NOVGO.NET Chapter 176 : Chapter 176
Chapter 176. My goal is to pioneer the Great Forest (2)
After the polite greeting.
Patrick, raising his head, quickly took in the figures before him.
In front of him were seven old men sitting at a round table.
They wore their robes pulled down low, so their faces were not clearly visible, but just from their long white beards that reached their chests, he could tell they were of a considerable age.
‘So these old geezers are the Seven Sages?’
The entire course of action for the Tower of Truth, one of the three great powers of the continent, was decided according to the opinions of these seven.
In other words, in this place where all seven were gathered, their authority was equivalent to that of the empire’s emperor or the holy theocracy’s pope.
Patrick, for the first time in a while, spoke with polite courtesy.
“First, thank you for your help. Thanks to you, I survived.”
At that, one of the Seven Sages spoke.
“There is no need to be truly grateful. For we did not help you for free.”
“Of course, I understand.”
In the first place, Patrick had said it first in his letter.
That if they helped him, he would help them too.
It was Patrick who had first proposed a give-and-take relationship.
Of course, that wasn’t his only goal.
The Seven Sages spoke as if to subtly pressure Patrick.
“Don’t you think you’ve incurred quite a hefty debt, having your life saved thanks to us?”
“I will not deny it.”
“In that case, what price will you pay us for the value of your life?”
“The life of the Double Dragon….”
“Hahaha. No matter how I think about it, it doesn’t seem like it can be settled for a cheap price.”
“I, too, agree.”
The Seven Sages, in unison, demanded a price from Patrick.
How will you pay the price?
Can you even afford this price?
They didn’t say it directly. At the clearly conveyed pressure, Patrick grinned and said.
“As the heir to the Viscount Schneider’s fiefdom, I formally propose to the Tower of Truth.”
“…Speak.”
“Please form an alliance with our fiefdom.”
“……”
“……”
At Patrick’s words, all of the Seven Sages fell silent.
And a long time later, the words one of them forced out were….
“Are you in your right mind?”
That was it.
Patrick Schneider.
He had been treated as a crazy person by many people, including in his past and present lives.
But this time, it was a bit different.
At their gazes, which genuinely doubted Patrick’s sanity, Patrick said calmly.
“Of course, I am in my right mind. And what I said, I meant sincerely.”
“An alliance…. an alliance, you say….”
“How absurd.”
“Look here, Double Dragon. We asked you what you would pay for the price of your life.”
“I heard you.”
“And the answer that came back was an alliance?”
“That is correct.”
“Hahaha….”
With hollow laughter, a faint anger was revealed. And at the same time….
Drrrrrrr.
The room vibrated.
No, it wasn’t the room. This was….
‘The entire tower is shaking.’
Should this be expected of the Seven Sages?
When they simultaneously released their mana, the massive structure, unable to withstand it, shook as if an earthquake had struck.
Mages were often evaluated as being weak in one-on-one combat, but that didn’t mean they were weak.
Even if the nature and use of their power were different, the power they possessed was real.
In fact, hadn’t Patrick had quite a bitter taste of the mages’ magic in this recent battle?
But….
‘So what?’
In the midst of the pressure that would make it difficult for an ordinary person to even breathe, Patrick didn’t bat an eye.
If the pressure emanating from the Seven Sages was like a raging wave, Patrick’s figure, enduring within it, was like a rock that stood firm without budging.
An Immovable Mind.
Patrick, maintaining a mental state like an unshakable great rock, said with a faint smile.
“I did not come all this way to fight.”
And from Patrick’s body, a faint aura also began to emanate.
So much so that the Seven Sages, who had been fiercely releasing their power, were conversely taken aback.
Patrick, who spoke politely but clearly asserted his presence as someone with the power to fight back, continued.
“For now, let’s talk.”
Seeing Patrick’s face full of composure, the Seven Sages exchanged glances and then withdrew the mana they were emitting.
Simultaneously, the shaking Tower of Truth also stopped vibrating.
And the Seven Sages spoke to Patrick.
“We know that you are not yet twenty years old. Is that correct?”
“I am nineteen.”
“…You’re not even human.”
At those words, the other Seven Sages nodded as if in agreement.
Sword and magic.
Even if the paths they walked were different, they mutually acknowledged that the process of seeking mastery was not so easy.
But the level Patrick Schneider had reached was by no means something that could be achieved at his age.
How could that be possible?
Was that really something a human could achieve?
Even the word ‘genius’ felt inadequate.
A monster. The person in front of them fit that word perfectly.
Receiving gazes of admiration, shock, and caution, Patrick opened his mouth.
