Chapter 19
I stood there, stunned, facing Lian Qi in the wind. The light breeze rustled my long hair, and for a few seconds, it was as if I couldn’t even hear the gurgling of the stream.
“Professor Einstein’s ideas… coincide with the Demon King’s plan to stagnate magic?” I repeated Lian Qi’s words.
She nodded and said, “Don’t be overly dependent on magic, use magic with more moderation… if humanity actually implemented his ideas, wouldn’t the entire system of magic stagnate? No, it would even regress.”
Then she scratched her hair. “But… it’s a good thing you told me about the Demon King’s plan before. Otherwise, I would never have made this connection.”
But I shook my head. “Lian Qi, that’s impossible. That person… couldn’t possibly be killing people just to stop the permafrost from melting. Even if you said that, Sister Aijieliya wouldn’t believe it—”
My hand moved to my chest, a heart-wrenching feeling welling up there, forcing me to grab it.
“If she was doing it for that, then why didn’t she just tell me directly back then? I’m the Saintess! I could have been her environmental public welfare ambassador!” I said, patting my chest.
“I could have used all my resources to help her! But what about her? After she fell into the abyss of magic, I even ran away from home to find her… but when she saw me, she wouldn’t say a single word… If it really was to protect the environment, if it really was to prevent a catastrophe from the melting permafrost, why… why wouldn’t she tell me a single word?”
“Fei’er, don’t get so agitated.”
“Ah… I’m sorry.”
I snapped back from my chaotic thoughts, took a deep breath, and adjusted my state of mind before forcing a smile at Lian Qi.
“I got too emotional just now. I really need to reflect on myself when I get back.”
As the Saintess, I should be bringing positive energy to those around me. I really lost my composure just now. I need to have a good think.
“I didn’t mean that the Demon King wants to stagnate magic for environmental reasons,” Lian Qi said, one hand on her hip, letting out a light sigh.
“Mm… I understand now.”
“Based on your description, the Demon King definitely has other motives.”
“Other motives?”
What kind of motives?
I just can’t figure it out.
For a moment, I almost thought it was related to environmentalism, but in reality, it couldn’t possibly be. Otherwise, wouldn’t it have been easier to just destroy the Mana Furnace directly? Why go to the trouble of eliminating all the powerful mages and adventurers?
Then, Lian Qi said something that truly shocked me—“But are the Druids really doing this to protect the environment?”
“Eh?? Lian Qi, isn’t that idea a little too bold?”
“Bold? Their ideas are astonishingly consistent with the Demon King’s plan. Is it so strange that I suspect they’re related?” Lian Qi said, staring at me seriously.
“Do you remember the student council at the Magic Academy?”
“I remember,” I nodded. “The student council was corrupting the students from within the Magic Academy. The mastermind behind it wanted magic to stagnate.”
Lian Qi looked around, taking in all the efforts the Druids had made for environmental protection, then said softly: “I’m just afraid the Druid organization is the same.”
Lian Qi’s words sent a chill down my spine. I glanced into the distance. Professor Einstein was chatting with Qifeng about something. Is it really okay to leave Qifeng alone over there?
“Lian Qi, it’s not that I don’t believe you, but Professor Einstein has been dedicated to abolishing the Mana Furnace for decades. The Demon King wasn’t even born back then.”
“Did you forget? The people in the student council had no idea what they were really doing.”
“You mean—”
“They might genuinely believe they are protecting the environment.”
”!?” I stared at her, astonished.
“Of course, this is just my guess. There’s no proof yet. I still have a lot of doubts I need to clear up. Let’s go humor Professor Einstein and Loroshe for a bit, and then head back,” she said, brushing past me.
“How… how do you see things so clearly?” I couldn’t help but turn and ask her.
Although I also felt something was wrong, Lian Qi was the one who put my sense of disharmony into words.
“Don’t forget, I’m a transmigrator.” Lian Qi looked back at me. Even though she’s a girl, her confident smile was so… handsome.
“My father is a scientist. He told me that science begins with doubt.”
“Ah… what?”
“First, we need to verify one thing: does magic really affect the melting of the permafrost?”
…
Afterward, I evasively said I would “think about it” and that I had “matters at the Church” so I had to go back today.
Professor Einstein didn’t say much. Loroshe, on the other hand, wanted us to stay for lunch, insisting that we try some of that “non-mana” natural green food. Uwaah… spare me. In any case, I managed to refuse.
Professor Einstein also said he would see us off, but how could I let an elderly man walk me out? In the end, Loroshe alone saw us out of Nature’s Home.
I stood at the border between the forest and the countryside fields, looking back as Loroshe’s blue-haired, white-clothed figure waved goodbye. As we left that place where I couldn’t tell truth from illusion, I finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Back at home, Lian Qi and I explained our conjectures to Qifeng.
“Fei’er, what did I tell you? My inspector’s intuition told me from the start that something was wrong with that Druid organization,” Qifeng said softly, hugging my arm.
Why is it that everyone around me is so full of skepticism?
“Yes, yes. With you guys as my think tank, I can rest easy,” I said with a laugh.
“You didn’t easily agree to their request either, did you? Otherwise, whatever we said would have been too late,” Lian Qi said.
“Of course not. I have my own judgment, okay?”
“You have the face of an innocent little dove. Good thing you’re not one.”
I glared at Lian Qi. “You’re the innocent little dove.”
No matter what, I’m still a boy. It’s too much, for her to talk to me like that.
“So, is the next step to expose the Druid organization’s conspiracy?” Qifeng let go of my arm, sat forward on the sofa, and asked, eager to try.
“I only suspect them. It’s too early to conclude it’s a conspiracy,” Lian Qi said. “All of these environmentalists’ claims are built on the foundation that magic brings disaster to the environment. I need to verify if that’s true.”
“But… the permafrost really is melting,” I said weakly.
“They haven’t produced any evidence that the abuse of magic causes the permafrost to melt. The permafrost melting could just be because your planet’s orbit just happened to get a little closer to the sun.”
“So… I want to see the permafrost for myself,” Lian Qi said.
“I… think Sister Aijieliya can take us.”