Many years later, when the aged Morca picked up the pen, deciding to delve into this chapter of Angel's history... he was somewhat confused.

Unlike Gray, unlike Jones, Angel's life path was very clear. He grew up in Cartier, with many people who watched him grow up able to tell Morca all sorts of truths, all sorts of past stories about Angel.

However, these "truths" only left Morca more confused.

He complained to his assistant, the equally aged Pao Pao: "His personality is very peculiar. Obstinate, obstinate to the extreme, yet with almost no pressure, he abandoned his loyalty to the Blood Elves, betraying the entire Blood Elf clan. There was no sign. It was a very abrupt change. Normally, wouldn't something drastic have to happen for it to be like this? I've never written a protagonist like this."

Pao Pao pondered for a long time, then told him, "Maybe he never was loyal in the first place."

"Never was?"

"Yes, just like me before," Pao Pao said with a smile, "You know, I'm just an orphan, with no memory of my mother. From the start of my memory, I was wandering. Not because of that famine, but in fact, I was always wandering until I met you. Who was around me before that?"

"Other wandering children?" Morca asked, frowning.

"Yes, but not only that. There were also vagrants. They could be old, they could be young, women, all possible kinds. And thieves, robbers... I lived at the very bottom of the world, where all evils played out around me. That was all I had. And with them, I had no relationships. Any vagrant might fall asleep in the winter and never wake up again. They could be taken away at any time, could disappear at any time, no one cared about them, nor would anyone care about me. We didn't even need names for each other. The only help between us might have been warming each other in winter, whereas more often, it was bullying and enslavement. You can't understand Angel, maybe not because he's too complex, but because he's so simple, so simple it's unbelievable."

Morca watched Pao Pao quietly, and after a long while, opened his notebook and picked up a pen: "Go on, tell me your evaluation of him. I want to hear it."

"Alright." Pao Pao shrugged and continued, "He actually never entered a normal value system, or rather, he's not what we would normally recognize as a person. How should I put it... a person is loyal to a country, not because the loyalty is intrinsic, but because someone tells them to be loyal to it, and they believe it, so they become loyal. A person is loyal to a race, similarly, they won't be loyal at the start; it must be that someone told them to do so, and then, they become loyal. Without initial recognition, there's no so-called betrayal, nor is there the need for oppression to betray."

"You mean no one told him?"

"Surely someone told him, that's beyond a doubt, but whether he believed it or not, that's another matter. Don't forget, he was wary of everyone, including his parents. In some sense, because of his brother and his obsession and aspiration toward magic, he was antagonistic toward the whole world from the start. He had no sense of belonging to anything. In his eyes, there was only a dividing line between himself and the entire world. Therefore, betrayal to him carried no psychological burden."

...

On the long school path, Angel was walking alone, closely followed by a small demon flapping its wings.

Countless students passed by him, some glaring at him, others showing him great respect. But no matter which type, he responded to none.

...

"In his memoirs, we see segments about 'minstrels often mocking him,' but in fact, we didn't find any songs about him. No one ever composed such songs, and no one sang them. None of the residents in Cartier had ever heard any. Before he truly became an evil spirit, the vast majority didn't know who Angel was, nor did they know that the traitor Andrew even had a brother. As for that little demon in the memoirs... there is no evidence of its existence. From the records we painstakingly obtained from Heaven and Hell, there is no mention. Do you really think that with Angel's strength at the time, he could hide a demon to the extent that neither angels nor demons could detect it?"

...

The wind gently blew, tree shadows swayed outside the window. Angel slowly pulled the curtains of the lab, then took out the potion given by the Frog Demon, closed his eyes, and slowly drank it down.

Surging magic power began to stir within him, seeping into his veins little by little.

In his agony, he slowly smiled, a twisted smile.

...

"So..."

