Chapter 337: Leader
Of course, this was just a guess.
The records of the Underground Civilization alone couldn't provide definitive answers. For example, if they believed they had reached their current state through competition, where were the traces of their defeated, magically-gifted rivals? Did humans begin to develop witches before the First Battle of Divine Will, or did the talent to sense magic exist from the primate era, or even earlier, during the mammalian period?
Or, perhaps they skipped this step entirely, directly evolving into their current form as a result of winning a competition?
To answer these questions, he would probably need a large number of explorers like Lightning.
However, the most pressing goal remained fighting the devils and solving the problem of survival and continuation. Roland believed that, given enough time, piecing together the true face of this world was only a matter of time.
"Previously, this relic was always kept by the Church… no, by Falling Star City?" He looked at Pasha.
Now that he knew this information, protecting the relic's safety was especially important.
"That's right. Due to the existence of the Giant Painting, burying the relic was merely a deceptive act that couldn't prevent the arrival of the Battle of Divine Will. Therefore, it was always guarded by the most powerful witch organization. In addition, magic is exceptionally active during the Evil Moon, and the Evil Beasts attack Hermes like crazy because of the relic's presence." Pasha moved her massive body, allowing Roland to see the scene behind her—the corpses of Evil Beasts were piled into two small hills, and light blue blood flowed across the ground. "After learning that Falling Star City had suffered a major blow, we recovered the relic as soon as possible. It is now very safe in our hands."
"How did you block so many mixed-breed Evil Beasts?" Wendy gasped.
"The God's Punishment Instrument can selectively strip away the magic in the target's body, and these mutated monsters will quickly die without the support of magic." Pasha briefly explained the operating principle of the God's Punishment Instrument. "However, only when the Chosen One activates it can it truly become a powerful weapon."
"Strip away magic?" Roland keenly caught the keyword. "Can't it be used against ordinary creatures? Can Godstones defend against the instrument's effects?"
"No, and it directly affects the essence of magic. The barrier of Godstones has no effect on it."
Being able to cover more than ten miles without any side effects, this was a good environmental weapon, but the activation conditions were a bit too harsh.
He suspected that the Underground Civilization had only theoretically verified this point and hadn't actually tested it. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been reduced to such a miserable state of elimination—being able to create something they couldn't use themselves was probably a scene that could only occur in the magic era.
Without a doubt, compared to the theoretically advanced Underground Civilization and the devils who could cultivate various abilities, humans were at an innate disadvantage in this regard. The random awakening and erratic ways of using magic both indicated the instability of the witch population. Perhaps, given enough time, the limits they could reach would be higher, but what they lacked now was precisely time.
By the time the witches of Taquila found the Chosen One, the steel torrent of Neverwinter City might already be pressing against the devils' faces.
Furthermore, since magic existed in this world, he naturally wouldn't ignore it.
Therefore, the simplest method was to conduct both studies simultaneously—using magic to promote the development of productivity, and then using the abundant resources brought about by the increase in productivity to support magic research.
He believed that any scientific research project could be built with money and people, and magic was no exception.
Having basically understood everything he needed to know, Roland knew it was time to discuss terms.
"I have a general understanding of your situation. First of all, the devils are our common enemy, and there is no doubt about that. Having one more person is one more force. Establishing a united front of Divine Will and strengthening mutual assistance and cooperation is a very necessary measure. What do you think?"
"I completely agree." Pasha nodded her tentacles. "The witches of Taquila don't ask for much, only that Your Majesty continues to recruit witches and let Phyllis find the Chosen One. We will send another God's Punishment Witch to bring new Five-Colored Magic Stones."
"This is not difficult at all. Regardless of whether you have this request, I will expand the scale of the witches. However…" He paused, "I think you should move to a different place to live, such as the mountain range closer to Neverwinter City."
"This…"
"Your Majesty?"
"What about the Evil Beasts?"
Everyone's eyes turned to him, some with worry, some with apprehension, but only Agatha's eyes were full of approval, as if she had known he would do this.
Roland looked around and signaled them to rest assured, then looked directly at Pasha on the light screen, "To be honest, I don't agree with your practice of guarding the relics of the gods alone. Once something goes wrong, our efforts will be in vain. Attracting Evil Beasts is a minor matter. Now that there is no towering defense line of Hermes, if the devils launch an attack, are you sure you can defend it?"
Regardless of whether the demise of the Underground Civilization was really related to the relic, he would rather believe it than not. It was safer to place such a crucial item under his own supervision. At the very least, he could quickly send reinforcements to put out the fire if the survivors of Taquila were attacked.
"As long as we replace the annihilation core, there is no essential difference between devils and Evil Beasts," Celine retorted unconvinced.
"Of course there is. Devil mixed-breeds are much stronger and much more cunning. From those corpses, it can be seen that they once approached your core area—if I'm not mistaken, your God's Punishment Instrument should also be not far from the Illusion Instrument, right?" After saying this, Roland noticed that Pasha's slender tentacles swayed slightly. "If it were the Javelin Berserkers, how many of these magic cores could be preserved?"
"But…"
"If you think I can't do better, or worry about the relic attracting Evil Beasts, you can settle your new home on the front edge of the Western Mountain Range, near the Fertile Plains. I will open up a mountain road directly to your rear, so that even if you encounter danger that you can't handle, Neverwinter City can lend a hand." He said in a frank tone, "Trust is the foundation of cooperation. Putting the relic in a place that both sides consider safe can establish the most basic trust, isn't it?"
Pasha paused the conversation for a while, and the tentacles on her head tangled with other nodules, as if she was using this method to quickly communicate with her companions. It was almost half an hour later that her voice sounded again.
"Before replying, I would like to ask a question first. If we form the united front of Divine Will that Your Majesty mentioned... who will lead everyone in battle?"