Chapter 127: Mulan's Influence
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Who was it? What kind of being, exactly, lay at the depths of darkness and light, and what purpose did it serve?
Matt could not help wondering, but soon forced himself to stop. The darkness and light in the dream represented powers far beyond ordinary imagination—an existential force of terrifying magnitude.
As an alchemist, and especially as one versed in both ancient and modern alchemy, Matt understood very well that restraining one’s thoughts was often a form of self-protection.
To resist his own curiosity, Matt repeatedly forced himself to recall certain cautionary principles:
The so-called existential force did not always refer merely to the existence of the being itself. Once a power surpassed a certain boundary, its capacity for interference could become extraordinarily potent—or bizarre.
If Matt failed to restrain his thoughts and continued probing deeper into that dream, especially after encountering several strange events during the day, then some terrifying presence within the darkness and light might cause its existential force to take root in his mind. If his spirit and will proved incapable of resisting it, the consequences would be disastrous.
In certain magical texts and occult terminology, this was commonly known as “contamination.”
His thoughts continued to churn. After quite some time, Matt’s emotions finally began to settle.
“Phew...”
Sitting on the bed, Matt let out a long breath. He raised a hand and traced several alchemical symbols in the air over his body. Only then did he relax somewhat, rubbing his face as though he had just washed it.
I hope Lord Jonester is all right.
As an alchemist, Matt believed that his spiritual power should surpass that of a knight. But when it came to willpower, he was utterly incapable of comparing himself with a Radiant Knight. Against many strange and uncanny forces, willpower was sometimes more useful than comparatively vast spiritual strength.
After calming himself for a while longer, Matt closed his eyes once again. Thanks to the alchemical mark, he fell into dreamless sleep this time. If anything abnormal occurred in his dreams, the mark would activate at once and awaken him immediately.
Inside the guest room of the inn, Mulan likewise awoke. In truth, he too had been startled awake—but by Matt. Only now did he realize that Matt’s spirit had also been connected to the dream.
After lying in bed and pondering for a long while, Mulan suddenly sat up. He crossed the room in a few strides, went to the writing desk, opened his notebook, and began writing furiously.
After tonight’s minor mishap, Mulan had gained a preliminary understanding of the quality that concerned him. It was an extremely important discovery. Although he knew that his current memory could never allow him to forget it after only one night, his excitement nevertheless compelled him to record everything at once.
The spiritual quality he had sensed within himself during the day had been magnified in the dream that night, and, by a fortunate accident, had also become somewhat clearer.
This was a form of interference, and Mulan was not unfamiliar with it. In fact, as a professor at Black Castle, he had lectured on it more than once.
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Generally speaking, this kind of interference was often produced when elements of the fourth class or higher exerted an influence upon ordinary people or mundane things.
Although certain supernatural beings could likewise produce special effects upon ordinary people, this kind of interference possessed a degree of initiative, and even a certain measure of control.
The tip of Mulan’s pen touched the paper, leaving line after line of hurried writing across the pages. In his mind, he was comparing various cases and pieces of knowledge he had encountered.
The benefits of thoroughly mastering theoretical knowledge and deriving correct conclusions were displayed to perfection in Mulan at that moment. He could grasp the crucial points with extraordinary precision and in meticulous detail—especially when he himself was the subject involved.
Mulan’s understanding of existential force had risen to an entirely new level.
“If a certain existential force within me becomes powerful enough to interfere with the other party’s existential force and produce a qualitative transformation, would that also constitute a form of mutation—a profound influence? Would it cause the other party to draw closer to me? Or produce some other kind of change?”
To a certain extent, Mulan even felt that he could now imagine and simulate the existential logic of certain “sacred relics.” Such a thing would have been inconceivable in the past. In truth, knowledge at this level was of immense importance even within the academic world of the occult.
It was nearly dawn before Mulan finally stopped writing. He stretched and loosened his body. Merely looking at the thick stack of notes was enough to make him feel that this journey had been entirely worthwhile.
...
Several days later, within the royal palace of Digo City, capital of the Dierga Empire, Queen Nyshelil was personally reading Mulan’s urgent report. She read it with great concentration and did not put down the report and letter until a long while later. Only a maid and a female attendant stood beside her.
“Lord Jonester’s journey this time was truly fraught with twists and turns,” the attendant remarked in agreement.
“Yes. Fortunately, Lord Jonester possesses extraordinary wisdom and courage, along with equally extraordinary luck. Otherwise, that journey would have been enough to kill him twice.”
Nyshelil had just lifted her sweet tea when her hand paused slightly. She then pressed her lips to the cup and took a small sip, though her eyes flickered uneasily.
He shouldn’t blame his queen, should he? He shouldn’t. I had no idea beforehand that he would encounter such danger.
The female attendant beside her picked up the letter Nyshelil had set down and carefully examined several details within it.
“The power of the Radiant Knight has blossomed into a unique light in Lord Jonester’s hands. It may still appear faint at present, but one day it will shine brilliantly. The signs of this have already become impossible to ignore.”
“That is only natural. Lord Jonester is my sworn guardian knight!”
Nyshelil spoke with a smile, her words carrying a hint of pride.
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“However, the fellow in the darkness is also extremely troublesome. In fact, we still have not obtained any information about him at all. The things he said to Lord Jonester cannot be ignored, either.”
Although Mulan’s description in the letter was not sufficiently thorough, the other intelligence officers would naturally supplement it with every kind of detail, including changes in the surrounding environment and so forth. This was one way of deducing the world formed by the other party from the realities of the situation.
“Those bandits cannot be ignored either. They need to be taught a proper lesson.”
Nyshelil was referring to the Twilight Troupe. Nothing could be found about the strange entity in the darkness, but information on the Twilight Troupe was easy enough to obtain. What was more, they had caused Dierga considerable trouble during the previous war. With old and new grudges combined, the queen detested the group intensely.
“As you command, Your Majesty. The warrants and rewards have already been drafted, and we have also contacted the Sanctuary. They may be placed on the wanted lists very soon.”
“Good.”
Nyshelil drained the last of her sweet tea and stopped the maid beside her from refilling the cup. She looked toward the attendant, who was still holding the letter.
“When will Lord Jonester return? I feel that medical care in the remote regions is inadequate. It would be better for him to return to Digo City and recuperate.”
The attendant, who was both her subject and something of a close friend, could not help laughing.
“My queen, Lord Jonester was seriously injured this time. Since his life is not in danger, it would be wiser for him to rest a little before continuing his journey. Besides, Solens is hardly a small city.”
“Very well. Send someone to Solens to examine Lord Jonester’s injuries. See to it.”
As she spoke, Nyshelil rose to her feet. The attendant beside her gave a slight curtsy.
“As you command, Your Majesty.”
After completing her obeisance, the attendant turned and left. Now that the queen had issued a formal order, it had to be taken seriously. This newly risen Radiant Knight had clearly captured the queen’s heartstrings.
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