"Don't worry, I don't have any terrifying enemies seeking revenge, nor do I have wealth that can guarantee your livelihood for the rest of your life," Joseph looked at Charlotte, his golden eyes carrying a hint of amusent.
Charlotte, feeling seen through, smiled awkwardly and thought, "Could this guy be able to eavesdrop on people's thoughts?"
But looking at the horrifying injury on the man's chest and his visible weakness, Charlotte couldn't help but say, "I've been stripped of my magic source and I'm no longer a mage, but there's still an interdiate-level healing mage in my clinic. Perhaps she can try to treat your injuries."
He knew Vivian was behind the stairs, and he assud Joseph was well aware of that too.
As a doctor, even a veterinarian, it was tornting to watch a severely injured patient die without doing sothing.
"Even though you've fallen into the Abyss, you still have a compassionate heart, which reminds of Lin," Joseph smiled and shook his head. "However, my injuries are too severe for a young girl to treat. Even if the Archmage were here, they would be powerless."
Charlotte looked at Joseph, whose face was particularly pale due to excessive blood loss. His lips had turned a dark purple-black color, and the toxins in his body were eroding his life force. Yet, his expression remained calm and serene.
He had never seen soone face death so calmly.
What was an Archmage? It was the pinnacle of the mage profession!
Even the Dean of the Calva dical Academy was only at the level of an Archmage.
He believed Joseph's judgnt and didn't insist on having Vivian treat him.
"Did you co specifically to find ?" Charlotte asked, wanting to know the man's purpose.
"Yes, when your parents left the city to fight against the wave of monsters, they left a letter, asking to take care of you if anything happened to them," Joseph nodded slightly.
"Then why did you only show up now?! Where were you when I was imprisoned? Where were you when I was insulted and dumped? Where were you when I lost my magic source and beca a useless person?" If it were the original Charlotte, he would have burst out with a hysterical barrage of questions.
But the current Charlotte was much calr and simply said, "Clearly, you didn't fulfill that promise. Of course, it's also possible that you were too busy. I don't bla you."
His tone carried the bitterness of being deeply hurt.
Charlotte's calmness deepened Joseph's guilt, and he apologized, "These past years, I have indeed been busy with so important matters. I originally thought that with Nolan and Lin's contributions to Calva, those people would take care of you. I didn't expect them to treat you like that."
"So, are you here today to apologize to ?"
"Yes, and I also plan to give you an opportunity."
"Opportunity?" Charlotte didn't show too much excitent. Instead, he beca sowhat cautious.
Phrases like 'Do you want to change your way of life?' or 'Young man, do you want to change your fate?' often turned out to be huge pitfalls.
Charlotte only wanted to work hard and make money to live a good life.
Joseph took out a black stone from his pocket and handed it to Charlotte.
"What is this?" Charlotte hesitated for a mont before reaching out to take the stone.
It was a long, rectangular stone with a smooth and mirror-like surface on the front. The back was also smooth but carved with a complex array of dark golden lines beneath the surface, forming an intricate rune pattern based on a hexagram, accompanied by symtrical and intricate symbols, giving it an impressive and aesthetic appearance.
The mont Charlotte held it, it felt like he was holding a cell phone.
Regardless of its size, thickness, weight, or grip, it was perfect.
And... it even had a true full-screen display.
But Charlotte could be certain that the Isor Continent hadn't seen such a groundbreaking product as a cellphone yet, not even the invention of steam engines.
Suddenly, the stone in his hand vibrated slightly.
The pure black mirror surface suddenly lit up, and lines of text appeared.
Technician: [What happened to the Adjudicator? Why did he suddenly disappear?]
rchant: [Damn it, I hope he's not dead! He still owes two thousand gold coins!]
Gatekeeper: [He ntioned yesterday that he found a monster nest. Could sothing unexpected have happened?]
Light Chaser: [Does the Hermit know the specific situation? You usually have more contact with the Adjudicator. @Hermit.]
...
Charlotte: ...
What the hell, is this a chat group?!
If he hadn't already accepted the fact that he had crossed over, he would even think he was peeking at a ga group chat.
"But this is a magical world where magic runs rampant and dragons soar!"
Looking at the chat group called "Red Moon" and the constantly scrolling chat records, Charlotte felt bewildered.
Joseph seed satisfied with Charlotte's expression and explained with a smile, "Perhaps it's hard for you to understand what this is. Simply put, it's a real-ti communication tool called the 'Black Stone.'"
"I understand what it is, but I don't understand why it would appear here." Charlotte held the 'Black Stone' in his hand, looking puzzled, and asked, "What is it used for? And who are they?"
