Setelah Shang keluar dari Penghalang Isolasi, ia menyadari bahwa Linay sudah pergi.
Hal itu membuat Shang menyadari bahwa waktu yang ia booking untuknya sudah habis.
Shang kini kembali sendirian.
Saat Shang memandang Samudra Abadi di sekelilingnya, ia merasa belum cukup aman.
Tentu saja, ia memiliki Penghalang Isolasi yang dibuat oleh seorang Mage King, dua Ruangan Isolasi yang kuat, jalur langsung ke setiap anggota Lightning Manor, dan sebuah bros yang bisa digunakan untuk menghubungi Lightning Emperor, tetapi masih ada sesuatu yang bisa terjadi padanya.
Jika Shang memutuskan untuk meninggalkan Penghalang Isolasi, seperti sekarang ini, seorang Mage Lord yang kuat secara teoretis bisa saja siap-siapdia si untuk mengepungnya.
Shang hanya akan merasa aman ketika semuanya terlindungi.
Akhirnya, Shang menelepon Linay lagi.
"Halo, Shang," jawabnya.
"Apakah kamu masih bertanggung jawab mengelola pertukarananku dengan Lightning Manor?" tanyanya.
"Ya, saya masih bertanggung jawab atas itu," jawabnya.
"Baik. Saya butuh entah kamu atau seorang Thunder yang menjaga Penghalang Isolasiku sementara saya berlatih."
Linay menarik napas dalam.
Untungnya, selama 800 tahun ia menjaga Shang, sama sekali tidak ada apa-apa terjadi.
Ia secara harfiah tidak melakukan apa-apa selama itu.
Shang adalah orang yang paling aman di dunia ini dengan semua lindungan di sekelilinginya.
Siapa yang bisa membayangkan bisa membunuhnya?
"Shang, saya pikir ini adalah pemborosan sumber daya. Saya telah menjagamu selama 800 tahun, dan tidak ada apa-apa yang terjadi," ucap Linay.
"Setiap kali saya keluar dari Penghalang Isolasi untuk memeriksa pembaruan pada Medal Transmisi, saya terbuka untuk serangan," kata Shang. "Jika ada seorang Peak Mage Lord dengan Spirit Sense empat kali lipat yang menungguku, saya akan tewas sebelum bisa menghubungi siapa pun."
Linay menghela napas.
Di pikirannya, Shang paranoia hingga tak masuk akal.
"Biarkan saya melihat apa yang bisa saya lakukan. Saya akan menelepon kamu nanti. Silakan jangan masuk ke Penghalang Isolasi untuk saat ini agar saya bisa menghubungimu," katanya.
"Tidak," kata Shang. "Saya akan kembali ke dalam, tetapi akan keluar kembali dalam seminggu."
Linay mengeluh. "Baiklah."
Lalu ia memutuskan koneksi.
Shang masuk kembali ke Penghalang Isolasi dan meninjau segala sesuatu yang telah dipelajarinya dalam abad terakhir selama seminggu.
Sepekan kemudian, ia keluar lagi dari Penghalang Isolasi dan menghubungi Linay lagi.
"Baiklah, dengarkan, kami menemukan solusi tanpa harus menghabiskan Thunder untukmu," kata Linay dengan cepat.
"Ya?"
"Dawnlight King masih bisa dihubungi melalui Medal Transmisi dari dalam Penghalang Isolasi, dan ia menawarkan untuk menjadi kontakmu. Jika kamu ingin keluar, cukup panggil dia, dan dia akan mengirimkan seseorang untuk memeriksa sekitar. Kemudian kamu bisa keluar dan memeriksa pesan yang diterima," jelaskan Linay.
"Itu bekerja," kata Shang.
"Baik," jawab Linay. "Ada sesuatu lagi yang kamu butuhkan?"
"Tidak," kata Shang sebelum memutuskan koneksi.
Shang kembali masuk ke Penghalang Isolasi dan berlatih selama abad lagi.
Progresnya sangat lambat, dan Shang tidak tahu berapa jauh sebenarnya ia telah berkembang.
Setelah keluar dari Ruangan Isolasi, Shang menghubungi Dawnlight King.
"Ah, halo, Shang. Senang kamu menelepon," kata Amarius, Dawnlight King.
"Halo, saya butuh seseorang untuk menjaga Penghalang Isolasku sementara saya keluar untuk memeriksa pesan," kata Shang.
