Chapter 218 - 215: The Most Respectable Person

Chapter 218: Chapter 215: The Most Respectable Person

"The story’s over. Pretty melodramatic, isn’t it?"

The mysterious man’s final quip was meant to bring the tale to a close. However, this story, which would normally sound melodramatic, only served to make the atmosphere in the conference room even more oppressive, with no sign of lifting.

Regardless of whether the story was true, Tao Xingzhi suddenly felt both relieved and angry. Relieved that after experiencing such betrayal, Dawn hadn’t lashed out at society. Humanity was truly fortunate.

As for whether the story was true or false, it didn’t really matter anymore.

Tao Xingzhi sighed inwardly.

’Even if it’s fake, so what?’ he thought. ’The chaos and changes in the world are exactly as the mysterious man described. The knowledge they possess is certainly more comprehensive than what any nation currently has. Cooperation is still the only path forward.’

’And if it is true, even the Dawn Association itself has moved on. Those Traitors are buried in the annals of history, so what could their descendants possibly do now?’

But the heavy feeling in his heart was hard to shake. All the previous signs, and the ruins in France, indicated that the story was likely true.

’Perhaps the Dawn Association hasn’t truly "moved on" either,’ he mused. ’At the very least, they’ve never had much contact with human authorities since.’

The descendants were still paying for the sins of their ancestors.

General Lazov’s breath came in ragged snorts. As a traditional career soldier, he despised backstabbing bastards more than anything.

"Why did you people... back then... why did you still help them? Help them continue to fight off those abominations!"

Objectively speaking, it was a loaded question. It wasn’t appropriate for a government general to say such a thing, but General Lazov said it anyway.

He wouldn’t be able to rest easy until he asked, even if it meant admitting that they themselves might be descendants of those Traitors.

The Dawn Association could have just stood by and done nothing. They could have waited until humanity was being slaughtered and crying for their mamas, then reappeared to tell the betrayers, ’You’re nothing without us!’

To some extent, everyone in the conference room had a similar thought—even Tao Xingzhi was no exception. The same went for Huang Jiutian and Mo Shaoge.

The only exceptions were Doudou, who had slowed her eating so as not to disrupt her big cousin’s performance, and Qin Xiaoxia himself.

The latter slowly sat down from his standing position and placed his hands on the conference table.

"Throughout the long ages, we have stood on the front lines against the Demons, never flinching, never retreating..."

"This does not mean we are some special breed of brave men."

He tilted his head back slightly, his gaze seeming to pierce through the ceiling, through the building itself, and into the deep, star-dusted night sky.

"It is only because, deep within us, there is a far greater fear..."

"We fear the extinction of humanity and all life on Earth. We fear the destruction of our world. But even more, we fear that our children and grandchildren could be reduced to mere livestock, like pigs and sheep!"

"From body to soul... becoming hollow shells, walking corpses stripped of their very selves!"

The mysterious man smiled again, but this time, there was no weight or pressure behind it. It was a genuine, relaxed smile.

"Perhaps we are a band of madmen. Perhaps we are truly fearsome monsters. But we love this world more deeply than anyone!"

HMMMM~ HMMMM~~~

In a trance, everyone felt their vision double for an instant. It was as if the conference room, and indeed the very space it occupied, was swaying back and forth, giving them the sensation of being on a small, rocking boat.

The faint dizziness lasted only a moment, almost like an illusion.

But those with keen intuition could recall the lingering sensation—it was like a tremor in space and the environment itself.

Qin Xiaoxia was screaming internally, ’Mamma mia!’

’What was that feeling just now?’

’It couldn’t have been a ripple from the world’s consciousness, could it?!’

’Holy mother of—!!!’

No one knew what that strange trance was, but in that moment, their hearts filled with solemn respect for Dawn.

They hadn’t spouted any pompous platitudes about noble causes or put themselves on a pedestal.

The mysterious man had simply spoken of his "fear"—the fear that had driven the Dawn Association all along.

Without excessive explanation, those few, simple words—which seemed almost like a confession of weakness—revealed the conviction for which nameless heroes had fought and bled for centuries.

It was a simple conviction, yet it was unbreakable.

