Chapter 12: She Was Merely an Accident

Chapter 12: She Was Merely an Accident

"Is that the God of Magic, Lord Dandell? He looks so young! Rumor has it he’s already over two hundred years old!"

"I never thought I’d see Lord Dandell in person today. If that brat Judson knew, he’d probably be kicking himself in regret!"

"Tsk tsk, this kid’s done for!"

"Serves him right! Daring to insult a magic apprentice—and one of Lord Dandell’s students at that! Hanging’s too good for him!"

Whispers erupted from the corners of the tavern.

Some were thrilled to have glimpsed the God of Magic, Dandell. Others mocked Yu Sheng'an for overestimating himself—how dare a lowly commoner provoke a magic apprentice? He was digging his own grave!

"Utter nonsense! Have you even mastered Wind Impact yet? If not, how dare you come here to drink? Get out! This is no place for you!"

Faced with his grandniece’s complaint, the God of Magic Dandell frowned and scolded her harshly.

The tavern patrons were stunned.

In the next moment, blazing admiration lit up countless eyes. Truly worthy of being one of the empire’s Four Pillars—impartial and incorruptible!

"Granduncle Dandell..." Dorothea’s face twisted in shock. Her lips quivered, eyes welling up with tears, putting on a pitiful act.

"Enough with the act!" A mocking voice sent a chill through the crowd.

Behind the gradually dissipating Stone Barrier, Yu Sheng'an smirked at Dandell with undisguised derision.

"See? See, Granduncle Dandell? Look how arrogant he is—"

Dorothea’s face brightened as she pointed at Yu Sheng'an, eager to escalate the situation.

"Silence!"

Dandell’s roar, sharp as a Banshee’s Howl, pierced through souls. The crowd paled, and those with weaker constitutions even coughed up blood.

Dorothea trembled violently, her face drained of color.

Dandell turned to Yu Sheng'an, his expression strained as he pressed a hand to his chest in a formal gesture. "My deepest apologies. The students of Felix have made fools of themselves in your presence."

The tavern erupted in uproar at the sight of the God of Magic offering a respectful salute.

Daisova stood frozen, staring blankly at Yu Sheng'an. He couldn’t fathom how this freeloading drinker could warrant such deference from the God of Magic himself!

Dorothea’s eyes widened, her delicate features contorted in disbelief and terror.

She couldn’t believe the person she’d vented her frustrations on was someone far beyond her reach!

The magic apprentices who had come with her were equally dumbfounded.

Their gazes flickered between the God of Magic Dandell and Daisova, minds racing with wild speculations.

"Made fools of themselves?"

Yu Sheng'an chuckled, his tone laced with meaning.

"I find one thing very strange. Since you knew the time and place, why wasn’t this area locked down? At the very least, shouldn’t every move here have been closely monitored?"

Yu Sheng'an was no ignorant commoner of this world, prone to absurd misconceptions like imagining emperors using golden hoes.

Though poverty had limited his imagination, the vast expanse of Blue Star’s Internet had still allowed him glimpses into the lives of the elite.

Given that, shouldn’t the Keville Empire have turned the Mage’s Hat inside out with inspections before meeting him? Shouldn’t they have monitored every person entering or exiting—or even staged the entire crowd?

Yet, at the Mage’s Hat, he had detected almost no signs of human interference.

At this moment, Yu Sheng'an finally realized something and pointed out, "Are you trying to show me your Great Nation Confidence?"

Great Nation Confidence?

What a precise description!

Dandell silently praised the term, but his mood sank slightly. Seeing one spot reveals the whole leopard—the Internet God was far more troublesome than he had imagined!

"No, this is a gesture of goodwill!" Dandell said.

Negotiation was an art, and he naturally knew what stance would be more advantageous.

Not interfering with the Mage's Hat was an act of goodwill—though, on a deeper level, it was also a display of confidence!

He knew well that the less confident a person was, the more they relied on pompous formalities to prop themselves up.

"Including this magic apprentice?" Yu Sheng'an glanced at Dorothea.

Dorothea's face turned deathly pale. Even if she was foolish, she could tell from their conversation that Yu Sheng'an's identity was anything but ordinary.

