Chapter 12: She Was Just an Accident

“That’s the Archmage Dundar? He looks so young! Isn’t he supposed to be over two hundred years old?”

“I can’t believe I had the chance to see Archmage Dundar today. Judson is going to regret this when he finds out!”

“Tsk tsk, that guy’s done for!”

“Serves him right. He dared to insult a magic apprentice, and it’s even Archmage Dundar’s student. He deserves to be hanged!”

Whispers filled the corner of the tavern.

Some were excited to see Archmage Dundar;

While others mocked Yu Sheng’an for overestimating himself. A commoner like him dared to provoke a magic apprentice. He was asking for death!

“Are you kidding me? Have you even mastered Wind Impact? If not, how dare you come to a tavern for a drink? Get out, this place isn’t for people like you!”

Face hardened, Archmage Dundar scolded his grandniece upon hearing her complaint.

The tavern fell silent in surprise.

The next moment, countless eyes were full of admiration. One of the four pillars of the empire, indeed fair and just!

“Grandpa Dundar…” Dorothy was stunned, her lips quivering and eyes welling up with tears as she looked pitiful.

“Enough, stop pretending!” A voice full of mockery turned everyone’s faces pale.

Yu Sheng’an’s mocking gaze was visible from behind the crumbling Rock Barrier.

“Look! Look at him, Grandpa Dundar. Look how arrogant he is…”

Dorothy’s face lit up with joy as she pointed at Yu Sheng’an, shouting eagerly.

“Shut up!”

Dundar’s voice was like a wailing banshee, piercing everyone’s soul. Many turned pale, and weaker individuals bled from their mouths.

Dorothy trembled, the color draining from her face.

Dundar looked at Yu Sheng’an, his expression darkening. He placed a hand on his chest and said, “I sincerely apologize. Felix’s student has disgraced herself.”

The tavern erupted in whispers! Who could command such respect from the Archmage?

Desowa was stunned!

He looked at Yu Sheng’an in disbelief, unable to fathom how this drunkard could earn a respectful greeting from the Archmage. Dorothy’s eyes widened as shock and disbelief filled her delicate face.

She couldn’t believe that the person she treated as a pushover was someone she never should’ve messed with! The magic apprentices with her were equally dumbfounded.

They glanced from Archmage Dundar to Desowa, their minds racing with speculative thoughts.

“Disgraced?”

Yu Sheng’an chuckled, his tone laced with meaning:

“I’m curious. Knowing the time and place, why didn’t you lock this place down? Even if you didn’t, you should be closely monitoring every move here, right?”

Yu Sheng’an wasn’t a lowly commoner who would make jokes about the emperor using a golden hoe.

Though his imagination was limited by poverty, the advanced Internet on Blue Star let him glimpse the lives of the elite.

This led him to think: before meeting with him, wouldn’t the Kewell Empire have scoured the Mage’s Hat Tavern, monitoring every entrant? Even sending a fully armed squad, right? But he found hardly any sign of human interference at the Mage’s Hat.

He finally realized something and said, “Are you showing me your nation’s confidence?”

National confidence?

What a fitting description! Dundar secretly praised the term, but his mood darkened. The Internet God was proving to be even more formidable than he had imagined! “No, this is a gesture of goodwill!” Dundar responded.

Negotiation was an art, and he knew which posture would be most advantageous.

By not interfering with the Mage’s Hat, they were showing goodwill, but on a deeper level, it was also a sign of confidence! He knew that those who lack confidence are usually the ones who cling to rituals and formalities.

“Including this magic apprentice?” Yu Sheng’an glanced at Dorothy.

Dorothy’s face turned ashen. Even she wasn’t so foolish as not to realize from their conversation that Yu Sheng’an was no ordinary individual.

“She was just an accident.” Dundar had refrained from mentioning Yu Sheng’an’s identity as the Internet God.