"Well, let's start with an organization called 'Red Moon.' A thousand years ago, nine teorites fell from the sky and landed in various parts of the Isor Continent. That's when the Red Moon appeared.
During the consecutive nights of the Red Moon, which lasted for three years, magical phenona began to occur all over the Isor Continent.
Humans, beasts, orcs, and even dragons exhibited unexplained madness, with a typical sign being their eyes turning red, losing their sanity, and becoming frenzied killers.
Like a spreading disease, the phenonon of magical corruption spread throughout the continent, eventually catching the attention of the various races.
To resist the tide of magical corruption, the races ended their wars and built cities with towering walls and enchantnts to isolate themselves from the corrupted creatures.
Calva was established against this backdrop." Joseph spoke calmly.
Charlotte listened attentively. He was familiar with the ancient history that Joseph ntioned, having grown up in Calva. However, he couldn't grasp the connection between this 'Black Stone' phone and the historical events.
"You may already know the above information, so let's talk about sothing you don't know," Joseph continued. "After three years, the frequency of the Red Moon nights started to decrease. It went from occurring every three days to every five days and finally settled at once every seven days, which continues to this day.
During the nights of the Red Moon, the corrupted creatures beco exceptionally active and agitated.
Guided by so mysterious force, every few Red Moon nights, there is a phenonon of large-scale attacks by hordes of corrupted creatures on major cities. We call it the 'Magical Tide.'
In addition to building cities to defend against the Magical Tide, the wise individuals of the races were not content with hiding within the cities. That's why, over nine hundred years ago, an organization called 'Red Moon' was founded.
The purpose of this organization is to unravel the mystery of the Red Moon, eliminate the corruption, and restart the world."
"Ah... this is so full of ridiculous!" Charlotte was dumbfounded.
"From its inception, Red Moon has always consisted of nine mbers. Apart from the founder, the 'Night Watcher,' the other mbers do not need to disclose their identities to each other and communicate through codenas using the 'Black Stone,'" Joseph continued his explanation.
Isn't this just like choosing a userna to chat in a group?
Are nine people chatting in a group to save the world?
He didn't dare to think about such things when he was fifteen.
"So... are you the Adjudicator?" Charlotte tentatively asked, referring to the ridiculous codena.
"Yes, I am the Adjudicator," Joseph nodded and paused. "My main responsibility is to explore the marked monster lairs and suspicious locations ntioned by the organization's mbers, attempting to find the source of corruption. I've eradicated three monster lairs near the Abyss, but the last one had an unexpected outco."
Charlotte's mouth hung open slightly, looking at Joseph with shock and awe.
According to his education, the existence of monster lairs belonged to the realm of legends. The textbooks didn't provide detailed information on this subject.
But in rumors, monster lairs contained not only an alarming number of monsters but also the presence of a monster lord, a terrifying entity feared even by great sorcerers.
And the man before him, his daily job was to explore and clear monster lairs.
The injuries he suffered were most likely related to removing monster lairs near the Abyss, most likely involving the monster lord.
"What about those people in the group? What are they like?" Charlotte suddenly realized an important question. He might have stumbled upon an extraordinary mysterious organization.
"The best judgnt for mad monsters is to send them to et the damn Red Moon," Joseph said with a laugh, seemingly explaining his codena.
"So, by giving the 'Black Stone,' are you asking to deliver it to soone?" Charlotte asked.
Currently, he had no power and couldn't even handle a corrupted rabbit in the wilderness, let alone venture into monster lairs. He couldn't inherit the mantle of the Adjudicator and wield a sword through monster lairs.
Considering Joseph's terrifying strength, the Red Moon organization, which always maintained a team of nine mbers, was not sothing a weakling like him could handle.
"No, I have chosen you as the successor of the ninth Black Stone. From today onwards, you are a mber of Red Moon," Joseph fixed his gaze on Charlotte. "Although we haven't t in these years, I have been observing you. I'm pleased to see that the forr prodigy, stripped of magic, didn't let it destroy you. You still carry a compassionate heart and a positive attitude. That's why I chose you as my successor."
Charlotte didn't feel surprised. Calmly, he asked, "Are you sure you want to give such a precious position to a worthless person who doesn't dare to set foot in the wilderness?"
"Are you willing to hide in the dark corner of the Abyss as a worthless person for your whole life?" Joseph countered.
Charlotte didn't answer; he just looked at Joseph.
He wasn't soone who would be easily fired up by a few words from others.
"Your cautious and prudent nature is just like Nolan!" Joseph chuckled, sighed, and said, "Choosing you is not only because of your character but also because of your parents."
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