Chapter 355 Virtual Realm Theory
The faint light of dawn pierced the eastern sky, casting a holy and hopeful glow over the snow-covered village of Pompeii.
When Luo Yan and his companions returned to the village with the sleeping children, the miller and his wife, who had not slept all night, were the first to rush out.
When he saw the sleeping boy in Phoenix's arms, this weathered middle-aged man could no longer control his emotions. He and his wife burst into tears and knelt in the snow to thank everyone profusely.
The thin-skinned Ilala hurried forward, comforted the couple, and helped them up from the snow.
Looking at this kind girl, the poor lady moved her lips as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, her trembling lips could only squeeze out a timid "thank you", hiding the shame in her eyes.
The crying woke the child.
The boy looked around blankly. After a while, perhaps recalling his nightmare from yesterday, he also burst into tears.
The cry at dawn startled the villagers.
Upon hearing the news of the heroes' triumphant return, they, who had been worried all night, came out of their homes and surrounded the adventurers who had saved the village.
Their faces were filled with gratitude, joy, and a hint of barely perceptible guilt.
The old village chief shook Phoenix's hand tremblingly and said excitedly.
"Heroes! Saint Sith is above...you are the heroes of Pompeii Village!"
"No, we actually..." Phoenix blushed and wanted to explain that it was actually Mr. Colin's guard who did it, but the villagers didn't give him a chance to speak.
It doesn’t really matter who did it.
The important thing is that the nightmare that had weighed on the village of Pompeii has finally ended. They no longer have to worry about that crazy woman coming to the village from time to time and kidnapping children.
"You actually killed that witch!"
“Thank you so much!”
"Praise the Saint Sith, praise the Emperor, and praise you who swore an oath to them. You are true knights... Thank you, we don't have to worry anymore!"
On the one hand, they were grateful for being rescued and happy that the logging camp on which they depended for their livelihood was recovered; on the other hand, their hearts were filled with fear and regret.
They knew very well that out of selfish motives, they had not revealed the horrific legend of "Greenfang" Hecajeelin, but only vaguely called him "Necromancer" for fear that these young adventurers would back off.
No one cares about them.
That was the only straw they could hold on to.
Now that the heroes are back, they feel relieved, but also the guilt is quietly covered up under the ecstasy.
The villagers took out the best rye bread, treasured bacon and ale in their homes and forced them into the hands of these young heroes without any explanation.
These things can't be sold for much money, but they are everything this poor village has.
However, faced with the villagers' thunderous enthusiasm, Phoenix and his four companions seemed particularly embarrassed.
If it weren't for Mr. Colin and his powerful guard, they would have been a pile of bones in the army of the dead. They felt unworthy and ironic for receiving this heavy praise.
"No, no, you are too polite. We can't accept this..."
Phoenix scratched the back of his head in embarrassment and smiled as he declined the villagers' food. Barrett and Leo also just smiled innocently, not knowing what to say.
At this time, the miller came over and solemnly handed a heavy bag of money to Phoenix.
"This is the agreed reward and a small token of our appreciation... For Saint Sith's sake, please do not refuse!"
There were some silver coins in the purse, but most of them were copper coins. The well-educated Ilala counted them carefully and found a total of 55 silver coins and 74 copper coins.
Phoenix carefully counted out twenty of them, added ten of his own "big coins", squeezed through the crowd and walked to Mr. Colin, handing a total of thirty silver coins to the latter.
This is the agreed reward.
Luo Yan gladly accepted it and handed the purse to Sarah beside him.
Although thirty silver coins were no different from stones on the roadside to him, they were the fruits of his labor and had a different meaning.
"Sir, what are your plans next?" Barrett mustered up his courage, walked forward and asked in a muffled voice.
Luo Yan thought for a moment and spoke with a smile.
"I don't have any special ideas. I might as well take a rest today. The registration for the apprenticeship exam doesn't end today anyway. I think it will be the same if I go tomorrow."
Taffy had fallen asleep in Sarah's arms.
She was in hibernation and could sleep more than a child. The villagers' thunderous cheers of gratitude just now did not wake her up from her dream.
The four young adventurers looked at each other and nodded.
Phoenix walked up to the village chief and politely declined the latter's invitation to a banquet. He then reunited with Luo Yan and his group and returned towards the traveler's camp.
