The First Order

Chapter 1193: Solving the mystery

Ren Xiaosu had often heard Ren He’s name being mentioned by people, such as Li Yingyun, Qin Sheng, and Zhang Qingxi. Even Yang Xiaojin had brought up his name before, but of them had ever seen what that spiritual leader of the Riders looked like with their own eyes.

Whenever the Riders mentioned him, there would always be a look of longing on their faces.

When other people mentioned him, it was mostly in admiration of him.

It was as though he were a legendary figure that only existed in lore, not someone real.

And now, the people from the Sanctuary suddenly mentioned they actually had a photo of Ren He. This made Ren Xiaosu get the feeling the photo was a link that brought legend and reality together.

!!

That legend was then dragged into Ren Xiaosu’s world.

If even outsiders thought they looked really similar, Ren Xiaosu realized he could no longer avoid it.

Of course, what he avoided was never his own background, but his identity that might be linked to the Experimentals, as well as that mysterious period in his past.

What exactly happened in the past 200 years since The Cataclysm?

Xu Anqing continued saying to Ren Xiaosu, “An’an and Chen Cheng’s father have already returned to Ghent City with our people. But as they still have other matters to attend to, they can’t come and see you for the time being. You should stay here in the underground for a few days. He’ll come and let you know the more important information.”

“I understand. Is An’an’s father the current leader of the Sanctuary?” Ren Xiaosu asked.

“Yes,” Xu Anqing answered. “But Summer Russell can probably tell you the secret of why Ren He stole the Eye of True Sight.”

An argument broke out around the corner of the passageway ahead. It sounded like someone was shoving Melgor and saying, “Can you keep your distance from Ms. Summer!”

Melgor roared angrily, “And who’re you? Get lost!”

When Ren Xiaosu heard this, he was momentarily stunned. This was the first time he had seen Mel so testy. It seemed the power of love was enough to boost a person’s courage.

“Let’s talk later. I wanna see what’s going on first,” Ren Xiaosu said to Xu Anqing.

A second later, he passed through the dim passageway and went over to Melgor. When he turned the corner, it suddenly became bright in the passageway. Lit torches hung on the walls on both sides.

“What’s the matter?” Ren Xiaosu asked Melgor.

Melgor said aggrievedly, “They won’t let me through!”

Ren Xiaosu turned around and saw a dozen or so youths dressed in sorcerer’s robes grouped together in the tunnel. They all wore the badge of a simple, silver sorcerer’s hat on their chests.

The Berkeley family’s emblem was a lion, while the Tudor family’s emblem was a falcon. However, Ren Xiaosu had never heard of any clan that had a sorcerer’s hat for their emblem.

Xu Anqing noticed Ren Xiaosu’s gaze and explained, “The Sorcerer’s Hat is a new organization formed by a new generation of sorcerers. Just as Russell had done back then, they’re dedicated to overthrowing the old aristocracy to establish a new order and build a magus school to break down the clans’ hold on power.”

Ren Xiaosu looked at those people and saw a diverse group of more than a dozen youths. There were both men and women among them, and standing behind them was a young woman with blonde hair and blue eyes who looked especially dazzling. Her gaze was fixed on Melgor seemingly deeply concerned for him.

However, that concerned look went away in an instant. The girl said to Melgor, “Melgor, I’m already someone else’s fiancée. Please go back.”

When Melgor heard this, he became a little dazed. “Summer, I-I came here specifically to look for you.”

“I know,” Summer replied calmly. “News of your return has been spreading everywhere in Ghent City recently, so how could I not know? But if you come back in such an ostentatious manner, not only will you get yourself killed, you might also implicate me.”

Mel’s eyes slowly reddened. “Alright, I’ll leave then. But you must take care of yourself. Although I don’t know what it is that you’re trying to achieve, you’ve always had your own views since childhood. I just hope you’ll be fine. It doesn’t matter what happens to me— What are you doing!”

Mel glared at Ren Xiaosu.

Before he had finished talking, he got interrupted by Ren Xiaosu stepping on his foot.

Ren Xiaosu said in surprise, “Doesn’t your foot hurt?”

“Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch…” Only then was Mel able to react. He clutched his foot and leaned against the wall of the passageway as he cried in pain. He felt a burning sensation on top of his feet. It felt like his bones were broken!

Ren Xiaosu looked at Summer Russell and the group of youths and said, “Since y’all heard about what happened during Melgor’s trip back here, you should be aware of how powerful he is now, right? No matter what y’all’re planning, it’ll be good to have him stay and help out.”

Actually, Ren Xiaosu’s guess was that Summer was only trying to keep Mel out of the conflict. That was why she cold-heartedly chased him away.

