Chapter 128

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Chapter 128: Secret Thought

As the discussion extended to the surface, Victor provided valuable information. Despite his memory loss from staying underground for centuries, the former Demon Lord was still an important guide for Tasha, a complete outsider. However, the Book of Dungeons had been kept in a secluded place, only known to Tasha. Revealing Victor’s identity all of a sudden would surely bring trouble.

Trying to disguise Victor as a secluded scholar was no longer a good excuse. Ten years ago, when the Nightfall Line was established, seeing peculiar strangers was common in Tasmanian. But now, the whole region had stabilized.

Professionals and minorities no longer needed to hide. Tasmanian had a strong social security system. Most people trusted Lord Governor’s reputation, and the position of people outside the system had improved. Persecuting different races was illegal. People were preparing for the Abyss invasion, leaving behind the years of hiding.

In the past twenty years, the world had changed significantly. People were aware of the changes even if they had secluded themselves. With the stable population movement, the census system had improved. The news of the Abyss Passage opening brought Abyss Researchers into the public eye, making the credibility of a newly emerged recluse researcher questionable.

So, should Victor continue to stay in the background and have someone else publish his findings?

If you only have a shallow understanding of the abyss, you can rely on the Abyss Researcher authority we previously had, the old wizard who inherited knowledge from Cretaceous College. But this time, with the new knowledge delving deeper into the abyss, Weber openly admitted several times that he could never reach that level.

"I am just a keeper of past knowledge, unable to surpass my predecessors in understanding the abyss," the old wizard emphasized in the preface of every Monster Guide he compiled. "The abyss is like a huge, chaotic and dangerous testing ground. I have dedicated my life to research and can only grasp the basics of low-level monsters, knowing nothing about those mysterious high-level demons."

His words have been repeatedly quoted and celebrated, showcasing the scholar’s rigorous and humble academic spirit, and warning people not to underestimate the impending abyss just because they have a Monster Guide. When Weber spoke so conclusively, he certainly did not expect to need patches a few years later – the old wizard was so resolute about it that he feared others would talk nonsense in his name after his death. Now, extraordinary knowledge beyond the research field suddenly emerges, which certainly cannot be a daydream.

Moreover, Victor’s presence cannot be hidden forever.

Before the arrival of Ragehorn Simon’s true form, its avatar died and returned. How much information about Tasha have the Demon Lords of the abyss obtained from him is uncertain, but they will surely know that Victor is still here. When the passage opens and war begins, the abyss will not simply clash head-on.

"Do not underestimate demons," Victor said. "Many demons excel at finding human weaknesses. In the previous Decaying Disaster, the residents had to face not only formidable enemies on the battlefield, but also the corruption of their own people."

Imagine what would happen if Victor’s presence as the Snake of Lies were suddenly revealed in the midst of battle?

Tasha’s dungeon was originally Victor’s legacy, and his soul is indeed here. These facts are enough to concoct a plot of "a severely wounded Demon Lord changing identities, using the Nest Mother to rule over humans." Tasha now exudes the aura of the abyss again, even obtaining the Abyssal Gaze. The half-truths and rumors are difficult to clarify. Therefore, such matters cannot be kept secret, letting the enemy take the initiative.

I am not suggesting to disclose the truth.

Victor appeared after the exploration of the White Tower Ruins, where there was an Ancient Mage Tower that had been sealed for many years. The Tower Master, also known as the Master of Evil Spirit, has a famous background that can be used to advantage. Tasha is ready to find a solution, but the official information about Victor’s true identity is vague, neither confirming nor denying various speculations. Many clues have been laid out, and if the abyss wants to use Victor for something in the future, they can do so with ease.

The invasion of the abyss is imminent, and there is no time for subtle approaches. The current situation is similar to when news of the Abyss Passage was announced, not afraid of controversy, but afraid of no response.

The gossip about Governor has caused a bigger stir than Tasha expected, and it is inevitable that the focus shifts a bit. After all, compared to the heavy abyss stories and the various decrypting tasks, what the masses enjoy gossiping about… seems quite ordinary.

