Translator: SumTLMan
“Your Highness, this retreat must have brought you significant gains,” Angel said, observing the imposing aura of Magic Fire Midir before him.
Coughing, Magic Fire Midir glanced unintentionally at his left earlobe, concealed by Angel: “Indeed, the harvest has been substantial.”
Angel smiled slightly, discerning from the subtle cues in Magic Fire Midir’s demeanor that it had indeed gleaned something from the flame of Odeklaes.
It is undeniable that elemental creatures possess far superior sensitivity and comprehension towards pure elemental forces than ordinary people do.
Even elemental wizards, upon witnessing Angel’s Mark of Flame, might not gain enlightenment. Yet, Magic Fire Midir has managed to do so, a feat all the more remarkable considering the influence of the elemental tide, which is quite formidable.
Angel did not probe into what Magic Fire Midir had discovered, merely glossing over the topic with a smile.
“What matter brings me here, Your Highness?”
Returning to the main topic, Magic Fire Midir’s expression shifted from evasion to calm: “Now that you presumably have some time, could we discuss the significance of the ‘door’ in the Tidal Realm?”
Magic Fire Midir had posed this question before, which Angel had not answered, needing more information on Feng and uncertain of elemental creatures’ knowledge about this world, planar fusion, and humanity.
However, now was a good time for discussion.
Having met Magu, a sage with extensive knowledge, Angel felt more prepared to talk.
Even the ‘door’ was not unknown to Magu, who understood its origin but not its location.
With Magic Fire Midir inquiring again, Angel believed it had likely learned the basics from Magu, making secrecy unnecessary.
Considering this, Angel began: “To understand the door of the Tidal Realm, we must start with the cataclysm that once threatened total annihilation. To the inhabitants of the Tidal Realm, it was undoubtedly a disaster; yet, from a broader perspective, considering the world as a whole, it was an opportunity.”
Angel then explicitly explained the fusion of the Tidal Realm with the Wizarding World, the reasons behind world fusions, and the potential massive loss of life such a fusion could cause.
Magic Fire Midir had already heard some details from Magu and was surprised then. Now, with Angel providing more context, its astonishment was undeniable.
It had not anticipated that its established beliefs were incorrect; rather than a cataclysm, the event was a world opportunity.
The prophesied savior was indeed a true savior, but not in the way Magic Fire Midir initially thought. Instead, by channeling external elemental forces to rejuvenate a fading world and concealing the planar fusion, the existence of the Tidal Realm was hidden for thousands of years!
The savior’s “salvation” essentially bought elemental creatures time to thrive, avoiding premature conflict with humanity…
After hearing Angel’s explanation, Magic Fire Midir remained silent for a long time, overwhelmed by the new information and paradigm shift.
Eventually, Magic Fire Midir looked intently at Angel: “Can you now reveal where the door is?”
“Not yet,” Angel paused, “I understand your desire to control the door, but with a wizard’s capabilities, entering the Tidal Realm doesn’t necessarily require that passage.”
Magic Fire Midir sighed deeply, “I understand. Magu has explained that when both worlds fuse, such a day would inevitably come.”
Magic Fire Midir did not press further on the door, having been previously rebuffed by Angel. It had only posed the question as a formality, not expecting an answer but merely attempting nonetheless.
And it had already learned from Mentor Magu that the door must be in the Fire Domain and had identified a range; even if Angel did not say it, it could find it by itself if it searched slowly.
“Alright, let’s not talk about this and change the topic.” Magic Fire Midir descended from mid-air and sat on a throne forged from flame gems: “Can you tell me about humans?”
“The topic of humans is vast, Your Highness, which aspect would you like to hear about?”
Magic Fire Midir was silent for a while, finally speaking with a resolute tone: “I want to understand everything.”
Angel saw a flash of realization in his eyes; he understood that Magic Fire Midir was beginning to gradually accept and change its perception, and his answer could very likely become a measure of Magic Fire Midir’s future attitude towards humans.
Therefore, his response was very important.
