Chapter 629: Hypothesis

In the study, Thales stared blankly at the Mystic.

"After the war."

The youth subconsciously repeated it once.

Asda looked back at him with a smile that was not quite a smile, as if watching prey fall into a trap.

After the war.

After the war?

Thales widened his eyes.

It was as if a string in his mind had suddenly been connected.

"Mr. Sakern, when did the Twin Empresses' relationship break down and turn hostile?"

The Mystic was perfectly at ease, answering neither heavily nor lightly:

"You already said it."

In the next moment, blue light once again lit in Asda's eyes.

"After the war."

After the war.

Thales held his breath.

"Then, then that means..."

The youth slowly sorted through the logic, his expression growing more and more shocked.

The two Magic Empresses broke with each other after the war and went their separate ways.

The reason they hid behind the scenes.

The reason they suppressed mystic energy.

The reason they became enemies.

The reason they possessed such tacit understanding.

After thinking through the key point, Thales' breathing sped up.

No. It was not the Blade of Purification.

What the Air Mystic had discovered was not the result of his grandfather's "greatest king," not the so-called perfect anti-mystic armament.

"Sauron and the One Ring," Thales murmured, cold sweat unknowingly covering him.

Asda showed doubt.

"What?"

Thales came back to himself and shook his head.

"Not important. Just some Northland folk tale."

But he immediately widened his eyes.

"What matters is this. If this inference stands, if these two time points overlap, then these legendary anti-mystic armaments issued to the Calamity Hunters only after the Final War..."

These legendary anti-mystic armaments...

Thales said dazedly:

"It is very possible that after the two empresses' relationship broke down and they went their separate ways..."

He looked at his guide in disbelief.

Under Thales' shocked expression, Asda lifted the corners of his mouth, slowly nodded, and took over the remaining words:

"They were secretly made and separately forged by one of the empresses, without the other, or even behind the other's back."

The study quieted.

Only the candles remained bright, driving away the darkness.

Secretly made. Separately forged. These words echoed in Thales' mind, leaving him stunned where he stood.

"Precisely because of this."

Light flickered faintly in the Mystic's pupils.

"The secrets of these armaments, forged in secret by only one side, are unknown to the other."

"It is very possible that they are enough to harm, even seal--"

In the next moment, the blue light in Asda's eyes was incomparably sharp.

"The other empress."

Hearing this, Thales was completely stunned.

He could only go back and forth, working hard to digest this information.

Armaments secretly made and separately forged by one empress.

Issued after the war to the Calamity Hunters.

Yet capable of sealing the other...

"And this means--"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait!"

Thales woke with a start and hurriedly raised his hand, stopping the other from continuing.

The youth called upon the Sin of Hell's River and worked hard to steady his breathing, digesting this astonishing news.

He tried his utmost not to think about the shocking significance behind it.

"I understand, Mr. Sakern. This information is no small matter. But before reaching a conclusion, we must be cautious."

Thales lowered his voice and subconsciously looked left and right.

"First, we need to figure out why legendary anti-mystic armaments cannot seal the Twin Empresses. Is it because, as their creators, the Twin Empresses understand the mechanism by which anti-mystic armaments work? Or did they leave some hidden manipulation inside the armaments?"

"Or even, what if 'legendary anti-mystic armaments cannot seal the Twin Empresses' is not because the Twin Empresses created them, but because of their level of power or some other factor? What if the level or traits of the Twin Empresses decide that they cannot be sealed?"

Thales seriously looked at the Mystic, gesturing with his hands as he expressed his meaning.

Asda also looked at him faintly, expressionless.

At this moment, they were like a true pair of teacher and student, engaged in the purest discussion of a certain question.

"Your objection is not without reason."

Before long, his guide spoke again, rational and clear.

"But this at least proves one thing: one of the Twin Empresses possessed the ability to independently create legendary anti-mystic armaments."

Thales clenched his fists.

"No. That is not necessarily true either."

The youth shook his head in doubt.

"Why must armaments issued after the war have been made independently by one empress? Why can they not have been jointly made by the Twin Empresses before they turned against each other?"

"This cannot prove that the Twin Empresses can be--cannot prove your conclusion."

Hearing this, Asda chuckled softly.

He did not directly answer Thales' question, but turned to another subject.

"Do you know? Taking the Kingdom of Stars as an example, the earliest source and manufacturing information for each country's legendary anti-mystic armaments can only be traced back to the year 14 of the Calendar of Eradication."

