Chapter 175: Chapter 140: Are We That Close? The Daughter of the Death Star’s Request
Lightning danced within the heavy clouds.
Muffled thunder rolled across the sky.
The rain poured down in sheets.
Even after tens of thousands of years of terraforming by the Wizard Civilization, Kemola’s climate remained exceptionally harsh.
The lush forest teemed with venomous insects, and the humus-filled ground was like a mire. If not for the colossal structure that had sunk over millennia, leaving only a single corner exposed, Reinhardt and his group would have had nowhere to even stand.
At the request of the Tier Two Mage, Florant, Eliza feigned a peculiar coyness. She lowered her head, not daring to meet Reinhardt’s eyes, and naturally took his arm. Like an old lover reuniting after many years, she pulled him away into the distance.
Florant, meanwhile, smiled and walked over to Raphael, striking up a casual conversation.
Even though he possessed the most orthodox inheritance of knowledge from the Ancient Wizards, Florant was still incredibly envious of Raphael—a Mind Mage whose mind had been blessed by the Formless Divine Monarch.
"Raphael Priest, we meet again..."
Meanwhile.
After Eliza had led Reinhardt far enough away, she glanced back at Florant’s distant figure. The next moment, a universe of stars, seemingly spinning for millennia, began to swirl within her emerald eyes.
Then.
A phantasmal projection, composed purely of Wizard’s Power and glowing a deep, ethereal blue, appeared before Reinhardt. Her cold voice followed, transmitted via Telepathy.
"It’s been a long time, Reinhardt. Don’t be surprised. This is my Star Form."
Reinhardt glanced down at Eliza’s body, which was still clinging to his arm. To any onlooker, she would appear to be nestled against him, pouring out her heart, but her eyes had already lost their light.
"You’re as cunning as you’ve ever been."
"But that’s all in the past now."
Eliza—or rather, Irenia, Daughter of the Death Star—spoke with a voice tinged with wistful remembrance. "Once, just like you, I had no idea how grand this world truly was.
The invasion from the Dark Abyss... even thinking about it now, it’s still like a nightmare.
Hordes of Demons covered the land, and rivers of blood submerged my home...
Only before my father died did he tell me I wasn’t his biological daughter. Eliza Hearn is just my human name. My true Wizard name is actually Irenia, Daughter of the Death Star..."
The power systems of Wizards in ancient times were divided into an extremely complex array of classifications. Even a fundamental art like Alchemy had minute branches such as mechanics, pharmacology, and etching.
But if one were to trace them back to their origins, all of a Wizard’s Mighty Power could be broadly categorized into two major systems: the Spiritual Ability System and the Material System.
And the greatest difference between a Wizard and a Knight is that a Wizard’s Mighty Power has no specific attributes or classifications. In other words, all of a Wizard’s power comes from knowledge, while all of a Knight’s power comes from within.
The Wizard’s Power of the Spiritual Ability System primarily involves the study of power on a mental level and its interference with and influence on the Real Cosmos.
Mind Mages like Raphael represent the highest tier of talent within the Spiritual Ability System, possessing innate spiritual saint bodies.
The Material System, on the other hand, studies the physical and extraordinary rules of the Real Cosmos.
Even the Extraordinary System·Elemental Power, the most ancient and primitive in the Cosmos, mastered by the Scaya Dragonfolk, was once just an insignificant branch of the Material System within the Wizard Civilization.
The most powerful of the Spiritual Mages could not only predict the future but could even twist the Real Cosmos into a world of illusion. The Void Realm, which now tears at the boundary between reality and illusion, is their creation.
The power of Cosmic Mages comes from the macroscopic physical laws of the Real Cosmos. The strongest among them could, with their Mighty Power, annihilate stars and traverse the space-time of the Cosmos.
A top-tier Alchemist from the ancient era could, by themselves, rival the productive capacity of an entire Forging World of the Human Empire.
Building cosmic warships by hand was just a basic skill.
Of course, that was all in the past.
Or perhaps, according to the doctrinal interpretations of the National Church’s radical faction, the splendor and grandeur of the Wizard Civilization has always been part of the Human Empire’s history.
After all, according to the oldest classified documents, the Radiant Divine Emperor was not only the first Radiant, but also a Spiritual Mage. It’s just that the modern National Church refuses to admit it.
Although all knowledge concerning Wizards and Demons was held by the National Church and the Judgment Court, any Mortal who so much as glanced at it would be branded a heretic.
But with Reinhardt’s current power and status, learning it wasn’t difficult.
In fact, the National Church had taken the initiative to deliver these ancient tomes of knowledge right to his desk.
After listening to Eliza Hearn’s reminiscences and her voluntary reveal of her identity, Reinhardt felt nothing. He simply replied callously, "You’ve said a lot. Are we that close?"
His first impression of this woman, all those years ago, had been terrible.
Cunning, treacherous, and deeply calculating.
At his simple reply, Eliza—oh no, it should be Irenia, Daughter of the Death Star—was struck silent on the spot.
Irenia desperately wanted to punch Reinhardt’s cold, unfeeling face—the same face he’d worn when they first met. Back then, at Frostfire Fortress, this guy had worn the exact same expression as he rejected her invitation on the spot.
But for the sake of her goal, she took the initiative to break the awkward silence. Composing herself, she continued, "The world of Wizards is not as wonderful as Mortals imagine, Reinhardt.
That greedy bastard Florant, ever since he learned my identity as the Daughter of the Death Star, he’s been plotting to kill me and seize my Death Star Bloodline.
I had no other choice, so I lied and claimed something happened between us in the past.
Because Lord Anatol has been trying to forge an alliance with the Imperial Administrative Region recently, and since you have a high reputation there, he hasn’t made a move yet."
At this, Irenia took a deep breath and said in a tone of unprecedented sincerity, "Reinhardt, I need you to help me escape from him.
This isn’t a transaction. It’s a personal request.
After I escape, I’ll owe you a huge favor."
As her voice fell silent.
Ethereal blue text scrolled past Reinhardt’s vision.
[In-Progress Event: The Request of the Daughter of the Death Star.]
[Eliza Hearn, true Wizard name Irenia, Daughter of the Death Star, was once an old acquaintance of yours. Of course, that’s what she thinks.]
[She once stepped into the world of Wizards with the naive dreams of a young girl. But in truth, the world of Wizards never has stories of heroes slaying dragons or Knights rescuing princesses.
Doing anything to pursue power, the weak being prey for the strong, the law of the jungle—this is the truth of the Wizard World.]
[This expedition to Kemola, with all the major powers present, seems like a good opportunity to escape Florant’s control.]
[You can choose to help her, or you can refuse.]
[If Irenia succeeds in her escape, she will owe you a favor. A genuine one.]
[System Reward: 500 stacks of Steel of the Heart, one Gun Upgrade Component.]
["Are we that close?" Her silence was deafening. Your response was an Armor Piercing critical hit. Who says true mental damage can’t stack Steel of the Heart?]
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