According to later statistics, the number of newborns named "Victor" has significantly increased this year. A newspaper interviewed these parents, and they all said that regardless of who this Victor is, whether he is actually talented or just showy, he is very lucky! "No matter what, this Victor must be a very capable person," said a soon-to-be mother. "Even if he is a fraud, being able to deceive the Governor is quite a talent, isn’t it? No, that’s even more impressive than being a scholar of the abyss!"

After obtaining a physical body, Victor dressed himself in clothing similar to that of a few hundred years ago but slightly modernized. As the Abyss Chronicles were promoted, his personal image gained popularity, and his style of dress unexpectedly became fashionable. The first to imitate him were artists who had seen Victor, showing both support for him and admiration for his retro and elegant attire. This trend spread from the realm of painting to fashion design, and then businesses seized the opportunity to release a series of Abyss Scholar clothing.

Calling it the "Abyss Scholar series" is completely deceiving, as Victor, with his good character and enjoyment of life, wore attire similar to ancient noble costumes. Genuine Abyss Researchers do not look like this at all! While Abyss Researchers do not have a set uniform, they tend to dress similarly to the old wizard Weber, meaning they wear unadorned robes that have remained unchanged for centuries, proud of their simplicity.

By using the name of Abyss Scholars, businesses are just skirting the line of fame, profiting from Victor’s popularity while trying to flatter him and the Lord Governor behind him. They paid a large sum to Victor for the rights to use his image in their promotion, a method that is refreshing and upright. The clothing series sold very well and had a good reputation. Many individuals who pride themselves on being different from the masses stated that wearing these clothes was not about bowing to authority but purely appreciating beauty. They believed that fashion trends come and go in cycles.

Of course, there were plenty of people who opposed the rise of Victor through this method.

Before the event, Governor Natasha was basically a mysterious figure on a pedestal, worshipped by many like a deity from the past. ("If the Heavenly Realm were still around, you could become a powerful Main God like Saro with this level of belief." Victor said.) Some people hated her intensely, but the vast majority did not see her as an ordinary person. Now, with the rare scandal erupting, Tasha finally showed a human side, causing people to become fanatical after the confusion settled, even turning some former worshipers into fervent fans.

Here needs to repeat again, Lady Governor Natasha is highly respected. She is an amazing person who has done many things that will be remembered in history, changed many people’s lives, and besides that, she is very beautiful. Her portrait is printed on the highest denomination of Dwarf Money, and with the cooperation between Tasmania and the Empire, it also appears on an Empire coin. Even with a slightly adjusted appearance, even without the Governor’s halo, this beauty is widely acknowledged. The people of Tasmania proudly speak of her, like talking about a charming mountain in their homeland.

So, let’s compare the following two attitudes of Earth people:

"What? That’s our sacred mountain! It must not be desecrated! How dare someone come so close to the sacred mountain!"

"What? My idol is dating? That flashy woman is not worthy of dating my idol! How dare she!"

… What happened is now very easy to understand.

When the scandal broke out, regardless of right or wrong, there were plenty of people criticizing Mr. Victor who suddenly appeared. A bunch of people bought the book with anticipation, ready to pour out their grievances upon opening the cover. Before opening the book, they had already prepared their lines, ready to point at Victor and shout, "Hey! How dare someone like him be involved in a scandal with the Governor? Just look at his own face!" However, when they opened the book, they probably only managed to shout out the first half.

Victor’s disguise only concealed the horns on his head, his face and hair unchanged, still very appealing to the Primary Material Plane’s aesthetics. These people looked at his face, but couldn’t say anything.

"Strange attire! Doesn’t look like a scholar!" they could only criticize in a restrained and indignant tone, "Just relying on that face!"

At one of Victor’s book signing events, someone in the crowd loudly said the above statement. The subject of their discussion didn’t intend to ignore it and pretend not to have seen, he immediately stopped writing, surprised, and said, "Who says I only have a face?"

