Stop Fighting, You Two

Hearing Wayne recite the Free Mages Alliance's secret recognition code, Planck was immensely astonished and asked where he had learned it. Faced with such an affable elder, Wayne did not hide anything. He laid out the cause and effect with complete sincerity. "Before I met my teacher, I ran into a gentleman from the Free Mages Alliance. He told me my talent was astonishing, that it would be a crying shame if I didn't study magic, and then expounded on the advanced theories of the Free Mages Alliance..." "'Respect, but never loyalty; faith, but never absolute...' "We talked a great deal, and he even gifted me a scripture to read whenever I was free. "He was a good man. When we parted, I asked for his name. He only smiled, said nothing, and walked away, saying he was off to pursue the Gate of Truth." Wayne reminisced about the past, sighing with emotion for a good while before asking curiously, "Director Planck, what is the Gate of Truth?" "That's rather complicated. You'll understand in the future." Planck glossed over it, declining to lecture Wayne on the Gate of Truth. Even for a born freak of nature, coming into contact with that now was far too early. He was delighted that Wayne had been indoctrinated with the creed of the Free Mages Alliance so early on. Shifting the topic, he asked, "If that's the case, why do you have a disciple of Nature as your mentor?" "A debt of gratitude." Wayne adopted a solemn expression. "A man must repay kindness; nothing should ever be taken for granted. My teacher helped me in my most difficult hour, providing me with food and drink, imparting knowledge, and settling many of my troubles. I keep that benevolence engraved upon my heart, and I am honored to be her student." Planck nodded repeatedly. In a society overflowing with material desires, young men who understood gratitude like Wayne were few and far between. The bad news: the young man repaid kindness, making him hard to poach. The good news: the young man repaid kindness, and having saved him tonight, a bit of moral guilt-tripping could easily poach him right over. Planck offered an honest-looking smile and patted Wayne on the shoulder. "How about it? Care to join our Free Mages Alliance?" "I thank the Director for his kind intentions, but my teacher believes in the Goddess of Nature, and I..." "You can continue to believe in the Goddess of Nature. The Free Mages Alliance doesn't care about such things." Planck raised an eyebrow. Seeing that Wayne's heart had long been tempted and that he was only holding the line out of gratitude, he coaxed, "Take a guess—just how many registered believers does our Free Mages Alliance have?" "..." "So you see, it makes no difference. Whom you wish to believe in is your own business, and the Free Mages Alliance won't interfere. On the contrary, we strongly encourage faith." Planck lowered his voice. "The Church of Nature has suffered heavy losses recently; we even recommended plenty of people convert to the Goddess of Nature!" Seeing that Wayne remained silent, Planck did not force him to make a promise on the spot. It was clear that rather than expecting Wayne to break his moral bottom line, it would be far better to make that teacher of his yield. Planck was an old hand at this. He had an entire, well-oiled routine: send a few letters in his capacity as Director of Red Leaf Forest Asylum, first terrifying the target by declaring their illness severe, and then claiming that if he stepped in, there was still hope. After a few rounds of torment, whatever he demanded, the other party would hand over. Planck finally understood why the Lord of the Void had been desperate to claim Wayne at any cost. To speak of it without the slightest shame, he was just like the Lord of the Void—he coveted Wayne's body too. At the same time, Planck was certain Wayne's teacher was just like him and the Lord of the Void. Everyone coveted Wayne's body. *Pah, shameless! A disciple of the Goddess of Nature acting in the exact same manner as the Lord of the Void!* Planck excelled at double standards. When others coveted Wayne's body, it was harboring ill intent, vile and cheap; when he coveted Wayne's body, it was openhearted, noble, and pure. "Wayne, what is your teacher's name?" "As a student, it isn't proper for me to speak my teacher's name directly. I can only mention her position within the Church of Nature. A quick check will tell you who she is, Director." "Oh? She holds an official post?" Planck smiled faintly. An official post was even better; his routine worked best against civil servants. *Heheh. Madam, you wouldn't want to lose your job over mental health issues, would you?* "High Priest of the Church of Nature's Windsor Branch, Londan Headquarters." "Ah, well..." *** Church of Nature, Londan Headquarters. Xifei sat before an expansive desk, giving a broad flourish of her pen to sign her name upon the documents. Letters of appointment for four priests at the Londan Headquarters. Not long ago, she had attended the gathering at the Great Cemetery and learned that Priests Lawrence and Dana were secretly colluding with the Church of Death, intending to overthrow the church's local authority with the aid of the Death Knight. The two priests' methods had been far too crude—so crude that Xifei felt embarrassed just watching them. She had detained the culprits on the spot and dispatched the report back to church headquarters, tactfully describing the prisoners' treacherous ambitions. Headquarters processed the formalities, the two suspects were escorted back to headquarters for trial, and Xifei received