Mage Manual

Chapter 150: Chapter 137 Papa

The night breeze blew in gusts, the Blood Moon was desolate, with occasional sounds of waves and shark fins breaking the water’s surface.

Ash looked on indifferently, seemingly uninterested in their discourse.

“Even so—” Andrey asked like someone clutching at straws, “What does this have to do with you betraying the citizens’ interests to please the second race of the Blood Moon? You see everything, so you wanted to join them?”

“I’ve used every means, united all races, and pleased the Blood Moon, all to promote the formation of the fighting league.”

“But this—”

“You don’t understand, Andrey, you short-sighted, cowardly human, you simply don’t know what true mettle is.”

The ogre said, “Exactly, just as you predicted, once the fighting league is implemented, violence, death, and slaughter will become the main melody of this city, and Blood Saint Moon Shadow will be so happy they won’t be able to close their mouth.”

“But the new generation will also learn barbarism, learn brutality, learn cruelty, and they will develop a mettle our ancestors never had, daring to draw their swords even in the face of the Divine Lord!”

“Just for that?” Andrey’s eyes widened.

“Not just for that, more importantly is… Hahaha, although I’ve always refused to admit that I come from the garbage heap that is the orphanage, I have to admit, the orphanage wasn’t completely useless. It at least made me realize a method that can break the laws of the Blood Moon—”

The ogre laughed heartily: “Fight, there is nothing that enables mutual understanding between two people more than battle. The ogres’ way of making friends is and always has been—beat them up first!”

“You betrayed the people’s interests, curried favor with the second race of the Blood Moon, and secured the mayor’s position, all for this elusive goal?” Andrey said with a bitter smile, “Fernand, do you really have such good intentions?”

“You don’t understand, Andrey, you just don’t understand…” the ogre said, “If you want to pull down the second race of the Blood Moon, or even challenge the Extreme Master of Blood Moon, it’s not a miracle that one or two people can achieve. It’s history being pushed forward by all races, by everyone… Only by sparing no expense can we hope to change this kingdom.”

“Sparing no expense?”

“Yes, sparing no expense. You are a price to pay, I am a price to pay, these generations of citizens are also the price. We are already spent, and the hope for change can only be placed in the future. Our greatest purpose in living is to serve as nourishment for the soil, hoping that one day this tainted land might bloom normal flowers.”

“Of course, if I said I had no personal motive, that would definitely be a lie.”

The ogre glanced at the Blood Moon in the night sky: “If all goes well, my reputation will reach its peak; if my successor can continue on my path, then a great revolution will eventually erupt. My name, Arondale Fernand, will be forever extolled. The wisdom of the ogre will be crowned with the honor of challenging the Divine Lord…”

He fervently shouted, “I want you all, you mongrels, to admit from the bottom of your hearts that ogres are the greatest, smartest, and bravest race in the world!”

Andrey looked at the ogre nearly swallowed by the chains up to his neck, and for a moment, was speechless.

The moment Fernand revealed that the foundation of the Kingdom of Blood Moon served the second race of the Blood Moon, he was already doomed; the citizens would never let him go.

It was like waking up in a completely sealed room filled with poison gas, where everyone is slowly dying in their sleep, and he, upon awakening, shouts and screams like an alarm clock—would anyone thank him? No, because waking up only increases the pain pointlessly since the walls are impregnable, and mortals cannot challenge the Divine Lord.

They just wanted the evil alarm clock to stop.

Moreover, Fernand wasn’t trying to save them. On the contrary, the ogre intended to use the current generations as sacrifices, wringing out their value to water the soil, so that future people might be saved.

Except for a few middle-aged and elderly, most young citizens were furious—by what right do you sacrifice us for the salvation of future generations? What do future generations have to do with us? Why should we care how well or poorly they live?

This ogre mayor is nothing but a race-mad fanatic!

Suddenly, the stone pillar beneath the ogre shot up sharply, lifting him alone over a hundred meters into the air. From below, people saw the ogre mayor right in the center of the Blood Moon, as if the next moment he would be swallowed and melted by the crimson moonlight!

