Advent of the Archmage - Chapter 211

Chapter 211: A Thing or Two About the Estate’s Development

Once he returned to his own estate, Link was welcomed by two familiar figures from the East Cove Magic Academy. The first one was his good friend Eliard who he hadn’t seen for a long while now. The second was Rylai, the lovely girl who was his disciple.

Eliard was about to approach Link the moment he saw him but stopped in his tracks as he was shocked by the sight of the giant tiger. Dorias scowled when he noticed this.

“What a coward,” he scoffed.

Once Link had hopped off his back, Dorias then raised up his head high and proud as he strode haughtily towards his own shed.

Well, there were so many strangers today so he must act his best to impress them!

Meanwhile, Link approached Eliard with a big smile on his face.

“How did you find time to come visit me this time?” asked Link, patting Eliard’s back.

Eliard had been greatly motivated to dive his nose back into studying magic when he heard that Link had defeated the demon Tarviss with a Level-9 spell. Once he got back to the academy, Eliard began to study with the same obsessive single-mindedness that Link had once shown in the past.

Eliard chuckled in reply and pointed at the giant magic puppet next to him and pulled Rylai over.

“I heard you spent 15,000 gold coins ordering this big guy from the academy,” Eliard said, “so I came here to see whether you got your money’s worth or not. Besides, Rylai wanted to see her tutor, so I brought her with me too.”

Rylai stepped forward and respectfully bowed to Link.

Link realized that he’d basically let his disciple study on her own and entrusted her to Herrera all this while. He suddenly felt guilty for neglecting her.

“Why don’t you stay here for a few months?” suggested Link to Rylai as he patted her head gently. “I’m in the process of building my estate now, so there’d be much for you to see and learn.”

“Yes, tutor,” replied Rylai. She had been concerned that her visit would be an intrusion upon her tutor’s time, but now that she’d heard from his lips that her arrival was welcomed, all the anxieties she felt disappeared from her mind and a sweet smile cropped up on her face.

“You may go explore the place now,” said Link, patting the girl’s shoulder. Rylai then began to wander around the Scorched Ridge camp.

There are so many interesting things to see here! Rylai thought with excitement. Like that giant talking cat, for example. What a funny creature!

Eliard looked around Scorched Ridge and turned back to Link.

“You’ve really become a land-owning lord now,” he said earnestly. “And you’re only the same age as I am, yet you seem so much more matured and have so much more charisma than I do.”

“These are just superficial things, though,” replied Link with a smile. “They don’t mean everything. Come on, let’s go see the Plowing Magic Puppet.”

They both then walked up to the magic puppet, and Link circled around it, carefully observing every detail.

The magic puppet was about 15 feet tall and had a humanoid upper body while two huge iron plows made up its lower body. Its whole body was made of anti-magic clay, and it looked as if it were made of ceramic. The whole surface of its skin was covered in magic runes, while a big magic crystal lay in the middle of its chest—this was its Mana core.

Link made sure to examine every detail of the magic puppet. He nodded occasionally and sometimes furrowed his brows slightly as he inspected the magic puppet. It basically met his requirements, but the artistry that went into it wasn’t as delicate as he’d hoped. Because of his perfectionist nature, Link was slightly disappointed by this, but then he knew that this kind of working magic puppet need not be perfect in its structure. He decided not to voice this minor complaint he had.

Meanwhile, the Magician’s Apprentice who was responsible for the delivery of the magic puppet stood by nervously.

“This Plowing Magic Puppet can plow five feet deep into the soil,” he started to explain. “As long as it is continuously supplied with Mana, it will be able to work 24 hours a day non-stop for at least a year.”

“How efficient is it?” Link asked.

“In the case of Ferde Wilderness,” he replied, “if it is working a flattened plain, then it can plow 100 acres of land in 24 hours. If it’s working in a sloped area, then it will manage more than 80 acres a day.”

A hundred acres in 24 hours—that meant 3000 acres a month, and 36,000 acres per year. It sounded good, but it would still be too slow due to the vastness of Ferde Wilderness.

Link decided to keep the magic puppet and see how it worked out. If he were satisfied with its work, then he’d order a few more of these.

“It satisfies my requirements,” he finally said to the apprentice. “Please send my thanks to Master Weissmuller. He’s solved a big problem for me.”

Judging by his Mana and his attire, it seemed that the man was a mid-level apprentice and an insignificant figure in the academy. Once he’d heard Link’s response, the apprentice then gave Link a reverent Magician’s bow.

“We are pleased and honored to help you, Master Magician Link,” he said. “Since you are satisfied with the magic puppet, then I must excuse myself and return to the academy.”

“Wait,” Link hurriedly replied. “I am planning to build a large Mage Tower on my estate. I’ve prepared all the gold coins needed too. Please bring this news back to East Cove Academy.”

Although the old Lich Vance had advised him to get the help from the High Elves to build his Mage Tower, Link must disagree with him in this regard. That’s because Vance had approached the problem purely from a scholar’s perspective, while Link was not merely a Magician now but a liege lord as well.

Because he had been trained in the East Cove Magic Academy and achieved his fame and reputation there and was even considered as a candidate for the future dean, he couldn’t just ask for someone else’s help when he was building his own Mage Tower. If he did that, it would be as if he’d cut his ties with the academy.

Not only that, the relationship between him and the academy would then run a risk of turning sour because of that.

Link couldn’t afford to lose such a powerful ally as the East Cove Magic Academy.

Yet, to be frank, the High Elves did indeed possess a great understanding of magic, and their skills were truly invaluable in building Mage Towers. So what should Link do?

Link thought that the best way for him to go about this was to let the East Cove Magic Academy to help him build the main structure of the large Mage Tower but still leave a lot of room for future expansion and upgrades. Then one day, he’ll find the opportunity to get the help of the High Elves to modify his Mage Tower.

That’s what a wise lord would do.

Meanwhile, as soon as they heard the news that Link was going build a Mage Tower, and a large one at that, the apprentice’s eyes shone with envy and admiration while even Eliard showed deep respect for his friend’s achievement.

Building their own large-scale Mage Tower was any Magician’s loftiest dreams!

“Don’t worry, Master Magician Link,” said the apprentice, “I will bring this news back to the academy immediately.”

“Good,” replied Link. “Here’s your reward.” Link then handed over a coin pouch to the apprentice.

The apprentice knew the moment he took the pouch that there were at least 20 gold coins in it. That was more than what he got for working hard in the Mage Tower for a month! He thanked Link with the gladdest heart and rushed back to the East Cove Academy immediately.

“Tell Magician Carrido that I’d like to see him,” Link ordered a guard nearby.

“Yes, my lord,” said the guard. He then swiftly turned around and rushed to get the Magician.

Soon, Carrido arrived.

“This is the Plowing Magic Puppet,” Link told Carrido while pointing towards the magic puppet. “It can plow as deep as five feet into the ground, and its operation is very simple. Take it to the flat plain in the southern part of Scorched Ridge and test how efficient it is.”

“Yes, my lord,” answered Carrido. He circled around the magic puppet once to understand the general operation of the magic puppet. Then, he activated it and brought it away.

Only then was Link free enough to talk to Eliard, who was waiting for him at the side.

“I’m sorry for making you wait,” he said. “Let’s go inside.”

“Not a problem at all, Link,” replied Eliard. “You’ve always been busy even when you’re in the academy. I’m used to it.”

The two then chatted freely as they walk into the wooden cabin. Suddenly, Eliard noticed a dark-haired woman with a fascinating air about her walking out of the cabin.

“Who’s that woman?” he asked, slightly surprised.

Celine stayed here on the pretense of being Link’s apprentice. Still, her unique aura and temperament naturally set her apart from other people, so she was apt to be noticed as soon as she appeared.

Noticing that Celine was wearing her camouflage pendant, Link didn’t need to worry that Eliard might notice anything odd about Celine.

“Her name is Celine Flandre,” said Link with a smile. “She’s a…good friend of mine, and she’s staying here to learn magic with me.”

“A good…friend of yours?” said Eliard confusedly. He then noticed the twinkle in Link’s eyes and was even more surprised. He’d always thought that his friend had no interest in women. It turned out that he’d just never met the right person after all!

“Ah, I get it now, Link” he answered with a good-humored laugh. He said nothing more about the matter and continued to talk to Link about magic as they usually did.

Once they’d gotten inside the cabin, Eliard took out his own magic notebook and consulted with Link about the questions and problems that he encountered recently. Link gave his answers and guidance clearly as he always did, and Eliard reaped many benefits from their discussion.

Time flew by quickly, and the two Magicians slowly changed the subject of their discussion from magic to the war in the North of Norton Kingdom. Link didn’t know as much as Eliard on this subject, so he was basically just listening while Eliard was the one talking most of the time.

“Ah, it seems that the war has gotten into a deadlock,” said Eliard.

“What do you mean?” asked Link intently. He’d been busy all this while with his own affairs that he was relatively clueless about what was happening in the North.

Eliard gulped and let out a long sigh before answering. He looked more than a little worried about the war.

“Two big battles happened recently, and they were both violent and terrible,” Eliard began. “It is said that 20,000 Warriors had died in those battles. Even some of the Battle Mages had suffered great injuries—many had even lost their limbs. Some of them returned to the academy, and I went to visit them. Many of them lost their legs and arms, and one of them got his chin cut off! They said it was because the Dark Elf Assassins were trying to slash the Magician’s throat, but he was fortunate enough to lower his head in time and escaped with his life…How brutal!”

Eliard shook his head again and again, his face full of sympathy and regret.

Because of his outstanding magical talents, Eliard was relieved of his military service and was able to concentrate on learning magic in the academy. Although he was grateful for this, he couldn’t help but feel guilty that he was hiding in safety while the kingdom was at war. To combat that feeling, he dove into his studies even more obsessively so as to relieve that guilt.

“With 20,000 Warriors dead and even more wounded,” said Link with a deep frown, “doesn’t that mean that the kingdom is losing the war?”

“Not exactly,” replied Eliard. “It’s more of a mutual defeat. The Dark Elves have suffered serious losses as well, but their resistance had gotten much more intense than before now. Every battle was fought fiercely and harshly that countless lives were lost and even more blood was shed with every mile that we advance to the North.”

After that, the two friends fell into deep silence for a while.

“Maybe the king has gone too far,” said Link finally. “The best thing to do now would be to stabilize and strengthen the line of defense. We shouldn’t advance north anymore.”

“While that is true,” said Eliard with a bitter smile, “now that blood has been shed, everyone has one thing in mind, and that is to kill. The ball has started rolling, and it’s very hard to stop it. I heard that the army is obsessed with the thought of chasing the Dark Elves back into the dark underground where they came from. Any suggestions of stopping would be instantly silenced.”

After speaking, Eliard seemed to sink into deeper misery.

“You haven’t seen how things are in Springs City recently, Link,” he said. “When I was there, I saw how the townspeople had been spurred by the victories in previous battles that they were stunned by recent setbacks. Now all they wanted was revenge. To be honest with you, Link, I’m really scared…”

The people had been blinded by rage and wanted nothing but to shed more blood now. That’s the scariest thing that could happen when a kingdom went to war.

Once the people wanted nothing but to bleed the enemy, things could get to the point where they’d fight until their enemies died or until they died themselves. When a kingdom got to this point, the people would get so fanatic that they’d forget the wisdom of taking a step back to save themselves. It would make it much easier for the enemy to break in through the cracks then, and there would be a high possibility that the whole kingdom would collapse. (Note: refer to the history of World War II Germany.)

