Surviving The Fourth Calamity

Hill also didn’t think that Prutt was the creator of all this chaos.

Although he’s not very sensitive to certain intrigues, he can tell whether someone is truly an idiot.

Moreover, he knows of methods originating from Hell that exchange intelligence for one’s inherent traits like physical strength or rationality... Even if Kamente Tower’s own members may not be aware of these methods, surely someone within Sia Tower would.

To be honest, those who can trade intelligence from a devil typically have something special about them.

Devils never engage in losing deals.

Although Hill was somewhat reluctant to admit that Prutt was once a capable person, he couldn’t deceive himself just to feel better, could he?

Therefore, after carefully reviewing Gilbert’s memories again, he shifted his focus onto Scott Rommel.

This mage, although also a Seventh Circle, joined Kamente Tower much later than Prutt.

Although Gilbert wasn’t sure of the exact time, it seems to have been after Kamente Tower became the Tower Master.

Otherwise, considering Kamente Tower was an outsider even though he was apprenticed to the old Tower Master, how could he have recruited such a talented student?

It was because Scott Rommel was famously gifted among mages that he always stayed out of the various conflicts within the Tower of Dark Enigma, seemingly keeping his presence hidden like his ever-wavering mentor, which didn’t seem strange to many.

Some mages always choose to immerse themselves in the world of spells after swaying left and right... Regardless of righteousness or evil, the scholarly faction never becomes scarce.

And in a world driven by rationality, the scholarly faction indeed often gets temporarily overlooked in many factional conflicts: as long as they have enough identity and ability to keep others from using them as an excuse or a starting point for conflict.

Even Gilbert, despite always harboring resentment towards Kamente Tower’s faction... Being from noble birth made him better understand Nicholson’s family-minded philosophies.

But regarding matters over at Sia Tower, he was completely puzzled by what Kamente Tower aimed to accomplish.

Power, benefits, and even mage resources must promise something forward-looking to continuously draw people into endless conflicts, especially for those striving to reach the Tower Master position.

In his mind though, the things Kamente Tower genuinely participates in, upon careful examination, reveal chaos: resulting sometimes in conflicting phenomena.

How could someone who worked hard to grab an apple yesterday throw it to someone else the next day without even tasting it?

If they’d tasted it and later found it undesirable, then trying any means to pass off the bitten apple to someone else would be understandable.

But never touching it... that does seem wrong.

But general mages wouldn’t, like Gilbert, due to disturbances in his Mental Sea, rely on consulting various materials, thus leading him to even meticulously read records of past matters within the Tower of Dark Enigma, so few can notice the self-conflict on Kamente Tower’s side.

Additionally, it’s merely short-term behavior.

Later on, when Tower of Dark Enigma gained resources after handing over Stellar Realm visitors... especially for the Tower Masters, had it not been for the generous offerings from Sia Tower, at least Ruth wouldn’t have easily mastered his sporadically functioning Ninth Ring Spell.

And others similarly wouldn’t have so many students above the Seventh Circle... as long as they cross the Sixth Ring hurdle, reaching the Seventh Circle becomes resource-dependable.

If one’s mana suffices and their spell-learning ability isn’t poor, they can eventually endure through.

But the Eighth Ring demands a profound understanding of the Law.

Though Archmage Kamente Tower doesn’t have Eighth Ring students, possessing Scott Rommel, the renowned prodigiously talented student who reached the Seventh Circle in just 100 years, everyone assumes he’d eventually have them.

It’s just that the Law isn’t such an approachable existence, and no one ever knows when they would receive a Law’s embrace, enabling them to find that elusive door.

Yet just as everyone believes, once Gilbert’s Mental Sea recovers, he’d certainly be able to tread into the Sixth Ring, touching the Seventh Circle’s threshold, equally they believe Rommel’s talent would surely lead him to that door.

Therefore, despite Rommel showing little movement during these recent 100 years, no one considers him past his prime.

But Hill suddenly sensed something peculiar.

