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overlord_ Welcome the Birth of the King_chapter_0102
Chapter 102
Chapter 102: Salvation? A Shock, An Independent System
To confirm things further, Tang Zheng had Friyane use the "Locate Object" magic again.
The result!
Friyane looked completely bewildered. She had gained nothing, even beginning to suspect that her lack of skill with this magic had caused it to fail.
Tang Zheng, however, saw the notification that appeared on his stat panel and knew she hadn't failed. Rather, "Locate Object" was simply ineffective on him.
"Should I try one more time?" Friyane asked, a little embarrassed.
"You've already troubled yourself enough. There's no need," Tang Zheng said with a wave of his hand and a smile.
He was now certain that "remote scrying-type" magic had no effect on him. From now on, the only thing he would need to strategically counter was perception-type magic.
"I ordered some food earlier. If you two don't mind, please enjoy it."
"I still have some matters to attend to, so I'll be taking my leave first," Tang Zheng said, a look of apology on his face as he rose to his feet.
"This restaurant may be small, but its prices are anything but cheap," Friyane said, her golden eyebrows arching upwards. She then playfully nudged the seemingly restless Arche beside her with her elbow.
"I'll see you out."
Arche shot to her feet, her cheeks slightly flushed.
Watching Tang Zheng and the flustered Arche leave the restaurant, Friyane lifted a coffee-like beverage and let out a strange, low chuckle.
"To think Arche would know such a handsome guy, and with black hair too. Looking at the roots, it doesn't seem dyed."
Outside the restaurant.
Arche's blue eyes gazed at the ten gold coins in her hand, slightly dazed.
She had suddenly realized something.
It seemed that, up until now, she still didn't know Tang Zheng's name. He had never introduced himself at all.
On the bustling Long Street.
Carriages sped along the main road, and from time to time, one could see soldiers in armor patrolling the streets.
This area was close to the Imperial Magic Academy, and its security was clearly much higher than in other districts.
On the sidewalks, besides the majority of plainly dressed commoners, there were a considerable number of adventurers with weapons hanging from their waists and backs.
The closer one got to the Central Plaza, the more eccentrically dressed people one would see.
Tang Zheng's loose priest's robe enveloped his hanging arms, swaying slightly as he walked, with the Lesser Soulhound following closely behind.
"I need to speed things up," Tang Zheng thought to himself.
This thought had grown much stronger, especially after meeting the future, tragic Arche.
Save her?
Tang Zheng believed he had never possessed such a high-and-mighty attitude.
Because even he himself wasn't certain if he could remain safe in the future.
If the young woman before him needed saving, then what about the 100,000 soldiers of the Re-Estize Kingdom who were sacrificed in one fell swoop, or the people of the future Holy Kingdom who would be butchered and skinned by Demiurge like two-legged sheep?
What about the populace of the Holy Kingdom, who would have their intelligence lowered by magic and be raised like livestock? Did they not need saving even more?
He was not a savior, nor did he want to become one.
Tang Zheng didn't mind saving a few people along his path, but he wouldn't go out of his way specifically to do so.
As a Player, a person who could grow stronger through slaughter.
Tang Zheng felt that the fact he hadn't wantonly killed the innocent up to this point was already the highest form of reverence for life.
"Hm?"
Tang Zheng paused his stride and turned his head to look across the street, but he found no figures worth noting.
Was it his imagination?
As Tang Zheng walked away, from an inconspicuous corner across the street, a figure completely wrapped in a tattered gray robe slowly raised its head.
Its hidden gaze stared at the departing Tang Zheng, its thoughts unknown.
From the slender figure faintly visible beneath the gray robe, one could tell it was a woman.
For the next two days.
With Imina secretly and continuously spreading the news, more and more people learned that a mysterious alchemist living in the Noble District could heal severe injuries left by disabilities.
This instantly caused a sensation among the ranks of adventurers and workers.
Especially since the treatment process was free.
If it were merely "free," that would have been the most unbelievable thing to this group of people who lived on the edge of a blade, for they never believed in free lunches.
But the rumor also said that the prerequisite for this "free" treatment was to test an alchemical potion developed by that alchemist, a potion that could very well lead to death.
Such a rumor, conversely, dispelled the wariness in most people's hearts.
