Chapter 126: The Pain Humans Cannot Endure
“Don’t ask. It’s just the natural smell of the prison.”
Kailun released Vivian’s hand and pinched Phils’s nose.
He had clearly used a cleaning spell, but Phils still smelled something strange. Kailun suspected her nose was even more sensitive than a dog’s.
“It’s getting late. We should go back. In the next few days, we’ll just wait and watch the show.”
After dispelling Phils’s doubts, Kailun walked ahead with her.
Looking at Kailun who had casually abandoned her, Vivian pouted, revealing her sharp little canine teeth.
Helplessly, she turned her gaze to her sister. “Hey, little doggy over there, come and help me.”
“…” Hilna’s face darkened. “I have a name.”
Vivian: “Whatever, it doesn’t matter. By the way, I just learned a secret you’ll be interested in. If you come and help me, maybe I’ll tell you. If you’re late, you won’t get this chance.”
After hesitating for a moment, Hilna walked over and helped Vivian, who couldn’t even walk steadily.
‘It’s no big deal, just bear with it a little longer…’
Hilna comforted herself in her heart. Her proud heart had already been shattered into a thousand pieces.
She was waiting for an opportunity, a chance to turn the tables.
Inside the carriage parked outside the palace, Kailun asked Phils, “Tell me about the recent situation in the Xiya Kingdom. I want to see if there’s anything I’ve missed.”
Phils took Kailun’s hand and sat down beside him, her brow slightly furrowed as she carefully recalled all the data she had seen recently. “First of all, there’s an influx of mages. Compared to warriors and knights, the number of mages entering the Xiya Kingdom is increasing rapidly. As of noon today, there are ten new seventh-rank mages, nearly eighty sixth-rank mages, and countless lower-ranked ones. They’re all here for Kailson and another eighth-rank mage whose name I don’t know.”
Speaking halfway, Phils snuggled into Kailun’s arms.
She rested her head on his chest and continued, “With you lifting the restrictions on knowledge, the surrounding countries have sent condemnations, saying that your actions are absolutely evil and will plunge this region into chaos. But these guys can only talk. They don’t dare to send troops. They don’t even have an eighth-rank mage. In addition, recent gold coin consumption has been high. It’s estimated that the treasury will be depleted in half a month.”
There were too many plans in progress simultaneously, and many of them were money-burning projects. The fact that the treasury could last for another half a month was already a testament to Phils’s meticulous budgeting.
Kailun played with Phils’s purple hair. “Don’t worry about the money. Someone will send us money soon. Now, we just need to drive up the price of magic crystals, and we’ll get the biggest return. Imagine, we control the Malaga Kingdom’s trade route and own the large mine in Stamp Territory. In other words, we control the future lifeline. The current mages are staying because of their thirst for knowledge. In the future, they will stay because of their thirst for resources. This method can strengthen the Xiya Kingdom in a short period of time.”
Admittedly, this was a risky move, but in Kailun’s view, it was worth the risk.
Profit was a complex topic. As long as the Xiya Kingdom upheld the banner of absolute neutrality, guarded important resources, and shared all kinds of knowledge like crazy, people would continue to flock in.
Kailun’s actions would definitely be criticized by many. In a sense, he was a demon unleashing madness.
But the current Xiya Kingdom couldn’t stop. If he slowed down, he would be met with repeated blows.
“You’re really too wicked. Many people must want to kill you.”
Phils closed her eyes and listened to Kailun’s heartbeat. “Duke Pit of the Rose Kingdom sent a message to Count Laurist today, asking him to provide enough magic crystals as soon as possible. Count Laurist hasn’t replied yet. He’s waiting for your instructions.”
Kailun scratched Phils’s chin like he was petting a cat. “Tell him to refuse. It’s time to let Pit give up. I can’t wait to see him spend a fortune buying magic crystals.”
Thanks to Dean Edlin’s massive purchases, everyone who got the news had raised the price of magic crystals again. It had now reached a ratio of one gold coin to sixty ordinary magic crystals.
He wondered if poor Dean Edlin had cried herself to death. At this rate, she had lost more than a million gold coins.
A simple calculation showed that even if ten Edlins sold themselves to Kailun, they wouldn’t be able to fill this hole.
Perhaps Edlin’s greatest wish now was to be as valuable as Chrissy. If the Temple of the Celestial God raised her bounty to five million, she might even sell herself.
Seeing Vivian and Hilna get on the carriage and sit opposite them, Kailun and Phils stopped their conversation.
……
“My mission this time is complete. That ridiculous Duke Pit actually wanted to take advantage of me. He’s delusional.”
