Chapter 379: The Truth of Memories

Chapter 379: The Truth and Falsehood of Memories

After returning to the Elemental Tower, Li Wei first went to see Valen.

He was deeply curious about the relationship between Valen and Torresta.

If Torresta truly was the legendary lich, then were the things Valen had said true or false?

Or perhaps, the legendary lich had all along been using Torresta's identity to move among the highest echelons of the mage towers.

Perhaps even more than just one identity.

If the illusionary transformation technique came from the legendary lich, then it could create as many false identities as it wished.

Having existed for hundreds of years, who knew how many people over those centuries had actually been illusions created by the lich?

The last time Li Wei had come, Valen had been away from the manor.

This time, however, he finally managed to meet him.

"Master Valen, how much do you know about my teacher, Torresta?"

Li Wei asked during dinner.

Valen paused with his knife and fork, falling into thought.

"Why would you ask such a question?"

Curiosity flickered in Valen’s voice.

Li Wei replied, "Because I’ve suddenly realized how mysterious my teacher is."

He took out the holy emblem and placed it before Valen.

"This was given to me by my teacher. Was he once close to the Temple of Light?"

Seeing the emblem, Valen was both surprised and puzzled.

He picked it up, examining it carefully to verify its authenticity.

"Is this a Holy Emblem of Light? This is the first time I’ve seen one."

Valen said.

Li Wei nodded. "Yes."

Valen added with some astonishment, "When did Torresta get this? I had no idea at all."

He had heard rumors of the value of such an emblem.

He knew it wasn’t something ordinary people could obtain.

Legend had it that the last Holy Emblem of Light had been awarded fifty years ago by the Temple of Light to a legendary warrior.

How had Torresta quietly come into possession of one?

Unless… he had found it somewhere else?

Valen returned the emblem to Li Wei and said, "I haven’t seen your teacher in over ten years. I don’t know what he’s been up to all these years."

"Perhaps this is something he acquired recently," Valen speculated.

What he meant by “acquired” was not necessarily through the Temple of Light.

If the Temple of Light had issued a new Holy Emblem, there would have been grand ceremonies and announcements made across the land.

Yet in recent years, no new bearer of such an emblem had emerged.

Therefore, this emblem might have belonged to someone from the past—someone to whom it had once been granted by the Temple of Light.

Li Wei put the emblem away and said, "I want to learn more about my teacher. Could you tell me about what happened when you first met him?"

Valen smiled. "Of course. If you’re willing to listen, I’m happy to tell you."

"I’ve never spoken of these things to anyone else. In fact, the story of how we first met is quite legendary itself…"

"A long time ago, I was still a weak mage…"

...

Li Wei and Valen talked for a very long time.

Valen shared with Li Wei many interesting stories from his past with Torresta.

Through Valen’s tales, Li Wei gradually came to understand Torresta better.

According to Valen’s account, Torresta had always seemed like a young man with a clear goal from beginning to end.

Once, the daughter of a certain king had wanted to marry him—but he refused her.

At the time, neither Valen nor Torresta were well-known.

For a princess to wish to marry Torresta was like a miracle falling from the sky.

The king himself had promised that if Torresta agreed to marry his daughter, he would fully support his cultivation and, once powerful, make him the nation’s royal mage.

Unfortunately, Torresta declined.

From that moment on, Valen realized that Torresta was a determined young man with a very clear objective—one he pursued unwaveringly.

In Valen’s eyes, Torresta’s goal must have been to explore the truth of magic,

to become the most powerful mage.

And indeed, he had done exactly that—rising steadily from an ordinary mage to entering the Illusion Spirit Tower as one of its top students. He represented the tower in exchanges with other elite mage towers across the lands,

continuing to deepen his knowledge of magic.

Until something happened at the Elemental Tower.

That was when Torresta’s seemingly charmed life began to change.

He acted unlike himself. After returning to the Illusion Spirit Tower, he simply withdrew and left.

He journeyed far north and built his own mage tower.

More than ten years later, he even invited Valen to specially craft a magical steward to manage his tower.

Valen had once asked Torresta what had happened inside the Elemental Tower back then.

But he received no answer.

It seemed as though Torresta had abandoned his dreams, confining himself to one place.

Yet Valen always felt that Torresta was still walking his path alone.

He believed Torresta hadn’t given up on his dream—

only that he could no longer fully understand what that dream had become.

He couldn’t tell anymore what Torresta was really trying to achieve.

By the time Li Wei left the estate, it was already deep into the night.

Valen had gotten drunk.

It was the first time Li Wei had ever seen him intoxicated.

As he spoke of past events, emotions stirred within him, and he couldn’t help but drink a little too much.

Some words could only be spoken after drinking alcohol.

Normally, he wouldn't dare to say them.

Li Wei walked down the street, the cold wind blowing past him, sending a sudden chill through his body and clearing his mind considerably.

He had also accompanied Valen in drinking some wine.

The cold wind blew away much of the alcohol's effect.

His mind became active once more.

"Looking at it now, the experiences of both Valen and Torresta were very likely real, not memories implanted by the legendary lich."

"These matters could easily be verified with just a little investigation."

"For instance, that princess from a certain country..."

Initially, Li Wei had suspected whether Valen's memories had been influenced.

For dream weavers, modifying others' memories was not particularly difficult.

Now it seemed that Valen's memories were most likely authentic.

That meant the legendary lich had indeed been operating under Torresta's identity all along.

Li Wei felt that if he dug deeper, he could definitely uncover more suspicious figures in history.

The legendary lich's disguises might extend far beyond just one.

"Looking at it now, the legendary lich is not Torresta, but Torresta is the legendary lich."

Who exactly the legendary lich was, Li Wei couldn't determine for now.

He recalled something.

Back when the undead army attacked the floating city,

Li Wei had heard some rumors about the legendary lich.

Hundreds of years ago, the legendary lich might have been a legendary-level mage from the Elemental Tower.

That mage had even met with the fire elemental elder from the Fire Elemental Plane.

His eyes flickered slightly as he looked up toward the highest point of the Elemental Tower.

Someone within the Elemental Tower must recognize the legendary lich.

Li Wei felt a faint intuition stirring within him.

Currently, the number of high-ranking Elemental Tower officials Li Wei had encountered could be counted on one hand.

The Great Elder was one.

The head and deputy head of the Hall of Truth had exchanged a few words with him.

He had seen a certain vice-master of the Elemental Tower in a dream.

Merely observing from afar, yet still invited by the other party to join the Elemental Tower's dream realm.

(End of Chapter)