Chapter 1487: Sincerity

Pei Yan sneered at Aleister's stance, resigning from the position of Chief Holy Mage meant no loss whatsoever, it was just a scapegoat for this incident. He thought about making a sarcastic remark, but what Aleister said next shocked Pei Yan.

"Besides, I will join the mages related to this event, dispersing all the magic source qi within in the presence of other realms, destroying the foundation of magic practice, and being expelled from Council City as punishment after becoming a mortal."

Aleister's words left everyone shocked. Pei Yan noticed that even the four people accompanying him looked surprised, clearly indicating that this decision was not part of their previous discussions.

A Holy Mage is akin to a supreme level expert of the Heavenly Dao, self-destruction leading to self-exile is a punishment harder to bear than death, and if there are no accidents, it almost equals a death sentence. Apart from the fall in realm, without new magic source qi supporting them, someone of his age will exhaust all the remaining potential magic elements in his body and die of old age within a few years. Not to mention his enemies won't miss an opportunity for revenge against him. Every person who advances to this realm won't lack enemies through their long cultivation years; a genuinely good-natured person cannot stand in the Cultivation Realm. Even the kind-looking old mage in front of him is the same.

"Why?" Pei Yan asked Aleister, puzzled by his sincere gaze.

"This is the cost of making mistakes," Aleister responded calmly.

"Is it worth it for Flamel? Did your Supreme demand you to do this?" Pei Yan found it hard to believe that an expert of such a realm would make such a choice, merely for a petty, narrow-minded person.

Facing Pei Yan's question, Aleister sighed and then showed a relieved smile. Actually, Pei Yan's accusation earlier was somewhat unfair; Aleister wasn't deliberately condoning Flamel's actions to mobilize mages against Sifuer, he genuinely wasn't aware beforehand.

Earlier, when Audess introduced him, saying he was the leader of all mages, there was some truth to it but not entirely. Compared to the hierarchical management system of the Bright Church, the Mage Association and Witch Public Assistance Association are relatively loose organizations. Inside, there are corresponding positions and systems, but apart from the Supreme or important tasks decided collectively by the Mage Tower, most mage interactions and actions are driven by their interests.

And where there are interests, there are factions. Like Aleister and many other mages, they belong to the group that only cares about magic research and advancement, indifferent to external affairs, which allows someone like him to achieve higher realms and become a figure revered by all mages.

However, not everyone in the world is as pure as Aleister, nor do they have his outstanding talent to venture far along the path of magic. Most mages are average, their strength stagnates below mage levels, while some mages possess better aptitude yet can't reach the highest realm, their lifelong achievements mostly linger within Grand Mage levels. These people are well aware that since they can't reach higher realms, they seek fulfillment in other ways.

For instance, a superior lifestyle, pursuit of power, caring for descendants, etc. They either serve a power or a magic realm empire to exchange for the capital needed to meet these life demands. Flamel is also one of the targets these people invest in, despite his consecutive failures at the Sword Discussion Conference, it doesn't change the fact he is a Supreme Disciple, and from the post-event nurturing by the Supreme and the attitude of arranging a marriage with the Holy City, it seems he hasn't been abandoned by the Supreme. Hence, many people stand behind Flamel, offering resources and support, hoping to reap returns when he eventually accomplishes something. The personnel mobilization for the pursuit of Sifuer was carried out by this group of people. ℯ𝔴ℯ

Aleister doesn't favor these people's actions, neither supports nor detests them. He is uninvolved but understands the complexities and difficulties of the world. This time, however, Flamel and the people behind him have gone too far. Previously, Aleister attempted to indirectly caution them, hoping they would focus more on studying and researching magic rather than engaging in machinations. But people accepted his words only to dismiss them as jokes later, leaving Aleister powerless. This big misfortune, in part, is associated with his neglect, so before setting out, he resolved to accept the punishment along with those involved in this incident, aiming not only to avoid calamities but also to warn the descendants of the Mage Tower not to repeat such foolish mistakes.

Aleister found no need to explain these inner thoughts to Pei Yan, so he calmly said after laughing, "I'm not doing it for Flamel but to prevent further conflict! This incident is already a tragedy; too many people have died in this tragedy, there is no need to add further casualties."

Aleister's stance left Pei Yan in a dilemma. He turned his head to look at Samikina beside him, exchanging glances, and after Samikina nodded slightly, Pei Yan understood and turned back to Aleister, compromising, "Alright, Mr. Aleister, your sincerity moved me! As you suggested, apart from Flamel and that Bright Church Archbishop, all personnel involved in this matter shall have their realms abolished and be expelled from Council City. I won't hold them accountable anymore."

These words made Aleister breathe a little easier, while Urban behind him frowned slightly. Pei Yan's attitude clearly showed he wouldn't let these two culprits go.

"Ah! Then the remaining disagreement between us is about the punishment of Flamel and Archbishop Borgia," Aleister said while taking out a silk handkerchief from his wide mage robe, wiping the sweat off his forehead. This was also the most challenging part of the discussion, any misstep and all prior negotiations would be in vain.

Borgia should be the Archbishop responsible for purifying Sifuer's remains and soul. Pei Yan remained silent, wanting to hear what explanation Aleister could offer this time.

"As for the punishment for Flamel and Archbishop Borgia, after deliberation, the result is..." Aleister spoke, his previously calm gaze gradually becoming evasive, somewhat sheepishly glancing at Pei Yan, and cautiously said, "Our deliberation concluded they should be incarcerated within the Mage Tower dungeon and the Bright Church Judgement Hall for three hundred years to atone for the crimes committed."