Because it was so important, Angel could not be too subjective. He could elaborate on the good aspects of humanity, but he could not exclusively praise them.
Humanity, due to its extensive civilization, is far more complex than elemental creatures; even Angel himself was not sure he fully understood humanity.
All Angel could do was to be as objective as possible in sharing his observations of humanity.
“To understand humanity, one must first understand civilization…”
Civilization is an indispensable link in the vocabulary of humanity, also a vast topic. To clarify a general idea would take at least several days, and to go into detail would take even more time. Angel did not have so much time; all he could do was describe the definition of civilization and then——
Angel spent a few hours creating a simplified Drama Shadow Box, themed “Humans and Civilization”, which depicted the development of humans and the dense flourishing of civilization in a illusory imagery manner. This box also contained Angel’s own understanding of humanity.
Regarding the question of most concern to Magic Fire Midir: human values and morals.
Angel also provided an answer; he did not take sides because it was not something that could be generalized. Good and bad are always relative, just a matter of perspective.
Magic Fire Midir watched for about half an hour, from being initially surprised at how realistic the illusions were to gradually being shocked by human civilization.
Magic Fire Midir did not finish watching because the content in the Drama Shadow Box was too much to digest at once. Anyway, Angel had given the box to it, and there would be plenty of time in the future to watch. Perhaps it could even share it with Magu and other creatures in the Fire Domain, to understand the humans they would inevitably face in the future.
Magic Fire Midir exhaled deeply, solemnly placing the seemingly unremarkable little box down, and then looked at Angel: “I briefly looked through the contents, and it was shocking.”
After a pause, Magic Fire Midir continued: “However, I did not see the existence of elemental creatures. May I ask, what is humanity’s attitude towards elemental creatures? Is it like the savior, or like Mr. Pat?”
Angel shook his head: “There are those like me, and there are those like Mr. Feng, but this is not all. To speak of humanity’s attitude towards elemental creatures, we must start from the world of wizards.”
Magic Fire Midir had already known that the savior was a powerful wizard. So, when it heard Angel mention “wizards,” it understood that this must be key.
“The situation with wizards is actually very complex.”
Angel briefly mentioned some content about wizards, and then…
He created a second Drama Shadow Box, themed —The World of Wizards—, detailing the situation of wizards through illusory imagery. However, although it was titled —The World of Wizards—, it focused more on “The Unspoken Rules of the Wizarding World.”
Because unspoken rules are not just a norm but also a guideline for the daily behavior of wizards. This includes the attitudes of wizards towards the world, towards ordinary people, and towards extraordinary beings including elemental creatures.
Of course, the attitudes naturally vary between good and bad. After all, wizards are not necessarily good people.
In addition to this, within the Drama Shadow Box, there’s also a general description of the wizards’ abilities, and Angel even created illusions of wizards in battle. This is the only bias shown by Angel within the Drama Shadow Box, serving both as a warning to Magic Fire Midir and as a reminder.
Wizards are powerful, and opposing them directly is definitely not a good idea.
Magic Fire Midir glanced through it and understood the warning given by Angel. It did not show anger because even if Angel had not mentioned it, it was prepared to inquire on its own.
After all, the elemental creatures of the Tidal Realm are bound to encounter human wizards, naturally necessitating an understanding of each other’s strength.
In —The World of Wizards— illusionary imagery, what caused the greatest disturbance to Magic Fire Midir’s emotions was the human covetousness towards elemental creatures.
All formal wizards would try by all means to capture elemental creatures.
When Magic Fire Midir saw in the illusions that elemental creatures were being captured, the flames around it surged several meters high in an instant.
“Damnable humans!” Magic Fire Midir couldn’t help but roar in anger.
Magic Fire Midir’s aura became increasingly intense, creating ripples in the air and causing the rocks on the cliffs to crack.
In such a situation, Eremy also took the initiative to appear, guarding by Angel’s side, and even Toby, who was soaking in the volcanic lava pool, quickly flew to Angel’s side, ready to defend.
