Chapter 205 - Are You Worthy?
Chapter 205 of "Exploring Technology in a Wizard World" opens presenting key developments: Chapter 205: Chapter 204: Are You Worthy?âCome back!â Seeing Macbeth suddenly disappear, Dempsey was not... Read on!
Chapter 205: Chapter 204: Are You Worthy?âCome back!â Seeing Macbeth suddenly disappear, Dempsey was not surprised but just shouted with a dark expression.
âWhoosh!â
Just as abruptly as he had vanished, Macbeth reappeared on deck.
âHa ha.â Macbeth looked at Dempsey with a grin, his face not serious at all, âWhat do you need me for? If itâs really about helping, forget it.
I have seen that Siv, Louis, and Quinton, who walked with you, have all disappeared, and you yourself have been seriously injured. This means youâve gotten involved with someone very dangerous. I want to live a few more years, so I canât help you with your problem.â
Dempseyâs expression darkened even more, and he said, âAbout my injury and the disappearance of Siv, Louis, and Quinton, I have already resolved it, so you donât need to worry. What I need your help with is another matter.â
âOh, is that so?â Macbeth nodded, his expression slightly relaxed, though he still did not agree, âThen tell me, Iâll listen.â
âItâs simple, I need you to help escort the giant ship back to White Stone Tower.â
âHmm?â Macbeth was slightly taken aback, but then he realized, laughing, âAh, so thatâs it. Youâve been injured, so you canât deal with the sea tax officers of the various island countries along the way. Youâre tired of being constantly extorted and had to call me for help.â
âAs long as you understand,â Dempsey said expressionlessly, âSo, will you help or not?â
âI can help. After all, I have to find a way back to White Stone Tower after completing my task, and going back with your giant ship doesnât hold me up,â Macbeth raised an eyebrow, âBut, I have a condition.â
âCondition?â
âYes, a condition.â Macbeth shrugged, âAs I said, I will return to White Stone Tower after I complete my task. In other words, I still havenât finished my task yet. If I escort the giant ship back now, and my task fails, what happens then? Will you compensate me?â
âWhat about first completing your task?â
âHey, itâs not that simple.â Macbeth squinted, âYou have to help me complete the task. Iâm not afraid to tell you that my task location is just less than two days away here in âLisben,â so I came here quickly, and now I need some assistance. Youâre injured, so you donât have to take part personally. But you have to lend me a few of your people.â
âI only have a few wizard apprentices left under my command right now; if I lend them to you, I canât maintain order on the ship,â Dempsey said, âSo, I cannot agree to this.â
âHeh, donât be so definitive,â Macbeth didnât give up.
âSo what do you suggestâŠâ Dempsey was speaking when Third Level Apprentice Potter suddenly ran up with a serious expression and whispered a few words in Dempseyâs ear.
Dempsey stopped talking, his expression slightly changed, and looked sharply at Macbeth, questioning, âArenât you here alone?â
âHmm? What about it?â
âYou came with a tail!â Dempsey sternly said.
âUh, about thatâŠâ Macbeth neither admitted nor denied.
Dempseyâs expression darkened as he looked towards the distant sea and saw several black dots rapidly approaching the giant ship.
The people on the deck also noticed, craning their necks to look, with Nancy, Richard, and Gro among them. After a moment, they shockingly saw three black medium-sized military ships, cutting through the waves and quickly closing in.
As they neared, an imposing old man in his fifties appeared on the deck of the middle ship, dressed in a gray uniform, with a longsword hanging at his waist. He spoke loudly, âGiant ship ahead, listen carefully, I suspect that you are harboring a fugitive we are pursuing. He is accused of murdering our countryâs Duke, and I intend to capture him.
Next, we will board and search the ship, and we hope for your cooperation, or else we will use force! Iâm not afraid to tell you that we have forces aboard capable of contending with wizards, so I hope you wonât do anything foolish.â
On the deck of the giant ship, Dempsey looked at Macbeth with an ugly expression.
Macbeth, however, still had a grin, and looking at Dempsey, he playfully yet threateningly said slowly, âWhat do you think would happen if I just turn around now and let this military ship attack the giant ship?
Hmm, it probably wouldnât sink. But given your current situation, dealing with these three military ships wouldnât be easy, and it would definitely come at a great cost. Perhaps, it would end with both sides losing.â
Upon hearing this, Dempseyâs expression turned icy as he looked at Macbeth and gravely said, âIf you really intend to do that, then I would rather sacrifice all the students on this ship and return to the White Stone Tower alone to report your actions. Hmph, you deliberately murdering the academyâs students, letâs see how the academy will punish you!â
âHa, the way you put it,â Macbeth also adopted an icy tone, âI committed murder? The true murderers are you recruiters. Do you think Iâve never been on this kind of ship? When I first came to the White Stone Tower, do you really think I am unaware of what I experienced?
Trials, over and over. Isnât it just to make the recruiters look good, keep the better students, and under the guise of testing, weed out the weaker ones? Thatâs the real murder!
If you didnât want the weaker students, you shouldnât have allowed them on the ship in the first place. But you didnât do that, because you needed to collect Crystal Coins. Youâd rather kill the weaker students than let them remain and develop on their own, let alone let other Wizard Organizations benefit from them.
Ridiculous, preaching morality to me, Dempsey, do you really think youâre worthy? Do you really believe that you, a person like you, have less blood on your hands than I do? Do you really think your heart is cleaner than mine?â
Listening to Macbethâs words, Dempsey did not get angry but calmed down instead, his gaze turning as cold as ice, he said to Macbeth, âWhat Iâm talking about now is not morality, but rules. The testing behavior is sanctioned by the White Stone Tower, and not just by us; other Wizard Organizations also engage in it to some extent. Unless you want to plunge the whole Wizard World into chaos, some control is necessary. If true chaos were to erupt, more people would die.
Moreover, for the White Stone Tower to survive, it needs profits; it needs to suppress other Wizard Organizations, and you know this better than anyone. So even if I donât do certain things, someone else will. I donât think Iâm clean, nor do I think I have less blood on my hands; I just want to do my duty.
Now you rant at me, showing your dissatisfaction and anger about past experiences? Hmph, where was your dissatisfaction and anger when I was unharmed?! Where was it when you faced those people in White Stone Tower?!
What are you, really, and what have you ever contributed to the White Stone Tower, to stand here and criticize me and the rules of the White Stone Tower? Youâdo you qualify?!â
After speaking, Dempsey stared at Macbeth, and Macbeth stared back at Dempsey.
The atmosphere at that instant felt like a tightrope suddenly pulled taut.