There’s nothing much that Link could do in this regard. The royal army was composed of aristocrats, and the more military power a certain noble house provided, the more power they had. Link had little to no power right now. Moreover, he hadn’t contributed much to the war in the North, so he basically had no right to speak about the matter.

The only thing he could do now was to develop his own strength and that of his troop.

“Let’s not talk about this anymore,” said Link. “Why don’t you stay here for a few days? We still have much to talk about.”

Link was the pride of East Cove Magic Academy now, so naturally, the academy would put his matter as their priority. Which was why only four days later, the academy had sent a Mage Tower construction team consisting of two Master Magicians, eight high-level Magicians, and 25 mid-level Magicians to Scorched Ridge.

Hence, the construction of Link’s Mage Tower formally started.

Chapter 212: What a Waste of Talent

The Ferde Wilderness had become extremely muddy due to the continuous rain in the past few days.

A carriage from East Cove Higher Magic Academy was traveling unsteadily on the muddy road. Despite the added stability from a wind elemental balancing spell, it was not enough to fully offset the turbulence from the journey. Along the way, many Magicians who were physically weaker or had motion sickness threw up from the discomfort. This continued for two whole days before their destination finally came in sight. Everyone heaved a sigh of relief.

Master Grenci and Master Ferdinand sat in the first carriage. Amongst the six-man council, the two of them were the youngest, with Master Grenci at 58 years old, and Master Ferdinand at 54 years old. They were considered to be prodigies of their era and had attained the status of Master fairly early in life. Even so, this journey had proved to be a painful one for them as well.

As he looked at the barren camp from the window of the carriage, Grenci sighed, “I feel that the king should not have given Link this territory. A title would have been enough! A genius like him should stay in the academy and put all his energy into magic research.”

Ferdinand had a more jubilant character and was generally more open-minded. He laughed, “I don’t mind it actually. I just find it amazing how many stones there are on this land.”

“I feel you.” Grenci stared at the barren land where not even weeds were able to take root and once again complained, “This will be my first and last time stepping foot onto this land.”

If he had to make another trip here, he might not survive the turbulent journey.

Ferdinand smiled and said, “Old fellow, we are entering the camp soon. Please watch what you say when we meet Link. Don’t put him down while he is at the peak of his enthusiasm.”

Grenci was extremely grumpy from the uncomfortable journey and immediately retorted, “Why can’t I say anything? Not only will I comment on this barren land, but I will also persuade him to return to the academy. It will be a complete waste of his talent to stay in this hellhole.”

“Alright, alright, do what you see fit.” Ferdinand knew exactly how stubborn his friend was and left him to cool down.

The carriage wheels made clacking sounds as it grazed onto the gravel. Under the monotonous rhythm, the carriages entered the Scorched Ridge.

The roads within Scorched Ridge had been treated and smoothened out upon Link’s orders. It was thus a lot more comfortable to travel on. The moment the carriage entered the area, many onlookers gathered to welcome the army of Magicians. Among them, Link, who was wearing the Flame Controller Robe, stood out.

Rylai and Eliard stood beside him, while Jacker, Lucy, Gildern, Carrido and the rest of the mercenary band stood in an orderly manner behind.

The coachman pulled the carriage to a stop and Magicians walked feebly out of the carriage.

Before he alighted, Grenci whispered, “Look, he is still mixing around with those vulgar mercenaries. This is…How uncultured!”

Ferdinand was speechless. Although he knew that Grenci was a kind and caring person at heart, Grenci simply could not keep his mouth on a leash. He would often say hurtful words without first processing them in his mind.

This might be seen as being direct and sincere by some, but also offensive to others.

Upon alighting the carriage, Grenci attempted to restrain his negative feelings about this land and forced a smile on his face. As the strongest member of the six-man council, Grenci led the troop and walked towards Link. He then gave a reluctant expression and said, “Link, this place is way too barren. I have also heard that the weather is terrible. How long will it take to build a decent territory out of this wasteland?”

He still did not manage to keep it in, although he had toned it down greatly.

Link smiled apologetically and bowed. “It has been a tough journey, Master Ferdinand, and Master Grenci. I have already started the building of a road which would connect to the King’s Lane. The latest completion date would be next year. Come, I’ve already prepared a place for both of you to rest.”

It must have been a terrible experience for the two old masters to travel on the bumpy road. Link hence thought that it was natural for them to give negative comments at the start. He then turned around, signaling the Magicians to follow him into the wooden houses that they rushed to build these few days.

Along the way, Ferdinand walked towards Link and asked, “The dean had mentioned that you’d like to alter the climate using Mage Towers. Have you found an alternative?”

Link shook his head as he was not allowed to speak of the Storm Lord. He then pretended not to have a solution and said, “I have no idea as well. However, the climate these few days has been amazing. There was even spring rain yesterday! I feel that the bad climate here has been exaggerated by others. It is actually not as bad as one would think.”

“Oh, that is good news.” Ferdinand did not have a good understanding of the situation anyway and decided to simply believe Link.

Soon, they arrived at the wooden houses. The wooden houses had a very simple exterior. Although everything was brand new, the living conditions were still a far cry from the Mage Towers which the Magicians were used to.

Link knew this well and felt even more apologetic. “The accommodation is not very up to standard. However, I have already set up a temperature stabilizing magic circle in every room. I will also ensure that the room is kept clean. I hope everyone doesn’t mind.”

Grenci felt even worse after looking at the shabby wooden house. He knew though, that this was not meant to be a relaxing trip and simply endured the unsatisfactory living conditions.

Ferdinand, being himself, simply laughed, “This is already amazing. I am satisfied.”

The moment he said those words, the Magicians around him could not voice out their opinions despite having qualms about the wooden houses. Furthermore, they could not possibly change their living conditions.

Everyone then entered the room to rest as they were extremely tired from the troubling journey.

Master Grenci and Master Ferdinand were assigned to an independent wooden house. This was probably the best building in the entire camp. It had two stories and was 210 square feet. It had two bedrooms, a living room, and even a balcony on the second floor.

Before he entered the wooden house, Grenci was filled with dissatisfaction. However, the moment he stepped into the house, he could feel a warm, soothing fragrance wafting into his nose. He was immediately rejuvenated, and the fatigue in his body was dispelled instantly.

He then looked at the interior design of the wooden house. It had wooden-tiled flooring, a small wooden table with a few chairs around it, and a small bookshelf. They were all brand new and delicately crafted. The room was also extremely clean as promised, going for a minimalist design concept which calmed the senses.

Grenci was a direct person. He looked at the room with satisfaction, and a smile finally appeared on his face. “This is pretty good. It seems like Link had put in some effort.”

Ferdinand nodded. He had found the temperature stabilizing magic circle and was in the midst of observing it. He then commended, “This magic circle is the work of a genius! Look at this; it seems to be a Sorlen structure which can control the temperature of the room extremely precisely. I can bet that this was Link’s idea.”

Grenci curiously stepped forward. After half a minute, the feeling of pity once again overwhelmed him. “As I was saying, Link seriously should stop developing this barren land and focus on his magic research. What a waste of talent.”

“Alright, alright, old guy. You have repeated that many times. Let’s rest. We still have to find the geographical node for the location of the Mage Tower tomorrow.”

“That’s true.”

After the group of Magicians had settled in, Link welcomed another unexpected guest. This person was none other than the head of the Green Leaf Merchant Firm, Warter.

“Why have you come here personally? I should have already sent you the magic equipment this month through Carrido. Am I right?” Link was perplexed and asked quizzically.

Warter laughed heartily. His merchant firm had made great progress in this period, and he looked a lot more refreshed and well groomed. He smiled and said, “I heard that you are preparing to go all out in the development of your territory?”

Link laughed, “You are truly well-informed aren’t you. That is true. My harbor is almost complete.”

The completion of the harbor would mean that sea trade could commence. Sea trade was a hundred times more efficient than land trade routes. Link could then import huge amounts of resources for the development of the Ferde Wilderness through the sea and also export his goods through the same way. It was all within his calculations.

Warter then said, “I have met many nobles in this period doing trade. They are all extremely interested in what you are doing. Here this is a list of the specialties in each of their territories. See if they have anything that you need.”

Link took the list and saw the names of at least 40 nobles. Some of them were from the Norton Kingdom, while others were from the Southern states. Below their names, were the materials and prices that they were offering. For example, Duke Beverly in the North of Hot Springs City could offer more than twenty years supply of red beech wood. Duke Garland from the West of Girvent Forest could then provide granite. Many other nobles were then willing to provide food and water, some even willing to sell slaves as labor workers.

Link carefully perused the list and found many items that he needed. He could not help but be impressed by Warter’s keen sense of opportunity.

He then passed this list to his secretary and said, “Warter, this is of great help. However, I am busy with the construction of my Mage Tower and probably cannot personally be in charge of this. Please approach Lucy to discuss more details.”

“No problem at all.”

“Oh, one more thing,” Link suddenly remembered an important issue and exclaimed. His territory was in need of citizens. Within a hundred-mile radius of his camp, the indigenous people of the Ferde Wilderness added up to merely 2000 people. This was way too little manpower.

“Please continue,” Warter immediately said. He had a hunch that this was going to be something big.

“My territory needs more manpower and a bigger population. However, the condition of the land is just too poor to attract anyone to come on their own accord…”

Before he could complete his sentence, Warter had understood the situation and continued, “You need to purchase slaves?”

“That’s right, a lot of them. Do you have any connections?” Link smiled and asked. Warter was indeed a shrewd businessman. He was right when he chose to work with him.

“Do you have any requirements for these slaves?”

“Preferably young and strong.”

“What about race and gender?”

“Human race would be the best. As for gender, preferably half of each…No, a bit more males than females. I need manpower for the development of my territory. I need males to do the physical labor.” Another reason that Link did not mention was that he was hoping to recruit some soldiers from these slaves.

Warter fell silent for a moment before saying, “There are not many slaves present in the Norton Kingdom. Even if there were, they are all Dark Elves, which you probably would not want. However, the Southern Free Trade Alliance has loads of them. There is often friction between the nations and thus resulting in many prisoners of wars who are usually taken in as slaves. The nobles would probably be willing to trade them off for money. I will contact you again.”

“Many thanks.”

Warter was an extremely efficient person. He immediately left after all was done to find Lucy for negotiations.

Link was then alone in his study room, planning for the future.

He had to construct his Mage Tower, develop his territory and expand his territory’s population. The gold coins required would definitely be astounding. He had to find more ways to increase his revenue.

It was probably time to bring out the anti-magic soil.

Chapter 213: The Unusual Soil

The merchant Warter moved very quickly. He didn’t waste a single minute and began to take Link’s orders and his 20,000 gold coins around the continent the same night Link had given him the instructions. He went about very excitedly because he knew that with the construction of Link’s estate going on, his Green Leaf Firm would expand at an explosive rate. This would then bring him inexhaustible money. Then, his dream of building a business empire would no longer be pure fantasy.

Because of this, Warter worked very hard!

The following morning, the Magicians of the East Cove Academy also began to work on the construction of the Mage Tower. They wandered around the Ferde Wilderness, not just for fun of course, but to look for the Geodetic Nodes.

