Chapter 843 Even an old dog has a few teeth
Above the grassland, the sky gradually became gloomy.
Thunder gradually rose and a light rain began to fall.
The mobilized animal army is marching in the rain.
The white horse carried the fox, their fur soaked by the rain. Aleister had thrown the staff aside after his previous research failed.
"Do you think we have a chance of winning?"
Bai Ma asked.
"What's up, buddy?"
Aleister was blunt: "Are you depressed due to too much stress?"
"The pressure is indeed great," Bai Ma said in a deep voice, his voice clear and penetrating, giving people the feeling of a brave man, "but I will not give up.
"Because I carry the hopes of the pack on my shoulders. I must not fall, and I must not fail..."
"—But when you say this, it means you are actually nervous."
The wet fox sneered.
Bai Ma fell silent.
And Aleister finally confirmed...the white horse was not the crown lord Arthur.
Or at least it's not "exactly" Arthur.
Although he had only met Arthur twice, Aleister was certain that if it were Arthur, he would never hesitate at this time.
That tough guy, with his incomparably cold and iron will, possessed the steely fortitude to endure all pain and torture. He wouldn't hesitate or waver until the metal fatigued and broke completely. If the White Horse were based entirely on the Crown Master, then this silent and resolute feeling should be the key to his portrayal.
It was precisely because of this sense of dissonance that Aleister vaguely grasped the key to this promotion ceremony...
...Perhaps, the white horse does not refer to the crown master.
Or maybe there's a deeper secret...
This painting is adapted from Jacob's novel "The King on the White Horse," which contains the story of Arthur defeating the High Heavens and becoming the Silver-Crowned Dragon. However, there is also the possibility that "Arthur's Story" is merely a facade, meant for those who know something about the Pillar God's secrets, but not too much.
In other words, "the story about Arthur" is only the second layer.
There is a deeper secret hidden here.
The destruction of the Hellasir Empire was a "small matter" that clearly wasn't worthy of being covered in the story of the Pillar God's ascension. And what else could Aiwass and Aleister know about that matter?
The fox stood on the horse's back, lost in thought.
One advantage of this fairytale-style painting is that many details can be blurred, just like in children's animation. If you want to go somewhere, you just need to decide and cut to the storyboard.
Whether it was the pre-war mobilization, the march, or the battle... if it were a normal story, it would have taken more than half a month. But Aleister only had two hours here.
Every time I come back from that door, time here will fast forward a lot.
The first choice Aleister saw was asking her "What story does this fairy tale tell?", and the answers were "The Rift War", "The Heaven-Slaying War" and "Both".
The question wasn't difficult, so Aleister quickly chose "Both"—and apparently, everyone else chose that answer.
When she returned, she became Bai Ma's staff member. While Bai Ma was preparing for the war, that annoying baboon came over without any tact - if he hadn't come, Aleister really wouldn't have taken the initiative to kill him.
As soon as he left, Aleister took the initiative to chase him and decisively killed him before he could make the next round of choices.
When Aleister drove it away and White Horse launched a general mobilization before the war, the second problem arose:
"Who do you think will be the final winner?"
The three answers correspond to "Red Bear", "White Horse" and "Golden Lion" respectively.
Aleister chose the white horse without hesitation, and the dead wizard should be the one who chose the golden lion.
As for the other person who never showed up, he should have quietly chosen the white horse and continued to stand with Aleister.
After choosing this answer, when Aleister comes back again... the plot has jumped to the part where the white horse asks the King of the Golden Lion for help.
The white horse thought the lion was arrogant, and the lion thought the white horse was stupid—but they both agreed that no matter how arrogant or stupid the other was, it was no match for the red bear. So there was no need for them to fight each other to let the giant bear take advantage, so they decided to disperse.
At this time, Aleister held the baboon's staff in his mouth the whole time, shaking his head and showing off.
Golden Lion must have seen all of this and must have noticed that his staff had disappeared... but he didn't react at all the time.
——He was a cowardly king.
Aleister immediately determined his identity.
That doesn't look like the Herasil Empire...
The last monarch of the Helasar Empire was by no means a coward. Rather than being a coward, he was more courageous...
