Chapter 309: Chapter 306: The Once-in-a-Century Tool

"How do you know my name?" Though stunned, Rorschach still had to ask. It wouldn’t be fun if the being in front of him could read minds.

After all, for a Mage proficient in the Prophetic System, the only difficulty in reading minds was doing so without the other party noticing.

"I am not reading your mind," the Wise Man’s Illusion said immediately.

’You don’t even blush when you lie!’ Rorschach was angry, but he wasn’t sure of the being’s strength. Having suffered one setback after another, he decided it was better to keep a low profile in this strange, new place.

"I am just an illusion now. See? Milky-white, frosted, and semi-transparent. Of course I can’t blush." The Wise Man coughed. "However, I wasn’t lying. I can only read the surface activity of your cerebral cortex. When the Soul signals in your language center fluctuate, I can ’translate’ them, word by word, into speech."

’So, he was just reading my brainwaves. How could that possibly be called mind-reading?’

’Wow, this Great Sage has mastered some extremely advanced neuroscience...’ Rorschach was experiencing a minor shock, courtesy of Ancient Magic.

’The good news, though, was that the electrical signals from the language module were relatively distinct and easy to decipher, while images and memories couldn’t be viewed by such means.’

’Otherwise, if the old man were to dig any deeper, it would be his turn to be shocked by some post-modern Otherworlder kinks.’

The Wise Man’s illusion put on a concerned, worried expression. "Rorschach Mage, you’re so fond of making comments in your head. Doesn’t it get uncomfortable holding it all in? Very well, I’ll answer your first question—why I know your name."

Rorschach couldn’t be bothered to speak and simply replied with his mind: ’Mhm.’

The Wise Man looked quite pleased. Despite being an Ah Piao, he still sat down formally on the edge of the stone platform. "It all began a hundred years ago, with the birth of the Shadow Land..."

’This sounds like a long story. Can’t you just get to the point?’ Rorschach had no fondness for this godforsaken place that offered him nothing; he just wanted to find a way out and swim back to the mainland that very night.

"Fine, I’ll keep it short... Originally, the Shadow Land was a region existing between reality and illusion. The Elves built a Holy Land here to store their old junk.

"As a fissure in reality, the Shadow Land originally had entrances not just in Storm City, but in other places as well. After their defeat by the Empire, the Elves planned to retreat here to live out their twilight years in peace. Some of the old geezers among them also planned to lie low, recover their strength, and then pour out of the various rifts to attack from all sides."

’Something was bound to go wrong.’

The Wise Man nodded. "Correct. The Lord of Order discovered this region. He was quite interested, so he sent down his power to take control of the Shadow Land, sealing all other entrances and leaving only the one in the Storm City area."

’So the Elves really drew the short straw... That also explains why the poet and the Black Cultivator both stressed that the Shadow City has "many rules." It’s because of the Lord of Order’s power. But to be honest, Rorschach hadn’t really felt the effects of these "rules" himself.’

"Don’t go feeling sorry for those pointy-ears. According to the plans of those old fossils, only a small handful of the ’most outstanding’ Elves were to be allowed into the Holy Land to ’preserve the Fire Seed.’ When the will of the Lord of Order burst in, the Elves in the Holy Land were in the middle of... well, hundreds, thousands of bodies were engaged in a great ’airing of views.’ If you know what I mean?"

’So the Lord of Order was basically conducting a vice raid... Their kin were being enslaved outside, and the Elven elite were hiding in the Holy Land throwing a massive orgy.’

"And that is when I entered this place. After all, I was quite interested in it. I used to travel the world, until my knees gave out. So, I made a deal with the Lord of Order: He would allow me to live out my retirement in the Holy Land, and I would watch over this region in return... However, the Lord of Order overlooked a problem. This place, much like a real plot of land, is also subject to subsidence.

"After the war, the original Elven buildings sank into here, forming the Ancient Ruins Area. A great fire in Storm City gave rise to the ’Jiaomao Peak District,’ and the subsidence of some old buildings from the Istani Kingdom formed the Core Area."

’So the current Storm City is also sinking into the Shadow Land?’ Rorschach’s mind went to the Semi-submerged Area, with its abandoned subway lines and Storm City sewers.

"What you’re... thinking is correct. Storm City is, bit by bit, sinking into the illusory. But it grows so quickly—countless houses built and demolished, demolished and rebuilt every day, countless outsiders pouring in with their dreams—that the process isn’t obvious."

"This place is like an ulcer on the real world. It grows larger and larger, drawing in more and more people. It’s utterly chaotic, and with the scarcity of resources, tragedies are a constant occurrence. I found a Marquis and had him establish order in the more populated areas."

’Why didn’t you do it yourself?’

The Wise Man shook his head. "Hundreds of years have passed! I’ve grown extremely weak. I have to rely on an old Elven device just to maintain my existence—hence my current appearance.

"Moreover, my power was severely diminished because this region was also discovered by Is. It wants to contaminate this place, and in fact, it has almost succeeded. The Shadow Land, once made quite habitable by the Elves, was corrupted by Is and turned into the miserable state you see today.

"I could only use the Power of Order to seal off the Deep Diving Area and protect the ’Core’—which is to say, this very illusion of myself. The Power of Order on the outside, which had become mixed with Is’s dark energy, I entrusted to three individuals: the Marquis, the Count, and the Black Cultivator."

’So the Marquis holds the greatest power, the Count is like a Newbie Village chief in the relatively safe and placid Semi-submerged Area, and the Black Cultivator is a traitor to the Ise Church who hates Is but can accumulate and use its dark energy, creating a check on the Marquis’s power.’

The Inverted Church had once been the highest cathedral of the Ise Church, but it had vanished from Storm City after Is fled, its status now held by the West Church.

He claimed he would keep it short, but so much time had passed that Benedict was beginning to stir. At the same moment, space itself fluctuated. To the Wise Man’s astonishment, a small rift tore open in the fabric of spacetime, and Caroline poked her head through.

"Rorschach, are you all right? Who is he?" Caroline’s voice was fraught with anxiety.

Before Rorschach could speak, the Wise Man materialized an archaic, heavy Magic Staff and, quick as lightning, teleported in front of his teacher and the reviving Elf.

BONK! BONK!

Even though both the Magic Staff and the man were ghostly illusions, the sound of the impacts was perfectly crisp and clear—proof that they were two good heads.

"This little lady has some serious talent, managing to teleport in here." The Wise Man’s voice held both shock and appreciation, but he’d shown no mercy when knocking her unconscious. The colossus’s "brain chamber" was clearly sealed with Elven technology; for Caroline to teleport here was not only a show of superb skill, but also of incredible audacity.

With that, he pointed the Magic Staff at Rorschach. "And now, it’s your turn!

"I finally managed to wait out that snotty tentacle monster, Is, and now the revived Danu, also known as the Earth Mother Goddess, has her sights set on this place! I’ve been cooped up in here for centuries, and I’m tired! So let’s just destroy the whole thing!

"I was wondering how I could destroy this place myself, and then you showed up, Rorschach. You, kid, are not only immune to the expulsion curse, but you can also blatantly violate the rules of the Shadow Land without being punished!

"I’ve been watching you ever since you entered this place, Rorschach. You’re the one I’ve been looking for... someone the likes of which hasn’t been seen in a hundred years..."

’So, basically, I’m just a tool?’

"Yes, yes, exactly! That’s a perfect new term. You are the tool of the century!" The Wise Man’s Illusion, hearing the phrase for the first time, immediately endorsed its accuracy.