Chapter 2452 Dissuaded <TOC> Chapter 2454 Final Push
Translator: SumTLMan
“People still harbor illusions of luck,” Rivetta turned her head to glance behind her, whispering softly.
Dietrich looked over, asking, “Are you lamenting their choices?”
Shrugging her shoulders and with a slight dimple forming, Rivetta replied with a cunning tone, “Of course not. I was contemplating whether —The Pursuit of Light Chairman Kindly Warns, Yet Greed Leads to One’s Demise— would make a good headline for the special issue? The subtitle being——Is there regret before life ends?”
Before Dietrich could respond, Adelaya, standing beside them, snorted coldly, “The angle is boring, exploiting tragedy for sensationalism.”
Rivetta opened her mouth to retort, her objections at the tip of her tongue, yet she ultimately remained silent.
Had anyone else made such a comment, Rivetta would have a plethora of rebuttals, enough to leave them speechless. However, the comment came from Adelaya, leaving her without words.
As one of the top witches of the Southern Region, Adelaya’s words carried significant weight. Moreover, Rivetta understood Adelaya’s character; she was meticulous and detested the murky atmosphere of magazines.
This murky atmosphere referred to the increasingly marginal content of magazine publications, favoring gossip over substance.
As a co-editor of “Forest of Time,” Adelaya had even published an article criticizing this trend.
When Rivetta read that article, she actually agreed with Adelaya’s view, and the issues of —City Firefly’s Night Whisper— she edited afterward were made more substantial.
However, sustaining interest was a challenge.
Significant events were rare, while periods of inactivity were common; knowledge sharing depended on individuals, and some column-writing wizards would suddenly go into seclusion, introducing great variability.
Under such circumstances, for a quarterly like —City Firefly’s Night Whisper— to maintain high circulation, sticking solely to substance was challenging, necessitating some lighter content. Meanwhile, “Forest of Time,” with its decadal publication cycle, had more time to accumulate material, which was significantly easier.
Even when —City Firefly’s Night Whisper— delved into gossip, Rivetta ensured it was dignified, focusing on verified information rather than rumors and speculation.
Rivetta believed she had maintained professionalism with —City Firefly’s Night Whisper—, but she found it hard to argue against Adelaya, managing only a sheepish smile in response.
“Different publications have different paths. Black Baroness, you shouldn’t be too harsh. —City Firefly’s Night Whisper— has done well. I like it a lot and never miss an issue,” the Pursuit of Light Chairman said warmly, defending Rivetta.
However, when the Pursuit of Light Chairman’s emotional intelligence met Adelaya’s critique, it was doomed to make no impact.
“Isn’t your favorite —Dew-Colored Journal— and —Wind of Women—?” Adelaya said with a hint of irony.
The Chairman’s expression remained unfazed, “My favorite is always the new publications. A world without anticipation is very boring.”
Adelaya huffed, “Who’s talking about anticipation with you?”
Despite Adelaya’s internal cursing, calling it a nuisance, she found no further interest in conversing with him as the Pursuit of Light Chairman maintained his smile.
Turning his head towards Rivetta, the Chairman smiled and encouraged, “Write boldly. I, too, am eager to see how —City Firefly’s Night Whisper— will portray this event.”
Grateful, Rivetta nodded in acknowledgment: “Okay.”
As their conversation concluded, Rivetta gave Dietrich a meaningful eyebrow raise, as if to say, even the Pursuit of Light Chairman has given his approval, what do you think?
Dietrich, after a moment of silence, silently communicated: Swap the main and sub-headlines. And remember, it’s not just the Chairman who has been persuading those people; don’t forget me as well.
…
Walls have ears——even walls of air count as walls.
On the other side of the air wall, Angel, having listened to Rivetta and the others’ dialogue, wore a slightly strange expression. He had initially thought Rivetta’s sigh was one of regret for the lives that might be lost. Unexpectedly, their discussion veered off course, even revealing the Chairman’s private peculiarities.
Hmm… Was this their way of alleviating stress in such a grave and tense atmosphere, or was this simply their usual demeanor?