In Count Laurist’s territory, the Winnie family was holding a family banquet to celebrate the Count’s safe return.
Count Laurist sat at the head of the table, boasting about his bravery. At this stage of the plan, he had basically retired. The remaining steps would be handled by Philip, the manager of the Magic Shop.
Lady Laurist cut his steak for him and said happily, “It’s good that you’re back, it’s good. That demon Kailun actually asked you to do such a dangerous thing. If something had happened to you, what would we have done?”
She had originally thought her husband would join her in criticizing Kailun, but to her surprise, Laurist shook his head. “My dear, Kailun is no longer someone we can casually speculate about. Along the way, I learned a lot of different things. In the rumors of neighboring countries, Kailun is a miracle worker. He defeated the Temple of the Celestial God, captured the eighth-rank Kailson, and is someone who shouldn’t be provoked. Domestically, he makes strategic decisions from thousands of miles away and has never been defeated. The Xiya Kingdom is becoming increasingly powerful because of him.”
Count Laurist stabbed his steak with a knife. “So I began to reflect, could it be that we are the ones who are wrong, not him? Could it be that we just have different stances?”
Now, the Laurist family had become a count family. If they could cooperate well with Philip and complete the follow-up plan, it wouldn’t be impossible for them to become a marquis family.
It was like a dream. It seemed that by sacrificing only one daughter, he had brought his family to an unprecedented peak.
In his opinion, as long as Kailun didn’t fall, the family would have a powerful backer. Thinking about it this way, the previous misunderstanding became acceptable.
“Clang!”
The knife and fork in Lady Laurist’s hands fell onto the plate with a clang.
Her expression changed rapidly. “Have you also been bewitched by that demon? Something’s not right! Something’s not right! All of you are acting strange, not just you, but even Winnie is speaking up for that demon.”
For a moment, Lady Laurist felt that the world had gone mad. She wondered if either she had gone crazy or the world had gone crazy.
“Actually, Kailun is quite good to most people.”
Winnie whispered a “fair statement,” and she consciously excluded herself from “most people.”
Lady Laurist: “…”
She looked at her husband, then at her daughter. Why did she feel like fainting?
……
Time passed slowly, and the changes in the Xiya Kingdom were on track. The Chamber of Commerce, managed by Ella, had successfully established a basic framework and could barely be put into normal use.
Kailun had a brief period of normalcy, during which he often received abusive letters from others, most of which came from Duke Pit.
The Duke had become like an ant on a hot pan. The price of magic crystals was rising along with his blood pressure, and it was only a matter of time before he exploded.
In addition to abusive letters, Kailun often received another kind of unique magic letter.
These letters came from Saint Chrissy. She would send Kailun intelligence reports on the Temple of the Celestial God’s specific arrangements, and she would also leave behind some strange words and symbols.
Every word and every line was filled with suggestive undertones. Even Afra, upon reading them, declared them to be perverted.
Afra had collected all these letters, claiming that she was studying them.
For some reason, Afra had been acting strangely lately. She was always following Kailun around, as if afraid that he would disappear in the blink of an eye.
This symptom only subsided slightly the next day, but it was followed by Hilna’s suffering.
Afra seemed to have set her sights on Hilna. Every night, she would call Hilna over and make Kailun bully her relentlessly, finally sending Hilna back to her room, her stomach full of “bitter water.”
Her treatment was even worse than Winnie’s had been.
It was worth mentioning that Paul had become the sole candidate for Saint. All those who had competed with him had been assassinated. According to Chrissy, it was probably the work of the previous Saint Henry, who had gone into hiding.
This meant that the next Saint would definitely be Paul, which was good news for Kailun.
The third day arrived, a special day.
Alaye, the holy land of the Temple of the Celestial God, was unusually lively today, as a new Saint would be born.
Every time a new Saint and Saintess replaced the old ones, it was a day worth commemorating. However, compared to previous years, very few high-ranking officials attended this year. Even the Pope herself was absent, let alone the Empress who ruled the empire.
In fact, the Pope had secretly set off for the main battlefield with her people three days ago. The previous Saint’s success in assassinating the other candidates was also due to the Pope’s absence.
If he hadn’t already been on his way, the Pope would have definitely hunted down the previous Saint throughout the empire and killed him.
In order to preserve the dignity of the Temple of the Celestial God, the matter of the candidate Saints being collectively assassinated was suppressed, and Paul became the sole victor.
Paul becoming Saint was also the result of the efforts of another faction, otherwise, it wouldn’t have been so easy.
The investiture, the ceremony, the congratulatory gifts… everything was simplified. Paul became the fastest Saint in history.
