Chapter 298 - Change to a Different Race
Several days have passed since Carlo gave the magic of immortality to Flamme, and the two have not spoken to each other during that time.
Flamme was studying this magic, trying to find an alternative method, or at least to replace the object absorbing life force with plants. In this way, the guilt in one's heart will be greatly reduced.
Carlo continued to refine the magic, attempting to offset the cost with greater efficiency.
In the end, the two of them stood in the research room at the same time. The completely perfected magic draft was placed on the table in front of them, but neither of them touched it.
With her back to Carlo, Flamme stood by the window, gazing at the capital city of El. After a long while, as if she had made up her mind, she turned around and looked at Carlo.
"Carlo," her voice was a little hoarse, "give up this magic."
Hearing her say this, Carlo's eyes were filled with astonishment and confusion. "Give up? Why? Lord Flamme, I've put in so much effort, and it was almost..."
"It is precisely because you are about to succeed that you must give up!" Flamme interrupted him.
"I know how much effort you have put in, years of research, and now that you have finally achieved results, you are naturally unwilling to give up just like that. But this magic should not exist in the world, much less among humankind."
Flamme could not imagine the upheaval this magic would cause in the human world if it were to spread.
In particular, how would Teacher Kurtz look at her when he learned that his disciple was using this method of plundering the lives of others to prolong her own existence?
Any hint of disappointment or anger from Teacher Kurtz was more unbearable for Flamme than death.
She walked to the workbench, her gaze sweeping over the drafts with a complex expression before finally turning away resolutely.
"Carlo, give up this magic and all research in this field. As compensation, I can give you any magic you want to learn in the future."
"This is not a matter of magic." Carlo shook his head repeatedly, clearly having no interest in any type of magic that Flamme was talking about.
"The original text of sacred magic, the original core runes of the world's strongest defensive magic, the Athos Barrier, and even the strongest offensive magic, the Divine Strike...you can choose any of these as long as you are willing to give up your research in this field. Of course, you must never reveal them to anyone else."
Flamme took a deep breath and continued to state her conditions.
To prevent Carlo from revealing this magic to more people and to prevent the other party from continuing to research related fields, Flamme went all out, even if it meant shamelessly begging Professor Kurtz a few more times.
"Glug!" Carlo swallowed hard. All the magic that Flamme proposed was an area that humanity most wanted to study.
Especially the original core runes of the Athos Barrier.
This is completely different from the rune that Ryder got from Lady Serie. With these core runes, it might be possible to replicate the same type of defensive magic.
Although its power would certainly not be as great as that released by the Holy Sword Athos, it would definitely be stronger than most defensive magic in the world.
However, Carlo ultimately refused.
"I'm sorry, Lady Flamme, but I still want to continue perfecting this magic, and besides, it's about immortality! Dont you want to live forever?" Carlo asked somewhat agitatedly.
"I can't… use other people's lives to pave my way to the future," Flamme said softly, as if speaking to Carlo, or perhaps trying to convince herself.
"But I don't want to die, Carlo. I want to live, to see with my own eyes the end of magic, to witness…"
Carlo didn't hear the last thing about Professor Kurtz, but he sensed the obsession hidden in her words.
"In that case, Lady Flamme should join me in optimizing this magic!"
"No, it's unnecessary now." Flamme refused without the slightest hesitation.
No matter how much optimization is done, it cannot change the fact that the target of absorption is a living being, and it must be an intelligent species. The life force contained in ordinary cats and dogs simply cannot meet the requirements.
Flamme couldn't accept this.
Since she can't truly live forever like her teacher, she should at least stay in the prime of her life.
This is something that Flamme has been thinking about for some time now.
She would study the field of solidification magic so that her body and even her appearance could remain forever at their most beautiful moment.
However, this cannot change the passing of life within one's body.
Therefore, when her life comes to an end, she will use solidification magic to completely seal herself away, as if she were in a deep sleep.
Perhaps a miracle will happen at some point in the future, but until then, at least she can exist in her most perfect form.
This is a compromise that is almost self-deceptive, but for Flamme, it is the best effort she can make above the bottom line of morality.
She wanted to be by Kurtz's side, and even if it were just in this way, she would be content. She could not accept appearing before him old and ugly, nor could she accept her complete demise.
Carlo had no idea what Flamme was thinking. He just looked at Flamme and saw the resignation in her eyes, and his brows furrowed tightly.
He couldn't understand what Lady Flamme was thinking.
In his view, magical research should transcend secular ethics, and the pursuit of the ultimate answer is the only goal.
Although he initially shared Lady Flamme's concerns, Ariel's encouragement during this time has made him much more open-minded. He was very grateful for Miss Ariel's help.
This even led to a bold idea.
"Lady Flamme, you're too conservative." Carlo shook his head, his tone tinged with disapproval. "I've clearly touched upon the real answer, why should I give up?!"
He stepped forward and lowered his voice. "You're worried about sacrificing the lives of your own kind, right? Then... what if we were a different race?"
Flamme paused slightly. "Change to another race?"
"Yes!" Carlo's speech quickened. "Human life force is indeed pure, but the total amount is too small, and the conversion efficiency of this magic is so low that the cost and the gain are completely unequal. But… what about those immortal beings?"
"Are you crazy?!" Flamme's expression changed drastically, and she shouted sharply to stop him.
When Carlo mentioned the immortal race, the first thing that came to her mind was the elves.
As a world-renowned long-lived species, probably no other race can surpass it in lifespan.
"Carlo! You can't even think about such a thing!"
The elves are powerful, especially since the demons secretly attacked them before.
Now the Elven Kingdom is keeping a very close watch on its precious elves. Every so often, a large number of elven warriors are sent to patrol the elven villages throughout the continent to prevent a recurrence of what happened before.
If Carlo's idea were to be followed, the consequences would be extremely serious, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it could even provoke a war.
'At that point, let alone the elves, I'm afraid Teacher Serie will be the first not to let him off the hook.'
[End of Chapter]
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