Damned Healer-Chapter 532: Everything Is A Lesson

Darian carefully looked around. In front of him stretched a flat emerald-green prairie that reached the horizon. Further ahead, large earthen houses were scattered around a vast plaza where an ancient altar stood at the center.

Before Darian could examine the altar, he was surrounded by a huge group of Golems. There were hundreds of them, and dense power overflowed from every part of their bodies. That was the sign they were all in the ninth Celestial realm.

"An invader?" All those people stared at Darian with such anger it looked like they wanted to devour him alive. Clearly, the invaders who had arrived on the planet over time had created a deep hatred in their hearts.

"Elder, don't be rash. I'll take him to see the Tribe leader," Lutecia said.

Apparently, Lutecia's status among those people was special. Even though the Elder was unhappy, he still signaled for someone to run and bring the leader.

Being stared at by hundreds of blade-sharp eyes was extremely uncomfortable. But Darian seemed completely calm and unfazed, which only made everyone around even more displeased.

"These uncles are all good people. They just have a lot of hostility toward invaders, but Sir Darian is different," Thulon whispered to Darian, thinking he might get irritated.

"Humph, what makes him different? Invaders are all violent and shameless. Every time they come, they massacre us. What do you kids even understand?" a Golem in the crowd shouted.

Gaddol's gaze suddenly fixed on that man, and the man stared back with a specific expression. That Golem immediately understood.

Slowly, he picked up a stone from the ground.

"I'll kill you, damn invaders!" he screeched, then threw the stone at Darian.

Darian's expression darkened. He was about to draw his weapon, but Lutecia was even faster. She moved and caught the stone mid-air, then hurled it violently back at the attacker's face.

*BANG!*

The man hadn't expected Lutecia to interfere. As a result, he was hit squarely and nearly passed out.

"Granizey, since when did you become a brainless beast?! He's our guest, are you out of your damn mind!" Lutecia shouted furiously.

Thulon and Thulya sighed in relief. That idiot had no idea he'd just knocked on hell's door; if not for Lutecia, he'd already be dead.

"Lutecia, you'd fight your own Tribemates for an invader?! Where's your loyalty?!" Gaddol had been waiting for this moment and finally shouted in a heroic tone.

Darian smiled internally. So...

*BANG!*

He moved like a ghost and delivered a thunderous punch. Gaddol's square face was hit dead on.

Gaddol shot out like a cannonball. They tried to catch him, but Darian's punch was so terrifying there was no chance to help.

Even Lutecia was stunned. She never imagined Darian would be bold enough to attack Gaddol right there. She could attack a Tribemate — whatever happened, they could sort it out later. But Darian was an outsider. People already hated him, and now he'd poked a hornet's nest.

As expected, despite Lutecia's shouts, everyone else furiously attacked Darian. Thulon and Thulya were stunned. They never imagined things would go this far.

Darian snorted, and a murderous intent flowed out of him, making the whole environment turn cold and heavy.

"Stop!"

A shout echoed. It wasn't loud, but it made everyone freeze. Instantly, everything fell silent.

"Young people must guard against pride and impatience. Pride brings envy, anger brings fury, and it becomes impossible to make the right decisions when consumed by wrath. How many times have I told you this, yet you still haven't matured?"

Two elders approached. Both had white hair and deep wrinkles on the flesh-and-bone parts of their bodies. One had a calm and dignified expression. The other, walking behind him, had completely white eyes without pupils.

Darian looked at the one behind, and his expression changed. He felt an extremely strong connection to the laws of the world coming from that old man. It was as if he had a spiritual root like the Spiritual Guardians, but it was possibly something else.

"Tribe Leader!"

Everyone bowed hurriedly.

The one in front nodded. When he looked at Darian, a flash of shock appeared in his cloudy eyes, but he quickly returned to calm.

"Tribe Leader, what happened was..." Lutecia quickly began explaining how Darian had saved Thulon and Thulya, and even helped them find that rare treasure.

After hearing the story, the elder nodded and comforted the very anxious Thulon: "Good boy. You owe nothing to anyone in terms of conduct. Is there anyone in our Tribe who doesn't know how to repay kindness?"

Seeing that the Tribe Leader wasn't angry and had even praised him, Lutecia also felt relieved. She quickly said, "Darian, this is our leader."

Darian spoke calmly, "Greetings, senior."

"Thank you very much for helping them. We won't forget this favor," that very old Golem replied with a faint smile.

Then, turning to look at his people, his smile vanished. He snorted and said coldly, "Thulon, as the future leader of the Tribe, how could you be so reckless as to leave at such a dangerous time? You made Lutecia go look for you with so many people. Do you realize your actions put all of them in danger?!"

