Chapter 178: So What If the Ancient One Carried Me?
"Slow down while you're eating. You'll choke if you're not careful."
Gu Yi (Ancient One) watched Allen wolfing down dry rations and instantly realized he must've been in the wilderness for quite some time.
Finding a bite to eat in this remote and rugged terrain was no easy task.
After some conversation, the two had cleared up their misunderstanding.
Right now, Gu Yi went simply by the name "Yao." She wasn't a sorcerer yet—just an ordinary young woman.
Single-character names were common in this region; only members of the nobility were entitled to surnames.
"Yao-mei, are you headed to Kamar-Taj to become a disciple?" Allen, now fully fed, cut straight to the point.
His professional interface clearly showed the current time and location.
---
[Character]: Allen (4/10)
[Class]: Lv0 Sorcerer
[Skills]
Arcane Comprehension: Understands new magic through principles. +5 class level, +1 spell slot.
Innate Arcane Talent: Can easily grasp any existing magic.
Elemental Affinity: Elemental affinity increases proportionally with level.
[Time]: Year 1524, Kamar-Taj
[Requirement]: Reach Lv120 in current class to return to original timeline.
---
The timeline had suddenly jumped back 500 years.
Kamar-Taj's Sorcerer Supreme was still Agamotto.
"How do you know where I'm going?" Gu Yi grew visibly cautious.
"Yao-mei, I'm your obstacle on the path to greatness."
Allen said smugly, "I've decided—I'm taking the title of Sorcerer Supreme from you."
Pfft…
Gu Yi couldn't help but laugh at Allen's way of speaking.
Besides, the title of Sorcerer Supreme wasn't something so easily inherited.
Gu Yi said honestly, "A shaman in our village told me the Sorcerer Supreme is looking for a successor. Anyone with magical talent can become a disciple. But only those who gain his approval and pass all the trials will be eligible to inherit his mantle. I just want to learn magic to protect my village."
"That old bastard must've peeked into my fate with the Time Stone and laid out this trial just for me."
Allen rubbed his chin and said hesitantly, "Now I don't feel like going to Kamar-Taj anymore. No challenge."
"You're really something else."
Gu Yi reminded him, "Better get some rest. We've got a long journey ahead, and we'll reach Kamar-Taj by tomorrow. I can't guarantee you'll even be accepted. The village shaman said Kamar-Taj doesn't accept mortals."
At this time, Kamar-Taj's influence extended across Southeast Asia.
Within its jurisdiction, human civilization was relatively primitive, which led to the widespread existence of ancient gods.
Pressed for survival, many of these ancient gods chose to submit to Kamar-Taj. Their decrees were usually carried out by designated shamanic proxies acting on behalf of the Sorcerer Supreme.
Agamotto had no desire to trigger a war between gods and mortals.
Though the ancient gods seemed easily wiped out, many were backed by powerful divine pantheons.
So, following the example of Eastern god-systems, Kamar-Taj appointed the ancient gods under its rule to act as tutelary spirits, maintaining a delicate balance between humanity and divinity.
—
By noon the next day—
A weathered old city welcomed visitors from all over.
Most of the young men were here with one goal: to become disciples of the Sorcerer Supreme.
A place usually calm and peaceful gradually filled with life and activity.
But no one dared to stir up trouble here—many mages' families lived in the city, and spellcasters patrolled secretly behind the scenes.
"Yao-mei, carry me."
Before Gu Yi could respond, Allen had already leapt onto her back.
"There are so many people watching. Can't you walk on your own?"
Gu Yi protested with a hint of playful annoyance, but still held Allen's legs to secure him.
Growing up in a mountain village had left her with great physical strength. Carrying a grown man didn't even leave her short of breath.
"I don't wanna. There's cow dung everywhere. What if I step in it? That's disgusting."
Allen pointed at a cow in the distance, flapping its tail and defecating freely. He urged, "Yao-mei, I'm going to die from the smell. The people here are filthy."
This place reminded him of a certain strange neighboring country where cow dung was revered like sacred medicine—just thinking about it made him uncomfortable all over.
Gu Yi was utterly baffled by Allen's bizarre vocabulary.
They headed for the city's tallest building—Kamar-Taj's sanctuary open to outsiders.
Along the way, many passersby pointed and whispered about them.
Gu Yi flushed red and lowered her head, while Allen, completely shameless, looked around at the sights with curiosity.
"How ridiculous. A grown man getting carried by a woman."
A snide, sarcastic voice rang out.
Tracing the voice, they saw a purple-haired girl with Western features. Her clothing was markedly different from the others, resembling a witch from the European continent.
"Boo-hoo…"
Suddenly, Allen burst into tears and whimpered pitifully, "Yao-mei, please stop insisting… I'm just a cripple whose legs don't work. I'll never be a respected mage. Just let me crawl back into the mountains and wait to die. Bury me beneath the big tree… That way, I can stand like a tree forever… feel normal again…"
Allen wailed mournfully. Gu Yi was utterly confused.
Since when were your legs crippled?
Weren't you the one who insisted I carry you?
Naturally, Allen was putting on an act. He was the main character—no way he'd let some random passerby walk all over him.
So he launched a full-on sympathy play, ready to drown his opponent in the tide of public opinion.
Gu Yi quickly caught on—he was pretending to be pitiful to gain sympathy. She played along, saying, "I won't let you give up on yourself. Your dream of becoming a mage is within reach. Don't say another word about giving up. Pull yourself together!"
In an instant, the nearby townspeople understood what was going on.
So the man's legs were disabled, and the woman loyally supported him—a touching and heroic tale.
Those who had previously mocked them now looked visibly ashamed, realizing they shouldn't have made fun of someone's pain.
"She's an evil witch."
"That's right. Witches are the worst. I heard they steal children for their wicked rituals."
"Witches spread plagues and cause disasters."
"I only mocked them because I was under the witch's influence."
Ignorant people often deflect their own guilt by projecting it onto others.
They pretended to stand on the moral high ground by turning their outrage toward the purple-haired girl, accusing her in a desperate attempt to appear righteous.
"I'm a white witch—I can sense his legs are perfectly fine!"
The purple-haired girl tried to defend herself, but the mob, intoxicated with righteous indignation, didn't care if she was good or evil. To them, a witch was a witch—worthy of nothing but a handful of cow dung.
As the crowd surrounded the purple-haired witch, Allen whispered in Gu Yi's ear, "Let's dip—quickly."
Gu Yi, still carrying Allen, took off running and vanished down the end of the street.
"Enough!"
A loud shout echoed out.
The mob instantly quieted, as a middle-aged man in a mage's robe appeared and brought the chaos to a halt.
"Agatha, are you alright?"
The man scanned the crowd for the purple-haired girl.
"I'm fine… I just want to take a bath."
Agatha Harkness trembled all over, unsure if it was from fear or fury.
Having been buried in the crowd, she'd lost count of how many people had smeared cow dung on her. She'd truly experienced the "enthusiastic" customs of Kamar-Taj.
"Good, as long as you're okay."
The middle-aged mage explained awkwardly, "Some of the Aryan tribes here treat cow dung as sacred. They were probably… trying to bless you."
"…"