Doudou froze, a slice of orange halfway to her lips, a strange panic rising in her heart.

’That tremor was too bizarre,’ she thought. ’Could it really have been the world’s consciousness? I never heard anything about a world consciousness back in Magson.’

’Oh god, don’t tell me Big Cousin just sweet-talked the world itself into waking up?!’

Perhaps they were still processing the shock, or perhaps they were calming their anger, or perhaps they were trying to see things from the perspective of those historical heroes.

None of the three parties spoke. The conference room remained silent for a long time.

After more than a minute, Tao Xingzhi and General Lazov stood up at almost the same time.

The other members of the Special Security Team and the Guardians in the room followed suit, rising to their feet after their leaders.

Those standing near the three mysterious figures even took a small step back, creating a bit of distance.

WHOOSH—

Within seconds, dozens of people had snapped to attention and saluted, their eyes fixed on the three members of the Dawn Association who remained seated.

Tao Xingzhi, General Lazov, and indeed everyone else present felt an urge to say something, but words felt inadequate. They could only pay their respects with a powerful, unified military salute.

They didn’t know if the mysterious man’s story was true, but if it was, they couldn’t bear to simply remain seated for the rest of the meeting.

Doudou figured she should probably look serious at a time like this, so she stopped eating.

Once the salutes were over, everyone sat back down. Qin Xiaoxia, too, calmed his rattled nerves.

"General Lazov, I hope you will hand that Akenis over to us."

This statement made General Lazov pause. He frowned, instinctively about to refuse, but the words changed as they reached his lips.

"Why? Are you afraid we can’t contain it here?"

He recalled how the mutated creature had suddenly feigned death earlier.

But the mysterious man’s answer was not what he expected.

"No. I believe you have the ability to control it. It might escape, but I’m sure you could recapture it, albeit at a cost."

"However, Akenis is not suited to be your prisoner, nor is it suited to become your little lab rat!"

"It is a special kind of Magic Creature, different from ordinary Demons. Akenis possesses an intellect that is on par with, or even superior to, a human’s. Furthermore, it very likely poses a potential threat by being able to communicate with other worlds."

Ivan spoke up directly.

"In that case, wouldn’t it be more appropriate to just kill it?"

Qin Xiaoxia’s brow twitched at those words.

"Historically, the Association has captured an Akenis several times. Except for one instance where we underestimated it, allowing it to summon an Otherworldly Demon and cause heavy casualties to a branch, we obtained new knowledge of Magic Patterns every other time!"

"Our growth cannot rely on our own insights alone; we must also learn from the Demons. As a creature we can communicate with, Akenis is an invaluable resource for the Dawn Association."

Hearing this, the members of the Guardian force felt conflicted.

On one hand, they were now filled with respect for the Dawn Association. On the other hand, if this mutated creature—which Dawn called a Demon—was so valuable, handing it over seemed like a significant loss.

They represented their national interests; they couldn’t make an irrational decision based on personal feelings.

Qin Xiaoxia was prepared for their hesitation.

"Knowledge of Magic Patterns is a special kind of power that can only be deciphered through an inheritance of Magic Power. It is completely divergent from humanity’s mainstream scientific systems. Even if we gave it to you, with the current capabilities of the world’s nations, you wouldn’t be able to interpret it."

The mysterious man chuckled.

"Of course, if I were in your shoes, I wouldn’t be happy about just giving something away for free either."

"As an exchange, I will leave this!"

Qin Xiaoxia’s hand emerged from within his black robe. He held his clenched fist palm-down over the table, then opened it, leaving behind a glittering, dazzling Crystal Stone that swirled with multicolored light.

The moment this Crystal appeared, it captured the gaze of everyone in the room.

It was about the size of an olive, perfectly clear and flawless, and it emitted a hazy, multicolored halo from within. The mere sight of it was strangely magical, stirring a powerful desire in all who saw it to claim it for themselves.

"This is a Magic Energy Crystal. It has another name that is more widely known among ordinary people."

The mysterious man didn’t keep them in suspense.

"It is also known as the Philosopher’s Stone. It possesses immense Magic Power and is one of the most precious treasures in existence."

PS: Chapter 3 for Thursday.

All three Chapters for today have been released!