In the crowd, the people who were insulting didn’t stand up. The host on the scene intervened, saying, "Mr. Victor has already proven the wisdom in his mind…"

"No no no, you misunderstood me." Victor was not embarrassed at all and said seriously, "I also have impeccable physique, right?"

The host was taken aback by this unexpected response. At that moment, people were not sure what kind of person Victor was, and for a while, they were speechless. "That’s right," the instigator added, not content with just that, and nodded approvingly at the host who was nervously chuckling. "Natasha also likes it a lot."

People in the news industry adored Victor.

He was truly a hot topic, even when not present; there were people ready to defend him and any word or action from him could spark massive discussions and attention. With him around, there was no need to worry about empty pages. Tasha secretly believed Victor to be the first global superstar of Aryan.

Despite being the talk of the town and facing numerous criticisms, Mr. Victor remained emotionally stable. As Tasha anticipated, he was unaffected, even in a good mood. Which demon would be heartbroken due to others’ disapproval and malice? It was evident that Victor enjoyed the attention. Sometimes he even laughed heartily while reading the newspaper, almost as if he was causing a stir intentionally, and indeed he was. The marketing hype created by this demon was truly awe-inspiring, and Tasha was more than willing to capitalize on it. Only when Victor went too far and was stopped did he play the victim, bemoaning his sacrifices for love, purely to seek sympathy and attention.

The Tasmanian media mainly focused on Victor, who was known for his colorful lifestyle, and the Imperial media took it even further. What used to be a relatively fierce media battle turned into a narrow-minded gloating fest.

They covered a large number of Governor’s fans who were distraught and heartbroken, and even started gossiping about Governor himself, as if their superior was not Governor. A series of convincing essays emerged, ranging from "The Twelve Qualities That Mrs. Governor Natasha Admires" to "The Fashion and Art Taste that Impress the Governor," and from "Which Appearance Can Win the Governor’s Favor" to "Those Suspected to Be Governor’s Secret Lovers," covering all kinds of topics.

The Imperial media used to have tighter control than Tasmanian, but due to the particular standoff between the two sides, the Imperial media was leading in entertainment news focused on Tasmanian by several years.

Many ordinary people in Tasmania were very angry about the news of the Governor’s pastime, as usual, they expressed their protest through arguments and gossiped back at the high-ranking officials of the empire who were fond of watching fun things. The Empire’s leader was caught in the crossfire, at least she started taking action to stop the rumors about managing lower-class people, but that’s a story for another time.

Speaking of which, the people in Tasmania were filled with outrage, and in these past few months, there were a lot of people who dyed their hair white, regardless of age or gender.

It was quite a coincidence that among those close to Lord Governor, Marion also had white hair and dark skin. She had attended the peace treaty signing ceremony with Tasha, and they would surely be seen together in the historical photo of the treaty. Now, the title of "lovers of white hair and dark skin" seemed to stick, unless Tasha found another lover with a different color scheme, it would be hard to shake off.

This was actually a complete misunderstanding, Marion and Victor had hardly anything in common, even in appearance, looking closely, they were quite different. Marion’s white hair felt like animal fur, soft and fluffy to touch, whether in her wolf form or human form; Victor’s white hair was tough, standing straight, with a silvery sheen. Marion had brown-black skin, like a wild girl running around barefoot on a Hawaiian beach; Victor’s skin was suitable for all sorts of men’s magazines, the balance between "wild" and "artificial" was just right, tempting like chocolate.

Most of the onlookers had never seen Marion or Victor in person, let alone together, so the rumor of "Lord Governor’s preference" quickly became an accepted idea. No one dared to ask Tasha for confirmation (she was rarely seen anyway), but there were indeed some who asked Marion. The paparazzi chasing entertainment news were starting to appear, brave journalists with fearless spirit even dared to interview a lady who had been a huge wolf just minutes ago.

"Do you feel regret about Lord Governor’s choice?" the reporter carefully asked.

"All of her choices are right!" Marion said firmly.