Even so, no one dared to be the first to act as a guinea pig.
This led to a situation where, although the news spread like wildfire and was discussed in most taverns, not a single person actually dared to venture into the Noble District.
Until the third day!
Two poorly dressed people knocked on the gate of the Courtyard where Tang Zheng lived.
The two were a father and son.
One was a middle-aged man, only around thirty years old, with tanned skin and a full head of white hair. The other was his son, a young boy with amputated legs, carried on his father's back in a wooden basket.
As soon as this happened!
The major Adventurer Teams and Worker Squads that had been watching the place immediately sprang into action.
In addition, various workshops and the Herb Guild, and even the Adventurer's Guild, sent people.
In the past, a mere low-level Copper-rank adventurer would not have been worth their attention, but now Tang Zheng was not just an adventurer, but also a highly skilled alchemist.
Under the investigation of the various factions, the identities of the father and son were quickly uncovered.
They were a farmer and son from a small village outside the Imperial Capital. The reason the son had no legs was that they had been whipped and broken by a minor noble several years ago.
Due to a delay in treatment, necrosis had set in, and the legs had to be amputated.
Time passed bit by bit.
Under the patient watch of all parties, it wasn't until near evening that the father and son emerged from the heavy, brown wooden door.
That's right, they walked out.
The farmer's son had actually regrown his legs!
An uproar!
An invisible shockwave spread rapidly. Countless adventurers and workers had their eyes light up. This kind of alchemical potion was practically a second life for them.
Compared to death, what many feared more was becoming a disabled waste!
Equally shaken were the Herb Guild and the major Pharmaceutical Workshops. To them, this was truly unbelievable.
According to the philosophy of all potion masters, alchemy had always been merely an auxiliary art; solutions made solely through alchemy were not considered highly valuable.
Even before, the diluted potion of regeneration that Tang Zheng had sold through Imina wasn't a big deal to the various parties of the Herb Guild.
What they were truly interested in was the technique of how Tang Zheng used troll blood to create a healing effect.
But now!
The appearance of this miraculous alchemical potion that could regenerate limbs shattered the understanding of all potion masters.
This represented that alchemy was not just a means to assist potion masters in creating healing potions, but an independent discipline!
The moment the father and son stepped out of the Noble District, before most people could react, a carriage suddenly appeared and whisked them away.
It wasn't until the next day that the father and son reappeared in the public eye and left the Imperial Capital. Clearly, someone had specifically gone to verify the healing effect of the alchemical potion.
The next morning.
Just as the sky was beginning to brighten, someone knocked on the heavy, brown wooden door again.
Tang Zheng was startled when he opened the door, because a large crowd had already gathered at the entrance. Some were dressed magnificently, some plainly, and there were also many robust and fierce-looking adventurers.
But the one unifying feature of this crowd was that all of them were disabled in some way, major or minor.
A place like the Noble District was normally a forbidden zone for adventurers and workers. It wasn't that they were barred from entering, but that the environment here simply didn't suit them.
Tang Zheng's gaze swept over these people, then looked toward the back and to the left and right sides, where ten soldiers in fine armor were spread out.
They were the guards who patrolled the Noble District.
However, unlike usual, these guards did not disperse the large crowd gathered here. It seemed they were only there to prevent chaos and did not otherwise interfere.
Seeing this scene.
A glint flashed in Tang Zheng's eyes. He withdrew his gaze from the guards and looked back at the crowd staring at him with eager eyes.
"One person."
Tang Zheng stated flatly.
The people present were stunned for a moment, then immediately understood his meaning. The originally harmonious atmosphere instantly became tense.
However, at this very moment!
The urgent sound of horse hooves and rolling wheels rang out.
A lavishly decorated carriage, drawn by two horses, appeared in everyone's vision, interrupting the tense atmosphere.
Seeing that the carriage showed no sign of slowing down, the people gathered at the gate wore ugly expressions, but they still took the initiative to clear a path down the middle.
However, contrary to what everyone imagined, the luxurious carriage did not drive past them. Instead, it came to a stop right at the entrance of the Courtyard.
Click!
The wooden door of the carriage was pushed open. A figure dressed like a butler was the first to step down, after which he respectfully took out a stool and placed it on the ground.
Then, a blond youth who looked to be only around twenty years old, holding a ruby scepter, descended from the carriage.
