The bottom of the glacier was cold and dark, and not even the light created by spells or abilities could dispel the darkness that could not be reached. When Muhathir looked closer, he saw a faint black shadow in the depths of these glaciers, as if something was frozen inside, but the light could not penetrate that deep, and he could not see clearly.

The group was all sent down from a downward well of ice that was exposed in the core after the destruction of the fort. There are steps carved out of the wall of the well, which extend in circles and descend to the abyss, which is invisible to the naked eye.

"How far have we gone now?" said Muscle Daddy's voice from above.

"If you start from the surface of the glacier, I would say about 20,000 feet. The Psychic Mancer reckoned. "But I don't know exactly how deep the ice is, so I can't tell how long we're going to go. ”

"What do you mean you mean you can't tell how deep the ice is?" asked Muscle Daddy as he walked.

"It's literal. ”

"I thought you psychic sorcerers were clever ghosts, wouldn't you speculate?"

"Okay, then I'll try. Muhadi said with a sigh. "Attas, Mistara, the two main material planes we've been to are planets. Orbiting a star, the mass of the star itself provides gravitational pull...... But here, I don't know what the physical structure of each layer of Bato is, it's not a planet anyway. So I can't judge the size of this layer by the curvature of the horizon, nor can I judge the thickness of the ice with what I know about geology. ”

"The gravitational pull here is almost exactly the same as the gravitational pull we feel in Attas. This surprised me at first, and made me think that I should be able to deduce some of the physical constants here. The Psychic Warlock continued. "But in hindsight I found out that it wasn't feasible either, because different people feel gravity differently here. When I was in the camp, I had secretly read the brains of some xenoplane adventurers. They feel gravity completely different from us. ”

"But gravity is not a subjective variable, and if we look at the speed at which the object is falling here, maybe we can measure it. Satili interjected as she heard the Psychic Warlock and Muscle Daddy discuss. "What do you think?"

"I feel like I'm almost getting it. Muscle Daddy said.

"I thought about it, but I quickly realized it didn't work. The Psychic replied to the Coral Witch. "First of all, we can't even be sure if time passes at the same speed as the main matter plane. If the time is not the same, we can't find it, and the measured data is meaningless. ”

"Also, I noticed that things here don't fall at the same speed. Barto's rules of gravity may be completely different from those of the main plane of matter. ”

"It's a pity that few of the mages of Atas venture to other planes, and the study of the physics of the planes is still in the obscurant stage. Satili said with some regret. "Hopefully, my generation of mages can change that. ”

"I bet you did. The Psychic Warlock said. "But whatever the rules of gravity are, as long as gravity is here, it tells us something. First of all, this glacier can't be infinitely deep - no matter how much the Barthez devils boast about it. If the glacier is really deep enough, its own weight will crush the material at the bottom, inducing fusion reactions, at least as the previous explosions tell us, that fusion reactions can still occur normally in Batow. ”

"The glacier isn't infinitely thick, and it sounds so reassuring. Muscle Daddy commented.

"We're still going to be a long way off, so you can try to learn to be less sarcastic or learn the art of talking to yourself. Muhati said to Muscle Daddy.

"What's the fun of chatting without sarcasm?" retorted Muscle Daddy. "Otherwise, if you touch Kailin's transformation, let me talk to her. ”

"Kaylin is a priest, and she's under too much pressure in the depths of Barto, so it's better for her to keep her in shapeshifting first. Satili explained.

Muscle Daddy muttered something again, but the Psychic didn't hear it, but fortunately the warrior finally didn't talk much this time, just silently following behind.

The three of them walked another way, and the further down they went, the more rugged the road carved out of the ice wall became. The path was designed for the Infernal Purgatory, which was much taller than humans, so each step was high and extremely strenuous to walk.

"Can I talk to you?" said Satili, who was at the front, and the psychic was taken aback.

"That's what I want!" said the muscular daddy, who had been silent for a long time, excitedly.

"I'm sorry, Daddy!" said the Coral Witch to the warrior with a hint of apology. "Maybe I can talk to you after I'm done talking to Muhadi. ”

"Come on, I knew you wanted to talk to the Psionic Kid, so ignore me. Muscle Daddy teased. "Mages with psychic warlocks, that sounds good, too. However, as an enthusiastic uncle who is full of malice, likes gossip, and doesn't think much of a big deal when watching the excitement, I have to warn you in advance that he has other women. ”

Satili just smiled when she heard this, "It's not the kind of thing you think, I'll talk to him about something else." ”

That's what every girl tells herself at the beginning. Muscle Daddy shrugged.

