The City of Warge, with its towering steam towers piercing through the clouds, resembled a peculiar steel volcano, spewing mist that enveloped the entire city.
Engines roared, gears spun.
Bullets streaked across the dark night sky.
Shining magic illuminated the dim stars.
At night, the resonant toll of a giant bell echoed through the steel city, dispersing layers of mist and driving away the lurking creatures hidden in the darkness.
At this moment, fifteen hours had passed since Xu Xi fell asleep in the meditation room.
A thirst born from his body’s instincts.
Slowly roused him awake.
“Didn’t expect to sleep this long,” Xu Xi muttered as he opened his eyes, taking in the familiar surroundings of the meditation room. Glancing at the mechanical clock on the wall, he couldn’t help but sigh.
But it was understandable—after all, he had worked nonstop for nine days and nights.
Gurgle.
Gurgle.
Summoning a large amount of water, Xu Xi replenished his fluids while stretching his slightly stiff body.
Overall, Xu Xi was quite satisfied with the results of this sleep.
Not only had his physical fatigue been completely alleviated, but his previously sluggish spirit had also been restored.
“It’s time to move on to the next step. After going through so many historical records, I finally have some leads,” Xu Xi said, glancing back at the corner of the meditation room.
There, on a temporarily laid magic stone slab, a silver-haired girl still slept soundly.
Xu Xi walked over.
Gave her a quick check.
After confirming that Cressa’s vital signs were still stable, he returned to his desk, his gaze falling on the stacks of handwritten notes.
The writing was fine, densely packed.
Detailing various classifications of demons.
It could be said that Xu Xi had now reached a very advanced level of knowledge regarding demons.
Some obscure or fragmented knowledge had also been understood and supplemented with the help of the [Observer] and [Wisdom of Mortals] traits.
“The term ‘demon’ is a human definition. Strictly speaking, they should be called the Ancient Race or the Primordial Race.”
The meditation room felt even more serene in the late hours of the night.
Xu Xi sat back down.
Pulled out a fresh blank sheet from the bottom of the pile and began jotting down new points.
“The theory of gods creating the world is clearly wrong.”
“If the gods truly had such power, they wouldn’t need the faith of mere humans.”
“Therefore, the correct history should be as written in ‘The Biography of Mage Lebugovo’: the world was born from chaos, and the elements gave rise to all things.”
“And the so-called demons were the first beings of this world.”
“Possessing unimaginably powerful bodies and innate abilities granted by the world, they were born with extraordinary strength surpassing other races, with the strongest even capable of challenging gods.”
“Their only flaw was that pure-blooded demons had extremely unstable emotions and desires, which completely cut them off from the path of mage cultivation.”
“Only exceptions like Cressa, with diluted demon blood and shattered emotions, could learn magic without being affected.”
Steam surged, occasionally bursting through the copper lid.
Creating a crackling echo.
Accompanied by the soft, delicate sound of a pen swiftly gliding across paper, like a gentle breeze brushing through countless leaves.
Looking at the demon-related notes he had recorded, Xu Xi fell into deep thought. Perhaps the demons’ flaw wasn’t an accident.
The development of things.
The development of the world.
Always follows the most fundamental laws.
That is, from nothing to something, from chaos to order.
When the magical world was first born, even the world itself was incomplete. The so-called demons were actually a manifestation of the world’s disorder.
This was also why demons were later replaced by gods.
Because gods symbolize order, rules, and the embodiment of the world’s orderly operation.
“From this perspective, the reason for Cressa’s coma becomes clear.”
Xu Xi put down his pen.
Looking at the still-wet ink on the paper, he slightly raised his head, gazing at the dim, lightless ceiling, and let out a sigh.
It wasn’t an illness, nor a curse.
The cause of the witch’s coma was the battle between her demon bloodline and her mage’s spiritual energy, representing chaos and order respectively, incompatible and unable to let go of each other.
In the past, the witch was weak, pitiful, and helpless, with a frail body and a sluggish spirit, so there was no need to worry about such things.
But the anomaly in the City of Allenson, the influx of sorrow and despair, had activated her demon bloodline.
After advancing to an Elite Mage, her spiritual energy had also achieved an unprecedented breakthrough.
Thus.
Body and spirit, chaos and order, demon and god.
The fates symbolizing two different paths fiercely clashed within Cressa’s body, sometimes slow, sometimes urgent, causing her to oscillate between coma and wakefulness.
Just because there was no immediate danger to her life now didn’t mean there wouldn’t be in the future.
“Troublesome…”
Rubbing his throbbing temples.
Xu Xi’s expression was complicated.
Although he had figured out the cause of the coma, how to resolve it and what to do next remained a huge challenge.
Frankly, this realm involving gods and demons was a bit advanced even for a Grand Mage.
But Cressa’s body didn’t contain true gods or demons, and Xu Xi wasn’t an ordinary Grand Mage. With the power of his traits, there was still a chance to turn things around.
…
[You have uncovered the truth behind the witch’s coma]
[Your understanding of the magical world has deepened]
[You have grasped the truth of the world]
[Your outstanding performance and keen observation have slightly upgraded your Observer trait, expanding your range of observation]
[You begin to ponder how to correctly and effectively save the witch. In this regard, you have conceived two methods]
[The first: Strengthen either the demon bloodline or the spiritual energy alone, allowing it to completely devour the other. This way, without opposition, the witch would awaken]
[The second: Balance chaos and order, allowing the powers of demon and god to coexist within the girl’s body]
[After much deliberation, you ultimately chose the second method]
[For the witch, for Cressa Christina, both body and spirit are indispensable. Losing either would cause her great harm, and you cannot bear to see such a tragic outcome]
[Wisdom of Mortals activating… Observer activating…]
[You begin to explore the essence of balance]
[You joyfully discover that, in her unconscious state, Cressa instinctively harmonizes the two forces, causing them to intertwine. This is also why her eyes have evolved into a rotating mix of black and gold]
[Without hesitation, you set up a unique magic circle in the meditation room to suppress Cressa’s demon bloodline]
[Simultaneously, you light Spirit-Clearing Herbs to awaken the girl’s dormant consciousness, allowing her to take control of her spiritual energy, to guide, to dominate, to manipulate the neutralization of the two forces]
[The path of balance lies within this.]
