Chapter 761: Three Years Minimum Sentence, Maximum Burning at the Stake!

"If there are no objections, act immediately!" declared Grand Master Saint Willi of the World Mage Association, his voice grim and resolute.

"This matter must be handled with the utmost speed," added King Leyton of the Mountain Republic, his tone cold. "Our allies are fighting to the death on the front lines, yet such scum appear in our rear. If anyone like this exists within our duchy, they must be punished with the absolute maximum severity!"

With the Mage Association and the Alchemist Association leading the charge, and even high-ranking officials from various nations and major associations taking personal action, matters that ordinary folk would find difficult or impossible to manage naturally became effortless.

At the headquarters of the Mage Association, within the central hub of the Magic Forum.

Inside the massive hub room, intricate and dense magic arrays lined every surface, with azure beams of energy flowing through these strange, glowing lines.

"Greetings, Elders," two guarding mages intoned respectfully, bowing low as several senior mages strode inside.

At that moment, Saint Willi remained fixated on the "Eye of the Secret Realm" magic forum.

Meanwhile, in that somewhat cluttered alchemy room, the mage Sam was still shamelessly and recklessly posting his rants.

Simultaneously, he sent out a message via magic letter: "Master Leywood, isn't it about time we settled our payment for this job?"

As a professional internet troll, being able to slander the "Blizzard fanboys" and "Origin gladiators" he so despised while pocketing a handsome income made for a highly satisfying life.

Through this, he had also gathered a large following of "like-minded individuals." By offering five of the cheapest radiant copper coins for every post denouncing the "Blizzard Workshop" or the "Origin Network Club," he found plenty of people willing to do the deed.

After all, even magic apprentices could get their hands on magic letters; earning a bit of extra tuition money along the way was an opportunity nobody would refuse.

Naturally, Sam remained the most active among them.

Even now, he was still replying to Archmage Adolf's comments, going so far as to stream his tirades live via a spell projection.

His popularity was surprisingly decent, and he had managed to attract a substantial horde of followers because of it.

"Didn't you say you'd strip me of my status as a mage?"

"I am now a high-tier mage of the Radiant Holy Kingdom. Where do you think you're talking from? Talk to me when you actually manage to set foot in the Holy Kingdom!"

"Location confirmed!" inside the Mage Association headquarters, an old mage announced.

"Pass down the order!" Saint Dulan roared inside his grand hall, several officers and priests of the Judgement Temple standing trembling before him. "Deploy the Judgement Knights and drag every single one of them to me!!"

"Are we truly going to...?" a priest asked, his voice shaking.

"Not only must we do it, but we also have to protect them right now!" Dulan looked as if he had swallowed a dead fly, forced to help protect his own enemies.

Yet they had no choice; this was no longer a mere matter of personal grievances. This had crossed the bottom line of every race across the continent. Right now, whoever stood on the wrong side would face absolute ruin—at least for the time being.

The matter had escalated completely out of hand, and a single misstep would turn them into public enemies.

Three minutes later...

In the discussion group of Sam's spell projection, someone posted:

"Hahaha... I bet those guys are about to explode with rage."

"It feels so good watching them jump up and down in anger."

"Aren't you afraid that guy will actually come to the Radiant Holy Kingdom to find you?" another user laughed.

"Afraid of what?" Sam sneered. "I'm right here in Domus City within the Radiant Holy Kingdom. Let them try me!"

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Just then, a sudden pounding echoed from the door.

"Who is it?" Sam muttered impatiently. "I'll go get the door."

Suddenly, a large contingent of knights clad in golden armor burst inside, instantly pinning Sam to the floor. The middle-aged knight leading them declared coldly, "Judgement Knights! You are suspected of maliciously slandering the heroes fighting against the Shadow Legion. Come with us!"

Sam was instantly stunned, his mind turning completely blank.

The leading knight barked coldly, "Note down who was watching this spell projection and who just posted comments. Trace every single one of them to the very end!"

Everyone watching the spell projection was utterly stupefied.