“With more than 50% of the votes, the Executioner comes early,” Ash said with a calm expression. “The Executioner arriving this time is the Hydra Executioner.”

The whole Shattered Lake seemed to boil over, as with the sounds of waves, the stone pillar sprouted eight hideous, ugly, enormous snakebodies, and the ogre’s stone seat slowly transformed into the mouth of a giant snake, with him sitting inside. With just a slight pucker, the giant snake could digest and dissolve him.

But those who receive redemption in the Blood Moon Judgement don’t get to die such an easy and comfortable death.

The surveillance drone flew high into the air for recording. The ogre, looking at it, laughed and said:

“Ash Heath, as you wished, I have utterly torn apart the façade of the Kingdom of Blood Moon, but I don’t think it will have any effect… too bad, if I had known what you were capable of, I would have definitely made secret contact with the Four Pillars God Sect… no wonder the Blood Moon strictly scrutinized the Four Pillars God Sect…”

Hiss!

The remaining eight snakeheads suddenly danced wildly under the moon, biting towards the ogre’s limbs from all directions!

Ssst!

Blood sprayed everywhere, filling the gaping maws of the giant snakes without a drop wasted. The ogre’s body trembled slightly, but his eyes grew brighter and his smile more ferocious, his neatly white teeth seemingly sharpening.

“The fools who grew up under the Blood Moon, it is impossible for a Savior to be born among you… you scum don’t deserve to be saved by a Savior… at best, you can only give birth to a conspirator like me…”

“I used to think that you wouldn’t accommodate a kind Savior, but I didn’t realize you wouldn’t even make room for a cruel conspirator like me.”

“But it’s okay.”

Fernand showed a proud and hideous smile: “From the moment I was born, I’ve been used to this humiliation of being isolated by fools.”

Crack!

Under the Blood Moon, the nine snakes shared their feast.

…

Kaimon City, inside an ogre’s art studio.

Garbage from meal boxes was strewn all around, mixed with scattered paint, emitting an indescribable, pungent stench.

A young ogre sat on a broken, ragged armchair, watching a Light Screen where Fernand was being devoured by the nine snakes.

He had seen Fernand before, not just once. In many news reports, he had seen his fellow ogre dressed in fine leather shoes, attending various elegant events, known as ‘the most cultured ogre.’ He had cursed this ogre mayor countless times in the bars, blaming him for pandering to voters by changing his teeth, accusing him of not caring for ogres, raging that he wouldn’t even share his wealth…

At the beginning of the Judgement, he had looked forward to seeing Fernand ground into chum at Shattered Lake. He was already upset with and even hated Fernand—weren’t they both ogres? Why should you enjoy luxury as the mayor while we live in the lower district, too scared to even order takeout?

If it had been a human or elf mayor, he might not have felt the same, but not Fernand.

You’re an ogre; why should you live better than us?

He had also cast a Redemption Ticket for Fernand.

But now, watching the trial on the Light Screen, the young ogre felt an inexplicable emptiness in his heart, a discomfort greater than hunger, more painful than being beaten by a gang.

He faintly realized something, that guess, like the nine-headed snake, clamped down on his heart. He collapsed to the floor in pain, tears uncontrollably streaming out, but when he opened his mouth, he couldn’t make a sound.

He retched, feeling as though he wanted to vomit out his soul, but nothing came out.

He wanted to call out, but didn’t know for what.

The mayor? Fernand? That disgusting mongrel, worse than a Beastman Dancer?

Just then, the Light Screen suddenly displayed a voice message:

“Congratulations, because your Redemption Ticket has successfully sanctioned the criminal, you have been selected for the ‘Justice Messenger Big Wheel’ lottery segment, and you have won the third prize. Please accept your gift…”

This voice message completely broke him down. The once fearless young ogre could no longer hold back. He curled up on the floor, crying loudly like a baby, his face smeared with tears and snot, sobbing breathlessly and incoherently.

“Wuu waa waa… buzz buzz… whimper… mama… wuu… papa…”