Ch. 751..760
Chapter 751 751 Mountain Of Swords And Blades
Yet, even though the Lightning Emperor understood Shang better now, the problem still hadn't been resolved.
Naturally, the metaphor the Lightning Emperor had given couldn't completely cover all the aspects of the problem.
For example, while the beast in the metaphor could help the person become more powerful, Shang couldn't possibly help the Lightning Emperor become more powerful.
The Lightning Emperor was already at the peak of what he could achieve. Even if Shang became a Warrior Emperor and even if he decided to help the Lightning Emperor with everything, what would that accomplish?
At most, the Lightning Emperor would become the strongest Emperor after Shang, but that didn't make much difference to him.
Not everyone was like Shang, and the Lightning Emperor was fine with the power he had.
He could do what he wanted, talk with whomever he wanted, and go wherever he wanted.
Becoming the strongest Emperor wouldn't change that.
As for reaching Lucius' power, that was impossible. The Lightning Emperor knew that much.
Sure, Shang could become an incredibly powerful Warrior King, which would boost the Lightning Manor's prestige and soft power.
But then what?
They would have a bit more power for 100,000 years, and then Shang would die, and everything would return to normal.
And if he hadn't died by then, it meant that he had become an Emperor, in which case every other Emperor needed to fear for their lives.
There was nothing positive about supporting Shang.
"Your goal is to become powerful?" the Lightning Emperor asked.
Shang nodded.
"Powerful in what sense?" the Lightning Emperor asked. "Do you want to rule over others?"
"No," Shang answered.
"Do you want the freedom to do whatever you want?"
"No."
"Do you want to use your power on others?"
"No."
"Then what do you want with that power?" the Lightning Emperor asked with furrowed brows.
Everything Shang had said up to now was in tune with the world, which meant that he wasn't lying.
Yet, exactly that confused the Lightning Emperor so much.
Power was not a goal, but a means to achieve one's goal.
It was a tool.
When one was the most powerful, one could do whatever one wanted without having to fear anyone else.
Yet, it seemed like Shang only wanted to have the power without actually having a reason to use it.
It was like he was trying to hoard the most powerful weapons in the world and then just…
Look at them?
Have them?
"Why do you want to have power?" the Lightning Emperor asked.
"Because I want to be the strongest," Shang said.
"So, the status?" the Lightning Emperor asked.
Surprisingly, Shang didn't immediately answer.
"No," Shang answered after two seconds.
The Lightning Emperor blinked a couple of times.
"Alright, so, assuming there were no people or beasts in the entire world, would you still chase after power like this?" the Lightning Emperor asked.
"Yes," Shang answered.
"You don't care about the others?"
"No."
"What if the strongest humans are at the Third Realm and you are at the Fifth Realm, and it is completely impossible for anyone else to even reach the Fourth Realm? Would you still dedicate your entire life to searching for an illustrious Sixth Realm?" the Lightning Emperor asked.
"Yes," Shang answered.
"Why?"
"Because I want to be the strongest," Shang said. "I don't expect you to understand. I don't know why I want to be the strongest myself. I just want to."
"I feel like this is why I exist."
"It feels like this is what I am supposed to do, and if I can't achieve it, nothing else matters," Shang explained.
The Lightning Emperor was completely ignoring his tea at this point since he was too enraptured by this enigma of a personality.
"That doesn't sound like an ambition," the Lightning Emperor said. "It sounds like mind control."
"Mind control?" Shang asked.
"Yes, mind control. Humans do things because they have reasons to do these things. You can question every conscious action of a human with a why, and you would always get an answer, assuming the other party is honest."
"You want power, right?"
Shang nodded.
"Why do you want power?"
"Because I want power."
"Exactly that's the problem," the Lightning Emperor said. "Your action is self-referential. The reason for your action is your action, and your action is your reason."
"It exists because it exists."
"While there may be things in this world that might actually have this reason for existing, a human's action definitely isn't one of these things."
"There's always a reason, and even if you don't know the reason, you can be assured that it is still there."
"Just because you don't know that something exists doesn't mean that it doesn't exist."
"Okay," Shang said. "Then, what's my reason for wanting power?"
"I don't know since I haven't seen your life," the Lightning Emperor said.
Then, the Lightning Emperor sighed. "I think we have strayed too far from the actual topic. Let me ask you some more questions."
Shang nodded.
"Assuming you became a Warrior King and you reached the top of your Realm, what would you do next?" the Lightning Emperor asked.
"Find a way to become an Emperor," Shang answered.
"Okay, assuming you are an Emperor, what would you do then?" he asked.
"Find a way to become a God," Shang answered without any hesitation.
"Is there a specific reason why you want to become a God?" the Lightning Emperor asked.
At that moment, some things shot through Shang's mind.
These things were all related to Shang's interactions with the God.
The way the God had toyed with Shang.
The way the God had shown that Shang was nothing more than mere entertainment.
Shang realized that his goal had once been to kill the God for exactly these things, and for that, he needed power.
This had once been his goal.
This had once been the reason why Shang wanted to become powerful.
But then, after going through so much suffering and shit, the God's actions had become almost negligible.
Yes, the God's power over Shang made him feel insignificant and suppressed, but compared to all the things Shang had done to become powerful, the God's antics just seemed so unimportant.
It was like Shang was thirsty and there was a bottle of water on top of a mountain of swords and blades.
Sure, Shang wanted that water, but that bottle of water wasn't worth this perilous and painful journey.
It would be better to just walk away and find water somewhere else.
After climbing the mountain for so long, Shang had completely forgotten why he was climbing the mountain in the first place.
He was just climbing.
Why was he climbing?
Because he wanted to reach the top.
Why did he want to reach the top?
He didn't know.
He just wanted to.
Why didn't he just stop and turn around?
Metaphorically, Shang looked back at the trail of blood he had left behind.
It was a trail of destruction, suffering, torture, and fear.
Then, he looked at the top of the mountain again.
He had already come so far.
If he turned around now, wouldn't that make all his suffering for nothing?
And then, Shang remembered the bottle of water on top of the mountain of swords and blades.
It didn't really matter, but since he was already here, he might as well grab that bottle.
And after that?
Chapter 752 752 Insane
What after that?
At that moment, Shang's thoughts began to turn more and more abstract.
He was trying to think of something, but all his thoughts somehow stopped making sense.
He was thinking of something, but he had no idea what he was thinking about.
It was just a weird and indiscernible mess.
Shang was just sitting there, not moving.
He was just thinking.
Wait, what was he thinking about?
He didn't remember.
'Can't be that important if I forgot,' Shang thought. 'Anyway, it's interesting to know what led me down to my current Path.'
'Killing the God, huh?'
'Sure, I can do that.'
'Then, I will get rid of the Abominations as long as it doesn't require me to sacrifice myself or something like that. And finally, I will find a way to become even more powerful.'
'I refuse to believe that becoming a God is the end.'
"You haven't answered my question yet," the Lightning Emperor suddenly said.
Shang was pulled out of his thoughts and returned to reality.
