High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 1299: Chapter 46 The Benevolent Have No Worries

”This is a world adept at using the power of the mind.”

”Long ago, wizards discovered it. Then they set forth to explore, develop, and expand... just as wizards had done in other worlds. But gradually, things began to change.”

”The rhythm of the magic tide in this world always kept changing, and many spells would suddenly fail. The native mages that wizards put great effort into training often defected after growing in power... and many of the fruits that grew naturally were harmless to the natives, but deadly poison to wizards.”

”We all know the mind is a very secret existence.”

”A world skilled in the power of the mind is also more resistant to external changes compared to other worlds... well, to use the terms of the wizard investigators, this world is too selfish, merely for its own existence, it prevents the people living in this world from pursuing a better future.”

The gentleman was speaking slowly and softly to Zheng Qing about the history of this world, about the origin of these ’Aquariums.’ The young cost student, listening to the tale, couldn’t help feeling a sense of unease.

To his simple understanding, this was essentially a history of struggle between a colony and its colonizers—oppression and resistance, pacification and subjugation—the colonizers believed they brought civilization, while the colony believed they needed independence above all.

From an objective standpoint, it was difficult to decide which side’s claims were more justifiable.

But from the wizards’ standpoint, clearly, the wizards represented the direction of the advancement of productive forces, which was the inevitable trend. Just like all the stories throughout history between colonies and colonizers, the native and backward civilizations were crushed under the wheels of the foreign advanced civilizations, and the ’New World’ that was cultivated basked in the glory of magic, bursting with vigorous life.

”Of course, all this vitality is just a facade,” the gentleman nodded, affirming the boy’s suspicion:

”Just like the Triple World we experienced before... on the surface, it looks full of life. But this vitality is built upon innumerable bones and wronged souls. If the ’resistance’ beneath the bones and wronged souls is not thoroughly eradicated, when this vitality grows, it will be the time when the Wizard World suffers backlash.”

The gentleman’s words were full of sharp insights.

Every term deserved Zheng Qing’s serious contemplation, to be unpacked and savored slowly.

”...These brains are the ’resistance’ beneath the bones and wronged souls, the seed this world has left for itself, Gaia’s desperate struggle, the final determination of the resisters.”

”They gathered the remaining power of this world, stripped the strong of their freedom, and sent them into the formations, extracting the deepest spiritual and mental energies from them to forge this barrier named ’Thought’.”

”Those ’strong’ could have had a better future... fine food, luxurious clothing, power, money, and strength, et cetera. But they were bound by this world.”

”This resistance, by trading the freedom of some, ensures the seed can survive under the barrier. If unwilling to die standing, one must live crouching.”

”Should we help them?” the boy couldn’t help asking—he was referring to those who were bound. Watching the brains bobbing unpredictably inside the ’Aquarium,’ Zheng Qing genuinely felt heartache.

”Of course, that is why we are here,” the gentleman said as he stepped forward and raised his hand with a wave. A gray surge of air suddenly appeared, rolling forward, engulfing everything. All the glass jars, the murky liquid, the naked brains, the crisscrossing tubes—all turned to dust before this gray surge of air.

Like the tide on the night of the full moon inundating the flats, sweeping away all the filth.

The entire world was cleansed.

Zheng Qing was dumbstruck, unable to speak.

His notion of salvation was not this.

”The poison of the mind is harder to purge than any other power,” the gentleman patted his hands as if dusting off the non-existent dust: ”Sending them to reincarnation is more thorough, cleaner than any salvation... most worlds, the hunting teams and the Big Wizards can handle it quite cleanly. But for worlds like this that possess ’seeds of resistance,’ and where the power of resistance is deeply hidden, a High Order wizard is needed.”

”Only a High Order wizard can completely destroy the soil that nurtures those forces of resistance.”

”Do you find our actions evil?”

The gentleman threw the question back, not waiting for Zheng Qing to answer, he continued: ”Of course it’s evil. To this world, we are the most evil existence. And they are symbols of justice and courage. But are we truly evil? We bring civilization to this world, we bring freedom, we bring prosperity.”

”Justice and courage are certainly important, but all justice is biased, and all courage comes with a price. Irresponsible courage is reckless and hasty, leading to destruction; justice without a stance is the folly and ignorance of offspring.”

”Now, having looked at two case studies, tell me, what did you learn?”

”From these two cases, what commonalities did you identify?”

Zheng Qing glanced at his teacher in bewilderment and then looked down at the notebook in his hand—it was packed with the teacher’s past words and filled with his own insights and the stories he experienced today.

Yet, there was no commonality.

One was an Old World Trickster praying to the Big Wizard for power; the other was a seed of rebellion in the New World, turning to ash under the overwhelming force.

What commonality could there be between the two? They were utterly unrelated!

Zheng Qing twiddled the slender shaft of the feather pen in his hand, staring at the emerald feathers twirling between his fingertips like a tiny windmill, his mind a blur, struggling to extract even a semblance of oil from water.

”Look beyond the surface to grasp the essence of the two events,” the teacher reminded.

Essence? What essence?

Zheng Qing’s brain whirred furiously—the essence was that Sister Korma smashed a Trickster’s hope with utter indifference, even though the Trickster was a villain; the essence was that the teacher destroyed the hope of a World with equal indifference, even though that World had twisted into something hideous.

Indifference?

Zheng Qing faintly grasped a thread of understanding.

”The Saint regards all beings as straw dogs?” he ventured, using the ancients’ words to answer his teacher.

”You’re off mark,” the teacher said sternly, ”but you have the right direction... Think about our starting point.”

Starting point?

Sister Korma’s starting point was to be responsible for the history of Tricksters; the teacher’s was to save this twisted World, to take responsibility for it.

”With great power comes great responsibility,” the young man murmured, licking his dry lips, offering an answer he himself hardly believed.

”Still not quite right,” the teacher shook his head. ”Start with yourself, and recall what I said before the lesson.”

What had the teacher said before the lesson?

’...The people of Alpha often say Jiuyou is full of Bookworms, and you have the airs of a scholar, and the daze, too. But this isn’t what I hope for you. Your vision should be broader.’

’...When substance prevails over pedantry, there is crudeness; when pedantry prevails over substance, there is pedantry. The combination of the two is the way of the Gentleman.’

’...Starting today, I will take you around to see the world, to reacquaint you with the World, to rethink your own essence. To know others is intelligence, to know oneself is enlightenment... The content of the first lesson, to be born human, what does it mean to be humane (Ren).’

Zheng Qing flipped through his notebook, extracting keywords from these statements.

In the end, he circled two words.

——Gentleman.

——How to be humane (Ren).

Zheng Qing’s mind suddenly cleared.

”Those who practice Ren have no worries,” the Young Wizard answered softly.

Finally, the teacher’s face showed a satisfied smile.