Ronald hurriedly waved his hand upon hearing this:
"That's simply a very reasonable sense of caution, there's nothing wrong with it."
"But Mr. Ormont, I recall you were up there with Majie'er adjusting the ceremony preparations, why did you suddenly co down?"
In response to Ronald's inquiry, Ormont gently shook his head, his expression revealing a hint of sha:
"My skills are far inferior to my ntor's."
"Although I can provide so assistance, there are certain intricate operations that only my ntor can perform alone, and I cannot intervene."
Upon hearing this reply, Ronald turned his head to look in the direction of the window.
Even though the bookshelf blocked the view outside, he realized from the faint change in light that the sun had already set.
Ormont's answer was evidently very modest.
Even though the night hasn't fully descended, the ti is already close to the hour Majie'er instructed.
The middle-aged mage before him.
Surely has completed a lot of significant adjustnts before coming here to talk with him.
Having understood the current situation, Ronald spoke again:
"Mr. Ormont, you must have sothing you want to discuss with ?"
Ormont did not shy away from his objective, and after Ronald spoke, the mage openly nodded in acknowledgnt:
"Indeed, I want to have a private conversation with you."
"Although my ntor has already briefed on the specifics, and convinced to assist you, there are things about the future world I wish to know from my own understanding."
Ronald naturally didn't refuse such a request:
"Ask away, I'll be completely open with you."
"..."
Imdiately after, Ronald and Ormont had a brief conversation.
The thoughts of this middle-aged mage were quite simple.
He just wanted to know what kind of nation the region he is diligently governing will beco in the future, the state of people's lives, and the relationship between the casters and ordinary people.
As a great mage born in Ormont, it stemd from the most basic human desire.
Ormont didn't want the world he was maintaining to suffer significant destruction in the future.
Therefore, he hoped to peer into future developnts through Ronald's insights.
On the other side, Ronald wasn't too familiar with the current Eastern Coast of the Setting Sun Ocean.
Other than insights from the fleet's voyage and book content.
He has only really lived in Carpen before, and now Niklan.
Thus, with an attempt to ensure information authenticity.
He shared all he had witnessed and heard with the middle-aged mage before him.
"..."
After listening to Ronald's description, Ormont fell into a long silence.
However, even once the mage completed contemplating these matters, he did not offer any remarks.
Just like his ntor Majie'er.
Finally, Ormont's face revealed a smile tinged with sentint, and then he started discussing sothing intriguing with Ronald:
"Mr. Ronald, you ntioned that peculiar banquet hall in Niklan; I roughly know its origin."
Ronald nodded in response:
"I'm keen to hear about it."
Only then did Ormont continue to explain:
"It's called the Citizens' Forum, which I led people in establishing last year by the coast, as a place for discussion, aiming for everyone to sit together and forget individual identities temporarily, enabling free expression to discuss the path forward."
"..."
The initial purpose and the future use have deviated significantly.
Ronald didn't even need to use spells to sense human emotions to guess how complicated the mage's feelings were.
Yet, despite this, Ormont didn't lose composure.
He just smiled and shook his head, then like Ronald, gazed at the window blocked by the bookshelf.
"..."
Not long after, the middle-aged mage invited Ronald:
"The hour has grown late."
"Mr. Ronald, why don't we head to the mountaintop together and await the final adjustnts to the ceremony by my ntor?"
Ronald calmly accepted the invitation.
At the sa ti, he summoned Il through the connection of soul fragnts.
"In that case, let's go."
...
Ronald had traversed the path from the lab to the mountaintop once before.
But stepping through the dark castle stairs at night, feeling Ormont's complex emotions beside him, Ronald felt this journey particularly long.
On the way forward, he couldn't help but ask:
"Mr. Ormont, I've read so records about you in future docunts. After assisting Majie'er with this ceremony, it appears you returned to the mainland?"
Ormont didn't mind the topic Ronald initiated.
With an ordinary deanor and a steady tone, the middle-aged mage explained the reasons:
"That's correct, actually it's as per my promise to my ntor."
"In the original plan, I was to hand the original text to my ntor, who would then initiate this grand magic experint. Essentially, being part of this spell, one's consciousness would be replaced upon activation, seeking possible paths in an endless cycle of history."
Upon hearing this, Ronald imdiately understood:
"So you left Ormont after handing over the original text to serve as the final safeguard for the whole ceremony?"
"Exactly." Ormont cast a grateful look and continued, "With the ceremony unfolding, even with results obtained, those trapped in the historical cycle wouldn't be able to realize it all themselves. So there needs to be soone from the outside world to actively conclude this experint."
"..."
Upon hearing this, Ronald instead fell silent.
Through external history, he knew that Ormont lived long after his middle years, only passing away in old age without returning to Ormont.
Combined with the discussion the two had just had.
So obvious, yet helpless things lay before them.
"You don't need to feel sorrow for us."
In response to Ronald's silent deanor, Ormont appeared quite open, slightly shook his head, and continued:
"Things change a lot."
"In the end, my ntor's experint failed, and I… couldn't rescue the concealed island of Ormont from its historical obscurity due to my own shortcomings and the world's decreasing mystical presence."
"Keep silent and embrace reality, this is sothing a mage must learn."
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