"I understand." He nodded to show comprehension, then shifted to the next topic:
"What about Cecilia? What is her true situation?"
Upon mentioning the name, Sarah’s expression turned complex.
There was both fear and an indescribable sympathy.
"Lady Cecilia... as I introduced her to you before, she isn’t the madwoman everyone thinks she is."
Sarah carefully organized her words:
"Her madness has a very clear logic, which is the absolute pursuit of ’beauty’."
"In her worldview, beauty is the only valuable existence, while ugliness is a sin that must be eradicated."
Her words carried a certain chill:
"Her residence is called the ’Mirror Hall,’ containing thousands of mirrors of varying sizes.
Every mirror is meticulously adjusted to reflect beautiful things from the most perfect angles."
Ron imagined the scene, thousands of mirrors sparkling in the sunlight, creating a bizarre illusion realm.
"She spends a great amount of time every day dressing herself, changing different clothes and accessories.
Not to please anyone, but to achieve her notion of ’perfection.’"
Sarah continued describing:
"She has extremely strict requirements for the appearance of everyone around her.
The outfits must be perfectly matched, the hairstyles must be flawless, even the walking posture must meet her aesthetic standards."
"Any ’imperfect’ detail would drive her into a frenzy."
Her voice began to tremble:
"I saw her turn a servant to ashes just because of a small stain on their clothes.
It’s not anger, nor punishment, but a near instinctive ’cleaning’ act."
This behavioral pattern reminded Ron of an extreme expression of OCD.
The pursuit of perfection transcended the boundaries of reason, becoming a morbid obsession.
"Does her power source also relate to this?"
"Indeed." Sarah nodded in confirmation:
"She cultivates a rare ’aesthetic magic system.’
By maintaining the absolute beauty of her surroundings, she continuously draws power."
The Snake Woman touched her bell, instinctively straightening her posture to keep well-composed, as if awakened by memories with Cecilia:
"Because of this, the power of her magic is directly proportional to the ’beauty index’ of the surrounding environment.
In the Mirror Hall, her strength almost surpasses the Moon Level.
But if there appears ’ugliness’ she can’t tolerate in the environment, her power declines sharply."
This information confirmed for Ron the key to dealing with Cecilia.
"So, if I can disrupt her perception of ’beauty,’ or create ’ugliness’ around her..."
"She would fall into extreme panic and weakness," Sarah added:
"I once witnessed an incident where an injured desert lizard barged into the Mirror Hall.
The lizard looked indeed terrifying due to excessive blood loss.
Upon seeing it, Lady Cecilia fell into a state of collapse.
Not only was she unable to cast magic, she couldn’t even manage to think properly, only screaming madly."
Ron perfected in his mind the analysis of these two potential adversaries.
Baroque’s psychological flaw lies in insecurity about bloodline legitimacy;
Cecilia’s weakness is her pathological dependency on a perfect environment.
Knowing this information, he now had more strategic options in the Elemental Night competition.
"This information is extremely valuable, Sarah." He sincerely thanked.
Sarah chuckled lightly:
"As a slave passed around as a gift, observing and understanding the master’s psychology is a necessary survival skill.
Though painful, it allowed me to see many truths beneath the surface."
She stood up, bowed deeply to Ron:
"Sir, this is the last service I can offer.
From now on, I will follow your advice, endeavor to learn pharmacology, and seek my own path in life."
Sunlight streamed through the window frame onto her face, which once overflowed with timidity, now radiating unprecedented resoluteness.
Ron realized that he had just witnessed not only an exchange of intelligence, but a rebirth of a soul.
And these precious pieces of information would become his sharpest hidden weapon in the upcoming Elemental Night.
.........
The ground of the training field still emitted residual heat, the magma scars starkly visible like wounds on the land.
Ron stood in the center of the field, took a deep breath of the air tinged with sulfur.
Today would be his last high-intensity training at the Sand Sea School, with only two days left until the Elemental Night.
The Salamanda Dean personally supervised, with eyes burning with stern flames like molten gold:
"Today’s training intensity will be three times that of yesterday, I need to verify your true combat strength under extreme pressure."
"If you can’t withstand this level, the Elemental Night arena will only become your grave."
Edwin, Laku, and Patty were already prepared for battle.
Following the previous uncontrolled incident, Edwin took a firm resolve, undergoing profound self-adjustment.
His magma armor was more restrained than before, but Ron could sense the energy density within had dramatically increased.
This compressed power was more dangerous, like a volcano poised to erupt at any moment.
Laku’s sand manipulation had also become more targeted.
The sand particles underfoot were no longer simply piled, but arranged according to some special structure.