Chapter Fifty-Six: Epilogue (Part One)

ICP Filing Number: Xiang B2-20100081-3
Internet Publishing Qualification Certificate: New Web Certificate (Xiang) No. 11
Online Culture Business License: Wenwangwen [2010] No. 128

“Lord Lancelot, by the time you read this letter, I believe you will already be far away.

Given your abilities, I am confident you will encounter no danger.

Perhaps you are not surprised, perhaps you have already guessed the answer.

Yes, everyone has the right to struggle for survival. I have no reason to be blind to what has happened on the island. But whether it is you or anyone else, you have all chosen to veil your own eyes, unwilling to believe what might have transpired.

But it has happened.

I am leaving Purgatory Island.

Or rather, not just leaving—in fact, before I depart, I will utterly destroy this place of sin. That is precisely why I had to deceive you into leaving.

I do not wish to confront you, my lord. If I wanted to kill you, there are countless ways I could have done so. As you have said before, strength does not mean everything; often, to kill someone does not require force at all.

But that is not what I desire, my lord. You were my first teacher in martial arts, you guided me, instructed me. Even if that was not your original intention, I still believe you are an outstanding man, a good man. It's a pity, though, that you lack the courage a true warrior should have. You dare not oppose tyranny, nor can you lay down the burdens of your heart.

But I am different. I believe that true strength is not proven merely by the sword in one's hand, but by whether one possesses the heart of the strong.

My lord, your strength is already that of a Star Warrior, but you still lack the heart of one. That is why, this time, you were defeated by me, and I have spared your life.

If nothing unexpected has occurred, you should now be in the southern regions of the Lance Empire. And one day from now, I will leave Purgatory Island and appear elsewhere. Under normal circumstances, I do not think we shall meet again, nor do you need to return to Purgatory Island.

Within three days, this place will be reduced to rubble.

If the Lance Empire learns that you are still alive, they will not let you go.

So, please take care of yourself. With your strength as a Star Warrior, you can carve out a better life for yourself; there is no need to serve the Empire any longer.

I hope you will not be foolish enough to walk willingly into your own doom.

Do not come looking for me, Lord Lancelot. This is both a warning and a piece of advice.

Whether you believe it or not, should we meet again, I will have more than enough power to kill you, and by then, I will show no mercy.

So, consider this deception and exile as the price of freedom. No one can gain anything without paying a price. You, Heinz, and I are no exceptions.

Even the Lance Empire is not exempt.

I wish you good fortune.

—Shuy Glair.”

Folding the letter, Lancelot let out a long, slow breath.

The letter shocked him, but did not surprise him in the least.

He was not at all astonished that Shuy Glair had already discovered the island's secrets, just as Heinz had not been surprised either.

All of them had blinded their reason, yet always revealed the truth at the final moment, and whether they won or lost, their hearts were already prepared.

For the Lance Empire, what was about to come would be a disaster—they would lose the experimental base that was the foundation of their dominance, into which they had poured countless resources. But for Lancelot, this was, in truth, a good thing.

With Purgatory Island gone, he could finally lay down the burdens in his heart.

He was still young, only forty, and already a Star Warrior.

He still had plenty of time to wander the world, to create glories that belonged to him alone.

Why not? Now that things had come to this.

Lancelot thought quietly.

He gave a bitter laugh.

Shuy Glair was right—he did indeed lack the heart of the truly strong. Even the process of gaining his freedom was filled with coercion and helplessness.

“Thank you, Shuy Glair. I believe we will meet again someday; I only hope we will not be enemies then,” he said to himself.

He threw his head back and laughed aloud, then rose to his feet and strode off into the distance.

Every noon, Raschel had the habit of going to a small tavern five hundred meters away to have a drink, order a few side dishes, and savor the leisure.

Although he was not particularly busy in his daily life.

The work at the Bureau of Law and Governance sounded tense and exciting, but in truth, most of the time he dealt with trivial matters.

For instance, an old man losing his pig, or a noble’s kitten climbing a tree and refusing to come down—such were the headaches he faced.

Sometimes, he truly wished there would be a major case in Deep Harbor so he could fully display his skills.

Ah, how he missed that case seven years ago, when a sixth-level warrior, in order to possess his mistress forever, killed her lover, a nobleman. After that, he went on the run, killing as he fled.

That warrior was finally captured in Wenlington, and Raschel himself, who apprehended him, received a promotion as a result.

At the time, many people could not understand how a mere second-level warrior could have captured that cunning sixth-level one. The Central Bureau of Law and Governance had dispatched four seventh-level warriors and three investigative mages to catch him, yet he had eluded them time and again.

That was the most glorious episode of his life.

Oh yes, there was also the serial rape and murder of young girls twenty-three years ago—a particularly difficult case, also solved by him. As it happens, that was a major case he cracked not long after joining the Bureau, but unfortunately the culprit was shielded by powerful interests, so Raschel received no commendation. Such is the damned bureaucracy.

Of course, damned bureaucrats are everywhere. Some red-eyed superior, out of jealousy, deliberately found an excuse to transfer him from Wenlington to Deep Harbor. Although he became the local constable, it was clear that in such a remote port city, advancement would be difficult.

He didn't really care about promotions. For Raschel, only cunning and ruthless adversaries interested him. Though outsiders called him the Empire’s Hound, Raschel himself had great fondness for the work of a hound. He cared nothing for the contempt implied in that name. On the contrary, he believed that passion made for success—he liked being a hound.

Sadly, it was becoming ever harder to find a worthy adversary. At this thought, Raschel let out a helpless sigh.

Outside the tavern, a Bureau agent peeked in. Seeing Raschel, he hesitated to enter, so he called from outside, “Master Raschel, the chief is looking for you.”

“Haven’t I said before? I hate being disturbed at this hour,” Raschel replied lazily.

“It’s... it’s just that, there’s a major case and they need you.”

“A major case?” Raschel perked up at once, hurried out, and called, “What case?”

“I don’t know, sir. I just know that Lord Chaklay has arrived. He told the chief to immediately assign the best agent to accompany him.”

“Chaklay? The Earth Warrior who sails out from Deep Harbor every month?” Raschel instantly realized that this time, a truly major case had arisen.

At the Bureau of Law and Governance, Raschel finally saw that ever-proud golden-armored warrior. But this time, Chaklay’s face was covered in panic, fear, and helplessness.

Upon seeing Raschel, Chaklay immediately said, “Mr. Raschel, what I am about to say is an imperial top secret. I require you to swear, on your life, to keep this secret and not reveal a single word.”

Author’s Note: This chapter is rather short—please forgive me. My habit is to cover a single piece of content in each chapter. Once it’s told, it’s told; I never consider word count. It’s always been that way, and even now that the novel is going online, I won’t pad chapters just to reach a certain length. So, chapter lengths are often unstable—some as long as seven or eight thousand words, others only two or three thousand.

Also, when the novel is released online, there will be a burst of chapters. But likewise, I won’t hold back content just to wait for release. The number of words for release has already been set, so if I release chapters now, it’s just an advance launch. It’s not as if I could release a hundred thousand words for free and then not know what to do once we’re live.

Just wanted to clarify these two points. Thank you all, and I hope you continue to support me.