Shaking his head, Angel decided not to dwell on it further.
“The Chairman’s advice doesn’t seem to have any effect on these wizards. What a pity,” Angel remarked softly.
The Enforcer replied, “There’s nothing to lament. Moreover, although his words might not have had a significant impact on-site, they serve as a warning for those wizards who weren’t present and those who will come. From this perspective, his words are not without effect.”
The wizards present had already witnessed the Mysterious Fruit firsthand, whetting their appetite. It was obviously harder for them to extinguish their desire than for those who hadn’t attended.
Ultimately, the main reasons were greed and wishful thinking.
Since greed and wishful thinking overcame reason, paying the price with their lives was a consequence of their own making.
After some time, the flesh consumed by the Mysterious Fruit continued to attract sea beasts from all directions. However, sirens and mermaids were nowhere to be seen, as this area wasn’t a habitat for these creatures to begin with. The sirens and mermaids from before likely stumbled upon this vicinity by chance and unfortunately encountered a disaster.
The absence of other humanoid creatures’ deaths slightly eased everyone’s suspended anxiety.
A minority among them even secretly wondered: Could Councilor Vera’s prophecy go wrong?
Of course, this was a minority thought. Most maintained a state of reasonable relaxation, constant vigilance, and stayed on the periphery of the group.
This group of people was exceptionally astute. They believed that all development was progressive and that if anything were to go wrong, those in the forefront would bear the brunt, affording those on the periphery more room to retreat.
However, being astute does not equate to being wise, nor does it imply correctness. They overlooked a premise: development has always been progressive, yes. But the Mysterious Object never follows the usual path.
When the moment arrived, the scene at the site suddenly underwent an unexpected major turn.
“Thump——”
The sound of a heartbeat, heard countless times before, echoed once again throughout the entire sea area.
At the heart of the mist, at a glance, everything seemed normal, just as before. However, all the wizards within the mist were simultaneously… frozen in place.
An extremely terrifying power of attraction emanated from the Mysterious Fruit.
Although this attraction had previously affected humans, it could be resisted by maintaining a certain distance. But now, this power of attraction suddenly and significantly intensified!
To put it in numerical terms, if the attraction at their previous position was 1, it now became 100, or even 1000!
This was not a progressive increase but an unexpected elevation. It pulled you from below sea level directly to high altitude.
Moreover, the range was not limited to the center of the mist but covered a vast majority of it!
Nearly all wizards were within its range.
Even wizards who were psychologically prepared and somewhat guarded were caught off guard by this sudden power of attraction.
This terrifying power of attraction captured the minds of all, fixating them on the fruit that emitted a deep red glow.
In just a moment, some wizards could no longer resist.
Their gazes turned from clarity to confusion, and from confusion to foolishness, in less than half a second!
When their foolish gazes began to emit a faint crimson light, these wizards started to move.
The clouds remained as light as before, the wind had not grown louder, the moon was still dim, and the sea did not stir.
Everything externally remained the same as the second before. The only difference was that many of the previously stationary wizards began to fly forward unconsciously.
One by one.
In just a few seconds, thirteen wizards had passed the position of Angel.
Angel’s position was a standard distance, carefully chosen by the Enforcer. Once this standard distance was exceeded, the power needed to resist the attraction increased exponentially.
If the Enforcer thought so, could other wizards resist? Impossible.
Those thirteen wizards who surpassed Angel rushed towards the Mysterious Fruit with an almost ‘frenzied’ posture.
Without any surprise, flesh and blood flew about, turning into a rain of blood that filled the sky.
The death of thirteen formal wizards caused the skin of the Mysterious Fruit to turn a deeper red, a color so vivid it seemed almost dripping, indicating its near maturity.
But it was just “near,” not yet fully matured.
This also meant that more would meet their deaths.
Another wizard surpassed Angel; Angel had heard of him, he was the head of a wizard family.
He tried his best to resist the attraction of the fruit, but it was futile. His eyes had already entered a semi-mad state, and in the last bit of clarity, there was unspeakable fear.