(end of chapter)
To confirm things further, Tang Zheng had Friyane use the "Locate Object" magic again.
The result!
Friyane looked completely bewildered. She had gained nothing, even beginning to suspect that her lack of skill with this magic had caused it to fail.
Tang Zheng, however, saw the notification that appeared on his stat panel and knew she hadn't failed. Rather, "Locate Object" was simply ineffective on him.
"Should I try one more time?" Friyane asked, a little embarrassed.
"You've already troubled yourself enough. There's no need," Tang Zheng said with a wave of his hand and a smile.
He was now certain that "remote scrying-type" magic had no effect on him. From now on, the only thing he would need to strategically counter was perception-type magic.
"I ordered some food earlier. If you two don't mind, please enjoy it."
"I still have some matters to attend to, so I'll be taking my leave first," Tang Zheng said, a look of apology on his face as he rose to his feet.
"This restaurant may be small, but its prices are anything but cheap," Friyane said, her golden eyebrows arching upwards. She then playfully nudged the seemingly restless Arche beside her with her elbow.
"I'll see you out."
Arche shot to her feet, her cheeks slightly flushed.
Watching Tang Zheng and the flustered Arche leave the restaurant, Friyane lifted a coffee-like beverage and let out a strange, low chuckle.
"To think Arche would know such a handsome guy, and with black hair too. Looking at the roots, it doesn't seem dyed."
Outside the restaurant.
Arche's blue eyes gazed at the ten gold coins in her hand, slightly dazed.
She had suddenly realized something.
It seemed that, up until now, she still didn't know Tang Zheng's name. He had never introduced himself at all.
On the bustling Long Street.
Carriages sped along the main road, and from time to time, one could see soldiers in armor patrolling the streets.
This area was close to the Imperial Magic Academy, and its security was clearly much higher than in other districts.
On the sidewalks, besides the majority of plainly dressed commoners, there were a considerable number of adventurers with weapons hanging from their waists and backs.
The closer one got to the Central Plaza, the more eccentrically dressed people one would see.
Tang Zheng's loose priest's robe enveloped his hanging arms, swaying slightly as he walked, with the Lesser Soulhound following closely behind.
"I need to speed things up," Tang Zheng thought to himself.
This thought had grown much stronger, especially after meeting the future, tragic Arche.
Save her?
Tang Zheng believed he had never possessed such a high-and-mighty attitude.
Because even he himself wasn't certain if he could remain safe in the future.
If the young woman before him needed saving, then what about the 100,000 soldiers of the Re-Estize Kingdom who were sacrificed in one fell swoop, or the people of the future Holy Kingdom who would be butchered and skinned by Demiurge like two-legged sheep?
What about the populace of the Holy Kingdom, who would have their intelligence lowered by magic and be raised like livestock? Did they not need saving even more?
He was not a savior, nor did he want to become one.
Tang Zheng didn't mind saving a few people along his path, but he wouldn't go out of his way specifically to do so.
As a Player, a person who could grow stronger through slaughter.
Tang Zheng felt that the fact he hadn't wantonly killed the innocent up to this point was already the highest form of reverence for life.
"Hm?"
Tang Zheng paused his stride and turned his head to look across the street, but he found no figures worth noting.
Was it his imagination?
As Tang Zheng walked away, from an inconspicuous corner across the street, a figure completely wrapped in a tattered gray robe slowly raised its head.
Its hidden gaze stared at the departing Tang Zheng, its thoughts unknown.
From the slender figure faintly visible beneath the gray robe, one could tell it was a woman.
For the next two days.
With Imina secretly and continuously spreading the news, more and more people learned that a mysterious alchemist living in the Noble District could heal severe injuries left by disabilities.
This instantly caused a sensation among the ranks of adventurers and workers.
Especially since the treatment process was free.
If it were merely "free," that would have been the most unbelievable thing to this group of people who lived on the edge of a blade, for they never believed in free lunches.
But the rumor also said that the prerequisite for this "free" treatment was to test an alchemical potion developed by that alchemist, a potion that could very well lead to death.
Such a rumor, conversely, dispelled the wariness in most people's hearts.
Even so, no one dared to be the first to act as a guinea pig.