"Whatever you want to talk about, I'll accompany you. Mohathir said.

"Do you think you can talk about faith?" said the Coral Witch as she walked.

"Some people call me a prophet, and I guess you're going to have a hard time getting that title if you don't talk about faith, right?" replied the Psychic Mancer.

"And are you?"

"What is it?"

"Prophet. Sadiri said.

Muhadi was silent for a long time before speaking again. “...... No, I don't think I'm not. ”

But when others call you a prophet, you don't deny it. ”

"Didn't I deny it to you, and even more so when others called me a prophet, I didn't admit it. The Psychic said to Satilly.

"Admission or denial has its side effects, but silence can make you meaningful. Satili said.

"I never knew you knew anything about the theories of my generation of psychic magicians. Muhadi replied.

"Not long ago, I just read The Rabble by the ancient great psychic Le Pen. I'm surprised I didn't study the theories of the Psychic Warlocks earlier, maybe the mages were too proud to see that there were other explanations for the world. ”

"Le Pen's writings...... Tell me, what did you learn from that book?" asked the Psychic Warlock.

"I've learned how you psychic warlocks view groups, and how you analyze group psychology. Sadiri turned around, stopped, and said to Muhadi. "You call this psychological phenomenon the unity of the group spirit, right? The thinking concepts or feelings of individuals in the group will never appear when they are alone, and even if they do, they will never form concrete actions...... You use this theory to explain that a soldier can charge to the death against an enemy he doesn't know in the army, but he can't even hold a knife when a person faces his own personal enemy. ”

"Not exactly, but that's pretty much what you said. Muhathir thought for a moment and said.

"Rabble...... In the eyes of the Psychmancer, all groups are a rabble. Sadiri continued. "I read in the book of the ancient great psychic Le Pen that he believed that the greatest difference between people is the difference in intelligence......"

The mage moved on, her hair flicking as she turned her head. “...... However, people of the same ethnic group have very similar instincts and emotions. Once everything gets into the emotional realm, the differences between people disappear. Especially in the fields of faith, political opinions, moral evaluations, personal likes and hatreds, which are almost purely sensual expressions, the most brilliant and intelligent man is not seen to be more intelligent than a mere mortal. ”

Satili went on to repeat the theory she had read: "...... In group psychology, the original outstanding intellect is weakened, resulting in the weakening of the individuality of each person in the group. Heterogeneity that manifests differences is swallowed up by homogenization, and ultimately it is unconscious instincts and emotions that determine the wisdom of the group. Therefore, the great psychic mancer Le Pen gives the following definition of a crowd. First, the crowd has only very ordinary qualities. Second, the crowd has only a very ordinary intelligence. Third, the crowd also has only the most basic intelligence. Fourth, the group also has only very low or even lower levels of intelligence. Groups are incapable of intellectually demanding work, the numbers make them blind and self-righteous, and they are unable to think or plan for the long term. The crowd does not reason, it either accepts it in its entirety or denies it in its entirety. ”

"Needless to say, this is indeed the opinion of the great psychic mancer Le Pen. Muhati nodded. "It's different from the mages' opinions, I admit it. I remember when we first met, you were reading an abbreviated version of the Ancient Mage's Treatise on the Monarch. In that book, you mages seem to assume that people will think rationally according to their class and then make decisions that are in their own interest, completely ignoring the emotional influence of the group...... I don't mind having some academic discussion with you here - after all, there's nothing else to do right now. But I don't think you're talking about this out of the blue, asking me to validate the scholarly opinion of an ancient psychic manipulator. ”

"Of course not, in fact, what I really want to talk about is the religion that you founded. The female mage walked ahead and said. "It struck me as weird. ”

"Do you think the first cause is weird, or am I weird?" Muhati said to Sadiri.

"No, I'm not big, but I've heard Master Cotander talk about the various beliefs that exist on Attas, and the first reason is that religion is not particularly strange in comparison. Sadiri said. "I just think it's rising and spreading so fast, so fast that it doesn't make sense. Like I said, the first cause is not particularly prominent compared to the other beliefs that Atas has existed, so what is it that makes it develop so quickly?"

