Chapter 1600 The Philosopher Scholar <TOC> Chapter 1602 The World Within the Mind
Translator: SumTLMan
As the names of the contestants began to display on the big screen hovering over the stage, the competitors finally made their way into the arena.
Suyatutai and Onassis stepped up to the platform, immediately triggering a wave of cheers from the audience. However, the two on the stage did not divert their gaze to the spectators but were instead engrossed in sizing each other up.
Angel had encountered Suyatutai before in a valley on his way to Purification Garden. At that time, Suyatutai had seemed like a refined scholar, whose demeanor bore a striking resemblance to “The String Plucker” Professor Angelo of White Coral Floating Island College. Suyatutai had been genteel and courteous, with eyes that sparkled with the light of vast, cultivated wisdom.
The Suyatutai of today, in comparison to his previous self, hadn’t changed much, but looked even more youthful and dashing. His aura remained as poised and dignified as ever.
As for Suyatutai’s opponent——Onassis, the “Philosopher”, he came off as somewhat of an awkward bookworm. When they stood together on the same stage, they appeared more like a mentor and a student rather than adversaries.
“Is he the peculiar contestant you mentioned? He seems pretty ordinary. Even his energy fluctuations aren’t that impressive, certainly not compared to Shirley,” Gloria observed, her gaze also on Onassis, adding a probing tone to her words. “Uto Academy is a gathering place for white wizards; Onassis fits the mold quite well. A textbook example of an academic type.”
At this point, Gloria glanced at Angel and continued, “From the looks of it, he’s even more traditional in the academic sense than you are.”
Angel did not respond to Gloria but continued to watch Onassis intently.
It seemed Onassis felt Angel’s gaze, for he turned his head to look in his direction. Upon seeing Angel, he hesitated for a moment before breaking into a smile of pure innocence.
Gloria noticed this exchange and asked, “It seems like you two know each other?”
Angel had a sudden realization. He had suspected earlier whether this “Philosopher” could be the person he had previously met; turns out he was correct after all…
“We’ve crossed paths before,” Angel finally said.
Gloria looked skeptical, “Why do I feel like it’s not just a casual encounter? Among tens of thousands of spectators, he particularly noticed you?”
Angel was somewhat puzzled as well. He hadn’t deliberately shielded his gaze, nor had he used any mental force to focus his attention. It was merely an ordinary sweep of his eyes across the crowd. Surprisingly, the other party managed to catch his gaze and even looked back immediately. Angel found this quite odd.
“It was indeed just a fleeting encounter,” Angel succinctly recounted the previous time he had met this young man.
Once, he was in a corridor of Infinite Battle Tower and saw a young man engrossed in a book. The reason Angel noticed him was that behind the young man was the backstage area for the competitors, an area thick with the scent of blood.
Angel wondered if this young man had something to do with that scent, so he turned his gaze toward him.
Angel remembered that the book the young man was reading was a philosophical text called —Nibelungen’s Lies—.
This was a book exploring the nature of lies and truth from a philosophical standpoint. It offered no practical benefit to those with transcendent abilities; it was merely intellectual philosophical speculation, not the kind of book a young person would typically read.
Because of this detail, Angel remembered that young man.
Later, when he heard of a competitor named “Philosopher,” Angel immediately thought of this young man reading —Nibelungen’s Lies—. However, he had never met Onassis, so it was only speculation on Angel’s part.
Today was the first time Angel had seen Onassis, and it turned out his guess was correct.
Onassis was that young man.
After hearing Angel’s account, Gloria pondered for a moment and said, “A young man who enjoys reading philosophy books? He sounds more like a traditional academic type. You know, some academic wizards, even when they are at a disadvantage in matters related to combat application, can use philosophical rhetoric to argue the illogical into seeming logical.”
“Anyway, they’re people who would rather lose their life than lose face.”
After finishing her rant, Gloria shook her head, clearly speaking from personal experience, perhaps having undergone something similar herself.
“Was what happened backstage with the contestants his doing?” Gloria asked, a touch of curiosity in her voice. According to Angel, this Onassis seemed straightforward, just an unassuming young man, not the sort who would engage in backstage scheming.
“I don’t know,” replied Angel, dismissive. To him, it was merely a trivial aside — knowing or not knowing made no difference. Angel and Onassis had merely exchanged brief pleasantries before going their separate ways, without any further investigation.
…
While Angel and Gloria were conversing, another dialogue was taking place on the stage.
“Who are you watching?” A voice gentle and polite came from Suyatutai.
Onassis, retracting his gaze from Angel, subdued his smile and calmly said, “I am watching someone like you.”
“Like me?” Suyatutai was somewhat puzzled.