By the end, his voice had turned harsh. Thulon's actions had enraged him deeply. Everyone fell silent for a moment, not daring to say anything. However, Gaddol had a barely noticeable smile on his face.

Thulon knelt on the ground, but said stubbornly, "Tribe Leader, I don't want to be the Tribe's heir, and I'm not capable of it. You can call me selfish... I accept my punishment."

Thulon didn't confess, didn't try to explain, and didn't beg for mercy. His eyes were completely calm as he faced the Tribe Leader.

"You..." The Tribe Leader looked at the obstinate Thulon, unsure what to do. In his eyes, Thulon was very similar to his late father.

Darian was beginning to understand a bit as he observed around him. Golems didn't have parents or families in the conventional human sense. But the Golems of this planet seemed to have a culture of forming families in name.

Possibly, the material they chose from the earth at birth — which became the foundation of their bodies — created a connection with other Golems.

The parents were likely those who devoted themselves to teaching the newborns who shared that connection with them. They also formed couples based on that same link. Thulon and Thulya had the same silver color and the same type of metal in their bodies, and were clearly romantic partners.

Back to the scene. Another Elder spoke in a pleading tone:

"Tribe Leader, although Thulon was impulsive, his intentions were good. He obtained the Lotus-star, and the Tribe didn't suffer any loss."

"This time, he just got lucky!" Gaddol was the first to argue back, "Making his companions risk their lives for a selfish whim is an unacceptable trait in a leader. If our Tribe allowed someone like that to lead us, what future would we have?"

Right after he spoke, several other Golems complained angrily, showing they didn't think highly of Thulon. That was because Thulon wasn't very strong, only average for his generation, which wasn't enough to convince them.

With so many people responding, Lutecia wanted to say something, but knew it would be useless.

As a Tribe leader, the first requirement was the power to convince everyone; the second was being calm, firm, and experienced. Thulon didn't meet any of those requirements.

Thulya also couldn't say anything. She wanted to beg for mercy, but knew it would be useless.

"Hehe..."

While several people hurled insults, a small laugh echoed. Everyone looked toward the source: it was Darian.

"What are you laughing at?" Gaddol roared.

"Naturally, I'm laughing at you guys. Hypocrites are fun, after all," Darian mocked.

"What do you think you're talking about?! This is a matter of our Tribe. An invader like you has no right to speak!" Gaddol shouted, an aura of killing intent surging from him. After being hit twice by Darian, his hatred was immeasurable.

Darian answered slowly, with a clear mocking tone: "Where I come from, someone who stirs others into attacking a person out of pure envy doesn't live very long. I'd personally get rid of that rotten orange immediately... but I'm just an invader here, so whatever."

"You!" Gaddol yelled, furious.

"Young friend, do you have any suggestions?" the Tribe leader suddenly asked politely.

Everyone was shocked.

Darian turned to him calmly, "You want to hear them?"

"Of course."

"Alright." Darian snorted, then walked toward Thulon under everyone's gaze.

Lutecia had a complicated expression. Darian had been the first outsider in history to ever be allowed into the Tribe. Now she wondered if bringing him had been a mistake.

"Sir Darian..." Thulon was stunned.

Darian stopped in front of Thulon, then spoke indifferently, "Stand up when you speak."

Thulon, who was kneeling, quickly stood. Then he lowered his head, murmuring, "I made a mistake. I must be punished..."

"What mistake?" Darian asked. "At first, I thought you were a righteous person, and that was the only reason I saved you. But now I find out you're a coward. You really disappointed me."

"I'm not a coward!" Thulon exclaimed.

"You think just because you managed to fight enemies without fear of death, you're not a coward? You think just because you didn't abandon your partner, you're not a coward?" Darian spoke with an expressionless face, staring into his eyes. "And now you say your decisions were wrong just because someone criticized you? How are you not a coward?"

Everyone stayed silent.

Darian's emotionless voice continued: "You risked your life to get the Star-Lotus and save someone important, together with your beloved, who supported you with everything. So let me ask you: if you had to choose again, would you do it all over?"

Thulon was stunned, but then nodded, "As long as I can stop Aunt Thulina from suffering that pain, even if I have to die, I'd be willing. If I had to choose again, I'd make the same decision."

A wave of confusion spread. No one expected Thulon to be so firm, feeling no regret at all.

"Thulon, you're the future leader of the Tribe. If you ignore the bigger picture, you'll put the whole Tribe in danger. You don't have the profile to lead us," the Tribe leader said sternly.

Thulon shouted, "I never wanted to lead the Tribe! I don't have big ambitions or goals. Ever since my father died, all of you started looking down on me. The only ones who ever took care of me were Aunt Thulina and Thulya. But the rest of you treated me like a tool, enough already!"

