Chapter 16

1

It takes a long time to ride on a regular civilian plane. With Zi Sirou being someone who loves taking photos, she definitely can't sit still. Fortunately, this plane is spacious, with panoramic windows both above and below the cabin. No matter if it's up or down, she can find a spot to take photos. She crouched down for a couple of hours and I have no idea what she took pictures of.

According to the speed of the plane, we quickly entered the territory of Emo Itnea.

Guffy took off her eyemask, looking refreshed after waking up from a nap. She looked very comfortable and at ease.

"What did you guys do this morning?"

"Buying underwear."

"Wow, you're really good at getting straight to the point." Of course, what Guffy meant was that she knew where I went this morning. It's pointless to lie to her, she won't think of anything else anyway.

"The point is, Zi Sirou found out that I went to buy underwear with other girls."

"You seem to know a lot about underwear, can you help me pick one?" Guffy leaned closer, using her thumb to lift her bra strap, her eyes extremely seductive.

"Don't do that, I've had enough of underwear today. Besides, I don't really know much about it. According to the memories of Sanctus Dragon and Demon Dragon, this thing is optional, but having it would be better."

"Of course it's better. It has a lot to do with a woman's curves, and it's a necessity."

"We didn't have it before and our bodies were still fine."

"What did you say?"

"I mean, how mysterious is Magic in Emo Itnea?"

Guffy straightened her clothes and sat up properly.

"The Magic in Emo Itnea is called 'Manipulator Behind the Mask.' Because in this country, there is a unique group of Magic users who always wear masks. They have a nice-sounding name, 'The Modest Ones.' Also, the masks are not unique, they wear different masks for different Magic. Maybe it's out of respect for great individuals, they also have respect for Magic. Rituals are important to them, simplifying things has never been the direction of Magic development. There are many secrets in this country, but what other countries want to uncover the most is how they achieve identical Magic in their military. No matter how many times they repeat it, the Magic is always the same for the entire army. Even if it's mirror Magic, the final effect still depends on the user's magical power. The Emo Itnea army has achieved different magical powers, but the same Magic."

When it comes to the Emo Itnea army and their uniform Magic, Guffy is quite interested, comparing it to her Grimoire's mirror Magic, they are kindred spirits.

"The problem lies in the masks."

"Some people have tried to steal their masks, but it didn't work. When outsiders use the masks, through various appraisals, the masks are suspected to be Magic tools, but that's only a suspicion. Wearing the masks only enhances magical power, there's nothing special about them. We also know that the secrecy of Magic is crucial to a country. There's no clue to breaking it for now."

"Is there anything else?"

"In Emo Itnea, besides the damage from the Magic itself, people who are harmed by Magic also suffer from a certain toxicity. If they are subjected to Magic multiple times in battle, they will gradually lose their sanity, and their fatal weakness will be exposed. People from other countries call it the 'Corpse' toxin. Those who are affected by it really look like walking corpses. I've seen some soldiers whose bodies were so decayed, the old military doctor mummified them."

"Mummies? There were many legends about them fifteen million years ago, powerful and immortal."

Guffy laughed out loud. "You don't believe those legends, do you? The Emotian army has never released any mummies in all these years. Are they really as powerful as the legends say? Do they still need to be called 'the humble ones'?"

I think mummies must have some other purpose, but the Emotian Mask Magicians are also strange. First, the name "the humble ones" is quite fitting for their humble nature, but what does it mean? Magicians attacking each other directly and still remaining humble; then there are the masks, using the type of magic that corresponds to the mask they wear. Obviously, there is something significant inside the masks; and finally, different powers but the same magic. Where is the trick, is it the masks or the individuals?

Entering Emotia this time, we should be careful and avoid any interaction with "the humble ones". This country is a religious one and has certain similarities with The Divine Realm. It's always better to blame The Demon Realm for anything that happens than to blame the Othrian Empire, which is already secretly persuading other countries to join an alliance against The Divine Realm. These rare faith-based countries are not very susceptible to benefits and gains.

Suddenly, Guffy picked up the newspaper in front of her and glanced at it. With some intention or not, she said, "Will we see the 'humble ones' as soon as we enter Emotian territory?"

"You really want to see them? We haven't done anything, so why worry?"

"I'm worried if they might harm the innocent."

"What did you see?"

I took the newspaper from her, and the headline was quite sensational: "Factional Struggle Among the Humble Ones Destroys Passenger Plane."

And the route of the plane was one of the sections we would fly through.

"It can't be that unlucky, can it?"

"Yesterday's news. The plane changed its route specifically because of this incident."

"You knew about it early in the morning?"

"When I checked in my luggage, the ground staff said the route was changed to add an extra hour. I didn't pay much attention at first, but now it seems that extra hour might not be far enough away."

I looked out of the cabin, the sky was clear, and the sun was gradually setting.

"It seems peaceful. It's better not to encounter any trouble. Besides, they must be pirates to appear during such a major incident."

