“Sin Duke…” Faraosis, known as the God of Law in Shavin, slightly narrowed his eyes, which, though showing signs of age, were still clear and bright. A hint of surprise entered his usually calm voice: “Is that you?”
Mo gently nodded, a faint smile on his face: “Indeed. To be honest, I didn’t expect Grand Duke to trust me so much. Please don’t laugh, but for a fallen noble like myself, the pressure I’ve felt recently has been quite immense.”
Humble and proper, eloquent, graceful, neither servile nor overbearing…
These were Fara’s first impressions of the young man before him. Although the half-mask prevented him from seeing the man’s full face, it didn’t hinder the fact that his demeanor immediately made a good impression. Moreover, he remained sufficiently composed even when faced with the oppressive aura Fara deliberately created, indicating he possessed some strength. It seemed this temporary person in charge, who had quite surprised the royal family, was neither an incompetent fool nor someone with ulterior motives.
This brought a measure of relief to Fara, who had always admired Grand Duke Garros. As long as he was certain that the Grand Duke wasn't treating the widely condemned tragedy in Bansher City as a joke, he would be much more at ease.
But given the gravity of the matter, Fara, who had come specifically to learn about this ‘Sin Duke,’ had no intention of making a judgment based solely on a first impression…
“You’ve heard my name?” Fara reined in his subtle pressure and asked indifferently.
Mo immediately smiled: “Master, you jest. As a double-elemental sage of Arcane and Space, as well as the Great Astrologer of the Empire and the God of Law, how could I not have heard of you?”
Fara also smiled: “Then have you ever seen me?”
“No, I haven’t,” Mo shook his head. “But just from the effortless spatial teleportation earlier and the suffocating pressure until just now, combined with your attire… it wasn’t too difficult to guess.”
Fara was slightly stunned for a moment, then remembered that he had come in a hurry and was still wearing the clothes he usually wore when visiting the palace and the Mage Guild…
His purple-bottomed, silver-patterned Archmage robe emitted at least a dozen High-Rank enchantment fluctuations. The two ribbons at his collar, one gold and one blue, respectively indicated his identity as the Great Astrologer and the president of the Mage Guild. Fara, who had deliberately put away his staff and several amplifying magic rings, felt like an idiot.
Yet, the young man before him had considerately only mentioned two rather subtle clues, which was incredibly polite. This detail further increased Fara’s favorable impression of him.
“Heh heh, when you get old, your mind tends to get muddled. You’re very good.” Fara laughed candidly, but then slightly furrowed his brow and asked, “It seems Garros had a reason for bestowing you a noble title, but why ‘Sin Duke’… You should know that word doesn’t carry a good meaning.”
Mo pursed his lips in embarrassment, and after a moment of silence, he sighed softly: “This was not Grand Duke Garros’s intention. Rather, it was my own request after I learned that the Grand Duke intended to grant me a title.”
“Oh?” Fara blinked with interest: “Would you care to tell an old man like me?”
“There’s nothing difficult to speak of.” Mo pulled out a tattered emblem from his pocket, his lowered gaze somewhat complex: “As I told you before, I am a fallen noble. Although my ancestors had a glorious period, they were exiled due to a grave mistake. Taking ‘Sin’ as my name, I merely wish to atone for my family’s sins…”
Although Fara wasn’t deeply versed in heraldry, he could sense that there must be many stories behind this. However, his main concern wasn’t here…
“So you intend to atone for your family’s sins by earning merit through this incident?”
The old man’s gaze was deep and wise.
“It was merely a coincidence,” Mo’s lips curled into a bitter smile. “I happened to be passing through here a while ago and discovered that Bansher City had become a dead zone. Concerned if anyone was still alive inside, I ventured into that cursed land…”
Fara nodded: “And then?”
“The endless resentment nearly overwhelmed my mind.” Mo gently stroked his chest with lingering fear, his face slightly pale: “I felt as if I was in purgatory. Thinking back now, it was truly fortunate that I didn’t let my companions enter to explore with me…”
He revealed a gentle smile, raising a hand to lift a corner of his mask. The skin underneath was actually tinged with black: “This wouldn’t look very good on a girl.”