He had completely forgotten that he was sitting in front of the Lightning Emperor just now.
"What was the question?" Shang asked.
"Why do you want to become a God?" the Lightning Emperor asked.
Shang didn't immediately answer because he realized that he was now in a troublesome situation.
Earlier, he could have answered that question with no problems.
Because he wanted to become more powerful.
But now, Shang had remembered the original reason for wanting to become so powerful.
Shang knew that the Lightning Emperor could tell the truth from lies, and he also knew that he most likely couldn't deceive the Lightning Emperor with ambiguous language.
So, what was he supposed to answer?
"There is a specific reason why I once wanted to become a God, but that reason is no longer important," Shang said.
"Oh?" the Lightning Emperor uttered with some interest. "Please, tell me the reason."
"It's not important since that isn't my reason anymore," Shang said. "I want to become a God because I want to become even more powerful. I want to go as far as I can."
Everything Shang said was the truth.
"I understand," the Lightning Emperor said with a nod. "Nevertheless, I want to hear your original reason."
"I don't want to tell you," Shang said.
The Lightning Emperor's friendly smile slowly vanished, and a polite but strict expression replaced it.
"I am currently deciding on what to do with you," he said. "You are free to refuse to answer, but in that case, I will assume the worst possible reason and base my judgment on that. In this case, I am assuming you want to subjugate the entire world and rule it."
"If you are a God, you would have already killed nearly all Emperors anyway."
"Let me be honest with you, Shang Sword," the Lightning Emperor said. "Nearly every other Emperor has been my personal friend for a very long time. We traveled together, trained together, fought together, and lived together."
"They are my lifelong friends."
"By saying that you want to become a God, you have essentially told me that you want to kill all of my friends."
"I can come to terms with the reason that everyone deserves a shot at becoming powerful and realizing their destiny, but is that still true when that person has directly told you that they are planning on killing all your friends?"
Silence.
"Now, you are free to answer me," the Lightning Emperor said, "or I can just directly eliminate you. You are not here because I want to find a reason to kill you. This is a chance for you to defend yourself and convince me not to kill you."
"Make use of it," the Lightning Emperor said.
Silence.
Shang felt a strong feeling of déjà vu.
It was like he had been here before.
And then, he remembered his last conversation with Jerald.
This situation was basically identical.
Yet, there were still some differences.
First, the Lightning Emperor wasn't Shang's friend.
Second, Shang didn't have the power to kill the Lightning Emperor.
Third, the Lightning Emperor didn't know that Shang was the Child of Calamity.
"So, what was your original reason for wanting to become a God?" the Lightning Emperor asked again.
Silence.
"I wanted to kill someone," Shang said.
"One person or several?" the Lightning Emperor asked.
"Only one," Shang answered.
The Lightning Emperor.
Only wanting to kill one person wasn't that bad.
"Who is that person?" the Lightning Emperor asked.
"You don't know him. I'm certain of that," Shang said.
The Lightning Emperor raised an eyebrow as he looked at Shang.
He was certain of that?
How could this warrior be certain of whom the Lightning Emperor knew and not?
"What makes you so certain?" the Lightning Emperor asked.
"Because he doesn't want to be known, and if he doesn't show himself, no one will know that he exists," Shang answered.
"Oh?" the Lightning Emperor uttered as he leaned forward a bit. "And who is that?"
Silence.
"The God."
The Lightning Emperor's eyebrows shot up in surprise.
He almost couldn't believe that this had actually created a resonance with the world.
This meant that Shang honestly believed this to be true.
Now, it was important to know that knowing that something was true didn't necessarily mean that it was true.
If one person saw another person enter a building, they would be certain that they had seen that person enter that building.
When they told everyone that they saw that other person entering that building, they were not lying.
Even if that person had been a third person disguised as the other person, it didn't matter.
As long as the first person didn't know that, they were still telling their truth.
The resonance of the world only happened when someone believed something to be true. It didn't matter whether that thing was objectively true or not.
And right now, Shang believed that he was speaking the truth.
Did the Lightning Emperor believe him?
Not really.
There was a higher chance of Shang having once been the victim of a powerful illusion or delusion than there actually being some sort of God.
Unless…
"Are you referring to the Mage God?" he asked.
"No," Shang answered.
This made Shang's claims even less believable.
If there were a God, it would be Lucius.
Most likely, Shang was suffering from delusions.
However, was that any better?
A sane person could be predicted, but predicting an insane one was nearly impossible.
So, if Shang was insane, did it even matter what he would say?
His words weren't trustworthy anyway.
Chapter 753 753 The Truth
The Lightning Emperor just looked at Shang with an unconvinced expression.
"A God that isn't the Mage God," he said in a flat tone.
"Correct," Shang answered, "but as I've said, that is no longer my reason for wanting to become stronger."
"Why is it no longer your reason?"
Shang didn't immediately answer.
"It no longer seems that important," he said.
"You believe this God is real?" the Lightning Emperor asked.
"He is real," Shang answered.
The Lightning Emperor took a deep breath.
Shang was too far gone.
Although, that also made sense.
Achieving a sixfold Spirit Sense was so incredibly difficult that something had to be wrong with someone if they were willing to put in so incredibly much effort.
Just getting a fivefold Spirit Sense would already require someone to sacrifice quite a bit, but getting a sixfold Spirit Sense was even crazier than that.
People that were willing to do something like that couldn't be sane people.
Although, having delusions might not exactly be the kind of mental illness that would seem connected to having a sixfold Spirit Sense.
Nevertheless, Shang couldn't be normal, and having delusions would just be another weird addition.
Naturally, Shang noticed that the Lightning Emperor didn't believe him.
Under normal circumstances, Shang wasn't one that cared about what other people thought of him, but this time, he had to care.
After all, the Lightning Emperor had the power to kill Shang without any repercussions.
When the conversation had just started, Shang had been quite nervous, but he hadn't expected that the conversation would take such a turn that he was essentially forced to unveil the existence of the God.
After all, if Shang refused to answer, the Lightning Emperor would assume even worse things than the truth.
Suddenly, something appeared in Shang's hand, and he put it on the table.
The Lightning Emperor looked over, and his eyes widened in surprise.
"Wait, you were that one warrior?" he asked as he looked at the book in front of him.
This was the original copy of the Star Map for warriors.
"The God gave me this book," Shang said.
When the Lightning Emperor heard that, his eyes widened in genuine surprise.
The world had resonated, which meant that Shang believed that he was telling the truth.
This meant that Shang genuinely believed that some God had given him that book.
The Lightning Emperor took the book and looked at it.
He could feel the Tranquil Hammer Lord's Aura on it clear as day.
Back when the Lightning Emperor had looked at that book for the first time, he had assumed that one of the other Emperors had lost it.
But now, Shang was claiming that some sort of God had given him that book.
"What makes you certain that the person that gave this to you is a God?" the Lightning Emperor asked.
In his mind, the Lightning Emperor imagined a scene where a Mage Lord from another Empire somehow managed to infiltrate Area 23 and tell a small warrior that they were a God.
