Chapter 625: Left Hand Crown, Right Hand Mystic Energy

"This is the best place you could find?"

Asda slowly turned around and paced, examining the entire study.

"Of course. Welcome to Star Lake Castle."

Thales walked to the window and looked out at Star Lake under the moonlight. He spread his arms with grand, heroic breadth, presenting himself like an overlord.

"A fortress belonging solely to me. Hidden, quiet, remote, safe--"

Before Thales could finish, a strange noise came from the ceiling. Rustling, creaking, clinking, and thudding sounds traveled from one end to the other.

Asda glanced at the ceiling, expressionless.

This made the Duke of Star Lake's face somewhat hard to maintain.

"--perfectly meeting the requirements in your last letter. An excellent meeting place for us," Thales recovered his calm and composure, raising his voice over the strange noise from the ceiling. "Not only far from Renaissance Palace, but also with natural scenery included..."

Before his words fell, a crash sounded overhead.

Sand.

A sheet of dust spilled from the cracks in the ceiling, covering the confident Thales from head to face.

Asda remained at ease, standing with his hands behind his back, untouched by even a speck of dust. Before the dust and grit could fall on him, they were blocked by a transparent barrier.

"All right. A small flaw in an otherwise beautiful picture." Thales' composure vanished. Covered in dust, he coughed while awkwardly patting it away. "But do not worry. We have already sent people to nearby villages and towns to buy cats and rat poison. Plan B is to invite professional rat catchers from Eternal Star City, preferably without dismantling the roof..."

The Air Mystic ignored him and turned to examine the surroundings.

The furniture and decorations in the study were old and faded. In the corners, there were still moths and spiderwebs not yet fully removed. An outward-opening wooden window groaned softly in the wind, looking as if it might collapse at any moment.

Thales patted his hair back to its original color, walked to the desk, and sat down openly, leaning back.

"Everything is proceeding in an orderly fashion, fully under control--"

Crack!

Before he could finish, the chair beneath him made a crisp sound.

Thales dropped down several inches and tilted to one side. The youth had no choice but to awkwardly and skillfully grab the desk to avoid sliding off.

"Damn it. The carpenter from the estate only came to fix this the day before yesterday..."

The duke cursed in frustration.

Asda narrowed his eyes at him and said nothing.

"All right, all right. I know."

Thales gave up defending himself and sighed heavily.

"Star Lake Castle has only just started. Conditions are limited. But do not worry..."

He reached out, grabbed the sky-blue invitation from the table, folded it back and forth with practiced motions, then bent down and stuffed it beneath the collapsed corner of the chair leg to stabilize it. With sarcasm, he said:

"Our upward momentum is good, and our room for development is enormous."

Thales shifted his backside, confirming the chair was stable, then straightened himself. Only then did he discover, stunned, that the Air Mystic was already "sitting" in midair before the desk, his gaze quiet and calm.

"I will not invite you to sit. Anyway..."

The Duke of Star Lake pursed his lips sourly, helpless and envious.

"You brought your own chair."

But Asda did not respond to his joke.

The Mystic lightly pointed, and the mountain wind that had been making the window rattle immediately stopped.

Asda's tone was gentle, his voice pleasant.

"You are different."

"What?"

Asda's tone was cold and clear, and the mysterious blue light in his eyes seemed to contain a certain power.

"I said, you are different."

Thales chuckled.

"Yes. I grew up."

Thales bent the corners of his mouth, leaned back, and crossed his arms.

"Incidentally, after I returned to the country, you are probably the twentieth person to say that to me. A pity. Only the first nineteen get prizes."

Asda did not move. Only his eyes shot straight into the depths of Thales' gaze.

"No."

The Air Mystic's voice was mechanical and hollow.

"Child, you are far from as relieved, open, relaxed, and effortless as you appear."

"On the contrary. At this moment, you are restless, chaotic, uneasy."

"Troubled by a fog even I cannot see clearly."

Thales' smile faded without his realizing it.

Restless, chaotic, uneasy.

The pocket holding the Covenant ring suddenly became heavy.

"The place where you have changed is deep."

The Mystic still stared at Thales. Strange blue light overflowed from his pupils and filled his entire eyes.

"Deeper."