When a Mage Tower was built on the Geodetic Nodes, or in full the Geodetic Elemental Equilibrium Nodes, it would greatly stabilize the flow of the Elemental Pool inside the Mage Tower and make it much safer. This was the reason why every Mage Tower in East Cove Magic Academy was built on very stable Geodetic Nodes.

No matter how busy Link was, he’d always find time to study Vance’s notes on the magic puppet. On the other hand, Eliard had been following Master Ferdinand around to learn from him.

Thus, a week passed by with everyone busy in their own work and duties.

Everyone had heard of the rumors that the climate in Ferde Wilderness was notoriously bad and that storms and rain were commonplace here. But surprisingly, in the past week, the weather had been mild and sometimes even better than the weather in the nearby Girvent Forest.

Within that week, it was pleasant and sunny for four days, and while it did rain for three days, it was merely mild drizzles, the kind that was common in spring. There hadn’t been any thunderstorms or heavy rain at all.

Those Magicians who had just arrived didn’t find it too odd, but the mercenaries and the original inhabitants of Ferde Wilderness who had experienced extreme weather here started to circulate the rumor that Lord Link had the “hands of God” that could control the weather.

Master Grenci was inspecting the grounds of Ferde Wilderness with an Elemental Compass in his hands. He was working in a separate section of the land from Master Ferdinand. Within the week, they’d pinpointed the locations of the Geodetic Nodes and were now determining the best place for the site of the new Mage Tower.

Just as he was walking, he suddenly heard a loud clink clank noise from afar. When he raised his head in the direction of the sound, he discovered that it was the giant magic puppet plowing the land on the hillside.

What a terrible craftsmanship from Master Weissmuller, snorted Grenci. He then prepared to walk away in the other direction with his assistants.

He’d just taken a few steps when he heard loud booms coming from behind him. After a while, there was a loud clang followed by thick billowing smoke coming from the same hillside he’d seen the magic puppet earlier.

Grenci was stunned, but he soon recovered.

“Ha! Seems like the damned magic puppet’s broken down!” he yelled. “What an embarrassment the old man Weiss’ craftsmanship is to the East Cove Academy!”

Although Grenci had specialized in alchemy himself, the Plowing Magic Puppet wasn’t that complex, so he should be able to fix it if the cause of its breakdown was just some small problems.

“Let’s go see what’s going on here,” he said, waving to his assistants. He then cast a wind floating spell on himself and floated over to the hillside with very little effort.

There, he saw the magic puppet hoisting itself up with its arms while its two plows were stuck deep in the ground. The soil that had been dug up behind the magic puppet looked greenish black and contained no big clumps of stones at all.

“Huh? But this is just normal soil!” said Grenci. “How did the magic puppet break down when it’s only working with this? Weiss’ skills can’t be that bad, can it?”

He’d sneered at Weissmuller before, but in fact, Grenci had deep respect for the old master’s artistry. That was why he thought the magic puppet must’ve broken down because it had been working on tricky terrain. But judging by the looks of it, it seemed that the magic puppet had simply just broken down for no clear reason.

He walked carefully around the magic puppet and still couldn’t find anything wrong with its components. He scratched his head in wonder.

Weiss may be an unreliable old man, he thought, but he’s always meticulous in his work. What’s going with this magic puppet, then?

Just when Grenci couldn’t wrap his head around what was happening there, a Level-4 Magician beside him suddenly pointed something out.

“Master Grenci,” he said, “do you notice something odd about the soil that’s been turned out?”

Grenci found the question intriguing. He kneeled to the ground and took a clump of the soil in his hand then closely inspected it.

It was greenish black, felt very sticky, and its grains were very fine. When Grenci sniffed at it, he thought it had no detectable smell at all.

Wait, something’s odd here. Mana, yes, the soil seems to be able to block Mana.

Grenci put down the soil and wiped his hands clean. He then took out his wand and pointed it towards the soil on the ground.

“Fireball!” he chanted.

Just as the fireball struck the soil, Grenci could sense that its spell structure was disrupted. Even though he’d strengthened his control over the fireball, it still exploded earlier than he wanted it to.

Bang!

It wasn’t a big explosion, and the fire elements simply sizzled away and disappeared. But what took Grenci by surprise was the fact that there were no signs of an explosion on the ground at all, not even a small dent. It seemed as if the soil was completely unaffected by Grenci’s fireball.

“It’s high-quality anti-magic soil!” exclaimed Grenci.

Now he understood why the Plowing Magic Puppet had broken down. As it plowed into the ground, the soil had interfered with the Mana and spell structure in the magic puppet’s main body. It was fine for a while, but as the interference wore on, more and more anomalies accumulated in the magic puppet’s body, leading to its eventual breakdown.

Although the specific properties of this soil had yet to be carefully tested, Grenci still couldn’t help but sigh at the big field of at least 30 acres that had been plowed by the magic puppet.

Looks like the whole piece of land was made up of this soil, he thought. Link won’t have to worry about having enough gold coins to build his estate anymore!

There were many uses for the anti-magic soil. It could be used to construct sturdy city walls, make magic puppets, build Mage Towers and so on. From now on, all Link had to do was sell the soil and he’d be able to make a big fortune for himself. This way he’d be able to complete the construction of his estate in no time at all.

Could it be God’s plan?” Grenci wondered. He felt that Link’s luck had just been too miraculous.

Having figured out the reasons for its breakdown, Grenci could then easily repair the magic puppet. It only took a few simple steps as well. He only needed to wipe away the anti-magic soil on the magic puppet’s crucial Mana points, then add a protective cover on top of it and repair any damaged magic runes. In less than 20 minutes the giant magic puppet could then restart its work without a hitch.

“Ero, bring some of this soil back to the camp,” he instructed one of his assistants, “and report this incidence to Master Link.”

“Yes, Master Grenci.”

An hour later, the Magician reached Scorched Ridge with the soil. Within five minutes, this greenish black soil was placed on Link’s table in his study.

“Master Link,” said Ero with notable excitement in his voice, “Master Grenci had told me that it possessed superior anti-magic properties.” He couldn’t help but get excited by this discovery as he’d seen with his own eyes how the magic puppet had turned up this soil in the whole vast field.

Link merely looked at the soil, and there was no change in his expressions at all. It wasn’t that the soil wasn’t good enough for him, only that he’d expected this discovery. He took the soil sample and pretended to examine it closely. Then, he smiled and gave Ero a nod.

“This is good news indeed,” he said. “At least we won’t have to purchase anti-magic bricks from other people to build the Mage Tower now.”

“I’m afraid you’ll have much more than you need for the Mage Tower, Master Link,” said Ero. He greatly admired Link’s calm demeanor, and he knew that he wouldn’t be able to keep his cool if he was Link. Even though Ero hadn’t much to do with this anti-magic soil, he was still thrilled by its discovery as he felt that he’d just witnessed a historic moment!

Yes, with a field of this soil, Master Link could even build a magnificent city here on his estate!

Link merely nodded, then he turned to his clerk Joshua.

“Tell Carrido I’d like to see him,” he instructed.

Carrido was his magic officer, and although his actual level wasn’t high, Link trusted his abilities. He knew that whatever he handed to him would be settled without a problem. Currently, Carrido had become an important helper of his like Lucy and the other mercenaries. As long as the matter was related to magic, Link would always entrust it to Carrido without any hesitation.

Soon afterwards, Carrido arrived.

“My lord, what happened?” he asked.

Link pointed at the soil sample on the table and smiled.

“That giant magic puppet dug that precious thing out of the ground,” he told Carrido. “Come and look at it. It’s anti-magic soil.”

Carrido’s face immediately brightened up. All this time, he’d been working for Link and had seen and learned many things in a short span of time. He knew full well how valuable this type of soil was.

Carrido stepped forward and examined the soil carefully.

“My lord, this is an excellent high-quality anti-magic soil,” he said. “It is of very high purity. We can sell it as it is for ten gold coins per ton, or we could turn it into higher-value products and sell them at 50 gold coins per ton or more. Where was it found, my lord? I’d like to go there and take a look.”

It seemed that Carrido had taken the affairs of the Ferde Wilderness as his own affairs now. Although he was still learning magic, his priorities had slightly shifted now. He found that as a magic officer, there was no need for him to have the deepest knowledge in magic. What he needed to pay more attention to was to properly carry out Link’s affairs and business.

Carrido was highly optimistic about Link’s future, so he was sure that as long as he carried out his duties as Link’s magic officer well, his own future would be bright as well.

“He knows the exact location,” said Link, pointing at Ero. “Follow him.”

“Let’s go, then!” said Ero enthusiastically.

Once he’d seen Carrido, an idea popped up in Ero’s mind.

Maybe this anti-magic soil is my chance to shine as well, he thought.

Ero’s talents could only be regarded as slightly above average. He’d turned thirty this year but was still only a Level-2 Magician. In the future, he estimated that he’d only rise up at most to Level-4, so why should he waste away in the academy? Why couldn’t he come out and have a better future working with the genius Magician Link instead?

With this idea in mind, Ero eagerly took Carrido to the location where they discovered the anti-magic soil. Along the way, he kept asking questions about Carrido’s roles in Link’s estate.

Corrido was no fool; he knew instantly from Ero’s attitude that the Magician had the idea of coming to work with Lord Link in his mind. Although he didn’t mind that, he also felt slightly threatened by this.

I guess I can’t neglect my studies in magic now! Carrido realized. Sooner or later there will be more and more Magicians coming here looking to work for Lord Link. If I don’t upgrade my skills, then soon enough I’ll be squeezed out of the core position in Lord Link’s workforce. Then I’d be in trouble!

With this thought in mind, Carrido suddenly turned to another direction and headed towards Jacker’s camp.

“Hey, you’re going the wrong way!” said Ero, slightly confused by Carrido’s actions.

“I know,” replied Carrido with a smile. “But I think Lord Link would want to know the specific volume of the soil, so I should go find some mercenaries to help us make the right estimates.”

Ero was impressed with Carrido’s shrewdness.

His magic skills are at a lower level than mine, Ero thought. But he seems to be much more efficient and practical than I am. I have much to learn from him.

“Wait for me!” shouted Ero as he quickened his footsteps and tried to catch up to Carrido.

With these thoughts in their minds, the two people naturally worked in a more motivated state and thus got the job done much quicker too.

Seven hours later, a preliminary report about the anti-magic soil was placed on Link’s desk.

“My lord,” said Carrido, visibly excited, “according to our preliminary estimates, the field that contained the anti-magic soil has an area of about 2000 acres and an average depth of more than a hundred feet. We weren’t able to reach the deepest limits where the soil could be found, but it is definitely more than 200 feet. The most conservative estimate of the anti-magic soil’s total weight was about 70 million tons or so.”

Seventy million tons wasn’t a bad figure at all. If the news of this discovery spread out through the kingdom, the price of anti-magic soil would probably nosedive and would probably be sold at the same price as cabbages.

But still, even if the price dropped to a few silver coins per ton, Link would still be able to earn quite a fortune from the anti-magic soil.

Viewed from an individual’s point of view, these numbers might seem large and impressive, but Link’s main goal was to build a magic capital where all things related to magic would be focused here. In that case, he would still need a lot more gold coins.

“In that case,” said Link, “work together with Lucy and set up an exploratory team.” He decided to dig the soil and just sell it as it was. Right now, he still had about 70,000 gold coins left, but the construction on his estate was going on at a rapid pace, and his gold coins were used up at an alarming rate. He must now find a stable source of income as soon as possible.

