Fantasy Writers 1860

Chapter 105. "On the Origin and Basis of Inequality Among Men"

Dorian knew this book; if he remembered correctly, it was a philosophical work by Rousseau.

He believed that the origin and basis of human inequality was the emergence of private property. It was the emergence of private property that freed humanity from the "state of nature"—a state without war, shelter, communication, or the desire to harm others for personal gain—where only self-love, compassion, and other human nature existed.

As people's "ability to improve themselves" increases, private property and private institutions also emerge, leading to a deepening of inequality among human beings.

Next, power structures were established through contracts, and the strong began to rule the weak in the form of the state. This created inequality between the oppressor and the oppressed. Later, the power of the government became corrupt, turning into an autocratic regime, which created inequality between the master and the slave. At this point, social inequality reached its peak.

Therefore, he ultimately concluded that "hanging or deposing" tyrants was a "legitimate act," advocating the use of violence to overthrow autocratic power, re-establish contracts, and restore equality. He argued that a democratic system, being a people's government "not too far removed from the state of nature," should be adopted after the overthrow of autocratic power.

This book provided the theoretical foundation for later bourgeois revolutions and can be called the spiritual atomic bomb of the bourgeoisie.

Of course, it's hard to say whether the bourgeoisie later heeded the book's argument that "since any government will degenerate and degenerate, it is necessary to continue the revolution and use a new revolution to restore the degenerated government to its legitimate system."

It seems this book has become a phantom book in this world as well.

Dorian looked at the two hooded figures at the Pantheon meeting and noticed their solemn expressions. Well, he couldn't actually see their faces, but he could sense the heavy atmosphere.

"Why, why do you have this illusion book?" the hooded woman asked first, her voice trembling slightly.

The man standing on the rooftop didn't answer, but simply began to chant to himself. Perhaps due to the power of the magical book, his originally hoarse and rough voice now sounded ethereal: "If humanity were allowed to develop freely, what would their fate be? This is precisely the question I've been asked. I will assume that humanity in any era walks upright, as I see it today—"

"—When we removed all those acquired supernatural powers, and all those unnatural abilities that can only be acquired through long evolution—I saw him eating under oak trees, quenching his thirst by any stream, and sleeping under the trees that provided him with food. In this way, his needs were completely met."

"Now, I will erase all inequalities—" he said calmly, then snapped the book shut with a soft "snap".

In an instant, a dark gray ripple spread outwards from him, like ripples on a calm lake, covering half a block.

Dorian suddenly felt—he felt nothing at all.

Apart from that dark gray ripple sweeping across, nothing seemed to have happened.

"The magic has vanished—" Compared to Dorian, Inspector Richie was the first to notice the anomaly.

He noticed that the magic-wielding gun in his hand had dimmed and lost its magical response.

"Manifestation Effect [Natural State]," the hooded man said, seemingly aware of the current situation. "Eliminating all inequalities based on 'status,' 'wealth,' 'power,' or 'supernatural strength' within a certain area. Within this area, everyone's power will be suppressed to a level completely equal to that of ordinary people."

So Dorian felt as if nothing had happened, because he was just an ordinary person and naturally didn't feel suppressed.

"Discourse on the Origin and Foundations of Inequality Among Men," a magical book originally from the Iris region more than a hundred years ago, has its original text stored in the Pantheon's secret library.

Although its scope of use is limited and the "cost" is rather troublesome, it is still a powerful illusory book in the first tier. It is required for use in secret meetings, and each copy is numbered and has a dedicated person responsible for monitoring and safekeeping.

This "extraordinary power" also includes the power of the Phantom Book.

Within the influence of the "Natural State," the power of magic, divine arts, and illusion books are all considered "extraordinary powers."

However, not all the powers of the magical books will be erased. More precisely, the powers of magical books involving the concepts of "status," "wealth," and "power" will be erased.

While not all fantasy books involve these concepts, the core imagery of most fantasy books is indeed related to these elements.

Therefore, it is considered a powerful magic book precisely because it can block most of the power of magic books and completely shield all magical and divine powers.

Of course, this wasn't entirely without a solution, but the two hooded executors weren't carrying any specific illusion books this time.

Generally speaking, unless you know for sure what kind of illusionary book the enemy possesses, no one will usually carry a targeted illusionary book.

Since it is designed for a specific book or type of fantasy book, its versatility is definitely not good.

Besides this, there is another way, or rather, this is the situation that this illusory book aims to create:

The scarred man drew a short knife from his waist, leaped down, and said, "Without the power of the Illusion Book and magic, what can you Executors do?"

That's right, it's melee combat. In the "natural state," close-quarters melee is the most "natural" choice.

He landed lightly on the ground and quickly lunged towards Richie and the officers' group.

Inspector Rich and his officers quickly switched back to their regular guns and opened fire on the scarred man.

Based on the hooded man's explanation, although somewhat amazed by the power of the magic book, Richie immediately extracted useful information: all magic is now disabled.

But guns aren't magic; they don't involve supernatural powers. They deal purely physical damage.

Without the aid of extraordinary power, who can be more powerful than a gun?

The scarred man moved with astonishing speed, dodging all the bullets in such a short distance, and closed in on a police officer. He slashed the officer's wrist with a backhand slash, catching the pistol before it hit the ground.

He then turned around, kicked another officer to the ground, and cleanly disarmed everyone.

Richie: ?

Is this correct?

This magical book eradicates the inequalities based on status, wealth, power, and supernatural abilities, allowing everyone to return to a natural state.

In other words, physical abilities and fighting skills that are inherent to a person and are developed through years of practice are not within the scope of its smoothing.

"How can mere firearms compare to my battle-hardened body?" the scarred man said with a hint of pride.

He originally thought that his martial arts skills, which combined elements of both Eastern and Western styles, were no longer useful due to the great advancements in magic technology. However, he later found a magic book that was most suitable for him.

In the [Natural State], there is no magic, no magical technology, no divine spells, and even the power of the Phantom Book itself has faded.

In this way, his martial arts skills became very impressive throughout his life.

The two hooded figures, now devoid of their magic and magical abilities, were struggling to fend off the enemy's relentless onslaught.

They stood back to back, each holding a short staff and a metal club hidden beneath their robes. The scarred man's every strike was ruthless and hardened, forcing them to retreat with each swing of his short sword. Their robes were torn in several places, and the blood seeping from beneath the fabric quickly left dark stains.

The scarred man continued his relentless attack, letting out a hoarse laugh. Each slash of his blade drew a drop of blood: "What? You big shots who monopolize knowledge, without the blessing of the Illusionary Book, are so vulnerable that you can't even hold a knife?"

He suddenly shifted his feet, dodging the hooded man's movement, and delivered a powerful elbow strike to the man's chest. The hooded man groaned and stumbled several steps back, crashing into a lamppost on the side of the street.

Seeing this, the hooded woman gritted her teeth and lunged forward, but her wrist was grabbed and the short cane in her hand fell to the ground with a "clatter". She was also pushed away and fell right at Dorian's feet, where she lay motionless and fell into a coma.

The scarred man turned his head, the tip of his knife pointing diagonally at the person on the ground, "I almost forgot, there's also you, little brat from the Academy of Literature and Strategy—"

"It's a real shame. If you were an ordinary person, I might have spared your life. No one would believe you if you said something about a magical book, but you happen to be from the Academy of Literature and Strategy—"

The scarred man walked step by step toward Dorian, the short knife in his hand falling toward him!

Then, for no apparent reason, the trajectory of the knife changed, and it pierced the soil beside Dorian.

The scarred man also seemed to have tripped over something, stumbling and falling forward.

Scarred man: ?