What exactly is death
The body loses activity, the heart stops beating, the brain stops functioning, and the soul is completely annihilated... These are all signs of death. As long as one appears, the countdown to death will be announced in 90% of cases.
But are these absolutes
Not necessarily. The Lich's body is inactive, the Treant has no heart at all, the Headless Horseman's head is just a decoration, and there might be a pumpkin on it when he is happy, and some beings can live comfortably without even needing a soul. Comfortable, even extremely powerful.
However, in this cruel and dark multiverse, death is inevitable for any existence. Even extraordinary beings need to cross high thresholds to temporarily escape its pursuit.
"Priest, I have to say something."
In the underground sterile laboratory at the headquarters of Winterburg Academy, a man with a deep voice calmly said to the disciple who was kneeling in front of him: "All members of the 'Looker' elf tribe have been eroded by chaos, and their souls have been infected by the evil god of plague. Attack, the situation is very bad now, they are currently receiving treatment in the elves' hometown in the far south, and the time of recovery is unpredictable at all."
"However, fortunately, the mother tree used its last strength to protect their souls and bodies before it was destroyed. Although they were severely damaged, their lives were not worried. At least they were guaranteed to be alive."
After saying this, the man found that his disciple's body trembled.
"But... Suer is not connected to the mother tree."
"In this case, he should be dead."
Hearing this, the gray-haired young man immediately gritted his teeth, while the man narrowed his eyes, looked at his disciple, and then whispered: "Priest, why are you so sad."
He chuckled and said, "You are an extraordinary person. Do you really think that death is the end?"
"Death is only the beginning."
Starfall 840, March 7, seven o'clock in the morning, on the second floor of the Lord's Mansion in the inner city of Moldavia.
Humans like to use the word unique to describe precious and rare things, and they like to use the word ubiquitous to describe the commonness and prevalence of a thing.
In Mycroft's world, ordinary humans without extraordinary powers are common and widespread. Among the ten people, there are almost eight or nine ordinary people without any extraordinary power, and the remaining one may not be a serious professional, maybe he only knows one or two magic tricks or fighting skills.
In contrast, extraordinary people are undoubtedly rare. In Mycroft's world of high magic, everyone may know the existence of magic, but they can really cross the barrier of the middle-level Black Iron and become the upper-level Black Iron. People who belong to the serious professional class are absolutely rare, just like everyone knows what to do to lose weight, but only a small number of people can successfully lose weight.
However, although it is said that there is indeed a clear distinction between 'ordinary humans' and 'extraordinary beings'.
But there are no 'ordinary people' in this world.
The Grand Steward of the Lord's Mansion of Moldavia, the Super Administrator of the Magic Network of Winterfort College, the Honorary Vice President of the Official Chamber of Commerce of the Northland Lord's Mansion, he may have been a weapon but now he has become a full housekeeper, Rin Akrol Sitting at the desk in his room, he browsed the forum in the spiritual terminal with a serious face, and then launched the second large-scale network cleanup event this year.
"These people live online, why do they have so much energy every day?"
The black-haired boy ruthlessly deleted all junk posts, advertising posts, and spam posts in the forum, and successively banned many students who spoke irregularly, with varying lengths of bans, causing many students in the forum to tremble and tremble.
“Do one good deed a day.”
After doing this, a refreshed Rin clapped her hands and exited the magic network.
As the seventh-generation divine machine created by the Empire's Artificial Fairy Project, Rin and his sister both have fairy-like psychic bodies, which allows them to log into the demon without using gem-like spiritual terminals like ordinary humans. Net - In fact, their existence itself is a giant spiritual terminal. With just a thought, they can easily connect to the magic net in any environment.
It is precisely because of this that he, together with Miss No. 3 and Yingying, became one of the super administrators who manage the Magic Network, providing a quiet and clean Internet environment for more and more spiritual end users - the official rhetoric should be taken seriously. Listen, in fact, the black-haired boy is just a little obsessive-compulsive, and he can't stand any non-standard posting format.