"Deepest."

At that moment, Thales unconsciously tensed, and for an instant he had the illusion that his soul was being peered into.

The Sin of Hell's River surged uneasily.

"Gods."

"What?" Thales froze.

"When you hear this word," the Mystic said coldly, "what do you think of?"

Thales reacted. This was the "training" they had done in Dragon Clouds City.

"But..."

"Answer me. Now!"

Asda's attitude, unlike usual, was stern, almost commanding.

"Gods?"

Damn it.

They had not seen each other in so long. Could they not at least exchange a few greetings? Was this already a classroom test?

Seeing the other party insist, Thales could only sigh and answer.

"Vague, illusory." The youth lazily muttered about gods, turning his brain on and saying whatever came to mind. "Blurred, distant..."

But as the words left his mouth, Thales felt something strange.

"Seeming to exist and not exist. As if coming and not yet coming. Real yet perhaps not. Speakable yet difficult to speak. Descending and already descended..."

Thales frowned. Strange. These descriptions, before, I...

But Asda did not allow him to think further.

"World."

The Air Mystic spoke faster than ever, his enunciation heavier than ever, as if urging Thales.

"World. What do you first think of? Quickly!"

Thales' expression grew solemn.

"Everything, all, contain, include, fill." One word after another jumped out from the depths of Thales' heart, making him increasingly confused. "Extend, reproduce, continue, all kinds, everywhere..."

Damn it. Why could he not say a complete sentence in such a short time?

Why were only these broken, intermittent words appearing in his mind?

Thales wanted to continue, but Asda lightly raised a finger.

"Stop."

"Mr. Sakern," Thales asked in surprise. "What happened? I feel..."

The Mystic lifted his head, blue light in his eyes like lightning.

"You truly are different."

Thales' heart sank.

Asda looked at him seriously.

"Several months ago, a Mystic attempted to knock."

The Air Mystic spoke in a low voice.

"But unlike that time in Dragon Clouds City."

"This time... it was very cautious."

Several months ago. Knock.

Thales' heart tightened.

"Cautious?"

The Mystic nodded.

"Like someone standing before the door, fingertips touching it, withdrawing the gesture before making the first knock."

"More like a probe."

The scene in the Prison of Bones appeared before his eyes. Thales swallowed.

Asda looked out the window, his gaze distant.

"It even made me think, for a time, that it had been an illusion."

But he immediately turned back and looked at Thales, who was still anxious.

"At first, I did not think it was you, because only a complete Mystic could possess such control. But now, after seeing you again..."

Asda repeated the conclusion seriously.

"You are different, are you not?"

With the feeling of being caught after doing something wrong, Thales could only sigh deeply.

"Yes."

Asda's face was expressionless.

"I warned you. Revealing mystic energy before others is extremely dangerous."

Thales nodded helplessly.

"I ran into trouble and had no other choice, so I tried. But then I discovered that I kept raising the threshold and could not stop..."

"Reckless."

Thales was somewhat displeased, but he insisted on continuing.

"Originally, I once came close to knocking, but thanks to..."

His words stalled. He remembered the Mystic at the critical threshold.

[I am the earliest predecessor among you.]

[The worst example.]

[The worst future.]

Asda's words seemed to come from far away.

"Thanks to what?"

Thales returned to the present, but what surfaced in his mind was the warning from another Mystic.

[Be careful of Asda.]

Thales swallowed and forced out a smile.

"Thanks to you, Mr. Sakern."

Blue light flashed in Asda's eyes.

"Those questions of yours, about gods and the world, suddenly appeared," Thales said cautiously. "Each time a question was asked, I became a little clearer, and finally... came back."

The Mystic was silent for a while.

"That is all? Nothing else?"

"Perhaps there was," Thales said, recalling the technique for facing the Black Prophet and trying not to lie. "But it was like a dream. Everything was hazy and indistinct. After waking, I could not remember."

Asda was silent for a long time.

"Object, Perception, Chaos, Essence," the Mystic said faintly. "Your progress is much faster than I expected."

"Object, Perception... care to say more?"

But Asda merely raised a finger lightly.

The air around them became fresh and cold, entering directly into his chest and lungs, making Thales shiver and grow much more awake.