“Yes, my lord!” answered Carrido. “I’ll see to it immediately!” He then promptly rushed out of the room and went to work straight away.

Link leaned back in his chair. He wasn’t thinking about the soil at all but was instead ruminating about the magnetic island he found in the sea.

The gyromagnetic iron would make a good source of income as well, thought Link. Unfortunately, the island isn’t in my estate’s territory. Once I’ve settled everything here, I must establish a navy troop and colonize the island!

It wouldn’t hurt to earn more gold coins, anyway.

Chapter 214: The Chariot Overturns

It was impossible to hide the news that a giant mine of anti-magic soil was found in the Ferde Wilderness. It was as though a giant boulder was thrown into a small pond. The ripples would quickly spread in all directions.

For an ordinary lord—to have chanced upon a goldmine like this would definitely make them go slightly insane and drunk with happiness.

However, Link was an exception.

In his eyes, these gold coins were merely tools for the construction of his capital of magic. His final goal was to accumulate a strength powerful enough to turn the tide of any battle around. The day the anti-magic soil was discovered, Link calmly analyzed the situation and decisively mounted Dorias and headed directly to Hot Springs City, the capital of the Norton Kingdom.

The benefits from the anti-magic soil were far too great. If he chose to hoard all the benefits, he might be in trouble and end up not getting any.

For starters, King Leon would definitely demand a portion of the economic benefits. This was due to the war the kingdom was in against the Dark Elves. The war expenses had reached an all-time high, and the kingdom had never been so in need of money. If Link decided to resist this demand, his future as a Magician might be jeopardized.

Furthermore, if optimistically he could really hoard all the economic benefits for himself, his reputation would also suffer a huge blow. He would be branded as a cheapskate or a Scrooge.

How would he gain more followers then?

After some consideration, Link decided to take the initiative and head to the capital before the news spread.

As Dorias was a magical beast, he naturally could not enter the capital.

Link made Dorias stop in the Girvent Forest right outside the capital and said, “Linger around here for these next few days. Don’t go too far away though. I might need to be here for a few days.”

“No problem,” Dorias said, and he was in fact, elated. From his knowledge, there were also creatures of the tiger species in the Girvent Forest. Although they did not belong to the family of Wind Tigers, Dorias could not care less. He then hopped away ecstatically.

Link then walked into Hot Springs City after donning a robe. Upon reaching the entrance, Link saw an eye-catching conscription notice attached to the bulletin board. A large group of onlookers was attracted to this news board as well. From their accent, one could tell that they came from other provinces.

Link decided to stop and listen to what they had to say.

“I heard that the kingdom had won many wars and many civilians have been given the title of a knight.”

“I’ve heard similar things. A man in the neighboring village rode into his hometown on a large horse while wearing shiny battle armor. He looked amazing!”

“The king is really generous. Two gold coins for a basic salary every month while killing a Dark Elf would garner you five gold coins right away!”

After ten minutes, Link felt shaken by the common conception amongst the civilians. He realized that only the superficial and good news were being conveyed to the civilians, carefully packaged to seem alluring and enticing. Link heard no discussion on the fact that 20000 people died in the war as well as rumors of a stalemate.

The kingdom had also used gold coins as their main tactic to attract men into the army. Two gold coins per month would mean 24 gold coins per year. There were at least 100000 soldiers in the kingdom’s army. This meant that the kingdom needed 200000 gold coins per month just to pay off their military expenses. Link had not even considered food, equipment, and compensation, all of which required a great amount of money as well.

Link then walked into the city and was horrified to hear even more misleading news.

“Have you heard? Those Dark Elf bastards dared to resist us! They are simply courting death!”

“Relax! We will definitely secure victory. Just like before, the Dark Elves are merely struggling till their deathbeds.”

“Oh, have you heard? There will be some Dark Elves slaves arriving in the next few days. I’ve heard that the Dark Elven ladies have skin as pure and white as jade. Hehe.”

“Have you heard…”

The rumors all had one similarity—they were simply too optimistic. The citizens had not considered the possibility of failure. Link could finally understand Eliard’s woes. Eliard’s concerns were extremely accurate—the entire kingdom had fallen into a state of frenzied optimism. Link could see the kingdom as a speeding chariot on the road to nowhere, possibly even a dead end.

This scene was extremely shocking. When he reached the gate of the palace, he felt an unexpected chill on his back. He tapped it lightly with his hand and realized he had been breaking out in a cold sweat. This was not due to his fear, but due to his awareness. He had been too aware and could clearly see where the kingdom was heading towards.

Link walked forward in a trance and suddenly heard the sounds of clanging metal. The guards at the gate had blocked his path with their weapons.

“This is forbidden grounds to unauthorized personnel!” The guards frowned at Link.

Link pulled down his hood and allowed the Flame Controller Robe to emit a crimson red hue before speaking. “I am Magician Link. I request an audience with the king.”

Link’s expression was way too terrifying, and his name was even more so. The guards immediately bowed with respect and said, “Sir, please wait for a moment. I will report your arrival immediately.”

They then ran at full speed into the palace.

Ten minutes later, the guard returned with a Kingsguard Knight following behind. The moment Link’s face came into view, he was also taken by surprise and bowed, “I am Olaf, in charge of the Kingsguard Knight. Sir, please come with me. The king is waiting.”

Link’s achievements were made known to the entire higher echelons of the kingdom’s security forces. News of a Level-9 Magician would strike fear into anyone’s heart, much less the presence of one. Link simply nodded and followed Olaf deeper into the palace.

Link had walked through this path before. He followed the familiar path forward and quickly arrived at the parliament hall. There were two people in the hall. One of them was King Leon, while the other was Kingdom Magician Grinth.

In just a few months, Link felt that King Leon had gained many strands of white hair. His forehead seemed to have a permanent crease over it as well, exuding a lethargic demeanor. While Grinth looked slightly better, he was also not in good shape.

“It seems like the war in the North is going even worse than what Eliard had imagined.

Link interrupted their thoughts. “My King, Master Grinth,” Link said as he walked up and gave a slight bow. As they were both Master Magicians, he did not need to give a full formal greeting.

King Leon and Grinth bowed in return. Leon then signaled to the servant at his side. With a wave of his fingers, the servant immediately took a chair and placed it behind Link.

After Link sat down, King Leon finally smiled and asked, “Master Link, I’ve heard that you have been busy with the development of your territory. What brings a busy person like you here today?”

Link smiled in return, “It is precisely because of my territory that I’m here.”

King Leon then frowned. “What happened to the territory? Do you need more funds?”

In the past, King Leon would have been absolutely willing to support Link. However, now that the war in the North was not going well, the finances of the kingdom were in bad shape. He did not have any spare money to aid Link in his quest.

In fact, he was troubled over the military expenses for the next month.

Link could detect the minor changes in King Leon’s expression. He was not at all surprised at his concerns. A war required a great deal of funding. The war in the North had already lasted for six months. Despite the kingdom’s vast reserves, six months of continuous spending would more or less empty out all the finances.

Link then took out a sample of the anti-magic soil from his dimensional pendant and passed it to the servant. He said, “Sir, this is anti-magic soil that I discovered in my territory. From the looks of it, we have it in large reserves.”

“What?” King Leon was suddenly jolted out of his fatigue. “What did you say? You found anti-magic soil in your territory? A huge reserve of it as well?”

At that moment, the servant brought the sample to King Leon. He merely gave it a few glances before handing it over the Grinth.

Grinth carefully observed the soil and confirmed, “Sir, this is high-quality anti-magic soil. Such a product can probably sell for ten gold coins per ton on the market right now.”

King Leon’s eyes glowed at those words. He looked at Link and hastily inquired, “Master Link, you mentioned a great reserve?”

“Yes, probably around 70 million tons,” Link replied.

King Leon and Grinth both gasped at this number. If this anti-magic soil could be sold for ten gold coins per ton, 70 million tons was a terrifying amount. Although the revenue from this product could not be calculated simply like that, it would definitely still be a substantial amount.

However, another problem followed. The Ferde Wilderness belonged to Link. As it was Link’s territory, anything that was discovered on that land would naturally belong to him as well. The kingdom would have no say in the issue.

King Leon immediately regretted giving the entire Ferde Wilderness away back then. If he had known, he would have kept that gold mine for himself. But now that it had come to this, it was useless to dwell on it any further.

Grinth was in a better state of mind and asked, “Master Link, so the aim of your visit is…?”

Link then took out a document that he prepared and handed it to King Leon using the Magician’s Hand as he said, “Sir, this is a huge piece of revenue. I know that the kingdom now requires a huge amount of wealth for the war. This is a transfer agreement. I am willing to transfer 60% of all proceeds from the sale of this anti-magic soil to the kingdom as a form of support.”

If this were during peacetime, Link would probably only transfer 20% or even none at all. If it were an ordinary war, Link would transfer 40% of all proceeds. However, as he had knowledge of the future, he knew that this was a war between the light and dark forces where the human race might even face extinction. Therefore, Link decided to transfer 60% of all proceeds to support the war in the North, hoping that they could at least hold out for a while longer.

King Leon was pleasantly shocked. Ecstasy flashed through his eyes followed by an expression of disbelief. Why would anyone in this world hand over such great wealth willingly? Sixty percent would mean that out of the 70 million tons of anti-magic soil, 40 million would belong to the kingdom. With this money, his problems with the military expenses would be settled.

Although Link had already brought the documents with his Duke’s stamp on it, Leon was still in disbelief. He said, “Master, isn’t this…a bit too much?”

Even if Link were to keep this a secret, the moment Leon knew of this gold mine, he would still use various means such as taxation to reap economic benefits off Link. However, now that Link was so willing to part with his wealth, King Leon felt embarrassed by his generosity.

Being offered money and getting it through sinister means were two completely different approaches after all.

Furthermore, Link had generously transferred 60% of the proceedings. He had originally only expected 40% as it was, after all, Link’s territory.

Link spoke in a serious tone, “Sir, from the incident at Gladstone, I have come to realize that human lives are worth less than weeds to the Dark Elves. The war in the North holds the fate of the human race. It cannot fail. My power is limited, and I cannot give much practical help. Now that I have discovered this anti-magic soil, I naturally want to help.”

Those were Link’s heartfelt words. He also needed a stable environment for the development of his territory. Hence, spending some money to ensure stability and peace was actually part of his plan. They complemented each other perfectly.

King Leon was extremely grateful!

If someone merely gave slight aid to the kingdom, Leon would be happy, though he would not remember this incident for life. However, Link’s offer was a timely rescue package in the midst of a financial crisis. The kingdom recently suffered a defeat in the North, and the situation was at the worst since the war.

With this huge amount of money, he could now purchase supplies from the northern countries and seek assistance from Dawn Island. He could even recruit soldiers from other races to join his army.

All in all, with such a large sum of money, his confidence in the war was restored!

King Leon stood up from his throne and felt his eyes getting moist. It had been years since he felt this way. He muttered, “Master Link, the kingdom…I am…”

He choked on his words and seemed to be unable to continue.

Link could tell how King Leon felt and immediately interrupted, “Sir, the document would be my vouch. The first proceeds will soon arrive. I have other things to take care of and shall take my leave now. Please excuse me.”

Link then got up to leave without waiting for Leon’s reply.

As Link was about to leave the parliament hall, Leon suddenly shouted, “Master Link, wait!”

“Anything else?” Link asked.

King Leon exchanged glances with Grinth. After Grinth nodded, Leon said, “There have been some surprises in the North. I think you need to know this.”