"Oh, kamu tidak perlu itu," kata Amarius. "Clouds dan yang lemah tidak lagi diperbolehkan menghubungimu, dan setiap Bolt atau Thunder harus melalui salah satu dari kami Kings untuk menghubungimu. Saya memberi tahu yang lain bahwa mereka harus memberi tahu saya jika ada yang ingin menghubungimu. Kamu bisa menganggap saya sebagai asistenmu. Bisakah membuatmu merasa mulia dan penting? Memiliki Mage King sebagai asisten sungguh sesuatu yang bisa bangga ditampilkan."
Amarius tertawa keras.
"Itu bekerja," kata Shang.
"Hei, mendengarkan, sejak kita sudah berbincang, ada sesuatu yang ingin saya bicarakan," kata Amarius.
"Ini tentang perang lagi?" tanya Shang dengan nada netral.
"Ya, sebagian. Dengarkan, saya mengerti bahwa kamu telah-"
"Saya ingin mereka mati," potong Shang dengan tegas.
Amarius tertawa pahit. "Saya tahu, saya tahu, tapi tidak semudah itu. Kita tidak bisa sekadar-"
"Saya ingin mereka mati," ulang Shang.
Amarius menghela napas. "Shang, ini sudah 900 tahun. Bisakah kamu biarkan ini pergi?"
"Saya ingin mereka mati."
Amarius menarik napas dalam.
"Shang," katanya, suaranya serius tapi tetap ramah. "Lightning Manor sebenarnya sedang memiliki masalah besar di zona tenggara. Istana Penghakiman sudah menguasai 60% dari Zona itu, dan mereka sedang mengekang dengan keras di perbatasan. Kami sedang berusaha keras untuk menghentikan mereka dengan biaya yang sangat besar."
"Kamu adalah satu-satunya pilihan kami dalam hal ini. Kamu harus menyadari bahwa kita tidak bisa hanya melawan filosofi kami tentang kejujuran dan keadilan. Ini adalah filosofi Lightning Manor selama 300.000 tahun. Thunder yang bertanggung jawab sudah dituntut melebihi apa yang adil hanya untuk meratapi kamu."
"Kamu bebas untuk menolak untuk bertempur, tapi kamu harus menyadari bahwa Lightning Manor mungkin benar-benar akan hancur. Itu adalah masalah yang sangat nyata."
"Pada saat itu, kamu juga akan tewas, dan semua Poin Kontribusimu tidak akan berarti sama sekali."
"Apakah kamu bersedia mengorbankan masa depan dan kelangsungan hidupmu hanya untuk balas dendam kecil?" tanya Amarius.
"Apakah kamu?" tanya Shang kembali.
Diam.
Tidak ada yang berkata apa-apa selama setengah menit.
"Saya harus bicarakan ini dengan Mage Kings yang lain," kata Amarius dengan suara netral namun profesional. "Saya akan menelepon kamu kembali dalam seminggu. Apakah kamu tersedia pada saat itu?"
"Ya," jawab Shang dengan suara tenang.
"Baik. Sampai jumpa nanti," ucap Amarius sebelum memutuskan koneksi.
After Shang left the Isolation Barrier, he noticed that Linay had left.
That made Shang realize that the time for which he had booked her had passed.
Shang was now alone again.
As Shang looked at the surrounding Eternal Ocean, he felt that he wasn't safe enough.
Sure, he had an Isolation Barrier made by a Mage King, two powerful Isolation Chambers, a direct line to every member of the Lightning Manor, and a pin with which he could contact the Lightning Emperor, but there was still something that could happen to him.
If Shang decided to leave the Isolation Barrier, like now, a powerful Mage Lord could theoretically stand at the ready to ambush him.
Shang would only feel safe when all of this was covered.
Eventually, Shang called Linay again.
"Hello, Shang," she answered.
"Are you still responsible for managing my exchanges with the Lightning Manor?" he asked.
"Yes, I'm still responsible for that," she answered.
"Good. I need either you or a Thunder that keeps watch over my Isolation Barrier while I train."
Linay took a deep breath.
Literally nothing had happened in the 800 years she had watched over Shang.
She had literally done nothing during that time.
Shang was the safest person in the world with all the safeguards around him.
Who could possibly kill him?
"Shang, I think that's a waste of resources. I watched over you for 800 years, and nothing happened," Linay said.
"Whenever I leave the Isolation Barrier to check on any updates on my Transmission Medal, I am open to an attack," Shang said. "If there were a Peak Mage Lord with a fourfold Spirit Sense waiting for me, I would die before I could contact anyone."
Linay sighed.
In her mind, Shang was paranoid to an insane degree.
"Let me see what I can do. I will call you later. Please don't enter the Isolation Barrier for now so that I can reach you," she said.