“Five years ago, at the Philosophy Debate Conference at Uto Academy, I was reading a book. You were the only one who affirmed the book I was reading,” Onassis paused, “He’s the same. He also affirmed the book I was reading.”
“Five years ago. Such a distant past,” Suyatutai mused, a faint glimmer in his eyes. “Or perhaps, the days at Uto Academy feel like a different lifetime compared to my current life.”
Onassis looked quietly at Suyatutai but chose not to respond.
After a brief silence, Suyatutai continued, “If I recall correctly, the book you were reading was —The Pink Elephant and Colorless Rain—, wasn’t it?”
Hearing his beloved book mentioned, Onassis solemnly nodded.
“That’s a philosophical work discussing necessities and non-necessities, the sense of existence, and cognitive biases,” Suyatutai said, obviously having read the book himself. He quickly distilled the essence of the work. Seeing Onassis look as if he’d discovered some profound truth, Suyatutai’s mouth curled into a cold smile. “Unfortunately, it’s filled with absurd fallacies.”
Onassis’s eyes suddenly widened.
“A pink elephant won’t arbitrarily invade your thoughts, making you believe its presence is unignorable; in reality, it’s you who’s pondering it. Invisible rain is like air; you think you haven’t noticed it, but that’s merely your perception. Your body has indeed registered its existence,” he said.
In a tone tinged with cold sarcasm, Suyatutai retorted, “In other words, these books are nothing but the author’s self-imposed shackles within their own solipsistic universe.”
Onassis chose not to argue but instead questioned, “But you didn’t say that at the time. You actually endorsed this book back then.”
Suyatutai broke into a smile, “That’s because I believe it doesn’t matter what kind of book a bookworm reads. Fairytales would suit you even better.”
Gazing at Suyatutai, Onassis calmly stated, “Though fairytales are written for children, many contain philosophies, which is why I read them too.”
“Consider this a wake-up call from someone you once knew: all of it, including philosophy, is a sham,” the tone of Suyatutai’s voice grew increasingly somber.
Onassis sighed softly, “I’ve always remembered your alias. When choosing my own, I even did so aspiring to follow in your footsteps… I thought you’d understand me.”
The Philosopher Scholar and Philosopher. In a broader sense, they can indeed be considered equal.
“At Uto Academy, I adopted this title merely to fit in with the academic type. You know as well as I do that Labore loves this sort of thing… I hear you’re also following Labore now?”
Labore, a professor at Uto Academy, firmly believes that truth is to be found in philosophy.
“Yes, Professor Labore has actually been missing you,” Onassis responded.
A momentary daze flashed in Suyatutai’s eyes, followed by silence, “Once I advance to the status of a formal wizard, I’ll pay him a visit.”
Onassis: “If you took this nickname just to seem more academic, then why haven’t you changed it by now?”
Suyatutai: “You surely don’t think I’m still clinging to that flawed idea, do you? I haven’t changed it simply because there’s no need.”
Onassis: “However, I feel you haven’t truly let go.”
With a mocking yet ironic smile, Suyatutai chose not to shatter Onassis’s lingering conviction.
At this moment, the countdown for the competition on the screen entered its final five seconds.
Onassis pondered, “Perhaps you simply haven’t seen the path ahead. Today, I will try to show you the way.”
Suyatutai: “Then I shall eagerly await the revelation.”
…
As the competition began, Suyatutai made the first move. With a flick of his finger, the fish-scale tattoo on his neck began to emit a soft blue light.
In the blink of an eye, an immense amount of water elements coalesced, transforming into a roaring tidal wave that surged forward.
Within the torrent, everyone could vaguely see a lake’s surface, a nighttime ocean scene that transitioned from absolute calm to sudden tempests. Torrential rain and gale-force winds appeared simultaneously, making the ocean turbulent. At the far end of their line of sight, there was even a solemn sea god holding a trident, overlooking the vast ocean!
This was an ocean-themed spell, seemingly a variant of some tidal spell, but with considerably more potent power and a broader range, covering the entire stage.
Having reached the pinnacle of third level spells!
When wave after wave of tides washed over, even apprentices of bloodline origin would likely feel their footing becoming unstable.
However, when the tides swept up to Onassis, he suddenly closed his eyes and murmured an incantation. In an instant, Onassis found himself in a state of etherealness, as if existing both within and beyond the mortal realm.
It somewhat resembled a state of illusion, as if he were not there. When the waves passed him, even his clothes remained completely dry.
Yet, everyone’s naked eye clearly saw that Onassis was definitely present, solidly in place, and had not stepped into any realm of illusion to dodge.
So how did he manage to remain completely untouched by the water?
While everyone was still pondering this enigma, Onassis’ lips moved once again.
Chapter 1600 The Philosopher Scholar <TOC> Chapter 1602 The World Within the Mind