The villagers watched them leave until their backs disappeared over the edge of the snow, and then they dispersed from the village entrance.
From beginning to end, neither Luo Yan nor Phoenix mentioned that the villagers deliberately concealed information.
The four young men may have understood it in their hearts, but they all chose to remain silent tacitly.
The growth they gained this night was probably greater than that they had gained during the entire journey...
…
The group returned to the lively traveler camp, which was filled with a noisy atmosphere, but this atmosphere could not infect Phoenix and others who had just returned from the brink of life and death.
Their hearts were still heavy.
After experiencing the brutal battle and witnessing the tragic end of "Green Fang" Hekagelin, who went from hope to madness, everyone was thinking something in their hearts.
Xuebang……
The holy land they had longed for seemed to be shrouded in a shadow overnight.
Even Ilala, the only one of the four people who could perform magic on her own, could not be optimistic that her talent was stronger than that of the witch.
Just at the entrance of the camp, hunter Leo suddenly stopped.
Phoenix and the others walked forward a few steps, only to find that he had not caught up, and could not help but look back.
Leo stood there, with a smile on his face that he had never seen before. That smile showed both reluctance and a sense of relief at having let go of everything.
"Phoenix, Barrett, Ilala... thank you for your company along the way. I... don't plan to take the exam for Xuebang." Facing the three companions who had been walking with him, he whispered the words he had been considering all the way.
And at this moment, his eyes no longer hesitated.
"Leo...are you serious?!" Phoenix was shocked. He quickly walked back to Leo, unable to believe his ears.
Barrett did the same, and even hurriedly stepped forward and grabbed his shoulders, trying to wake up this brain-damaged guy.
"Are you crazy? We've come this far... just one step left! Why give up now? You're at least more talented than me, right?"
Leo's eyes could even see a squirrel running into the bushes fifty meters away, which was undoubtedly a sign of affinity with the element of wind.
Unlike himself, he just let the flame on the water boiler get bigger than usual when he dozed off and almost set the house on fire - to this day he still wonders if his father just got the time wrong and he just dozed off for too long.
"Yeah, Leo, hold on a little longer!" Ilala urged anxiously, "Didn't we agree to become magicians together?"
Leo smiled sheepishly, feeling a little ashamed for giving up halfway.
But he doesn't plan to change.
His eyes swept over his three sincere companions, and finally fell on Mr. Colin, who had remained silent not far away, and the powerful female guard.
Looking back at his companions, he spoke frankly.
"Hercagelin is not a good person, but she is indeed a genius. You have also seen the research results she left in the cave."
The three of them fell silent.
Seeing no one responding, Leo continued.
"Even a genius like her ended up being half-human and half-ghost. I suddenly felt that Xuebang might not be the paradise we imagined."
He looked at his hands, which were calloused from years of drawing the bow.
He suddenly smiled and said with relief.
"I don't think... I really don't have that talent. Maybe Saint Sith sent me to the mortal world without ever thinking that I would become a magician. Besides, I don't envy them that much now. If my opponent wasn't a skeleton but a gray wolf or a bear, I'm confident that I wouldn't lose. And I don't actually need to fight with a necromancer. That thing has never appeared in my hometown."
He found himself beginning to miss the forest of his hometown, missed the wind blowing past his ears while chasing prey, missed the bowl of sweet pumpkin soup, missed his father's stern but caring eyes, missed the girl who suddenly covered his eyes from behind when he was wiping his longbow... missed that not-so-beautiful but innocent smile.
That kind of unknown life once made him disgusted to the extreme, but at this moment he missed them so much that he wished he could fly back to them immediately.
There's nothing wrong with being unknown.
Along the way, they met too many adventurers who were eager to become famous, but ended up becoming despicable villains.
Forget about gaining the favor of Saint Sith. Saint Sith would be too merciful if he let these guys be reborn as pigs in Pompeii Village in the next life.
"...In the end, the so-called extraordinary power is nothing more than a 'superhuman' riding on the necks of a group of 'ordinary people'. The successful ones will maintain this system, while those who cannot tolerate this system, after gaining power, will simply use more barbaric and cruel methods to torture those ordinary people who have no power."
"I even think that it would be better if there were no extraordinary people in this world. Whatever magic can do, hands can also do..." Leo shrugged his shoulders and suddenly smiled freely, "Just think of me as sour grapes because I can't eat them, but this... is really not the life I want."