Combined with Bai Ma's current personality, Aleister finally became suspicious.
"Think about this carefully, Your Highness... You said before that if you had to have a carnivore as your monarch, you would choose the golden lion."
The fox, drenched by the rain, gave an elegant and cunning smile: "But is there a possibility that horses can also eat meat?"
After saying that, she jumped off the white horse and let the white horse think for itself first.
She planned to look for new sources of intelligence and see if there were any tasks she could complete to advance the progress.
At this moment, an old voice suddenly sounded from beside her:
"—Are you going to seek better employment?"
Aleister looked over when he heard that.
That's an old dog.
A white old dog that looked unusually dirty because of its age.
It looked a bit like a schnauzer, with a long white beard and uncut hair that covered its eyes, giving it a scruffy look.
Although the dog looked small, Aleister didn't look big either. They were about the same height, and up close he looked like an old man.
“…Who are you?”
Aleister asked cautiously.
"I'm an old nameless dog," the dog bared his teeth. "I'm just here to remind you something. You don't need to know my name."
"—Lalo?"
Aleister blurted out.
Seeing the surprise on the dog's face, Aleister smiled and said, "It really is you."
"...That's really boring."
Lalo shook his head, his tone suddenly becoming sad and rhythmic: "You should wait for old Lalo to reveal some more flaws before guessing. This will make old Lalo very sad - because I will look like a dog."
"Because you're funny, Lalo!"
Aleister smiled and said, "You're the most interesting of these people! That woman... should be the monarch you're protecting, right? You came to me on your own initiative. Are you planning to clear the level with me?"
Unlike the old wizard - the first person who came to Aleister was almost certain to die, but the second one was almost certain to live.
She planned to keep Lalo with her, which would also serve as a form of surveillance.
Old dog Lalo obviously knew the true meaning of Aleister's words.
He just smiled, and the bearded dog uttered strange yet rhythmic words:
Because I am made of the wind, whenever I roar, my heart is filled with emptiness.
[I just want to burn out before I die so that I can still see my ashes]
As soon as Lalo finished speaking, Aleister felt his body suddenly warm up.
The two small canines, drenched by the rain, had their fur instantly dry and fluffy, and two balls of dim orange-red flames emanated from their bodies.
"This is...a poem you wrote?"
Aleister was a little surprised.
He tasted a strange sense of death from this poem.
"Well," Lalo smiled, "I just wrote it... Is it okay?"
"It's much better than the one in the preparation room." Aleister said honestly.
The old dog laughed heartily: "What kind of poem is that? It's just scolding them!
"They're all ungrateful traitors. They only think about themselves... Either they're rebels, or they're a bunch of perverts, lunatics, and criminals. Old Lalo shouldn't scold them!"
"...You seem to know me?"
After hearing this, Aleister finally realized what was wrong with Lalo's attitude towards him.
Lalo harbored a deep hatred for the Moon Children and demonologists, but he held no hostility towards Aleister, both a Moon Child and a Transcendent. It was as if he deliberately avoided her, even when she was cursing at her most fiercely, fighting alongside her. Yet, at the same time, he didn't deliberately speak well of Aleister.
New moon rituals are different from full moon rituals.
Because the Crescent Moon Ritual defaulted to no teammates, anyone showing off-site acquaintances could easily be targeted and killed by the others. So from this perspective, his distance from "Snake" Aleister was actually a way of protecting her.
"Did you mean 'Snake' or 'Aleister'?"
The old dog Lalo grinned, revealing two rows of sharp and neat teeth. "Of course I know you. I also know that it was you who killed Hong Xiang—that bastard who broke his promise and killed his king."
"I want to thank you on behalf of Xingtian—although I also know that you are definitely not from Xingtian."
"My last name is Crowley."
Aleister laughed and said, "Aleister Crowley. Isn't that the name you guys gave me?"
"I was there the day the name was born, so of course I know about it. But if you like," Lalo chuckled, "the Crowley family will be yours from now on—this is a gift of gratitude to you. They're in the military and on our side."
"The military...you took the princess to join the military? That person should be the princess, right?"