Standing up from the desk, Rin sorted out the notes and books he had read last night. He put aside the unfinished books such as 'On the Empire', 'City of Faith', 'Advanced Contemporary Magical Runes·Ether', and Put the notes away one by one, and then put the books that you have read, such as 'How to please your leader·How to get promoted', 'Thirty-three points for raising a dragon' and 'Social Movement' into the bookcase and arrange them neatly. .
You can see that there are two pictures on the side of the bookcase. One picture is Rin's schedule for this month. It is densely packed with key points and red circles, and the other picture is a magic photo of a person. The black-haired man took the black-haired boy for a ride on a black dragon in a snowstorm.
After finishing tidying up, the meticulous Rin turned off the desk lamp, straightened his collar, and prepared to go out for a new day's work.
Some time ago, the master woke up from his slumber. After returning to the territory, it was really noisy for a while. Because of the safety of the lord and his successful advancement, many old friends from all over the world came to celebrate. His Majesty the Pope brought He came in person with his adopted son Loranda, and Brandon, who had been honing his sword skills in the abyss for the past few days, also brought his family to visit, not to mention the group of legendary strong men. For more than a month, the people of Northland They were all shrouded under the pressure of the resurrected legendary powerhouse. The local monsters that had no time to escape were basically tamed directly. Not only did they not dare to bite when they saw people, they would even lie down and wag their tails, looking pitiful.
Those days were really busy. When Rin recalled that month, she couldn't help but pursed her lips and shook her head. If the master hadn't given them the training materials of the fairies from the Fairy Country, she and her sister would have been able to draw parallels and become more powerful. If you go further, you might actually be so busy that your head spins.
But it's much better now - the communication between the master and the legendary powerhouses has ended, the craze for advancement has gradually begun to cool down, and everything is returning to its original track.
And just as the black-haired boy walked out of his room, he passed by a statue.
The appearance of the statue is exactly the same as the boy himself. It can even be said that ordinary people cannot tell the difference between the two when they are still. Rin stopped, looked at the statue up and down, and then couldn't help but smile.
This statue was made for everyone in the Lord's Mansion when the previous owner was practicing creation. It was shaped on an atomic scale and perfectly restored everyone's appearance and expressions. The level of detail was incredible. When he saw it for the first time, Lin was stunned. I have the illusion that I am looking at myself.
The statue of Rin is wearing a butler's uniform. There is nothing special about it. He just sits on a chair normally, holding a book in his hand and looking at it quietly. His expression seems to be thinking, as if he has some understanding.
It's very detailed, but it doesn't have any very special features worth remembering. It's not as beautiful and eye-catching as my sister and Miss No. 3, nor is it as majestic as the black dragon form. At first glance, this statue just looks like Just an ordinary boy reading a book.
This is a matter of course.
Rin knew that he was not a special person.
I will only work meticulously, obey orders and instructions, and complete the tasks assigned by my master. I will not have any other unnecessary thoughts or complaints.
Be meticulous in what you should do, keep the instructions in mind, and take good care of your sister who is a little out of line because she was abandoned at the beginning of forging. Raise a certain black dragon when the owner is away, and take her and Xiaoguang for a walk, if necessary , sometimes he has to assist Miss No. 3 in solving some technical problems, and by the way, he uses his superb fairy card technology to confirm the leadership status of the family... He is not conspicuous, hiding behind the scenes, and seems to be just an ordinary person.
But he is not ordinary, not an ordinary butler character that can be seen everywhere.
The black-haired boy knew this and firmly believed it.
He is the perfect divine machine, the best weapon, squire and steward.
This is his unique identity.
Thinking of this, he opened the door, walked through the corridor, walked out of the Lord's Mansion, and headed towards the Chamber of Commerce headquarters not far away.
