Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Han Jin and his companions lived in the northeastern region of the continent, while Jeddes lived in the southwest, which happened to be diagonal from Han Jin’s region. Just like how Jeddes had not heard of the Black Raven City, Gibran and the others did not have much of an impression of the city either. However, they did hear about the Curia and the legendary story of the founding of the religion, but no one knew anything about Jeddes.
Jeddes did not conceal his identity. Upon hearing that he was the First Bishop of the largest diocese of the Curia and the Supreme Arbiter of the tribunal, Gibran and the others were utterly surprised. The leader of the Curia was the Pope, but as the spokesperson of the God of Light, the Pope hardly intervened with the common affairs of the Curia. God, of course, needed to maintain a detached attitude. In general, the affairs of the Curia were handled by the cardinalate and the tribunal.
Many organisations shared similar approaches in their management. A stick and a carrot – these two attitudes were both indispensable. The stick needed to be sufficiently hard, while the carrot needed to be sufficiently sweet, otherwise, the management would be out of balance. Needless to say, the tribunal was the hard stick of the Curia. Jeddes not only held the highest power of the tribunal, but also managed the largest diocese, and even had a say in the affairs of the Curia. The authority he had made him undoubtedly the second most important figure in the Curia. Even Yalina’s father, the Grand Duke of Solomon, was nothing compared to him in terms of power.
Jeddes’ attitudes gave Han Jin an inexplicable, unclear feeling. Jeddes did not boast about his position, nor did he feel inferior because he was now powerless. No matter who he talked to, even after Han Jin rejected his request, he remained calm and unhurried. Even if Han Jin said he was friends with Jeddes, he would still keep his distance. If he were to state that Jeddes was an enemy, Jeddes would still make himself approachable, making people want to befriend him unintentionally.
Even though Han Jin had met many people, he really could not see through Jeddes. Seeing that Jeddes and the others were chatting happily after Han Jin turned down his request, Han Jin remained vigilant. If Jeddes were to bring up his request again, asking Gibran and the others to send the letter to the Curia, Han Jin would then classify Jeddes as someone they needed to beware of. He was not stupid.
Jeddes made this request because he wanted to save the country. If he could not persuade Han Jin, he could still achieve his goal, as long as he managed to persuade the others. If Jeddes succeeded in doing so, Han Jin was willing to take over the task for the safety of his companions.
But unexpectedly, Jeddes seemed to have forgotten about the crisis that the Curia would be facing, as he never mentioned his request again. He only chatted with Gibran and the others about a few unimportant anecdotes, answering their curious questions. In addition, Jeddes never avoided admitting his defeat, making Gibran and the others impressed by his demeanor. Thus, they became especially curious about King Nicolas. They wanted to know the kind of person that could vanquish Jeddes, a person with such unparalleled power in the Curia.
Meanwhile, Han Jin was getting more and more uncomfortable. Although he knew in his heart that onlookers should not be more anxious than the players, he still could not control himself. In his head, a voice continuously told him that if he could help, he should. With his flying speed, and with his Earthmeld technique as protection, nobody could pose a threat, let alone just to send a letter. However, another voice in his head was telling him not to meddle with other people’s business, and that he needed to improve his own power, while any other things needed to be neglected.
At that moment, Han Jin’s companions were all sitting next to Jeddes, listening to him telling a story of a war, the first battle after Nicolas succeeded the lordship.
At that time, Nicolas was just an eighteen-year-old and had been crowned a lord three years in the past. Although his people lived a much better life under his reign, he did not make any outstanding moves during his current reign. Therefore, some of his people believed that all the perks were passed down from the rules of the previous Lords.
Lord Len of Doreen City, a neighbor of Iron Fist City, asked to ally with Nicolas through marriage. Nicolas was very pleased with the invite, as his power was quite weak. With the protection of several guards, he personally brought his seventeen-year-old sister Marianne to Doreen City, and Len gave Nicolas a warm welcome. The gathering should’ve been a gift for both sides, however, an unfortunate accident occurred.
Len got so drunk at the banquet that he forcibly broke into Marianne’s room and raped her. This event was actually not a big deal. Although the two were twenty years apart in age, they were still about to get married, and these sorts of things were normal between couples. However, after he was finished, Len was still so confused from drinking that he insanely asked his guards to take turns raping Marianne, while he sat and admired the scene, clapping and laughing out loud.
