Matthew pushed the door open and walked through the garden to the door, only to find that it was Rhaegar yelling.

He didn't open the door.

Instead, he said to Rhaegar through the fence:

"The matter of sword oil, let's talk about it tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, I will go to the lord's mansion to find you."

Rhaegar thumped the bar:

"You open the door first, in addition to the sword oil, I have something very important to discuss with you!"

Matthew stared at him and suddenly smiled:

"You did it on purpose, right?"

Rhaegar said with confidence:

"Why do you say I did it on purpose? I didn't know Seve was in your house. ”

Come on, don't admit yourself.

Matthew didn't bother to bother with him, and silently opened the door and let Rhaegar in.

"Let's go inside, but you'll have to find a place to sit first, and I'll talk to you about sword oil when I'm done giving Sif a lesson."

Rhaegar didn't answer, just snorted twice and entered the door impatiently.

However, as soon as he entered, he saw Sif looking at him angrily.

A wry smile suddenly appeared on Rhaeggar's face:

"Sorry, baby, I forgot you had a lesson at Matthew's house today."

As he spoke, he was very thick-skinned and sat next to Siv.

At this point, Peggy brought a cup of hot coffee and a cup of lemon tea from the kitchen.

Naturally, Rhaegar took the cup of coffee and took a sip:

"Thank you, the craftsmanship is good, much better than our Mrs. Wesley."

Peggy stared at him deadly.

Rhaegar was furious at the sight, he hurriedly put down the coffee in his hand, and apologized again and again:

"Isn't this cup for me? Sorry, sorry. ”

Peggy's soul fire calmed down a little.

However, the next second.

She saw that Rhaegar naturally took the cup of lemon tea and took a big sip, and said as she drank it:

"So this cup is for me!"

"Ho! It tastes really good. ”

See this scene.

Sif's two cheeks bulged even harder.

Peggy also looked like she was going to do it.

Fortunately, Matthew pulled her in time.

He knew that Rhaegar had come here to make a mess of himself.

For the sake of the help and tax exemption policy that came over a while ago, as long as it doesn't affect his class, Matthew doesn't care about it.

At the moment, he ignored Rhaegar who was sitting like an old man, and continued to tell Seve about history.

It's strange to say.

It had been one-on-one lessons, and Seve looked uneasy.

Now that Rhaegar was distracting, she became very serious.

Every important point that Matthew said, she grabbed a small pen and wrote it down carefully.

That's all I have done.

Siv suddenly asked a question:

"Matthew, why do many people from the evil camp always seem stupid in the history books?

I mean, they may not be really stupid, but a lot of the time they make decisions that have better options.

I've found that there are many similar accounts, and in those historical stories, the protagonist who plays the role of justice often only needs a little strategy, and the big bad guy of the evil camp will obediently fall for it.

If these are not hard historical facts, I suspect that the bards made it up to fool us.

You've seen quite a few bad guys, are they really that stupid? ”

on the subject.

Matthew pondered for more than three minutes before slowly giving his answer:

"Putting aside the relativity of the division of good and evil in the division of camps, and the survivor bias that occurs in the compilation and selection of historical stories, I can give you a relatively positive answer - yes, most of the characters of the evil camps we encounter in the course of life and adventure are not smart."

Seve held her chin with one hand and asked curiously:

"Why? Are the people of the evil camp inherently ignorant? ”

Matthew shook his head:

"Not really, I think the root cause of this phenomenon is a lack of education."

As he spoke, he noticed that Leila, who had been listening in the hallway, couldn't help but come over.

Matthew motioned for her to sit down, and then said without hesitation:

……

"It's obvious that most of the members of the evil organization aren't too smart characters.

I'm talking about sorcerers, arsonists, blighters, scarlet hunters, natives of the underworld, and more.

The common denominator of these members is that they possess a certain amount of supernatural power, but they severely lack the knowledge to harness it.

In the case of the Scourge Order, for example, I once killed a gnolloll sorcerer named Edson.