What is this?

"Exclude distracting thoughts."

Asda said seriously:

"Now, every time I speak a word, you answer with another word. The first one you think of. Do not hesitate. Do not delay. Answer with your instinct."

Thales, shivering, could only nod.

"Sun?" Asda asked.

"Broken," Thales answered quickly.

Wait. Destruction?

Thales reacted and frowned.

How could it be that?

If he had been given a few more seconds, he definitely would have answered something else, such as scorching, endless, light, eternity, and so on.

But... broken?

"Starry sky?"

"Touch."

"Time?"

"Destruction."

"Fog."

"Calling."

"End?"

"Pause."

"Death?"

"Forgetting."

"Sky?"

"Imprisonment."

"Power?"

In that instant, Thales opened his mouth to speak, but his mind went blank.

Power? What should power be paired with?

Why could he not think of it?

He gritted his teeth hard and dug a related word out of memory.

"Power of Eradication."

Asda lowered his finger.

The air around them grew warm again.

"The last one does not count," the Air Mystic said flatly. "You hesitated."

Thales was silent.

He did not need to ask to know that these answers were not quite right.

"What is this?"

"Primitive Questioning. That was the name Toros later gave it, and it was also the test he designed first."

Asda did not hide anything and answered frankly.

"When people first discovered the abnormalities of Mystics, it was not through their abilities, but through their thoughts and understanding."

Hearing the familiar name, Thales' eyes turned.

"Who is Toros?"

"A predecessor." Asda did not wish to say more.

"Because of the First Mystic Pact, I cannot investigate your mystic energy deeply. I can only use a series of the most primitive images to probe your understanding of external things, and from the side, identify the stage of your progress in mystic energy. Like using a needle to pierce skin and draw out blood, obtaining a diagnosis through the smallest wound and cost."

Primitive Questioning.

Thales tested him.

"So what is your diagnosis? I continue jumping around alive, eating well and drinking well? Or am I terminally ill and should prepare for the end?"

The Air Mystic shook his head.

"I do not know. Clearly, you have already come into contact with mystic energy during your loss of control. That is why your answers have changed. This is proof that you have reached the stage of Object. We generally call this a Contact."

But the problem was that in history, there had never been an example of someone coming into contact with mystic energy only after finishing the knock.

Asda thought silently.

It was like a beginner with no foundation completing a string of complicated advanced calculations before learning that one plus one equals two.

Contact.

Thales chewed on the word while comparing it to the knowledge he had heard while knocking, or more precisely, from that kind predecessor whose face he could not see, named Toros.

Asda continued:

"But you are very fortunate. At the Object stage, you lost control and raised the threshold, yet still returned in time from the critical point of knocking. Historically, half of the Contacts who intentionally or unintentionally did such a thing became idiots or lunatics, even monsters."

Thales frowned.

Idiots, lunatics, monsters?

"And the other half?"

Asda shook his head.

"Unknown. They disappeared."

Disappeared.

Thales felt a chill in his heart.

"Then under what situation should I start worrying? When one day, in response to every Primitive Questioning, I answer 'fuck you'?"

Asda looked back at Thales.

That look was very strange. Even... unfamiliar.

"When I can no longer understand, or even hear, your answer at all," the Mystic said flatly.

Cannot understand. Cannot hear.

Thales asked in confusion:

"I do not understand?"

Asda nodded.

"Exactly."

Thales became even more confused.

"What?"

But in the next second, the Mystic changed the subject, his tone cold.

"Also, yes. If someone truly dares answer me with vulgar words, then you should indeed worry. Worry about my temper."

Thales shrank his head.

"Then, I am already this so-called Contact. What comes next?"

"I do not know."

"Oh, you do not kno--what?" Thales widened his eyes.

"According to the examples I know, beginning from this step," Asda shook his head, "a Contact of mystic energy must, within carefully prepared losses of control, learn step by step to observe, resist the illusion and impulse of blind threshold-raising, and only then can they reach the degree of Perception and become a Comprehender."

Wait, wait, wait. Too many unfamiliar terms. He had to find a notebook...

But just as Thales reached for a pen, a gust of breeze came and blew the pen and paper off the desk.

Thales looked up gloomily at the calm-faced Asda.

