Chapter 236: The Path to Supreme Godhood (4)

Vansalar felt like he had become the busiest man in the world. He communicated with the leaders of various factions, taught courses at the academy, organized the Spiral Tower's anniversary celebration, played chess with Orlek, negotiated with the pedantic giants of the Empire, trained apprentices in the laboratory, communicated with Waklo, and monitored every ghost killer to prevent human experiments from happening again.

He did it all in a second.

"There's a gap between the old and the new, my friend." He stroked the chess piece in his hand. "The best ones have only just become Free Wind. There are at least three Rainbow Mages who can handle projects. I dream of developing time-jumping magic, traveling to a hundred years in the future, and having students everywhere."

"Will your tower still exist in a hundred years?" Olek sneered.

"Our dream is eternal!"

"I can't remember how the last person who said that died. It seemed like suicide."

“Even if some of us die, our students will carry on our will.”

"That's really impressive." Olek tapped the chessboard. "I really admire you for teaching your apprentices."

While pouring the water, Waklo interjected, "This is quite interesting, Master Olek. You see, I have been taught to think."

"How could you possibly have the motivation to try to teach those stupid, ignorant, stubborn, rude, and barbaric pups like this stupid dog?" Olek sneered. "If I were you, I would have killed all those idiots long ago."

Vansalar and Waklo exchanged a glance. Waklo leaned over and whispered loudly, "Oh my God! My Lord! It sounds like our cold-blooded, vile, filthy Lord Orlek is trying to be a teacher!"

"What a brave child to suffer such a fate!" cried Vansalar. "I bless him! Cheers and applause!"

"Shut up." Olek sighed. "I give up. You can't imagine how stupid a cub's ideas are. I can't teach it."

"I'm surprised you're actually leading students."

"I need someone to spend time with." Olek stood up. "After all, you're going to die soon."

"Don't let fatalism rule your mind. We will change the world."

"You are only six points," the great demon said sarcastically, "and yet you dare to speak of the world."

Olek left, and this round was still a victory for Vansalar. The man who tried to summon the demon was defeated, and the young man and woman kissed passionately in the sun, and their friends gave them golden flowers.

He walked out the door.

The next moment, at the school anniversary celebration, Vansalar gave a speech under the gaze of the entire school. He was passionate and energetic. If there was anything he had mastered besides magic during this period, it was the art of stirring people's hearts. He recounted the past, envisioned the future, and commended the achievements of each outstanding student. And then—

“Oh my God, what is that?” he whispered at the podium. “By the Spirit…!”

The tower's summit suddenly turned pitch black, and a dark mass, like sludge, descended from the sky, transforming into spheres that enveloped each student. A piercing scream emanated from the spheres, and this sudden, unforeseen event filled the room with panic. Then, with a flick of his wand, all the shadow spheres exploded simultaneously. The students, still terrified, watched as the shadows transformed into beautiful fireworks.

"So these are our commemorative fireworks." He chuckled. "Happy anniversary, little ones."

His students leaped to their feet, praising the dean for another terrifying idea. A few of the more fearful ones paled, still recovering from their prank. This won't do, Vansalar thought. Their mental fortitude is too weak. He casually cast a few small spells to stir the mood, and the atmosphere quickly returned to a lively state. The celebration was over, and the next moment, he was going to check on his new apprentice...

"Stop, Vansalar!"

At this moment, he shifted his focus. From another perspective, Vansalar was walking down the corridor when Lavaeva called out to him from behind.

"Sorry, what's wrong?" He held up the blueprint in his hand, "There's a legion magic waiting for me to improve--"

"I called you three times, Archmage!" Lavaeva was unusually angry. "How many clones have you created? How many places are you existing in at the same time? You're turning into a schizophrenic monster!"

"You know this isn't a clone, it's just using the slayer to talk to different people." Vansalar shrugged, "I can control it."

"You can't control it! What did you just do at the school celebration?!"

"A little prank—"

"Your little prank is enough to kill a priest!" Lavaeva's face turned pale with anger. "Is this something students should be exposed to? Such sensitive minds will be permanently affected by this stimulation. You are being swallowed by the madness of the shadow!"

Vansalar turned around and stared at his colleague for a long time.

"You think my approach is wrong."

"There's no need to think about it. You're making one mistake after another. Did you know that your disciples are performing illusion magic in the name of 'tests' in the outside world, causing thousands of people to suffer nightmares?"

"I know," Vansalar said. "It's my homework."

Lavaeva was stunned.

"How could you...we are here to protect..."

"The results are very good. I found a lot of talented people." Fansalar reached into the shadows and said, "Look at this little guy. He defeated the nightmare and is already a pure flame at the age of ten."