“Oh?” Link raised his eyebrows. He knew that his generous move had paved the way for his entrance into the core layer of the Norton Kingdom.

Chapter 215: The Dark Serpent, the Lady of Darkness’ Noose

Link returned to his seat and waited for King Leon to speak.

“Leave the hall,” ordered King Leon to the attendants and courtiers.

Everyone promptly got up and left, while the last person to leave closed the great door behind them. King Leon then turned to Grinth who was still beside him.

“Master Grinth,” he ordered, “let Master Link see the Magic Image.”

Grinth nodded and took out a scroll. He used the Magician’s Hand to push it towards Link, who then opened it up and studied it for a while. Link discovered that there were brownish red traces of blood on the scroll which showed a detailed image of a Dark Elf. The background of the image was a dark and gloomy forest, while the Dark Elf was covered all over with leather armor and was wearing a masked hood on his head. Only the Dark Elf’s eyes were exposed, and he was in a lunging position which made the bloodthirst in those eyes even more pronounced.

At first glance, there didn’t seem to be anything special about this Dark Elf. But as he studied it closely, Link found spotted some anomalies. The most obvious thing he noticed was the eyes, which were dark red like any other Dark Elf’s. But, the more he examined it, the more clearly he could see the tiny magic runes on the pupils of those eyes. The Dark Elf’s hands were strange as well—they weren’t ordinary fingers but were claws instead, and the nails were as sharp as a beast’s.

“That is a magic image sent back from MI3,” Grinth said. “A Magician sacrificed his own life to get it.”

Link was immediately stunned the moment he saw the image because he already knew what it was. Still, he maintained a calm expression.

“Is this Dark Elf powerful?” asked Link.

“Very powerful!” answered Grinth with a grave voice.

King Leon sat there on the throne with a deep frown on his face, saying absolutely nothing. This revelation came as no surprise to Link at all. In the game, the army of Norton Kingdom never won any battle where this type of Dark Elf Assassin appeared.

But Link must keep the pretense that he knew none of this.

“Please explain,” he said to Grinth.

This time, it was King Leon who answered him.

“The information we got from the MI3 is that this type of Dark Elf is very fast, possesses robust and sturdy Battle Aura, and are wild and bloodthirsty in nature. Their individual strength is equivalent to a Level-6 Warrior, and they tend to act in groups. They almost seem tireless and could be active for days without rest. They specialize in assassinating our officers in the army or the Battle Mages. The MI3 had tried to set traps to capture them, but so far we’d lost more than a hundred elite members of MI3 without capturing any of them. This image is the only thing we’ve got for now.”

Link nodded and looked down at the image again. Although the image was very clear, it still wasn’t detailed enough for Link, so he cast the Eagle’s Eye spell and continued to examine it even closer. While studying the image, Link raised his wand and started drawing with it in the air.

A white light appeared at the tip of Link’s wand; it was as if the air was his drawing board. The wand moved in the air and left indelible light markings in its trail. About a minute or so later, Link stopped drawing with his wand, while in the air he left a circular magic seal that contained about a hundred magic runes.

Then, something strange happened.

The shadows in the darkest corner of the hall gradually expanded, and the magic lamps seemed to be shrouded in a layer of black fog, dimming the lights considerably. It now felt as if a black mist permeated through the whole hall.

King Leon was visibly disturbed by this change.

“These are…dark runes!” exclaimed Grinth in alarm. “Master Link, what’s going on here?”

Link waved his hand at the magic seal to scatter the runes. He’d just used a virtual simulation technique he found in Vance’s notebook. It wasn’t a very powerful technique, but it did look impressive to those who’d never seen it.

Once the magic runes in the air disappeared, the black mist in the hall vanished, and everything returned to normal.

“These runes are on the pupils of the Dark Elf in this image,” explained Link. “I don’t know its specific roles, but judging from the bizarre effects it produced just now, we can assume that the Dark Elf’s body has been transformed by dark magic in some way.”

Grinth gasped.

“Do you mean to say that the Dark Elf was transformed by the occult?” he asked.

Grinth’s tones had changed now when he addressed Link. He used to think that Link was just too young to have a deep understanding of the magic theories. But from what he’d seen so far, he was forced to acknowledge him as a true Master Magician and regard him as an equal.

“Yes, the occult,” replied Link, “but not just the ordinary kind of occultic magic. You see, there were no concrete connections between the magic runes I’ve just drawn earlier. That’s completely inconsistent with the universal rule in normal magic runes. It’s as if their mere existence was enough to influence the dark elements in the environment, which means that they are incredibly powerful.”

Grinth’s face turned as white as a sheet. He could already guess the meaning of Link’s explanation but was too afraid to be sure about it.

“You mean they’re…”

“They’re not just normal dark runes,” said Link. “They’re divine dark runes!” The former came from the powers of mere mortals, but the latter came from the gods of darkness, and the difference of power levels between the two was as vast as the sky!

“But if they truly are divine dark runes,” said Grinth, “then only a priest can create them. How can a mortal Priest create such a powerful divine spell?”

The divine spell was powerful enough to turn a group of fighters into Level-6 Assassins. This frightening level of power was unheard of in the Realm of Light!

“That is true,” continued Link, “an ordinary divine spell would require a priest as the mediator to take effect. Because priests are mere mortals, the power of divine spells would be greatly reduced. To create a Level-6 Dark Elf Assassin would require an enormous amount of power and energy that it would simply be impractical. Therefore, my guess is that they’ve somehow got their hands on a dark god-level device.”

Link’s tone was very plain as if he was simply stating dry facts from a textbook. But he’d constructed a theory with almost irrefutable logic and finally came to an earth-shattering conclusion—a dark god-level device!

If these words leaked out of this hall, they would have enough power to set off a storm of chaos in the whole Norton Kingdom or even the whole Realm of Light. In Firuman history, whenever a god-level device appeared, it would surely mean that the entire world was about to usher in a huge change that could possibly change the world forever.

So far, no one had discovered any god-level devices in the Realm of Light. The most powerful device would be the holy-level device called the Holy Grail which was preserved in a Church of Light in the holy city of Sarana.

Even though Grinth already knew that Link was right, he still wanted to cling to the last thread of hope and refused to believe it.

“But who would be willing to sacrifice so much just to bring the god-level device to this world?”

While the existence of god-level devices was undeniable, because of their unworldly power, it was against all the rules of the Firuman kingdoms to bring it to this world. Thus, maintaining the existence of such a device would require unimaginable resources and energy. Once this energy was exhausted, the god-level device would be immediately squeezed out of this plane of reality.

Thus, in the mortal world, a holy-level device was the most powerful device that could stably exist.

Link sighed. He knew who was responsible for bringing the god-level device into this world, and he knew the consequences as well.

In the game, this dark god-level device was called the “Dark Serpent, the Lady of Darkness’ Noose,” and it was the Spider Queen Lolth’s weapon. The only reason why it could be brought to the mortal world was because the Dark Elves had sacrificed 10,000 souls when they attacked Gladstone.

But the Change of the Bloody Moon didn’t happen in this world, yet the Dark Elves still managed to bring about this god-level device. There could only be one explanation for this, that is that they’ve found another race of people to sacrifice!

“I think,” Link whispered, “the Dark Elves must’ve used the sacrificial method to bring this device to the mortal world.”

“Sacrificial method? To summon a god-level device?” asked Grinth, still incredulous. “But that would need at least 10,000 souls!”

Link only replied with one word.

“Gladstone.”

The word sent a chill down Grinth’s spine. Kin Leon refused to understand it at first, but after a while, all the blood was drained from his face, and his face looked pallid.

Yes, a year ago the Dark Elves had plotted a sneak attack on the town of Gladstone. It was an atrocious plan, but even though some people were sent to investigate the Dark Elves’ true motives behind such an act, no convincing conclusions had ever been reached.

But now, Link had made step-by-step deductions through the existence of the dark runes in the Dark Elf’s eyes and concluded that there must be a dark god-level device in the mortal world. Thus, he’d now found the horrifying reason behind the attack in Gladstone.

The Dark Elves had attempted to massacre the innocent souls in Gladstone and sacrifice them to summon the dark god-level device then use it to launch an all-out war on the Realm of Light.

If the Dark Elves’ plan had been successful, then the Norton Kingdom would be suffering the most brutal blow by now. Any possibility of a counterattack or minor victories would merely be a joke then.

There was still one last shred of doubt in King Leon’s mind.

“Master Link,” he asked, “are these all just your guesses?”

Link nodded. He couldn’t deny that he had absolutely no proof to back up his claims no matter how sure he was of the truth in them.

“But, Your Majesty,” Link said, “there is a simple way to confirm my theory. We only need to investigate whether there were any other massacres in the North. They can’t hide such a thing completely. Maybe the MI3 could find some traces of…”

Before Link could finish his sentence, King Leon slumped hopelessly into the throne. Cold beads of sweat saturated his forehead, and his eyes turned as dark and bleak as a storm. Link’s words must have been a great blow to him, even though Link wasn’t exactly sure why.

Link turned to Grinth for the explanation but soon found that even the Master Magician wasn’t in the best condition himself. His face was ashen gray, and both of his hands were gripping his wand. It seemed as if all his senses took leave of his body and all he wished for was death.

“What’s going on?” asked Link.

Grinth chuckled cynically for a long time before answering Link. His laugh sounded more like a grievous cry when Link listened to it.

“Actually,” said Grinth in a hoarse and bleak voice, “we’ve received some reports from the North. Have you heard of the Icefield Barbarians?”

“Yes,” answered Link. “They are a race of people who lived for generations on the Icefield Island and they hunt whales for a living.” He’d read about them in books, but these people were primitive and did not participate much in the affairs between kingdoms, so no one paid much attention to them.

“Well,” continued Grinth, “three months earlier, our army received pleas for help from these people. They said that the demons had descended upon their island and massacred most of its inhabitants. They were hoping that we’d be able to help them. No one took it seriously at the time because they were just barbarians. Besides, our army was already engaged in a plan to wage war against the Dark Elves…But who would’ve thought…Who would’ve thought that things would turn out this way!”

In other words, the Icefield Barbarians had been massacred instead of the citizens of Norton Kingdom. As a result, the dark god-level device was here, and the Norton Kingdom had to suffer the apocalyptic consequences that were to come.

What a sign of karma at work!

King Leon rubbed the corners of his eyes with his fingers, wiping away the tears that he’d quietly shed. He then turned to Link and spoke to him almost with a tone of humility.

“Master Link,” he began, almost as a plea, “do you think we have any chance to win this war?”

The young Magician had displayed incredible wisdom and insight in front of his eyes. He’d managed to guess the Dark Elves’ terrible plots with the minimal number of clues and infer the existence of a dark god-level device while staying calm and collected through it all.

The existence of such a figure made King Leon slightly hopeful. Perhaps there was some truth to the rumors that he was the God of Light’s Chosen One. Perhaps this young man could one day save the Realm of Light.

Link didn’t say whether they could win or not.

“Your Majesty,” said Link, waving the blood-stained scroll that contained the image of the Dark Elf in his hand, “the future cannot be predicted. Whether we win or lose depends on our present efforts. We haven’t yet reached the lowest point, so, first of all, we must capture the Occult Dark Elf Assassin and study its weakest points. Then we’ll be able to handle the dark god-level device. Do you agree with me, Your Majesty?”