Fine. No records allowed.

"And a Comprehender must carefully and restrainedly attempt threshold-raising. They will see themselves clearly, find a specific threshold, and enter the state of Chaos. We call this a Fusion."

"A Fusion will take the final dangerous step, reaching out to knock for the first time, breaking through the critical point and stepping across the threshold, completely integrating with their true state, which is the level of Essence," the Air Mystic said softly. "If they succeed, they can find and define their threshold name, and become a Mystic."

Asda paused here.

"But..."

Thales reacted and said blankly, "But I have already lost control, raised the threshold, and even knocked. So what do I count as?"

"Precisely."

Asda nodded.

"So ordinary standards cannot define your stage and degree. They do not apply."

"Then what do we do?"

"No matter. Although Mystics who do not take the ordinary path are rare, there have been a few."

Mm. One? Or two?

Hearing that he could still be saved, Thales' spirits lifted.

"Really? Then can we refer to them?"

"No."

"What? Why?"

"What is the First Mystic Pact?"

"Uh, learning from each other?"

"Say it again?"

The air around them congealed, becoming difficult to breathe.

"M-mutual non-investigation!"

"Very good."

The air flowed normally again.

"So you do not know what the next step is. Then what use are you to me?"

"Say it again?"

"I said, respected Mr. Sakern, how do you plan to open unknown territory and guide me step by step?"

Asda fell silent.

He looked toward the moonlight outside the window.

"I do not know. But we can explore. Together."

"So, Thales, I will ask you once more: are you willing to put down worldly restraints and come with me?"

The Mystic spoke faintly.

"The path of mystic energy is incomparably dangerous. We need to explore the unknown road more freely and more efficiently."

Fuck.

Again.

Thales immediately became alert, guarding against being flown out of the castle again, as he had in Dragon Clouds City.

Fortunately, Asda's communication with him was no longer so violent. He no longer dragged him outside to fly him like a human kite at the slightest disagreement.

"But we discussed this question seven years ago, and you agreed," Thales said seriously. "If Mystics do not want to be hated by the whole world and shouted down by everyone, if they do not want to be called Calamities again, then they must use another method..."

"Left hand crown, right hand mystic energy."

Asda summarized his explanation in one concise sentence.

"I barely understand your commendable but still naive ideal, and I more or less understand your childish desire to have the best of both worlds. Or perhaps there is also reluctance to part with high position and attachment to power."

Thales raised an eyebrow.

"But you think this way, child, because you still do not understand mystic energy."

"That is also because you always conceal things and refuse to tell me everything," Thales immediately retorted.

Asda was silent for a while, then changed the angle.

"Then consider it from another perspective. On this journey home, since you knocked, did anyone notice something wrong, or even suspect your identity?"

Notice something wrong. Suspect my identity.

Thales jolted.

Several faces drifted through his mind.

Quick Rope.

The former Royal Guard prisoners led by Little Barney.

And...

Zakriel.

Thales looked into Asda's eyes and barely smiled, telling the truth.

"Yes."

The Air Mystic looked at him faintly. In Thales' view, the blue light that occasionally appeared in the other man's eyes was full of "I knew it."

"Give me their names and intelligence."

"I will clean up the aftermath for you."

Aftermath.

Thales' heart thudded, and the image of Quick Rope being turned into a human meatball appeared in his mind.

"Thank you, but I have already handled it."

The prince forced himself to remain calm.

"Regrettably, but also unfortunately, those who learned my secret..."

Thales had no choice but to imagine the expression of Qianzi from the Shadow Shield and show a sinister smile.

"They can no longer speak of it."

This time, Asda did not immediately answer. Instead, he looked at him for a very, very long time.

Long enough to make Thales' scalp tingle.

Fortunately, the Mystic finally spoke, though his tone changed.

"Very good. You escaped this time. But what about next time?"

Thales' nerves tightened.

Asda said coldly, "What do you think the reason was that I vanished these years and only came to find you in the sixth year?"

Lazy? Cowardly? Procrastination? Forgot? Deadline awakening?

Thales buried all these guesses deep in his heart and put on a look of humble eagerness to learn.

Asda's pleasant voice suddenly tightened.

