Chapter 16: Chapter 16

Tianke and Technology

"Wei really detests tobacco, you can't blame her for that. As she describes it, the smell of smoke is like the odor of rotting flesh. Can't you just avoid her a little?"

In the school's infirmary, Huamo began wrapping bandages around Liushu, who had been seriously injured.

"I honestly didn't want to. I was about to climb over the wall when she caught me. I felt so dejected that, damn, I subconsciously just picked up a cigarette and lit it. I swear it wasn't intentional, it was pure habit."

Liushu picked up a cigarette.

Ah, even now, with most of his bones fractured and his body swathed in bandages, he still managed to take out a cigarette.

"This is the 'subconscious' you're talking about?"

"Uh, yeah, that's exactly it."

Liushu put away the cigarette.

"So you only have yourself to blame, no wonder you got beaten up."

Huamo suddenly tightened the bandage she was wrapping on Liushu.

The unlucky Liushu screamed in pain once more.

"That sounded just like a rooster crowing."

From behind the curtain of one infirmary bed, a silver-haired girl drew the curtain open.

"Boss, you're here too."

Liushu looked at the girl with long silver hair and red eyes.

She was his boss—the top supervisor.

"I was sleeping just fine until your crowing woke me up," said the girl.

"I can't help it. I got beaten by Wei. Can't you at least say something to her, ask her to go easier next time?"

"What could I say to her? If I lit a cigarette, she'd have the guts to beat me too. She abhors tobacco from the depths of her heart," the girl shrugged, showing her helplessness.

From their conversation, one could tell that Wei was acquainted with this girl as well.

"Besides, I love seeing you this miserable after Wei beats you up. Why would I intervene? If anything, I'd wave a cheerleading flag for her while she's at it."

"You seriously have no humanity at all,"

"That's just how I am; I like to build my happiness on the pain of others," the girl admitted.

"If someone kills, I'll hand them the knife; if someone commits arson, I'll pour the oil. The bigger the mess, the better."

"I can't even be bothered to argue with you. I'm going back to sleep,"

Liushu said, getting up and heading out of the infirmary.

"Then I'll continue sleeping too."

The girl drew the curtain closed again.

The practice matches for the Ladder Tournament were still in full swing.

This time, the practice only involved individual contests and lasted five days, with each department eventually producing a first-place winner.

Due to the imbalance in strength, the champions of each department would not compete against each other again.

Incidentally, during the practices, Martial Department students could only be matched with fellow Martial Department or Magic Department students, and Support Department students only with those from Support or Medical Departments.

This way, there wouldn't be awkward matches like Support versus Martial Department.

However, in this Ladder Tournament, it seemed they were going to identify the best overall.

When facing Martial or Magic Departments, Support Department students could choose two defeated opponents to join their team.

In this training match, Mo Ying and Xiya advanced like a hot knife through butter—their abilities outstanding as they defeated all challengers, eventually meeting one another in the finals.

Mo Ying defeated Xiya, though Xiya's power had been restricted. Xiya excelled at spatial magic—her spatial destruction magic was a terrifying offense, capable of severing enemy limbs the moment it exceeded the Prism's capacity and inflicting irreparable damage.

So, the Academy placed some restrictions on her magic: when the enemy Prism's shield was low, Xiya was forbidden to use spatial-type attack magic.

Shuang Yun was defeated in the quarterfinals but still made it into the top ten. She was very disappointed—clearly dissatisfied.

So, Mo Ying was first in Martial Department, Xiya first in Magic Department, Luo Ji first in Support Department, and a student named Wu Xing claimed first in Medical Department.

"I hereby announce the five-day practice training tournament has come to an end today!"

On the high platform, Wei announced into the microphone.

"Thank you all for your hard work—your efforts have given us a series of wonderful competitions."

"Those who lost, don't be discouraged—this was only a practice, and there will be more opportunities. I hope you all perform even better in the real Ladder Tournament."

"I'm sure you all know, many students from other schools will come to observe the upcoming real match. There'll be other nobles, and even Her Majesty the Empress might attend in person."

"You all should realize the importance of this Ladder Tournament. No more idle words from me—alright, dismissed."

Wei's speech was much simpler than Principal Alitos. The principal would go on for hours, putting students to sleep.

Wei, by contrast, spoke only a few brief sentences—which the students really liked.

