Chapter 125: Is unreasonable

Muxuan pushed open the door to the deliberation room, finding Sage Lutherch alone.

He was deep in thought over a set of spread-out blueprints, his Shepherd’s Staff leaning against the table.

Theodore and the other three had clearly been sent to rest or visit the construction site of the blacksmith shop; the two craftsmen from the Dwarf Tribe who had come to the outpost were likely there as well.

“His Holiness.”

Seeing Muxuan, Sage Lutherch set down the Shepherd’s Staff and gave a slight nod.

Mosen also hurried to offer a salute.

Muxuan skipped the pleasantries and sat directly at the table, getting straight to the point.

“How did you handle that batch of standard-issue equipment?”

As the former Sage of the East Tower, Lutherch was powerful and possessed significant strategic planning abilities; his arrangements were always precise.

Consequently, Muxuan had granted him considerable authority, second only to Beikeze, allowing him to handle many matters on his own initiative.

“I kept a portion to arm this outpost, and the rest has been transported to the base.”

“How much is here?”

“120 sets, about one-third of the total.”

Muxuan pondered for a moment, then glanced at Qiansitelin, who stood nearby with a smile on her face.

Currently, the number of knights in the Church had likely surpassed 600, so 360 sets of standard equipment were still insufficient.

Moreover, with the Crosier connected to the Chapel Statue and Faith Power being steadily transmitted, the number of knights would only continue to grow.

Guards who performed excellently and remained dedicated to their duties would all be promoted to knights.

Qiansitelin had also asked Buzhaqi for help with an investigation, which revealed that the people’s desire to become knights was incredibly high, far exceeding Muxuan’s expectations.

“What did we pay? And what are the terms for future trades?”

This was what Muxuan cared about most.

The standard equipment forged by the Dwarf Tribe was no low-quality product; almost every piece was engraved with Mana Patterns, making them equivalent to half a low-grade magic artifact.

“His Holiness, we only paid five bottles of goat milk, two Strange Crystals, and two Purple Glow Crystals.”

“Furthermore, the two dwarf craftsmen are willing to take on apprentices and forge equipment for the Church. All they require is one serving of goat milk per day.”

Hearing Sage Lutherch’s words, Muxuan’s lips couldn’t help but twitch.

It turned out the primary currency was actually goat milk.

Just as he was thinking this, Mosen brought over three cups of goat milk, placing them before Muxuan, Sage Lutherch, and Qiansitelin.

The rich aroma of the milk slowly drifted through the air, and Muxuan’s throat bobbed twice involuntarily.

It had to be said, it was quite good.

In such a strange world, being able to occasionally drink a cup of hot goat milk was truly a rare luxury.

He had just picked up his cup to take a sip when he noticed Qiansitelin staring at him intently, so he immediately set it back down.

‘Forget it, I’m not in a hurry to drink.’

Being watched by her with such a faint trace of tenderness in front of others made him feel a bit awkward — he still had his dignity to consider.

Besides, his purpose for seeking out Sage Lutherch wasn’t to drink goat milk.

Ignoring Qiansitelin, who looked slightly displeased because he wouldn’t drink, Muxuan quickly briefed Sage Lutherch on the matter regarding the magic teacher.

At the mention of Sage Xizhu, a flicker of gravity crossed Sage Lutherch’s aged but still sharp eyes.

He fell silent for a moment, his fingers unconsciously stroking the warm wood at the top of his Shepherd’s Staff.

Sage Lutherch’s reaction surprised Muxuan slightly — was Xizhu up to something again?

Could the mutation at the Research Institute really have been caused by her?

“Is Sage Lutherch not worried about Sage Xizhu? You are fellow Sages, after all,” Qiansitelin chimed in.

Sage Lutherch ignored her and looked at Muxuan, clearly understanding what he was thinking.

“The mutation might have come from high altitude… Xizhu likely set her sights on the terrifying existences in the sky.”

“Moreover… it’s illogical.”

Having said that, Sage Lutherch fell into silence again, seemingly lost in thought.

‘The sky, huh…’

If that were the case, it would indeed explain how the Research Institute mutated and collapsed in an instant.

After all, no one knew exactly how terrifying the beings in the sky truly were.

However…

“What is illogical?”

That final comment piqued Muxuan’s curiosity.

“The location and the timing don’t match…”

Sage Lutherch’s voice was low, and his fingers gripped the Shepherd’s Staff more tightly.

“Xizhu’s Research Institute is located in the extreme west of the continent, outside of human territory. It is extremely far from our current position.”

“Even before the Catastrophe, it would have taken several days using a large teleportation array. Now that the Black Mist has spread and space itself is disordered, that distance is like an insurmountable chasm.”

He paused for a moment, his tone growing more solemn.

“In other words, it’s impossible for him to have arrived at the Kostershka Mountains the moment after the mutation occurred.”

After hearing this, Muxuan’s expression also became grave.

“Is there no other explanation?”

Sage Lutherch let out a long sigh and shook his head.

“No, unless…”

Under Qiansitelin’s equally serious gaze, Sage Lutherch continued, “Unless he didn’t leave the Research Institute ‘recently.’

He might have left the Xizhu Mountains during the early stages of the Catastrophe, or even earlier, and only recently encountered the disaster.

“Or…”

His gaze deepened, and his fingers stopped moving.

“He lost a significant portion of his key memories when describing his experiences, leading to a severe distortion in his perception of time and space.”

“Being eroded by Corruption and then subjected to the Goblins’ human experiments would cause severe mental trauma. Memory confusion or even total loss is highly likely.”

“Lost memories?”

Qiansitelin stepped gracefully to Muxuan’s side, her fingertips seemingly grazing the Crosier in his hand by accident, a playful curve touching her lips.

“Just like how some people might forget the little things they promised others.”

She gave Muxuan a meaningful glance, clearly teasing him about his previous overexertion.

“Stop messing around…”

Muxuan gave her a helpless look, automatically ignoring her banter as he focused back on Sage Lutherch’s analysis.

“So… you believe the possibility of memory loss is higher?”

“Given the state he was in when he was found, the likelihood of memory damage is indeed very high,” Sage Lutherch nodded slowly, his tone certain.

“He might only remember fragments, such as the mutation of the Research Institute. As for how he crossed the continent, how long it took, or the path he took, those details are likely blurred, distorted, or missing entirely.”

“This means the ‘timeline’ and ‘geographical information’ he provided might not be reliable.”

Muxuan frowned, lost in thought.

“So… the mutation of Xizhu’s Research Institute that he claimed happened ‘not long ago’ likely actually occurred much earlier than he thinks.”