He's a fourth-order sorcerer, he's really powerful, and if he's smart enough, I'll probably suffer a big loss.

But thankfully, he's just a gnoll.

And I'm a human mage with enough education.

Just because I can beat him doesn't mean that I'm inherently better than him.

It's because my background is completely crushing him.

Imagine that.

If you were a gnoll, what could you do?

Can you do better than Edson?

Maybe you think you can, then we can deduce -

If you are a gifted gnolloll born in a barren subterranean area, your parents are no different from other gnolls, they have given you life, they love you very much, but neither of them can take a leave of birth to accompany you.

When you are born, they have to go out round and night to hunt and fight.

You'll be accompanied only by gnolll cubs who know nothing about the world like you.

Good thing you're smart.

When the other siblings are just learning to crawl and roll, you are already learning from your parents and starting to wield knives and guns.

Your talent keeps on being realized, you learn to hunt at a very young age, and you have an innate talent for killing.

While your siblings were still bullying the fungus people, you were able to fight the underground lizards hand-to-hand.

When you're older, even an adult gnoll won't be able to beat you.

At this point your parents are very happy, they are proud of you and start listening to you more.

Your brothers and sisters surround you, and gradually your family has become a force to be reckoned with in the Gnoll tribe.

In this way, the development of the wind and the water is smooth.

In a few years, you will become the leader of that tribe and the supreme ruler of the small society of gnolls.

All gnolls are to obey your commands.

The power in your hands is satisfying.

But then what?

You'll find that from birth to becoming a tribal leader, you've only learned to hunt and fight.

No one in this tribe can impart more advanced knowledge to you.

Even the older ones will only teach you how to distinguish herbs, how to heal wounds, and at most teach you a secret recipe for having more children.

Nothing else.

Magic?

Impossible, that's a talent realm that only gnoll warlocks are qualified to touch.

A certain day.

An evil being has come upon your tribe.

In the face of the shadow of evil, you have only two options: submit or be killed.

You rightfully chose to obey.

The evil being was satisfied, and he sent down his blessing.

So suddenly you become a powerful sorcerer, and you gain transcendent power, the magical power you have always dreamed of.

Then it dawns on you that magic is so easy!

But no one can remind you that magic has a skill to use.

Harnessing these supernatural powers requires more knowledge.

If you don't have adventures, you won't have access to this information for the rest of your life.

You can only rely on your own understanding and experience to repeatedly explore, and finally form your own magic system.

This system resembles a small dilapidated house with a leaky wind on all sides in the face of the formal spellcasting system, which is a strong, immovable fortress.

But you don't know.

You're proud.

You feel like you're invincible.

With this magical power, you begin to make your mark in the shadows, and you begin to come into contact with other races' societies, including human ones.

If you are lucky enough to live to be very old, then you do have a chance to make up for the disadvantages of your birth and improve your cognitive level after coming into contact with human society.

Unfortunately, most gnolls don't have such a chance.

Soon.

The evil god who gave you power has decreed the formation of a powerful order, and you are the patriarch, commander-in-chief, and vanguard of that order.

You're ecstatic and feel like you're about to reach the pinnacle of your life.

But what you don't know is-

When you leave the Horde with the allied forces recruited from the Shadows, the look back may be the last;

As you walk through the long gravel road, choked with tears by the light from the surface, and your emotions are extremely excited, you have no idea what kind of enemy you are about to face.

In other words, you're not facing a specific enemy.

Rather, it is a tentacle of human civilization.

Even if you're lucky, you'll arrive at the surface with small villages, and after you've burned and plundered for a while, you'll be met with well-trained cavalry, heavily armed warriors, and tactical generals.

There are also archmages who have been systematically educated by the Seven Saints Alliance.

They have mana that is not inferior to yours, as well as crushing spellcasting skills.

Now, do you think you still have a chance to win?

Do you think you can do better than Edson?

The answer, of course, is no.