“But these Dark Elves are too strong,” said King Leon, “and their combat skills are at an unimaginable level. They work in groups, and they move incredibly fast. Even the Dawn Swordsman Karnose couldn’t capture any of them.”

The Dawn Swordsman Karnose, a Level-8 Warrior, was the strongest Warrior in the Norton Kingdom and perhaps in the entire human realm. He’d always been stationed in the palace, but judging from the king’s words, he must’ve been sent to the battlefield in the North too. This just proved how dire the situation had become for the Norton Kingdom!

Link interlaced his fingers in front of his chest and fell into silent contemplation for a few seconds.

“I will go north myself,” said Link finally.

“Huh?” King Leon and Grinth looked at each other in shock. Ever since defeating the Level-8 demon Tarviss, Link was recognized by the whole Realm of Light as the most powerful Battle Mage. What a formidable team they would make if he could work together with the Dawn Swordsman!

It could be said that if these two couldn’t succeed after working together, then no one else in the whole realm could either!

“When can you make the journey, Master Link?” asked Grinth.

“I would need a week to get my affairs in order before leaving,” Link answered.

“Of course! Of course!” said the king, he’d stood up in excitement by now. “Please let me know what I can do for you, Master Link. I’ll do my best to satisfy you!”

“Then please make sure no one knows of my movements and whereabouts, Your Majesty,” said Link.

Link was hesitant to go north himself, but it seemed that Norton Kingdom’s army was about to collapse in defeat in front of his eyes. Link could no longer stay out of the action and do nothing at this point.

Chapter 216: Crafting a New Magic Wand

After exiting the parliament hall, Link followed behind Grinth and went straight towards the Mage Tower in the palace. He wanted to borrow the enchanting chamber in the Mage Tower to craft a new wand.

In the Norton Kingdom, the strongest Mage Tower would be the Heaven’s Thorn, which lay in the East Cove Higher Magic Academy. The one next in line would be the royal palace Mage Tower which Link was heading to.

This Mage Tower belonged to the royal Abel family and was situated in the heart of the capital. The extent of this Mage Tower was thus directly related to the reputation of the royal family. It was extravagantly decorated with a famous rooftop garden at the top of the spiraling tower. Flowers on the rooftop garden would be changed every month to ensure that they stayed in season and in bloom.

The Mage Tower hence got its name, the Miracle Garden.

After entering the Mage Tower, Link saw many royal Magicians clad in silver white robes. These Magicians were all at least Level-3 in strength and had a complacent expression on their face, especially those who were young. Despite their respectful bows towards Link, a trace of disdain could be seen in their eyes.

That expression seemed to be saying, “While I am inferior now, I might become stronger than you in a few years.”

All of them seemed to scoff at the Storm Lord sword that hung from Link’s waist, their glances deliberate and arrogant.

A Magician carrying a sword around—what an invalid.

This was understandable.

Magicians who were able to become official Royal Magicians were all genius in their own right. Even students from East Cove Higher Magic Academy looked forward to becoming a member of the Miracle Garden one day.

It would be even more amazing if one were young. Coupled with their ambitious attitude, it was completely normal to behave that way after seeing Link. Link did not feel anything from their gazes.

Grinth, on the other hand, was afraid that Link would be unhappy. When they met the third arrogant young Magician, he whispered, “Master Link, they are all young people and may be a bit unthoughtful. But they are all good people at heart.”

As he spoke, he seemed to have forgotten that Link was actually even younger. In fact, many Magicians were still apprentices when they were Link’s age.

Link merely smiled and said, “No harm. It’s just a small matter.”

Under the defiant and brazen gazes, Link entered the main enchanting chamber of the rooftop garden. The enchanting chamber had many professional tools. Grinth took Link around the enchanting chamber while introducing their facilities. He saw a spectrometer, an intricate Higgs Field machine arm, an extractor, and many other high-end enchanting tools. He was extremely satisfied.

Grinth introduced with pride, “This is the best enchanting chamber in the entire kingdom. Even Weissmuller’s Cauldron of the Gods back in East Cove Higher Magic Academy cannot compare. Let’s not even talk about the Southern Magician Alliance. Their enchanting skills are simply inferior.”

This was the truth. However, this did not mean that the South was useless. There was a saying, “Intricate Enchanting of the North, Euphoric Alchemy of the South.” They simply focused on different aspects of magic.

“Then, I will get started,” Link said.

“Alright, please get busy. If you require any materials, as long as we have it in our stores, I will retrieve it for you. Even if we don’t have them, we will procure it for you as soon as possible.”

Link nodded, “I will inform you in due time.”

Grinth then shut the door to the enchanting chamber behind him.

Complete silence then descended onto the enchanting chamber. Link did not proceed to craft the wand immediately. He first carefully took out all the materials he had from the dimensional pendant—the Fire Star Thorium, the Hedel High-Grade Fire Crystal, Broken Moon Gold and ten other rare materials. Apart from the Fire Star Thorium which was a gift from Lady Fortuna Elin, the rest of them were from Vance’s treasured collection.

Link then took out a scroll and an exquisite quill before recollecting himself and starting on a design for his new wand.

The situation in the North was changing rapidly. He thus only gave himself one week of preparation time. It was impossible for him to learn another strong spell in this time. Hence, in order to improve his strength as much as possible, he could only improve the weapon he was using.

The weapons that Magicians used were none other than magic wands. The Starcatcher had already been phased out ever since Link attained far greater powers. It was time to craft a new one.

Link quickly got into a state of concentration and squinted his eyes as he poured his creativity into the design. While he was designing the wand, the properties of the various materials he would be using, the magic notes of the various masters in the academy, the unparalleled wisdom in Vance’s magic books, and the impossibly difficult space-time thesis that he was writing flashed through his mind.

Link’s mind was just like a huge melting pot, and his knowledge was the various ores that were being thrown into this incinerating solution that was Link’s burning wisdom. These ores were quickly melted and fused together, eventually forming a flawless piece of alloy.

Time passed in the enchanting chamber as Link sat there seemingly motionless. After 30 hours, Link finally put down the last stroke onto the paper.

Looking at the design of the wand on the scroll, Link sighed, “It’s done.”

For an ordinary enchanter, the enchanting process was probably the most important part of crafting a wand. However, for a master enchanter like Link who wanted his wand to achieve the Epic rank, the most important process was the design.

After the design was done, all that was left was the physical labor.

He was still lacking in a few materials. Link hence approached Grinth and gave him a list of materials that he needed. Grinth stared at the list as his eyebrows raised ever so slightly. He did not give an answer right away. The problem lay not so much in the price of the material, but the difficulty of even finding some of them.

“Is there a problem?” Link asked.

“Not a problem. Please give me a moment while I procure them for you.” Grinth left quickly. This concerned the fate of the kingdom, and he would make sure Link got all the materials he needed.

After concentrating for over 30 hours, Link was feeling slightly tired. He took the time to rest as Grinth was looking for the materials. He cast an Elemental Healing spell on himself before rubbing his forehead gently. He then closed his eyes and sat in a chair for a short nap.

Four hours later, Grinth came back breathlessly with a beautiful wooden box in his hand. “Master Link, I have finally gathered the materials. Please take a look.”

Link opened the wooden box and did a comprehensive check. He then nodded in satisfaction. “That is very complete. Thank you.”

“That’s nice to hear. Please continue,” Grinth panted as he said. He was already over 60 years old. All that running he had to do while procuring these materials had taken a toll on him.

Link once again did not start immediately after returning to the enchanting chamber. He decided to first familiarize himself with the tools that he had not used before. Although they were slightly more comprehensive than the ones he was used to, they operated on the same basic principles. Link tested them out separately and only started after he was fully familiar with their workings.

Each material was analyzed, deconstructed, and treated with magic. Link was extremely focused the entire time, his eyes unblinking and his hands steadily maneuvering across the different materials. His movements were so coherent that it felt like a stream of flowing water.

As time slowly passed, the wand started taking form.

Link had completely lost track of time. Just when he felt he was at his physical limit, the magic wand in his hand emitted a slight tinkling sound. Following which, a crimson light enveloped the wand, and many flaming runes appeared in the air.

The runes quickly multiplied and spun at high speed around the wand. They revolved faster and faster till one could no longer see the runes individually. They now looked just like circles of light circling outside the wand. In this dome of light, the wand floated in the air and buzzed with a soothing sound. A myriad of crimson brilliance then started emanating from the wand. These lights looked like silk threads and multiplied around the wand, eventually forming a pupae of flames.

Link seemed to be completely unsurprised by this phenomenon. He merely stepped back and observed the scene with satisfaction. This phenomenon lasted for a whole minute before the pupae of flames suddenly burst open. A flaming crystal wand then appeared in the air.

The whole wand seamlessly fused together and had a translucent, royal texture to it. Countless fire runes circulated within the internal structure of the wand and a fine burst of red light would occasionally appear on the exterior. One look at the wand was enough to impress anyone.

It was simply gorgeous!

The amalgamation of countless rare and treasured materials together with Link’s skills and wisdom had resulted in an Epic wand bound to shake the World of Firuman to its very core.

“Oh?” a surprised voice rang in Link’s mind. It was the voice of the sword spirit of the Storm Lord. He continued, “This wand is not too bad. It is pretty interesting.”

After the Storm Lord commented on the wand, he then asked, “I have a question.”

“Speak”. Link rubbed his forehead, feeling slightly lethargic.

“I have at least seen tens of thousands of people from your territory all the way to the capital. However, I have not found a single person strong enough. In fact, they are all weaker than you. What happened to this world?”

Link took some time to reply due to his fatigue and said, “I have no idea as well. If you want answers, look for them yourself.”

“Alright then. What a peculiar era.” After the sword spirit said this, he stopped talking for good.

Link then held his wand in his hand. The moment he touched the wand, new information appeared in his field of vision.

Player has crafted an Epic wand. Omni Points + 100. Please name the wand.

Link thought for a moment and said, “Burning Wrath of Heavens.”

He then saw a flash before information of his new wand appeared in front of him.

Burning Wrath of Heavens

Quality: Epic

Effect 1: Increases strength of elemental spells by 150%.

Effect 2: Increases the speed of concentrated fire elements by 200%.

Effect 3: Able to activate the Flaming Surge effect. Under this effect, the caster can choose to deplete 1500 Mana Points to instantaneously cast a Level-7 fire-element spell. The strength of this spell will be increased by 300%. (The charging time for this effect will be ten Level-5 fire elemental spells)

(Note: The work of Master Enchanter Link)

This was a wand that Link crafted especially for himself. Effect two would be used to replace the effects of the Domingo Crystal, while effect three would ensure that Link had a powerful spell in his arsenal to tide him through a crisis. As long as he could successfully cast ten fire elemental spells that were above Level-5 in strength, the Flaming Surge effect would be recharged. This effect was even stronger than the Dark Arbiter staff that Morestern carried!

As he felt the warm, mellow touch of the wand, Link let out a sigh of satisfaction. This was really a priceless treasure!

Link walked out of the enchanting chamber after resting for a moment. After walking only a distance of 30 feet, Link saw a white-haired old man staggering up the stairs. It was not Grinth, but Anthony, the dean of the East Cove Higher Magic Academy.

“Dean?” Link was slightly puzzled.

Chapter 217: We Can’t Afford to Lose You!

A few months had gone past since Link last met the Dean Anthony. His hair had gone much grayer, and that natural charisma and dignity of his had clearly been somewhat weathered as well. Even his back was slightly bent now, revealing his old age as it never used to.