"Fire, courage, fire." The captured child, with a silly smile on his face, raised the purple flame to Lavaeva in a show-off manner. Lavaeva's expression became stiff, and she saw through the truth at a glance.

"Vansalar, you... can't you see..." The female mage couldn't bear to speak, "He has a congenital intellectual problem..."

The child couldn't hear what was going on and was still holding the flame. Vansalar frowned. "Hey, I like him. He works a hundred times harder than those smart kids and has a lot more talent."

"Listen to me. I don't want to deny your enthusiasm, but this screening method is obviously abnormal—"

Still wasting time. Precious ten seconds. He interrupted his colleague harshly, his fading patience bringing a sneer to his face. "So what do you want me to do? Have those little wizards play the hero, telling stories to the children like glorious warriors?"

"Isn't that right?"

"When Carl and I were little, there were no such good things!" Vansalar sneered. "We only had training, hunger, and military service. The Fallen fell from the sky, and demonic boars broke into the village! If you don't muster up your courage, you must face death!!"

"That's you," Lavaeva argued. "Not everyone can be you."

"So I didn't pose a real threat to them. I just let them have a nightmare, telling them that a crisis will come one day and they must become stronger and grow!" Fansalar roared, "Open your eyes and look at this world! Look at the troops we sent to the front lines, look at the dead apprentices, and look at Carl who is almost going crazy from exhaustion!

How many people spend their entire year begging for alms from the Spiral Tower, yet never once consider the need to strengthen themselves? If the so-called 'majority' can only beg and pray but not fight, then there's no need to save them!

Lavaeva looked at him helplessly, wanting to retort but having no idea what to say.

"You have changed, Vansalar," she said finally.

"People always change, and so do you. Don't think I don't know how many people you keep in that glowing little garden of yours? Tens of thousands? Hundreds of thousands? Millions?" Vansalar looked at her coldly. "Is it fun to keep pets? You act like a degenerate, high and mighty."

"How can you say that! Those people are homeless! This is like an orphanage—"

"You're just raising pigs." Vansalar laughed.

The sorceress was truly furious. "And you!" she shouted, "You are becoming a demon who takes human life lightly!"

·

Months passed, and he didn't apologize to Lavaeva, nor did she. They tacitly avoided discussing the matter, and they didn't mention it to Karthod. Because there was so much they needed to do, the archmages didn't have time to worry about interpersonal relationships. They had to focus on the whole world.

There were several more arguments after that, perhaps dozens, but he couldn't remember exactly. In such a busy life, time is like dew flowing through the veins of leaves, once there, but no one knows when it will leave.

Karthod attempted several breakthroughs, but each failed. Both True Gods cautioned him against haste, understanding that it wasn't a feat that could be accomplished overnight. Everyone believed Karthod would become the third True God, but they were still too young, and that was something they should consider thousands of years from now. But Karthod couldn't wait. His sense of responsibility kept him going.

“Maybe I haven’t understood what I’m pursuing yet.”

Once, Karlsode said to him. His gaze behind his glasses then seemed unusually confused. "I need to become a true god. But what is a true god? A point above 7? Endless power?"

"I'm only 6, buddy, you have to ask Zhulong."

"I'm not a dragon either." The Supreme Sorcerer smiled bitterly. "Perhaps this is a question I need to define myself... The world above 7 needs me to... create my own answers."

"You'll figure it out eventually," Vansalar said casually. "When that time comes, when you find the answer, you'll be on the rise. That's our path. Once you figure it out, you'll be number one in the world."

"With your kind words, I will always understand."

Was it their conversation last month, or six months ago? Vansalar couldn't remember. Duty kept him frequently traveling to and from Dust Islands, large and small. In the chaotic flow of time, the so-called "present" became increasingly like a dream.

Occasionally, he thought he might need to modify the core formula of the Ghost Slayer. Making it more stable and secure. If he were ever completely controlled by his enemies, the Ghost Slayer might become unstable… and indeed, some of the little creatures did react anxiously when he became angry. But he didn't have time to act. Magical creatures had become the Spiral Tower's most valuable asset, and any changes to the core design would require another meeting of the top to decide.

They didn't have time. They were constantly appearing around the world, solving problems. Deep down, Vansalar knew he couldn't abandon his current abilities. What if he was no longer the Ghost Slayer? What about the countless tragedies that would happen in the next second? Those things couldn't be solved by his current apprentices and disciples. He had to wait patiently until the Spiral Tower had ten great wizards... or twenty...

