Wizard: My magic facility can be upgraded!

Chapter 185 Accepting Imperfection

Chapter 185 Accepting Imperfection

He recounted the intelligence he had secretly gathered verbatim.

When Eric uttered the words "cooperator" and "acquiescence," Sandramea's body visibly trembled.

She bit her lower lip tightly, her emerald eyes first filled with disbelief, then with immense pain and confusion.

In the end, all her emotions turned into a deathly silence and desolation.

Silence fell over the meeting room, with only the faint sounds of children's chatter coming from outside the window as proof of the passage of time.

After a long while, Maya raised her head, and the light passed over everyone, finally settling on Li Ang's face.

Her voice was a little hoarse, but it carried an unusual calmness, and she even used a formal title for the first time: "Captain." She spoke softly.

"If—if they are ultimately found guilty beyond redemption, and it comes to the point where—it must be eliminated—can I do it?"

She paused, as if using all her strength, before continuing, "They are, after all—my family. I don't want them to die at the hands of others."

Looking at Maya's eyes, which had lost their former luster, Li Ang felt a mix of emotions.

He hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded: "If—it really comes to that, I promise you."

He understood that Maya was referring to herself as "Captain" at this moment perhaps because she wanted to temporarily shed her identity as a princess and face this cruelty from the perspective of a law enforcement officer who needed to carry out a mission. Only in this way could she make up her mind.

"Now, the truth is almost completely out."

Li Ang took a deep breath to calm his emotions and continued, "Continuing the investigation is very risky and could easily alert them. I will contact the enforcement team headquarters immediately to report the situation and request instructions for the next steps. Tomorrow, we will proceed with the third trial as scheduled, making sure they don't spot any flaws."

After the meeting, Li Ang stayed alone in the conference room and activated the law enforcement team badge on his chest.

The badges connected to the headquarters in Lelita, marking his sixth mission report during this trip.

"First Special Operations Team, Li Ang, report on the progress of the Ironforge investigation—"

He gave a concise report on all the intelligence he had gathered.

The headquarters' response came quickly, and it can be summarized as follows.

Loki is a level three wizard, and is highly dangerous. Exercise extreme caution when clearing him.

Furthermore, if the Dwarf Kingdom is deemed to have broken with the alliance, the Wizard Alliance will dispatch a cleanup force in accordance with the terms of the alliance.

Of course, if Leon is confident that Sandramea Maxwell can ascend the throne and that she and her new kingdom will remain firmly loyal to the alliance, then this attack can be investigated only against the main traitor, ending the matter with his blood and avoiding affecting the entire dwarf race.

The vibrant dwarven faces on the streets of Ironforge flashed before Li Ang's eyes. He thought of Bronzebeard and the innkeeper. He absolutely did not want to see the dwarven race suffer annihilation because of the betrayal of a few rulers.

Li Ang replied firmly, "Understood. I will do everything in my power to help Sandramea Maxwell win the throne and ensure the Dwarven Kingdom returns to the Alliance. At the same time, I request—final authority over the disposal of King Frostheart Maxwell and Regent Grom Maxwell."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the communication; clearly, this request was somewhat unusual.

"This matter is of great importance. I need to report to my superiors. Captain Li Ang, keep communication open and await further instructions."

""

After the call ended, Li Ang let out a long sigh of relief, but his mood grew increasingly heavy.

Deep down, he harbored a faint hope that the king and Groon were merely being controlled and deceived, and that all the crimes were committed by the Dark Witch.

That would have made things much simpler, but the harsh reality is slowly crushing this last illusion.

Returning to his room, Li Ang stood alone in front of the huge stained-glass window, gazing at the distinct layers of lights in Ironforge below.

The magic lights simulated a deep nightfall, making this giant city nestled in the mountain appear both magnificent and mysterious.

However, beneath this prosperity, an undercurrent of betrayal and conspiracy is surging, and he is at the very center of the vortex.

The “voluntary cooperation between the King and the Regent” weighed heavily on his mind, meaning that Maya would have to face the cruelest choice between blood ties and responsibilities.

At that moment, Nelson came over with a wooden cup and carefully placed it on the coffee table by the window.

"My lord, you seem to be in a bad mood—there's no herbal tea here, so I've poured you a glass of honey ale. It's not very strong; I've heard that dwarves drink this when they're upset."

Li Ang turned around, looked at the increasingly composed young man, and forced a smile: "Thank you, Nelson."

He picked up the glass, took a sip, and the warm wheat aroma, with a hint of sweet honey and a very faint alcohol scent, slid down his throat. With the help of sugar and alcohol, it did bring a sense of relief.

Nelson didn't leave immediately. He hesitated for a moment and said softly, "My lord, you seem troubled by the matters of the Dwarf Kingdom and His Majesty Maya. I—I remembered a story I heard from an old merchant back home. Perhaps—perhaps it's a little inaccurate, but I hope it will ease your mind."

Li Ang was somewhat surprised and gestured for him to continue.

Nelson cleared his throat and said, "The story goes that once upon a time, there was a stonemason with exceptional skill who was summoned by the king to carve a colossal statue of the king, which the king required him to complete within six months. The stonemason deeply respected the king and was determined to carve a perfect statue that would never be seen before or since. He poured all his heart and soul into the statue, polishing every detail repeatedly, striving for perfection."

"However, he was too obsessed with perfection." He always felt the statue's eyes lacked a certain spirit, the armor's patterns were a fraction too shallow, and the sword's curve wasn't quite right. He kept revising, kept starting over, completely forgetting about deadlines.

"In the end, the deadline arrived, but the statue was not even half completed. The king was furious, believing that the stonemason had wasted his time, and ordered his execution."

After finishing his story, Nelson looked timidly at Leon: "Sir, I—I know this story might be ominous. But I just think, sometimes—some things, aren't they like what happened to that stonemason? If we pursue an imagined perfect ending too much, might we miss the best opportunity to solve the problem within the deadline, or even—lead to a worse outcome? Some things, as long as you've done your best and have a clear conscience—that's enough."

Li Ang tightened his grip on the cup slightly.

Nelson's story was like a needle, precisely piercing the bubble of fantasy in his heart called "the best of both worlds".