Marianne promised to marry Len because she was willing to make sacrifices for her brother, but these sacrifices were not worth her dignity. When Len walked out of the room in satisfaction, Marianne asked her maid to notify Nicolas, and then committed suicide.
Nicolas was furious. He immediately launched an attack, without caring that he was still in the enemy’s capital with only a few guards by his side, and managed to kill the drunk Len on the spot. Rumors had it that the battle was extremely catastrophic. Nicolas alone fought against the entire province, his guards and his sister’s maids were all killed. In the end, he was the only person left standing, carrying the body of his sister, he fought his way back to his territory, leaving a river of blood trailing behind.
At the time, Nicolas was far less powerful than in the current age. Although he returned alive, he had severe wounds all over his body, and was on the verge of death. Fortunately, several cardinals happened to be recruiting believers at Iron Fist City, and Jeddes was one of the cardinals. At the request of Jeddes, several cardinals joined forces to release magic, saving Nicolas’s life.
After he healed, Nicolas held a majestic state funeral for his sister Marianne, and personally led his army to take revenge. Since Lord Len had been killed, Doreen City had no one to lead. Thus, they could not stop Nicolas’s crazy attacks whatsoever. It took seven days for Nicolas to conquer the entire city of Doreen.
During the battle, Nicolas’s reputation leaped. In the eyes of all people who lived in Iron Fist City, he had become a valorous hero, and his influence in the army was on the crest of a wave. Originally, Iron Fist City’s military force was not very strong, and the morale of the army was not high, thus it was always bullied by Doreen City. If not for the protection of the Curia, the city might have been totally wiped out long ago. But Nicolas’s victory was a very powerful stimulant, making all soldiers more gallant than ever. Even their Lord dared to penetrate into the enemy capital single-handedly and killed the enemy Lord.
What was there to be afraid of? During the seven days of battle, the soldiers’ rhythm of fighting could easily keep up with Nicolas’s footsteps. Wherever Nicolas rushed, the soldiers followed, sieging district after district in Doreen City, and wiping out any enemy who dared to step into their path. Before the battle, the Lords of the surrounding cities would curl their lips whenever the army of Iron Fist City was mentioned. However, during the seven days, the terrifying Iron army had already emerged. It was an army united entirely by Nicolas’s blood, courage and will; as long as Nicolas was still alive, the soldiers would be invincible! As for the lords who once looked down upon Nicolas, they had all one by one become a part of history. Their only meaning for existence was to prove how strong Nicolas was.
After the victory, Nicolas’s prestige soared, and he immediately replaced his two chief officials. Ever since he inherited the lordship at the age of fifteen, his own officials bullied him due to his young age, and they more or less looked down on him. Nicolas kept it all in his heart, and it only took him a few days to firmly control both his political power and military power. This further enhanced his image in the minds of his people who looked to him as their idol, laying a solid foundation for the future conquests.
Yalina exclaimed in anger, “How could he sacrifice his own sister for the sake of his own ambition?! Doesn’t he have any feelings?!” Because of Jeddes, she had a preconceived bad impression of Nicolas and believed his sister’s death was a set up by him. If she had not met Jeddes, she may have instead sided with Nicolas after hearing the story.
“He’s so deep and scheming that it’s just too terrifying.” Gibran frowned. “Using the turn of events to take control of political and military power. That’s what he actually wants, ain’t it?”
“You’re wrong.” Jeddes smiled.
“What? How are we wrong?” Yalina was stunned.
“In order to evaluate a person fairly and accurately, the most important rule that we must follow is to not doubt the motives of others in the name of morality.” Jeddes continued whole heartedly, “There is no way to prove his motive, and we are talking about the war, not Nicolas. The suspicion and revelation of his motive is derailing from the topic, not to mention self-interest is the commonality of all intelligent life. Under certain circumstances, it is not a sin to maximize profits.”
“Hey! We… we’re sticking up for you!” Yalina was a little angry.
“Thank you.” Jeddes smiled. “But… let’s not waste time on things that cannot be proven, instead we should think about what has been proven. His bravery, his fearlessness, his wisdom, and his determination, have you all seen this clearly?”
“Since Nicolas is so powerful, how could the Curia fight him?” Han Jin could not help but ask. Since yesterday, his mind had been undergoing a fierce battle.