To the people of Area 23, a Mage Lord would seem like a God.
"Because he also gave me this," Shang said.
And then, he put one of his swords on the table.
The Lightning Emperor hadn't really looked at Shang's belongings earlier, but now, he took a look at the sword.
Immediately, the Lightning Emperor's eyes widened in genuine shock.
"An Apex Companion Weapon!" the Lightning Emperor nearly shouted.
When Shang heard that, he realized that he had been right.
Shang had thought that weapons like this had existed in the past, and since the Lightning Emperor had just uttered the name of the weapon, it meant that they had genuinely existed.
The sword hovered in front of the Lightning Emperor, and he looked at it for several seconds.
The more he looked at it, the more surprised and concerned he became.
The sword slowly began to spin, and as it did, it became smaller and weaker.
Shang was a bit concerned about his weapon, but he knew that he didn't have the luxury to complain.
Eventually, the sword turned into its original appearance.
At that moment, the Lightning Emperor's eyes narrowed, and the Mana in the room shook.
Slowly, the sword stopped spinning, but the Mana in the room seemed to become tenser and tenser.
It was almost like it was ready to explode.
And then, the sword suddenly spun at insane speeds for just one second as it returned to its normal form, the Addum.
The Lightning Emperor released a deep breath.
He slowly put the Addum back on the table and leaned back.
He just remained silent for several seconds.
Shang also didn't say anything.
"If I forced it, I might be able to recreate its original Aura," the Lightning Emperor said. "But that would throw the Mana equilibrium off, and every Emperor and King would want an explanation from me."
The Lightning Emperor sighed again. "But that doesn't really matter. The fact that I need to put out so much effort means that it must have been made by someone in the Ninth Realm."
Shang noticed that the Lightning Emperor hadn't said that it was made by an Emperor but by someone in the Ninth Realm.
This meant that this sword might have been made by someone that wasn't a Mage many thousands of years ago.
"Where did you get this sword?" the Lightning Emperor asked.
"The God gave it to me."
"Why?"
"Because I needed a weapon that could grow. Without this weapon, I would have also needed to learn blacksmithing at some point," Shang said.
"Oh?" the Lightning Emperor uttered. "What's your connection with this God?"
"He took me from my homeworld and brought me to Aterium," Shang said.
Silence.
"Your homeworld?" the Lightning Emperor asked.
Shang nodded. "A place called Earth."
"Tell me more about this place," the Lightning Emperor said.
Shang described Earth and the universe it was in to the Lightning Emperor in as much detail as possible, including why that universe existed in the first place.
Just an interesting side project for the God's entertainment.
Chapter 754 754 Mad
Several minutes later, the Lightning Emperor told Shang that he had heard enough.
By now, it became harder and harder to find rationalizations for Shang suffering from delusions.
"And why did he bring you to Aterium?" he asked.
"Entertainment," Shang said.
"Entertainment?"
"Entertainment."
"Please elaborate."
"He told me that his world is filled with nothing but Mages and that the battles between Mages are the most boring to watch. He said that they just throw Spells at each other for hours at a time."
"He said that the world was supposed to entertain him, but with all these Mages, it wasn't very entertaining."
"That was why he summoned me and a couple of others."
"He needed people with certain mindsets and with a lot of creativity. He created bodies for us that made it impossible for us to focus on Magic. By now, I know that he got rid of something in my soul that transports the majority of my Mana into my mind. The Custodian has already fixed that."
"He wants us to create more Paths and make them more powerful so that there would be more diversity in his world."
"And the best way to start was to make the new warrior Path that appeared in Area 23 stronger."
"He sent me to Area 23, and that's where it all started," Shang explained.
The Lightning Emperor took a deep breath.
It was like the entire world was being turned upside down for him.
How had he never heard of this God?
How could someone like that stay secret for so long?
Was this truly the person that ruled over this world?
By now, the Lightning Emperor had nearly no doubts left.
"What about the Mage God?" the Lightning Emperor asked.
After he asked that question, the Mana in the room seemed to stop.
It was like the entire world was waiting for Shang's answer.
"Lucius Volstad?" Shang asked.
Somehow, the atmosphere grew even more oppressive when Shang asked that.
"Yes, Lucius Volstad," the Lightning Emperor said.
Silence.
The Lightning Emperor was waiting for the answer.
However, he also didn't want to hear it.
Somehow, he already knew what the answer would be.
"The God killed him."
Silence.
"The God said that the Mage Emperor strode into his palace like he owned the place. Then, based on the God's word, he kicked him for several hours until he died."
Silence.
"He even showed me his corpse."
Silence.
The Lightning Emperor just looked to the side without saying anything.
The atmosphere was somber and oppressive.
Two minutes of silence passed.
"Why?" the Lightning Emperor asked.
"Because he's insane," Shang said.
It was like the world received a shock, and the Lightning Emperor looked at Shang.
How could Shang insult the God like this? Wasn't he afraid for his life?
The Lightning Emperor wouldn't want to insult such a powerful being since he didn't want to die.
Yet, Shang did just that.
"Insane?" the Lightning Emperor asked.
"Insane, crazy, not normal, not fully there, mad, mental, whatever you want to call it," Shang answered.
"In what sense?" the Lightning Emperor asked.
"He constantly loses control of his emotions, starts shouting, starts laughing loudly, enjoys torturing others and abusing his control way too much, and he is also gambling with his own life for fun."
"How is he gambling with his own life?" the Lightning Emperor asked.
"Because he hasn't killed me yet," Shang said.
Silence.
"He played with my life and emotions several times, and I want to kill him for that. He knows that, and he also knows that I have a shot at actually succeeding, but instead of fearing me or just killing me, he only sees it as more entertainment. After all, what could be more entertaining than being in danger?" Shang explained.
"This was the original reason I wanted to become powerful, but after going through so much pain and suffering, I forgot. That was until you reminded me of it in this conversation."
"Now, I only want to become powerful because I want to become powerful," Shang said.
The Lightning Emperor looked at the table with a troubled expression.
All of this was incredibly hard to swallow.
Apparently, there was a mad God ruling over this world that just wanted to be entertained.
The age-old question of why life and the world existed had been answered just like that.
Entertainment.
That was it.
"What do you know of the God?" the Lightning Emperor asked.
"Not much. I don't know where he came from. I don't know what he can do. I don't know where he is right now. He didn't tell me anything," Shang said.
"Can he hear and see us right now?" the Lightning Emperor asked.
Shang wordlessly nodded.
"Why isn't he showing himself?"
"I can't be entirely sure, but I guess it's because of two reasons."
"First, he doesn't have to. Showing or not showing doesn't change anything."
"Second, it's more entertaining this way. If you see him, you are certain of his existence, but if you don't, there will always be doubt. Such chaos is what entertains him," Shang said.
"He likes seeing people struggle."
The Lightning Emperor took another deep breath.
"Okay, what about the other world, Earth? If there is one other world, there could be even more, right?" he asked.
"I don't know," Shang answered. "It could be. I don't think there's an end to existence."