“Presumably, what you all want is my secret technique. For example, something like this.”
A faint red energy gathered in Patrick’s hand, and then a handful of flame rose up.
Hwarreuk.
Yang Heat Qi.
An applied technique from the Murim that emitted fire energy by changing the nature of Qi to that of yang.
Seeing that sight, the Seven Sages momentarily shifted in their seats. And that wasn’t the end.
Jjeoeong.
This time, a pure white cold energy gathered, and a faint ice crystal formed in Patrick’s hand.
Yin Cold Qi.
Similarly, it was used by changing the nature of Qi to yin.
From there, Patrick, while he was at it, showed a few more things.
He extended his hand towards a candle holder for lighting on the wall, and the candle in it flinched and was then sucked into Patrick’s hand.
After showing even psychokinesis like that, Patrick finished by speaking to the Seven Sages.
[How is it? It seems like this is what you all want? Am I right?]
Patrick’s words sounded as if they were directly reaching the ears of the Seven Sages.
Telepathy.
A technique known as the most useful miscellaneous skill in the Murim.
The expressions of the Seven Sages, who had experienced all of that, became serious.
‘I had heard the rumors, but….’
‘This is even more than the real thing.’
‘Is he really a swordsman? Is it certain that he’s not a mage?’
‘If you train your aura in a certain way, is this possible? How on earth?’
The Seven Sages, said to be the wisest on the continent.
Their faces were all colored with shock and doubt.
What Patrick had just shown them was something that transcended their common sense.
He created fire and ice from his hands, moved objects in the air, and transmitted his voice secretly.
This was something impossible for swordsmen who trained in aura.
It was closer to the realm of a mage.
But no matter how you looked at it, that Double Dragon was not a mage.
There was no way mages of the Seven Sages’ level would fail to recognize a mage even after seeing magic being manifested right in front of them.
If so, that man had made that possible purely by moving his aura….
‘How is that possible?’
‘By what means….’
‘It’s impossible. He’s shaking the very definition of aura from its foundations.’
A mage is someone who would sell their own family for the sake of exploring the unknown.
How much more so for the Seven Sages who reigned at the top?
A blatant greed appeared in their eyes.
If they had their way, their honest feeling was that they wanted to incapacitate Patrick, imprison him, and slowly and meticulously study him from head to toe.
If that were possible, they might have really done it. But….
‘A powerful figure estimated to be at least at the 8-star level….’
‘It would be difficult. Difficult.’
‘Even if we mobilize the full power of the Tower, how many sacrifices would we have to make….’
‘No, is it even possible? Wouldn’t we just suffer massive losses and let him escape?’
No matter how they thought about it, it was impossible.
The probability of success in suppressing that monster by force was too slim.
It was natural for the Tower of Truth to evaluate Patrick so highly.
Originally, when Patrick had won Arcana, he had already become a big shot.
Winning Arcana by defeating the Sword Saint’s grandson.
The youngest 7-star level on the continent.
The future strongest on the continent.
It was truly brilliant.
Could a young man not yet twenty years old possibly carve his name in an even higher position than this?
Surprisingly, it was possible.
The incidents Patrick had caused recently during his knight’s training journey had made just that possible.
In the Decator Kingdom, he had already fought and completely defeated two 7-star knights.
That alone was an astonishing feat, but after that, in the Kaisar Kingdom, he had caused an even bigger incident.
He had overwhelmingly defeated Count Calvin Spike, and after that, he had waged a war single-handedly against the regular army of the Kaisar Kingdom.
And he had won.
A monster who had won against an army of 10,000, which included four 7-star knights.
This was no longer a subject of future potential and so on.
Within the Tower of Truth, which had received information about Patrick faster than anyone else, Patrick’s strength was estimated to be at least 8-star.
And that was just the minimum; there were even evaluations that he might be comparable to the Imperial Sword Saint.
Because of that….
“First, calm down, Double Dragon.”
“We do not wish for a fight either.”
“What benefit would we gain from fighting you here?”
In the end, even the Seven Sages of the Tower of Truth could not recklessly try to suppress Patrick.
Patrick had already reached a position where that was not possible.
As they took a step back, Patrick also said with a smile.
“Of course, I agree. That is why I proposed an alliance.”
At those words, one of the Seven Sages said.
“I understand that you are an excellent individual.”
“Thank you.”
“But even so, don’t you think that pushing for an alliance between the Tower of Truth and a mere viscount’s fiefdom like the Schneider fiefdom is unbalanced?”
That’s right.
Even if Patrick was great, the evaluation of the Schneider fiefdom itself didn’t rise.
