Conversation (2)

In front of the tower, stood Libertas stunned, while the butler chuckled beside him. The soldiers had already left, leaving them here alone. The leaves rustled under the gusts of wind. The time passed in silence until the butler inquired with a slight bow, "Could we now go up? Or would you like to look a bit longer at the tower? Don't be shy. Everyone who saw the tower was surprised by it."

Libertas looked at the tower. He was still a bit dazed. Wasn't it a bit too on the plain side? Shouldn't the founder have a grand tower? One with the spire over the clouds and a base with unfathomable width? It was after all the founder who had unified the whole world! Hence, he answered a bit taken aback, "Ah? Yes, I am sorry. We can go now."

The butler chuckled, "Then please follow me."

Following, the butler opened the door to the tower. Swiftly, Libertas followed the butler inside. However, before Libertas could look around, he was lead through a door. It was only a small room with a crystal embedded in a wall. The butler smiled at him as he laid his hand atop of it. Then as soon as the door closed again, the whole room rumbled and gradually lifted.

Soon the room ceased to rise. The door automatically opened, revealing a long corridor. Libertas glanced at the butler. In return, the butler chuckled. Smoothly, he gestured with his hand towards the door. Smiling, he said, "Please walk down the corridor to the last door. You will meet the founder there. I will wait here for you."

Libertas stepped out of the room. After a while, he heard a faint click. He looked around, the door behind him had closed. Gulping, he walked forwards towards the end of the corridor. Occasionally, he saw a door on the left or right until he reached the end. In front of him was a wooden door. Behind it was the founder.

His hand stretched towards the knob. However, it shivered as his breathing hastened. Biting on his own lip, he gripped the knob and turned it. The door opened. Taking another deep breath, he took a step forward. He was inside.

Surprisingly, the founder was a woman with brown wavy hair, which were bound together to a ponytail. Her white skin contrasted mesmerizing with the brown chair on which she leisurely sat. Her head was tilted slightly sideways to gaze out of a window, staring into the sky. She didn't say anything for a moment, as if she hadn't noticed Libertas entering.

After a while, she sighed, and her head drooped low. Then she looked directly at Libertas with her piercing azure eyes. Gently, she asked, "Sister, why did you come here? Tell me, why did you leave earth?"

Libertas blinked his eyes at the woman. Sister? Earth? Was that thing in his mind the spirit of her sister? Furthermore, how could she know of the earth? Did she transmigrate like him? Or was she a native? However, if she was a native, how could she know of it? Suddenly, he remembered a voice. A voice which appeared after his and before his transmigration. Was that voice the sister?

After the founder didn't hear anything for a while, she stood up. Then she walked around the table in front of the chair, and her eyes blinked too as she saw Libertas. However, she quickly regained a relaxed smile on her face. She walked further around the table until she was in front of it. While leaning against it, she smiled and said, "Oh, it seems that my sister is still asleep now. Well, then congratulation to have survived until now. And your price would be my help. You have to know that I never supported her to take over your body. Or any other boy. Hence, do you want to learn magic?"

Libertas wryly smiled as he heard her talking like this. Wasn't she too nonchalant with the situation? It was after all her sister! Furthermore, how did she jump from helping to learning magic? With a twitching mouth, he asked, "I would like to learn magic, but how will it help me against that spirit?"

She shrugged her shoulders as she crossed her legs. With a faint smile, she replied, "Well, of course, you would like to learn magic. If you don't learn it, what else would you use to fend off my sister? Your 'Imaginary World'? Well, I am sorry to disappoint, but this isn't yours. It is only a part of my sister's. Hence, if you don't learn magic, you would be helpless against her."

Libertas nodded his head gratefully, after which, he eagerly asked, "Will I learn magic from you?"