Year 14 of the Calendar of Eradication?

Thales narrowed his eyes. That was the fourth year after Stars was founded...

"Which was also the year the Cleansing Plan began," the Mystic said lightly.

The Cleansing Plan.

This term returned to Thales' mind, waking many memories.

The Mystic leaned forward slightly, his words full of suspicion and vigilance.

"The question is, why? Why did the Cleansing Plan hide this information?"

Why?

Thales did not answer.

But a small voice sounded in his heart.

Because this information is crucial. Sensitive.

Deadly.

It had to be hidden, unknown to the world.

Thales took a deep breath and raised his head.

"But this still cannot prove..."

Asda ignored his doubt and continued on his own.

"And why, Thales? Why have people for thousands of years tacitly accepted that all legendary anti-mystic armaments cannot affect or seal the Magic Empresses?"

Why.

Thales paused.

"Did the Twin Empresses themselves tell them?" The Mystic was extremely serious. "And if not..."

Thales remembered something.

[The human heroes after the war proved with bloody facts that all existing legendary anti-mystic armaments could not seal Blood Spike and Black Orchid.]

In the Prison of Bones, Ricky's strange smile surfaced in his mind.

"Someone. There must have been someone," the youth took a deep breath and followed his memories and logic downward. "To be precise, some Calamity Hunters must have tried. They held legendary anti-mystic armaments and acted against the Magic Twin Empresses."

Truly insane.

Asda nodded, and his tone carried an indescribable fluctuation.

"And they failed, more than once, before they could leave the world with such a certain conclusion."

In the next second, the Mystic's words abruptly shifted.

"The question is, which hunters acted? Which armaments? Which empress?"

This question likewise stirred Thales' curiosity. He waited for the other's answer.

"There is no answer."

Asda slowly shook his head.

"Even with the help of Frelan and Giza, supported by the massive intelligence of the entire Kingdom of Stars, I found no records of the Twin Empresses ever being assassinated by legendary anti-mystic armaments."

"There is only the conclusion, passed down in circles with the authority to access and use legendary anti-mystic armaments, that the Twin Empresses fear no legendary anti-mystic armaments. This conclusion circulates as indisputable common sense, as if it were a self-evident truth."

After hearing this, Thales' expression changed.

Not enough steady evidence, yet an incomparably certain conclusion.

That could prove only one thing.

That conclusion was, was...

Created by someone.

The Mystic snorted coldly.

"Correct. When you just asked why legendary anti-mystic armaments cannot seal the Twin Empresses, if we follow the vine to the root, we can easily discover that this concept was suspicious from the very beginning."

Thales' mood tightened.

Asda continued:

"Now, let us assume that those hunters who tried to assassinate the Twin Empresses with legendary anti-mystic armaments..."

"Stop!"

Thales forcefully interrupted him, waving both hands in the air.

"No. Too many assumptions. Too risky. Too many uncertainties..."

Asda responded coldly:

"Hypothesis is one of the important methods that drives the progress of knowledge."

"So long as we can verify it."

Verify.

Thales took a deep breath and said seriously:

"But what if the foundation of your hypothesis does not stand? What if no one ever assassinated the Twin Empresses? What if even the matter of 'someone used legendary anti-mystic armaments to assassinate the Twin Empresses, verifying that they could not be sealed' was false, nonexistent, fabricated by someone..."

At this point, Thales froze.

Fabricated by someone.

Looking at the youth's stunned expression, the Mystic snorted coldly.

"Correct, Thales."

"If the assassination was false; if, long ago, statements like 'someone assassinated the Twin Empresses' and 'discovered that anti-mystic armaments are ineffective against the Twin Empresses' were fabricated and told to the world, while the Twin Empresses allowed them to circulate for thousands of years..."

Asda did not continue, but his gaze was incomparably sharp.

Thales nodded and absent-mindedly picked up the other man's words.

"Then that proves even more: there is a major problem behind these circulating statements and behind the people who deliberately created this concept."

Seeing him like this, Asda smiled.

"Now, let us return to the previous step. If those assassinations were real."

"If there truly were people unafraid of death, hunters who tried the madness of assassinating the Twin Empresses with legendary anti-mystic armaments..."

The Mystic's words made Thales unconsciously swallow. It was as if he had returned to seven hundred years ago and saw those mad warriors.

"Then they could only have happened before the Twin Empresses hid behind the curtain. At least at that time, the hunters could still find them and carry out more than one assassination."

Asda's tone became very light and soft, but in Thales' ears, it weighed ten thousand jun.

