Chapter 792: The Reason Behind the Decision
Garcia broke the silence first.
“I’ve answered your question,” she said. “Now I want to hear your answer.”
Roland looked up from whatever he’d been turning over in his mind. “Ah — yes. I’ll join the association.”
She went still. “What?”
“I’m willing to join. Isn’t that what you’ve been asking for?”
“Yes, but I thought you—” She stopped.
“Got cold feet?” He chuckled. “I really did go shopping with my relative this afternoon. Why won’t you trust me?” A pause. “Can I apply now? You mentioned that someone — the senior — is the referee.”
Garcia studied him for a long moment with the expression of someone trying to determine whether a document is forged. Then she shook her head. “She isn’t a referee. She’s my master. I’d asked her to come and demonstrate how to better use the Force of Nature, but after today, she won’t want to meet you again.”
Roland thought: It’s because I stood her up. She must have been furious — and she reproached Garcia for it.
Garcia reached under the tea table and produced a sheet of paper. “Fill this out. Your signature is required.”
He stared at it. “That’s all? This is a secret organization that protects the world. No ceremony? No ability test?”
She gave a short, cold laugh. “What do you think this is — the ancient Priory of Sion? It’s modern times. Your signature simply confirms we’ve informed you of your rights. Once the association receives your application, it will verify your identity, register you for social security, and file for any applicable grants.” She paused. “As for ability tests — anyone who has awakened with the Force of Nature qualifies. Strength can be cultivated. A test for a newly awakened person proves nothing.”
It was still faintly surreal to hear someone who had grown up inside an ancient royal family speak this way.
When he picked up the pen, she stopped him.
“I have to remind you again.” Her voice turned quiet, deliberate. “Once you become one of us, you are no longer an ordinary person. You will have the rights the association grants, and you will have its obligations. If you betray us, or disclose any of our secrets, you will immediately become our enemy. We won’t bring you to a court. We handle our own procedure. I need you to understand this before you sign.”
She had been desperate to recruit him. Now she was giving him every reason not to sign. Something in him shifted further toward respect.
The Queen of Clearwater in the real world was devious, ruthless, and calculating. This Garcia is completely different — everything she does, she does in the open.
“I know what I’m doing,” Roland said, and signed.
“Now — can you tell me the truth about the Erosion?”
“No.” She folded the form carefully and placed it in the wooden box beneath the table. “It takes approximately two days to verify identity. You’ve filed an application. You aren’t an official member yet, so I can’t share any of it.”
“All right. Then a different question.” He set the pen down. “You said a martialist earns a generous reward for killing a Fallen Evil. How does the association confirm it was you who made the kill?”
Garcia looked slightly disappointed, the way someone does when they realize the thing they thought had changed has not changed at all.
“I’m not asking about the amount,” Roland said quickly. “I’m asking about verification. I can’t fight a Fallen Evil and film the whole thing at the same time. Do I need a witness? Do you collect heads?”
“Is money always this central for you?” Her voice tightened. “No matter who kills a Fallen Evil, the world is cleaner for it. Why must you account for every detail?”
Roland spread his hands. “You’re a martialist whose match winnings exceed a common person’s yearly salary. Two months ago I was unemployed. I have myself to take care of, and a child. You’re right. Money is very important to me.”
It was a deliberate misdirection — he was here to understand the Erosion, not to benefit personally. But the lie was close enough to truth that it landed without strain.
Garcia held his gaze for a moment, still faintly irritated, then answered: “To prove you killed a Fallen Evil, you hand over its mutated Natural Core to the association.”
Roland paused. “I can simply hand it over?”
“Of course. It’s the source of the Fallen Evil’s power. Once a mutation occurs, it never reverts. It proves the Fallen Evil was eroded. If we don’t collect and secure these cores, they’ll eventually infect others. An ordinary person who touches a mutated core will lose their mind.”
“You mean — a mutated core can be used by someone other than the original host?”
“Yes.” Garcia’s expression darkened. “Which is why people are collecting them. We know exactly what they’re thinking. Don’t they realize what they’re doing to this world?”
Another organization. Roland filed that away. Garcia had let it slip in a moment of anger and was visibly reluctant to say anything more.
“But the association must hold a considerable number of these cores in storage,” Roland pressed. “Aren’t you worried they’ll locate the stockpile, or that a martialist might betray—”
“Impossible.” She cut him off without hesitation. “You aren’t entitled to know the details yet — but I can promise you this: those people will never breach the defense around the association’s core area. Before they even reach it, the Four Defenders will tear them apart.”
He wanted very much to ask where the core area was, and who the Four Defenders were. He knew he’d get no answers tonight.
But one day — what if I could get inside that place? Get to those stored cores? Release all of their Force of Nature at once?
He didn’t know what would happen. That was precisely what made it worth looking forward to.
Chapter 792: The Reason Behind the Decision
Translator: TransN Editor: TransN
When Roland was lost in thoughts, Garcia could not wait any more and asked, “I’ve answered your question. Now, I want to hear your answer.”
It took him a few seconds before he made a reply, “Ah, yes, I’ll join the association.”
“What?” She seemed surprised.
He spread out his hands and said, “I’m willing to join you. Isn’t that what you’re asking for?”
“Yes… I was just thinking that you…”
“You thought I got cold feet?” He chuckled. “I really just went shopping with my relative in the afternoon. Why can’t you trust me? But can I apply to join the association now? You said that the senior is the referee.”