No, strictly speaking, it did rise, but there was a limit to it.
The Tower of Truth, the headquarters of the mages, called one of the three great powers of the continent, and the Schneider fiefdom, located on the eastern frontier of the weak Atronia Kingdom.
Frankly, anyone could see that it was unbalanced. But.
‘This is a very familiar situation for me.’
The Twin Dragon Sect.
Before the great figure known as the Radiant Dragon Great Master, Jin Cheon, emerged, 99.9% of the people in the Murim didn’t even know such a sect existed.
As the great disciple of such a Twin Dragon Sect, the person who had negotiated with numerous great sects and held talks with high-ranking government officials was none other than Patrick.
The experience from that time was shining in this very place now.
“Our Schneider fiefdom is just a humble, small fiefdom.”
Patrick first acknowledged reality.
“Bordering the Great Forest, we have been unable to develop due to suffering from monster attacks, and the fiefdom’s output is insignificant. Of course, recently, by strengthening our military and creating specialty products, the situation has improved compared to the past, but compared to the Tower of Truth, the difference would be like that between a full moon and a firefly.”
At Patrick’s words, the Seven Sages nodded as if it were a matter of course.
Since everything he said was true, a sense of empathy was naturally formed.
And as if waiting for that moment, Patrick said.
“But how long do you think that will last?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“The Schneider fiefdom is currently in the middle of development. Within the fiefdom, there is already a military force that I have independently raised. You all would have already investigated.”
“Umm….”
300 prospective knights personally trained by Patrick Schneider. And the Orcs of the Red Rock Tribe.
The current military strength of the Schneider fiefdom had far surpassed the level of a mere viscount’s fiefdom. In addition….
“Crucially, there is me. Do you think the value of a fiefdom where the future strongest on the continent exists will remain the same as it is now forever?”
“Hmmm….”
“Ahem….”
The Seven Sages couldn’t help but be swayed.
Patrick Schneider.
A powerful figure who had reached at least the 8-star level before even turning twenty.
What would the future of that monster look like?
And what would the future of the Schneider fiefdom, which would share that future, look like?
Even then, could one still say the alliance was unbalanced?
As the hearts of the Seven Sages were wavering, Patrick spoke.
“Do you know how to hit the jackpot with an investment?”
“Why the sudden talk of investment?”
“I’m making an analogy. Anyway, do you know?”
“…I do not know well.”
The Tower of Truth was the place that earned the most money on the entire continent, but the Seven Sages themselves were indifferent to money.
Why, you ask?
‘Because they earn a ridiculous amount.’
That’s right.
The Tower of Truth was one of the wealthiest on the entire continent.
They practically monopolized the production of magical artifacts, and they could earn enormous amounts of money just by dispatching the mages from the lower floors to the outside world.
Why would people who had never worried about money in their lives be interested in money?
Their interests were only in the exploration of the unknown and reaching higher realms as mages.
Money held no value for them beyond research funds.
To such novices, Patrick said.
“To hit the jackpot with an investment, you have to invest in the future when the value is still low.”
“……”
“Buy low, sell high. That’s the jackpot.”
“……”
It was tempting.
It was a word that tempted even the Seven Sages, who were ignorant of money matters.
Patrick continued to speak.
“If you form an alliance with us now and join us, the Tower of Truth will also be able to share in the achievements we make. If you regret it later after hitting the ground, it will be too late. Do you understand?”
“Umm… that is….”
“What is there to think about? It is now. Right now, the opportunity for a jackpot in your lives has arrived. It is right in front of your eyes.”
“No, that is, that….”
“Can you really afford to miss this opportunity? Would it be alright for your descendants to regret for generations, wondering why the Seven Sages of that time did not take Patrick Schneider’s hand and why we missed that golden opportunity?”
“W-wait, just a moment….”
“No, that’s an exaggeration.”
“Calm down for a bit.”
Just listening to him, it seemed so natural to invest now that not doing so would be a huge problem.
Just then, someone who thought they shouldn’t be drawn in any further spoke.
“It sounds quite plausible. But a crucial point is missing.”
“What do you mean?”
“After forming an alliance with us, what are you planning to do? What kind of results are you expecting that you would say such things to us?”
That’s right.
Patrick had not yet clearly stated his plan and purpose.
Without knowing this, talking about investment or an alliance was useless.
And Patrick looked around at the Seven Sages once and then said.
“The pioneering of the Great Forest.”
“…What did you say?”
“My purpose is the pioneering of the Great Forest.”
It was the moment Patrick’s purpose came out of his mouth for the first time.