After all, they were in the capital of the magic nation, the Kewell Empire. Letting the public know that they were in contact with the Internet God wouldn’t look good.

Yu Sheng’an gave Dorothy one last glance before turning to walk towards the bar.

Dundar followed closely behind. As they passed by Dorothy, Dundar’s gaze filled her with dread, cold sweat pouring down her back.

She realized… She had caused big trouble! Huge trouble!

……

At the bar, Yu Sheng’an held a half-filled glass of Warrior’s Blood.

Dundar, like an old, weathered mercenary, ordered a Bloody Mary. The two of them sat side by side, gazing into the tavern interior as they casually started a conversation.

The bartender, who fancied himself a magic apprentice, stood by trembling after serving the Bloody Mary, unsure of what to do with his hands, so he kept wiping the same glass over and over.

“You’re not the God of Azaea Continent, are you?”

“Correct.”

“I was wondering where you’re from? I used to love traveling and have visited many places. Perhaps I’ve been to your homeland.”

“Azure Star. Seventy percent of it is covered by blue oceans. Have you been?”

Yu Sheng’an looked at Dundar with a hint of expectation.

“No, the multiverse is truly boundless!” Dundar shook his head, internally marveling. It confirmed his suspicion that Yu Sheng’an was an Outer God!

“So, what’s your reason for spreading Internet Divine Magic?”

Yu Sheng’an downed his Warrior’s Blood and replied, “Just say what you want to, directly!”

Dundar fell silent for a moment, then said, “The Kewell Empire is founded on magic. Your Internet has touched the very foundation of our empire. I hope you can shut down the online courses. In return, we’ll allow you to spread your divine arts within the empire.”

“I don’t need your permission. If you’re capable, go ahead and ban it nationwide!”

“Crack——”

The sound of a glass cracking could be heard from Dundar’s drink.

It was such a small sound, yet it was piercing in the silent tavern, which had already fallen deadly quiet.

No one spoke, and no one left. Everyone pretended to drink their drinks nonchalantly, ears perked up. Although they couldn’t hear the conversation, the tension was palpable. Occasionally, someone brave enough would sneak a glance but quickly lower their head, heart pounding with the feeling of witnessing history!

They actually were witnessing history.

“Close the magic section of the online courses. This is the empire’s final bottom line!” Dundar’s voice was calm, yet filled with a deep ocean of magic.

Yu Sheng’an turned his head to look at Dundar and suddenly smiled, “What is the origin of magic?”

Dundar paused, while Yu Sheng’an continued talking to himself, “According to ancient texts, during the early days of the world, humans were as weak as insects, struggling to survive in corners, constantly under the shadow of death. Then, someone great studied the patterns of magical beasts, experimenting with themselves until they mastered the beast’s Magic Seals, thus establishing the path of magic.”

Yu Sheng’an paused, “I don’t get it. Where did that spirit of learning go? Just because you haven’t seen the Internet before, you instinctively reject it? Aren’t you scared it’s the new magical beast, and if you don’t learn from it, it’ll devour you?”

Dundar shuddered and after a long silence said, “I think Trickster God would be a better title for you!”

Yu Sheng’an didn’t care about Dundar’s insult. Sighing, he replied, “I don’t understand what you’re worried about. You think I’m undermining your foundation of magic? In reality, it’s quite the opposite. I believe I’m helping you.”

“Look at the Kewell Empire, known as the magic empire. But how many people here can actually practice magic? But with the Internet, it’ll be different. Everyone will have the chance to learn magic. Do you know what that means?”

Yu Sheng’an was about to answer his own question when Dundar’s face changed, and he shouted, “That means chaos and war!”

“Everyone desires power, but magical resources are limited. To seize those limited resources, they would fight each other. They would rebel against authority, challenge the empire’s rule, and form a cult of the Internet God under your influence!”

Yu Sheng’an was stunned, staring blankly at Dundar, then burst into laughter.

He finally understood what the Kewell Empire feared.