"A world without magic?" Nightingale asked doubtfully, "Would that world still be like it is now? I think you two are overthinking it, aren't you?"

"...Indeed." Anna came back to her senses, "The influence of forces is mutual. Introducing an insignificant force into a balanced system can bring new changes to the entire system, let alone the ubiquitous magic. If it really appeared halfway through, then the previous world should be unrecognizable. But from your description, this place is so similar to the world you once lived in. Water boils, snow melts, the sun gives warmth, the earth breeds life, almost exactly the same except for the absence of magic."

"That's why it deserves admiration—I think that line of text might be expressing this meaning." Roland endured the chill rising from his back and said, "Not within the framework of the four fundamental forces, yet able to seamlessly integrate into it and have a comprehensive impact on the world, as if it were above all things."

"Is that really possible?" Anna frowned.

"We can only speculate like this." Roland clasped his hands together, "And the appearance of magic must have brought about changes, but those changes may not be what the other party expected," he paused, "—that's why it's called the 'price'."

"Sounds a bit...scary." Nightingale couldn't help but twitch her lips.

"No, this is actually a good thing."

"Huh? Why?"

"The world today is still full of magic, which shows that even gods are powerless to reverse this price. Thinking like this, magic will exist forever in the future, right?" Roland explained seriously, "And if magic exists forever, you won't suddenly disappear."

"Ahem," Nightingale turned her head away, "Sounds kind of reasonable."

"But it's been more than three months since this year's Evil Moon, and no new witches have appeared. Who's to blame for that?" Anna said with a teasing smile.

"Uh, this—" He was momentarily speechless.

"Okay, just kidding." Anna chuckled, "If we follow this reasoning, the War of Divine Will and the rise of races all occurred after the appearance of magic, and ultimately formed the world we are familiar with now?"

"From a logical point of view, it can be considered that way. After all, Inheritance Fragments and the Consciousness World are inseparable from magic, and the various relics unearthed in reality also prove that other civilizations existed here before we appeared." Roland breathed a sigh of relief, "What I'm more concerned about now are two things: one is the sphere under the Red Mist that is gradually merging and covered by prisms, and the other is the liberation pursued by the Betrayer Apostle."

"You suspect the former is the planet we live on?"

He nodded, "It would be great if we could fly up and take a look... Unfortunately, with the current technological level of Neverwinter, it's too difficult to verify this. As for what Lan calls liberation, it must be related to the cessation of the War of Divine Will, but what exactly this means, I'm afraid we can only truly know after entering the Bottomless Land."

...

Roland originally thought that for a large organization like the Martial Artists Association, even if they reached a preliminary consensus, the process would be extremely long. It would probably take at least ten days to half a month to draw up a decent charter. Instead of waiting for the specific results from the higher-ups, it would be better to put forward a few requirements himself, such as providing technical data to Scroll in a targeted manner, and conducting professional training for Taqila witches such as Saint Milan and Dodo.

However, the reality greatly exceeded his expectations.

Only one day later, that is, when he entered the dream again that night, he received a call from Garcia.

"Mr. Cornerstone's secretary asked me to inform you that Prism City has discussed and approved the first aid plan. The specific implementation of this plan requires your participation. The meeting place is in the Three Leaves Group's New Energy Vehicle City project department. If you have no other arrangements, we'll leave now."

"Wait, we?" Roland hadn't recovered yet when the other party hung up the phone.

Then there was a bang on the door outside the living room.

Roland quickly put on his coat and opened the door.

Standing outside the door was Garcia.

"Why did Mr. Cornerstone's secretary have to inform you, and then you inform me?" Roland asked puzzledly, "Wouldn't it be fine for Town Lord to call me directly? Why bother you to come here specifically?"

"You really don't understand anything," Garcia said unhappily, "This represents the Martial Artists Association's recognition of you, and it's the proper etiquette for high-level interactions. Besides, there are many non-Association people participating in this meeting. If you go alone, wouldn't that be embarrassing for the Association? By the way, I will be responsible for contacting you for meetings like this in the future. Get ready and let's go."

"Uh... I haven't washed up yet."

She rolled her eyes, "Then hurry up!"

Seeing that the other party had no intention of leaving, Roland had no choice but to do as he was told. But when they got downstairs, the two suddenly remembered that Garcia's luxurious two-door coupe had been wrecked in the last rescue.

As a result, the van that Roland was familiar with was still the one that drove the two of them away from the residential area.

"That... I'll compensate you for your car," he said awkwardly in the passenger seat, "But driving this... won't it really be embarrassing for the Association?"

"Shut up." Garcia said with a dark face.

Roland wisely shifted his gaze away.

After driving out of the city, her expression recovered a bit. "About what happened before—since it was to save lives, it can be considered extremely important, so I can let you off for now. And what exactly happened at that time, I will abide by the Association's discipline and not ask you about it for the time being."

Roland was stunned for a moment, not knowing what to say. After a while, he responded with an "Mm, thank you."

"But that doesn't mean you're off the hook for what you owe me, understand?" Garcia changed the subject, emphasizing, "When the confidentiality order is lifted, you must tell me everything that happened at that time—including Jieluo's identity, and the true origins of your rural relatives."

She really noticed something unusual.

But this was also expected. Garcia stayed on the scene while treating Fei Yuhan, and naturally witnessed the former's entire process from near death to recovery. Neither Scroll, who came with the demonized suture, nor the God's Punishment Witch, who was not surprised by this, would be ordinary people.

Even so, she was still willing to wait for him to give an explanation. This trust made Roland feel a surge of warmth in his heart.

And Fei Yuhan, Cornerstone... Under the impetus of many people, this world is indeed moving towards an unknown that he doesn't know.

But it is precisely this unknown that is more worthy of protection.

"I'll tell you everything after this is over." He replied solemnly.

After the vehicle drove into the factory area, Roland found that the signboard of the New Energy Vehicle City project, which was originally standing at the entrance and looked quite eye-catching, had disappeared, replaced by a brand-new gilded sign.

He widened his eyes in surprise.

The words clearly read "Greiburg Design Bureau".