“This is…” Fara’s pupils suddenly constricted. He whispered to Mo, who was putting his mask back on: “I have never seen such evil power!”
The latter gently shook his head: “I don’t know either, but it’s very likely the power of the perpetrator. Although I left as quickly as possible at the time, I was still corroded. Unfortunately, I didn’t find any survivors.”
Without waiting for Fara to ask further, Mo proactively explained: “Later, I met Viscount Tier and participated in the investigation as the first eyewitness. Perhaps it was because I had been corroded by that power before, but I could faintly sense the residual power. When the Grand Duke’s noble investigation team arrived, I found that under the protection of the priests, I could even track that evil power in the city in reverse…”
“So you became one of the frontline leaders of the investigation team.” Fara looked at him somewhat suspiciously: “Just because of that?”
Mo smiled faintly: “I didn’t want Grand Duke to put himself in danger, nor did I want those who were massacred to be unable to rest in peace. Of course, there’s a little bit of selfishness in this too. As you can see, the Grand Duke’s appreciation gave me hope. I want to atone for my sins as the Sin Duke and revitalize my family…”
“Talent Skill: Original Sin, Cooldown Complete.”
The system prompt quietly sounded in Mo’s ear…
“I sympathize with your plight, and I admire your character.” Fara nodded, but then his gaze became stern: “But I don’t completely trust you…”
Mo nodded gently: “Understandable.”
“I hope you can earn my complete trust in the future.” Although Fara had no major doubts about Mo’s statements, he still said in a deep voice: “I know Garros very well. Unlike most of his colleagues, he is a noble aristocrat. I hope he hasn’t misjudged you… Otherwise…”
A staff, entirely silver-white, materialized out of thin air. Several seemingly solid magic runes rotated around it. At its tip and end were two crystals, somewhat familiar to Mo, emitting dazzling, colorful light.
Fara simply waved his hand, and countless starlight instantly appeared in the distant sky. Immediately following was a dazzling curtain of rain, accompanied by a whistling sound, pouring down. The countless ‘raindrops,’ indiscernible to the naked eye, were actually silver meteors plummeting directly!
“Stagnate.”
But as they were about to fall to the ground, Fara grasped the staff and slammed it forcefully onto the ground. Accompanied by a surge of magic, the distant space was actually frozen solid…
“Disperse.”
The grand arcane sequence instantly reversed with a soft command. The stars, falling like a rain curtain, dissipated into nothingness, and the completely frozen space returned to normal, as if nothing had happened at all.
The might of the God of Law, terrifying indeed…
“Don’t let down those who believe in and are optimistic about you,” Fara said casually. “Now, take me to… Hmm?”
A slender, graceful figure swiftly sped from the distance, yet made no sound. In just a moment, Ji Xiaodao stood beside Mo, her face alert, looking coldly at Fara.
“Allow me to introduce her. This is the companion I just mentioned to you. Her name is Ji Dao. Although she considers herself my maid, a fallen noble’s maid, she has actually always been my only female companion.” Mo smiled apologetically at Fara, then very naturally took Ji Xiaodao’s hand, and facing her almost shocked gaze, he gently said: “This is Master Fara, the God of Law. Don’t be rude, okay?”
Ji Xiaodao stiffly nodded, then forced an unnatural smile at Fara: “Hello, Master.”
“Hello, little girl.” Fara nodded kindly to the Dark Elf who seemed a bit nervous before him: “Don’t misunderstand, I have no intention of harming Sin Duke~”
Ji Xiaodao quickly shook her head: “I just wanted to inform… Mo, something just happened at the front-line camp. A soldier, for some unknown reason, suddenly became very strange, his face filled with pain, and then he… exploded.”
Both Fara and Mo were slightly stunned, the former immediately said seriously: “Quickly take us to see…”
“Wait a moment.” Unexpectedly, Mo suddenly interrupted: “There’s one more thing I wanted to tell you.”
“What?”
“That is~” Mo Tan’s voice was very soft, and a faint black gleam quietly lit up in his eyes under the mask’s shadow: “If possible, could you…?”
Bang!!!