"And here comes the question. First humans assassinated them, then the Twin Empresses withdrew. Is there any logical relationship between these?"

The Mystic said softly:

"Why? Why such a coincidence?"

"If those assassinations completely failed, and legendary anti-mystic armaments were proven ineffective against their creators, why would the Twin Empresses still withdraw? Could it truly be, as you said, because they are such 'shut-ins'?"

At the end, Asda made a rare little joke.

But Thales was in no mood to hear his joke.

The youth shook his head and organized his thoughts.

No. It was a bit messy. A bit messy.

Why did the Twin Empresses retreat after suffering assassinations that were "ineffective" in the eyes of the world?

"No."

Thales rubbed his forehead hard.

"No. You cannot infer cause from result. That is too rash..."

"Have you played sudoku?"

Thales looked up blankly.

"What?"

Asda looked into the void, his finger drawing lightly.

"Sometimes, when evidence is insufficient, we must fill a certain guessed number into an empty square, then step by step examine, test, and compare, to verify whether this number conforms to the rules of the game."

The Mystic turned his head.

"To verify whether it is the only answer."

"Now, break your fixed view. Release your restraints. Let your imagination wander, Thales."

"Imagine, if our guess is true..."

His tone carried faint temptation.

"If a legendary anti-mystic armament forged independently by one empress can truly seal the other empress..."

"If after the war, they were suspiciously issued to the secular world and equipped to mortal Calamity Hunters..."

Listening to his words, Thales' brows tightened more and more.

"Fuck."

Fine. Setting other things aside for now, assuming this was true, following this logic and filling in the number...

The youth swallowed.

"All right. If, if this is the truth behind the assassinations the two empresses faced, that means..."

Thales took a deep breath and forced himself into the other's way of thinking.

"Long ago, the Magic Empresses were not assassinated by mad mortals."

"They were assassinated by the other empress, by the former collaborator, current competitor, and future mortal enemy, using legendary anti-mystic armaments independently made by that opponent."

Asda silently looked at him, the corner of his mouth slightly raised, blue light flowing at a steady speed in his eyes.

"Who?"

Thales raised his head, his gaze sharp.

"Who secretly forged armaments behind the other's back and plotted assassination through mortals? Was it Black Orchid, or Blood Spike?"

"My guess?"

The Mystic said flatly:

"Both."

He snorted in disdain.

"The two bitches did the same thing."

Thales frowned.

Asda continued:

"They both betrayed each other. Both secretly created weapons capable of sealing the other, and both planned at the same time to use mortal hands to deliver a fatal blow to the other."

"So that after the Final War, they could enjoy the supreme throne of mystic energy alone."

"But..."

Asda stared at the starry sky outside the window and did not continue.

"But they survived," Thales murmured.

"The Twin Empresses met an equal opponent. They saw through each other's schemes and calculations, escaping from armaments that were enough to threaten themselves. And this was the true reason they avoided the secular world and hid behind the scenes, unable to be found by anyone."

The more Thales spoke, the more shocked he became.

"Because from that moment, they could no longer walk the world without scruple. Both Twin Empresses grasped the secret of sealing Mystics. Both carried the greatest malice toward each other. Each forged armaments capable of sealing the other and issued them to hunters. Over time, those armaments scattered across various countries and regions..."

"Hidden among those so-called legendary anti-mystic armaments that 'cannot seal the Magic Empresses.'"

Thales stood dazed in place.

All armaments could seal Mystics.

But there were a few that could seal the Magic Empresses.

Asda lifted his head and, in an extremely unusual manner, laughed with pleasure.

"Thus, they fear, dread, and guard against. Among the legendary anti-mystic armaments possessed by secular mortals in countries and regions everywhere, there are precisely a few special armaments that they do not recognize, made only by their mortal enemy, yet capable of endangering themselves."

The Mystic's laughter stopped, and killing intent suddenly rose in his eyes.

"Then the question left to us is--"

"Which one?" Thales abruptly raised his head.

"Which ones?"

With indescribable panic, he pressed:

"Exactly which legendary anti-mystic armaments were independently forged, and which Magic Empress can they seal?"

But Asda's emotions cooled. He shook his head.

"As I said, all manufacturing records of legendary anti-mystic armaments were destroyed. We cannot know."

Thales gritted his teeth.

In that instant, countless weapons flashed through his mind:

Supreme Sword, Scepter of Stars, Nightfall Black Coffin, Supreme Shield, Unmoving Bow, Sunrise Saber, Soulbreaker Blade, Soulslaying Spear, Crossbow of Time...