“Because of the differences in our principles,” Jeddes said softly, “We are servants of God, and Nicolas wanted us to serve him as we serve the God of Light, so sooner or later, both the Curia and Nicolas were forced to confront each other. In fact, the Pope and Nicolas both already knew this, but… the Pope wanted to drag it on. After all, human life is short, and thus dragging it led to our victory. Nicolas’s heir could only inherit the foundation Nicolas had laid, but there was no way to inherit Nicolas’s will and power. However, Nicolas did not want to waste any more time with us.” After finishing, Jeddes stood up, walked towards Han Jin, and smiled, “My friend, you don’t look very well, what has caused your dilemma? ”
“You already know it.” Han Jin replied slowly. He still could not figure out why he wanted to help Jeddes so much. Was it due to Jeddes’ inexplicable charisma?
“How can I know without you telling me?” Jeddes smiled.
“Hehe…” Han Jin also laughed. Jeddes’s words reminded him of a famous dialogue, ‘Don’t you say you never lie? You know it, but you pretend not to know, is this not considered a lie?’
“I don’t know if what I’m guessing is actually what you are thinking.” Jeddes shrugged.
“Why don’t you tell them that you need a messenger? You should already be able to tell… they wouldn’t refuse you.”
“You’re the most powerful among your partners, aren’t you? If you even dare not to accept my request, their sacrifices will be in vain.”
“At the very least, you can force me to accept your request.”
“Don’t you think this is unfair?” Jeddes whispered.
“If you don’t do anything, won’t it be unfair to your friends and family?”
Jeddes went silent for a short moment, “Now, I have no ability to change my destiny.”
“You mean… even a person like me who has the ability to change your destiny doesn’t want to help you. Am I right?” Han Jin smiled bitterly.
Once again, Jeddes sank back into his own silence. Han Jin remained still as well, however, his eyes narrowed very slowly, and he lowered his brows very slowly, as if he was under an immense unseen pressure. At that moment, the air between him and Jeddes seemed to be frozen. By their side, Gibran and the others had no idea what was going on or what they were talking about, as they stared blankly towards the two.
Suddenly, Han Jin raised his eyebrows shrewdly, like raising a sharp sword out of its sheath. The feeling of sluggishness in the air was swept away, and his eyes also opened. Han Jin then stood up slowly, and abruptly shouted, “The scenery of Iron Fist City must be beautiful, is it not?”
“You…” For the first time in a while, Jeddes could not maintain his composure, revealing great shock on his face.
“My friend once told me a story.” Han Jin changed to another topic, “A philosopher had been living secluded in a mysterious place. One day, another philosopher went to him and asked him, ‘If pulling out a hair from your leg made countless people’s lives better, are you willing to do so?’”
“This is a trap.” Jeddes smiled. “If he agrees, he will be asked new questions immediately. Cutting off his hand to let even more people live a better life. Or even cutting off his head to let all the people on the entire continent live a better life. ”
“He refused immediately, and many people sneered at him, saying that he was a stingy person who was unwilling to sacrifice even a single strand of hair.” Han Jin said calmly, “However, is this all that the story tells?”
Jeddes froze, then frowned, thinking hard. After what seemed like ages, he tentatively asked, “Does your friend mean that only if everyone has the right to refuse to sacrifice for the sake of others, only then can people become truly equal?”
“I don’t know.” Han Jin smiled, “You are a person who can uphold justice, and your justice will not change whether the person is close to you or not. Maybe… it’s because you are a true believer, I really like you.”
Gibran and the others did not know whether they should laugh or cry at Han Jin’s words. Han Jin’s remark was the only part of the conversation they could understand. Jeddes’ smile gradually grew bigger, “Because of this, are you willing to help me?”
“Since you hadn’t lied to me, I won’t lie to you too.” Han Jin murmured, “It’s not all because of this.” Since meeting Jeddes, Han Jin had been stuck feeling over-cautious and constrained. However, heo was now feeling a bit more comfortable.
On Han Jin’s path of cultivation, energy was not a real problem, but the state of his mind was a huge deal. Of course, he could hide in a place where no one could find him and focus on absorbing energy with a peace of mind, and sooner or later he could build an indestructible immortal body. However, an immortal body was never the end of cultivation! At that point, if he finally left his hidden place, there would be no one who could survive three of his attacks. How would he learn to temper his state of mind? He could still possibly find a strong opponent, but if he stayed secluded his whole life, would he have the courage to attack?
Han Jin made the decision and immediately knew it was the right choice. He let go of his fear and panic, and his heart became light and free. Since he wanted to help Jeddes, and the kind of hostility that came from heaven and Earth vaguely posed a threat to his cultivation, he absolutely needed to help!