His resistance was of no use.
In the last moments of his life, he looked at the other side at the Pursuit of the Light Chairman.
He was using his last effort, hoping for the Chairman’s rescue.
But there was no way. The Pursuit of the Light Chairman, Dietrich, and Adelaya, these three true knowledge wizards, were not truly present; what rescue could their projections offer?
The previous smile of the Pursuit of the Light Chairman had vanished, his expression turned very solemn. He saw the last bit of guilt and regret in the eyes of the wizard.
He understood that in the last moments of his life, the wizard regretted being overcome by greedy desires over rationality, for not believing in the words of the Pursuit of the Light Chairman.
But regret at this time was of no use.
What awaited him was an end with no return.
……
In an instant, another ten or so wizards fell.
Angel witnessed this scene.
Even though the air was already filled with the scent of blood due to the deaths of a large number of sea beasts, making the dead wizards just a fraction of it, Angel still felt——the scent of blood in the air seemed even denser.
Angel knew it was a psychological effect.
Since it was a psychological effect, it also meant that Angel’s psyche was indeed changing.
Before, he could maintain a detached attitude towards the death of the sea beasts, but the fall of one wizard after another, being humans themselves, made him feel a sense of sorrow, inevitably feeling a pang in his heart.
Yet even so, Angel was unable to help them.
In today’s world, the dangerous attraction has reached an extreme point, where even Angel, despite having a domain that could at most reduce the impact by ten to twenty percent, still couldn’t resist it. His ability to stand here unharmed was entirely due to the grace of the Enforcer.
In such a dire situation, it was even more impossible to take care of others.
Angel’s current situation was more like that of the Pursuit of the Light Chairman, where he could only silently watch them leave, sending them off with his gaze for their last journey.
Angel had seen many deaths, especially during his time in La Sutherland, where he witnessed a large number of wizards fall.
Even though the number of deaths did not surpass the battle in La Sutherland, Angel still felt that the scene before him was probably the most despairing he had ever witnessed.
These wizards were usually capable of causing upheavals in various worlds, but at this moment, they were queuing up for death one after another.
Despite harboring a hope for life, they were powerless to struggle.
They died because of their greed, filled with guilt, regret, helplessness, and Despair before Death.
Their immense powers were utterly useless, their only contribution was becoming sacrifices to the Mysterious Fruit.
Their deaths were utterly worthless.
And their deaths brought despair to everyone who witnessed this scene.
…
Angel could no longer remember how many had died. In the beginning, he could still see them off, but as more and more people surged forward, they were like moths to a flame. Sometimes, just a fleeting glimpse signified the extinguishment of several lives.
In the end, Angel couldn’t bear to look forward anymore.
After a soft sigh, he turned his head to look behind him.
At this moment, the number of people behind him had significantly decreased. At least forty to fifty percent of them had already turned into a feast for the fruit.
The remaining half belonged to the cautious type, always maintaining the highest defense, thus barely resisting the initial attraction.
Even so, their situation was similar to Canter’s initial experience.
Most of their strength was consumed in resisting the Mysterious Fruit’s attraction, leaving them unable to move or think clearly.
This situation wouldn’t last long, as with the passage of time and the death of more humans, the fruit’s attraction would only grow stronger. Just as it initially attracted sea beasts from the Mist Zone, later even Bridgett from Sidro Island, outside the Mist Belt, was encompassed by the fruit’s allure.
As the attraction of the fruit continuously increased, they would follow in the footsteps of others.
The only chance to survive was to outlast the others.
To hold out until the Mysterious Fruit matured, there might be a fleeting chance to escape during the process from semi-disorder to disorderly. But could they last that long?
Angel silently observed the surviving wizards, looking for any familiar faces.
Soon, he locked onto one.
Magnusson!
This alchemist from the Research Institute was still holding on. His eyes were somewhat red but not yet deeply so. The clarity in his gaze was stronger than in others.
Most importantly, Magnusson was the wizard closest to Angel!
The attraction he was enduring was supposed to be more terrifying than the others.