"Maybe there are even more Gods out there. No idea."
The Lightning Emperor scratched his chin in thought.
"Unknown lands," he slowly said. "To think that there might still be unknown lands out there."
"Maybe there is even a way to become even stronger?"
"Probably," Shang said.
The Lightning Emperor remained silent for a while as he only looked absentmindedly at the ceiling of his study.
Shang also didn't say anything.
After a minute, the Lightning Emperor took a deep breath and looked at Shang.
"Alright, I've got one last question."
"Did the God tell you anything about the Child of Calamity?"
Chapter 755 755 Request
Shang's answer came almost immediately.
"Not really," he said. "We never really talked about the Child of Calamity. The few times we talked, we talked about my power and warriors. Could be that he may have mentioned it at some point, but I'm not really sure."
The Lightning Emperor only sighed.
Shang was telling the truth.
Shang honestly wasn't sure if the God had actually ever uttered the phrase Child of Calamity.
In fact, the only time Shang remembered talking about something related to that was when he had found out about his Entropy Affinity, and even then, the Abominations hadn't really been a topic.
It was less of a what and more of a why.
The God didn't tell Shang anything about what the Child of Calamity was, and Shang never asked about it.
He only wanted to know why he got the Entropy Affinity.
So, yeah, the two of them hadn't really talked about the Child of Calamity.
"Has he mentioned anything about why the Child of Calamity exists?" the Lightning Emperor asked.
Shang just wordlessly shook his head.
"Did he tell you where they are?"
Shang shook his head again.
At that point, the Lightning Emperor sighed again and looked to the side with a complicated expression.
"Lucius is dead, there's some unknown and crazy God ruling over this world, and we still don't know where the Child of Calamity is," he said. It was unknown if he talked to Shang or to himself.
"This is a lot to process."
In the Lightning Emperor's mind, many scenes and concepts appeared and disappeared at unreal speeds.
He was trying to think of a way the God had shown himself that didn't involve Shang.
"Can he manipulate minds?" the Lightning Emperor asked.
"Most likely, but I think he would view that as cheating," Shang answered. "It would be boring if he could just make everything play out however he wants. Otherwise, he would have probably just killed all the Emperors and Kings."
The Lightning Emperor took a deep breath.
Shang had just said that they were only alive because the God was crazy.
It was extremely difficult to come to terms with the fact that the most powerful people in the entire world were actually only powerful because some unknown power was allowing them to be powerful.
A feeling the Lightning Emperor hadn't felt for many, many years reappeared in his heart.
Suppression.
"What if I were to eradicate all the warriors?" he asked.
"He would probably find that even more entertaining," Shang answered. "The harder something is to do, the more challenging and more entertaining it is."
The Lightning Emperor took another deep breath.
He was desperately trying to find a way to get the God to appear.
Yes, there were several powerful pieces of evidence in front of him that confirmed the existence of this God, but after having lived for such a long time, it was just very difficult to come to terms with the new reality.
He just wanted to see him.
He just wanted to see this God with his own eyes.
Then, all the doubt would disappear.
And exactly that was why the God didn't appear.
"You said that there is another world, Earth," the Lightning Emperor said.
Shang nodded.
"How does the end of the world look like there?" he asked.
"End of the world?" Shang asked.
"You don't know?" the Lightning Emperor asked. "I was under the impression that your world would be smaller than ours since there isn't as much Mana there."
Shang shook his head. "No, our world is actually much, much bigger than Aterium."
The Lightning Emperor raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you say that Earth was only around 40,000 kilometers or so across?"
"Yes, that's Earth, but there's a universe around it comprised of mostly empty space and some planets," Shang answered.
"Planets? What's that?" the Lightning Emperor asked.
Shang became a bit uncertain. "Is Aterium round or flat?"
The Lightning Emperor blinked a couple of times. "Round? Flat? I'm not sure how these adjectives correlate to our world. How can Aterium be round or flat? Do you mean the shape? Do you mean the mountains?"
Shang sighed and explained the concept of a planet to the Lightning Emperor and how it worked on Earth.
The Lightning Emperor didn't have any issues understanding the concept of a planet and knew what Shang meant very quickly.
"Then, it actually makes sense that your world is bigger," the Lightning Emperor said. "Since your world doesn't have Mana, the density of Mana isn't important."
"Just a tiny bit of Neutral Mana can be turned into a vast area of space. Creating something as big as Aterium would only need an Ancestral Mage's worth of Mana. That includes the millions of kilometers of endless ocean around it."
"However, since the density of Mana is important, our world can't be too big. Around ten million kilometers away from Aterium is the end of the world, which is just a silver wall."
"Silver wall?" Shang asked.
The Lightning Emperor nodded. "The same thing is true when you dig down or fly up. At some point, the reflective silver wall appears, and you can't continue."
"It's impenetrable, and no kind of Mana can damage it in any way."
Shang just nodded.
That answered a couple of questions he always wanted to know the answers to.
"Anyway, I think I've heard enough," the Lightning Emperor said.
Shang just remained sitting on his chair.
"Honestly, I was certain that you wouldn't leave my study, but I was also certain that I was one of the most powerful people in the world," the Lightning Emperor sighed.
"There are a couple of reasons why I'm letting you live."
"First, I've learned more about your personality, and I can see why you have chosen to tread this path. You are not someone that wants to subjugate others, commit genocide because others are different, or rule this world. That already makes you very different from that kid."
Shang wasn't sure to whom the Lightning Emperor was referring, but he didn't ask.
"Second, you've given me very important information about the world I wasn't aware of."
"Third, you told me what happened to Lucius."
"Fourth, you showed me that there is still someone stronger than me."
"All of that is already a lot, but if I'm honest, I don't think that would have been enough for me to let you live. After all, your goal directly means killing all my friends. I would feel horrible and guilty for killing you, but I would have still done it."
"However, there were two things that made me hope for your success."
"First, you want to kill the one that killed Lucius."
"And second, you told me that there are other worlds out there," the Lightning Emperor said with a distant expression.
"I always thought that Lucius was the only God and that there hadn't been another one. However, since there is now a second God, what if there is a third or fourth?"
"If there is this world called Earth, what if there are even more worlds?"
"I know Lucius' parents and where he came from, but where did the first God come from?"
"Is there another world above this one?"
"Since I now know that the end of the world isn't actually the end of the world, what else can be found out there?"
The Lightning Emperor took a deep breath and looked at Shang.
"And the only way to get out there is you."
"I know that I'm not strong enough to leave this world and take revenge on the God. If Lucius couldn't do it, I also wouldn't be able to."
"But you have a shot, and compared to Lucius, you know what you are up against."
"From now on, the Lightning Manor will do its best to support you in any way it can, and in exchange, I only have one request."
Shang didn't say anything.
"If you succeed, let me live and allow the surviving Emperors to leave with you."
"Emperors?" Shang asked.
"As in, plural?"
Chapter 756 756 Prison
The Lightning Emperor sighed again, something he had been doing quite a lot in the past minutes.