"Seven years ago, an unfamiliar novice Mystic blindly knocked in the deep night. Also seven years ago, Giza appeared in Dragon Clouds City and fought a dragon that descended from the sky. Do you truly think no one would connect them?"

Thales frowned.

"Such as the Twin Emperors?"

"They are only one part," Asda said in a worrying tone. "And over these seven years, they have visited Dragon Clouds City countless times."

Thales' breath caught.

"Over seven years, I had to spend great effort and use every method to hide things from others and drive their gazes away from you. Fortunately, you are very special. Fortunately, all Mystics believed that the one who knocked must already have a threshold name, and a little brat certainly could not have such ability."

Thales' mood sank.

"Also fortunately."

The Air Mystic's attitude softened.

"That night, far more than one thing happened in the world."

Thales lifted his eyes.

"What do you mean?"

The Mystic shook his head.

"The Marshlands, the Sea of Eradication, the Great Desert, Deep Dusk Forest, Lylden, Qilin City... That night, many places were not peaceful. Dragon Clouds City and Giza were only one suspicious target."

Thales asked in confusion, "What?"

Asda nodded.

"Correct. So sometimes, I even suspect that the Mystic who appeared in the present world that day may not have been only you."

Not only you.

Thales looked thoughtful.

Asda snorted coldly.

"Of course, if there truly was another, I hope he is not as stubborn and reckless as you."

Thales could only show a polite smile.

"But now you have returned to Eternal Star City," Asda's words grew faster and faster, making one's heartbeat speed up. "This is the political center watched by the entire world, and you are the kingdom heir. Every action draws attention. Here, if another accident happens to you, whether threshold-raising or knocking, and it draws unnecessary attention..."

Unnecessary attention.

Thales remembered the scene at the royal banquet and could not help clenching his fists.

Asda warned:

"For safety's sake, reconsider my proposal. If that time truly comes, it will already be too late even if you want to leave with me."

Thales was silent for a long time.

For safety's sake.

Safety...

But.

But...

Thales remembered the covenant he had made with the king in the Ballard Room and could not help gritting his teeth.

Asda silently waited for his response.

After several seconds, Thales took a deep breath and looked up directly at his guide.

"Thank you for the reminder. I admit that, for a beginner in mystic energy, leaving with you might be safer and more convenient," Thales paused. "But I still have one question."

Asda nodded.

"Very good. At least we have reached a decent consensus--"

"Who is Frelan?"

The Air Mystic's words stopped abruptly.

Frelan.

Thales stared tightly at him.

But Asda did not react.

His face was expressionless, and he did not move in the slightest.

But Thales already knew that a Mystic's reaction could not be measured by common sense.

"Or perhaps I should change the question." Thales leaned against the desk and narrowed his eyes. "Why did you and the Perception Mystic, or rather, the former Queen Fiosa, cooperate? And how?"

Silence lasted for a very long time.

The blue light in Asda's eyes flickered back and forth.

Thales remained unmoved and gradually raised the stakes.

"And how did the former Three Calamities Alliance infiltrate the palace of Stars and bewitch the late king?"

Asda still said nothing.

Until the next question.

"All for the sake of a legendary anti-mystic armament that could threaten the Twin Emperors?"

In that instant, blue light burst from Asda's eyes, incomparably dazzling.

Thales had no choice but to raise his hand to block it.

Several seconds later, the blue light dimmed.

"You."

Asda, who had seemed like a statue, only then returned to life.

"Where did you hear that name?"

Damn it.

Thales lowered his arm and exhaled.

"Do not forget, I am not only your student. My surname is also Jadestar. Left hand crown, right hand mystic energy." The prince shrugged and spread his hands. "My high position is far more than reluctance to part with authority or attachment to power."

Thales' smile froze.

"Mr. Sakern?"

The blue light in Asda's eyes flowed rapidly.

"It has been a long time since we met. You have learned quite a few new things."

Thales lifted the corner of his mouth.

"Far fewer than the things you have hidden from me, Mr. Sakern."

In the study of Jackal Tower, the atmosphere suddenly grew tense.

The Duke of Star Lake and the Mystic faced each other silently.

But Thales was not afraid.

After experiencing the difficult game against the Iron Hand King in the Ballard Room, Thales felt that he had grown.

