Before Shang left his inner world, he thought about Lucius' words again.
'I'm not sure how to feel about what I've read,' Shang thought as he furrowed his brows.
'The world is not bad? Maybe, but I don't know. I've felt the effects of the persecution of the other Paths personally.'
'I've seen how the Council and the Dukes suppress the warriors just because they fear their power.'
'The Skythunder Kingdom would be the most powerful Kingdom as long as the Council supports the warriors. The warriors didn't even want to rise up initially, but everything the Council had done over the past decades has pushed them away from them.'
'Everyone is only interested in their own power, and I'm not any better. To achieve my goal, I'm even willing to push the world into a calamity.'
Shang was not someone that loved the world as much as Lucius.
Someone of Lucius' power didn't need to fear anyone, and he could appreciate the beauty of the world.
But Shang was in the middle of a huge war just because he was not a Mage.
A moment later, a different thought entered Shang's mind.
'Although, Jerald is not like the other Mages. Mages, as well as warriors, are willing to follow him. The only reason why we have so few Mages is that they are afraid of fighting against the Council. No one wants to join the side that is most likely to lose in a war unless their very lives are on the line.'
'King Skythunder also doesn't seem to care a lot about warriors and Mages, but that's understandable. From what I know, he has once been a barbarian before he became a Mage. He has a different outlook.'
At that point, Shang thought about the world he had seen around 70 years ago.
The farmers in the Farm Line had peaceful lives, and the students of the Warrior Academy had been in high spirits. They were young children that looked at the future with bright and glowing eyes.
The hunters and Mages had no big conflicts back then, and Warrior's Paradise had been bustling with activity and life.
As Shang thought about the time he had been a teenager, he could imagine finding the world beautiful.
For a while, Shang only evaluated his own thoughts.
'I don't know if I find the world beautiful or not,' he thought. 'Lucius' words don't change a thing.'
'However, if I actually have a chance to get rid of the Abominations without jeopardizing my own growth, I will do it.'
Even though Shang felt a deep connection with the Abominations, there was still a fundamental difference between them.
The Abominations wanted the world to stop existing.
Shang didn't want that.
Being in a lonesome void of nothingness as the only living being was not something Shang wanted.
If he wanted to live, the vast majority of things around him also had to live.
So, despite the deep connection, the Abominations still counted as enemies to Shang.
'Nothing changes.'
After making up his mind, Shang left his inner world.
Inside a humongous cave deep underground, Shang opened his right eye.
"Welcome back."
Shang looked over and saw Jerald beside him.
Jerald had been keeping watch over Shang's body while he was undergoing the trial. Additionally, Jerald wanted to know how everything went.
Shang nodded and stood up.
Jerald began to evaluate Shang with furrowed eyes and hummed a bit.
"You feel different," he said. "I presume this has to do with your reward?"
Shang nodded. "Nobody in the world can see through my real Affinity anymore. That means that I also won't be immediately hunted down by the first beast that sees me."
Jerald scratched his chin a little. "That is great to hear, but it doesn't sound like your power has increased."
"It hasn't," Shang answered. "To be honest, I could have chosen two other rewards that would have increased my power, but I value my future above my current power."
Jerald sighed. "That's not a problem. Making the plan succeed is definitely important, but it is only of momentary importance, and it only functions as an intermediary goal. The true goals we have chosen for ourselves always take priority."
"Sorry," Shang said.
"No, it's fine," Jerald said. "I would have done the same thing."
One of the reasons why they had waited for the trial was for the reward.
If Shang got something that increased his power even more, the plan had a higher likelihood of succeeding.
Sadly, it seemed like the wait had been pointless.
The reward hadn't increased Shang's power, but at least it had given him a more secure future.
Of course, Jerald wished for Shang to have chosen a reward that increased his power immediately. After all, the purpose of the plan was to take revenge for Jerald's fallen territory, his fallen friends, and his dead son.
But Jerald also knew that he couldn't force his own priorities and wishes on Shang.
Shang was already trusting Jerald with his life, and Jerald didn't want to betray that belief.
Shang told Jerald about the trial, and he also mentioned some of the stuff he had learned from Lucius' letter. Naturally, he didn't tell Jerald about the Children of Calamity and their status in the world.
After hearing everything that happened in the trial from Shang, Jerald released a sigh.
"It seems my worries were unfounded," he said. "Your power should be enough for the plan. However, you will still be in danger."
"I know," Shang answered with a nod, "but I don't care. I might seem cold most of the time, but I cared for George and the entire Storm Eagle Zone. The prosperous and lively land from back then no longer exists, and I'm not a big fan of that."
Jerald smiled a little bit. "That's good to hear."
Shang hadn't left the Cave, and he could only imagine how the atmosphere in the Storm Eagle Zone was, but Jerald was there every day.
There were so many guards stationed across the entire territory, and every person was meticulously investigated all the time. The oppressive power and authority of the stationed soldiers intimidated all the normal citizens to the point where they only left their houses when it was absolutely necessary.
Hustle and bustle had completely vanished from Warrior's Paradise, and a cloud of grey uncertainty and fear hung over the entire Zone.
While the dead air in Warrior's Paradise had been an oddity in the past, now it was a suffocating pressure.
The Warrior's Academy had more students than ever, but there was no youthful happiness there.
The increased sizes of classes and urgency eradicated joyful training and replaced it with authoritarian drills.
The students no longer viewed their future with colorful and bright eyes but with cynical, grey eyes filled with uncertainty.
They felt like they were no longer working for a bright future but working towards a gruesome death on the battlefield.
Due to the insane number of powerful warriors living here, even the Wasteland had basically been cleaned of all beasts. It even reached a state where hunting had been strictly prohibited for everyone until the environment recovered.
The same thing was true for the Canyon and the Wild Forest.
Entering the Wild Forest to fight beasts required explicit permission, and it was mostly reserved for the students to gain practical experience.
The Farm Dogs were no longer useful due to the presence of so many powerful warriors, and they simply sat around the farms in a monotone state of boredom. They no longer had a purpose.
The farmers were overworked. They were earning more than ever before, but they didn't want to work anymore. Life was simply too stressful.
In the past, Jerald had been proud of his territory, but now, he felt pain whenever he looked at it.
He didn't want to put everyone under so much pressure, but it was necessary. He couldn't allow the Council to infiltrate his territory and destroy it from within.
After Shang and Jerald talked about the trial, Jerald went to the next topic.
"Are you ready to see him now?" Jerald asked.
Shang nodded. "I think now is the best time. I might not know him, but I can guess how he feels since we came from the same place."
They were talking about the new person the God had sent to this world.
Jerald had already found him a couple of months ago, but Shang was too busy readying himself for the trial.
"So, you will now officially return to the world, huh?" Jerald asked with a slight smile.
Shang nodded again. "I've been gone from the world for nearly 50 years, and I've lived in isolation for all of it."
"Returning to be amongst people feels strange, but it is only natural."
Jerald chuckled a bit, and Shang raised an eyebrow.
"I have something prepared for your return," Jerald said.
For a second, Shang wasn't sure what Jerald meant, but then he remembered.
"Right, I asked you to prepare an armor since mine probably won't survive the trial," he said.
Jerald nodded. "Yes, but this time, I decided to take some liberties regarding its design."
"You will be my second-in-command from now on, and you represent my strongest military power."
"I need you to look the part."