"I assume you know about the lack of Mana?" he asked.
Shang nodded. "I was under the assumption that there was only enough Mana left to let one Mage Emperor survive if I want to become a God, and maybe not even that since the Abominations might have consumed even more Mana."
The Lightning Emperor nodded solemnly. "That's right, but that's only true when you are not willing to sacrifice a big group of people for your goal. Lucius was a kind man that wasn't the biggest fan of killing."
"I assume this isn't a problem for you?"
"It isn't," Shang answered emotionlessly.
"To become a God, you need to absorb ten Emperor's worth of Mana."
"In total, there are 16 Emperor's worth of Mana in the entirety of Aterium currently," the Lightning Emperor said.
"16?" Shang asked. "That's more than I expected."
The Lightning Emperor nodded. "There are eleven Emperors-"
"Wait, eleven?" Shang asked. "I thought there were only ten."
"There are nine Empires with ten Emperors, but there is one more Emperor who isn't very known. He was the only Emperor that Lucius left alive back then."
"His title is the Archivist, and he lives on one of the islands of the Beast Kings. He has dedicated his entire life to witnessing the progress of the world and archiving all the knowledge."
"He wanders the world from time to time, but he never kills anything or influences anyone. He just watches and documents. Not many people know that he exists, and he wants to keep it this way."
"Nevertheless, he is still an Emperor and a pretty strong one at that. I don't think any of us could win against him in a fair duel."
Shang nodded.
"So, there are eleven Emperors who make up eleven Emperor's worth of Mana."
"All the Mage Kings combined make up another two."
"If we were to convert all the water in the endless ocean into Mana, that would be another Emperor."
"The islands and Aterium itself make up another two."
"And all the remaining living beings and the atmosphere itself would barely make up around 70% of another Emperor."
"In total, that's a bit more than 16 Emperors in Mana."
"Since converting mass into pure Mana is extremely difficult, the three portions comprising the ocean and the continent are inaccessible to you."
"So, if you were willing to kill all the Mage Kings and a couple of Mage Lords, you could spare two additional Emperors, leaving you with a total of three survivors besides yourself."
Shang just nodded absentmindedly.
"I have no problems with fulfilling that request," Shang said. "You have the power to kill me, but instead of doing so, you are willing to support me."
"I might not care about many people, but I have no problems with agreements."
"I was with the Temple of Blood for centuries, and they knew a lot about me, but I don't have any desire to destroy them. It was a cooperation, nothing more."
"You invested in me today, and I will pay that investment back in the future," Shang said.
The Lightning Emperor smiled in a friendly manner and nodded.
The world has resonated with Shang's statement.
Shang might not be close to anyone else, but that didn't mean that it was impossible to work with him.
Shang made the Temple of Blood a lot of money.
"Then, we have an agreement," the Lightning Emperor said.
"We do," Shang said with a nod.
"I'm going to inform Wester about everything. He will inform you about everything."
Shang took the cue and stood up from his chair. "Thank you," he said as he turned around to walk towards the door.
Shang opened the door and walked out.
The Custodian stood in the hallway with a professional expression.
He nodded once toward Shang and stepped into the study. "I will be back shortly," he told Shang before closing the door.
Inside the study, Wester raised an eyebrow as he looked at the smiling Lightning Emperor.
"Oh, Wester, what brings you here?" the Lightning Emperor asked with a smile.
"I assume we are keeping the warrior alive?" he asked.
"Oh, yes, yes!" the Lightning Emperor said with two nods. "Shang is quite a peculiar person. When I first investigated him, I misread him a little bit."
Wester's raised eyebrow rose further. "Misread?" he asked skeptically.
"Well, not really misread," the Lightning Emperor said. "I was accurate, but after talking with him, I found more information. You can view it like gaining context regarding his personality."
"Context?" Wester asked with a flat voice.
"Yep," the Lightning Emperor said. "He actually isn't that bad. While that kid doesn't seem human at all, Shang actually has a human core and human desires. Additionally, he keeps to his word as long as you don't betray him first."
"I think having him as an additional King shouldn't be that big of a risk, while his power and existence will severely restrict that kid's ambition and power."
"If we can get Shang to become a King, he can fight that kid, and if he wins, we can argue against that kid becoming an Emperor," the Lightning Emperor said with a bright smile.
"So," Wester said slowly, "you decided to use him against King Sanctified Death after all?"
The Lightning Emperor nodded. "They both have a sixfold Spirit Sense."
"What if they become allies instead?" Wester asked.
"Won't happen," the Lightning Emperor said with a chuckle.
"Are you sure?" Wester asked.
"Yep," the Lightning Emperor answered.
After that, the Lightning Emperor gave Wester instructions on what to do with Shang in the immediate future.
Eventually, Wester left.
After Wester left, the Lightning Emperor just smiled brightly as he closed his eyes.
"New worlds," he muttered.
"New adventures."
"Lucius might no longer be here, but there's still more to discover out there."
"I hope he manages to pull it off."
"I finally want to get out of this grey prison and have more adventures!"
Chapter 757 757 €“ Special Status
The Custodian came out of the Lightning Emperor's study and threw a glance at the waiting Shang.
"You left quite the positive impression on the Ancestor, Shang," the Custodian said with a polite smile.
When Shang heard that, he felt like something was different from before.
It wasn't that his status had changed or anything, but that something about the Custodian was different.
It was like the Custodian was more… distant?
Cold?
Off-putting?
Something in the way the Custodian was talking or looking at Shang had changed, but Shang couldn't be sure what exactly.
Nevertheless, Shang only answered with a wordless nod.
The Custodian gestured to the hallway with a move of his head and traveled back to the entrance with Shang.
The Custodian opened the door, and the two of them arrived in front of Queen Primordium again.
Shang still couldn't see Queen Primordium, but he could tell by the atmosphere that she felt relieved.
Since she was the leader of the Reinforcement and Contender Departments, she was obviously very interested in powerful people. After all, it was her job to make new Thunders and Mage Kings.
"I apologize for the wait, Vana," the Custodian said with a polite smile. "The Ancestor enjoys talking."
"No worries," Queen Primordium said. "Any new orders?"
The Custodian nodded. "Our little friend Shang will enjoy very special treatment from now on. First, his allowance will be increased by a factor of ten."
"You're referring to the Ancestral Mage allowance?" Queen Primordium asked.
The Custodian nodded.
Queen Primordium nodded back.
"Next, he gets access to all special training areas except the grade 0 ones for a price. The prices will be according to the arms race decree," the Custodian explained.
Queen Primordium raised an eyebrow with a bit of surprise.
That was quite good.
The Lightning Manor had some decrees they could implement for emergency situations like wars and the breaking down of relations between Empires.
In that case, the Lighting Manor would essentially operate at a loss to push the power of every member as far as possible, which included cheap access to very expensive and difficult-to-maintain training areas.
Of course, since it was only Shang that got this access, the Lightning Manor wouldn't lose much money, but it was still quite significant.
Many of these training areas were only accessible to people that rendered great services or achieved amazing results in the different trials.