But how come these idiots are progressing so slowly? After so many generations of meticulously nurturing disciples, there are only less than twenty Rainbow Mages. Is elemental magic really that difficult? How come they can't even learn as well as Waklo?

"Sir, I believe that people have their limits," Waklo chatted while wielding his paintbrush. "You are an unprecedented genius, but we are not."

"If this continues, the fifth point six of the spiral tower will be a dog." Vansalar sighed.

"Two!" Waklo Rockwa protested loudly.

"Okay, two. From now on I'll treat you like two people."

“I feel so honored~~~”

There's no time to wait. Shanshi Weng is active in the Senluo Secret Realm. More and more eyewitness accounts are emerging from the mists of history. And the Sea of ​​Illusions...

No one knew what lay beneath the Sea of ​​Illusions. They only knew that Karsod always gazed out at the sea for long periods of time, with a tense expression as if he were on the edge of an abyss.

He knew he was not qualified enough to share the pressure with his best friend.

He could only do more.

·

Warning letters from the Empire arrived like snowflakes. Waklo had become accustomed to leaving them unopened, simply throwing them into the trash. But when leaves arrived from Jingsha City-State and jade pendants arrived from Longquan Township, even Vansalar felt it was time to find another time to speak with his old friend. He arrived at the Supreme Mage's laboratory and sensed the aura of greatness through the door.

The projection of Zhulong.

"I would like to ask you to put your work on hold, Supreme Mage," Zhulong said. "I know you love the world and life. I admire your sense of responsibility just as much as the World Tree does. However, excessive passion can also spark unrest."

"Why do you need to invite me?" Karlsod laughed. "You can just order me. I cannot defy your power."

"I have no right to command anyone in the world," Zhulong said. "Supreme Mage. Your impulsiveness is obscuring your wisdom. Your powerful passion brings you unparalleled motivation, but it also blinds you to many problems. You need to rest, reflect, and settle down."

"While I'm talking to you about this nonsense, there are still thousands of tragedies happening in the world," Karlsrud said. "I can't stop."

"Everyone in this world has their own destiny." Zhulong sighed, "You need to learn to accept—"

"You are quite right, old dragon. You are knowledgeable and wise. You have lived through the darkest times and witnessed billions of separations! You are used to it!" Karlsod roared, "But I cannot accept it. I cannot accept the tragedies that happen in every corner of the world. I cannot accept the mistakes that can be rectified. You want me to stop?"

"How can I ignore the death of so many lives?!"

Zhulong's persuasion was ineffective. Karsod remained stubbornly obstinate, even in the eyes of his colleagues and close friends. Relations with the various factions grew strained. Emissaries from Longquan Township and the city-states made repeated trips, but to no avail. Finally, Karsod declared that no envoys would be allowed in.

"That kid was just being angry," Orlek told him. "Doesn't he understand the problem? Doesn't he know he said the wrong thing? The truth is obvious, but the great Sorcerer Supreme refuses to bow his head."

"Shut up, you little bastard," said Vansalar.

"You're getting more and more irritable, haven't you?" Olek said with that arrogant smile. "Give me a glass of eggnog, and I'll tell you what's going to happen next."

"Waklo! Give this little idiot a rotten egg!"

Wacklo brought two glasses of eggnog, but he grabbed his ears and scolded him.

"Your apprentices will argue endlessly, as too many are stuck in the Anti-Rainbow, while no one has achieved the Silent Void." Orlek swirled his wine glass. "More and more people will be hostile to your magical creatures due to the erratic actions of your archmages. Some will question the significance of the Spiral Tower. After all, it seems that life was like this before you showed up."

"Finally, the Giant Empire will take action." Olek smiled. "From today on, our game will be suspended. You will no longer have time to be distracted."

"Thank you for thinking of me." Fansalar said unhappily.

"I look forward to watching your ending."

He had to admit that the Great Demon's years had not been wasted. Perhaps that wicked fellow truly had a hand in fate, so that events had unfolded exactly as he had predicted.

Soon after, the Emperor announced that his Oracle would conduct a comprehensive verification of the stability of elemental magic, and the results that could be announced so far were very unsatisfactory.

The Spiral Tower protested strongly, and the Supreme Mage repeatedly stressed that the Empire must stop offending its allies. Several talks between the Empire and the Spiral Tower's top leaders were held under the mediation of the ancient dragons, but they all ended in quarrels.

The relationship between the two sides became increasingly tense. After several frictions occurred between the Spiral Tower apprentices and the Imperial Army, the Empire announced a complete ban on the entry of Spiral Tower apprentices.

On the same day that the Supreme Sorcerer personally went to the imperial capital, the World Tree was assassinated.

(End of this chapter)