"No," Shang said. "I will go back in, but I will come back out in a week."
Linay groaned. "Fine."
Then, she cut the connection.
Shang entered the Isolation Barrier again and reviewed everything he had learned over the last century for the next week.
A week later, he left the Isolation Barrier again and contacted Linay again.
"Okay, listen, we got a solution without having to dedicate a Thunder to you," Linay said quickly.
"Yes?" Shang asked.
"The Dawnlight King can still be contacted via the Transmission Medal from inside the Isolation Barrier, and he offered to be your contact person. If you want to leave, just call him, and he will send someone to inspect the surroundings. Then, you can come out and check any messages you received," Linay explained.
"That works," Shang said.
"Good," Linay answered. "Is there anything else you need?"
"No," Shang said before cutting the connection.
Shang went back into the Isolation Barrier and trained for another century.
His progress was insanely slow, and Shang had no idea how much progress he had actually made.
After leaving the Isolation Chambers, Shang contacted the Dawnlight King.
"Ah, hello, Shang. Nice of you to call," Amarius, the Dawnlight King, said.
"Hi, I need someone to watch over my Isolation Barrier while I leave to check for any messages," Shang said.
"Oh, you don't need that," Amarius said. "Clouds and weaker are no longer allowed to contact you, and any Bolt or Thunder has to go through any of us Kings to contact you. I told the others that they should tell me if anyone wants to contact you. I guess you can view me as some sort of an assistant. Doesn't that make you feel grand and important? Having a Mage King as your assistant sure is something worthy to brag about."
Amarius laughed loudly.
"That works," Shang said.
"Hey, listen, since we are already talking, there's something I'd like to talk about," Amarius said.
"Is this about the war again?" Shang asked in a neutral tone.
"Yes, partially. Listen, I get that you have been-"
"I want them dead," Shang said, interrupting Amarius.
Amarius laughed bitterly. "I know, I know, but things aren't that simple. We can't just-"
"I want them dead," Shang repeated.
Amarius sighed. "Shang, it's been 900 years. Can't you just let this go?"
"I want them dead."
Amarius took a deep breath.
"Shang," he said, his voice serious but still friendly. "The Lightning Manor is actually having significant issues in the southeastern Zone. The Judgment Palace has already taken 60%
of the Zone, and they are putting heavy pressure on the borders. We are currently holding them back by paying significant costs."
"Frankly, you are our only option in this case. You have to realize that we can't just go against our very philosophy of honesty and fairness. This has been the Lightning Manor's philosophy for 300,000 years. The responsible Thunder has already been punished far beyond of what is actually fair. Just to appease you."
"You are free to refuse to fight, but you have to realize that the Lightning Manor might actually be destroyed. That is a very real problem."
"At that point, you will die as well, and all your Contribution Points will not matter at all."
"Are you willing to risk your future and survival just for a bit of revenge?" Amarius asked.
"Are you?" Shang asked back.
Silence.
"You are really not budging on this issue?" Amarius asked.
"I want them dead," Shang said coldly.
Silence.
"Why?" Amarius asked. "Why is this so important to you? What happened that this is somehow so important to you?"
"They made me angry," Shang said.
Silence.
"Is that it?" Amarius asked.
"Yes," Shang answered.
"And your anger is so important? You are willing to risk the Lightning Manor just because you got angry? You are willing to risk the people that have supported you just because you were angry?"
"Don't act like I'm the sole reason for the current situation," Shang said. "If you had just accepted my request, you wouldn't be in so much trouble."
"Shang, that's not a request," Amarius said. '"There are many words to describe what you are doing. Blackmail, ultimatum, demand, order."
"That is not a request."
"I. Want. Them. Dead," Shang said very slowly.
Amarius took a deep breath.
"Shang, you are very important but not important enough for the entire Lightning Manor to bend over backwards for you."
"Am I not?" Shang asked.
"Kill me and watch the Lightning Manor die with me."
"Force me to fight and watch me refuse to continue training."
"And even if you survive the immediate future, what about 48,000 years from now? Are you ready for King Sanctified Death to kill every living being in the world?"
"I am the only person that can save the Lightning Manor, and I am the only person that can save the entire world."
"Are you willing to doom everything you know and love just so you can keep up your little ideology of fairness and honesty?"
"Two Mage Lords or the world."
"You decide what survives."
Silence.
No one said anything for half a minute.
"I'll have to talk with the other Mage Kings about this," Amarius said in a neutral but professional voice. "I'm going to call you back in one week. Will you be available then?"
"Yes," Shang answered with an even voice.
"Good. See you then," Amarius said before cutting the connection.
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