seclusion, all of us were at a loss in our shock and bewilderment."
Asda stared at the void. His expression did not change, but the rhythm of his voice made others feel even more uneasy.
"Giza and Eric believed that the humans had used some sort of method to hide Bann. Hence, they destroyed nine cities in one night and interrogated nine kings and suzerains just to find Bann."
"Lebla, who was rather rational, put down his usual pride and complacency and tried to contact us, but was forced to leave by Solovski's sarcastic remarks.
"Freuland decided to seek help from Taurus, but there was no more news from her.
"Sula had a good relationship with the Obscurists, but according to her, neither Old Zarkel nor Kirei knew what happened."
Thales blinked in surprise. He even forgot to ask about the names of these people.
As Asda's tone became more serious, the rhythm of the story also became more urgent.
"Until B realized that even though such a major incident had happened, other than Taurus, there were two other Mystics who had not responded."
A strange blue light slowly appeared in Asda's eyes. "They seemed to be very busy. They did not even have the time and energy to knock on the Door and check on Bann."
Thales could not help but hold his breath. "They are …"
"Ah, Blood Spike and Hellen."
Asda's gaze froze in the air. He nodded slightly. "The Magic Empress who came later."
'Blood Spike and Hellen.
'Two Empresses.'
Thales' eyes widened slightly. "That means, that weapon and the Magic Empress, they are …"
Asda turned his head. His emotionless eyes swept past Thales' face, making the latter 'heart skip a beat.
"Yes."
"Unbeknownst to us, the two Mystics, who had always seemed to be aloof and neutral, had started working with humans and the survivors of the Magic Tower a long time ago." The Air Mystic's tone was cold. "In the end, they used the existing anti-mystic equipment as the foundation to create the Mystics' greatest nemesis."
The temperature in the chess room seemed to have dropped in an instant.
In the next second, Asda's lips parted slightly. He coldly uttered the combination that Thales had heard countless times.
"Legendary anti-mystic equipment."
The silence between the two of them lasted for a while.
Thales tried hard to digest the information he just received.
'Legendary anti-mystic equipment.
'The Two Empresses.'
"So, legends … They are the Two Empresses' creations?" Thales could not help but ask.
Asda fixed his gaze on the chessboard, as if there was something on it that he could not miss.
He nodded his head at an extremely slow pace.
"Every legendary anti-mystic equipment in the world was created by the Two Empresses. Each of them has a corresponding ability. It is as if they were created for every Mystic to restrain us.
"At the same time, once we are injured by these equipment, as Mystics, we will be severely injured and unable to recover. In the worst case, we will disappear without a trace."
The blue light in the Mystic's eyes turned into stars and disappeared into the bottomless depths of his eyes.
"This is the so-called 'seal'. It is the proof of betrayal.
"From now on, the Mystics' 'Three Deaths' commandments …" Asda stared at the empty space, as if he was looking at the past. He said faintly, "From now on, the Mystics' Three Deaths became the Three Deaths and One Prohibition."
'What?'
Thales was stunned again.
"Three Deaths and One Prohibition?"
The prince asked in puzzlement, "I seem to have heard it somewhere a long time ago … What is this?"
But Asda just shook his head. In his most usual manner, he casually said, "You are not at the stage where you can understand it. Understanding it too early will only do you harm and not benefit you."
Thales raised his eyebrows in dissatisfaction.
But the prince, who knew Asda's temperament very well, sighed in the end and gave up on the idea of getting to the bottom of it.
"So, what is the principle behind the legendary anti-mystic equipment? And … "Thales suppressed his scattered thoughts and pulled his curiosity back to the current topic." Since it is a 'seal', does it mean that the sealed Mystic is not dead yet? Just like how you were in Eternal Star City six years ago, is it just temporary? "
Ever since they started talking about this topic, Asda's tone became very low. This time was no exception. "The secret of the legendary anti-mystic equipment has always been in the hands of the Two Empresses. We still do not know about it.
"This is a shackle that has been on our shoulders for nearly seven hundred years.
"It is still unsolved."
Thales looked at the Mystic, who did not seem to be in high spirits. He did not know how to respond.
"Wait, I thought of a question." But the prince's gaze immediately shifted. "If the legendary anti-mystic equipment is the greatest nemesis of Mystics …"
Thales looked at his guide with a puzzled gaze. "What about the Two Empresses?
"Won't the weapons they made themselves be a threat to themselves?"
Thales took a deep breath and recalled all the legendary anti-mystic equipment he had seen: the Masked Protector's short sword, the Corleone Sisters' black coffin, the Fortress Flower's shield, the Kingdom's Wrath's silver-black greatbow, the Star Killer's white-hilted saber, the Walton Family's Soul Slayer Pike, the Fire Knight's golden saber …
'They probably have their own abilities, and …
'And …'
"'My blood brothers.'"
Thales forcefully suppressed the voice in his memory and said thoughtfully,
"Will someone use the legendary anti-mystic equipment they made against the Two Empresses themselves?"
At that moment, Asda's eyes lit up.
"Good question." The Mystic chuckled. "You are getting closer to the truth of the world, Your Highness."
Thales widened his eyes to show that he did not understand.
However, Asda only smiled, which was a rare sight. His figure gradually faded away.
"Take care, Thales." The Air Mystic gently pressed his left chest and bowed elegantly. "Class dismissed.
"See you in Eternal Star City."
A few seconds later, the chess room was filled with silence (again?). Only the dumbfounded Thales was left.
He blinked and tried hard to digest the day's knowledge.
'Legendary anti-mystic equipment …
'Two Empresses …
'Traitor …
'And Asda, who is on a long journey …'
Thales heaved a heavy sigh and slammed his head on the chessboard, as if he had given up on himself.
However, the prince's thoughts were soon interrupted.
"Prince Thales." The former deputy commander of the White Blade Guards, Nicholas' assistant, Lord Justin's voice came from behind him. "Are you done?"
"What's wrong?"
Thales exhaled with great difficulty. He raised his head with difficulty, extended his hand, and put the queen back into the box. "I remember that it's not time yet."
Lord Justin came before the prince and nodded politely but coldly.
"But the official diplomat group from the City of Faraway Prayers has already arrived in front of Dragon Clouds City." The lord's words lifted the prince's spirits. "The archduchess and the prime minister, I mean the regent, have invited you to Heroic Spirit Palace to welcome the guests from the City of Faraway Prayers and attend the welcoming banquet."
"Me?"
Thales slowly furrowed his eyebrows. "Why? It doesn't seem appropriate for a prince from an enemy country to be present at this kind of event. "
"Because this is a request from a guest," Justin said flatly. "It is a strong request from Archduke Roknee's eldest son, the heir to the Code of Knights, and the next Archduke of the City of Faraway Prayers, Ian Roknee."
Thales paused for a few seconds.
"Ian Roknee?"
"I don't understand," the prince said, rather puzzled. "I don't know him."
Justin did not speak, because another person answered for him.
"I think so too."
Putray, whom they had not seen for a long time, walked in from the door of the private room. He bit on his pipe and greeted Wya and Ralf. Then, he turned around and said to his prince with a smile, "However, regarding the matter of inviting you, I heard that young Sir Roknee said this …"
Thales looked at his former vice diplomat and felt his heart tighten.
"He said …" Putray exhaled a puff of smoke and shook his head emotionally.
"Of course there must be a witness for a marriage proposal."
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