Along the way, you can still vaguely see the traces left by the celebration carnival not long ago. The street radios and LCD screens are playing melodious morning music. You can vaguely hear the opening of the business district not far away. In the surrounding houses, you can see Many residents are opening their doors and cleaning away the snow and icicles under their roofs. You can see that the owners of the houses are of various races, from dwarves to elves, from halflings to dwarfs. You can even see people preparing to go to the business district to buy ingredients. The human aunt was chatting with the neighbor's murloc, making a sound that God knows who could understand.
The door of a residential house opened. A man with platinum-blond hair was carrying a snow shovel, preparing to clear the snow outside. He inadvertently raised his head and saw the black-haired boy who had already walked down the street.
"Hey, isn't that Butler Rin?"
The man was stunned for a moment, then shook his head and sighed: "You go out to work early in the morning, you are really serious and responsible."
"Brother, what are you doing?"
A somewhat lazy female voice came from inside the house: "Hurry up and finish shoveling the snow and come over for breakfast. Today we have to report to the Human Resources Department of the Royal Mage Association."
"Yes, Amira, I understand." Responding to his sister's words with a smile, Ivan Marklov rolled up his sleeves and began to bend down to shovel the snow.
In fact, with his gold-level power, the chief graduate of Winterfort Academy, he can control magic power with just a thought, and clear all the snow in his house and even the entire block - but it's not bad to do physical labor occasionally. What's more, there are regulations in the urban area that prohibit the use of any power that is equivalent to or exceeds the initial level of silver. Those who violate the prohibition will be thrown into the magic energy factory and serve as human magic engines for a period of time.
Like to use extraordinary powers blindly? Then use it to your heart's content and contribute to the public.
Although it sounds like the rules and regulations are just to take care of the safety of ordinary residents, in fact, Ivan, who has begun to gradually enter the empire's management, knows that things are not that simple.
Because the number of extraordinary people is gradually increasing.
More than ten years ago, before the demonic tide arrived, the density of free energy in the entire world was not very high, and the inheritance of extraordinary people was generally spread through small academies and master-disciple inheritance. Therefore, the number of extraordinary people was very rare, even if it was counted. Adopting the most widely circulated military cultivation method and some simple witchcraft skills of folk spellcasters, the number of extraordinary people is also very rare.
But now, the demonic tide is coming. Recently, large-scale extraordinary academies have been opened all over the world. The number of extraordinary people is increasing at an obvious speed.
From Ivan's own point of view, things are even more obvious - ever since he and his sister Amira graduated from Winterfort College, moved out from their grandfather Edward's place, and bought a house in the city center, he has spent every day You can hear the news that the children or relatives of the surrounding residents have entered Winter Castle. There are even parents who have signed up for the 'Advanced Practical Training Class' specially opened for adults by the Lord's Mansion and learned a thing or two about magic or fighting spirit.
In just half a year, the number of extraordinary beings that was originally one percent or one-tenth quickly expanded, to the point where there were even three or four extraordinary beings among ten people.
Although it is said that most of the new professionals are just the most superficial and low-level extraordinary people, even so, they can use magic equipment, activate rune arrays, and exert their power through magic tools. Not a weak force... It is precisely because of this that as the number of extraordinary people increases, there are more and more special laws for extraordinary people.
After shoveling the snow, Ivan returned to the house, put the shovel behind the door, and walked to the kitchen to prepare for breakfast. When he sat next to a girl with the same platinum hair as him, Ivan asked casually: "How is our dragon?"
"Still sleeping, it will probably take a few days to wake up."
Amira spread jam on Ivan's bread and replied nonchalantly: "Speaking of which, brother, do you think we can really go to the abyss?"
"why not?"
Ivan poured a glass of milk for Amira. Hearing this, he shook his head in confusion: "You still remember what the teacher said when he came to us disciples a few days ago, right?"
"Mycroft's world has reached a critical moment. In the past, we were imprisoned in a dark and ancient cage, but now, we have to break free from this rotten, rust-covered shackles and leave this cage. It is obvious that Teacher and the others this time It’s obvious that we have made some great discoveries during our adventure, and our resources are moving towards the ‘new world’ that the teacher calls it.”
