Steampunk Era: Mad Abield
Chapter 1050: Section 665: Dreamin

Chapter 1050: Section 665: Dreamin

Chengshan is a very busy child; he is the Sage’s disciple. Yesterday’s hunting excursion was one of the rare bright spots in his life. Most of the time, he is simply working, always working, much like today, in Malin’s eyes, this ten-year-old child tirelessly labors.

Sometimes Malin would also read the intelligence Chengshan handed over, mostly information about the local area. Since the day before yesterday, various settlements and small cities, as well as many Adventurers, have observed the existence of Chaos. However, Chengshan’s Sage faction expressed no surprise at this because their Diviner faction had already issued warnings. Moreover, due to this matter, he had already reported potential issues with Cloud City’s Astromancers. Malin trusted that after receiving the message, the Sages would conduct a thorough review.

"The invasion of Subspace has become an observable fact, but mortals are so short-sighted... Lord Malin, how is the situation in the Western Human World?"

"Faced with Chaos, no amount of armament can truly be called ’adequate.’ I can only say that I’ve been doing my utmost." Malin set down the report in his hand and casually picked up the second one.

This particular report explicitly stated that among newborns in the region over the past five months, the proportion of those with abilities had already reached sixty percent.

The report reflected more than just a certain cheerfulness about the projected rise of average Thanan martial power in the next twenty years. Far more prevalent was the ineffable concern expressed by the medical system compiling the report... an indescribable worry.

Even as doctors, they understood that this proportion was excessively high—so high it was absurd, so high it was unnatural.

"What you’re reading now is the report on newborns, correct? Actually, within the internal reference reports of the Sage Hall, the ability-user rate among newborns in core areas of Thainan has already reached and exceeded seventy percent. That’s an inconceivably terrifying number." Chengshan said this without lifting her head, continuing to pore over the reports in front of her.

Malin nodded: "In Sydney and Farole, I have the most comprehensive firsthand intelligence. When I arrived, the proportion of newborns with abilities in the capital city of Farol, Rome, had already exceeded sixty-five percent. In Regensburg, the capital of Sydney’s Union, this figure was slightly lower—about sixty-three percent. This indicates that Subspace is gradually overlapping with our world. Population centers of the terrestrial realm are all being affected."

At this point, Malin and Chengshan, who had just looked up, exchanged glances. The latter sighed: "The larger the population in a city, the more Transcendents it contains. And Transcendents themselves are responding to the hungry calls emanating from Subspace. I’m deeply worried. If an Evil God invades this world through newborns, we may be entirely unable to detect its presence in time."

From Malin’s perspective, Chengshan’s concerns weren’t merely conjecture. The possibility of Chaos’ Evil Gods taking such action was all too real—after all, the damned Subspace wasn’t solely the territory of petty merchants. Many Evil Gods regard Subspace as their home. These mad beings wouldn’t hesitate to pay any price to invade a perfect world.

After all, fortune favors the swift; those who lag behind get nothing. The deranged, wicked Evil Gods don’t recognize kinship, nor will they reason with you.

If they do, you must be Nameless.

"What’s the attitude in your rural areas toward children with abilities?" Malin asked a question.

"It’s manageable. Have you seen pyres cropping up in your region? Such ignorance from the Westlanders." Chengshan immediately deduced Malin’s motive for asking. Her mockery didn’t bother Malin, and when she offered an apology, he accepted it with calm composure.

"Actually, you don’t need to apologize. It’s true, as you’ve said—for survival, humanity often forces itself to become barbaric. But after prolonged barbarism, they sometimes forget what civilization even looks like."

Chengshan surprisingly agreed with Malin’s sentiment: "Lord Malin, you’re not wrong. In our history books, there are indeed records of remote townships experiencing the kind of cultural degradation you mentioned. Children with abilities were killed simply because they resembled Chaos too much in the townspeople’s eyes. In the end, these towns disappeared entirely. Without Transcendents to protect them, mortals are bound to perish unremarkably."

The young girl paused her pen and gazed at Malin: "My lord, I’ve heard Jason talk about the Northern Kingdom’s stories in the Westland. I’ve heard about Northern Ideology. What are your thoughts on Northern Ideology?"

"It’s brimming with romantics. They wish to save the pitiable, yet hesitate to overturn the existing kingdoms. They know that in the face of Chaos, humanity’s internal disputes will only bleed themselves dry. But... no one is willing to concede."

Malin looked at the girl: "How do you perceive Northern Ideology?"

"Without minds forged of steel, without followers of mechanical logic, without selfless and fearless leaders, Northern Ideology is nothing but another of the Westlanders’ idle rhetoric. And ironically, they themselves are acutely aware of their tragic predicament. Hence they struggle to survive; they tread cautiously. Their compromises reveal both their rationality and their wretchedness." Chengshan sighed as she spoke.

"What they desire cannot be given to them by nobles or the royal family—especially considering that they themselves count nobles among their ranks. From ancient times to now, I have rarely seen anyone in history truly betray the seat beneath them. The constant possible invasions by Chaos have robbed them of options. That is why I use the word ’tragic,’ Lord Malin. Don’t you agree?"

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