Obviously, the terrible war in the North had not only plagued the minds of King Leon and Grinth alone—even the dean of East Cove Academy had now sunk into deep melancholy because of it.

Because he walked with the aid of magical prosthetics, Anthony moved very slowly.

“I heard you’re going north,” said Anthony.

Link wasn’t surprised that the dean would know this. He was an important figure in the kingdom, while Link had been a student of the East Cove Academy. Naturally, Anthony had the right to know of his decision to go north.

Anthony walked up to Link and was about to say something when he was suddenly distracted by the wand in Link’s hand.

“What is that?” he asked.

“It’s my new wand,” answered Link. “I call it the Burning Wraths of the Heavens.” He then handed over the wand for the old dean to inspect.

Anthony carefully took the wand into both of his hands and examined it very closely. After ten long minutes, he gently stroked the wand and turned back to Link.

“This has to be the most powerful wand to be created in the last hundred years,” he said softly, full of awe. “The Burning Wraths of the Heavens—what an apt name!”

He then paused in silence for a few seconds before continuing.

“May I have the honor to add a suffix to its name?” asked the dean.

In normal circumstances, it would be an honor to the student if the dean bestowed a name to their wand. But now, the tables had turned. Anthony felt that it would be a great honor for him if he were allowed to name a wand so powerful from such an outstandingly talented student.

To Link, though, a name was just a name. This wasn’t the first epic-quality wand he’d created, and it wouldn’t be the last either. What the dean asked for was but a small request to him.

“Dean Anthony,” he said, pointing to the smooth surface of the wand, “you can engrave the name of the wand right here.”

Anthony was instantly glad to hear it. He thought silently for a while before activating the Higgs field and carefully carving elegant runic characters on the wand. There were 13 runes in total, and the full name of the wand was “The Burning Wraths of the Heavens, Scepter of the Flame Controller.”

Once the dean was done, Link looked at the wand again through the gaming system. He then noticed that the wand’s name had now changed to “The Burning Wraths of the Heavens, Scepter of the Flame Controller.”

Link thought the name sounded portentous enough. He liked it very much.

“I heard you’re going north,” said Anthony again after returning the wand to Link. “I’d planned to give you my wand to use on the battlefield, but now it seems that it would be unnecessary. Burning Wraths is a much better weapon for you.”

There were powerful wands, and there were weak wands, but the best wand for a Magician wasn’t necessarily the most powerful one. What was most important was that the wand suited the spellcaster’s individual strength. For instance, if Link were given a wand that specialized in secret spells, then it would be useless no matter how well-made it was.

“But I have something else for you,” continued the dean with a smile. “Here, it’s a vial of medicinal potion.”

As he spoke, Anthony slipped out a clear vial that was glowing red. Through the crystal surface, Link could see that the vial contained a similarly red potion inside it. What was more peculiar was how the potion seemed to exert a mysterious kind of pressure on Link as soon as the dean took it out.

“What is it?” asked Link. This time, it was his turn to be surprised. He did, in fact, know what kind of potion it was, but he just couldn’t believe that the dean would be so generous to him.

“This is an epic-quality potion called the Red Dragon Queen’s Blessing,” said the dean. “The previous dean, Level-9 Master Magician Ambron once saved the whole race of the Red Dragons more than 400 years ago. This potion was the gift the Red Dragon Queen bestowed upon him. There were three vials of this potion in total. 230 years ago, the Necromancer Andrew had launched an army of the undead to attack the Realm of Light, so one vial was used then. 156 years ago, the dragon, Aloz from the North went on a rampage, so the second vial was used up. Now there’s only one bottle left, and you should use it to protect yourself in the North.”

As the dean explained, a notification appeared on the interface.

Red Dragon Queen’s Blessing

Quality: Epic

Effects: After drinking this potion, the drinker will possess the essence of the Red Dragon and enter the Red Dragon Magician state for ten minutes.

Red Dragon Magician State: Instant spellcasting for all elemental spells of Level-7 and below. 500% increase in power of all elemental spells below Level-9.

Side Effects: Once the Red Dragon Magician State ends, the drinker of this potion will experience an elemental rejection state where the Magician will not be able to cast any elemental spells. This effect will last for a year.

(Note: Have a taste of the dragon’s power when you drink the potion!)

These effects…This potion was simply like a cheat code in games!

However, the side-effect of this potion was a bit harsh as well. For a Magician who specialized in fire-elemental spells like Link, not being able to use elemental spells for a year would mean that he would be completely powerless and vulnerable for a whole year.

But it would still be worth it though. Because, in that ten minutes when the potion took effect, it would be possible for a single Magician to completely reverse the power balance in a war and change a near defeat into a victory!

In the face of such a powerful potion, Link felt slightly hesitant to receive it.

“But Dean Anthony,” he protested, “this potion is too powerful for a Level-6 Magician like me. I’m afraid that I’ll only be wasting its immense potential.”

“No, you won’t waste it at all,” said Anthony, shoving the vial of potion into Link’s hand. “Take it first, then listen to me.”

Link had no other choice but to take the potion with both of his hands at the dean’s insistence. He could feel a burst of numb sensations in his palm as he held the vial. That was a testament to the potion’s incredible power.

“This potion has been stored in the Alchemist Tower all these years,” the dean explained. “The release of Tarviss had happened so unexpectedly that I didn’t have the time to take it. But now when I think about it, drinking this potion wouldn’t have been enough for me to defeat Tarviss anyway.”

Once he got to this point, he turned to look straight into Link’s eyes, and his tone turned graver as it had never been before.

“You saved the East Cove Magic Academy, Link,” said the dean. “You are qualified to use this potion. You’ll be encountering great dangers when you’re in the North. What I mean to say is this—any Warriors can die, even the elite ones. As a matter of fact, it wouldn’t matter much if the Dawn Swordsman Karnose died in battle. But you must live, Link! We cannot afford to lose you! You are Bryant’s true successor who will decide the fate of humanity. The kingdom needs your strength now, so I can’t stop you from going north, but I can still do my best to give you more power.”

Finally, the old dean patted Link’s shoulder.

“You are the pride of East Cove Academy, Link,” he said. “You must live!”

Link didn’t know how to respond to this, so he merely nodded.

“I will do my best,” he said briefly.

“I believe in you,” said the dean. He was about to reach out his hand to stroke Link’s head but changed his mind suddenly as he thought it might not be appropriate. So the dean just turned around and left.

Because the magical prosthetics weren’t very flexible, the dean walked very slowly and quite awkwardly. Link watched the dean’s back as he slowly walked away from him and he gripped the vial of potion in his hand tightly.

This was the real world now, not just a game. These responsibilities on his shoulders were very real too, and they felt immensely heavy.

After standing in the hallway for a long while, Link kept the potion in his storage pendant and walked out of the Miracle Garden. He then saw someone waiting for him in an East Cove Academy carriage outside the garden. When he approached the carriage, a woman climbed out of it—it was Herrera.

The Light Angel looked weak and as pale as a sheet as she approached Link.

“I hear you’re going north,” she said. “This is for you.”

Link took it and discovered that it was a rune stone. The rune stone’s surface glowed in a milky white light while pronounced Mana waves lingered in the air around it. This made Link’s hair stand on end. He knew that the rune stone contained a terrifying amount of power in it.

“If…if you get caught in danger and are unable to escape,” whispered Herrera in Link’s ear, “activate this stone, and you’ll find an endless amount of light energy in there.”

Link could clearly feel Herrera’s weakness from that distance. He knew that she must’ve paid a great price in order to get him this rune stone.

“I understand,” said Link simply with a nod of his head.

Herrera said nothing more. She just waved her hand at Link and walked back to the carriage. Link could see that Dean Anthony was sitting in the same carriage too. It seemed that they’d both heard the news of him going north and came together.

The carriage soon drove away from the palace. Link’s eyes followed it all the way until it went out of his view.

Then, Grinth walked up to Link from inside the palace.

“It’s been five days now, Master Link,” he said. “Is there anything else that you need to prepare?”

“I must go back to my estate,” said Link, quickly regaining his senses. “I’ll have to make some arrangements there. I’ll head up north straight away in two days and meet up with the Dawn Swordsman there.”

“I see,” said Grinth with a nod. He then gave Link a formal Magician’s bow and said, “May the Norton Kingdom’s glory shine on forever!”

“May the Norton Kingdom’s glory shine on forever!” answered Link.

Then, a royal carriage rode up beside Link. He climbed into it and left the royal palace.

An hour or so later, Link reached the outskirts of Springs City.

“Stop the carriage,” he shouted to the coachman. “My mount is waiting for me here.”

“Yes, Master Link,” said the coachman reverently. He then promptly put the carriage to a halt.

Link got off and went straight into the Girvent Forest. He probably walked for about a mile before taking out his wand and pointing it to the sky and cast the Level-2 spell Wind Blade. Five minutes later, there was a sound of hurried footsteps. Soon after, Dorias appeared.

“Hey, what took you so long this time?” asked the tiger. On his face was a deep and contented smile.

Link almost laughed at the sight, as he knew what it meant.

“Did you find a tigress?” asked Link.

“I did,” answered Dorias, “but I was just playing around. Those ladies were too boring for me.”

“…” Link was speechless for a while. He then climbed onto the tiger’s back and said, “You won’t get cold feet once we return to Scorched Ridge, will you?”

“Are you kidding me?” said the tiger. “I, the mighty Dorias, never get cold feet and never—”

Before he finished his sentence, he tripped up on a mound of dirt in front of him. He almost toppled over but regained his balance just in time. Link quickly cast a floating spell on him which saved both of them from getting flung out into the distance.

“Oops, my bad! Hahaha…” said Dorias, slightly embarrassed. He then stopped boasting for the rest of the journey.

After running in the forest for about half an hour, Link suddenly sensed a strange aura from a particular direction.

“Let’s head in that direction,” he told Dorias. “It seems like there’s a friend waiting for us there.”

Dorias quickly turned a corner and ran in that direction for half a mile. They then reached a clearing in the middle of the forest, and there stood Eleanor clad in her black dress leaning against a tree trunk with both her hands clasped on her chest.

She took a glance at Dorias and was a little surprised, but her eyes quickly turned to Link, and she smiled warmly.

“I hear you’re going to the North?” she asked.

“How did you know?” Link was astounded. He’d expected Anthony and Herrera to find out; but how did Eleanor get wind of this news?

“Have you forgotten that I’m a Magician specializing in secret spells?” replied Eleanor. “The wind in the forest, the currents of the stream, the songs of the bird, the souls of the dead…I hear all the stories they tell. Anyways, here, take this.”

Eleanor threw a scroll at Link.

“It’s a Dimensional Scroll,” she said. “If you’re in grave danger, open the scroll, and it will let you enter the World of Shadows. You must be careful when you use it to escape, though. There are nightmarish creatures in that world that you must watch out for.”

This scroll might really come in handy. Link took the scroll and kept it in his storage pendant straight away.

“Thank you,” he said.

“And now you owe me a magic gear,” said Eleanor. “Create a storage pendant for me.”

“No problem.” Link snapped his fingers and gently patted Dorias’ neck. He then picked up his speed and headed towards the Ferde Wilderness.

After running for a while, Dorias could no longer hold his tongue.

“Are you going to the North, Link?” he asked. “But the battlefield can be really dangerous!”