Garcia stared at Roland for quite a long time with a serious look, as if she was discerning whether or not this application was sincerely meant. After that she shook her head and explained, “No, she’s not a referee. She’s my master. I invited her to come to show you how to better use the Force of Nature, but she’ll never want to meet you again.”
Hearing this, Roland thought, “Uhm, is it because that I stood her up today? She must have been very upset and it seemed that she even reproached Garcia.”
She pulled out a piece of paper from her tea table and gave it to him. “You just need to fill out this form to apply. Your signature is required.”
Roland was startled. “Is it so simple? It’s an association secretly protecting the whole world. Don’t you need to hold a ceremony or test my ability first?
Garcia sneered coldly. “Come on. Do you think we are the ancient Priory of Sion or Knights of the Holy Temple? It’s modern times now. Your signature just indicates that we protect your right to know. When the association receives your application form, it’ll check your identity and file for social security and grants in your name.” She paused. “As for the ability test, anyone who has awakened with the Force of Nature is eligible to become a martialist. You can get much stronger if you work hard. Given this, a test for a newly awakened doesn’t determine anything.”
Roland felt it was really weird to hear a person brought up in an ancient royal family to talk like this.
When he picked up the pen and was about to sign, she stopped him.
She said solemnly, “I have to remind you again. Once you become one of us, you’ll no longer be an ordinary person. You’ll enjoy the rights granted by the Martialist Association and meanwhile have to fulfill your obligations. If you betray us or disclose our secret information, you’ll immediately become our enemy. When that happens, we won’t bring you to a court. We’re allowed to punish any betrayer according to our own procedure. I hope you think it over before you sign.”
She had fervently hoped that he could join the association, but now she was reminding him of the risks of joining it. This changed his attitude toward her. He found Garcia in this Dream World was totally different. No matter how devious and cruel the Queen of Clearwater had been back in the Kingdom of Graycastle, she handled everything open and aboveboard in this world.
“I know what I’m doing.” Roland nodded and signed his name. “Now, can you tell me the truth about the Erosion?”
“No.” She folded the application form carefully and put it in a wooden box under the tea table. “It’ll take about two days to verify your identity. You just filed an application. You’re not an official member of the association, so I can’t tell you anything about it.”
“Well… then I’ve another question. You said that a martialist could get a generous reward by killing a Fallen Evil. Is that true?”
“I’ve clearly explained this to you before,” said Garcia, seeming a little disappointed hearing this question about pecuniary returns.
“I’m not asking about how much the reward is. I just want to know how can the association check that I’m the one who killed the Fallen Evil.” Roland shrugged. “During a mission, I guess I won’t be able to fight against a Fallen Evil while recording the whole process with a camera by myself. Do I have to invite another martialist to witness the fight? Or, you guys adopt the ancient way, counting the heads I bring back?”
Garcia got grumpy and said, “Is money that important to you? No matter who kills a Fallen Evil, the world will end up being clearer. Why do you square accounts in every detail and are so particular about personal gains?”
Roland argued, “You’re a well-known martialist whose reward for winning a match is equivalent to a common person’s yearly income, but just two months ago, I was still a jobless guy. I have to take care of myself and the little girl. You’re right. Money is very important to me!”
He deliberately made use of her misunderstanding to delude her into believing this lie. After all, he just wanted to find out the cause of the Erosion through the Martialist association rather than devote himself to the association.
Besides, money was indeed very important to him.
Garcia stared at him for a moment, still seeming a little annoyed and then said, “To prove that you’ve killed a Fallen Evil, you just need to give its mutated Natural Core to the association.”
“I can hand this thing over to the association?” Roland was slightly surprised. Now he thought that it might not be an accident that the core of the Fallen Evil who had awakened in the McDonald’s had remained solid in Phyllis’ hand.
“Of course. It’s the source of the Fallen Evil’s power. Once a mutation occurs, it’ll never recover. It can prove the Fallen Evil is eroded. If we don’t collect these mutated cores and lock them away, they’ll infect other people sooner or later. Ordinary people will lose their minds simply by touching it.”
“You mean… a mutated core can be used by different people?”
Garcia said with resentment, “Yes, that’s why some people are collecting them. We know exactly what they’re thinking. Don’t they worry that they’ll destroy our world by doing so?”
Hearing this, Roland immediately realized that another group of people were organized to collect the mutated cores and act against the Martialist Association. Garcia who had just let this information slip in a fit of anger was reluctant to divulge any more details about those people.
“But the association must have stored a great number of mutated cores. Aren’t you afraid that they’ll find the location of the cores or some martialist will betray and leak the secret to them—”
“It’s impossible!” She interrupted without hesitation. “Although you’re not allowed to know these things at this moment, I can assure you that those crazy guys will never break through the defense line guarding the core area of the Martialist Association. Before they get to the place, the four Defenders will tear them into pieces!”
He really wanted to ask her where this core area was and who the four Defenders were, but he knew for sure that he could not get the answers from her today. Given this, he suppressed his curiosity and thought to himself. What if I get into the place where those mutated cores are stored and release all of their Force of Nature into the air. When that happens, what’ll happen to this Dream World and to myself? How strong will my power and the warm flow circulating in my body become?
No matter what’ll happen at that time, I really look forward to it.