The Demon King is unfathomable

Chapter 415 I've come to say goodbye to him
When Luo Yan left the garden at the top of the tower, he still had that calm and warm smile on his face, as if he had benefited greatly from the previous conversation.

However, as he walked down the spiral staircase leading to the lower level alone, his back was already soaked with a fine layer of cold sweat.

He calmly raised his hand and wiped away the slight chill that had seeped from his forehead, but the turmoil in his heart remained unsettled for a long time.

If the Holy City is the soul of the Empire, the candle that unites the faith and glory of the old world, then the tower beneath his feet is the brain of the Empire, the crystallization of the minds of all humanity and even alien races on the continent of Os.

And now, the plague from the void has even spread to the top of its head...

"Youyou, we may have underestimated the Empire."

Taking a deep breath, Luo Yan spoke in a voice only he and Youyou could hear.

"...I originally thought that the empire beneath our feet was at most a senile old man, but now it seems that its problems are more serious than we imagined. Before our corruption spread here, the corruption of chaos had already permeated it and left it riddled with holes."

What particularly troubled Luo Yan was that this great sage had just returned from the Bronze Pass, the eastern barrier of the empire. Judging from his confident smile, the seemingly invincible Bronze Pass was likely in real danger this time!
Arrogance and intrigue are not enemies, nor are nature and the flames of destruction.

From the Demon King's perspective, he had no reason to worry about the empire's safety. However, he still understood the principle that when the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact.

Once the empire's defenses are breached by chaos, the entire continent of Os will be engulfed in war. Even if his backyard continent of Gana can remain in a corner of peace, it is impossible for it to be safe forever.

The current state of the planet Chao serves as a cautionary tale.

A planet corrupted by chaos will eventually become a desolate wasteland, where all souls will be imprisoned in an eternal purgatory, unable to be reborn.

As if sensing his worry, a wisp of white mist appeared around him, and his voice carried an unprecedented concern.

"Demon King, what should we do?"

Luo Yan remained silent for a long time, deducing and analyzing countless possibilities in his mind, before finally speaking slowly.

"Nothing to do."

"But……"

“Doryuk is already a demigod, and a chosen one of the Chaos Gods,” Luo Yan’s voice was calm and devoid of any emotion, “but he still chooses to lie low in the shadow of the tower, not daring to openly raise the flag of rebellion, which shows that there is still something on this continent that he fears.”

He paused, a sharp glint flashing in his deep eyes.

"We need to figure out what he's afraid of."

Just as Luo Yan was communicating with Youyou in his mind, a soft "ding" sound came from the elevator not far away.

Professor Uriel Ackley emerged from behind the rune-driven metal door.

The scholar from the Sacred Power School wore a gentle and compassionate smile, like a devout theologian.

He held a scroll of invitations in his right hand, seemingly having also been invited by the great sage, and the undisguised joy in his eyes betrayed his anticipation.

Recalling the other face beneath Dolrich's mask, Luo Yan looked at Professor Uriel with a touch of sympathy.

poor child.

He saw the shadow of Alistair in him.

Just as Luo Yan was looking at Professor Uriel, the latter also noticed him.

Clearly, the professor was taken aback that Prince Colin had also received an invitation from the Great Sage, and even before him. His usually refined and easygoing expression faltered for a moment.

But less than two seconds later, that fleeting look of surprise was replaced by a warm, sunny smile. Seeing Prince Colin approaching, Uriel quickened his pace and went to greet him.

"Your Highness Colin? What a pleasure! I never expected to meet you here!"

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Professor Uriel. I've been wanting to meet you for a long time." Luo Yan smiled and nodded in response to his greeting.

Although Luo Yan considered it just an ordinary greeting, it sounded particularly grating to those with ulterior motives.

I've wanted to meet you for a long time.

What does this mean?
Could it be——

Did he have his eye on him before Alistair was brought down?
Uriel felt a chill run down his spine, but he maintained a calm smile and spoke in a kind voice.