And Shang got to enter these without needing to do anything but pay some money.
"Okay," Queen Primordium answered.
"Next," the Custodian continued, "due to the peculiarity of his Spirit Sense, his true power needs to remain a secret. In public, he will remain a Cloud, but he will be disguised as a Cloud one level higher than he actually is."
"I trust that you can find a good way, Vana," he added.
Queen Primordium nodded. "A permanent talisman should do the trick," she said.
The Custodian nodded in agreement.
"Lucin knows about his Spirit Sense?" the Custodian asked.
"He does," Queen Primordium answered.
"Then, make sure that he doesn't tell anyone else about this, including his own bolts."
"I will," Queen Primordium said.
"Good. Lastly, I would like you to tell him about our friends," the Custodian said. "If he finds someone fitting, you may contact me, and I will try to persuade them to take him as a permanent student."
"You said to tell him," Queen Primordium said, "not introduce him. I assume that means that the others also shouldn't know about his true nature?"
"Correct," the Custodian said. "The fewer people know about this, the better. Only I will be the one that tells the truth of his existence to anyone else."
Queen Primordium raised an eyebrow. "Is that your order or the Ancestor's order?"
The Custodian's expression lost some friendliness. "It's not an order," he said.
"Understood," Queen Primordium said.
"Then, that should be everything," the Custodian said to Queen Primordium, his polite smile recovered. "If there is anything you need, you know where to find me."
"Of course, Wester," Queen Primordium said.
The two of them nodded at each other, and the Custodian threw a glance at Shang. "Do your best," he said.
Shang just nodded back.
The Custodian went back into his room, and Queen Primordium gestured for Shang to follow her.
The two of them walked back to Queen Primordium's room and met up with Lucin.
Lucin had already noticed that Shang had survived the meeting with the Lightning Emperor earlier, and he was only glad that there were no issues.
pαпdα-ňᴏνê|·сóМ "Give us a moment," Queen Primordium said. "I have to show Shang something privately."
"Of course," Lucin said with a nod.
"Follow me," Queen Primordium said to Shang as she stepped into the imperceivable darkness that was her room.
Shang nodded toward Lucin and also walked into the darkness.
As soon as Shang passed by the wall, a new world opened up in front of him.
These were Queen Primordium's private chambers.
And it looked very different from what Shang had expected.
The color scheme of the room was azure, and there were several comfortable blue cushions strewn around the room. The floor was carpeted with a nice carpet, and Shang could sense several huge ponds in the room.
Just like the Lightning Emperor's study, there were also several Concepts of Space, Time, and Gravity active here, but in a different way.
The size of the room itself wasn't being manipulated, but the depth of the ponds was.
The several ponds in the room were so deep that Shang couldn't even feel their end, which was more than shocking.
After all, Shang's Spirit Sense now extended to 3,000 kilometers!
Shang could also feel several powerful beasts in the depths of the pond, and he could even feel a very distant but extremely powerful Aura.
Shang had felt a similar Aura before.
The Eternal Maw.
The extremely powerful Beast Lord.
"These ponds are not technically in my room," Queen Primordium said, noticing that Shang was mostly focusing on them. "This is just a permanent portal on the floor of my room with the size of the ponds. If you step through, you will enter an underground mountain in the endless ocean northwest from here."
That was when Shang noticed something else.
Queen Primordium had deactivated the shield around her, and Shang could finally see what she actually looked like.
Chapter 758 758 €“ Amarius And Kiran
After seeing Queen Primordium, Shang understood why she constantly kept herself hidden from Spirit Senses.
'She probably receives a lot of looks,' Shang thought.
Queen Primordium had luscious and long azure hair, making it rather obvious that she originally had a Water Affinity. The remaining parts of her body also very adequately demonstrated the relation between water and life.
In short, her natural appearance was very attractive.
However, she certainly didn't dress that way. Right now, she wore long and loose blue robes that essentially covered her entire body except for her hands and her head.
It was quite obvious that she didn't enjoy people taking peeks at her.
"No comments?" Queen Primordium asked with a flat tone.
"About your beauty?" Shang asked.
Queen Primordium raised an eyebrow in annoyance.
"I don't have time for romance," Shang commented dryly.
"Better that way," Queen Primordium said as some of the water in one of her ponds began to fly over to her.
She slightly waved her hand, and the water began to morph and change color.
In just a second, Queen Primordium had created a new person with her water, who now hovered in front of Shang.
Shang could feel that Queen Primordium had created quite an accurate body, which was more than just impressive.
However, Shang also knew that this person could never come alive.
Queen Primordium might have incredible knowledge about anatomy and magic, but in order to create a soul, one needed the Life Concepts.
So, no matter how accurate the body she made was, it would never come alive.
As for the identity of the new person in front of Shang?
It was a copy of the Custodian.
"Wester, the Custodian," Queen Primordium said neutrally. "He's one of the most powerful Mage Kings amongst all nine Empires. He's the Lightning Emperor's second-in-command and mouth."
Shang just nodded. The Custodian had told Queen Primordium to show the other Mage Kings to him, which was what she was doing now.
"He used to focus on Lightning, Metal, Light, and Time, but after being a Mage King for so long, he basically managed to learn quite a lot from everything. You should know about his temperament and his job."
Shang just nodded.
"I would advise against taking him as your teacher," Queen Primordium said. "He's very busy, and he only has 20,000 years or so left."
"I wasn't planning on," Shang said.
Queen Primordium just nodded back.
For some reason, Shang wasn't the biggest fan of the Custodian.
In a way, one could say that Shang didn't feel safe around him.
Of course, saying that such a person as Shang didn't feel safe painted quite an ironic picture since it was mostly others that didn't feel safe around him.
But the meaning of safe was very different for these two people.
When others were around Shang, they felt uncomfortable since they felt like Shang was about to kill them.
In comparison, when Shang was around the Custodian, he felt uncomfortable since he felt like his secret was about to be found out.
Yes, now, Shang knew how the Custodian's conduct towards Shang had changed.
pαпdα-ňᴏνê|·сóМ He was suspicious.
As in, the Custodian was suspicious of Shang.
'Is it truly that surprising that the Lightning Emperor let me live?'
Shang's mind quickly went over his conversation with the Lightning Emperor.
'Okay, it actually is.'
'He was probably certain that the Lightning Emperor would kill me, and he probably knows him far better than anyone else.'
'He's probably trying to figure out how I managed to convince the Lightning Emperor to leave me alive.'
'I wonder, does the Custodian distrust the Lightning Emperor?'
'Not sure.'
"Next," Queen Primordium said, pulling Shang out of his thoughts. "I'm Vana, Queen Primordium. People say I'm the second strongest Mage King of the Lightning Manor, but it's just that Wester and I haven't fought for quite a while."
"I focus on Space, Time, and Gravity. I don't have a lot to do, but I still focus on my power. If you don't find anyone else, I can take the role of your teacher," she said. "I will give the control over your training to you, but I want reports regarding your progress every century. Of course, only if you want me as your teacher."