After all, that concerned look in her eyes just now could not have been faked. Moreover, if she had really wanted to draw a line between them, there wouldn’t be a need to get Chen Jingshu to travel so far to deliver the money to him, right?

But as Ren Xiaosu did not fully understand their situation yet, he did not want to unintentionally point that out. In any case, he would have to help Mel stay here so this sweet idiot would not think he had his heart broken and start crying.

Speaking of which, Ren Xiaosu felt that he really was doing so much for the sake of the Prosperous Northwest.

But the young man standing closest to Summer Russell suddenly said, “Of course we’ve heard about Melgor’s deeds, but wasn’t it all to the credit of Chen Jingshu, An’an, and Chen Cheng that he was able to get to Ghent City so smoothly? We all know full well what his level as a sorcerer is. Surely you don’t truly believe he’s that powerful, do you?”

Ren Xiaosu was stunned. So it turned out not everyone believed Melgor was powerful.

Of course, these people were not wrong to think that way. Mel was indeed a little weak.

Actually, the level of Melgor’s sorcery was no secret. Everyone knew he had only become a sorcerer less than two years ago. In that short period of time, even if Russell were to be reborn, he would probably not be able to achieve much either.

So when this group of people who knew the inside story heard the news, their first impressions were that Chen Jingshu, An’an, and Chen Cheng were the strong ones, not Mel.

After all, An’an and Chen Cheng were already sorcerers by the age of six. And needless to say, Chen Jingshu was much more dependable than Melgor no matter how you looked at it.

Someone said to Chen Jingshu and company, “It’s been a tough journey for you guys. We heard that you killed many of the Tudor family’s people. That was really satisfying to hear. Now that Archmage Kayle is also dead, the House of Tudor has been greatly weakened. This has also raised the chances of our operation succeeding.”

The group of youths were overjoyed. It was as though all of them had a feud with the House of Tudor.

However, Chen Jingshu’s and An’an’s expressions at this moment were as strange as they could be.

They knew very well they were only able to arrive in Ghent City because Ren Xiaosu, that monster, had been helping Melgor along the way. They had nothing to do with the massacre of the Tudor family’s people.

Chen Jingshu looked at Ren Xiaosu and realized he was smiling without refuting the youths. As such, she did not step forward to clear up the misunderstanding.

Since Ren Xiaosu did not bother to explain it himself, he must have some other plan.

Qian Weining, who was standing behind Ren Xiaosu, stepped forward and tried to say something, but he was also stopped by Ren Xiaosu.

“All of you look like you’re the elites of the younger generation of sorcerers, so why can’t y’all understand the simplest of principles?” Ren Xiaosu said with a smile, “If y’all want to undermine the social order of the Kingdom of Sorcerers, you have to unite all available forces. What’s the logic behind pushing away people who can contribute?”

The young sorcerer next to Summer frowned and said, “It’s obvious that Summer doesn’t want anything to do with Melgor anymore, so why are you people still pestering her? Isn’t it better to remain as a fringe sorcerer at the border? Why come to Ghent City and risk your life? Hmm, and who’re you?”

The way this young man addressed Summer sounded like he was quite close to her. Ren Xiaosu wondered if this could be Mel’s romantic rival. Summer was a natural beauty indeed, so it was within expectations that Mel would have at least one or two rivals.

When these people saw Qian Weining and the others following close to Ren Xiaosu, they thought he was someone of status, so they were still quite polite when speaking to him.

Ren Xiaosu answered, “I’m Lord Melgor’s steward. And you are?”

“So it’s Melgor’s steward.” The young man suddenly laughed. When he heard that the other party was only a steward, he became much more relaxed. “My name is Titus Norman.”

Ren Xiaosu then asked, “Titus Norman… eh, what’s your middle name?”

Titus’s smile immediately faded. “I don’t have a middle name yet….”

In the magus order, having a middle name represented whether one had become an archmage or not.

In most situations, no one would suddenly bring up whether one had a middle name or not. By doing so, it was just like slapping someone without hitting their face.

But Ren Xiaosu felt that not “slapping” someone in the face first was pretty pointless when having an argument.

Sorcerer Titus frowned and said, “You’re only a servant, so how can you address a sorcerer by name? That’s being disrespectful to a sorcerer.”

Ren Xiaosu chuckled. “Then how should I address you?”

Sorcerer Titus said coldly, “You’re a steward, and I’m a sorcerer. It’s disrespectful to address me by name. But addressing me as an elder makes me sound old, so what should you call me?”

Ren Xiaosu stayed silent for a moment before testing, “Doggy?”

Sorcerer Titus was stunned.

Melgor, who was initially feeling aggrieved and remorseful, burst into laughter. Even Qian Weining and the others laughed.