"Listening to your tone, I'm sure you've found an answer. Muhadi replied.

"yes, that's right. Coral Witch said. "I read Le Pen's writings and noticed that there were a considerable number of psionic beings who became priests of the first cause, so I had a reasonable guess. ”

"First, because of the emergence and spread of faith, there is the impetus of psychic magicians. Isn't that right?" said Satili in an inquiring tone.

Because Muhati did not answer immediately, the female mage repeated a passage of Le Pen's theory. "'Because once a group is formed, it is anxious to look forward to something, whatever it is, and if it makes them act immediately, they will gladly accept it. Without clear instructions, they are created on their own in the group unconscious. ’...... You psychic sorcerers take advantage of this characteristic of group psychology, don't you? Psychic sorcerers use their abilities to influence the emotions of the crowd. Assertions, repetitions and contagions. Or, according to the great psychic Le Pen, making concise and forceful assertions, ignoring any reasoning and evidence, is one of the surest ways to get an idea into the minds of the masses. The simpler and clearer an assertion is, and the poorer the evidence and proof seem, the more powerful it is. ”

"In this way, the psychic magicians were able to create a fanatical crowd of believers in a very short period of time, and the skeptics, who were engulfed in the crowd and could not put up any resistance. ”

"So I'm worried, is there a force behind this religion that is being pushed by psychic magicians, is there any conspiracy that I should be worried about secretly brewing?"

Muhadi walked three steps in silence before replying. "It is true that there is the involvement of the Psychic Warlock forces, but no matter what conspiracy ever existed here, it died with the Thousand Soul Heads...... Le Pen's theory is correct, but he ignores the fact that those individuals who exert influence on the group will eventually be assimilated by the group. The psychic sorcerers who acted as clerics are now more devout fanaticians than those who have been induced by themselves. ”

"So, it was the Thousand Souls who created this religion, and you were just an agent, so why did you continue to play the role of prophet after the death of the Thousand Souls?" asked Satilly.

"When the Thousand Souls Head used me, I was also using it. Muhadi replied. "The Thousand Souls have spent a thousand years spreading the legend of a savior coming in the desert using folk songs, prophecies, etc. It hopes that one day, when the rule of the Witch Kings is shaken, the Psychic Warlocks can establish a powerful religion and use it to control the people. Take Atas from the mages. ”

"But I didn't do what the Thousand Souls had in mind, at least not completely. The Psychic continued. "What I preach in Atas is my own original faith. ”

"What was your original faith?"

"From the world where I belong. Muhadi explained.

"Muhadi, I am your friend. You have to believe that I didn't mean to offend you at all. Satili said. But if it's really your own belief, then there's a lot about it that I don't understand or agree with. ”

"I knew you would say that. The Psychic Mancer sighed. "Tell me, what do you not like about it?"

"First of all, the point that I can't accept the most. You convince your followers to invade Mistara, the sister world of Attas. You brought the flames of war there, Warspreader, one of the titles of the Primordial Warlock. I always thought you were trying to draw a line with Rajat and prove that you weren't him. ”

"Let me correct your persuasion, first of all I did not 'convince' those followers to invade Mistara. They are Buraku people, and it is their instinct to migrate to more suitable areas for survival, and they do not need to be persuaded by outsiders. And their other instinct is to eliminate things, or people, that hinder their migration. Muhathir said. "Religion doesn't mean I can do whatever I want to the tribesmen, or order them to disobey my will - a few dozen people may be fine, but I can't control so many tribes in Athas. Another important lesson from psychology is that people sometimes only believe what they want to believe. ”

"Is that the reason you've found for yourself? You can't stop it, so you just sit back and watch the war break out?" asked Sadiri again.

"War is bound to break out, and I can only choose a place for it to take place. Muhati said slowly. "I'm not a Starch Spencer Druid, but I can see that the ecological carrying capacity of the desert is approaching its limit. Without Mistara, those tribesmen would either kill each other until the population fell to the extent that nature could carry it. Or die together from famine and pestilence. Tell me Satilly, if it were you, what would you choose?"

"I would choose to live in peace with the Mistara. Since that world can accommodate a hundred times the population of Attas, I don't think it will be too difficult to accommodate even one percent more. The Coral Witch replied to the Psychic Warlock's question.