Shang nodded. "I am unfamiliar with Space, Time, and Gravity Affinities, and I don't think focusing on those now would be conducive to my growth."
Queen Primordium nodded again, showing that she agreed with Shang's assessment.
'She didn't even mention her obvious Water Affinity,' Shang thought. 'Probably means that she hasn't focused on Water for a very long time.'
It was quite funny. Everyone that looked at Queen Primordium would think that she had a Water Affinity.
When she was younger, some of her opponents readied themselves to fight a Water Mage, but when they attacked, they suddenly had to fight a Mage that focused on Space, Time, and Gravity.
A wolf in sheep's clothing.
The body hovering in front of Shang changed again, transforming into a small blonde man. He looked very bright, friendly, and there was even a certain feeling of innocence about him.
"That's Amarius, the Dawnlight King," Queen Primordium said. "Together with the Catastrophe King, he is number three or four in our rankings."
"Amarius is responsible for the Diplomacy Department. He should have also been the one that negotiated with the Twilight Dusk Family regarding you joining us."
"He usually focuses on Ice and Light, but he recently started to shift focus to the Life Concepts. I'm not sure if he found any success with those or not."
"Amarius is a social butterfly and talks a lot with members of the Lightning Manor and other Empires. This is also one of the reasons why he is responsible for the Diplomacy Department."
"He's rather flexible, and if you decide to ask him to be your teacher, I would assume that he will agree. He's definitely one of the better ones for you."
Shang nodded.
Amarius might appear to be the polar opposite of Shang, but that wasn't as important as what Amarius specialized in.
Shang also focused on Ice and Light.
The body hovering in front of Shang changed again and was replaced with a much taller man.
The man was nearly two meters tall, had black hair, and had aggressive, sharp eyebrows. He was quite muscular for a Mage but not on the level of a warrior.
"That's Kiran, the Catastrophe King," Queen Primordium said. "Together with Amarius, he's either the third or fourth strongest Mage King of the Lightning Manor."
"Kiran is responsible for the Force Department. He focuses on Darkness and Fire usually, but he is also trying to comprehend Death, essentially making him the polar opposite of Amarius."
"But surprisingly, the two are actually good friends," Queen Primordium commented.
"I think he is the only one that has no chance of being your teacher in any way," she said.
"Why?" Shang asked. The Catastrophe King had seemed to be absolutely perfect for Shang.
"He doesn't even have a single free minute," Queen Primordium said. "The Abominations are becoming more and more troublesome, and Kiran has saved billions of people. He is the sole reason why the Lightning Manor is amongst the Empires with the fewest losses to the Abominations."
Shang didn't say anything.
"I don't think he would agree to be your teacher, and I don't think the Ancestor would order him to. We need Kiran to protect the people," Queen Primordium said.
Shang could only nod.
The body hovering in front of Shang changed shape again, and a moment later, Shang saw a familiar person.
The Starlight Queen.
Chapter 759 759 The Myriad King
Just like the last time Shang had seen her, she had silver hair and wore casual purple robes, which Shang now recognized as the standard uniform for members of the Lightning Manor. Naturally, people of higher ranks didn't need to wear them, but Sparks were often encouraged to.
"Sarah, the Starlight Queen," Queen Primordium said. "She's the youngest member amongst our Mage Kings, but she has already overtaken two others. Although, that isn't very difficult."
"She focuses mostly on Lightning and Space for now, but she is already planning on branching out and comprehending more. I think she has quite a lot of talent, and when Wester and I eventually leave, she will probably become the strongest Mage King amongst us."
"She is very duty-oriented and fulfills her job with a lot of enthusiasm and professionality. I think a certain principle of idealism dictates her actions."
"She's the Mage King responsible for the Reconnaissance Department, but she is also leading the Research Department at the same time."
"How come?" Shang asked.
"I'll explain later," Queen Primordium said. "Sarah is quite busy, but she would probably accept you as her disciple. I would guess that she would probably try to understand everything about your power so she can create the best plan for your training. She's also one of the better candidates."
Shang nodded.
He still remembered the time he had met her.
Back then, Shang had been in this huge black building, and he hadn't known how to leave.
That was when she suddenly appeared in front of him, asking him what he was doing there and telling him that this was the property of the Lightning Manor.
Back then, Shang had no idea what the Lightning Manor was.
pαпdα Йᴏνê|,сòМ "I got a question," Shang said.
"Yes?" Queen Primordium asked.
"In Area 23, I saw an Ancestral Beast attack a huge black building that was built underground. At the same time, I felt the typical Aura of an Abomination come from there."
"The Starlight Queen arrived and dealt with the beast."
"What are these buildings?" Shang asked.
Shang wouldn't have asked such a question if he were just a normal member of the Lightning Manor. After all, it wouldn't be difficult to just silence him if he knew sensitive information.
But now, Shang's status was not simple in the slightest.
"Black Pylons," Queen Primordium answered without any hesitation or suspicion. Apparently, something like that wasn't considered a secret.
"The Research Department is responsible for those. They are huge black structures that we buried in different parts of the world. Every Black Pylon has one High Abomination inside. Back then, only a very limited number of High Abominations could spawn across the entire world, and they also didn't increase over a specific threshold."
"So, to stop more High Abominations from appearing in random locations, we kept all the High Abominations alive and imprisoned them underground."
"Another positive effect was that we could calculate the rough area where the True Abominations would appear ahead of time."
"Sadly, with the Child of Calamity still being out there, the Black Pylons have become useless now. We find Arch Abominations in many places, and we have already seen the odd Ancestral Abomination."
Queen Primordium narrowed her eyes. "I worry about the future. Ancestral Abominations already need a Mage Lord to be safe, and we don't have so many that we could station them in every settlement."
"A considerable part of our losses has come from the odd 50 Ancestral Abominations that have appeared in the last century. Whenever one appears, you can be sure that a new crater forms."
"The last one I have seen had a diameter of over 500 kilometers."
"Can you imagine seeing a deep and dark crater of such a size?"
500 kilometers.
That was more powerful than any nuclear weapon from Earth.
And Shang was solely responsible for that.
If he had just stopped advancing and stopped pushing himself, he would already be dead.
If Shang had simply decided to have a normal life, nothing like this would have happened.
Yet, Shang's mind didn't even waver.
'I've already sacrificed so much for my power. Sacrificing more won't make a difference.'
'As long as I deal with the Abominations when I'm a God, everything will work out.'
"Thanks for answering my question," Shang said.
Queen Primordium nodded, and the body in front of her changed into someone else.
It was an older man with red hair that was slowly turning white.
"Jonathan, the Myriad King," Queen Primordium said. "He's responsible for the Research Department, and he's also probably the weakest Mage King in the entire world."
"How come?" Shang asked.
"He was just as powerful as every other Mage King when he became one, but in comparison to all the others, he stopped focusing on increasing his strength," Queen Primordium explained. "He once focused on Fire and Light, but as soon as he became a Mage King, his focus switched."
