23.Code

Second Salem

When Aurelius entered through the door, Chastity approached him and said, "Credence, you're finally back."

"Call me Aurelius," he replied.

Aurelius looked at Chastity skeptically, then glanced at the other eager children. He chuckled and said, "Why are you all just sitting there? Have you eaten?"

The children remained silent.

Sheepishly, Chastity admitted, "I... I don't know how to cook."

Aurelius couldn't help but laugh and then he affectionately ruffled Modesty's hair. "Alright, let's take everyone to the restaurant... No, forget it. Let's go to the yard. Until the house is repaired, we may have to eat there."

Following the lead of the two older children, they all assembled in the orphanage's courtyard. Aurelius turned to Chastity and asked, "Can you help me?"

Chastity smiled and replied, "Of course... of course."

While Chastity went to the kitchen to prepare, Aurelius walked over to Mary's lifeless body. He crouched down, unafraid of her gruesome state, and sat beside her.

"I'm sorry. Maybe I shouldn't have killed you. Maybe I should have. I unintentionally hurt Mr. Mason. I don't know if it's my fault, but you've abused me for fifteen years and still wanted to use me as a sacrifice..." Aurelius smiled sadly as he gently closed Mary's eyelids, shielding the fear that was frozen on her face.

"Perhaps no one is entirely right or wrong. Goodbye, Mom."

With a wave of his hand, the debris on the ground began to stir. Wood, pebbles, and rubble twirled around under Aurelius's control, gracefully wrapping Mary's body like a gentle breeze.

Eventually, the materials coalesced into a makeshift coffin, measuring around five or six feet in length and two feet in width.

Aurelius then proceeds to burying.

Afterward, Aurelius headed to the kitchen.

Though he lacked culinary expertise, he was capable of making random stews.

He washed and chopped an assortment of vegetables, tossing them into a pot with noodles and puree, cooking until a steaming soup emerged.

Preparing the meal wasn't overly complicated, but it still took a considerable amount of time for the hundreds of hungry children.

Chastity led the children in washing the dishes, while Aurelius sat to the side, engrossed in a book.

It wasn't a book on black magic. No matter how confident Aurelius was in his abilities, he couldn't read a book of that kind in front of the children.

"Cred- Aurelius..."

Aurelius looked up and saw a little girl named Kyle.

During these formative years, girls tend to mature faster than boys and display greater self-assurance.

Of course, Mary lacked any confidence, but generally speaking, girls are more assertive.

"What's wrong, Kyle?" Aurelius asked softly.

In a hushed voice, Kyle inquired, "Don't we need to hand out flyers?"Aurelius surveyed the attentive group of young ones, nodding in acknowledgment. "There's no need to hand out flyers," he said.

Kyle cut to the chase. "So, do we have anything to eat tonight?"

When Mary was in charge, if there was no meeting or leaflet distribution in the afternoon, they wouldn't have lunch.

"Of course...well," Aurelius began but paused, struck by an idea.

"You go and play, just be careful. It's very dangerous outside," Aurelius warned, gently touching Kyle's golden hair.

The group of children rejoiced with Aurelius's approval.

If Mary were still here, she would have reprimanded him for this.

But Mary had chosen to take a break.

Aurelius had reached his limit with the oppressive environment. A place crammed with hundreds of children felt as stifling as a prison. What had it become?

Chastity shouted, putting a halt to the mischievous children's antics. As soon as they were told to stop, they found something else to do.

After some time, Chastity was running around, drenched in sweat, trying to organize the children into manageable groups for playing.

"Those naughty ones!" Chastity scolded, though her bright smile revealed her happiness.

Without the tyrannical Mary, all the children felt a burden lifted.

"What are you doing, Aurelius?" Chastity asked curiously, observing Aurelius meditating cross-legged.

"Oh, just think of it as kung fu," Aurelius replied casually.

"Kung Fu? What's that?" Chastity queried.

Aurelius suddenly remembered that it was only 1926, still far from the Kung Fu craze.

He was familiar with the "Code of Blades" from his inheritance.

Aurelius not only inherited the abilities of a Summoner but also the teachings of the War Academy. He possessed everything, including the summoner system, the War College facilities' drawings and runes, the Crystal Trace, the Twisted Jungle, and even the Summoner's Rift. With time and resources, he could recreate them all.

However, mere replication held no meaning.

These were two different worlds.

Valoran could transform a college into a world tribunal, but it would be impossible here.

The "Code of Blades" was a compilation of the most accomplished heroes on the continent. It served as an encyclopedia of magical secrets for cold weapon combat. It contained the lifelong efforts and inheritances of dozens of warriors and heroes.

Put simply, understanding any part of it could elevate an ordinary soldier from cannon fodder to hero status.

But what classifies as a hero?

While a summoner can form contracts with any creature and transform them into defenders, not every defender can be called a hero.

The gap between heroes and non-heroes was immense.

How immense?

Have you ever witnessed a military procession? Melee minions are the natural domain of warriors, while long-range minions are where most mages excel. Tech guys, on the other hand, maybe superior, but they essentially serve as cannons and super soldiers.

Thanks to the diligent miners of Crystal Trace, the crystals they extracted gave birth to the Crystal Hub. The hub employed magical puppets to form a defensive front, ensuring that ordinary warriors and mages did not end up as mere cannon fodder.

Leveraging its power, the Crystal Hub generated magical puppets, ensuring no actual casualties occurred in Summoner's Rift. Consequently, conflicts on the mainland could be resolved within the Rift, preventing the outbreak of wars. Incidentally, this elevated the War College to a transcendental status.

The only salvation for these non-heroes lies in empowering the Crystal Nexus.

Aurelius never anticipated nurturing a hero, but the Crystal Nexus in Summoner's Rift bestowed upon him a marvelous inspiration--