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墨書 Inktalez
Remember this for a second: the Eastern Continent is the most stable land, but it is also rife with contradictions due to the presence of the Fire Cult. Twilight City, being part of the Alliance, is not a Fire Religion Nation and is surrounded by multiple Fire Cult city-states. The people here have a strong sense of crisis and are very united. The Western Continent, on the other hand, is the strongest land, home to the most factions and the site of frequent wars. As a result, many historical issues exist between its city-states. The Dawn Empire is a member of the Alliance and is the most powerful in terms of population, resources, and the quality and quantity of practitioners.
At the same time, we cannot overlook the Four Great Families: the Ding Family, Ye Family, Liu Family, and Cao Family. Among them, the Ding Family is a prominent family in the Dawn Empire, while the Ye Family holds significant influence in Twilight City. The Liu Family and Cao Family are relatively weaker but maintain close ties with both the Dawn Empire and Twilight City. Because of this, the Dawn Empire and Twilight City have been allies for centuries. When Twilight City faced an attack from multiple Fire Cult city-states, the Dawn Empire dispatched two hundred thousand soldiers to Eastern Continent to resolve the crisis.
The Eastern Continent has no prominent families and is also the weakest in terms of resources, holding the fewest seats in the Alliance.
Cui Ming said, "It's impressive that practitioners have kept their secrets for so many years."
Li Qing replied, "Of course some people knew before, but there weren't any communication or media tools like we have now. The Alliance strictly regulates news related to practitioners. Within the Alliance, Twilight City, Dawn Empire, and both Ye and Ding Families form a close-knit group known privately as the Olive Association. So far, this group seems fair and just; however, proposals from other Alliance members to reduce their seats have not passed. Don't think that war is far away from us; my teacher said that if there were irreconcilable conflicts between the Olive Association and other members of the Alliance, it could mark the beginning of a world war. Revealing the truth about practitioners now would not be good for those who favor peace."
"Is it really that complicated?" Cui Ming asked.
Due to recent news events, both the professor and Ding Ze were in the living room when they heard Cui Ming's words. Ding Ze interjected leisurely, "Is it complicated? What about the relationship between Dawn Empire and Ding Family? Who benefits from someone becoming head of Ding Family for both Dawn Empire and Ye Family? Although Liu Family and Cao Family secretly unite to strengthen their own family and aim to become leaders among the Four Great Families, Ye Family appears united internally but is secretly wary of Dawn Empire, Twilight City, and Ding Family..."
Cui Ming felt a headache coming on: "Can't people just be honest with each other?"
The professor replied, "Magic, machinery, force, technology, and religion are all far less complex than human relationships." Complex? The election for President of the Alliance is truly perilous; who will be endorsed by Olive Association? They even need to divide seats among non-Olive Association members. Because of this complexity, he was grateful to be focused on research work without needing to engage in such affairs. He understood that a perfect world was impossible; all one could do was seek common ground while reserving differences—conflicts would always exist. Let politicians play these games. As for whether revealing practitioners' existence to the world is good or bad, only time will tell.
The news then shifted to an interview with the mayor of Dawn City. The mayor reassured citizens not to worry about anything by explaining Eastern Continent's peaceful geographical environment. He also informed them that although Dawn City had recently joined the Psychic Ability Association, there were already nine practitioners within Dawn City itself and urged citizens not to panic. Details regarding Psychic Ability would be disclosed over the coming days. Finally, he warned that Psychic Ability is very dangerous; only one in five hundred thousand people has a chance of becoming a practitioner. Ordinary individuals attempting to forcibly become practitioners face certain death.
After finishing the monthly report, the four of them returned home. Cui Ming took a shower, changed into clean clothes, and went upstairs to knock on the door. Beiyue answered, "Come in."
Beiyue had not yet washed up; she was waiting for Cui Ming. She invited him to sit down while she stood by the window and said, "We can talk now."
Cui Ming asked, "I want to know about the pendant you have on your chest." It felt somewhat pointless; he had gone through so much trouble without success. It would be better to just ask directly, but it still felt lacking in excitement.
Beiyue took out the pendant and glanced at it. "This is an ornament I have worn since I was little."
Cui Ming inquired, "Did your parents ever mention where this pendant came from?"
"No," Beiyue replied. "Why?"
Over two weeks ago, before being abducted, this crystal had been Cui Ming's accessory. He vaguely remembered a crying girl his age; he had given her the crystal, and she had turned into a smiling girl who then screamed loudly. He couldn't recall more...
In the Thieves Guild, there was a beautiful woman who was a Hypnotist. She had once helped Cui Ming search for memories from before his abduction. Cui Ming could never remember what his parents looked like; he only recalled a girl similar to him crying, and how he comforted her before giving her the crystal.
The Hypnotist concluded that something very important must have happened that day to block his memory. She speculated that Cui Ming was taken away while he was with that girl, which aligned with her fear that led to her scream. However, the Hypnotist also warned Cui Ming that it was possible that the girl was a decoy from a human trafficking gang, someone meant to lure him away from safety.
After finishing his thoughts, Cui Ming asked, "Boss, do you have any impression of this?" He had a vague memory; although he didn't know the scene or the girl's features, the hypnosis had left him with a deep impression of fragmented memories.
Beiyue pondered for a moment and shook her head. "No. So if I remember, I'll know where you were taken from?"
"It should be like this," Cui Ming replied.
Beiyue shook her head. "I remember asking my mom when I was little why she wore this crystal. She said it was a protective crystal. I wanted to wear a photo of my mom and dad like the neighbor's child, but she insisted on keeping the crystal and added a small photo box with a lid to the crystal string. My dad even laughed at my mom for being too superstitious. Could it be related to you? Did my mom think that something bad was supposed to happen to me, but because of you, it didn't?"
"I don't know; maybe the crystal was bought by your mom." There was no way to guess; there were countless possibilities.
"If they definitely knew," Beiyue's eyes lit up. "Right! We can look for practitioners of Spiritual Connection; maybe they can hypnotize me and awaken my memories."
Cui Ming shook his head. Childhood memories are usually the most profound, leaning towards those from later years. If Beiyue were hypnotized, she would surely see that great fire. Cui Ming wasn't too disappointed; although he felt some turmoil when he first saw the crystal, over twenty years of wandering and living independently had made him not eager to reclaim his past.
"And many crystals that resemble the one in my memory may not necessarily be related to you, Boss." This was a dismissive remark; Cui Ming was certain it was this particular crystal. It was distinctive—a hexagonal prism with a small chip missing from one edge near the bottom. This crystal was definitely the one, but since Beiyue couldn't recall anything, it didn't hold much significance. Cui Ming didn't believe Beiyue's parents would be human traffickers.
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