"From what he told me, he said that he wasn't interested in increasing his power anymore if it didn't increase his longevity or quality of life. Because of that, he just stopped advancing."
"Instead, he focused on comprehending all Concepts one level at a time."
"All Concepts?" Shang asked.
"All of them," Queen Primordium said. "The level one Pure Concept of every Affinity except for Life and Death. Then, the level two Pure Concepts. After that, the Complex ones. Then, the next level of the Pure ones, and so on."
"He probably knows more Concepts than any other Mage King, but over 95% of his Concepts have nearly zero impact on his actual power since they are so weak."
"However, in terms of contributions, he has probably been in first place until just recently when Kiran started saving so many people."
"He dedicated his entire life to research, and the books he published have revolutionized Magic for everyone below the Ancestral Mage Realm."
"Since he comprehended nearly every level one to level three Concept, he found several new Complex Concepts that we hadn't even known existed since no one had tried to combine certain Concepts with each other. Additionally, he made several compendiums and compilations of Concepts and what they could do."
"You could say he unified and solved the lower levels of power."
"He's also the one that decided to let other Paths in some Development Areas flourish. He had essentially already solved the lower Mage Path, and he knew that he didn't have enough time for the next level."
"So, he decided on also looking at other Paths."
"Without him, the area where you came from probably wouldn't have many warriors."
Shang nodded.
"Sarah has been slowly taking on his duties due to his old age, leaving him with the duties he enjoys and taking on the duties he doesn't like. For all his accomplishments and services, we want to make his last years as nice and relaxing as possible."
"I don't think he can be your teacher," Queen Primordium said. "He's the oldest Mage King in the Lightning Manor. He will die within the next 5,000 years, and he only wants to do what he has always done, look at weak people and learn from them."
"Also, I think his philosophy and yours don't mix well."
Shang nodded again.
Their philosophies definitely didn't mix well.
Chapter 760 760 Which One?
The body hovering in front of Queen Primordium changed again.
This time, it showed a woman with grey hair and- woah!
Her clothing was very… tight and revealing, which was quite unusual. After all, nearly every Mage wore robes of some kind most of the time.
Sure, there were some Mages with slightly more revealing robes, but it wasn't as crazy as this!
The woman in front of Shang probably only had a quarter of her body covered with black and tight leather.
Sure, on Earth, it wasn't exactly uncommon to see someone like that walking around during the summer, just with a different fabric.
But here, it was very different.
Mages were much more conservative.
"Emilia, the Heartdevil Queen," Queen Primordium said in a neutral voice.
"She is a bit more powerful than Jonathan, but not by much. However, she and Jonathan couldn't be further apart in terms of value."
'Value?' Shang thought.
"While Jonathan contributed incomparably much to the Lightning Manor, Emilia basically contributed even less than the average Thunder."
"She doesn't like training and meditating, and she also doesn't like work. Because of that, her power increases only very slowly, and the Logistics Department essentially runs on its own. She is officially the leader of the Logistics Department, but in reality, her Thunders are running it as a collective."
"According to her, there is more to life than just training and working. True, that statement is valid, but I don't think it's that valid when it's coming from someone that only works for less than a decade every century."
"Essentially, she's lazy and constantly annoyed," Queen Primordium said. "You can try to get her as your teacher, but I wouldn't expect much."
"How did she become a King?" Shang asked.
Becoming a Mage King meant training brutally for thousands of years, which didn't seem very fitting for someone like her.
"She wasn't always like this," Queen Primordium said. "Or maybe she was. Either way, she told me in one of our many confrontations that she didn't work her ass off to get that position just so she could work even more."
"She worked her entire life, and now that she achieved her goal, she doesn't want to work anymore. At least, that's what she keeps telling everyone," Queen Primordium said.
Shang nodded. It sounded a bit unbelievable, but amongst so many people in the world, there were bound to be some unbelievable stories.
"That's all seven Mage Kings in the Lightning Manor. Kiran, Sarah, Jonathan, Amarius, Wester, Emilia, and me."
"Are you interested in taking on any of them as your teacher?" she asked.
Shang thought back to the seven Mage Kings.
Kiran, the Catastrophe King, was definitely the most fitting. He was essentially perfect for Shang.
However, he was just too busy.
Sarah, the Starlight Queen, was an option.
Jonathan, the Myriad King, wasn't an option. He was already very old, and his philosophy clashed with Shang's.
Amarius, the Dawnlight King, was also an option.
Wester, the Custodian, was theoretically an option, but Shang felt like the less time he spent in his presence, the better.
Emilia, the Heartdevil Queen, was not an option. She was essentially the perfect opposite of Shang.
Vana, Queen Primordium, was an option, but Shang wasn't planning on dedicating time to learning Space, Time, and Gravity, which were Queen Primordium's specialties.
Queen Primordium would probably be a good teacher, but her specialties didn't fit Shang.
This meant that only Sarah, the Starlight Queen, and Amarius, the Dawnlight King, were left.
Well, the Starlight Queen might put a lot of work into creating a good plan for Shang, but she also didn't fit Shang's Affinities. In a way, she was like Queen Primordium.
So, that meant the Dawnlight King would become Shang's teacher?
Shang thought about it, but he wasn't quite sure.
The way Queen Primordium had described him made him seem soft.
It was like he was too bright.
Shang wasn't suspecting the Dawnlight King of being some kind of evil psycho in disguise. Shang just thought that the Dawnlight King felt too bright to be around.
"Could you please describe the Dawnlight King's personality?" Shang asked.
pαпdα-ňᴏνê|·сóМ "Amarius is very social and charismatic," Queen Primordium said. "He constantly talks with others, trains with others, works with others, and so on. It's almost like he thinks that any moment when he isn't in the presence of someone else is a wasted moment."
"He is almost universally liked. He is honest, approachable, understanding, and so on. He is essentially a pleasure to be around for anyone," Queen Primordium explained.
Shang nodded. "I'm more concerned about his reservations," he said. "You have heard how I train. I'm not sure if someone like that would be fine with me doing something like that."
"Well," Queen Primordium answered, "Amarius is very understanding. He would probably talk to you, ask you a couple of times if you are sure, and then reluctantly allow you to go through with it while he's wearing a worried expression."
"He respects your autonomy, but he would also try to support and help you as much as possible."
"He also has this peculiar ability to make people open up to him. Amarius just seems very trustworthy, and talking with him about your worries helps a lot. I talked with him more than once about my worries."
"He isn't someone that uses the knowledge he gains about other lives for his own gain. He genuinely just wants to help other people. That is his entire reason."
Shang furrowed his brows in thought.
Amarius was essentially perfect.
Was he too perfect?
If anyone else gave someone that many compliments, Shang would be suspicious.
However, Queen Primordium was not just some naïve village girl.
When Queen Primordium said something like that, it was probably true.
The image of Jerald shot through Shang's mind.
Before Jerald had lost his son, Mattheo, he had been very similar.
Shang thought about his decision for a long time.
Amarius was essentially perfect.
But should he?
Should he really?
It took Shang over 30 seconds to make his decision.