During the ceremony, he enjoyed the worship of the believers, and his lost confidence was slightly restored.
The only pity was that he didn’t see Saint Chrissy. He had originally thought that becoming Saint would bring him closer to her, but to his surprise, she didn’t even attend his ceremony.
Surrounded by a group of people, he was led into a secret chamber called the Holy Inheritance, where he met the previous Saint, Joseph, who had been waiting for him.
“It’s great. After today, I’ll be completely useless.”
Joseph sat on the altar in the center of the chamber. The altar beneath him was engraved with a complex magic circle, with layers upon layers of intricate patterns that no one knew the rank of.
At this moment, Joseph looked utterly dejected. His face was covered in stubble, and his hair was messy.
Harry had brought back Paul, and Paul had replaced him. After today, he would truly have nothing left.
Once the inheritance was complete, he would never be able to touch the eighth rank in this lifetime.
Joseph envied Paul’s talent, envied it to the point of madness.
While Joseph was looking down and his attention wasn’t on him, Paul took out a small, gold coin-sized array disk from his pocket and tucked it under the altar.
After completing the preliminary preparations, he jumped onto the altar and sat opposite Joseph, saying respectfully, “Senior Joseph, let’s begin. No matter what happens afterward, you will always be my senior. I will remember you well, and you will always live in my heart.”
Joseph saw that Paul’s attitude was sincere, and he spoke as if it were true.
“Alright, stop saying these things to me. I can’t disobey Master Henry’s orders. Since they all think highly of you, it means you have the potential to be valued. I’ve been abandoned by them. I hope you won’t become the next me.”
Joseph waved his hand. He sensed the hypocrisy hidden within Paul.
Paul was still too young. He couldn’t even hide his emotions well.
Sighing again, Joseph activated the magic circle on the altar.
“Buzz!”
With a magical hum, a white torrent of magic engulfed the two of them, and a red “bridge” connected their foreheads.
Joseph’s essence continuously flowed into Paul’s body, and his aura began to decline steadily.
Amidst his inner despair, Joseph vaguely felt something was wrong. He felt that the speed at which he was losing his essence seemed to be very fast.
Recalling the scene when he had become Saint, the speed at which he had received the essence was far slower than the speed at which he was losing it now.
‘Could this be a difference in talent?’
At first, Joseph attributed it to the difference in talent, but as his essence loss exceeded half, he realized that the problem was not simple.
His strength had dropped from the peak of the seventh rank to the early seventh rank, while Paul, due to his supply, had reached the early seventh rank. Their overall strength was balanced, so logically, the magic circle should have stopped automatically.
However, the magic circle beneath them continued to operate, as if determined to drain him dry.
“Stop! Stop it!”
Joseph frantically tried to interfere with the magic circle using conventional methods, but his attempts were futile.
Seeing that his realm was about to fall to the sixth rank, Joseph quickly stood up and tried to jump off the altar, intending to interrupt the magic supply physically.
“Senior, what are you doing?”
Paul clung tightly to Joseph’s leg, preventing him from leaving.
To Paul, Joseph was a precious sacrifice. He wouldn’t stop until he had absorbed him dry.
The small array disk Paul was using was something Henry had given him, precisely for this moment.
In their view, since Joseph was completely useless, they might as well let Paul benefit from him.
“Let go of me, you villain!”
The altar had a built-in anti-magic effect, so Joseph could only continuously kick Paul, trying to make him let go.
However, Paul, who had already reached the seventh rank, possessed physical strength no weaker than his. His kicks didn’t cause any substantial damage to Paul. Instead, his attacks only made Paul more excited.
“Master Henry said that with the array disk’s enhancement, you will not only lose all your strength but also all your knowledge and memories. But don’t worry, I will put all these things you leave me to good use. I will stand on the shoulders of the Temple of the Celestial God and take revenge on that demon Kailun.”
Paul hugged Joseph’s leg tightly, already fantasizing about his bright future.
Although the array disk he was using had flaws, with Harry’s adjustments, these flaws were now minimal, completely within his acceptable range.
As long as he could completely absorb Joseph’s strength, he would have a chance to reach the eighth rank in a short period of time.
An eighth-rank mage at the age of seventeen, just thinking about it was terrifying. Could Kailun even achieve such a feat?
As he absorbed the power, Paul rapidly assimilated Joseph’s memories and consciousness.
“Get away from me! I brought you back to the Temple of the Celestial God, and not only do you not thank me, but you also want to harm me! You villain will definitely face retribution! Today, I am their abandoned pawn, and in the future, you will also be their abandoned pawn!”
Joseph’s heart was filled with terror. He grabbed the altar with his hands and desperately crawled towards the edge.