The founder chuckled lightly, "Well, no. It would be ridiculous if I did that. After all, I am a busy woman, and I will not waste my time. I will enrol you in my Magic Academy free of charge. Simple, right? It is up to you if you can learn anything. Even though learning magic should be almost impossible for you, maybe you can perform a miracle? Anyway, you are a bit too old to fit in the first year. You know, they are usually around eight, while you are ten plus years old. Well, I don't care. At least, you will stand out. You know, if you don't, then I don't see any hopes in you defeating my sister. Hence, do your best. Besides that, how old were you? I mean, how long did you live on the earth?"

The founder tilted her head as she curiously stared at Libertas. Libertas frowned slightly and gazed deeply into her eyes before he sighed faintly. Then he casually replied, "I was sixteen, and I would have reached seventeen in eight days."

She blinked his eyes at Libertas. She shrugged her shoulder once more before she turned her head to look at the side. Following she said, "Well, you have now a new life. If you can keep it, would depend on yourself. Maybe you will live longer, maybe not, but at least I hope you will give it your best shot. Well, enough of this. Do you have any questions?"

Libertas mouth twitched. It was too arduous to keep up with her. She jumped from one topic to the other in the blink of the eye. Now that there was a short break, he could take relaxed a deep breath. Then he asked, "Why are you helping me? She is even after all that your sister."

As she heard this, she shook her head. Subsequently, she dismissively waved her hand and sighed, "You won't understand this. You are still too weak. Even if I tell it to you now, you won't be able to do anything. Although she is my sister, and I would like to kill her, but I can't. If I can end everything, if I only need to kill you, I would have done that without hesitation. Unfortunately for me and fortunately for you, it isn't possible. Hence, ask your next question. By the way, you still can ask two questions before you have to leave."

Libertas nodded his head. Was she angry? He glanced at the flask the founder had summoned out of nowhere. After she took a sip, she had placed it on the table. With a slight frown, he carefully thought over what question he should ask next.

After a while, Libertas opened his mouth. He asked with a hint of doubt, "Once someone has told me how to reach the next stage in cultivation of the Imaginary World. However, I doubt that. He said that we only have to further our understandings about any law. If that was really the truth, then why would only a few or even no civilians reach the next stage? How coincidental can it be that most if not all who attained it are the soldiers working under the king? Hence, I would like to know, how does one reach the next stage in the cultivation of the Imaginary World?"

As Libertas saw her faintly smiling while she chuckled like he had told her a joke, he knew he had hit the nail on the head. Smiling, he waited at her answer, but she continued to chuckle, and he could only wait and wait. After some time passed, he couldn't help himself but look weirdly at the founder. Why was she still chuckling? Had she gone crazy? Hesitatingly, Libertas spoke out, "Excuse me? Hello? Can you hear me? Hello?"

The chuckling stopped. With a slight frown, the founder rudely said, "What do you want? Why did you interrupt my fun? Couldn't you see I was laughing? Whatever, what was your question again? Ah, yes! I remember! For this one time, I will be gracious enough to forgive you. However, the next time, I will heavily punish you for this, understood?"

Stunned, Libertas nodded his head. She then smiled again and resumed to speak, "Good! I like well-behaved boys. So don't ever think of being rebellious. Well, now to your question. Well, you need to know, I would have given you an extensive explanation if you hadn't interrupted my fun. Now, you will only get a shorter version. Well, do you regret it?"

Libertas smiled wryly as his mouth twitched slightly. Wasn't she a bit too capricious? While he did think that, he still nodded his head in compliance. Pleased, she smiled as she spoke, "Well, that someone was completely wrong! Who was he? How dumb must he be to think a weakling can immediately start to understand a law? Well, never mind. There are enough fools in this world to believe that. Ah, wait! Wasn't that fool, father? Wait, wait! Didn't he rename everything for his new system? Hell, why did he spread that?! Couldn't he keep using the mage system? Whatever, I don't care any more!"

Vexed, the founder deftly took the flask on the table and downed it in her throat. Instantly she coughed heavily. After taking a deep breath, she wiped her mouth with her hand and opened her mouth to answer.