“That’s quite a coincidence. To be honest, I’ve been wanting to visit the legendary Prince Colin for a long time, just like you.”

The two exchanged pleasantries for a while.

To be honest, Luo Yan's interest in him was not as great as when he first came to Xuebang, especially after seeing the Great Sage's other side of himself.

However, whether it was his imagination or not, Professor Uriel was unusually enthusiastic towards him, and kept talking to him endlessly.

Luo Yan could sense the probing tone in his words, but he really didn't want to waste time playing games of pretense with someone whose days were numbered.

Just as he was contemplating ending this cryptic conversation and leaving, Professor Uriel's gaze seemed to casually sweep over the direction he had come from, and he said in a seemingly nonchalant tone.

"Speaking of which, Your Highness, you... just came from the Great Sage's garden?"

Luo Yan nodded.

"Yes, what's the problem?"

Seeing the doubt in Prince Colin's eyes, Uriel quickly smiled and waved his hand.

"No, no! Please don't misunderstand, Your Highness. I was just... a little surprised. It seems the Sage truly favors you. Haha, I hope he hasn't taken his anger out on you because of Professor Arist's depravity. We all know you are innocent. In fact, it was precisely because of your righteous act that we avoided even greater losses..."

These words, seemingly polite greetings and flattery, were actually a subtle probe into the content and atmosphere of the meeting between the prince and the great sage, in order to determine the great sage's true attitude towards the prince.

However, just as Uriel was subtly probing, he did not expect that the prince would see through his little scheme at a glance and respond in a way that he did not anticipate.

“Professor Uriel, you don’t need to beat around the bush. I had a very pleasant conversation with the Great Sage, and... we didn’t talk about Professor Arist.”

Seeing Professor Uriel blush instantly, Luo Yan's polite smile remained unchanged.

Before the professor could even begin to argue, he answered the professor's question in a gentle tone, as well as the question of the old man who had been silently watching everything from the top of the spiral staircase.

"I've come to say goodbye to him."

"Saying goodbye?! Wait, you mean...?"

Uriel was stunned, and it took him a long time to recover from the shocking news, but he didn't know how to react.

Luo Yan nodded slightly and patted him on the shoulder as he passed by.

"I'm leaving now. Good luck."

……

At the top of the spiral staircase, a pair of eyes silently watched the room below, seeing Colin's figure disappear in front of the elevator door.

Only after Prince Colin's figure had disappeared into the distance did Uriel snap out of his daze and turn to walk towards the garden at the top of the spiral staircase.

Wish me... good luck?
What do you mean?
Uriel felt a chill run down his spine.

Just as he was racking his brains trying to figure out where this feeling came from, he suddenly noticed that a great sage in a gray robe was standing in front of the garden gate, watching him.

Uriel composed himself and quickly bowed. "Sage..."

"You came."

Dolük, dressed as a gardener, smiled warmly and gestured for the reserved Uriel to proceed.

"Come in, make yourself at home."

Uriel nodded cautiously, then quickly followed the sage into the garden atop the tower.

The surrounding scenery dazzled him.

He saw the Moonlight Grass, which in legends only grows in the homeland of elves, and the Wind Chime Flower, which can sing melodious songs with the sound of the wind... The air here is filled with a refreshing fragrance, as if just sitting here quietly can nourish one's spiritual power.

This feeling is absolutely wonderful.

This is especially true for magicians.

Uriel once dreamed of coming here to see the legendary miracle.

However, for some reason, when the moment actually arrived, he did not feel the excitement he had expected. Instead, he felt somewhat empty because of his brief conversation with Prince Colin.

"Good luck."

That casual remark was like a thorn that couldn't be pulled out, stuck in his heart.

Following the great sage into a pavilion carved from moonstone, Uriel sat down opposite the elder.

He hesitated for a long time, but finally couldn't suppress the huge confusion in his heart and asked a question.

"Respected Sage..."

"what happened?"

"Excuse my boldness, but why is Prince Colin leaving?"

