Upon hearing what Jason had said, Daphne couldn't help throw him a piercing gaze.
It was already astonishing that Jason could manage to keep himself up on his feet
, but from the looks of it, he was also trying to put on a facade.
His acting thought was important to show that he was not a pushover, but it made the fine lines appearing on his face even more apparent as it took every ounce of his energy to keep standing.
The struggle between his body that was sending red signals to his brain, that it couldn't keep up anymore and his mind and willpower that made his body obey his commands was quite visible. Nevertheless, the words he said made sense.
Since the Great Argos war, more than 8 months had passed, and the big clans and sects had changed substantially.
Not only had they become much stricter with accepting new disciples under their wing, in fear that they might be betrayed, but their combat prowess had increased drastically as well.
This was due to the resources they had obtained from the foreign races' spatial rings they had collected after the Great Argos war, and the translated manuals Jason had provided.
Other than that, the big clans seemed to have become less trustworthy of mercenaries, while the same could be said to be the other way around.
There were many other factors one had to include, but Daphne had been of the opinion that the missions related to Jason were guaranteed to provide rewards.
A total of more than a dozen missions had been issued revolving around him alone, and it was only now that she realized the reason for this.
'How can he defeat large numbers of chimera at the 2nd and 3rd Lique stage while having less than 200 liquefied drops of mana inside his mana core?'
This was not only shocking but also exciting. It was obvious that the big clans feared Jason's talent and huge combat prowess. The speed at which he'd advanced was terrific too.
However, because of that, Daphne didn't think that the big clans would be so frugal to not reward those who killed Jason.
As such, her reason was ungrounded, or was it not?
Thinking about the fact that Jason was said to have played a huge role in the last battle of the Great Argos war, Daphne found it unlikely for the other clans to actively pursue him.
This was also the reason for the missions to be accepted by people who had no connections with the big clans.
At least, it seemed like that to everyone.
In the end, nobody except big clans had a proper reason to kill Jason, and clans and sects had indirectly revealed what they had done.
The guardian group was not close to any of the big clans, and the only reason for them to hunt Jason was the rewards.
However, their group's motto was to protect the weak, and seeing how many citizens had built a human wall to protect Jason, with several more that were coming over, Daphne couldn't do anything.
Otherwise, she would break her own ideals too.
Looking at the woman beside her, Daphne asked,
"Can you tell whether the citizens and city protectors have been hypnotized or manipulated?"
However, seeing that the young woman shook her head while saying that everything was fine, Daphne could only squint her eyes in doubt before she averted her attention back to Jason.
"If you didn't summon the world bridges, do you, at least, know where they come from? And why did you release the book about Argos' insignificance? Wasn't that a little bit stupid? You can't even walk around without being looked down upon."
Jason was glad that the situation seemed to have calmed down.
His life was not on the line anymore and he breathed a sigh of relief.
Nevertheless, answering Daphne's questions was not easy.
"I don't know why so many world bridges emerged suddenly. They're always on the verge of breaking out too.
As for my stupidity, I don't really think that it was stupid to release the book about Argos' insignificance. Maybe you wonder why, but isn't it important for the human race to know everything? The big clans kept a lot of information secret from the general public and it's never bad to know more than too little.
For example, didn't you think you were extremely powerful with only one solidified prismarine crystal?
In that case, my book taught you that the other continents have races with many more Cultivators at the Prismar stage. Furthermore, if you understood the theory about the world bridges' stability, you may have comprehended that the foreign races might return once they're able to send stronger individuals over.
The only reason for the big Argos war to end had been the three Overlords after all!
I don't care about being hated by others because it is their decision to hate me for who I am. However, I have to repay my debt and protect the ones who are important to me!
It's up to you to decide, whether I'm a menace to humanity or a friend who is trying to help."
The guardian group looked at Jason with conflicted expressions.
Before, they hadn't really cared if Jason wanted to help humanity or not.
He hadn't been important enough for them to bother.
However, in the end, everyone had their own issues with either of the big clans, which allowed the guardian group to understand what Jason was implying.
Was Jason really trying to help as he said, or did he have some hidden agenda and was disguising his true motives under the veil of being a savior? Were they missing seeing the big picture?
It was only after a few minutes of eerie silence that Daphne sighed deeply as she asked, unsure about what to think.
"So, everything you said is nothing but the truth? Including the entire content of the book you've written?"
Killing Jason was already something Daphne had disregarded, but she had trouble accepting the fact that Jason's book could be nothing but the truth.
The tensions dispersed and the citizens who had been frightened in the thought that the guardian group might attack them couldn't stop shivering as their legs gave in.
Even the three city protectors couldn't help but sigh in relief while Jason stared at Daphne with a faint smile.
"I think almost everyone has read the book you've released, but there are still too many questions we are yet to hear an answer about.
For example, how is it possible for you to be alive? If you are a halfling, there should be more than one, but we are yet to come across a second individual like you!!
If possible I would like to hear more about everything because I can't really get myself to accept all that information written in your book!"
Despite the pain he was feeling, Jason took a step forward as he smiled lightly.
Somehow, it felt like he was taking the first step towards being accepted by humanity.
The citizens behind him, the city protectors next to him, and the guardian group in front of him seemed to have accepted that he didn't want to kill them and was no threat or enemy to them.
Instead, they now knew that Jason wanted to help and protect them!
Previously, he hadn't realized how important their acceptance had been to him, telling himself that he didn't care.
However, now that this was exactly the case, and that the weaker had tried to defend him for giving his utmost efforts to protect them, Jason couldn't help but feel a small seed of happiness sprout within him.
Taking a deep breath that hurt his lungs, he replied,
"Of course I can explain everything...but I would prefer to postpone this for a little bit...I'm just at the 1st Lique stage, and not strong enough to sustain the blows. If someone at the 6th and 7th Lique stage attacks me in my current state in my already injured state I don't think I could take it."
With that lengthy monologue, Jason's eyes dimmed and darkness flashed in front of his eyes before he collapsed on the ground, shocking everyone around him.
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