Zalanda couldn’t help but explain, "This is also why I’ve been preventing you from clashing with Lord Rogan, he is the only bloodline of Old Master Tessen."
Upon hearing Zalanda’s explanation, Gaven, who originally had no qualms about plotting against Rogan, couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt.
It wasn’t towards Rogan, but towards Baron Tessen. He might not have been a good father, but he was a good partner—at least to his own mother. He never failed to honor her trust from beginning to end.
Since everyone was well aware and the topic had come up,
Gaven directly asked, "There’s something I’ve never understood. My father was a powerful Transcendent Warrior, so why did he raise his two sons like pigs? Especially Rogan, becoming what he is now, he bears an inescapable responsibility."
Although the bond of blood was no longer there, the grace of upbringing remained, and Gaven had no intention of addressing him differently.
"I have also never understood this matter. I once asked my father, and he only answered with one sentence, ’Being a noble lord without power is quite good; at least you don’t have to face dangers beyond reason.’" Zalanda speculated, "I think, this may have to do with their past adventures. Perhaps during their adventures, they encountered something they couldn’t overcome with their abilities, and it led them to question their own power, and even the entire world. This is a syndrome many adventurers and mercenaries have. It has a specific name, Despair Syndrome, causing many adventurers and mercenaries to retire early, and many refuse to use their professional abilities for the rest of their lives."
Despair Syndrome was mentioned.
Gaven couldn’t help but think of the Arcane Catastrophe.
In the face of that world-ending calamity, it wasn’t just ordinary people who felt terror; even legendary warriors couldn’t help but harbor deep fear, followed by profound despair, leading them to doubt their abilities, questioning if they could ever gain the power to overcome it in their lifetime.
Besides, beings like Felen were not uncommon, and Gaven could list many—Ancient Evils, gods, Demon Lords, ancient Giant Dragons, and so on.
Thinking carefully about Baron Tessen’s way of handling matters, it really matched up with this syndrome.
Gaven couldn’t help but throw out an even bolder guess, "When my father led his troops deep into the Marching Mountains, it wasn’t simply to exterminate the Monster Tribes there, was there something we don’t know about? Something related to this series of events?"
"It’s not impossible." Zalanda thought carefully and nodded, "The campaign led by Old Master Tessen back then was very unusual. Although he was a bit rough, he wasn’t an impetuous person who acted without thinking. Before he set off, I tried to persuade him, and he lost control and roared a few times."
"What did he roar?" Gaven quickly asked.
"Don’t worry, let me think, it’s been a while," Zalanda began to search her memory. Although she had no clairvoyance or mental suggestion, she nevertheless possessed a Transcendent memory that still worked even for past events.
A few seconds later, Zalanda’s eyes lit up, "I remember now. He roared that it was their destiny, that he must personally put an end to everything. Originally, I thought he was referring to protecting Nort Castle, but now it seems, things are not that simple."
"They encountered major trouble during their time in the Adventure Group, one that persisted like a shadow even after the group disbanded," asserted Gaven with certainty. "My father’s talk about personally putting an end to everything might not necessarily mean killing the adversary, but rather being killed by them, because only in this way can the karma be severed, preventing the issue from affecting the family. If I’m not wrong, Uncle Carl didn’t die a normal death either."
Uncle Carl was Zalanda’s father, the former captain of the guard at Nort Castle, and also a Transcendent Warrior.
A Transcendent Warrior, without sickness or disaster, in the prime of his life, suddenly died in his sleep.
It seemed somewhat a matter of course before, without much thought.
But upon careful consideration, it became deeply suspicious.
The greatest question doesn’t lie here.
It lies with Baron Tessen, who was still alive at the time.
Not without connections or resources, he nevertheless did not resurrect his captain of the guard, his childhood friend, his former adventure teammate.
Isn’t this where the biggest question is?
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to resurrect them, but that he couldn’t.
Zalanda’s expression also turned somewhat ugly, as Gaven’s thoughts were obviously also on her mind.
There are many reasons one cannot be resurrected.
Those who die from old age and decay cannot be resurrected.
Those whose souls have reincarnated cannot be resurrected.
Those whose souls have dissipated cannot be resurrected.
Zalanda originally thought it was the second reason, but now it had become an unknown.
Zalanda’s expression grew serious, and she made up her mind, "I need to make a trip back to Nort Castle."
"No," said Gaven seriously, "I won’t allow you to do that."
"I could ignore it if I didn’t know, but now that I’m aware of the problem with their deaths, I can’t just sit idly by," Zalanda said with equal seriousness.
"I’m not stopping you from investigating this matter, but at the very least, let’s wait until we have sufficient capability," Gaven explained patiently. "To disband a Transcendent Adventure Group, with members disappearing or dying one after another, to the point where they even force a Transcendent Warrior to sever all ties through death,
Do you think that’s a trivial matter?
What will you do when your investigations lead you to face an Evil God or a Legendary existence?
Don’t forget that you’re not alone.
There are people behind you who depend on you to find a way forward for them.
You are Zalanda of Darama first, and then you are yourself. Don’t betray their trust."
This matter was completely outside of Gaven’s expectations.
Everything belongs to the realm of the unknown.
That is what’s truly terrifying, because you have no idea who the enemy is.
Or rather, what is the enemy?
From the state of these people, Gaven had a rather unsettling speculation.
They were definitely not dealing with just an ordinary legendary monster.
It was more like one of those terrifying, malicious entities capable of psychic assault and corruption.
Such beings were truly the most difficult to deal with.
Even for a legendary figure, engaging with such an entity without utmost care could lead to their downfall.
If it were up to him, Gaven would not delve into such matters unless necessary.
However, the problem was that while he could maintain a clear head, Zalanda might not be able to; this involved matters of kin, and it was impossible to remain completely rational.
The only thing Gaven could do now was to leverage Zalanda’s sense of responsibility, to delay this matter, preferably until they had strength surpassing that of legends.
By that time, their power base would have largely been established, with a heightened capacity to handle losses, and at the very least, they could seek reinforcements from other places.
Birds of a feather flock together.
Ordinary people will congregate with ordinary people.
Transcendents often associate with other transcendents.
And legends most frequently interact with legends.