Which were, which were not, which might be...

"Wait."

Thales thought of something, let out a breath, and showed disappointment.

"Although we do not know, the empresses may not necessarily be ignorant. They know which armaments they made and which definitely were not made by them."

"Also, seven hundred years have passed. If such armaments truly exist, they must have been found long ago by the empresses and surely completely sealed away or destroyed to remove the threat."

But the Mystic had a different opinion.

"They cannot do it."

Thales frowned.

"Why?"

Asda was perfectly at ease, contentedly admiring the night view of Star Lake Castle.

"First, to them, each other is the most terrifying enemy."

"If one side wants to find an armament capable of restraining herself..."

Thales understood and realized:

"Then the other side will inevitably do everything possible to protect or hide it."

Asda nodded.

"Second, they are the same as us."

The same as us.

Thales' thoughts turned.

"I understand."

The youth clapped his hands, suddenly enlightened.

"If those special legendary anti-mystic armaments are truly effective against them, then the Twin Empresses cannot touch or even approach them, just as you cannot approach Eternal Star City and Renaissance Palace."

"So if they want to deal with these armaments, they must rely on others, people in the secular world who are not Mystics, to act in their place."

The Mystic nodded.

"Therefore, they never will and never can appear before the world," Asda's gaze focused. "Yet behind the scenes, they will use their unimaginable power, extend their tentacles and minions, and stir the winds and clouds of the world."

In the secular world, stir the winds and clouds.

Thales' thoughts became increasingly clear.

"Third," Asda continued, "the hypothesis is complete. Now it is time for us to find evidence and verify it."

In the next second, he looked at Thales and uttered one term:

"The continental wars."

Thales' gaze moved.

"What?"

Asda returned to his elegant appearance.

"The Eastern and Western Continents experienced four full continental wars from the beginning of the second century to the end of the fifth century of the Calendar of Eradication."

"But why?"

The continental wars.

Thales fell into deep thought.

"The two continents are far apart, and communication is difficult. Aside from a few countries, the profits of war could barely offset the cost of expeditions. Then why did the monarchs and subjects of various countries cross the ocean to wage war? Was it truly for hegemony and interests? Position and politics?"

The Mystic's words shifted, making one tense.

"Or was it for certain more terrifying existences that were inconvenient, perhaps unable, to act directly?"

Thales' gaze moved.

He remembered a memory.

It was seven years ago, when he had gone as envoy to Eckstedt, before reaching Broken Dragon Fortress, in a snow-covered birch forest.

Blood, vampires, death, betrayal...

The words of a certain queen echoed in his ears:

[As for the Nightfall Black Coffin, perhaps many forces hope to obtain a legendary anti-mystic armament. But please rest assured. Among those who understand its value and origins, aside from terrifying Mystics, absolutely no one has the courage to lay hands on the Nightfall Black Coffin.]

Thinking of this, the youth was suddenly startled.

Damn it.

"Fuck."

Thales breathed deeply.

"You, you let me slow down. This, this is too..."

Asda snorted coldly and did not speak further.

Thales calmed down and shook his head.

"No. The evidence is still insufficient. A hypothesis is still a hypothesis..."

"Yet it is worth risking everything to verify," the Mystic said flatly.

"Even if there is only one chance in ten thousand."

Their eyes met in the candlelight, one side deep and solemn, the other light and calm.

In this instant, it was as if Thales were the teacher patiently guiding, while Asda was some bold and reckless student.

Several seconds later.

"All right. If this is true."

Thales let out a breath.

"If in this world, there truly exists a legendary anti-mystic armament made by one empress and capable of sealing the other, then how has the world never known..."

At this point, Thales' words paused.

Asda's laughter came:

"Of course the world does not know."

"Because they do not allow it."

Thales stared fixedly at him.

"This is the most interesting part. The two empresses, spear and shield, binary opposition, balance and restraint..."

Asda carried a faint smile.

"After seeing through each other's schemes, the Twin Empresses, who had turned hostile, were enraged, hated each other to the bone, and guarded against each other carefully."

"But for their own safety..."

The Mystic's words were decisive, as if the sharpest blade cut through all luck:

"They also had to maintain the most basic tacit understanding: joining hands to suppress this secret completely, sealing it forever, not letting anyone in the world, any mortal, especially mortals who understood the history of Mystics and hunters who controlled legendary anti-mystic armaments, learn the most terrifying truth..."