Gradually, his strength dwindled, and he had only crawled halfway when he completely lost his strength.
Half an hour later, Paul poked Joseph’s bottom with his finger and, seeing that he was completely motionless, finally felt relieved.
“Pfft!”
Just as Paul stood up from the altar, before he could even laugh out loud, he spat out a mouthful of blood. He clutched his aching head and knelt on the altar, trembling.
Joseph’s consciousness appeared in his mind, vying for control of his body.
Paul had originally thought this would be a fierce battle, but after Joseph came into contact with his memories, his consciousness collapsed for the most part.
His sister was taken away, he was toyed with, his aunt was taken away, he was toyed with again, his childhood sweetheart was taken away, and he was still being toyed with…
Upon encountering these memories, Joseph completely broke down. For the first time, he understood what truly unbearable pain was.
This battle of consciousness ended with Joseph’s collapse. He couldn’t accept controlling Paul’s filthy body. He would rather completely disappear than face Kailun.
The memories from Paul further intensified Joseph’s fear. Compared to living, he wanted to die cleanly.
Recalling the scenes he had just seen, Joseph had only one thought before he perished: Even my soul is no longer pure.
“I feel insulted.”
Although he had won, Paul wasn’t happy.
Joseph’s deeply disgusted emotions lingered in his soul.
Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, Paul shakily stood up. Now, there were many unfamiliar memories in his mind, all belonging to Joseph.
In addition to memories, he also gained a special emotion: the desire to be Saint Chrissy’s dog.
This feeling was incredibly strong, constantly influencing Paul’s mind, making him uncontrollably want to fawn over Chrissy.
For a moment, Chrissy’s importance in his heart even surpassed Harry’s.
“I can’t think about women, I absolutely can’t think about women, or else Kailun will take them away again.”
Paul shook his head in fear. After tidying up the scene, he stumbled towards the door of the chamber.
No one would know what had happened here. Someone would come to deal with it later. The so-called Temple of the Celestial God was not a monolithic entity.
In Paul’s view, the Temple had already been divided into several factions.
“Did it work?”
Stepping out of the chamber, the first person Paul saw was Harry, his face tense.
“There was a slight hiccup, but it doesn’t matter.” Paul ran over and put his arm around Harry’s shoulder.
He needed to rely on Harry to suppress his desire for Chrissy, otherwise, he would uncontrollably give away everything he had.
“Harry, let’s go celebrate.” Paul seemed to have made up his mind and secretly held Harry’s hand. He needed to use another kind of desire to resist.
Harry’s eyes lit up. “What kind of celebration are you talking about?”
Paul: “The room you booked yesterday, the most luxurious restaurant in Alaye.”
Harry: “But I still have to help you clean up.”
Paul: “It’s fine, Henry has already arranged for that.”
Harry: “Alright then, I’ll listen to you today, my Saint.”
……
[Saint Joseph has died. Goodwill reset to zero, attribute feedback reset to zero.]
[Paul’s strength has increased, attribute feedback has increased.]
Kailun, who was far away in the Royal City, immediately learned of the latest changes. Overall, his power only fluctuated slightly.
After learning about the latest developments in the Temple of the Celestial God from Chrissy, Kailun enjoyed Hilna’s massage while writing a magic letter to the Fox.
Kailun: Miss Fox, do you need my help? The Temple of the Celestial God has added several ninth-rank mages, and even the Pope has taken action.
Fox: I don’t believe you. Stop lying to me. I’ve read too many books.
Kailun: At noon today, the Temple of the Celestial God will launch a general offensive. If you can’t hold on, Miss Fox, remember to ask me for help.
Fox: Impossible. I would rather die outside than ask you for help.
Kailun: Don’t be so sure. What if you have someone you want to save, Miss Fox? Fate doesn’t favor a foolish fox. You can think about it. My fees are always reasonable. You can get powerful support just by letting me rub you a little. Isn’t that a good deal?
Fox: Bah, pervert!
Putting Fox’s last magic letter aside, Kailun looked at the pocket watch on the table.
It was already eleven o’clock. In another hour, Miss Fox would have to whimper and act pitiful.
“Master, Miss Winnie is back. She said she has prepared some gifts for you and wants you to take a look.”
Carol stood outside the study, holding a magic book.
“Wait a moment, I’ll be right there.”
Removing Hilna’s hand from his shoulder, Kailun left the room with Carol.
Hilna: “…”
After the two of them left, she looked at the communication device Kailun had left behind, feeling an urge to try it out.
But she didn’t touch it, worried that it was a trick Kailun had left behind to tease her.
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