Chapter 40: The End of the World

Nora Royal City.

The once glorious palace was blanketed in snow as the rebellious forces of the Freedom Commune moved in and convened their new ruling party congress there.

Amidst the swirling snow, Mo Xuanyu placed a bouquet of flowers before Mo Xiao’s gravestone, then turned and walked away.

He wore a dark black coat, his black hair tied back, and his cold, noble face was devoid of expression.

He left a trail of footprints in the snow, walking toward the royal palace as if stepping into an uninhabited realm.

The guards at the entrance tried to block Mo Xuanyu, but the moment one of them reached out, the light blue pupils hidden beneath the brim of Mo Xuanyu’s hat swept over him gently.

The guard instantly stiffened, standing frozen in place.

Not just him, but everyone who attempted to stop Mo Xuanyu from entering the palace was effortlessly subdued and immobilized right where they stood.

It was akin to a deep-sea diver encountering a massive whale swimming directly toward them.

The sheer, overwhelming mental power sweeping over them for just a fraction of a second was enough to make their souls tremble with fear.

When Mo Xuanyu’s charm attribute previously reached 21 points, he had chosen the +10% intimidation bonus, and this was the effect it produced.

This intimidation might have had little impact on transcendental beings, but to these soldiers who were merely ordinary people, Mo Xuanyu had become an entity they could only look up to and revere.

Even though they held weapons in their hands, numbering in the tens or hundreds, they dared not show the slightest bit of offense toward Mo Xuanyu.

The reason Mo Xuanyu lingered in the royal capital after the Freedom Commune took over, aside from wanting to erect a tombstone for Mo Xiao, was because of a quest issued by the Sacred Geometry.

[Side Quest: Mola’s Obsession.]

Quest Description: For Mola, death was not terrifying; what was terrifying was that his teacher ultimately chose to abandon him. He wants an explanation.

Quest Difficulty: C

Quest Rewards: None.

Quest Penalty: None.

This was a very strange quest, but Mo Xuanyu felt he could understand it.

The original Mola Vinas had long since died from severe injuries, but right before his death, he was still preoccupied with the future of the Freedom Commune.

Unwilling to depart just like that, that lingering thread of obsession remained in this world and proactively struck a deal with the Sacred Geometry.

He handed over his "identity" named Mola to the Sacred Geometry, hoping that the Chosen One who inherited his identity would help the Freedom Commune achieve ultimate victory.

Originally, everything was progressing smoothly, until the Freedom Commune chose to execute "Mola" in order to erase their own political stain. At that moment, Mola’s residual obsession transformed into this final quest.

He wanted an "explanation" from his teacher.

Mo Xuanyu had originally prepared to return to the Sacred Geometry, but after this quest appeared, he chose to stay a little longer to personally ask Peter.

He stepped into the palace and arrived in front of a study.

Mo Xuanyu pushed the door open. Inside, the fireplace crackled and burned brightly. Peter Manchester was wearing a pair of glasses, processing mountains of paperwork at his desk.

Hearing the sound of the door opening, Peter Manchester slowly paused his work, took off his glasses, and raised his head to look at Mo Xuanyu.

"Mola... You still came."

Peter’s voice was somewhat weary. After all, he was nearing fifty, and years of relentless toil had aged him rapidly.

Mo Xuanyu drew the Twilight Mourner and aimed it at the man before him—the founder of the Freedom Commune.

"Give me an explanation, Teacher."

Peter felt no fear. He looked at the exquisite flintlock pistol in Mola’s hand, and countless memories flooded his mind in an instant.

"If you want to kill me, Mola, I will not resist. The explanation you want... I will give it to you."

He calmly accepted his fate and stated his reasons for choosing to execute Mola.

To Peter, Mola was like his own child, one of the most important people in his life.

If he had a choice, he would never have issued the order to execute Mola.

However, he had no choice, because the interior of the Freedom Commune was far from a monolith.

The cost of the Freedom Commune’s continuous growth over the years was that the factions within it had become deeply intertwined and complex.

Toronto was a prime example; they abused their power for personal gain, huddling together for warmth among a few corrupt elements, seizing power and constantly squeezing out other members of the commune.

Cain was driven away in sheer anger.

Meanwhile, Peter’s position as the leader of the commune made him a thorn in the side of many.

During wartime, he might have been revered by all, as only he could rally the hearts of the people and win battles.

Yet after the war ended and the Freedom Commune monopolized absolute power, Peter’s importance was no longer as prominent.

Moreover, because the commune strongly championed popular elections and co-governance, he could not exercise a dictatorial rule—doing so would violate his original aspirations.

Therefore, against this background, the fact that Peter had once assigned Mola to act as a spy provided those who envied him with an opportunity to make a fuss.

There is no sentimentality in the political arena; they prepared to use this opportunity to drive Peter down from power.

Peter did not want to hand Nora’s future over to a group of treacherous scoundrels like them; if he did, the blood of the resistance fighters would have been shed in vain.

The group of people who followed him were also unwilling to be driven out of power alongside Peter, thereby indirectly forcing Peter to make a choice between the two.