Even if I hadn't been able to reincarnate as a gnoll with my current cognitive level, the final fate would have been much the same. ”

……

After listening to this long passage.

There was a long silence in the living room.

Seve nodded as if she didn't understand:

"I seem to understand something."

Rhaegar was no longer in a daze, and he looked at Matthew with twinkles in his eyes.

Leila was even more thoughtful.

Matthew took a sip of water and said gently:

"The story of the Gnoll is just a microcosm, in fact, many people in the evil camp are not inherently evil.

Origin determines their lack of choice, and it is their origin that determines that they do not have access to more advanced knowledge.

Knowledge here does not just refer to spells, spells are only a part of knowledge, it is useful, but it is not omnipotent.

Personally, these uneducated, uneducated enemies who wield great power are not at all to be feared.

Because even if they do evil, it is very difficult for them to really do anything particularly big. ”

"I see!"

Sif's eyes suddenly lit up:

"It's no wonder that in history, the great demon king who can cause great damage is usually not from the evil camp, except for the existence of supernatural power, most of the people who become the demon king through their own efforts are almost all well-educated, and they all have a resume of working in a decent organization!"

"Some of them are mages who defected from the Alliance, some are scholars who have studied knowledge, some are once famous and eventually rapidly degenerated, and some are great druids who have been in close contact with nature for a long time but have thrown themselves into the arms of darkness...... So, these villains with good backgrounds and knowledge are the most terrifying, right? ”

Matthew looked at Seve with some surprise.

This kid's critical thinking ability is quite good, and he actually draws inferences from one another.

"That's true, for example, I went to the south this time and fought against a dragon worship wizard named Blinken, he is the most difficult enemy I have ever encountered, that guy was an excellent member of the Seven Saints Alliance, this kind of person is much more difficult to deal with than the jackals."

Matthew sighed.

Sif held her chin with her hands with some regret and said:

"But why should they turn to evil?"

Matthew didn't want to go any further on the issue, so he said vaguely:

"The human heart is always complicated."

"Anyway, you can sit here and judge the stupidity or cleverness of the characters in historical stories with a light and pleasant feeling, all because you have a good background.

I think that you have not been in any productive work since you were born, which is also incredible for many children of poor families.

There are many children in Rolling Stone, who go to work in textile workshops at the age of seven or eight, and although there is a public school in the town, not everyone has the opportunity to study part-time.

All this is thanks to your father, who gave you such a good life.

You have to learn to cherish. ”

Rhaegar listened to the help, and his old face turned red.

Facing Sity's grateful gaze, he turned his head in embarrassment.

Leila watched this scene with envy.

Matthew walked over and patted her on the shoulder, then said to Siv:

"That's all for today's lesson, what I'm talking about should be enough for you to digest for a while."

After saying that, he looked at Rhaegar and said:

"Next, let's go to the next room and talk about sword oil."

……

Ultimately.

Rhaegar's sword oil didn't make it to the Oak Chamber of Commerce's first list of goods.

Matthew found out after a detailed discussion.

The sword oil of this guy is actually handmade by himself, the raw materials are expensive, and the cost remains high, the key is that the stability is still doubtful!

Although Rhaegar swears that the effect of his sword oil explodes.

But Matthew rejected the lord's enthusiasm for the sake of the Oak Chamber of Commerce's signboard.

Of course, he still said it very tactfully:

"Your sword oil does have merit, but I'm afraid it's hard to find a suitable buyer in the market."

"First of all, the fighters usually can't afford such an expensive thing, they value it more than money, unless you can reduce the cost to 1/6 of what it is now - this is obviously impossible."

"Mages can easily enchant weapons themselves, and they don't use anything as oily and dirty as sword oil."

"Only warriors of considerable wealth and status are eligible to use power-ups of this level, don't you think?"

After hearing this, Rhaegar was a little disappointed, and couldn't help muttering:

"Can't you just try it?"

"My sword oil doesn't sell well locally, but what if it becomes a big hit in the market in Cordo City?"