Fortunately, Magic Fire Midir was not an irrational monarch. It suppressed its anger and apologized to Angel.
“I understand Your Highness’s feelings, but I think Your Highness can continue watching further.”
For the sake of their own interests, the vast majority of wizards would not aggressively attack elemental creatures.
Even if they use “capture” methods to forcibly take elemental creatures, they would not mistreat them harshly. The term “elemental companion” is not said in vain; the word companion is very sacred to wizards, placing elemental creatures in the position of companions shows how much they value them.
The content later in the shadow box included the wizards’ stance and attitude towards different races and magical beings.
If the attitude of wizards towards elemental creatures were to be used as a comparison, elemental creatures are indeed very fortunate.
Thus, Angel urged Magic Fire Midir to continue watching further.
Upon seeing the later content, Magic Fire Midir indeed became much quieter.
It gradually understood that wizards, based on personal interests, would absolutely not harm elemental creatures unless necessary. However, towards other races and the vast majority of magical beings, wizards would almost act without hesitation.
Comparing this, Magic Fire Midir felt somewhat relieved.
Like with the first shadow box, Magic Fire Midir did not scrutinize it closely but briefly inspected it and then set it aside.
“Even if humans have not exterminated elemental creatures, their greed and covetousness still remain the natural enemies of elemental creatures. In my view, to humans, elemental creatures are merely pets in disguise.”
Angel could feel that Magic Fire Midir still harbored a flame of dissatisfaction towards humans, which, from its perspective, was normal.
Angel did not further elaborate, simply stating, “Regardless of what Your Highness thinks, for wizards, those elemental creatures that aid in their cultivation are called companions.”
If they were to argue about this topic at the moment, Angel knew that no matter how logically and objectively he presented various reasons, Magic Fire Midir would likely remain unswayed. Because the so-called logical and objective arguments still presuppose the human standpoint; viewed from the standpoint of elemental creatures, these so-called logical and objective comments are still very harsh. Therefore, speaking less avoids mistakes and prevents the intensification of emotions due to disputes, which could lead to more adverse thoughts.
Letting the situation cool down and allowing for future reflection is indeed the best approach.
Magic Fire Midir also understood Angel’s intention; after a moment of silence, it decided to temporarily conclude today’s conversation. It planned to take the Two Shadow Boxes to Mentor Magu to hear the sage’s opinion.
At this time, daylight had also arrived.
Angel and Magic Fire Midir arrived at the lava lake together. Magic Fire Midir prepared to dive into the lake to meet Magu, while Angel, accompanied by Kolokcro, who had been waiting by the lake for a long time, planned to return to the cave.
Watching Angel and Kolokcro leave, Magic Fire Midir’s gaze flickered slightly, recalling the message previously sent by Fespanray. Reflecting on —The World of Wizards— and the wizards’ attitude towards elemental creatures, it already understood Angel’s plan.
Magic Fire Midir did not stop them but quietly watched them disappear into the distance before it sank into the long-missed bottom of the lava lake.
…
As daylight faded, Angel returned Kolokcro to the lava lake.
Shortly after Kolokcro sank into the lake, the surface of the lava lake began to bubble with high-temperature bubbles, and an invisible energy tendril slowly rose.
“Mr. Pat, may I disturb you for a moment?” a distant and ancient voice came through.
Angel looked at the tendril that resembled a sprout and nodded, “Yes.”
After a while, in the classroom inside Magu.
Next to Angel was a longing, Toby-obsessed pitiful severed hand——Dangros, sitting across from them were Magu and Magic Fire Midir.
After looking at each other for about half a minute, Magu was the first to break the silence. It took out two boxes from under the desk and gently placed them on the table: “I’ve watched the illusions inside these boxes. Many things that I found puzzling before, I now understand.”
“I also understand Mr. Feng and Kalomaches’s deep intentions,” Magu sighed deeply. “In the face of an irreversible trend, the fact that Mr. Feng could secure so many years of survival for our elemental race, compared to averting the world catastrophe, is indeed a greater achievement.”