"Dismissed! Five days of fighting—I'm exhausted!"

Though Mo Ying hadn't been in top shape on the first day, she recovered soon after and easily took first place.

Of course, this was only for the individual contest.

Liushu had told Mo Ying before that in the mixed contest, teams could have up to five members, but Mo Ying's group had only three.

"So, did you recruit anyone?"

"What have you been doing these past few days?"

Liushu was left speechless.

"Teacher Liushu, there's a question I've been meaning to ask,"

Xiya raised her hand.

"What could even you—the top academic in the whole Academy—not know?"

"What happened to your injuries?"

Xiya eyed the bandages on Liushu's hands.

At first, Liushu had looked like a complete mummy; he was much improved now.

"When I saw you like that, I thought some Pharaoh's tomb had been unearthed,"

"I had bad luck. I slipped when trying to climb over the wall and fell down."

"You got this badly hurt... from a fall?"

Xiya was skeptical that anyone could get so seriously injured from falling off a wall.

"The school wall isn't that high, is it?"

Mo Ying was puzzled as well.

"It was a fall—why so many questions?"

Of course Liushu couldn't say it was Wei who beat him up .

Since Liushu was sticking to his story, the two students didn't press the issue.

"I'm going to comfort Shuang Yun—she seems really down,"

Mo Ying said as she walked toward Shuang Yun.

"Here's a suggestion: you really shouldn't,"

Liushu said, lighting a cigarette.

Mo Ying stopped at his words.

"You really have no emotional intelligence. Shuang Yun is down because she performed poorly in the practice. If you, the Martial Department champion, go to comfort her—even if you're well-intentioned, to Shuang Yun, it'll look like you're mocking her."

"Both you and Xiya should not disturb her right now. Your comfort will only seem like pity in her eyes."

"Then, can't you go, teacher Liushu?"

Xiya asked, feeling sorry for Shuang Yun, who was sitting alone looking dejected.

"Me? I'm even less appropriate,"

He'd already made things clear that night.

Was Shuang Yun a genius?

She was—any student who made it into Dreamscape Academy was.

But Shuang Yun's level of talent was just average among geniuses, while Xiya and Mo Ying were geniuses among geniuses.

What's more, Shuang Yun was chasing a dream that was simply impossible.

"This is practically the setup for a tragedy,"

Qili snickered with a taste for mischief.

"I don't even know what to say,"

He'd already said all that needed to be said. What Shuang Yun did from then on was her own business—he had no right to interfere further.

He had nothing else to suggest, except: let go sooner, get free sooner.

Liushu lit another cigarette.

"Teacher Liushu, you really smoke too fast. Do you go through ten a day?"

Mo Ying waved away the smoke around her.

"Hmm? The number I smoke every day is pretty random—sometimes a few, sometimes twenty,"

"Twenty a day?! How many years have you been smoking, teacher?"

"How many years... I can't quite remember. Just a long, long time,"

"Can you say something nicer?"

Liushu knocked Mo Ying on the head.

"With today's technology, as long as you have money, you won't die from illness."

Liushu looked at the Suti in his hand.

Suti was proof of technological progress; now technology had overcome ninety percent of diseases, and, as long as you paid enough, your lifespan could be prolonged indefinitely. Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on n͟o͟v͟e͟l͟f͟i͟r͟e͟.net

Ordinary people lived three hundred years; with technology, five hundred easily—and with more money, even eight hundred or a thousand. More than that, though, didn't seem possible.

A normal person could live to a thousand. You know, even an elf's lifespan was about two thousand.

Every race's lifespan increased along with their strength. If you were strong enough, you could live thousands or even tens of thousands of years without technology.

"What's truly frightening isn't technology, but Tianke,"

Huamo walked over from behind Liushu.

She seemed to just be passing by and overheard the conversation.

"Yes, what's frightening isn't technology, it's Tianke,"

Tianke were those robots—machines with human appearance.

They were a race native to Yggdonia, mostly living in the southern Mechanical City.

Technology was Tianke's greatest weapon—Mechanical City was the world's most advanced hub of technology.

It was rare to find Tianke anywhere else.

"I feel like if technology keeps advancing , it won't bring anything good,"

If Tianke kept developing for a few more centuries, technology would reach a point where no one could die. Then what would this world become?

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=