four blank letters of appointment to designate new priests. Former Holy Maiden Flora took one slot. Flora's arrival had stabilized the overall situation for Xifei. Regardless of Flora's personal feelings, in the eyes of outsiders, the two of them were thick as thieves. At the same time, Flora's status as a former Holy Maiden carried immense weight, representing headquarters' backing of Xifei. In exchange, Xifei handed a blank appointment letter to Flora, allowing her to pick a trusted confidant for the priesthood. Xifei retained the remaining two slots. With this, the Church of Nature's Windsor Branch completed its reshuffle. All four original priests had stepped down, replaced by people belonging to Xifei and Flora. In terms of strength, Xifei had merely picked the best of a poor bunch. The two new priests she chose were capable administrators, but their personal might fell drastically short of Flora's. With only a bit of maneuvering, Flora could easily make those two desk-bound priests follow in the footsteps of the former Priest Simone, forced to tender their resignations after an embarrassing showing on the front lines. And Flora genuinely possessed the means. Arriving in Londan a day early, she had already pinpointed the Death Knight's coordinates; she needed only activate her magic to ferret out his hiding place, allowing her to oust the two priests at any time. The reason she had not acted yet was to wait for the right moment—an opportunity to drive Xifei away in a single stroke. Furthermore, as a Frank native, she was not particularly well-liked in Londan. The "century of friendship" between their lands was no mere turn of phrase, and even her status as Holy Maiden could not shield her from it. To overcome this disadvantage, Flora needed to establish a persona—one so formidable that people would unconsciously overlook a century of national friendship. The pure idol route was out of the question; mere idols could not carry the box office, and as a former Holy Maiden, she was already an A-list idol within the Church of Nature. If an idol wished to gain total market recognition, she had to shed her idol baggage, transition into a powerhouse, and use genuine strength to slap the haters into silence. Returning to the matter at hand, Xifei and Flora were currently working in close cooperation, jointly monopolizing upper-tier authority at the Londan Headquarters—a veritable honeymoon phase. At the grassroots level, however, both were somewhat at their wits' end. With massive vacancies across numerous posts, no matter how reluctant they were, they still had to rely on Sidney's faction. Having given Wayne her word at noon, Xifei returned to her office and immediately ordered an investigation into Joey Dobbin. Due to tedious administrative procedures, no definitive news had arrived yet, only that Joey had fled in fear of punishment, leaving his residence entirely vacant. Xifei was gearing up to strike at Sidney! *Ring, ring, ring—* The telephone rang, causing Xifei's heart to lurch. The situation had only just improved; by no means could it take a turn for the worse. Xifei offered a brief prayer before picking up the receiver. "Hello, High Priest. This is Planck, Director of Red Leaf Forest Asylum." "Director Planck?" Xifei froze slightly before exchanging pleasantries, mentioning she had long wanted to visit this senior figure of the magical world at the asylum, but had simply been too busy to find the time. "High Priest, I bring you good news today." "Please, go ahead." "Sidney has gone mad. He has been in continuous contact with the Lord of the Void..." "Hehehehe..." "High Priest, I know you are pleased, but if you keep laughing like that, it's rather difficult to continue our conversation." "No, no, Director Planck jokes. I am not happy in the slightest. Sidney was a devout believer whose contributions to the Londan Headquarters were second to none. Hearing such tragic news about him, I am grieving too deeply for words!" Xifei thumped her chest, trying to calm herself down, but the corners of her damned mouth kept curving upward. Good news! Stupendous news! Sidney was patient, calculating, and possessed both strength and influence—the greatest stumbling block to the High Priest consolidating power. Xifei had been fretting over how to uproot his faction, even contemplating putting on a pleasant face for her scoundrel husband. Who would have guessed that before she even lifted a finger, the man had gone mad? A marvelous madness! Truly marvelous! Xifei was overjoyed, hardly knowing how to thank Planck. "Director Planck, how long will Sidney require treatment?" Xifei held her breath. *Goddess above, let it be ten years. Five years works too. I'm not picky.* "At least thirty years!" "Splendid! Cough—I mean, what a tragedy. After all, Sidney was so... hehehe." On the other end of the line, Planck said nothing, waiting for Xifei to finish laughing. Xifei laughed for quite a while, tears welling in her eyes. Realizing she had lost her composure and that her image was beyond repair, she attempted damage control, speaking in a grave tone: "Director Planck, thank you for your timely notice, sparing the Church of Nature severe losses. Truly, I don't even know how to thank you." *She even has to thank me!