"I'm afraid the Mistara people won't open their welcoming hands as you think, and in their eyes, we Atas are scourges. Mohathir said. "Attas, by the way, lives in a much harsher environment than Mistara, and the species here are more resilient. What is just a harmless minor disease for us is a deadly plague for the Mistaras. Do you think they will sit idly by and let us settle in our own world? Peace is much more difficult than you think. ”

"Then maybe we can trade for supplies. Sadiri said again. "There is always something that Atas has in abundance and that other worlds need. ”

"Athas is rich in sand, but there are oil fields under the desert. Muhathir admitted. "Endless oil, it doesn't mean much to us. The owners of the water plants only valued the water that came in, and regarded the oil as a virtually useless by-product. They don't know that in some worlds, this stuff is very valuable. ”

"But even then, it's hard to succeed in your trade plan. The Psychic continued. "Interdimensional trading requires a fleet of magical ships or extremely powerful portal spells. I don't know how to cast any of these spells, but I know the immense life force required to cast them. Consume life force to get supplies, I'm not sure it's a good idea. Of course, as a solar mage, you may indeed be able to maintain an interdimensional portal for a long time without draining your life force. But we don't have to guess that the Witch Kings will do something while you maintain the portal, and what will you do when the time comes? ”

"My magic problem?" said Satili, puzzled.

Muhadi raised one of his hands and looked at it in front of him, without slowing down. "There's no sign of a shift yet, but it won't be long yet. ”

"What are you talking about?"

"Cancer cells. The psychic replied. "I had a small tumor in my lungs. I found it earlier when I was in battle, when I was resurrecting this body. My psychic foreknowledge told me that the tumor had been developed by exposure to intense radiation. ”

"Your magic. Muhathir noted. "It's powerful, and every day is stronger than the day before...... But it has a huge flaw. Your body is saturated with the power of the sun to pay for your magic. As a result, you absorb too much radiation and become a powerful source of radiation. When you cast a powerful spell, there is a high chance that someone close to you will become terminally ill. Over time, this effect will become so pronounced that no mortal thing will ever be able to get close to you. That's another reason why I think your trading plan isn't reliable. ”

Hearing Muhadi's words, Sadiri was concerned with another question, "You said you were sick, so can it be treated? I don't want to hurt you." ”

"Thank you for your concern. But don't worry about me, there are quite a few spells that can cure this disease - but not by you, for obvious reasons. The Psychic Mancer shrugged. "Unfortunately, I can trade my true mind for a new body. ”

"However, the mages who can help now don't have extra bodies to exchange, so I'm going to wait for a while. Muhadi continued. "And you don't have to worry about Muscle Daddy, he's healthy. This guy's physique is too good. ”

"Then I'll rest assured, no matter where we stand, I don't want anything to happen to you, Muhadi. ”

"Each other, each other. ”

"Well, I'll put the invasion of Mistara aside. Count you on your own reasons. Satili finally said. "But there are other things I don't agree with about religion as a first cause. ”

"Since we haven't found the wise man yet. The Psychic Warlock said as he walked. "I guess I still have some time to explain to you. ”

"When you spread the first cause faith, you also created a system of teachings to match it, didn't you?" said Sadiri. "I can see the reality of doing that...... But that doesn't mean I approve of it. I believe that the worldly will return to the world, and the faithful will return to the faith. The integration of church and state means that power is out of control, and what this will bring is not clear to you. ”

"This is a very acute question. Muhathir said.

And your reply is not an answer. Coral Witch said.

The psychic warlock gave a wry smile. "Remember what I told you at the beginning, I am not a true prophet, and I did not create those laws and precepts. So contrary to what you might think, I don't have both legislative and religious powers. I'm just a person, not a deified idol. ”

"If you weren't the one who created those precepts, then who is it?"

"A higher source than me. The psychic mancer replied simply.

"The first cause, you say?" said Satilly, surprised. "I thought it was just a philosophical concept, I didn't expect you to actually be able to communicate with it. ”

"The truth is, I can't. Muhathir admitted. "I've never had direct communication with the true God. ”

"And what is the source of your mouth?"

"In my original world, there were people who spread the word about the first cause of faith. The Psychic explained. "You can think that everything I preach in Athas comes from my original world. ”

"So, before you come to Attas. You've been in contact with the person you're talking about and learned everything about the first cause from him?" said Sadiri.

