Exploring Technology in a Wizard World

"Snap!"

With a soft sound, Richard's feet landed on the ground as he looked toward Sande, not far away.

At this point, Sande had lost most of his combat ability and couldn't even maintain his stance, sitting collapsed on the ground, gasping heavily. Seeing Richard appear, he raised his eyebrows, guessing that it might have been Richard who had saved him. However, he didn't feel the fortune of surviving a disaster nor the gratitude for being rescued; instead, he was unusually cautious.

His past life experiences had taught him a lesson that he firmly kept in mind: no one shows kindness without a reason. Perhaps the foolish bear before was an exception, but that was a bear, not a person.

Thus, Sande stared at Richard for a while, then asked, "Who are you?"

"What, don't you recognize me?" Richard spoke softly, looking at Sande, "We should have met before. At Blue Lake Estate, I killed the people who were planning to ambush you. That was the first time I helped you, and this is the second."

"So it's you." Sande came around, pursed his lips, his tone softened slightly, but his wariness did not decrease at all as he asked, "What do you want for helping me?"

"Don't be too hostile toward me. The reason I help you is simple—I want to make a deal with you."

"A deal? What kind of deal?" Sande asked earnestly.

"I think, you should have a mentor," Richard said.

"A mentor? You want to be my mentor?" Sande was taken aback, guessing something, then flatly refused with an expressionless face, "You better not. In my eyes, no one is qualified to be my mentor."

"You're misunderstanding me," Richard explained. "I don't intend to be your mentor—I don't have the time, the energy, nor the interest."

"Then what do you mean?" Sande asked curiously.

"What I mean is, you need a mentor's identity to protect you," Richard responded.

Sande frowned, puzzled.

Richard continued to explain as he looked at Sande, "You're being pursued by the Truth Society, right? At this moment, you're alone and weak. Under the Truth Society's pursuit, it's difficult for you to survive, so you need the protection of a more powerful figure. Whether this figure is real or fake, having one is better than none.

Suppose you have a nominal mentor. That would make the Truth Society wary and reluctant to act against you hastily. Because you aren't the focus anymore—the focus is on your mentor behind you. This way, the attention of the Truth Society shifts, and you can be safe.

The deal we're making is that I won't really become your mentor, but I will temporarily assume your mentor's identity to help you with certain things, like killing people right now to help you escape the current predicament."

"And your purpose?" Sande pressed.

"My purpose is simple: to use this fake mentor identity, along with some other means, to infiltrate the Truth Society and uncover some information," Richard disclosed.

Sande was still somewhat unclear about Richard's words but realized something and asked, "Do you have a grudge against the Truth Society?"

"It's not exactly a grudge," Richard responded, "just some minor, insignificant conflicts. Of course, most importantly, I think it's beneficial to get to know the other party more deeply. And regardless,

as long as you agree to this deal, you can be safe and escape the predicament of being pursued by the Truth Society, provided that you don't provoke them again."

After hearing this, Sande's eyebrows twitched as he thought deeply, then said to Richard, "I'm afraid I can't do that. I hold a vendetta against the Truth Society. They killed my lover, Sofia. My hatred for them is deep-seated; even if they don't come after me, I will seek them out as it fuels my will to live!"

Richard calmly asked, "Is that your only reason to live?"

Sande paused, murmuring, "Resurrecting Sofia is another reason, but…"

Richard interrupted Sande's words, asking, "Revenge, and reviving your lover, which is more important to you? If you had to choose one, which would it be?"

"Of course, resurrecting Sofia," Sande replied without hesitation, then hesitated, thinking of the contents of that book, and said aloud, "Resurrecting Sofia is difficult, hope is slim, and there's a lot of uncertainty—I'm not even sure it can succeed."

"Difficult, slim, but still means there's a chance, right? I advise you to try making an effort. If it really doesn't work, you can choose revenge later; at least you won't have regrets," Richard said.

Sande listened to Richard's words, silent, deep in thought.

After a long time, Sande looked at Richard and said, "You're making sense. I should indeed give it a try."

He paused, then seriously added, "However, up to this point, it seems everything is in my favor. I don't have anything to lose. This isn't reasonable. I want to know what I should give in return. Because I understand, the principle of a deal is about equivalent exchange."

"What you need to give is simple—that is to help me solidify the existence of this mentor character. It would be best if you have something to prove his existence so that no one will be suspicious," Richard said. "And I will help you resolve all the troubles in Jialan City.

For instance, I know that a new base of the Truth Society has just been established here in Jialan City with some members who pose a threat to you. I will kill them all—in your mentor's name.

This can also strengthen your mentor's image, letting the Truth Society know that your mentor cares about you and will not hesitate to kill when angry."

"It feels like I'm giving too little compared to what you're doing," Sande said, frowning after listening. "This doesn't seem to fit the principle of equivalence exchange."

"In my view, it fits," Richard said.

"But in my view, it doesn't," Sande insisted. "The things you're helping me with saved my life. What I'm helping you with seems more like an assistance, very unbalanced. If it's a trade, it should be a fair trade. I don't like owing favors, especially not to a stranger."

"Then how about this," Richard considered, "Your current strength is not enough to help me substantially. How about you promise to do something for me when you're strong enough? I haven't decided what it will be yet, but it won't be simple. Of course, it won't make you go against your principles."

"Principles?" Sande chuckled sarcastically, waving his pale hand, "I'm not even clear whether I count as a person now—what principles do I have to speak of—I can do anything for you."