At least, he was increasingly good at grasping the initiative and guiding the situation.

Even when facing a Mystic.

This was the true left hand crown, right hand mystic energy.

The Sin of Hell's River surged in agreement, flowing through his entire body.

But the youth's satisfaction lasted only three seconds.

"No."

Asda snorted coldly.

"If you truly learned that name through channels of your 'high position,' Thales, why would you need to ask me?"

"It is precisely because you know nothing that you are testing my reaction here, trying to learn more."

Thales' expression stiffened.

The Air Mystic curled his lips and mocked:

"From this, it can be seen that your left hand cannot touch the crown, and your right hand cannot use mystic energy..."

"Neither hand has gotten anywhere."

He said without mercy:

"A fallen prince who does not understand mystic energy."

In the old, unrepaired study, Thales sat on a broken chair missing one corner, silent.

Actually, there was no need to be this harsh.

Several seconds later, Thales sighed.

"All right. You are right."

But the youth's expression changed.

"But at least now, you should know why I am unwilling to leave with you, right?"

The Mystic fell silent again.

"It is the reverse."

"I do not tell you precisely because you are unwilling to leave with me."

"If," Asda spoke again, with a trace of difficulty in his words, "these old matters are things I could teach you..."

Thales smiled. He shook his head and leaned back. The shaky chair let out a painful groan.

"So, you will not tell me the answer, correct?"

"No."

"May I ask wh--"

"No."

"But--"

"No."

"At least--"

"No."

Asda rejected Thales' questions one after another. He lifted his head, unmoving.

"No matter the reason, if you are unwilling to abandon worldly ties and restraints, I will not tell you more news about Mystics."

Thales suddenly felt bored.

But at least he had achieved his goal.

The news about Frelan had shifted Asda's attention, and the Mystic no longer insisted on taking him away.

"But you know, child, you always have that choice."

The Mystic leaned forward, his tone carrying temptation.

"I will always be here, my arms open at any time."

"Always."

Hearing that familiar tone, Thales burst out laughing.

He suddenly thought that Quick Rope and Asda might make a golden sales team: one with sweet words handing out carrots, the other with a terrifying face waving the stick.

"All right. Then we each take one step back," Thales proposed a solution, setting the tone for a conversation that had gone in an unpleasant direction. "I will not ask who Frelan is, and you do not force me to go with you."

Asda did not speak.

But according to Thales' understanding of him, someone was clearly not very satisfied.

Thales snorted lightly and stood up.

"By the way, speaking of this, I have another matter to ask you about..."

Thales walked straight to the window before turning back to look at the Mystic.

Asda snorted lightly.

Under the moonlight, the prince smiled faintly and gently raised his hand.

Thud!

The chair behind the desk suddenly trembled and sank at one corner.

But Asda did not pay attention to the chair.

At some unknown moment, he had already stood up.

The Mystic's blue-glowing eyes were fixed tightly on Thales' hand. Between the youth's fingers was a folded sky-blue ball of stiff paper.

Thales smiled and waved it at him.

In the next second, the blue light in Asda's eyes suddenly strengthened.

Thales only felt a light wind sweep over. He could no longer hold the paper ball, and it flew from his hand.

The sky-blue paper flew as if alive and stopped just before Asda's eyes.

It unfolded in midair, flattened out, and returned to the appearance of an invitation, revealing the elegant writing on it:

[Turn around.]

"This is..."

Blue light covered Asda's eyes, as if he were looking through the invitation before him and into the void.

"No change, no trajectory, no momentum, not even..."

His words held no emotion, yet were filled with a strange echo.

Thales revealed a mysterious smile.

He bowed and spread his arms, like an actor thanking the audience after a performance.

The wrinkled invitation drifted to the floor.

The Mystic turned his head and stared fixedly at Thales' right hand.

"Again."

Asda's words carried a rare fluctuation.

"Whatever that was, do it again. Now."

The blue light in his eyes no longer flowed. It stayed constant and bright.

"Of course, of course. I will." Faced with the rarely urgent Asda, the youth felt somewhat flattered. "But before that..."

The Duke of Star Lake crossed his arms, his smile cooling.

"Who is Frelan?"