"Having this magnificent adventure is enough for my ordinary life."
The reason why he longed to become a magician was that he naively believed that he could use magic to change the world and become a hero in people's eyes.
But now he understands that a person can't change anything at all, and can only decide what kind of life he wants to live.
Legends are in stories, only life is your own.
Phoenix, Ilala and Barrett looked at each other, speechless for a moment.
They could not refute Leo's words because they had also witnessed Hecajeline's tragedy and everything she did after she fell into madness.
Luo Yan, who was standing aside, showed an intriguing smile.
This young man had a good understanding and saw through the essence of supernatural power at a young age - the so-called supernatural power is a kind of power that gathers the strength of everyone and then steps on everyone. If everyone can use magic, then magic itself will fail.
It’s a pity that this kind of insight is meaningless.
Because the desire to become "supernormal" is itself the most widespread public opinion base in this world, and it is an order that was born before the First Era.
Even though the villagers of Pompeii seemed to have no organization, they were all in the system, so once Hecajeelin went crazy, the wand would be aimed at them first, instead of causing trouble for the Wizard Tower or the lord.
However, Luo Yan also admitted that Leo's choice was a wise one. When nothing can be changed, "lying flat" is also a smart choice.
As long as you don't have ambitions beyond your capabilities, you won't be instigated by ambitious people like yourself to run around. Whether in hell or the empire, you will have the opportunity to live a leisurely life.
Although this was not in his interest.
"Are you really not going to consider it again? This is your dream." Phoenix put his hand on Leo's shoulder and asked seriously for the last time.
Leo nodded, his eyes more serious than ever, and held the hand that fell on his shoulder.
"I've been thinking about this for a long time."
“May your dreams come true.”
…
Leo's decision to leave made the atmosphere of the "Dream Chasers" team even more depressing. The remaining three stood at the entrance of the camp, looking dazed.
"Mr. Colin," Phoenix adjusted his mood and walked up to Luo Yan and said, "We plan to go to the Adventurer's Guild to cancel the mission first, and then... go to the tavern to celebrate last night's victory and see Leo off. Do you want to come with us?"
Luo Yan looked at the young people with mixed feelings, smiled and shook his head: "You guys go, I'm a little tired and want to take a rest."
His presence would only make them feel awkward. Besides, he was not very familiar with them, they were just casual acquaintances during the journey.
Phoenix nodded and continued carefully.
"Okay, then... we'll wait for you at the entrance of the tavern tomorrow morning. We agreed to go to the border registration office to register together, do you remember?"
"Of course, I hope you have fun." Luo Yan nodded in agreement.
Tafu, who had just woken up, was in high spirits and was about to give them an idea. They could go to the camp and find the girls in sheepskin coats to do what they liked best.
This kid is quite interesting. On the one hand, he laughs at the fact that hairless monkeys are in estrus all year round, and on the other hand, he is interested in mating which is obviously not just an academic discussion.
Just like a primary school student who has just learned dirty jokes.
Unfortunately, due to its owner's order, all that came out of its mouth was a long "quack".
Thinking that the young dragon was saying goodbye to them, Phoenix and the others were stunned for a moment, then nodded politely and left with heavy steps.
Watching their bleak backs, Taffy looked aggrieved, as if she had eaten a mouthful of flies. Sarah couldn't help but curl up her thin lips as she looked at the frustrated Taffy.
Her laughs always come from unexpected places.
"We should go too."
Luo Yan smiled faintly, took Sarah and Tafu into the bustling camp, and went straight to his tent.
At the door of the tent, two clay golems were still standing motionless, exactly the same as when Luo Yan had just left.
Seeing their master coming back, they respectfully retreated to the sides and made way for the respected Demon King.
"Sarah, I'm hungry, give me some food down there."
"Yes, Lord Demon." Sarah obeyed the order respectfully and went outside carrying Taf, whose face changed slightly. Soon, the sound of beating eggs was heard.
Luo Yan sat down at the table and with a wave of his hand, the tattered notebook found in the Hekajelin's lair appeared in his hand.
When I opened the notebook, a damp smell of ink and a faint smell of blood hit me in the face.
The first half of the notebook was written in neat and beautiful handwriting, recording in detail the orthodox magic knowledge that Hekajelin learned in Xuebang, including element theory, spiritual meditation, rune structure, etc. The words were full of vision and hope for the future.