He’d once lamented a bit for Gilbert after estimating his promotion speed upon reviewing his memories... If the most gifted mages in this world could generally become an Eighth Ring mage around 200 years old, Gilbert would face no problem.

He could even do so sooner.

Then why is Rommel, endowed with even more resources than Gilbert, slow in his advancement?

If it were a world like Teraxil, where someone might purposely slow their progression to strengthen their foundation, such reasoning would be understandable. But this world is different!

Anyone with a modicum of intelligence would recklessly rush for advancement; only when no further advancement is possible do they turn back to replenish their foundation... Hence, genuine Ninth Ring Mages are scarce here, naturally because they’re forced by circumstances to push upward, without time to survey the journey.

Upon reaching the summit and then retracing steps to collect the remaining artifacts, some things that existed only temporarily naturally vanish, leaving them to merely reminisce or crouch in waiting, hoping fortune might favor them once more.

But Hill firmly understands and agrees with this approach... Survival remains paramount.

If this world truly collapses, it’s mages above the Seventh Circle who have a chance to flee.

The performance of those two Tower Masters from the Tower of Dark Enigma clearly shows they’re aware of this world’s perils... even foreseen years ago.

So who would bother considering any foundational issues!

When escaping, all that matters is fleeing.

Thus, Rommel’s actions make little sense unless his talent is amiss... But upon his tower entrance, Ruth attempted to snatch him away, and nearly succeeded.

Although now it seems the near-success might merely be intentional, with Ruth doomed to exit from the onset, Hill still somewhat trusts that shrewd, calculating Archmage’s judgment.

So, is Rommel truly Rommel? Could it be that his sporadic appearances are meant to prevent exposure?

Just like himself... Hill naturally possesses the strength beyond the Eighth Ring, yet he would never employ Eighth Ring Magic belonging to this world.

Even if forced to reveal his identity later, he wouldn’t resort to it.

That would mean aligning oneself with this world’s law.

But this world’s law is imperfect!

A fledgling world’s laws are always somewhat incomplete, and no one would forsake their better self-part for inferior choices.

Even Hell is superior to this place... the Evil Faction won’t pursue the righteous enlightenment.

And Hill naturally prefers his essence not to deeply intertwine with this world.

He can be a guest but definitely not half a host; yet surprisingly, this world seems really fond of him.

Hill suspects that mere contact with this world’s law would instantly entrap him.

Sometimes when the host becomes overly zealous, it’s not necessarily favorable to engage: once deeply entwined with this world’s laws, detaching becomes exceedingly arduous... a stamp upon the soul.

That’s a homeland one cannot sever from despite distance.

To put it crudely, upon one’s death, they must return to this world’s segment of Styx.

Unless one’s soul possesses something extraordinary, attracting other worlds’ Deities, even if floating for thousands or millions of years within the Stellar Realm, their soul would still unknowingly drift back to its original world to find its place.

Yet such souls lose value, even past followers of certain Deities!

That would truly mean merely drifting within Styx until its waters thoroughly cleanse them into gravel.

But what if your world belongs to Hell?

Those mages who submit to the devil, particularly Transcendent Legendary Mages, certainly wouldn’t allow themselves to end up in such a plight... They always possess various means of hiding their souls from being used as a devil’s playful collectibles or crafted into Lesser Fiends.

They’d never let their soul inexplicably belong to a world controlled by the Lord of Hell.

Hence, they absolutely wouldn’t masquerade as an Eighth Ring Mage.

Hill tilted his head and smiled: if Scott Rommel truly is as he imagines, then the secrets concealed within the Tower of Dark Enigma aren’t just the ones previously pondered.

It’s intriguing.

Both Ruth and Nicholson seem far too normal.

Apparently, neither conveyed anything to any of their students.

Aislin surely knows nothing; otherwise, she’d not act so aggressively.

Hill couldn’t resist clicking his tongue... a world dominated by mages truly proves amusing, where even the Wise Ones play games rendering devils bewildered.