89: Chapter 89 The Rebels of the Kingdom of Lake

Zhang Mu looked him up and down.

Compared to his previous image as a down-and-out Middle-aged Man battered by life, his waist, which had been hunched unconsciously, was now as straight as a pine tree.

His right palm rested on the hilt of the longsword at his waist, his expression calm, and his entire being exuded a composed temperament.

Zhang Mu, who originally had no intention of paying attention to him, suddenly felt a spark of interest deep down.

"What is it?"

He did not rush to explain his purpose, instead performing a knightly salute first, then introducing himself: "Sir, you may call me Domit."

"Zhang Mu."

Nodding in acknowledgment, he spoke slowly: "Mr. Zhang Mu, I am very curious, why did you not demand the treasure chest from them?"

"I said it already, I'm not interested."

Domit didn't quite understand this answer, or rather, it wasn't what he wanted to hear.

After a moment of silence, he didn't ask anything else, instead proceeding to state something inexplicable: "I believe the Saul Continent should not be the way it is now."

Zhang Mu's eyes turned thoughtful, and the corners of his mouth slowly curled upward: "The Lake Kingdom's Resistance Army?"

"Yes, sir."

If they were resisting the senior, then they were enemies.

But he didn't rush to a conclusion: "Who are you resisting?"

"We don't know."

Blinking, Zhang Mu asked strangely: "You call yourselves the Resistance Army, but you don't know who you are resisting?"

"The name 'Resistance Army' wasn't chosen by us." Domit wore a reminiscent expression. "Originally, we didn't have a name. Then, we discovered the kingdom's Guard called us the Resistance Army. The leader felt that 'resistance' fit our actions well, so we just started calling ourselves that."

"Just like that, we understood that the thing we were doing was called resistance, but we didn't know who the enemy of our resistance was. In fact, we didn't even know why the Saul Continent shouldn't be the way it is now, or what it should look like."

Zhang Mu laughed upon hearing this, saying cheerfully: "You feel that the gains of Adventurers shouldn't be plundered by powerful individuals or organizations, and that life shouldn't be trampled upon or slaughtered without reason."

His eyes brightened, and Domit's tone became excited: "Yes, sir, you see through the issues very thoroughly!"

"Adventurers fight to the death with each other for treasure chests." With his hands behind his back, Zhang Mu suddenly asked with a lack of interest, "Have you killed Adventurers for treasure?"

He was stunned for a moment, then lowered his head: "I have."

After saying this, he abruptly lifted his head: "But sir, it was they who wanted to rob my treasure chest; I was forced to defend myself. I have never actively..."

"That's it, then." Zhang Mu waved his hand casually to interrupt him, a mischievous smile rising on his face, "Once you eliminate all the people who rob treasure chests, aren't the ones left the people who don't rob them?"

This somewhat joking remark left Domit completely bewildered.

That was right, wasn't it? Once the "bad people" were killed, weren't the ones left "good people"?

The logic was sound, yet he always felt that something was vaguely wrong somewhere.

"Sir... this, this way..." Domit's expression was hesitant, his words stuttering, "But, the slaughter..."

Seeing that he seemed to be seriously considering the plan he had proposed, Zhang Mu hurriedly clapped his hands to snap him out of it: "It was just a joke, don't take it seriously."

Regaining his focus, he pursued: "But, the method you mentioned seems..."

"Stop with the 'seems', it won't work."

Flicking his hand, Zhang Mu turned around, preparing to enter the city: "It's too troublesome to explain, I don't have the time, and I'm not interested in explaining it. Goodbye."

"Please wait, Mr. Zhang Mu." He anxiously stepped forward a few paces and knelt on one knee to perform a knightly salute. "In you, I saw the hope of finding the answer, the possibility of saving the Lake Kingdom and the Saul Continent. Could you spare some free time to come to our territory and give us a talk?"

"As long as I possess it, no matter what price I have to pay, it can be done!"

His footsteps paused, and Zhang Mu turned his face while keeping his back to him: "Setting aside the fact that I don't have that ability, even if I did, please, uncle, what the hell does saving the Saul Continent have to do with me? Just because one has the ability, does one have to do it?"

"The poor people going hungry in the small towns near Bala City couldn't be counted even if you counted for three days and three nights. You have gold coins, right? How come I haven't seen you distribute your own gold coins to the poor so they can fill their bellies?"

"Because the poor, who make up the largest percentage of the human population, are not Professionals. They lack powerful strength and have a negligible, if not zero, impact on the Saul Continent. That's why you don't care if they are slaughtered or starved to death."

"The Adventurers who rob treasure chests disregard the lives of weak Adventurers, and you disregard the lives of the poor. Do you think there's much of a difference between you? At least idealists have a great ideal."

Turning his head away, Zhang Mu walked toward the city gate, cursing: "The people I find most annoying are idiots like you, who spout great principles with their mouths, do the very things they despise, and yet feel noble. Still shouting about saving the Lake Kingdom and saving the Saul Continent. If you want to make a wish, go to a church; if you want to dream, find a pillow; if you're going crazy, you don't need to find anything, it doesn't matter where you are, just don't come to disgust me."

His retreating figure walked into the darkness, moving further and further away.

Domit remained kneeling on one knee, his eyes unfocused as he stared at the ground, not rising for a long time.

After a while, he stood up silently and looked at the darkness in front of him that had swallowed Zhang Mu's retreating figure: "Can the poor save the Saul Continent?"

Shaking his head, he turned and left.

...

Passing through the city gate, Zhang Mu did not go to meet up with Frederica and the others.

Finding a secluded alley, he used the Transformation Technique to turn into a plain-looking young mage wearing a pure black robe, then strode to the Bala City church.

Walking up the stone steps, he crossed the threshold, passed through the open-air courtyard, and entered the solemn church.

The newly appointed bishop of the Bala City church, dressed in a wide, pristine white robe, stood with his back to Zhang Mu at the foot of the statue of god in the innermost part.

Not rushing over, Zhang Mu tilted his head slightly and began to examine the statue of god.

The statue of god was humanoid, roughly three stories high. It wore armor with intricate, exquisite patterns, stood straight, held a longsword with both hands, and the tip of the sword pointed downward, held vertically in front of its thighs.

Strangely, the face had no features; it was smooth and flat.

After watching for a while, not understanding what the faceless statue of god signified, Zhang Mu couldn't be bothered to ponder it further and walked along the aisle between the pews to the bishop's side.

"Mr. Bishop." Zhang Mu, dressed as an ordinary mage, greeted him softly, "I am a solo mage. I have heard of the Bala City church's prestige and hope to become one of you."

The bishop turned around; he was a man who looked to be in his thirties.

He smiled gently: "I am very sorry, respected Mr. Mage, the church only accepts Believers with no magic attribute or the light magic attribute."

"You may join a magic family in Bala City. I have heard that the Marvin Magic Family has a long history."

Then, he informed him of the residential address of the Marvin Magic Family.

Feigning a disappointed expression, Zhang Mu did not speak, nodded in acknowledgment, and backed out of the church.

Standing on the curb of the road in front of the church, he squinted his eyes slightly.

The persona I fabricated is a wind magic attribute mage, and he didn't see through it.

I cannot sense that bishop's magic fluctuations, and considering Haige's strength, he must be a high-ranking Divine Official.

It's settled.

The corners of his mouth curved into an arc, and Zhang Mu identified the direction and hurried toward the Marvin Magic Family.