* Planck smiled modestly, adopting a casual air. "No need for thanks. But if the High Priest insists, it is quite simple. I have taken an interest in a believer of the Church of Nature. He is still only a mage apprentice, looking rather dull and foolish, not terribly bright. I intend to take him on as my student, and I hope the High Priest will graciously release him." "Becoming your student would be his honor. Why would you need my blessing? You can simply... Wait a moment. What is this apprentice's name?" "Wayne." "..." "High Priest?!" "You old bastard, do you have any idea what you're saying?! He is my student! Speaking as High Priest of the Church of Nature, I tell you: impossible! Out of the question!" Xifei cursed roundly. She should have known—with her streak of terrible luck lately, how could there possibly be genuine good news? Lo and behold, a legendary mage had come knocking to poach her student! *** The scene shifted to No. 13 Manor Long Street, West District. On the living room sofa, Wayne sat upright and proper, teasing a white pigeon with corn kernels and wheat grains. In the study next door, Xifei and Planck were engaged in a fierce exchange of opinions, timeless curses starting with the letter 'f' drifting out from time to time. Wayne glanced sideways and muttered under his breath, "Stop fighting, you two. If you want to fight, go fight in the dance studio." Inside the study. Xifei wore a stony expression. "Director Planck, I know you are a legendary mage. If Wayne becomes your student, his future will certainly be limitless." "Since that is so, why is the High Priest unwilling to let go?" "Because his future was already limitless to begin with!" "I concede that point. But you must also concede, High Priest, that whatever you can teach Wayne, I can teach as well. What I can teach Wayne, you may not necessarily be able to manage." Unlike the fiercely imposing Xifei, Planck appeared noticeably composed. *Laughable. The old fossil really has some nerve. Do you even have a daughter?* "And what can you teach him, Director? The creed of the Free Mages Alliance?" Xifei sneered with disdain. "Don't give me that theory of yours. All I know is that the vast majority of legendary mages are disciples of steadfast faith. You lot don't even have conviction—how far can you walk on the path of magic?" "Our conviction is the conviction of freedom of faith!" "Heh." Their beliefs were polar opposites; they could find no common ground whatsoever. Even when Planck brought up the Life Alliance as an example, Xifei refuted him. The internal learning within the Life Alliance was intended for mutual advancement, allowing disciples to undertake further studies in life magic atop their original foundations. Life magic was intimately linked to Nature, the Sun, and Moonlight, guided by the three Goddesses—fundamentally distinct from the faithless theories of the Free Mages Alliance. The two could not be mentioned in the same breath. Planck knew Xifei was utterly unyielding. He would have been the same in her shoes; faced with such an exceptional student, no one would ever let go. Shifting tactics, he said, "Sidney's condition isn't actually that dire. If I wish, he could be discharged tomorrow. Furthermore, his ties to the Lord of the Void are known only to our Free Mages Alliance, and for now, only I can testify to it." "What, is Director Planck trying to blackmail me?" "Hardly. Merely an exchange of interests between adults. Mm, nothing more." Planck shrugged. How could matters between adults be called blackmail? He preferred to call it compromise. "Sidney isn't fit to be compared to Wayne. Go ahead and release him, Director." Xifei refused to budge. "Then there's no helping it. High Priest, do you have any idea how sought-after Wayne is?" Stroking his white beard, Planck chuckled. "If I spread word of this, not only the Holy See of the Heavenly Father, but even the Church of Nature's allies—the Sun and Moonlight Churches—would sneak in to poach him. Wayne is still young; he won't be able to handle it, nor withstand so many temptations." Xifei's eyelids twitched violently. This was precisely what worried her most. Besides, the only reason she had acquired Wayne in the first place was by poaching him from the Church of Moonlight. "Yet as long as I keep quiet, Wayne's talent remains known only to the two of us. High Priest, why not collaborate just this once?" Planck promised. As Director of Red Leaf Forest Asylum, he had the authority to manipulate many matters; Xifei would do well to show him some respect. Xifei naturally remained unwilling. With a frosty face, she replied, "With Wayne's talent, a brief period of cultivation will be more than enough to make him the Holy Son of the Church of Nature. Truth be told, I am already planning for it. If you truly wish the best for him, let go and leave right now." *There's an opportunity like this?!* Planck's eyes lit up, making him all the more reluctant to let go. To be sure, because the Free Mages Alliance believed in everything, they had acquired a vast repertoire of divine magic. But at the end of the day, the major churches were no fools; they held back when it came to profound divine magic. They might conceal it, pretending it didn't exist, or leave backdoor formulas during exchanges. Planck knew this full well but was powerless to change it. Yet if Wayne could become the Holy Son of the Church of Nature, his status would grant him access to the most supreme divine magic. Thinking even bolder—under his own orchestration, if Wayne became the Holy Son of several churches at once, the God-favored Continent would welcome an unprecedented free mage. *Gulp!* Envisioning the future, Planck could not help swallowing a mouthful of saliva. "High Priest, you are right. For Wayne's own good, for his future, I truly ought to let go. Take him away. I swear to God, I shall never harass him again." Xifei: (ﾟДﾟ≡ﾟДﾟ) *Make it clear—which god?!*