"Yes, if we want to form a stable military government, we must have at least one legitimate successor here. Otherwise, people will always suspect that this is a military coup... God knows, the army is really here to save us this time!"
Old Lalo raised his head, wagged his tail, and swore and howled in a pitiful voice, "Without them, Xingbi would probably be in chaos now! Although Old Lalo himself doesn't like order, even the worst order is better than true chaos... What do you think?"
"I think you're right."
Aleister nodded in agreement.
Unlike most demonologists, they prefer a chaotic social atmosphere because chaos means both danger and opportunity. A love of adventure and seeking opportunities is a typical characteristic of those who transcend the Tao.
But that's not the case with Aleister.
Because she doesn't need to find opportunities through "chaos". Her purpose itself is full of the desire for transcendence.
"Is this how you view Xingbi?"
Aleister pondered for a moment and asked, "What about Narcissus? What do you think?"
"The people on Narcissus' side... haha, they don't understand the situation at all. Without freedom, there is no sorrow... Those mages have already forgotten how they were defeated by Xingti."
Lalo sneered, his voice becoming low and serious again. "A bunch of mages, all busy with their own research. Who has the time to manage those mundane affairs? Everyone is a mage, everyone wants to climb higher, everyone is studying those noble and profound truths. Then who will be responsible for handling the people's problems? Who will sacrifice themselves?"
"You know, the Narcissus are more tolerant of foreigners than their own people. Just like the Theocracy is more tolerant of those who don't believe in the Ennead than those who believe in the Celestials—they understand that not everyone needs prayer. But if you know this and still choose the Celestials' way, that's the behavior of a dwarf.
"The Shuixian people are the same way... They know that foreign countries don't have such a keen social atmosphere for the path of wisdom. However, in such a society that values the path of wisdom, if someone still hasn't reached the level of wisdom, they will be considered a 'fool' by others. In Shuixian language, there is a special derogatory term for such people: 'meat donkey'... It means a stupid donkey that can't run fast and no one wants it.
"Whoever truly takes charge of people's affairs will be ridiculed by others because of their slow progress in the path of wisdom. Then who will ultimately manage the country? They are certainly capable and intelligent, but politics requires more than just ability...it also requires attitude, responsibility, and perseverance."
This time, Lalo did not choose to use clownish words. Instead, he spoke with very clear logic and in a very calm tone, expressing the facts that were so sharp that the mages could not accept them.
The old dog glanced at the void and said maliciously, "They thought they could steal the power of the Moon Child, and used wisdom to forcibly get their hands on the secret of the Moon Child's immortality. They tried to analyze and replicate the Moon Child's transformation ritual. As a result, they were all contaminated and turned into mutant Moon Children... Their souls were imprisoned within their bodies, stuck together with the contaminated flesh and blood.
"This could be considered a form of immortality. But they didn't realize it was all a conspiracy. Instead, they were controlled by the Blood Sky Master, being slowly dragged into the dream world and transformed into his apostles.
"Of course we all know this, even Hong Xiang knows it. Just as the King Slayer waited for the 'perfect man', they are also waiting for their opportunity... a final solution that can solve all problems and free them from the state controlled by the Blood Sky Master.
"Because they've had it so easy, they've become too arrogant—when they truly hit a wall, they'll realize their own powerlessness. From the very beginning, mages shouldn't have had the freedom to put themselves on the scale... They'll eventually suffer the consequences of their own actions.
"Of course, before that—perhaps they will go crazy first. But I hope they don't provoke me. The Narcissus Principality's backstab is the last straw that causes Star Antimony to fall apart. If that Mr. Pelican really dares to come to me and say something nonsense..."
The old dog Lalo growled softly, and once again took in the surrounding void. He bared his teeth at the mage who might be here: "I will let the noble mage know...
"—even old dogs have a few teeth."
There was a kind of open-mindedness in his words that Aleister was very familiar with.
That is the cruelty of disregarding one's own life and death.
Aleister immediately understood why the other party had said so much to him...
——Because when this loyal old dog entered this ceremony, he never thought of getting out alive.
The update is completed, an update of nearly 8,000 words!
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
