Chapter 014: The Old Monster

Edward sighed and said, “It’s simple. If Anthony had ordered someone to do this, then you, Du Fan, would never have had a chance to see this Mirak potion… Because, with that old charlatan’s nature, how could he possibly spit out what he’s eaten?”
At this point, Edward seemed to remember something, and a hint of helplessness crossed his face.
Du Fan felt a slight stir in his heart. It seemed that Anthony, that old fox, had indeed caused President Edward some trouble—otherwise, he wouldn’t have such an expression!
Yet despite thinking this, Du Fan still showed a nervous look and said, “So… who exactly is it? After all, this item ended up in the hands of the royal family!”
Edward shook his head. “I still don’t know who did it. All I know is that after the Mirak potion was stolen, it somehow ended up in the hands of a minor noble. This noble, realizing its value, naturally offered it up as a gift. That old bastard Austin III even wanted to take it for himself… But after I spread some rumors about it, he became extremely anxious, clearly understanding that if he kept it, he would be under suspicion. That’s why Princess Nina gave it away—otherwise, how could the royal family be so generous?”
With that, Edward sneered again and said, “Du Fan, now you understand. The royal family didn’t give away this potion out of kindness. Back then, Aldas also wanted to give it to you for free, not out of goodwill either.”
Du Fan’s heart skipped a beat. “Then why…?”
Edward glanced at Du Fan with a hint of helplessness. “Originally, no matter whose hands it fell into, I would have gotten it back. But you, Young Master Du Fan, are lucky—after all, you belong to the Holy Church. Even though you were just an ordinary priest at that time, if I had sent someone to demand the Mirak potion from you, Anthony, that old fool, would never have agreed for the sake of face. So… I had no choice but to let it go. But since this Mirak potion required so much of my effort, I still wanted to find a way to get it back. That’s why I’ve been keeping an eye on you ever since.”
Du Fan was stunned for a moment before forcing a wry smile. “It seems my luck, Du Fan, is truly good!”

Edward nodded and said, “Indeed, you’re very lucky… I originally thought that even if you got the Milak potion, you wouldn’t achieve much. But I never expected that such a small amount of potion could help Du Fan grow to this extent—it’s truly unexpected.”
Du Fan frowned and asked, “President Edward, what do you mean…”
Edward smiled. “Du Fan, you surely haven’t forgotten… back in Rui City, you fought fiercely with a shaman priest, right? According to reports, if my men are correct, that shaman priest was at least at level eight or higher. Yet you managed to remain undefeated against her. That means… your strength is at least at level five, right? Especially after you petrified that shaman priest—your actions were truly interesting… Later, in Modo, the way you dealt with Aldas was also unexpected… Even that old guy Bruce obeyed your orders. It seems you’ve learned quite a lot… Come, let me guess—have you learned one of the three barbarian secrets… Word Magic?”
Du Fan’s expression changed abruptly as his right hand reached for his storage ring. But after a moment, he slowly lowered his hand and acted as if nothing had happened, saying, “President, what kind of magic are you talking about? I don’t seem to have heard of it before!”
“Is that so?” Edward still smiled at Du Fan. Though his smile remained kind, Du Fan felt cold sweat break out all over his body. He inwardly sighed bitterly—these old monsters truly couldn’t be dealt with easily…
“Du Fan, you’re indeed a very smart person,” Edward said with admiration in his voice. “You must be aware that if you had attacked me suddenly just now, your chances of winning would have been at most ten percent, maybe even less… Since you know Word Magic, you must also understand that it’s almost useless against mages. And even if you were extremely lucky enough to escape me, you still wouldn’t have a chance to get out of the mage tower, because there are members of the enforcement team on every floor. Against those guys, you wouldn’t even have the strength to fight back… So it was wise of you not to attack. If you had, you’d be dead by now!”

As he spoke, Edward let out a soft hum. Yet it was this mere hum that caused the table, which was at least several hundred years old, to explode into dust!
Du Fan gave a bitter smile, touched his nose, and said, “This table is a work of art carved from yellow dragon wood. It’s worth at least fifty thousand gold coins in the market. Even if you want to threaten me, President Edward, there’s no need to spend so much money, right? It’s a real shame to waste such a fine piece!”
Edward smiled coldly. “Du Fan… I just want to tell you that if you had taken out that wand in your storage ring, which can shorten the casting time, then you would end up just like this table!”
Du Fan sighed again. It seemed that every move he made since joining the Mage Guild was under the other party’s control. It seemed that avoiding being stripped of everything was already good enough—after all, there’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world!
With that thought, Du Fan sighed and said, “Alright, President Edward. I know it’s useless to hide anything from you… But why do you know so much about me? A mere nobody like me isn’t worth all this effort, is he?”

“You’re no ordinary person. You’re intelligent and know when to act wisely; calling you a genius wouldn’t be an exaggeration. Yet you remain low-key, always trying to protect yourself under any circumstances. In this ruthless Holy Church where survival of the fittest rules, a kid like you, who knows neither combat nor magic, has managed to stay safe all these years. How simple can you really be?” Edward smiled. “Of course, I only figured this out later. But after you obtained the Milak Elixir, I already had people take good care of you. Du Fan, you might not know this, but over the years, our Mage Guild has grown quite large. Though it may not be as powerful as your Holy Church, it’s certainly significant. We have branches in major and minor cities across the Gavin Capital and the Lanni Empire. It’s just that ordinary people are unaware of it. On your journey to the North, you thought it was easy because the people from our Mage Guild received my orders to take good care of you… Of course, I’m not aware of what happened after you entered the Northern Ice Plains, but as soon as you left, my men tracked down your whereabouts. They reported everything in detail… That’s how I realized you’re truly extraordinary, Du Fan… In less than half a year, you’ve grown to this extent. What might you achieve if given another ten years? It’s truly exciting!”

“Besides,” Edward sneered, “by taking my Milak Elixir, you’ve become part of my experiment. Of course, I can’t ignore the changes in my experiment subjects.”

Du Fan could only force a bitter smile. It was all he could do.

Back then, he had already suffered a huge loss in front of Gannon, but he never expected to be even more unlucky this time.

These old monsters at the peak of the continent truly weren’t easy to deceive!

“Well then, President Edward,” Du Fan said with a helpless smile, “you brought me here, told me so much, so what exactly do you want me to do? It’s not just to tell me these things, is it?”

Edward smiled happily. “Of course. Since I called you here and told you all this, Young Master Du Fan, it’s certainly not just about telling you something… Instead, I have a small request for your help, or rather… I want you to do something for me.”

“Can I say no?” Du Fan asked with a bitter smile.

“Of course,” Edward smiled. “But don’t worry. Even if you refuse to do anything for me, I won’t do you any harm! I’ll just share what I know with more people… You, who are in the Holy See, must understand better than I do that heresy is a far graver sin than rebellion! So, the choice I give you is very simple: either you’re a heretic or you’re a rebel… It’s an easy choice, isn’t it?”
Du Fan sighed. “Then, is there any other way out?”
“Another way? Of course there is…” Edward’s smile became even softer. “It’s the last path… a dead end…”