Mel thought to himself that Ren Xiaosu was still the best. He was even willing to stand up for him at such a critical moment.

Sorcerer Titus took out his Eye of True Sight from his waist belt as though he wanted to threaten Ren Xiaosu with it.

However, Summer said to the young sorcerer, “Titus, what’s our purpose in seeking to overthrow the old aristocracy’s rule and establish a magus school? Isn’t it because we want to give normal people a chance? Everyone will be equal in the sorcerer nation of the future. Why do you still have such a messed up, class-conscious mindset?”

When Sorcerer Titus heard this, he hurriedly explained, “Summer, it’s not like that, I just misspoke!”

Summer’s tone softened. “I know it’s still a little difficult for you guys to change your mindset, but don’t repeat such behavior again, alright?”

Ren Xiaosu was amused. He chuckled softly to Mel, who was next to him, and said, “Your childhood sweetheart has great people skills. She spoke up to divert those people’s attention to help me out of my predicament and immediately softened her tone after that so that infighting wouldn’t boil over. She’s someone who can achieve great things. She’s better than you.”

“If you didn’t make that last remark, our friendship would have grown stronger.” Melgor said, “What do you think I should do now? Leave?”

“Leave?” Ren Xiaosu chuckled and said, “Of course not.”

The torches on the walls of the tunnel were flickering. It seemed that the atmosphere had suddenly turned a little tense. The young sorcerers and the Knights of the Inferno led by Ren Xiaosu were on the verge of getting into a fight.

In the end, it was Xu Anqing who stepped forward to break the deadlock. “This is not the place to talk. Let’s get behind the enchanted doorway first.”

With that, he called for everyone to continue walking deeper into the tunnel until they came to graffiti art and stopped in front of it.

On the wall was a drawing of an eastern divine dragon. However, it was not as muted in style as how they were drawn in the Central Plains. This particular drawing was more showy and vibrant.

Xu Anqing took out a red Eye of True Sight from his waist belt. Then he placed it on the divine dragon’s eye and gave it a turn. The divine dragon seemingly came alive as it started “swimming” on the wall.

A soft mechanical sound started stirring within the tunnel before he walked straight towards a wall. Before going in, Xu Anqing turned around and said to Ren Xiaosu and Melgor, “Welcome to the underground.”

That wall was like a rippling wave. After Xu Anqing walked through it, no one could tell there was anything strange about the wall.

When Ren Xiaosu saw this, he planned on asking the Sanctuary’s people about enchanted doorways. This spell was perfect for those working in the intelligence field. A safe house created through such means would definitely be secure. Moreover, the other Central Plains forces had never experienced such tricks before.

Everyone filed in through the enchanted doorway, but most of them had not noticed that Summer had slowly fallen to the back of the group.

Melgor was about to walk straight through the enchanted doorway when Ren Xiaosu pulled him back and said in a low voice, “The lady is obviously slowing down because she wants to speak with you. Why are you in such a hurry to go in?”

Mel looked at her and saw her looking at him silently.

Li Chengguo and Liu Ting were looking all over the place at this moment. This was their first time seeing an enchanted doorway, so they did not dare to walk through it.

But even after everyone else had gone through the enchanted doorway, the two of them still remained standing outside like third wheels.

Ren Xiaosu slapped both of them on the back of their heads angrily. Then he grabbed them by their collars and threw them through the enchanted doorway.

Melgor looked at Ren Xiaosu with an emotional gaze. It was still his good friend who understood him and deliberately created an opportunity so he could be with Summer alone.

Then Ren Xiaosu looked at Melgor and said, “You can go in first.”

“Huh?” Melgor was stunned.

“What?” Ren Xiaosu said to Melgor, “Let me speak with Ms. Summer alone.”

Melgor suddenly felt a little dizzy. Why was this a little different from what he had imagined?!

Hadn’t Ren Xiaosu intended to give him a chance to be with Summer alone? How did it end up with Ren Xiaosu spending time with Summer alone instead?

“Forget it, I’ll let you stay here in case you misunderstand.” After that, Ren Xiaosu turned to Summer Russell and asked, “Did your ancestors pass down any information regarding Ren He?”

“I knew you wanted to ask about this.” Summer said calmly, “Actually, I knew it the moment I saw your face.”

“Seems like my looks have saved me a lot of explaining.” Ren Xiaosu touched his face. “Do I really look like him?”

“Yes, you look really similar.” Summer said, “What do you want to know?”

Melgor looked at Summer, then at Ren Xiaosu. He could not understand why his sweetheart’s family ended up being related to Ren Xiaosu.

However, he could only listen quietly for now. Ren Xiaosu was most concerned at this moment about his origins. Everything else was not too important.

Ren Xiaosu said to Summer, “Why did Ren He steal the Eye of True Sight?”

