Elite Mages’ Academy (Web Novel)

Chapter 141: The Final Land

“That’s right. The Final Land is the first place of God’s descent. How could the filthy bodies of mortals contaminate this sacred place? That was my belief in the past, but a century ago, that man’s arrival shattered my view completely!”

A look of hideousness appeared on the high priest’s wrinkled face. “Yes. That demon named Ivanovich, was able to step into The Final Land against all odds!”

Xiao Lin was slightly shocked that Ivanovich—the Russian with the SS-level talent who created the Law of Immortality and was the stuff of legends for colonists—actually managed to enter The Final Land.

“Wait, you said hundreds of years ago? It couldn’t have been that long!”

“Hmph, the concept of time doesn’t exist in The Final Land. Time here is fluid. It can be fast or slow. I don’t know how much time has passed on Planet Norma, but I know that I’ve been trapped here for 960 years!”

Xiao Lin was surprised yet again. If his understanding of Judge Academy’s history was correct, then almost a century had passed since the war of that year. It would mean that time in The Final Land was almost 10 times longer than that of the outside world.

The high priest drifted to the side a little and stroked the wall beside him. He said lightly, “But I have to thank him, because he allowed me to understand a little bit about surviving in The Final Land. Here is where everything began. It’s where laws began too. Once I master the law, I can create anything I want in this land!”

That was, without a doubt, the ancient Thunder Kingdom’s old capital. The old man in front of him had copied the past city with a certain law. Xiao Lin felt an inexplicable unease, but he still had some things he could not figure out and continued to ask, “What’s with those skeletons thingies then?”

The old man did not hide anything at all. “As you’ve said, those had been prepared to chase you out of this world. I’ve spent hundreds of years working on this and I’m only one step away from success.”

“What step is that?”

“Haven’t you guessed already? I’ve said that I won’t be able to leave The Final Land in my current state, let alone bring these soldiers back, but the The Final Land’s gates will open for a brief moment when the two moons overlap. ”

“That’s a shame. The Single Moon Festival ended just before I came in. I’m afraid you’ll have to wait a few more decades!” Xiao Lin took a few steps back and remarked sarcastically, “Oh wait, given the ratio of time, you’ll probably be waiting for centuries!”

The old man approached him slowly. “I regret having missed that at first, but with the two of you showing up here, just like that man before. I think I might be able to find a better way to get out of here.”

“Why are you telling me all this?” The old man’s weird looks only increased Xiao Lin’s unease.

“You were the first person to talk to me since that man left. Do you know how boring it is in this silent world?”

Xiao Lin sneered slightly. “There’s only one reason why you’re telling your secrets to someone you don’t know, especially when that person is your enemy. You never planned to let me survive from the beginning, did you?”

“The smartest people don’t live a long life.” The high priest stopped floating, and his tone gradually eased. “I didn’t want to kill you. I was hoping to join hands with you. If you want to leave, you can only do so with my help. This is a good deal. How about it?”

“What do you want me to do?”

The voice of the high priest was tempting. “I need to study your power. You and Ivanovich are of the same kind. There seems to be some mysterious power in your body that allows you to ignore all the laws God set in The Final Land. I need this power!”

If there was anything in common between Xiao Lin and Ivanovich, it was the fact that they were both SS-level geniuses. Xiao Lin suddenly realized why he had been sucked into that world.

Xiao Lin mocked him, “I’m not gonna lie, this place gives me the creeps and I’m dying to leave, but is there any reason I should trust you? If Ivanovich could leave by his own means, I’m quite sure I can do the same too. If you really need my power, you could just capture me and take me away, but you didn’t do that. Let me guess. Is it because you aren’t capable of doing that?”

The high priest’s face changed slightly, affirming Xiao Lin’s guess. He did not believe a single word from the old man, especially after he had been twice deceived by the Normans during the exam more than half a month ago. He was very much aware of it; the exam granted him insight to many things.

Although he was not a member of Judge Academy, the colonist point-of-view meant that his position was at odds with that of the destroyed kingdom’s high priest. The statement about joining forces would probably only deceive a freshman.

“You’re neither a human or a ghost in your current state. Maybe a soul? Something with no physical existence? Or perhaps you are suppressed by the laws of that place. After all, you’re different from us. You don’t have that mysterious power, so you can’t do anything to me at all!”

Xiao Lin once again began to make fanciful associations and began musing to himself. He did not think that the high priest, who was filled with the hatred of subjugation, would have the luxury of saying all that nonsense to him. The only possibility was that the old man had no choice.

The high priest’s expression became worse and his body twisted again. He took a deep breath, and his tone became cold. “You’ve missed your last chance to live, you arrogant heretical demon. You’ll regret the choice you made! You’re right, I don’t have the same mysterious power you demons have, but I don’t need to personally deal with you!”

The high priest’s figure faded until it disappeared completely. Xiao Lin then heard a low roar, as if something had been opened, followed by creaking footsteps, like skeletons marching.

Xiao Lin’s expression changed slightly and he cursed. He did guess that the old man was unable to personally take any action, but he did not expect that the old man would activate the sleeping skeletons, which seemed capable of moving freely in that world.

The only fortunate thing was that almost all the skeleton soldiers were hiding in the palace hall. The city outside was almost all workshops with no skeletons, giving Xiao Lin more time to escape.

“The old man said something about the two of you showing up here. Did another unlucky person come in? Who could it possibly be? Uh…” Xiao Lin muttered to himself, but the answer entered in his mind after a few seconds.