Asda's tone grew lighter and fainter, like a blade honed thin, increasingly sharp and weightless.

"Namely, the secret weapons capable of sealing the Twin Empresses had, in truth, been in their hands since after the Final War."

"All people had to do was know and believe, search and verify."

"Thus breaking the unquestionable creed in their own hearts."

The surrounding candlelight remained warm as before.

But above the ceiling was dead silence.

Only outside the window, starlight pierced the darkness. Some flickered in the sky, some rippled on the lake.

Several seconds later, Asda said softly:

"Thales, you asked me: did we bring about the Bloody Year?"

Thales did not answer.

But his face grew increasingly solemn.

"Correct."

Asda smiled coldly.

"Can you imagine how shocking, mad, and terrifying this secret is to the Twin Empresses?"

And how exhilarating?

"I do not know who brought about the Bloody Year."

The Mystic stared at Thales.

"But what I dare to be certain of is this: once any rumor or sign appears in this world, even if it only slightly hints at this terrifying secret, that a small number of legendary anti-mystic armaments are the Twin Empresses' nemesis..."

Thales subconsciously clenched his fists.

"Out of consideration for safety and dread of each other, the Twin Empresses standing at the peak may not appear directly or act personally..."

The Mystic's words became increasingly frightening.

"But they will temporarily lay down their bone-deep hatred, risk everything they have, use all their madness, mobilize every force in the secular world, and without regard to cost trace the source, seal the news, cut off transmission, and ensure that anyone who already knows the secret..."

Asda's gaze sharpened.

"No longer exists."

Thales trembled slightly.

"Even if white bones pile up and blood flows in rivers..."

"Even if lives are plunged into misery."

Thales breathed dazedly.

[It was also, in the Bloody Year, the Jadestar royal family's collective journey to Hell's River...]

In the Prison of Bones, Ricky's voice sounded again:

[Ferry bell.]

"Can you imagine?"

The blue light in the Mystic's eyes grew clearer and clearer, while his tone became increasingly feverish.

Like when Thales first saw him in the chess room.

"The Magic Empresses. They are so high above, unreachable."

He laughed softly, as if seeing through something.

"But because of their hostility toward each other, they fell into the mire and into the secular world. They must, like us, rely on children's games of playing house."

"We set up fights in the streets, and they call for wars between continents."

Asda's tone cooled and returned to indifference.

"There is no difference."

After hearing all this, Thales sat blankly on the desk.

As if he had lost his soul.

"Do you know, Asda Sakern?" he slowly spoke, his voice hoarse.

As if he had just finished the most difficult battle.

"You really are a fucking genius."

The Mystic looked at him.

"In the so-called Three Calamities Alliance, while Giza and Frelan, while others racked their brains to either improve their power or seek external objects and failed..."

Thales lifted his head and looked at him in disbelief.

"You discovered the Twin Empresses' possible weakness, or at least a suspicious point, by collecting information, organizing intelligence, piecing together fragments, examining logic, restoring history, and searching for flaws."

Asda was expressionless, yet he nodded slightly.

"We have had conversations on this topic."

"Magic is not only suffocation, squeezing people into balls, or throwing chairs at you."

"Collecting information, filtering intelligence, comparing truth and falsehood, finding the key, connecting nodes, and reaching the final discovery..."

The Air Mystic looked at the old, dilapidated bookcase on another wall, his words mechanical, emotion unclear.

"This too is magic."

"We are all on the road toward omniscience, distinguishing the direction forward."

The two were silent for a while.

"Then, knowing this, let us call it a suspicious point for now," Thales said cautiously. "What do you plan to do?"

Asda shook his head.

"Not me."

"You. What should you do?"

Thales frowned.

What?

Asda turned around.

At this moment, he was as sharp as a weapon.

"Welcome to the Anti-Empress Club, Thales."

The Mystic said flatly:

"Because from the moment you learned the secret, you officially became the mortal enemy of Blood Spike and Black Orchid."

Thales was startled.

"Because of it, the legendary Magic Twin Empresses will no longer let you go. There is no possibility of any buffer or reconciliation between you."

Asda narrowed his eyes.

"Think of the Bloody Year, child."

"They and you..."

"Will not rest until one side dies."

Thales paused for several seconds before he understood what the other meant.

"Fuck," the youth murmured.

"As I said, the burden of truth and secrets..."

Asda looked at him expressionlessly, speaking in the most beautiful and pleasant voice in the world:

"Is very heavy."