When he said this, Ivan took a bite of bread smeared with jam and said vaguely: "I know, you must be thinking, since the resources are beginning to be biased towards the New World, why do we go to the abyss? It's simple, I My sister, because we must be safe when fighting outside... The world of Mycroft is approaching the abyss, so before moving towards the new world, we must first deal with the threats next to it."
As he spoke, he swallowed the food in his mouth, looked at his sister, and said with a smile: "The group of people in the External Exploration Department like to take risks. All those of us who don't like to move around need to do is let them take risks. At that time, my hometown became more stable. What’s more, even if there is no such reason, wouldn’t we still look for opportunities to go to the abyss?”
This was a matter of course. The brother and sister, who had sworn to fight against the five-color dragon in their lives, looked at each other and smiled, then lowered their heads and ate their breakfast quietly.
Wherever the five-colored dragons are, they are there.
Of course they were headed for the abyss.
"Of course we're going to the abyss!"
The dragon girl Lisa loudly announced her newly determined plan in her home: "It's time to send Mr. Syndicate back to his hometown to visit!"
In recent times, the dragon girl's words have become more straightforward and direct, without any euphemism, and I don't know who she learned it from.
"Zizi." (Support)
In the hall, a silver alarm clock on the table rang twice, making a sound of support. The clone of No. 1 dutifully turned the stopwatch and continued: "Zizzizizi?" (When do we set off?)
On the other side, a dragon man who looked similar to Lisa but was slightly taller and more masculine was sitting on the sofa reading a newspaper. He blinked and subconsciously complained: "What do you mean by sending me back to my hometown? "
"Hey, Mr. Syndicate, don't you want to go back?"
The dragon girl who announced the news originally thought that Enma would be very happy, but she did not expect that the other party would have such an attitude. She immediately lowered her head in disappointment, unable to see her expression clearly.
"No, Lisa, you see, I am no longer the Balrog!" Seeing Lisa's sad look, Syndicate immediately became nervous. He quickly put down the newspaper, stood up, walked to Lisa's side, and held her hand. The hand wanted to explain: "After my life form has changed, I am no longer a demon, let alone the abyss... Hey, you are not crying?!"
"Of course not." Lisa grabbed Syndicate's hand and raised her head. Her face was sunny and there was no hint of disappointment. She shrugged, then stood on tiptoes and whispered into Balrog's ear: " I just want to see where you used to live... What, don't you want to?"
"Also...can't...say..."
The Syndicate really wanted to say 'no'. After all, the abyss is indeed not a good place, and to be honest, my life in the abyss is just ordinary fighting, eating, drinking, and nothing interesting. Life in Mycroft's world It was so cozy and comfortable, and the people were nice to talk to. He loved being here so much that he didn't want to go back at all.
But in the end, he compromised: "Okay, Lisa, if you really want to go... let's go. My experience may still be of some use."
"Mr. Syndicate is the best!"
At the same time, Lisa and others were next door.
In a small house in a residential area in Nancheng District, the atmosphere is completely opposite to that of the cheerful one next door.
The cold winter wind blew back, and frost gradually spread on the inside of the glass. Beside the fire, on the sofa in the hall, a gray-haired little girl bit her lower lip and stared blankly at the two pots of different shapes in front of her. two pots of small flowers.
A potted flower is like a dandelion, with a fluffy flower body, but it is golden yellow, and the down is difficult to break away from. This plant called 'Morning Dandelion' is a special fire potion, and its root system is very nourishing. It has the effect of strengthening the body, but the most important thing is that it feels good, very comfortable to touch, very warm, and very suitable for playing in winter.
But the other potted flower looked much more magical. It had seven translucent geometric petals that looked like ice crystals. Each petal was surrounded by a different magical light. The light rotated, and the six elements and ether free in the atmosphere gradually disappeared. Gathering around it, the concentration of magic in the house becomes even stronger.