"She was merely an accident," Dandell said, never once mentioning Yu Sheng'an's identity as the Internet God.

After all, this was the capital of the Keville Empire, a nation built on magic. Letting the public know they were dealing with the Internet God would be... ill-advised.

Yu Sheng'an gave Dorothea one last look before turning and walking toward the bar.

Dandell followed closely behind. As he passed Dorothea, his gaze sent a chill down her spine, her sweat pouring like a waterfall.

She realized... she had messed up.

Messed up badly.

...

At the bar, Yu Sheng'an picked up his half-finished glass of Warrior's Blood.

Dandell, like a battle-hardened mercenary, ordered a Bloody Mary. The two sat side by side, their eyes fixed on the bar's interior as they casually struck up a conversation.

The bartender, who fancied himself a magic apprentice, trembled as he served the Bloody Mary before retreating to the side, hands fidgeting nervously as he repeatedly wiped the same glass.

"Your Excellency is not a god of the Azarea Continent, are you?"

"Correct."

"Might I ask where you hail from? In my younger years, I enjoyed traveling and have visited many planes. Perhaps I've even been to your homeland."

"Azure Star—seventy percent of it is covered in blue seas. Ever been?"

Yu Sheng'an looked at Dandell with a hint of expectation.

"No. The multiverse truly is boundless!" Dandell shook his head, inwardly exclaiming—So he is an Outer God!

"Might I ask what your purpose is in spreading the Internet Divine Technique?"

Yu Sheng'an downed the rest of his Warrior's Blood in one gulp. "Speak plainly. What do you want?"

Dandell hesitated briefly before replying, "The Keville Empire was founded on magic. Your Internet has already shaken our nation's foundations. I hope you will shut down the Online Classes. In return, we will permit you to spread your Divine Techniques within the empire."

"I don't need your permission. If you can, try banning it nationwide!"

Crack.

A faint sound of glass splitting came from Dandell's cup.

That tiny noise was deafening in the silent tavern.

By now, the entire place had fallen into a hush.

No one spoke. No one left. Everyone pretended to drink casually while straining their ears to catch even a whisper of the conversation. The braver ones stole glances before quickly lowering their heads, hearts pounding with the tension of witnessing history.

And indeed, they were witnessing history.

"Shutting down the Magic Section in Online Classes is the empire's final line of defense!" Dandell's voice was calm, his mana as deep as an abyss.

Yu Sheng'an turned to look at Dandell and suddenly laughed. "What is the origin of magic?"

Dandell froze as Yu Sheng'an continued without waiting for an answer. "The books say that at the dawn of the world, humans were as weak as insects, barely surviving in the darkest corners, constantly shrouded in the shadow of death. Then came the great sages, who studied the Beast Runes, tested them on their own bodies, and ultimately mastered the runes of countless beasts, thus pioneering the Path of Magic."

Yu Sheng'an paused. "What I don’t understand is—where has that spirit of learning gone among you mages? Just because you’ve never seen the Internet before, you instinctively reject it? Aren’t you afraid it might be a new kind of beast, and if you don’t learn it, it will devour you?"

Dandell shuddered, then after a long silence, said, "I think the title of 'God of Cunning' suits you far better!"

Yu Sheng'an paid no heed to Dandell’s mockery. He sighed and said, "I don’t understand what you’re so worried about. Do you think I’m undermining the foundation of magic? Actually, the opposite is true—I believe I’m helping you."

"Look at the Keville Empire. It claims to be built on magic, but how many people can actually practice it? With the Internet, it’ll be different. Everyone will have the chance to cultivate magic. Do you know what that means?"

Just as Yu Sheng'an was about to answer his own question, Dandell’s expression darkened, and he snapped, "It means chaos and war!"

"Everyone will crave power, but magical resources are limited. To seize those limited resources, they’ll resort to violence. They’ll defy authority, challenge the empire’s rule, and under your influence, they might even form an Internet Cult!"

Yu Sheng'an stared at Dandell in stunned disbelief before bursting into laughter.

At last, he understood what the Keville Empire truly feared.