"In this way, I will give you the first batch for free, regardless of the cost!"

Matthew sighed:

"Then get me two bottles to try."

Rhaegar couldn't wait to hand over the two bottles of sword oil to Matthew.

Seeing that there was no label on it, Matthew couldn't help but ask:

"What do these two bottles of sword oil do?"

Rhaegar said proudly:

"One of the bottles of sword oil is a special attack of sea creatures, which can cause additional damage to sea creatures."

Matthew's eyelids jumped:

"Next time, we will not only cooperate with Yu Yao, but also prepare to contact Naga, are you sure that the sword oil for the special attack on Naga will be placed on the shelf?"

Rhaegar was stunned for a moment:

"Really?"

"There's another bottle there, and the effect is a special attack on the undead."

Matthew said helplessly:

"There are almost no undead creatures near Kordo City, and besides, I'm a necromancer, are you sure you want me to sell items that can be used against me?"

Hearing this, Rhaegar quickly retrieved the two bottles of sword oil.

But he still didn't give up:

"Then I'll change two bottles next time."

……

In the early hours of the next morning.

Four 08 a.m.

Crucible roof layer.

"Ronan! Needless to say, the mastermind behind the scenes must be Ronan! ”

After listening to what happened to Matthew's southward journey, Taling 177 said categorically:

"That old boy is very bad, this kind of thing can definitely be done, do you think, if it's not Ronan, why would Blinken run away when he sees you?"

"Because he's from the past, he used to be a white glove for Ronan in the alliance, but when he defected, he became a black glove."

"When Blinken saw you, it was probably like looking in a mirror! He must know the twists and turns of the alliance better than you, and when you grow a little more, you will be Ronan's new white glove! ”

Matthew thought this guy was.

But he also really thought about the possibility that the mastermind behind the scenes was Archmage Ronan.

That's why he came over today to tell Taling 177 most of the details of his southbound journey.

Seeing Matthew's brows furrowed.

Taling was surprised and said:

"You're not really going to kill your relatives in righteousness, are you?

Uh, am I joking too much?

Don't worry, boy, Ronan doesn't know anything about life and death, and his talent for necromancy is about the same as your talent for divination.

But this matter is indeed alarming.

Dragon Mountain Ash can be used to create something more terrifying than the Dragon Lich.

I don't know which old immortal is doing something.

In short, the upper echelons of the league are rotten.

How about we form a new alliance that "the alliance must die"?

I'll be the boss, and I'll take you to the Alliance headquarters, the Far North Floating City! ”

Matthew smiled and shook his head:

"Thank you, but I'd better join the Seven Saints Alliance first."

Taling then took out a form, put it in front of Matthew, and motioned for him to fill it out:

"It's also a way of thinking to break from within, but be wary not to be assimilated by them, I'm optimistic about you, Matthew."

"Once you've filled out the form, remember to write the names Ronan and the Emperor of the Cauldron House, 177, in the recommender field."

"When I hand in the form, it will take a week or two at most, and someone will go to Rolling Rock Town to find you, and then you will complete the entry assessment of the Seven Saints Alliance in your own home."

Matthew was surprised:

"Go to my house? Doesn't it usually go to the branch of the Seven Holy Alliances in a certain city? I thought it would be most convenient to do the assessment in the crucible house. ”

177 said casually:

"It's just a process, can they still stop the people recommended by Ronan and not let them enter the alliance?

Be confident, you're a relation! ”

Matthew was deeply impressed by the corruption of the alliance system.

Then happily filled out the form.

"That's it."

177 took the form and said to Matthew with some excitement:

"The guy you asked me to train last time has been made obedient by me, do you want to go over and take a look?"

Trolls Sinwak?

Matthew nodded:

"Of course, I was about to ask when you could take him away."

"Anytime, he's very well-behaved now."

177 Triumphantly shoved a hard thing into Matthew's hand:

"Here, follow me."

Matthew looked down.

It was a remote-like thing.

……

(End of chapter)