The main culprit of the plane crash has been identified, but they dare to appear, indicating one thing - Emotia is tolerant of them.

Zi Sirou had a stack of papers in her hand, the spoils of her several-hour squatting. The quality of the photos was quite good, taken in sparsely populated areas where the clouds were sparse, and she could see the ground covered in a thin veil from above. Her camera captured everything on the ground clearly, even the appearance of people. It seemed like she could be a spy rather than a journalist.

"Aren't you taking any more photos?"

"The flight attendant said there is thundercloud ahead, so we have to return to our seats."

I looked out the window, but there was no sign of thunderclouds.

Soon, we heard the announcement that there were massive thunderclouds moving rapidly several hundred kilometers away, and the plane had no choice but to pass through.

"Thunderclouds moving at high speed?" Guffy shook the newspaper in her hand and smiled at us.

"You jinx!" My head started to ache. It was said that all the planes that flew through this route after what happened yesterday were equipped with armed personnel. Let's see how capable these few people are.

The plane quickly entered the thunderclouds, and in that instant, an electric current passed through the body of the aircraft. It was a strong jolt, and there was a tense atmosphere in the cabin. At this moment, the people in the cabin were all ordinary folks, mostly passengers and businessmen. The only ones with any abilities were the three of us and the two Sub-Saints at the back of the plane, who were said to be the armed personnel.

"Magic," Zi Sirou clearly felt the presence of magic within the thunderclouds.

"Take a look, if you're not busy..."

Suddenly, the cockpit shook violently once again, and Zi Sirou nervously grabbed my hand, looking scared.

"Why... why are the lights flickering?"

Guffy calmly took out the newspaper and continued reading, saying, "The electric current is interfering with the lighting system."

"Do you think everything will be okay?"

The lightning and thunder outside the window were like heavy rain, creating an unsettling feeling even through the solid cockpit. The artificial thunderclouds were mostly made up of people, and with my colored lenses, I could see how many people were inside and what they were doing. It was clear to me, but the constant use of colored lenses also took away the sense of mystery in life.

"I believe that nothing will happen to you. You will definitely be safe," I held Zi Sirou's hand tightly, reassuring her.

"What do you see?" Guffy noticed that I was staring outside the window.

"The ones wearing masks are the 'humble ones', right?"

"Golden masks, with gold foil as the base, embedded with various gemstones, amber, crystals, etc."

"And there are eagles and snake heads?"

"On their foreheads?" Guffy seemed nervous.

"Indeed, it's a conflict between the hawk faction and the snake faction. It depends on the captain's skills and luck now."

Boom, boom, two loud noises accompanied by strong vibrations, preventing anyone from staying calm.

"Do you think the flight crew will ask us to write our wills later?"

"Siro, don't worry about it. He is responsible for your safety, and as your teacher, I will ensure your safety as well," Guffy said, leaning on my shoulder.

"Principal, why are you getting so close to him!"

Guffy's movements were close enough to create a sense of danger for Zi Sirou.

The plane had been traversing through the clouds for nearly an hour, and the end of the thunderclouds was still nowhere in sight. I could see more and more "humble ones" within the thunderclouds, though they were all hidden. The lightning was attacking each other.

"What's the difference between the hawk faction and the snake faction?"

"Perhaps the details of their magic are different, but the main difference lies in their belief systems and the great figures they respect."

A giant bolt of lightning passed by the wing of the plane from outside the cabin.

"This captain has really bad luck!"

"Everyone, remain seated. Flight attendants, prepare to open the door," the armed personnel sitting at the back of the plane equipped themselves and hurried to the safety door, instructing the flight attendants to prepare to open it.

The flight attendants stood by the safety door, taking necessary precautions. Together with the armed personnel, they shouted loudly and instantly opened the safety door. The sound of wind and thunder was deafening. Without hesitation, the armed personnel jumped out of the cabin. Their equipment allowed them to attach themselves to the plane without using too much magic to maintain control and chase after the aircraft.

Boom, the sounds above the cabin gradually intensified, sounding like an intense battle.

I felt Zi Sirou's hand gripping tightly, her sweaty palm making me not want to let go.

"Guffy, go to the cockpit and maintain the course!"

I made up my mind and stood up. It was clear that two people were not enough to ensure the plane's safe departure from the thunderclouds. More importantly, the passengers in the cabin had obviously seen a bit of bloody liquid sliding down the fuselage during the brief moments of lightning in the thunderous clouds. The thunderclouds kept moving, and it was possible that the captain had long been lost in this dark and chaotic airspace.

The plane jolted again, and a bolt of lightning was about to strike the cabin from the left wing. The passengers in the cabin, witnessing this, reacted with various expressions, but at the same time, a bloody red electrical current appeared.

Standing on the left wing of the plane, I felt a sticky liquid hit my face. In front of my eyes was an armed personnel standing upright on the cabin, with their head already severed.