The great sage Doluk took a sip of tea, and a gentle smile appeared in his wise eyes, which seemed to see through everything.

"Oh? He told you?"

Uriel nodded and said nervously.

"Yes."

"It seems he has made up his mind."

Dolrich smiled kindly, as if he had just heard about it, and answered Uriel's question in a very soft voice.

"He had many reasons for leaving, but I think... the most important reason was probably that he couldn't adapt to the new environment."

"Uncomfortable with the local climate?"

Uriel was even more confused.

“But, my sage, if I may be so bold, Prince Colin seems to be adapting very well here. His research is remarkable, and he is very popular among magic apprentices and scholars.”

Dolphin smiled gently, but did not answer the question directly. Instead, he turned his gaze to a purplish-red vine climbing the stone wall outside the pavilion.

A tender flower bud adorned the top, surrounded by sparks of light, like fireflies that might go out at any moment.

"Uriel, do you see that 'Sunfire Flower'?"

Uriel was slightly taken aback, and following the Great Sage's gaze, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

"This is actually a Sunfire Flower? Unbelievable... I always thought it only grew in the south."

"To be precise, it only grows in volcanic craters in extremely hot places."

Dolphin smiled and patiently continued.

“I put in a lot of effort to simulate the most suitable environment for it, but here, it can barely survive and can never bloom as freely as it does in its hometown.”

He turned his gaze back to Uriel, who was deep in thought, his eyes becoming meaningful.

“Our Prince Colin is just like this Sunfire Flower. He is outstanding, but his roots are ultimately planted in the soil bathed in holy light. The cold winds and rules of the tower are not suitable for him, and forcing him to stay will only cause him to wither away. Leaving here is the best choice for him.”

He never ordered anyone to ostracize Colin and those around him, yet almost everyone inside the tower has been doing so unconsciously lately.

The loyal and rigid Porphyry would scrutinize every "out-of-bounds" move by Prince Colin with his strict set of rules. The editor of the Wise Man's Journal would instinctively reject subversive "scientific" papers out of a desire to uphold "tradition."

Even those seemingly neutral professors and mentors would spontaneously distance themselves from that "outsider" from the empire in order to maintain their own status and the interests of their school of thought.

It's true that the Council of Sages debated Colin's paper, but that was because they hadn't expressed their opinions. The mascots sitting on the twelve chairs were also unsure of what they wanted to do, so they could only express their own opinions and test each other.

He deliberately remained silent.

Let them argue about things that are not important at all, try to figure out what you, the superior, are thinking, and then reveal the truth. Watch them quickly gather around you like wild dogs fighting for food, wagging their tails happily or tucking their tails between their legs in frustration... This in itself is a dog training technique.

Of course, he didn't do all this for the sake of taming; he never denied that he actually enjoyed doing it.

The only person on the entire continent of Os who could train a Purple Crystal level expert to such a degree of obedience was probably Dolrich.

Even His Majesty the Emperor could not make the supreme beings above all others behave like dogs in his presence.

The great sage's parable made Uriel thoughtful.

He seemed to understand something, yet he also seemed still shrouded in confusion, and finally nodded respectfully.

"The student...has learned a lot."

"Although I am not your mentor, it is my honor to inspire you."

Dolphin still wore a warm smile, and his humble and amiable attitude showed no trace of condescending arrogance.

Aside from the reasons that are obvious to most people, there is another, more direct reason: the unspoken understanding he and Colin reached during that meeting—

Before the end of the “true” crown, the chosen ones of the Crown of Pride and the chosen ones of the Mist of Deceit do not intrude on each other’s territory.

However, there's no need to tell Uriel this reason.

He is not worthy to be a guest in this garden; he is merely a plant in this garden waiting to be pruned.

Dolph gently set down his teacup, as if to say that a trivial incident had been resolved. Then, his wise eyes refocused on Uriel, and his tone became serious.

"Alright, let's not talk about His Highness anymore."

"Let's get down to business."

　I was working on the outline for the next volume today, it's a bit short, sorry guys.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)