"Not necessarily. Muhathir shrugged again. "That person was much older than me, and I had only been exposed to what had been passed down from other people. ”

"If that's been relayed by someone else," the Coral Witch continued. "You can't rule out the possibility of misunderstandings and accumulated errors. After years of copying or word of mouth, even the most correct truth can be misinterpreted. Did you think about this when you were on a mission?"

Muhadi sighed. "The man we are talking about is a true prophet, not someone like me who got his title by accident...... I think that if a person really has the power of a prophet, he can foresee the possibility of his words being misinterpreted. If the misinterpretation had been so great that it had completely misrepresented his intentions, he would not have preached in the first place...... Who knows? Maybe he deliberately hid his intentions at the beginning of his sermon, so that after thousands of years of misinterpretation, he got closer to what he really thought? No one can tell how a person who can really see the future will behave. ”

"I can perceive that you yourself are not completely confident in this statement. Sadiri looked back at Muhathir and said. "I see it in your eyes. ”

"You can't see anything in the eyes of a psychic sorcerer, except your own reflection. The Psychic Warlock was unimpressed. "You only see what you want to see. ”

"No, I can really see that you value your beliefs in the world before you. I guess it's some kind of homesickness, but I'll ignore it for now. Sadiri said. "But even if what you learned from the previous world is undoubtedly correct, you may have spread the wrong ideas in Attas. ”

"Why do you say that?" asked Muhadi.

"You became a Psychic Warlock after coming to Artas. Coral Witch said. "You know what psychic abilities can do, and I'm telling you, magic can do so much more. You can be brainwashed, implanted with false memories, and fake different personalities...... What reason do you have to be sure that the information in your memory of the previous world has not been distorted or tampered with?"

"Theoretically, it's possible that the Thousand Soul Heads have forged memories of past world religions in your mind...... You say he spent thousands of years spreading ballads and prophecies in Atas so that he could one day use them. Isn't it possible for the Thousand Soul Heads to forge some memories in your mind? Maybe you just think that you are using the Thousand Soul Heads in turn, but in fact you are still ignorant and carrying out the plan he has designed in advance.

There was silence all around, and at the base of the glacier, there was no noise, only the faint footsteps of three people could be heard as they walked. Muhathir was silent for a long time before he finally spoke. “...... I'm not sure. Is that the answer you'd like to hear?"

"If you can't be sure, maybe ......," suggested Sadiri. “...... I mean, maybe, you shouldn't have acted rashly. Otherwise, you may inadvertently allow the misconception of the Thousand Souls to take control of the people of Atas and rob them of their spiritual freedom. ”

"What you say may be possible...... But when you launched a revolution in Tyre and attacked the Witch King Karak, were you sure you would succeed?" said the Psychic Warlock. "Sometimes we have to take some risks, that's why we're called risk-takers, aren't they...... And if I really bring the wrong ideas to the people of Attas, those who are truly worthy of freedom will not be bound by those ideas. ”

"Do you think freedom is worthy of it?" asked Satilly. "Do you think those people are the ones you call again?"

"Since freedom needs to be earned, there are naturally people who do not deserve it. The Psychic replied to the female mage. "As for who deserves to be free," he shrugged. "It must be those who can break their shackles. ”

"Who deserves this kind of evaluation from your mouth?"

"I worked as a slave, when I first came to Attas. Muhadi said to the Coral Witch as he walked. "You've been a slave too, when you were a mage apprentice in Cotander. But you were free, and by your own efforts, you overthrew the Witch King's tyranny for thousands of years. In fact, you yourself are a living proof that some people can break free from the worst and harshest shackles. ”

"But I don't want to see people who have broken free from the shackles and quickly fall into new shackles. The female mage said with some gloom. "When confronted by Polis, I defend you, insisting that you are different from the Primordial Warlock. I don't want the facts to prove me wrong, and Polis is right. I don't want to see millennia of brutal tyranny by primordial warlocks and witch kings come back in the name of Muhadi. And I actually helped a new 'great enemy' to appear in Atas. ”

"The last thing I want to happen in the entire multiverse is to be your enemy. Muhathir gave assurances.

"If everything is as hoped, then the world is too simple. Sadiri shook her head in barely visible motion. "Your first question to me, you answered very well. The second one is not so good. I'm not convinced. I will continue to observe what you are doing and, if necessary, correct your mistakes - it is my duty as a friend. ”

"It's my pleasure. The Psychic replied solemnly. "Also, my feelings tell me that we are almost at our destination. ”