“To save his child,” Summer answered. “His child had a disease known as cancer and needed treatment.”

This answer matched many of the questions Ren Xiaosu had in mind.

The Pyro Company’s Laboratory 39 was specifically researching cancer, while the Experimentals came into existence as a new species after the spread of their cancer cells reached equilibrium.

Currently, Black Robe, the leader of the Experimentals, was dead. However, Black Robe said before that a completely cured human had indeed come out of Laboratory 39. It was a powerful and perfect Neo-Human, who was also known as the No. 001 Experimental.

This No. 001 Experimental was completely different from those gray-skinned monsters. It had a perfectly mutated binucleated cell structure.

Black Robe had said that if the No. 001 Experimental blended in among humans, it would definitely be very powerful.

At that time, Ren Xiaosu thought the No. 001 Experimental might be Yan Liuyuan.

But now, Ren Xiaosu felt he might be the No. 001 Experimental instead.

“But what does the black Eye of True Sight have anything to do with cancer?” Ren Xiaosu asked.

In his opinion, cancer treatment would have to rely on scientific cures. But in the end, it felt more like they were delving into mysticism.

Summer said, “It was passed down through our family that Ren He’s son was actually already cured of his illness. But after he recovered, his condition became even more difficult to handle.”

“Why’s that?” Ren Xiaosu was stunned. “What could be more troublesome to handle than cancer?”

“I only know a little about that.” Summer answered, “Ren He said that if his sick child’s condition was not controlled, he could dissipate from the world and switch to existing in another form. That was why that Rider needed the black Eye of True Sight, because it can help humans to concentrate their willpower.”

These words completely struck a chord in Ren Xiaosu. Concentrating one’s willpower, dissipating from the world and existing in a different form, all these clues finally linked the truths he knew.

Qing Zhen had speculated that cancer cells might not be a type of disease but an extreme form of evolution. It was just that humans were unable to withstand the energy required for this evolution process.

If there came a day when someone could control the nuclei mutation of cancer cells and had a strong enough body to withstand the evolution process, the first true god might appear in the world.

Li Shentan had once said his path was actually to develop his own brainpower. When a person’s brain developed to 70% of its potential, they would only be one step away from becoming a god.

As for what would happen after becoming a god, no one knew.

There was the possibility of turning into a ray of light or a World Tree, but no one could be sure.

However, the higher probability was that one would lose their human form and emotions and turn into a one-of-a-kind world consciousness.

Based on this theory, Ren He’s son had already become a true god after his cancer was successfully treated.

But after he was cured, the potential of his brain continued to develop. When the brain’s development exceeded the threshold of human limits, it would become the consciousness of the world, and with that, become the true ruler of it.

If all these assumptions were true, Ren He’s objective in taking away the Eye of True Sight might have been to help his son reconcentrate his willpower that was dissipating into the world so he could maintain his “human” form and keep his emotions.

When he was in the Jing Mountains, Ren Xiaosu had thanked himself seven times during the battle with the Experimentals. But before that, he had asked the palace if there was really no other way for him to come out of the battle alive. The palace asked him back, “Do you want to remove the seal?”

Ren Xiaosu then asked again what would happen if the seal was removed.

The palace’s answer was, “Lose everything.”

What it meant by losing everything probably included losing his body and emotions.

When he recalled these events, Ren Xiaosu felt that he was only one step away from the truth now.

He asked the palace in his mind, “Did I guess… correctly?”

“Quest clues have not been fully collected. Unauthorized to answer.”

Ren Xiaosu was stunned. Why was the answer totally not what he was expecting?

No, wait, the palace would not go off-topic.

Therefore, once the last clue was found, the quest reward would reveal the truth of his origins!

Ren Xiaosu was a little curious. If he were really that so-called No. 001 Experimental, how did he survive his cancer? Did the cells in his body all mutate into those legendary binucleated cells?

Moreover, if he were the No. 001 Experimental, how should Yan Liuyuan’s origins be explained?

Summer interrupted Ren Xiaosu’s train of thought, saying, “There’s something that was passed down and left for you. It’s right here in Ghent City.”

Curious, Ren Xiaosu asked, “Who left it for me?”

“Your ancestor, that Rider,” Summer answered.

Summer was also unaware of how complicated Ren Xiaosu’s background was. She only felt that no one in the world could possibly live for more than 200 years, so she was under the impression that Ren Xiaosu was Ren He’s descendant a few generations down.

Ren Xiaosu wondered, “Why would he leave something meant for me with y’all? This place is thousands of miles from the Central Plains.”

“Because the Central Plains Rider was not confident of surviving the impending disaster.” Summer said, “He had his responsibilities, and he foresaw that he might have to sacrifice his life for them.”

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