This led to a situation where, although the news spread like wildfire and was discussed in most taverns, not a single person actually dared to venture into the Noble District.
Until the third day!
Two poorly dressed people knocked on the gate of the Courtyard where Tang Zheng lived.
The two were a father and son.
One was a middle-aged man, only around thirty years old, with tanned skin and a full head of white hair. The other was his son, a young boy with amputated legs, carried on his father's back in a wooden basket.
As soon as this happened!
The major Adventurer Teams and Worker Squads that had been watching the place immediately sprang into action.
In addition, various workshops and the Herb Guild, and even the Adventurer's Guild, sent people.
In the past, a mere low-level Copper-rank adventurer would not have been worth their attention, but now Tang Zheng was not just an adventurer, but also a highly skilled alchemist.
Under the investigation of the various factions, the identities of the father and son were quickly uncovered.
They were a farmer and son from a small village outside the Imperial Capital. The reason the son had no legs was that they had been whipped and broken by a minor noble several years ago.
Due to a delay in treatment, necrosis had set in, and the legs had to be amputated.
Time passed bit by bit.
Under the patient watch of all parties, it wasn't until near evening that the father and son emerged from the heavy, brown wooden door.
That's right, they walked out.
The farmer's son had actually regrown his legs!
An uproar!
An invisible shockwave spread rapidly. Countless adventurers and workers had their eyes light up. This kind of alchemical potion was practically a second life for them.
Compared to death, what many feared more was becoming a disabled waste!
Equally shaken were the Herb Guild and the major Pharmaceutical Workshops. To them, this was truly unbelievable.
According to the philosophy of all potion masters, alchemy had always been merely an auxiliary art; solutions made solely through alchemy were not considered highly valuable.
Even before, the diluted potion of regeneration that Tang Zheng had sold through Imina wasn't a big deal to the various parties of the Herb Guild.
What they were truly interested in was the technique of how Tang Zheng used troll blood to create a healing effect.
But now!
The appearance of this miraculous alchemical potion that could regenerate limbs shattered the understanding of all potion masters.
This represented that alchemy was not just a means to assist potion masters in creating healing potions, but an independent discipline!
The moment the father and son stepped out of the Noble District, before most people could react, a carriage suddenly appeared and whisked them away.
It wasn't until the next day that the father and son reappeared in the public eye and left the Imperial Capital. Clearly, someone had specifically gone to verify the healing effect of the alchemical potion.
The next morning.
Just as the sky was beginning to brighten, someone knocked on the heavy, brown wooden door again.
Tang Zheng was startled when he opened the door, because a large crowd had already gathered at the entrance. Some were dressed magnificently, some plainly, and there were also many robust and fierce-looking adventurers.
But the one unifying feature of this crowd was that all of them were disabled in some way, major or minor.
A place like the Noble District was normally a forbidden zone for adventurers and workers. It wasn't that they were barred from entering, but that the environment here simply didn't suit them.
Tang Zheng's gaze swept over these people, then looked toward the back and to the left and right sides, where ten soldiers in fine armor were spread out.
They were the guards who patrolled the Noble District.
However, unlike usual, these guards did not disperse the large crowd gathered here. It seemed they were only there to prevent chaos and did not otherwise interfere.
Seeing this scene.
A glint flashed in Tang Zheng's eyes. He withdrew his gaze from the guards and looked back at the crowd staring at him with eager eyes.
"One person."
Tang Zheng stated flatly.
The people present were stunned for a moment, then immediately understood his meaning. The originally harmonious atmosphere instantly became tense.
However, at this very moment!
The urgent sound of horse hooves and rolling wheels rang out.
A lavishly decorated carriage, drawn by two horses, appeared in everyone's vision, interrupting the tense atmosphere.
Seeing that the carriage showed no sign of slowing down, the people gathered at the gate wore ugly expressions, but they still took the initiative to clear a path down the middle.
However, contrary to what everyone imagined, the luxurious carriage did not drive past them. Instead, it came to a stop right at the entrance of the Courtyard.
Click!
The wooden door of the carriage was pushed open. A figure dressed like a butler was the first to step down, after which he respectfully took out a stool and placed it on the ground.
Then, a blond youth who looked to be only around twenty years old, holding a ruby scepter, descended from the carriage.
(end of chapter)