"Um, I meant, about this ‘Mr. Victor’…" The reporter wanted to ask Marion about her thoughts on an unknown person like Victor getting the love of the Governor, but considering the recent encounter with the huge wolf and its sharp teeth, to avoid upsetting her, he chose a different approach, "What are your thoughts on ‘Mr. Victor’ admiring Lord Governor?"

"Any issues?" Marion said, "Anyone who doesn’t love this extraordinary person must be blind!"

Whenever Marion showed a bit of anger or unwillingness – the kind of expression commonly shown by Tasmanian residents during gossip time – reporters could eagerly write a "heartbroken ex-lover" story, with thousands of words already prepared. But when the conversation took a detour, the interview was interrupted and couldn’t continue.

Marion, the she-wolf, had a very simple mind. She thought Tasha was the greatest person in the world and wanted everyone to know how great she was. She thought it was normal for anyone to love her. Because she thought Tasha was the best, Marion believed that any choice she made must be reasonable. If she couldn’t figure out their intentions with her not-so-smart brain, she would just support them. This simple and straightforward thought actually created a barrier that kept away anyone who tried to suggest she was Governor’s ex-lover.

Victor felt especially downcast. In the past, he had read about many people in books who he didn’t like, but the she-wolf Marion and Saro Saint Child Samuel were at the top of the list. Finally, now that he had a chance to meet them in person, he boldly went to their respected boss either to be embraced by them or see them being embraced by their boss. Victor eagerly anticipated them coming to pick a fight with him every day! He was ready for a verbal battle, but when he rolled up his sleeves, he found that the enemy didn’t show up. Tasha wouldn’t let him go looking for a fight, making the devil feel melancholy.

Half a month later, an upgraded version of the rumor surfaced, and Victor’s dream finally came true.

New rumor: Marion is the illegitimate child of Ms. Natasha.

Yes, what they meant was that Marion’s white fur and brown skin are hereditary.

It is said that there are five stages after receiving bad news: first denial, then anger, followed by bargaining, then despair, and finally accepting reality. Those who were shocked by the gossip also went through these stages. Various rumors were smoothly manipulated by Tasha and Victor, and soon there were discreet (and quickly became widely known) whispers hinting that Victor didn’t look as young as he seemed. This explanation could be interpreted as "he looks young for some reason" and also set the stage for "Victor is not human."

So, you see…

Marion angrily declared that she was an Orc. Her brave and deceased birth father was also an Orc. To prove this point, she immediately transformed into a wolf and chased the journalist who dared to ask such questions down the street. Then she ran back to the dungeon, scratched open Victor’s door, and had a good fight with him.

The above things happened mainly because Marion is one of the few who knows that Victor is more than just a scholar and a pretty face. Tasha had already gently warned her to "fight hard without fear of being beaten to death, but if you can’t win, don’t doubt life, that’s normal". Also, on that morning, Victor cleverly replied when asked about his relationship with his daughter, not lying about a single word but misleading everyone, which led the unlucky journalist to boldly ask Marion for verification in the afternoon. When a demon wants to stir up hatred, he doesn’t even need to use curse words.

The duel was chaotic, with tables and chairs flying around, lasting nearly an hour. It looked grand, but in reality, under the supervision of mature adults, it wasn’t really dangerous. Tasha, as the overseer in their dungeon, silently watched them fight or watched Victor tease the wolf. She felt like she was watching a cat and a dog fighting at home, feeling tense but not tearfully shouting, "Don’t fight for me!"

After the fight, Victor won convincingly, and Marion was not angry. Her emotions were unpredictable, somewhat savage in her way of thinking, belonging to the type of teammate who can be won over with fists, like a character from a comic book. This made Victor quite melancholic, unable to enjoy the fruits of victory.

"She is much closer to me than to you," Victor provocatively said in the link channel with Tasha and Marion.

"That’s the adult’s own choice, not my business, and not yours either," Marion bluntly replied.

"Aren’t you worried that my influence might make your adult less wise and heroic?" Victor persisted.

"By you?" Marion said strangely.

She wasn’t mocking; she was sincere, which made the impact even stronger.

Tasha chuckled and asked Ahuang to bring a towel to Marion.