Chapter 252: No Other Choices
"I come from the Mage World," Adam said. "In terms of other mages, my abilities aren't anything special."
Lord Svorsi, clearly interested, replied, "Not special? That seems pretty impressive. And what about me? Would your people think I'm strong?"
Transcendent beings would be seen as powerful in any world, but even among them, there are different levels. Unable to directly do the comparison, Adam answered honestly, "I'm not sure."
"Oh?"
"I don't know how strong you are, nor can I compare it to a transdimensional mage," Adam explained.
"Is that what you call your Royals? Transdimensional mages? 'Trans' means beyond normal limits, right? That's a cool title," Lord Svorsi asked with curiosity. "We have forty-seven Royals right now. Long ago, we even had someone who was like a Titan God. How many Royals are there in your world?"
Adam was new to the term "Titan God," which the Titans used for beings beyond the transcendent level. If Adam was guessing right, in ancient times, Titania might have had Royals as powerful as an Archmage or even a Great Archmage. This was crucial information---it suggested that long ago, Titan was a mighty civilization. From what Priscilla had mentioned, such a group would be on equal footing for talks and cooperation with the Mage World.
But now, the Titans were weaker. Forty-seven Royals, which was forty-seven transcendent beings, was even less than how much the Fifth Element had, not to mention how many transdimensional mages the Tower had in total.
As for the number of Great Archmages, Adam still wasn't sure.
Hesitant, Adam didn't reveal the whole truth. He simply said, "Many."
Their numbers might even surpass all the Titans put together.
Lord Svorsi didn't ask more, perhaps sensing the truth from Adam's hesitation. After a pause, he asked, "Qi 31 mentioned you could heal my injuries, is that true?"
Adam nodded, then hesitated. "If you let me take control of your body and Flames, I'm eighty percent sure I can."
"Control me?"
Lord Svorsi rested his hand on the Vital Generator behind him. "THE Metal Eater had also said that before. It told Lord Lancelot that if he allowed it into his body, to merge with his Flames, it could fix his weaknesses. You know what happened next, right?"
"That Metal Eater took over Lord Lancelot's body and then turned against us."
Lord Svorsi spoke gravely, "Yes, it betrayed the Titans, betrayed its creator. It took over Lord Lancelot's body and Flames, and then it became the strongest and most feared enemy of the Titans. So, why should I trust you?"
Adam looked straight into Lord Svorsi's eyes and spoke slowly, "You don't have to, but as far as I know, you and the entire Titan race have no other choice."
Lord Svorsi laughed wildly, his laughter causing the earth to tremble and shake, creating intense shockwaves. Adam had to try hard to maintain his stability.
"No other choice? Haha! That's right!" he laughed.
"We are sinners! Sinners of the entire Titan group! Our ancestors could never have imagined that one day we would have to place all its hopes on an invader! We are guilty!"
Adam had to place himself into a spatial fold to protect himself from the terrifying shockwaves. Hearing Lord Svorsi's words, he responded coldly, "Feeling sorry for yourself won't help. The rise and fall of civilizations is nothing new. What's happening on Titan could happen anywhere, at any time, in different ways. Some civilizations fall, others rise. Titans aren't the first, nor will they be the last."
The laughter stopped, and the shockwaves slowly faded. Lord Svorsi's golden glow dimmed a bit, and he spoke calmly, "Is this how mages see things? Is this how you judge other worlds? Haven't you ever thought this could happen to you?"
Adam didn't hesitate. "Mages start from nothing, pushing through difficulties to build civilizations. We don't fear challenges, we don't fear enemies."
"Whatever we face, we fight and we win."
"We never back down."
Adam's words echoed around them, repeating in Lord Svorsi's ears. He looked at Adam for a few seconds, then said, "I believe you now."
Adam wasn't sure what he meant by that, and before he could ask, Lord Svorsi continued, "Right now, I and all Titans have no choice but to trust you."
"I and the Mage World mean no harm to the Titans."
"Can you speak for your entire race?" Lord Svorsi sent a flame into Adam, pulling him back from the brink of collapse.
Adam nodded without hesitation. "I am one of them, and we are connected as one. The will of the Mage World is my will, and vice versa."
But Adam left out one detail: this unity was only for dealing with the outside world.
Lord Svorsi didn't fully believe Adam's last words, which made sense. Any sensible being would be cautious about trusting the words of someone from another world.
"I want to know why you're here," Lord Svorsi asked.
Adam answered without hesitation, as he had nothing to hide. "My goal is to explore the etheric void, find new worlds, and gather knowledge and energy."
"Knowledge and energy?" Lord Svorsi thought about these words. "And how do you plan to get these? Through war and destruction?"
"I won't lie---those are straightforward methods. But your people have the chance to rise again as a great civilization. So, we prefer another way: making deals and working together."
Lord Svorsi didn't show much reaction. He had already decided to let Adam treat him, and he didn't think it was worth worrying about the details anymore. His decision was made: trust Adam. If Adam's treatment worked, it would help Titan survive longer by a hundred years; if it didn't work, or if he just chose to eliminate Adam, the end result would still be facing a war Titan couldn't win.
With this understanding, the choice was clear.
"Heal me. If you succeed, no matter what your people think, you will earn the friendship of me and all Titans."
"If you fail... trust me, you'll die before Titans do."
Adam wasn't bothered by the threat. Lord Svorsi's willingness to go ahead with the treatment was a big step forward, and Adam saw it as a chance to greatly improve the somewhat tense situation of his mission."
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