Chapter 1024 Testing The Waters, What Separates Them?
"I didn't think you'd have a trick like this hidden up your sleeves," Izroth said as he approached Lances.
"I could say the same of you." Lances responded as his gaze traveled to the two individuals that walked behind Izroth.
Those two were, of course, Jol'Kil and Zel'Kan.
During their fight against the Undead Night Marchers, Lances took the chance to observe the two Seventh Demon Clan members in action. It did not take long for him to realize that the two of them were, at the very least, on the level of a War Brigade Commander.
To have two people of such might following him around so obediently and referring to him as young master—Lances believed that Izroth's background had to be an incredible one.
However, Izroth was shrouded in complete mystery to Lances.
After the second team selection ended, naturally, Lances used the connections of his Pride Clan to dig into Izroth's background. But, in the end, he came up empty-handed, for the most part.
Of course, Lances was on to get his hands on some information regarding Izroth's feats. But, if he were being honest, it was nothing too extravagant for one capable of claiming the first-place spot in the second team's selection.
Needless to say, Lances had no idea of the important role Izroth played in defeating Zarolas. Nor was he aware that Izroth was the one behind the eradication of the Siren organization, a group under the direct protection of the League of the Eidolon.
Unfortunately, what Lances failed to realize was that no matter how much he dug, it was useless. After all, the "incredible background" he was searching for just simply did not exist because Izroth possessed nothing of the sort.
As for the legendary realm powerhouses that were under his command or supported him in some manner—outside of Gear, even his closest allies were not aware of their existence. It was not that Izroth deliberately kept it a secret from them or anything; just that it never came up in any of their conversations. And he did not typically go out of his way to make things known without immediate reason.
Therefore, how could someone like Lances or the Pride Clan possibly know what kind of terrifying forces Izroth had by his side?
Lances returned his to the forefront and said, "The light being generated is from an Expert-level magic formation called The Renewing Lights. The magic formation itself isn't all that impressive compared to others of its rank; however, this one is a little special. It has been infused into an SS-ranked magic item called the Perpetual Propagating Dial."
He then continued, "The Perpetual Propagating Dial has the ability to replicate nearly anything that isn't living an almost endless number of times. The only downside is that whatever it replicates can only last for a couple of days before it disappears by itself. But, with this, we will no longer have to worry about going without light while we're trapped in this place. By the way, in case you're curious, it was personally crafted by the Supreme Elder of my Pride Clan."
'Oh? An Expert-Level magic formation that's capable of being fused with an SS-ranked magic item? The way magic functions in RML, in theory, it is possible to achieve. That being said, theory is one thing, but putting it into practice is another matter altogether. A person capable of breathing life into that kind of theory must possess a deep understanding of magic items and magic formations. It seems that the Pride Clan is not to be underestimated.'
"I see. Then, shall we proceed? I assume you're of like mind that we have wasted enough time here." Izroth stated as he started to walk off ahead with Jol'Kil and Zel'Kan following close after.
As Izroth walked away, Lances released a light sigh as a look of disappointment appeared on his face. He shook his head before he ordered the 5th Unit to move out.
"Young master, that Commander of the War Brigade is too insolent. How dare he try to pull the great benefactor of our Seventh Demon Clan under his service." Zel'Kan commented; however, she utilized her mana in such a way that only Izroth and Jol'Kil could hear her words.
"You're thinking too deeply. It's just his way of testing the waters a bit, that's all." Izroth replied in a carefree manner.
Lances did not go into such detail for the mere purpose of bragging about his clan or the resources in his possession. Instead, his goal was to see Izroth's reaction and, based on that, attempt to gain some insight into his background.
Izroth was not oblivious. He knew that after winning the second team's selection, everyone who was present that day would look into him.
An unknown person emerges amongst the younger generation, defeats one of the people favored to enter the top five and one of Zushuatri's disciples, speaks casually with the third young master of the Dragon Clan Kayn, and walks away with the first place spot of the second team's selection.
Izroth believed that one would have to be willfully ignorant to not look into him after everything that occurred. As for those who failed to do so, they were either of no threat to him or not worth his attention.
However, Izroth already knew the results that would come up from their search—nothing. They were looking for something that did not exist.
By now, Lances probably realized this point and figured that the only way to find anything out was by personally "testing the waters". But what reason did Izroth have to entertain his curiosity?
"Young master, you are really different from the humans that we have learned about," Jol'Kil said with a hint of confusion in his voice.
"I'm curious, what perception does the Seventh Demon Clan hold towards humans?" Izroth inquired.
"We were taught that weaker humans are often cowardly by nature and submissive of those above them, while those with strength are usually arrogant, greedy, and prideful," Zel'Kan explained.
"Hm... I see. Well, it's not as though your perception is entirely wrong." Izroth stated casually.
He then asked, "Do you two know what separates humans from most of the other races that reside within the Mortal Realm?"
Jol'Kil and Zel'Kan briefly pondered Izroth's question.
"Their numbers are by far the largest among the races," Jol'Kil stated.
"Humans are also extremely fragile and weak in the earlier stages of their life. Compared to other races who are born with strong innate talents, a human's road to gaining strength is much longer and harder paved. Due to this, they have no choice but to come up with imaginative ways to ensure their survival and increase their strength." Zel'Kan said unhurriedly.
"Both answers are not wrong in a general sense; however, neither are things that separate humans from the other races. In terms of population, while it's true that humans are the most numerous, the zensana and skounae are not too far behind. As for having a creative imagination, it can be said that the trephasia, the original users of Creation Magic, excels much more at this point." Izroth stated calmly.
Zel'Kan furrowed her brows and asked, "Then if both answers are incorrect, what do you believe it to be? Please, enlighten us, young master."
"The answer is simple really. For humans, it all comes down to one thing. It is this one thing that dictates their every action and decision—morals. To be more precise, the vast diversity of morals." Izroth answered.
He then continued, "Most other races of the Mortal Realm all more or less share the same morals. But for humans, our morals are as varied as the number of sand grains within the Pzenium desert. It is these varied morals that are the source of most conflicts that arise between humans. Even this current war is an example of that. However, it is these same varied morals that have allowed humans to progress as far as they have—to prove that it is their morals which hold the best solution."
Morals? Was it really such a simple thing that differentiated them? This was the thought that crossed the minds of the two Seventh Demon Clan members. In their eyes, such a thing was bound to lead to destruction rather than peace. Was he trying to say that humans would walk a constant path of destruction until only one consistent set of morals existed?