"If it weren't for them taking care of me and encouraging me, I'd have gone insane because of you all. Just because my father was the Tribe leader, why do I have to be the next one? Did any of you ever ask if I wanted it? Did any of you ever ask what I wanted? I'm just a normal guy. Do you really need to force a fish to turn into a shark, for fuck's sake?!"

He roared, as if releasing something stuck in his chest for countless years.

"Do you know how many times I thought about ending my own life? There are so many geniuses in the Tribe. Pick one of them! Why does it have to be me?!"

Thulon grew more emotional with every word. In the end, years of resentment spilled out with Darian's encouragement and support.

Everyone stayed silent.

The current Tribe leader had originally been the old leader. He had already stepped down. But the new leader, Thulon's father, died in battle almost three hundred years ago... to the invaders. So the old leader had no choice but to take up the mantle again.

Darian patted Thulon's shoulder. "Never take anything someone did to you personally, because suffering and hardships are your trials. Only after overcoming them can you become strong. You should be grateful; after all, the weak don't become strong just because they want to. They need a reason to grow stronger. In the end, everything is a lesson."

"Yes, Sir Darian. I'll listen to you." Thulon wiped his tears and nodded, clenching his fists.

For some unknown reason, having Darian by his side gave him infinite confidence. He believed Darian wouldn't deceive him.

At that moment, more people began coming out from inside the Tribe's inner area, surrounding them tightly.

Darian looked at them and said, "If my guess is right, Thulon must have something special related to your secret technique, right? He must have huge potential, and that's why you keep pushing him to be the Tribe leader."

Everyone was shocked. Many were startled, not understanding what he meant. They turned to look at the Tribe leader and the elders.

The old Tribe leader nodded slightly, but said nothing. That was clearly a secret of the Golems, while Darian was an outsider.

But that silent confirmation was enough for Darian to understand a bit. Thulon was probably at a critical age, and his power showed no signs of fully awakening yet.

So they increased the pressure on him more and more. They hoped he'd awaken this energy exactly under that pressure.

Time passed, and now Thulon was almost three hundred years old. That seemed to be the age the Golems considered adulthood, and for some reason... if it didn't awaken before that, it never would.

"Since you don't want to be the future Tribe leader, fine. The old leader is here. Let's choose a new successor," Gaddol suddenly said. His intentions were obvious.

"No need for that. You don't have the necessary qualifications," Darian said calmly, with clear contempt.

"What nonsense! How do I not qualify?" Gaddol barked.

"First, you're impatient, hot-tempered, and tyrannical. You like acting according to your own whims, which is typical of a tyrant."

"Second, a Tribe leader must have a heart devoted to the Tribe, a heart willing to protect it to the death. Thulon is willing to sacrifice his own life for his family. Do you have that courage?"

"Third, and this is the most important, you're not strong enough. Compared to Thulon, you're far beneath him." Darian finished, shaking his head with disdain.

The first two points had been well said. Everyone silently agreed, feeling that Darian was right. But the last point... that was literally absurd.

The Tribe leader remained silent, just watching calmly. As for the other elder, the one with completely white eyes, he hadn't spoken a single word since the beginning. His eyes didn't even move. It was like he really was blind.

"What bullshit! How am I weaker than him? If you don't accept it, then let's fight right now! The loser has no qualification to be the Tribe leader!" Gaddol mocked.

Thulon stayed silent, then turned toward Darian.

Darian sighed, "You're going to accept someone like him becoming the Tribe leader, holding the responsibility of protecting the people you love? Besides, I'm sure your aunt and your beloved had great expectations for you. They were certainly looking forward to the day you'd rise to the position of leader."

When Darian said that, Thulon's eyes turned red. For him, the only things that mattered were his Aunt Thulina and his beloved Thulya. Allowing that idiot to become the leader instead of him was the same as putting them in great danger.

He gritted his teeth. "Alright, I'll go all out."

Thulon walked toward Gaddol, overflowing with battle intent and scaring everyone. To them, Thulon fighting Gaddol was the same as asking to be humiliated.

"Hahaha, great!" Gaddol laughed.

Thulon had barely taken a few steps when Darian stopped him. "What the hell are you doing?"

Thulon answered seriously, "I'm going to fight him with everything I have. Even if I die, I can't just stand still and do nothing."

"What's the point? You can't beat him." Darian shook his head.

Thulon was stunned. Didn't he just encourage him? Why was he throwing cold water on him now?

Darian didn't bother saying more. He turned to Gaddol and said:

"Looks like you didn't understand what I meant when I said you were weaker than him."

Gaddol narrowed his eyes.

"In this world, there are two kinds of power. One is your own strength, and the other is external strength. Thulon's own strength isn't as great as yours, but... he has external strength." Darian said arrogantly.

"External strength?" Gaddol asked, confused.

At that moment, Thulon widened his eyes and understood.