"It was all imagined," Pao Pao said with a smile, "I used to imagine a lot as a child too. When you isolate yourself from the whole world and fill with distrust, only imagination keeps you going. Sometimes, those things you imagine seem to exist as though real. Many times, I even couldn't tell the difference, and sometimes, hallucinations are even more real than the real thing. In reality, no minstrels ever mocked him; the one mocking him was himself. No demons ever tempted him; it was himself who was the tempter."

Morca drew in a sharp breath, staring at Pao Pao in shock with wide eyes.

Pao Pao smiled and went on, "When extremely hungry, starving to the point where I thought I was going to die, I also thought about whether human flesh could be eaten. When the cold was about to freeze me stiff, I also thought... if I died, what was the meaning of this world existing? A demon was calling me. I just didn't have his ability and resolve. So I understand very well..."

...

"Great... hahahaha... great. A potion from hell indeed is different. Is this the first step of transformation? This growth rate is what I desire. It's what I desire! If only there were more... more would be better... hahaha, the power of the abyss!"

Sweat already covered his forehead; Angel kept struggling, struggling in pain. The equipment on the lab table had been overturned all over the floor, and he collapsed on the ground, clutching his chest, yet his face was full of a sinister smile. He kept murmuring to himself.

...

"But he didn't experience the same turbulent life as you did," Morca said seriously.

"Yes, but like me, he stripped himself from the entire world," Pao Pao pursed his lips and continued, "Once you disconnect yourself from the whole world, he won't hear any goodwill or counsel. More importantly, what I just said... he can't enter a normal value system. He doesn't understand what patriotism is, nor would he know what a racial stance has to do with him. All ambitious declarations to him are just nonsense. He only asks what he can get."

"Extremely selfish?"

"Yes. Extremely selfish. Actually, everyone is selfish, just to different degrees. Starting from individual, then family, friends, country, race, if one is exposed to normal cultural influence, they instinctively accept established morals. But he didn't; he was completely blank and placed himself against the entire world. Plus... he's also very talented. That's actually the root. There's no betrayal because there was never loyalty from the start. He has always been lonely."

Morca quietly watched Pao Pao, remaining silent, the pen poised on the notebook paused for a long time.

Pao Pao smiled and continued, "Some say a child's kindness is the truest kindness, but sometimes, a child's malice is also the truest malice. He is proof. He is different from the whole world. All abnormalities are just mere projections."

...

The lab curtains reopened.

Light from outside shone on Angel's pale and severe face,

Everything in the lab was restored neatly, as if nothing had ever happened.

Looking at the scenery outside the window, Angel slowly smiled, then turned and left the lab.

...

After a long silence, Morca took a deep breath and smiled: "I'm very glad you didn't turn out like him."

"Because I met you, it was you who saved me," Pao Pao said, "Actually I've always been a bit curious, why did you choose to save me back then? At the time, you might have been on the brink of starvation yourself."

"I... I don't know either. Maybe because I hoped someone would treat me the way I treated you. Or maybe... I thought you were my illusion." Saying this, Morca suddenly laughed, an unnatural laugh.

...

"Almost all the mines have increased their vigilance. It's impossible to sneak in as easily as before."

"That's bad news, but there's nothing to be done. If you can't gain benefits, then what's the point of sabotaging the mines? Ultimately, negotiations must happen before actions. You can't act on all mines before securing results. You'd better be more careful going forward. From now on, you definitely have to be even more cautious. Now there must be more caution from now on. A prize like this finally looks like a prize worthy enough. But from now on, you definitely need to be more careful. Surely you must be prepared to get discovered?"

"Hmm... I guess so. If it comes to this point, with a magic potion that lets me leap three levels in one go, then as long as I become strong enough before being discovered, all problems will be solved."

"Have you thought it through?"

"To raise my power to a millennia level within ten years, that's equivalent to me gaining. That's what I want. If I had more... more would be better... hahaha, the power of the abyss!"

Bathed in the light of the setting sun, it quietly illuminated the gaps in the sacred trees, lighting up the road ahead. It was like nothing ever happened.

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