Luo Yan noticed that there was a line of beautiful handwriting on the title page of the notebook - "Dedicated to knowledge and the great cause of magic."
Objectively speaking, her academic attainments are good. If we ignore the compatibility of knowledge, she is capable of being admitted to the Demon King Academy based on her abilities.
However, when Luo Yan turned to the second half, the style of the painting suddenly changed.
The handwriting began to become wild and twisted, like a wildly growing poison ivy, filled with all kinds of taboos of necromancy research, complaints about failed experiments, and vicious curses on the school. Some paragraphs were even scratched with fingernails and smeared with blood... At this time, she should have been mentally ill, and was completely different from the young person who was full of hope before.
But no matter what, this notebook is an excellent trophy.
Although there are differences in the magic theories of Hell and the Empire, they are fundamentally the same, just using different languages and grammars to describe the same abstract object.
As an outstanding graduate of the Demon King Academy and a mature necromancer, Luo Yan naturally saw through the fatal flaws in her research at a glance - especially the theory about soul stitching, which was a complete replica of the lich's soul ascension ceremony, and a replica of the old version from a thousand years ago.
This is undoubtedly suicide.
However, on the other hand, Luo Yan also obtained a lot of first-hand information about Xuebang’s internal courses and knowledge system from the notes.
Just as Hell cannot learn Holy Light Magic, the magicians of Xuebang are also unable to freely explore the knowledge of the soul realm. Therefore, they can only find another way and seek explanations that conform to the teachings of Saint Sith from the perspective of theology.
It is for this reason that the "Holy Energy School" is ahead of the Soul School and the Spiritual School in the field of the soul.
This Hekagelin was an apprentice of the Holy Energy School—his apprentice was Professor Uriel Ackley, a candidate for the sage.
When he turned to the last few pages of his notebook, his movements stopped.
The handwriting here had regained some of its elegance, as if it had been written by Hekagelin when his mind was a little more stable.
In a reminiscent tone, she recorded some of the knowledge she had heard from her mentor, which included Xuebang’s most cutting-edge research direction - "virtual realm".
"…During an experiment, the instructor accidentally mentioned that the top secret of the school is the exploration of the world outside the world. He told us that in addition to the earth under our feet, there is also a land outside the earth, which is called the 'void'. In front of the void, we are like frogs at the bottom of a well, cicadas on a tree... Everything about us is not worth mentioning in front of it."
"The void is not just chaos. In the gaps of the endless sea of chaos, there are many relatively 'harmless' alien planes, and we are probably just one of them."
"The magicians of Xuebang dare not discuss this matter publicly, but they all agree on this point. They saw many things they had never seen before in the virtual world, such as cement boxes, burning arrows, hideous zombies, and lizards traveling in silver sailboats... Regardless of whether there is war or peace, prosperity or decline, or whether there are people, they call these planes that are not favored by Saint Sith 'virtual worlds'."
"My mentor was very excited and told us that their ultimate goal is to try to open a stable channel to these 'virtual realms'. Although our bodies may not be able to pass through that door, we can learn and comprehend a new power system that does not exist in this world, so as to make up for or even break through the shackles of the 'soul level' that is destined by nature..."
At the end of the notes, Hekajelin seemed a little excited, as if he was recalling the glorious days when he pursued his dreams and explored the virtual sea with his predecessors.
Even though she has become a monster, she can't go back.
"...The person leading this research is Professor Uriel Ackley of the Holy Energy School, my former mentor... I hate everyone except him. He led me to open the door to the truth. Even if my soul burns out one day, I hope his teachings can shine on this land, so that our hard work will not turn into insignificant dust."
Luo Yan closed the notebook and tapped the cover lightly with his fingertips. The light of the magic lamp in the tent sparkled with strong interest in his eyes.
"...I didn't expect that the ambitions of the magicians in Xuebang were even greater than I imagined."
They are not just studying magic, they are actually trying to shake the foundation of the rules of the entire world.
The demons of Hell have come a long way in portal technology, but the magicians of the Empire have actually begun exploring the "other world"... even though their physical bodies can't seem to get through.
The only uncertainty now is whether the other side of the virtual world is another planet in the same starry sky, or another completely different universe.
This may help him understand the nature of the planet Kao.
"Youyou, this journey is becoming more and more interesting."
(End of this chapter)
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