"If that's the case, I won't trade your brother's life for any of us. I just want to know the truth. I'll let your brother go if you tell us why you're acting like the Black Vatican. At least, your secrets will still be buried here in the desolated city."

Lu Nian was quite surprised.

He was not surprised by the kid's sudden change of mind, but rather because the kid looked fairly composed, even though he was asking for his life to be spared before. Anyone else would have dropped to their knees and begged instead.

"Is he trying to drag the time out?" Lu Nian murmured.

With his profound experience, Lu Nian quickly determined that Mo Fan was trying to waste time. However, he could not figure out the meaning behind it. No one would come to such a desolate place to save them. Besides, with the strength they had displayed, they could not even handle his subordinates, let alone defeat him, an Advanced Magician!

Lu Nian finally accepted Mo Fan's condition after a slight hesitation.

It was definitely worth it to trade his brother's life by just talking. Lu Nian did not doubt that the students would drag his brother along with them if they were killed. He was too familiar with the final pride and urge to avenge themselves of weaklings prior to their deaths.

"There's an experiment..." Lu Nian began to narrate in a calm tone, "It might be the only way to stop humans from deceiving themselves."

"For the sake of mankind? How brilliant. What does that have anything to do with some students doing their training? Are you telling me that we have to be silenced because we've witnessed your shameless experiment? The problem is, we've seen nothing!" Mo Fan said.

"Shameless?" Lu Nian took a sip from his pipe and said with a smile, "Not at all. Every contribution to mankind in the past has always involved sacrifices. It's true that many have died in the experiment, and your lives are only a drop in the ocean. However, the difference it will make when it succeeds is a completely different story. We will no longer live under the domination of the demon beasts. In fact, we can even destroy their habitats..."

"Then, by all means, go ahead with your ambitious plan. Why are you butchering us here instead?" Mo Fan mocked him.

"What's the difference between your indiscriminate killing and the assholes from the Black Vatican? Stop trying to sound so noble!" Peng Liang gathered up his courage and cursed them.

"Humph, what do students spending their time in ivory towers know about the outside world? Your teachers will only tell you the victorious battles we've fought. I bet no one has told you the number of lives lost in the battles against the demon beasts. How many cities were destroyed… Humans pretend to be the rulers of the world, with more heroes being born to save the people, ensuring that the civilians can live a peaceful life.

"Absolute nonsense! Those who have yet to experience a battle will never understand. Humans are only struggling to survive as they reproduce mindlessly. They think humans will become stronger with each generation.

"Little do they know, when the number of humans reaches a certain point, the demon beasts will then hold a feast. They will feast upon us, and yet be conservative. They won't eat us all, since we won't be able to reproduce if none of us are left. They wouldn't be able to hold a feast anymore. Wars? They are only the signs that the demon beasts are hungry, and there are enough humans to be their food," Lu Nian said.

Lu Nian did not smile as he delivered his speech. His face was filled with anger.

He had fought against demon beasts in real wars. He knew more of the truth than students who only lived in ivory towers.

---

Mo Fan could feel his heart sinking.

The words had completely toppled their values. It was almost like a brainwashing script given by the Black Vatican, if it were a little bit more extreme.

If the calamity of Bo City was only a small depiction of what a real war looked like, Lu Nian was most likely speaking the truth.

However, Mo Fan never thought humans were as petty as Lu Nian had described, especially how he mentioned that the demon beasts were only letting the humans survive to guarantee their food supply!

In other words, humans surviving until now was not because of how well the Magicians were protecting them. It was only a conspiracy set up by the demon beasts so they could continue to feast on them.

Was it real? Mo Fan could not tell.

"Humans have the ability to live on, invent, and reproduce. It doesn't mean we are great. It only means that we are more suitable to be raised as livestock. They don't even need to worry about feeding us," Lu Nian laughed grimly.

As a matter of fact, he enjoyed delivering the speech.

When he first joined the army, he also thought the Magicians were the guardians of mankind, stopping the invasion of the demon beasts. In the end… he realized how insignificant humans were when facing a pack, a horde, or even a kingdom of demon beasts!

His view of the world was crushed in the battles. As such, he felt an indescribable pleasure when it was his turn to destroy the students' view of the world too.

"What you've said is tied to the whole of mankind, but what does it have anything to do with us?" Mo Fan redirected their attention back to the topic.

He was not interested in discussing the big picture. He only wanted to know why Lu Nian would not spare his life.

He had never met him in his life. He had never heard of this experiment, either.

"The experiment is about..." Lu Nian paused for a moment. It would not be much of a secret soon. Having this thought, he continued, "A new Element!"

"What did you just say?" Mu Nujiao and Zhao Manting exclaimed.

Lu Nian's lips curled upward as he repeated, "A new Element. If it succeeds, we will be the inventor of a new Element!"

"When Magic was first discovered, it gave us the power to challenge the demon beasts. The problem was, after tens of thousands of years, the Elements we have awakened are nowhere enough. We did get a glimpse of hope when the latest Element, the Light Element, was awakened. However, that's clearly not enough. We need stronger Elements."

Lu Nian's eyes flickered with excitement.

If he were a calm, decisive killing devil before, he was more like a lunatic obsessed with his passion now.

His insane, zealous behavior was something that Lu Zhenghe had never seen before. His madness was thoroughly concealed by his calm exterior appearance.

"Are you telling us that you guys are planning to invent a new Element?" Zhao Manting blurted out in disbelief.

"That's right. Do you really think I'm actually out of my mind?" Lu Nian smirked.

"But...how..." Zhao Manting had no idea what to say.

"You, Mo Fam, are the best test subject for the new Element!" Lu Nian pointed at Mo Fan as if he were looking at a perfect specimen with an extreme passion.

"Me?!" Mo Fan pointed at himself.

"Yes, you, because of your Double Innate Elements!"