“Talent Skill: Original Sin, Usage Failed.”
As this system prompt came, a crystal on Fara’s chest, which seemed to be merely decorative, suddenly exploded, and a powerful force instantly swept out.
The God of Law was pushed back several steps, a trace of blood flowing from the corner of his mouth.
Mo, meanwhile, immediately shielded Ji Xiaodao, blocking the powerful impact for her.
“Master Fara, what exactly just happened!?” After the sudden power gradually dissipated, Mo immediately turned to Fara and asked, while protecting the still dazed Ji Xiaodao behind him.
“Be careful!” The God of Law, however, was pale-faced. He quickly outlined a complex, colorful magic circle in front of him and cautiously activated it. A vibrant light screen instantly spread out from him as the center, sweeping over an area of several kilometers around them in an instant…
Nothing happened.
“Nothing…” Cold sweat trickled down Fara’s forehead. The usually composed and powerful God of Law now seemed somewhat fearful. He gestured for Mo and Ji Xiaodao to stand behind him, vigilantly surveying their surroundings, but found nothing.
“Master?” Mo asked with apparent concern: “What exactly is wrong? What was that just now…?”
“It has nothing to do with you!” Fara shook his head: “What were you trying to tell me just now?”
Mo looked back at Ji Xiaodao, then whispered to Fara: “I was asking if you could dispel that mark on my face, after all, you are…”
“Now is not the time for such talk!” Fara interrupted him impatiently: “Something big has happened. I must return to the imperial capital immediately. You go back at once and tell Garros to withdraw everyone from the vicinity of Bansher City, then bring him back here. I will leave a teleportation gate. We’ll discuss the rest there!”
With that, he didn't wait for the two to react, immediately channeled his magic to tear open a relatively stable spatial gate on the spot, and then instantly rushed into it…
…
“You just…” Ji Xiaodao realized Mo had let go of her hand at some point.
“Quiet.” Mo, at this moment, had completely lost his previously gentle demeanor, casually glancing at her coldly: “If I hadn’t shielded you from Fara’s sight, he might already be suspicious…”
After a moment of silence, Mo said faintly: “I originally intended to directly control that mage just now, but my skill failed to activate.”
“What?” Ji Xiaodao was startled, then frowned slightly: “Then wouldn’t he…?”
“He’s not suspicious yet,” Mo shook his head with a cold smile, the black gleam in his eyes that could instantly drive anyone mad gradually receding: “But he definitely knows something. Perhaps it won’t be long before he comes looking for me…”
Ji Xiaodao had witnessed Mo use ‘Original Sin’ firsthand, and immediately whispered: “Then what should we do now? That skill didn’t work. Fara is the God of Law, and his strength and influence are far greater than Grand Duke Garros. If he becomes suspicious of you… then…”
“So what?” Mo calmly gazed at the teleportation gate leading directly to Shavin’s imperial capital and said softly: “If I can’t control him, then I’ll just eliminate him.”
Ji Xiaodao, however, gave a bitter smile: “But what if he can’t be…?”
“Original Sin isn’t omnipotent, even though this world is full of sin.” Mo impatiently interrupted Ji Xiaodao: “But if one could succeed in everything with just one skill, then this game would be far too boring.”
The latter appeared somewhat bewildered.
“Everything requires a process.” Mo ignored her, simply turned and walked towards the front-line camp, muttering to himself: “And I don’t care about the length of the process…”
Ji Xiaodao silently followed behind him. After a long moment, she spoke, as if just making conversation: “Are we going to find Grand Duke Garros?”
“Yes.”
“What about the soldier who exploded at the camp earlier…?” Remembering the incident, the girl’s expression was clearly not good: “How should we handle that?”
“It won’t happen again.” Mo’s steps paused slightly. He then recalled the actions of his other self earlier and looked back with a light smile: “I did it.”
Ji Xiaodao this time was not too surprised. After all, anything seemed plausible when it came to the man before her. She merely shrugged: “Okay, I could sense he probably deserved to die anyway, but how did you do it?”
“…”
“Hmm?”
“You’re asking too many questions today.”
Chapter Sixty-Three: The End