Britney looked at the two pots of flowers sent by Priest, feeling a little worried.
"Brother hasn't laughed for a long time..."
Ever since Priest returned from the distant galaxy, Britney has rarely seen her brother truly smile.
Two pots of flowers, morning dandelions, were gifts that her brother originally planned to give her. He hid them in the attic on the roof, thinking that he didn't find them. However, when he didn't come back for such a long time, she had to water them by herself... Britney originally thought that she She would be angry with this untrustworthy brother, but in the end, when she saw Priest's tired look, Britney found that she actually couldn't say anything to blame her. She could only hug the waist of her only relative and thank Seven God brought him home safely.
Another pot of flowers is called 'Seven Colors'. According to my brother's words, it is actually a gift from the legendary strongman Nature Mentor of the Elf clan. It is a rare high-level magic potion. Its floral fragrance can effectively enhance the Druid's perception of the power of nature. 's speed.
But even after receiving such a precious gift and even receiving a public commendation from the lord, the elder brother still did not smile and looked worried.
"You look sad."
Britney asked directly at that time: "Brother, why?"
"Because your brother and I are too weak."
Priest also gave a very direct answer. He sighed and said: "All anger and sadness come from your own powerlessness. Britney, you must practice well to avoid becoming like your brother in the future. Ugly.”
My brother has obviously done a good job. The gray-haired girl thought so. But it's definitely not enough, at least my brother thinks it's not enough.
Being greedy is not a bad thing at all. Only when you have desire can you be motivated, just like yourself. If the school didn't give out little red flowers or reward candies, who would study so hard
But sometimes, if you encounter a problem that you don’t know, you can ask the teacher.
Even elementary school students know how to do it!
"If there is any problem that you can't solve, brother, then why don't you ask the lord?"
This is what little Britney said to Priest not long ago: "The Lord is your teacher after all... The Lord is so powerful, brother, if you can't solve the problem, the Lord will definitely be able to solve it, or at least, he can tell you how to solve it. Way to do it."
Then, my brother really went to find the lord.
Until now, he has not come back.
"Oh, my brother is so sad every day, which makes it hard for me to even eat."
Thinking of this, Britney stroked the Dawn Dandelion and felt a little more comfortable: "If it doesn't work out this time... then I'll lend him the dandelion to stroke."
But just when Britney was thinking reluctantly that it would be better to lend Dandelion to Priest for a few days, she suddenly heard familiar footsteps coming from outside the door, as well as the sound of her brother talking to someone— and! Although her tone sounded calm, Britney could tell that her brother no longer exuded negative energy like before!
"... This is my home... Your father and others are still alive and are being treated in the far south. Next time I have a chance, I will take you to see them... "
"Priest! The buildings here are so tall—so magical! So beautiful! Did you originally live in a place like this?"
I can also hear the voice of a strange girl.
"Britney, I'm back!"
Click, the sound of the door opening came.
The gray-haired young man walked into the house leading an elf with green hair and golden eyes who looked very curious and enthusiastic.
However, it can be vaguely seen that the elf's body is somewhat mutilated. The hand holding Priest is even more translucent. There is a huge, void wound on her back, and her body is also very illusory. In the strong wind, The raging outside world even seemed a little erratic, like a phantom, until it became a little more vivid when entering the house.
There is no doubt that this is an undead, an undead with its own will.
When the undead saw the little gray-haired girl running over and looking at him curiously, she suddenly showed a big smile, then knelt down and said hello very seriously: "Hello, you. That’s Priest’s sister Britney, right? My name is Soul!”
"Don't be afraid. Although I am dead, I will not harm anyone."
This is a very cruel world.
War, destruction, natural disasters, chaos... Death follows us everywhere, like gangrene in the bones.
This is also a very gentle world.
Because as long as it is strong enough.
Even death can be overcome.
(End of chapter)