Chapter 76: Chapter 75 This is All a Routine
“What have you done to me, where is my magic? Why can’t I cast any spells?!”
Charles had never felt such panic before. When he opened his eyes, his power had completely vanished… No, it wasn’t his power that had vanished. Charles clearly remembered he was a mage, and furthermore, a Three-Star Mage of the Order School.
He knew he specialized in the Elemental System within the Order School and was adept at using elemental spells; he could even recite the names of instructors from every class he had attended.
But, he just couldn’t cast any spells!
It was like a person starving to death, knowing that if they didn’t eat, they would die, and knowing what food was, but just “forgetting” how to eat!
No, for a mage, this was even more cruel than starving to death!
“Give me back my magic! Give it back!!”
Although Charles had been a powerful mage, without his magic, he was now merely an ordinary person. Hence, facing the furiously shouting Charles, Fang Zheng just snorted coldly and then raised the Sky-Cleaving Sword, pressing it against the other’s neck. Feeling the cold blade, Charles involuntarily shut his mouth—he didn’t have the Protective Blades spell to use now; one strike would utterly end his life.
“Alright, Bald Guy, now I ask one question, and you answer one. If you utter an extra word of nonsense, I can’t guarantee I won’t let my hand slip… Understand?”
“You, you dare threaten me, do you know who I am…”
But before Charles could finish speaking, he saw a flash of the sword before his eyes, then he felt a chill between his legs, and as Charles looked down, he couldn’t help but gasp—Fang Zheng’s sword tip was pointing right between his legs, even less than a finger’s distance away.
“Now, I ask, you answer, understood?”
Charles swallowed hard and nodded vigorously. Now, whether he understood or not was beside the point.
“Good, start with your name and identity.”
“I, I am Charles Lawrence, I am a mage of the Tower of Heaven…”
“The Tower of Heaven, you’re really from the White Tower?”
Hearing Charles’s answer, Fina couldn’t help but exclaim, and even Fang Zheng raised an eyebrow. Of course, he knew what the Tower of Heaven was. To protect the “Violet Pact,” the forces of order on this continent had formed an Order Alliance, which aimed to uphold order and eradicate chaos. As part of this alliance, there were four organizations, each the core organizational force of their respective nations.
For example, Fang Zheng’s Kingdom of the Holy Church was represented within the alliance by the “Sanctuary of Reflection,” and the Magitech Nation was represented by the “Tower of Heaven.” It was said that the Tower of Heaven was where all the elite mages of the Magitech Nation were located, much like the highest academic institution in the Land of Mages, where only students who passed the “university entrance exams” were qualified to enter to study further and gain even greater power and lofty status.
However… it seemed that high credentials but low ability wasn’t unique to any particular world.
“I can’t believe mages from the White Tower would actually collude with cultists.”
“You have no idea what I have experienced!”
Angered by Fang Zheng’s mockery, Charles lashed out.
“Those damned colleagues, always scheming against me, even mocking me! I was expelled from the core circle, assigned to this godforsaken place as a Watcher, and I’m fed up! I clearly…”
“I’m not interested in your past, no need for more nonsense.”
Fang Zheng truly didn’t care about Charles’s complaints. He had seen too many of these freshly graduated young people during interviews, always quick with “it’s not me, it’s the world that’s wrong” or “my ideas are correct, just give me enough resources and I’ll definitely succeed”… yet none of these had any real use; you can’t even handle things under limited resource conditions, yet you expect the company to rely on you? Must be delusional?
“Tell me something useful. What are these cultists planning? Why did they attack the stronghold, what are they intending to do with these Templars? Explain everything you know.”
But this time, Charles didn’t answer; instead, he looked at the Sky-Cleaving Sword in Fang Zheng’s hand with a complex expression, seeming to ponder something. Watching his expression, Fang Zheng simply smiled slightly.
“You wouldn’t think we don’t already know just about everything, would you? Honestly, we’ve almost gotten all the information we need from other prisoners already. Now it’s just about verification, so confess for leniency or resist for severity. If you cooperate, we might consider letting you go. But if you don’t…”
When Fang Zheng spoke, both Fina and John looked at him in surprise. Captives? Where did captives come from? Hadn’t all those cultists committed suicide after being captured?
“Humph, I don’t believe it.”
Charles, on the other hand, scoffed at Fang Zheng’s words. He was well aware of what kind of ruthless individuals those cultists were. In Charles’s view, although the cultists were insane, their fanaticism towards their belief was terrifying. He simply couldn’t believe that these cultists would betray their own, much less betray their master.
“Alright, it looks like you plan to resist to the end.”
Seeing Charles’s disdainful expression, Fang Zheng shrugged.
“I can understand you worrying that we’re bluffing you, so here’s a hint… The City of the Fallen, Sanatoga, that’s your destination, right?” freёNovelHub.com
“How did you know—!?”
Upon hearing this, Charles was immediately shocked; he couldn’t understand how the other party knew. He had only just learned about their destination from his master, and he hadn’t even notified the other cultists. Logically speaking, this young man couldn’t possibly know this secret!
But when Charles saw Fang Zheng’s expression, he finally realized.
“Ah… I thought mages were all quite smart, but it seems… Well, intelligence and emotional intelligence have never been directly proportional.”
Hearing Fang Zheng’s answer, Charles’s face turned livid. If it wasn’t for his concern about the other’s longsword, and for some reason his current inability to cast magic, he would have even wanted to rush up and fight this young man to the death!
At this moment, Charles was filled with rage, while Fina and John were utterly stunned by the news.
“Could it be that those cultists really plan to reopen the Gates of Hell?”
At this point, Charles had nothing left to lose. He had lost his magic and had been captured by the Sanctuary, essentially ruining his reputation. He could even imagine what he would become once he returned. Thus, Charles had nothing else to worry about.
“That master is about to open the Gates of Hell and summon the Devil Legion to this world again. By then, all of you will die!”
“This is impossible!!”
But Fina shook her head vigorously, utterly unwilling to believe Charles’s words.
“The Gates of Hell were personally sealed by the Goddess of Order; it is absolutely impossible to open them, whether from the inside or the outside. Even if Sanatoga himself came, it would be impossible!”
“That’s why I say, being stupid is a lifelong thing.”
Hearing this, Fang Zheng looked at Charles with a pitying gaze, then shrugged.
“It seems there are plenty of fools among mages. You believe whatever others say. I guess by the time they sell you out, you will probably be counting money for them…”
“Of course, you brain-damaged believers in god won’t understand!”
Facing Fang Zheng’s taunt, Charles simply sneered.
“Indeed, the Goddess’s seal is very strong, and reopening it is impossible. But who said that the sealed gates must be reopened? If the gates can’t be opened, can’t we just create a new breach? Hahaha, you’re all so foolish… you just don’t understand… hahaha…”
By now, John and Fina were completely at a loss for words, especially Fina. She knew very well that Fang Zheng knew nothing, and her previous remarks were only speculations. But she hadn’t expected that this young man could be so formidable, convincing Charles to admit it with just a few equivocal guesses.
“…So, being stupid is a lifelong thing.”
Looking at the bewildered Charles, Fang Zheng shrugged again, then turned his head to look at Fina beside him.
“It seems we need to carefully consider our next moves now.”