In the end, he made his decision in sorrow, sacrificed Mola, and destroyed all related classified documents.

Now that this plan had failed, a trace of relief welled up in Peter’s heart, as if the boulder pressing down on him had finally hit the ground.

For Peter, one side was his closest student, and the other was his ideal; every decision he made was agonizing.

Being killed by Mola, on the other hand, felt like a release for him, as his heart was forever burdened with guilt toward Mola.

As Peter finished speaking, he slowly closed his eyes, waiting for Mola to pull the trigger. He did not blame Mola, for he was the one who had betrayed the other first.

This was the end he deserved.

His only regret was what would become of the future of the Freedom Commune.

The choice facing Mo Xuanyu right now was precisely this.

He wanted to ask about Mola’s obsession listed in the quest log, but that pale gray strand of obsession merely drifted before his eyes, coalescing into a single sentence.

"I am Mola, and so are you."

Mola’s residual obsession handed the choice over to Mo Xuanyu; he had already received the explanation he desired and was about to dissipate between heaven and earth.

Regardless of the outcome, it held no further meaning for him.

Yet Mo Xuanyu was also Mola, so he hoped Mo Xuanyu could make this decision on his behalf.

The fireplace inside the office continued to burn. Peter waited for a long time, but the bullet that belonged to him never came.

Mo Xuanyu put away the Twilight Mourner and walked over to his side.

Through the glass window, he gazed into the distant, empty city.

Perhaps killing Peter here would bring the satisfaction of revenge fulfilled, especially since the Mist Scythe previously sent by Peter had almost killed Mo Xuanyu, and he had only managed to counter-kill thanks to his high soul attribute.

However, for the ordinary people living in this world, if Peter died, the Freedom Commune would plunge into infighting, and nobles everywhere would harbor malicious intentions, waiting for an opportunity to strangle this newborn regime.

Their destinies would once again sink into the quagmire, becoming turbulent and displaced.

Even with the warmth of the fireplace inside the office, one could still feel chills, and outside the office, countless people would undoubtedly perish during this winter.

"You will change this country, won't you?" Mo Xuanyu looked at Peter through the reflection in the glass window.

The other man was still wearing that patched gray coat.

He answered calmly, "This is my lifelong ideal, and the reason I am still alive today."

"Then I won't kill you." Mo Xuanyu blinked gently. "I hope you can uphold your ideals on this land, Teacher."

"I will leave Nora, and I will never return."

Mo Xuanyu’s subtext was clear: You can burn all my records and pretend I never existed.

Let the name Mola vanish into history from this moment on.

Hearing this, Peter froze, the fingertips holding his pen trembling slightly as he gazed at Mo Xuanyu with a complex expression.

Mo Xuanyu said nothing more, turned, and left the office with exceptional decisiveness and finality.

[Side Quest: "Mola’s Obsession" has been completed.]

[Obsession Message: Thank you for your help.]

Peter stood by the window, watching Mo Xuanyu’s figure walk all the way out of the royal palace until he vanished into the snow-covered streets, completely out of sight.

"I will, Mola. I will definitely change this country."

Peter’s eyes were bloodshot. He closed his eyes and murmured with unwavering resolve.

After making this vow, he personally sought out Cain to apologize.

"What? You’ve really come to your senses?"

Cain found it hard to believe, because this was tantamount to handing weapons to his political opponents; if he wasn't careful, Peter might be forced to step down due to public pressure.

Peter nodded. "I've thought a lot. Previously, I was too extreme and drove myself into a dead end. Mola’s contributions should not vanish into history simply because of my selfishness."

"Cain, come back and help me. Together, let us give this country a fresh start."

"You... sigh, why did you only realize this now? Fine! I’ll work with you for a few more years, and I hope these old bones can still be of some final use."

With Cain’s return to the Freedom Commune, Peter adopted iron-fisted methods to rapidly push forward nationwide reforms, abolishing all noble fiefdoms and military powers.

This land, which had endured countless wars, was finally free from being soaked in fire and blood, and seeds named hope were planted instead.

The name Mola Vinas was also inscribed into the historical chronicles of various publishing houses, and his deeds would never again be erased by anyone.

...

Mo Xuanyu opened his eyes and found himself in a pitch-black space.

He was very familiar with this place; before entering the world of the Nora Kingdom, the Sacred Geometry had completed his primary awakening right here.

[Sacred Geometry: Congratulations on completing the Fifth Enlightenment Trial!]

[Please wait a moment. The Sacred Geometry is about to undergo plane relocation. Shortly after, you will officially enter the domain space of the Sacred Geometry to undergo world settlement, as well as the S-rank reward settlement for the Fifth Enlightenment Trial.]

Perhaps it was his imagination, but Mo Xuanyu felt that after completing the Fifth Enlightenment Trial, the attitude of the Sacred Geometry had improved significantly.

The little fellow truly had two faces.

Mo Xuanyu sat down on the ground and asked the Sacred Geometry, "By the way... will I be able to return to my original world later? I miss the dog I raised."