Chapter 2: New Century (Epilogue)
The conference room fell into a brief silence.
The two supreme kings of the continent made eye contact, their profound gazes intertwining. The air around them turned frigid, and the nobles and commanders present held their breath.
“Of course.”
Finally, Xi Wei nodded slightly.
“I deeply love this continent, and it is my duty to protect it.”
As soon as these words were spoken, the low pressure in the hall immediately dissipated. Both Xi Wei’s ministers and Fario’s ministers couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
The world was already bad enough.
If the supreme emperors of the North and South Continents were to fight again, this world would be screwed.
“This is good, this is good…”
A comforting smile appeared on Fario’s old and tired face, like blooming old tree bark. He was confident he could resolve the current situation on the South Continent, provided that the King of Winter from the North Continent didn’t interfere.
“Your Majesty Winter, please feel free to mention any needs you have. Within my capabilities, I can offer you any assistance!”
Fario waved his large hand expansively.
Just as Xi Wei was about to ask for a lot, he heard the howls from the ministers of the Holy Rodia Empire on the communication gem:
“Your Majesty! Our troops have all been dispatched to deal with the Old Ones’ Retainers. Where do we have extra troops to assist the King of Winter?”
“Yes, Your Majesty, if you go to the treasury, even the rats will cry!”
“Your Majesty, news from the front lines indicates that Petro Fortress cannot hold. We request reinforcements!”
Visibly, Fario’s face stiffened slightly within the communication crystal.
“Heh heh, it seems the situation in Your Excellency’s Empire is not very optimistic…”
Xi Wei offered a polite yet sarcastic smile. It wasn’t that he looked down on Fario. Fario, an indigenous person without system assistance, reaching this point could be considered the child of the world. But after all, they were both supreme emperors, and one could never give up any opportunity to suppress each other.
Fario was about to retort.
Xi Wei had already dismissed him.
“Your Excellency Fario, the situation is urgent. If there’s nothing else, I will attend to matters of the Empire!”
Saying this, Xi Wei prepared to close the communication crystal.
More than ten communication crystals had already signaled, all from lords of various territories in the Wintery Empire who were temporarily unable to disengage. He was anxious to understand the situation of these lords and their respective territories.
“Your Majesty Winter, don’t be in a hurry, there’s one more thing!”
Fario hurriedly called out.
Xi Wei raised an eyebrow.
He heard the old king on the other end take a deep breath and say solemnly:
“I won’t hide it from you. Actually, the situation on the South Continent is very serious. The magic普及 rate among mages on our South Continent has reached thirty percent. Although ninety percent of them are magic apprentices, the difference between magic apprentices and ordinary people is huge after being corrupted by the Old Ones. Even a little magic in their bodies can generate Old Ones’ Retainers of extremely high ranks. I’ve been driven mad by this matter…”
The old king seemed to have let go of a burden.
His back, which he had been trying to keep straight, now curved, and more wrinkles appeared on his face. His tone was more candid than before:
“I plan to devour and merge with the Magic Net, concentrating all magic power into myself, severing the connection between those Old Ones’ Retainers and the Magic Net, and at the same time attempting to Ignite Divine Fire.”
Xi Wei’s eyes narrowed upon hearing this.
“Can your spirit withstand it?
Every mage who uses the Magic Net leaves a trace of their will within it. Now you intend to merge all wills, meaning you will bear the fragmented wills of all mages throughout the ages, both positive and negative, with your own spirit. This is different from the power of belief!”
“I know.”
Fario rubbed his old face, his eyes lowered. For a moment, his hair seemed to have turned much whiter.
By forcibly merging so many wills, he would likely be driven mad by their pressure.
Even if he truly became a god, he would only be an aggregate of countless mages’ wills.
Could he be considered himself?
Could he be considered a true god?
But there was one thing Fario was very certain about.
No matter what kind of god he became,
whether he had self-awareness or not.
They would all be hostile to the Old Ones.
They would do everything in their power to drive out the Old Ones.
They would guard this world in his stead.
This was enough for him.
Thinking of this, Fario’s gaze became serene, yet within the serenity, a blazing fire ignited. He slammed his fist on the table, roaring almost madly:
“Why?! I spent eighty years achieving legendary status, five hundred years establishing the Magic Net, and now these damnable maggots are going to destroy all my hard work. I will not allow it!”
Xi Wei silently watched Fario.
He watched the old king vent his emotions.
The more the old king cursed, the more viciously he spoke, even using some dialect from an unknown place on the South Continent. After cursing for a long time, he finally calmed down slightly.
“I apologize, I got a bit emotional and made you witness a spectacle.”
“It’s nothing.”
Xi Wei shook his head.
He could actually understand Fario’s feelings very well.
Originally, Fario could have gradually ascended to godhood with the help of the Magic Net. Now, he had to resort to such a risky method, even risking his life. If it were him, he would also hate the Old Ones to the bone. Just thinking about the area covered by the Magic Net demonstrated Fario’s dedication.
“You told me these things, you must have some request, right?”
“Hahaha, truly nothing escapes your eyes.”
Fario laughed heartily, but as he laughed, his expression turned somewhat bitter. He raised his hand and cast an soundproof barrier, clearly not wanting his subjects to hear what he was about to say next.
“Your Majesty Winter, I wish to request that you take in the civilians and ordinary mages of the Holy Rodia Empire… My subjects and soldiers will naturally fight to the last moment with me, but the others are innocent. If I merge with the Magic Net, the magic power on the South Continent will inevitably become chaotic. In the elemental torrent, ordinary people and low-level mages will not be able to survive…”
There was another point Fario didn’t mention.
He feared that after merging with the Magic Net, he might lose consciousness and launch indiscriminate attacks on all places on the South Continent inhabited by Old Ones’ Retainers.
“Stop!”
Xi Wei frowned. “There are so many people on the South Continent, how can my Wintery Empire possibly accommodate them all? Besides, I am also too busy to take care of myself right now. Are you so confident that I can protect your people?!”
“Yes!”
Fario smiled slightly, revealing a row of yellow teeth.
“Your Majesty Winter, you have five goddesses there, and aren’t you also the successor of a certain main god? I have ten thousand percent confidence in leaving those people to you!” Saying this, before Xi Wei could speak, the old king directly brought out his trump card:
“To facilitate your work, I have mobilized the entire nation to construct five Kaiser Arks.
These Arks are a gift to you, whether you use them to rescue the people of the South Continent or the North Continent…”
Fario stood up and bowed deeply.
“Please, ensure that the torch of humanity continues to burn!”