As for Sam, when had he ever witnessed such a terrifying display? On the spot, a pungent odor of urine wafted through the room.

He had quite literally wet himself in terror.

...

While the Orc Kingdom and surrounding minor states were undergoing post-disaster reconstruction, the Rila Empire, the Dawn Empire, the Mountain Republic, and other nations deployed their elite forces. Treating it with the gravity of another war, their high vigilance allowed them to root out the rumor-mongers hidden in every corner.

This included the two "Masters," Leywood and Os, who were hunted down and captured while attempting to flee.

As they were torn out by the roots, an immense collective known as the "Five-Copper Party" was brought to light. For the price of five radiant coppers per malicious post, they had carried the banner of slandering players of *World of Warcraft* and other games across major forums.

The investigation even traced the roots back to Pibo of the Judgement Temple.

It was rumored that Pibo was now confined to the deepest level of the Judgement Temple's dungeons, within the Magic-Suppressing Ice Prison.

The others faced public humiliation parades in their respective hometowns, followed by at least three years of imprisonment.

As for Sam and the other mages captured within the Radiant Holy Kingdom, the Holy Kingdom handed down the most severe punishment of the entire incident: execution by burning.

The Radiant Holy Kingdom and the Judgement Temple were proving to be more aggressive in their pursuit than any other nation.

Of the two "Masters," Leywood succumbed to illness and died in prison due to his inability to endure the torment, while Os faced an exceedingly lengthy prison sentence.

...

In the Dove Square of Canglan City, a special broadcast of the incident was currently playing, featuring interviews with high-ranking officials from various nations and the heroes who fought in the war.

"Look! It's Boss Fang!" Ron and a few other young boys exclaimed from a bench in the square.

On the spell projection, Boss Fang sat casually before the lens, with a beautiful female mage seated beside him.

Surrounding them were high-ranking officials from various countries.

"Does Mr. Fang have anything he would like to say regarding this? For instance, the current Magic Forum has made speech increasingly free; do you believe there should be certain restrictions?" the female mage asked politely with a professional smile.

Boss Fang had clearly never been on a spell projection program before, but having streamed frequently, he showed no stage fright. "What I want to say is that in recent years, the development of the Magic Forum and spell projections has granted us greater freedom of speech. This is a good thing; you are free to express your opinions to your heart's content."

"Then, Mr. Fang, what are your thoughts on those who use these forums specifically to defame workshops like the 'Blizzard Workshop' and 'Softstar Workshop'?" the female mage inquired further.

"Well..." Boss Fang replied, "human opinions are inherently divided. What you consider good might not be viewed the same way by others. That's precisely why forums exist, to allow people to debate, so such individuals will inevitably appear."

"Normally, it's fine to be casual, talk a bit of trash, and just have fun. There's nothing wrong with that. Even my own streaming group has a bunch of anti-fans who tune in every day just hoping to see the boss make a fool of himself," Boss Fang continued. "But there is a line. Not every person and not every matter can be targeted for slander. The warriors who fight abroad to protect our homes and nations—are they the ones you should carelessly defame? Do not think that freedom of speech means utter lawlessness, or someone will eventually come to bring you to justice."

"Wonderfully said!" the female mage teased. "Perhaps you will gain a new fan in the future, someone like me, for instance."

She smiled and added, "Thank you once again, Mr. Fang!"

...

At this moment, on the "Eye of the Secret Realm" magic forum, some of the previous comments still remained.

One message after another began to appear beneath them: "Take your five coppers and get lost!"

The hardships and misunderstandings of the past were finally behind them. They had not retreated even when pointed at by thousands, and Tix, who was currently receiving the highest honor of the "Dawn of the Empire" badge jointly awarded by the Empire and the Mage Association, could not help but show a joyful smile.

The haze had finally dispersed. Upon the Royal Square of the Dawn Empire, just as the clouds parted after the rain to reveal the sun, the morning sunlight poured down.

"Look quick, a rainbow is out!" several small children cheered in the square.

.