“I must go. I have no other choice,” said Link.

Dorias fell into silence for a while.

“Then…I’ll go with you,” he finally said. “Don’t expect me to join in the war, though. I’ll only be there to take you away if you are in danger.”

“That’s good enough,” said Link. Naturally, he wouldn’t mind having another means to escape danger.

When he came to think of it, Link realized that he now had four great helpers. Now, he felt that even if he were specifically targeted by the Dark Elves, he’d probably still end up safe and sound.

Dorias was extremely fast. After little more than an hour, he’d covered the distance of about 150 miles. Link could now see the outlines of the Scorched Ridge terrains.

“Don’t go back there yet,” said Link suddenly. “Turn that way. I’m going to meet an old guy.”

Although he now had many ways to protect his life, Link was still a bit uneasy. He still wanted to meet the thousand-year-old Lich Vance and ask for his suggestions.

He directed his Mana into the communication rune stone, and within ten seconds there was a response from the stone. Link sensed its message for a few seconds; then, he pointed his finger in the air.

“Turn that way,” he told Dorias.

Chapter 218: I Have to Let Her Rescue You

Vance had witnessed the downfalls and successes of many heroes in the over 1000 years he had been alive. He was truly the one that had experienced fully what life in Firuman could bring.

Link naturally thought of consulting this old experienced undead before he faced the Divine Gear.

Following the instructions of the transmission rune, Link walked all the way to the seaside before heading north along the coast. After he passed by the harbor that was near completion, he had to run another three miles before he finally found Vance in a small cave at the edge of the seaside.

He was sitting on a boulder in front of the cave and seemed to be thinking about something. From afar, he merely looked like a deserted corpse.

Dorias did not recognize him. The moment they reached the cave, he laughed and said to Link, “Look at this skeleton! How interesting! He was able to maintain this posture after being dead. I’ll blow his head off.”

Dorias then prepared his claws and was about to use Vance’s skull as a ball.

The moment his claws were raised, a bolt of lightning appeared in the sky. With a terrifying rumble, the lightning struck directly at Dorias claws. Dorias then retracted his claws due to the intense pain and stared at the skeleton with disbelief. “Strange. There is something going on with this skeleton!”

Vance then awakened as the Flame of the Soul in his eyes lit up. He then looked at Dorias with teasing eyes and smiled as he said, “Link, is this your pet? It seems interesting enough.”

Dorias wanted to rebut but was harshly interrupted by Link.

Link jumped down from his back and was extremely straightforward, “Old guy, I need a favor from you.”

“If someone like you says so, I presume it must be real trouble. What is it?” Vance patiently replied.

Link then reported the findings of the royal palace in detail, from the abnormal Dark Elves to the Dark Divine Gear and finally, his decision to go northwards. He then said with no confidence, “Honestly, I don’t know if I can do it.”

Vance did not have any expression on his face after hearing that. He nodded his head slowly. “This is truly a troubling issue. Please give me a moment.”

Vance lost his usual casual and even slightly insane demeanor, sinking into his vortex of thoughts and concerns. This state lasted for more than half an hour before he finally said, “The Dark Elves worship the Spider Queen Lolth. This god is known for using a whip as her weapon. The name of this weapon is the Dark Serpent, Lady of Darkness’ Lasso. If the Dark Elves have truly gotten Divine Gear, it could only be this one.”

Link knew that he had found the right person the moment he heard those words!

He then asked, “Do you know the exact nature and properties of this Divine Gear?”

Although Link knew the properties of this exact Divine Gear in the game, the likelihood that there would be differences was high. For example, the Storm Lord sword in his hand had starkly different stats than the one in the game. It was a lot more overpowered in the World of Firuman. Link had not trusted the in-game stats that he remembered ever since that incident. If he continued to do so, he would meet his end one day without even knowing the reason why.

Vance shook his head. “That is a weapon of the gods. How would a mortal like me know its exact nature? However, this is not the first time the Dark Serpent has appeared in this world. There have been a few legends connected to it.”

“Please tell me.” Link was humbled.

“Please give me some time.” Vance once again descended into a meditative state and took another half an hour before he finally opened his mouth. “It was rumored that the Dark Serpent was extremely poisonous and could release highly toxic substances. For the people whom it recognized, it could transform them into the perfect Warriors. However, this venom is extremely lethal to its enemies. If an enemy were to be afflicted with the poison, there would be no possibility of survival, and even his soul would be disintegrated.”

“That powerful?” Dorias instinctively shrank behind Link.

Vance continued, “Alas it is just a weapon. After entering this world, there must be a host. While this host would be controlled by the weapon, they would also be empowered to a terrifying extent. It was rumored that only Dark Elves who carry the royal blood of the Silver Moon could withstand the power of the Divine Gear. They would then become unparalleled Warriors.”

“How strong would that be? Legendary status?” Link was horrified.

“I don’t know.” Vance shook his head.

Link was slightly disappointed. However, another voice rang in his mind, “Not legendary status, merely the strength of a Level-9 professional. How can a puppet ever reach legendary status?”

This voice belonged to the sword spirit of the Storm Lord sword.

Are you sure? Link asked.

The sword spirit was infuriated, “What do you mean! This is the truth! I have experienced at least ten times more things than the skeleton in front of you! I have even fought against the Dark Serpent before!”

Link was suddenly curious. Who won?

The sword spirit fell silent for a moment before replying, “I’m too lazy to tell you.”

Link was, however, desperate to know the true extent of the Dark Serpent’s power. “Wait, you said that you once fought against it. Please tell me what kind of power it wields and how to defend against it!”

There was no reply. This sword spirit would come and go as he wished; his behavior was completely unpredictable. After asking a few more times in his mind and getting no response, Link could only give up.

In this period, Vance had also not been giving any more information. Link guessed that that was probably all of Vance’s knowledge and said, “Old guy, I will then be returning to my territory. Will you be bored staying here?”

Vance shook his head and spoke with a calming voice, “I face the sea every day and enjoy the beautiful view of the sunset and birds diving into the water. Please don’t worry about me.”

“Oh, then goodbye.” Link mounted onto Dorias and went back to his territory to make some final arrangements.

After making sure that Link had gone away, Vance immediately jumped down from the boulder he was sitting on and ran back into his cave. In the cave lay Nana’s destroyed body. Originally, he had agreed to modify Nana together with Link after Link had gotten some basic knowledge about constructing magic puppets.

Therefore, Vance had put off touching the magic puppet all this while.

However, the situation was different.

As he entered the cave, Vance could not help but reprimand, “This young guy is truly arrogant. To think that he wants to fight against the Divine Gear—he will definitely be dead!”

However, after that outburst, Vance sighed helplessly, “The appearance of the Dark Serpent is bound to be a sweeping disaster for the entire world. Who would be able to escape this tragedy? Will I be able to live through it? If one is unwilling to become a puppet of darkness, it will only be a matter of time before they are dead…”

He walked towards Nana and squatted down to inspect the damage done. After a long while, he then took out his Dark Arbiter wand and started casting a transformation spell.

He already knew the reason for Nana’s outburst and could easily repair her. The only reason why he didn’t do it sooner was due to the promise he made with Link.

But now it seemed like he had to.

“Young guy, don’t blame me for not waiting. If I don’t repair her in time, you will definitely be dead going to the North all alone. I am letting her save your sorry ass.”

Vance had once spent 20 years creating this magic puppet and was thus familiar with every single one of her structures. He repaired Nana at an astounding speed.

Under the effect of the transformation spell, Nana’s wounds healed, and the frozen pair of clear eyes started regaining consciousness.

A crisp, clear voice appeared from Nana once again, “Nana is starting up…Memory damage…Nana has no more targets…Nana has no more targets…”

“It’s still too early to wake up. Sleep and don’t cause trouble.” Vance then lightly patted her head with his hand enveloped in white light. With a light touch, Nana once again fell into a deep slumber.

Link was, of course, unaware of Vance’s plan. He had already returned to his territory.

Not far away, the foundation of the Mage Tower was already being set. Further away, one could even see a tall giant magic puppet plowing the land.

Scorched Ridge was also unusually crowded. One could see that the path leading towards the Girvent Forest was filled with pedestrians ten times the normal amount. Some of them were carrying baskets and holding their children’s hands. Many of them seemed to be moving as a family. From the number of items they were carrying, they appeared to be moving locations. Many makeshift tents used for camping purposes were also set up in the area around the Scorched Ridge.

Link had been too busy to notice this previously. Now that he had realized this, he felt strange.

Dorias was surprised and said, “That’s a lot of people.”

“Let’s take a look.”

Chapter 219: The Lord’s Absolute Power

The appearance of Link riding a 13-feet-tall giant tiger really shocked the people who came across them. Some ordinary people went timid and stopped in their tracks, some stepped slowly backwards, and some even cried out in fear.

Fortunately, Dorias made an effort to look as gentle and non-threatening as possible. He walked along the road in an orderly manner and shook his head gently from time to time. After a while, the people there slowly calmed down and got a little less nervous around him.

Soon, they could hear different voices talking about the giant tiger.

“Lord of Light!” exclaimed one voice. “Look at how big the tiger is! It can easily swallow a whole cow!”

“Is the lord sitting on the back of the tiger?” asked one voice.

“Oh my god!” said another voice. “Look at how his body is shrouded in flames! He’s terrifying!”

“Will he chase us away?”

Link listened closely to the words spoken by these people. His eyes scanned the whole area slowly to catch every detail.

He found that these people on the road were all wearing tattered clothes. Their faces were pallid, and their bodies were weak. They don’t look like free country folks who came here looking for work from the Girvent Forest. Rather, they seemed to have dragged their families and their meager belongings to escape from something.

Are they refugees from the North? Link wondered. No, it can’t be. Norton Kingdom’s army has been winning the battles in the North, haven’t they? The recent stalemate is mostly happening in the Black Forest. How could there be refugees, then? The clothes these people wore doesn’t make it look like they’re from the North either…

Besides, even if there were refugees from the North, they’d first appear in the Girvent Forest up north, wouldn’t they? Why come to Ferde Wilderness first instead?

Just then, Gildern appeared. He was now the scout commander in the area and was responsible for investigating the happenings around this place.

Link hopped down the tiger’s back and walked over to Gildern.

“What’s going on here?” he asked. “Where did they come from?”

“My lord,” Gildern hurriedly answered. “I was just about to report this to you.”

“Go on, then,” Link said as he walked into the territory with Gildern following behind him.

“These are the refugees from the Delonga Kingdom in the South, my lord,” Gildern explained. “The Delonga Kingdom and its western neighbor, the Southmoon Kingdom are now at war. The Delonga army has lost many battles and even more lives and territories. As a result, these people had to make their escape and run from the occupied land, my lord.”

Two kingdoms in the South were at war? Link’s chest suddenly tightened as he came to a realization.

It’s already happened! Link thought.

At this point in the game, because the Norton Kingdom was too preoccupied with the war with the Dark Elves in the North, it had no time to control the minor southern kingdoms. At this point, the Syndicate ran wild in the South, and they kept fanning the fire of disputes between the southern kingdoms to provoke them into conflict. In the end, the whole southern part of the continent descended into chaos and bloodshed.

In this world, things were slightly better, although there seemed to be the same trend happening in the undercurrent of events. Link was afraid that history would soon repeat itself again now.

Link let out a long sigh and thought of Elin’s words.

The sun will soon sink under the horizon.

Link knew that he had no power to control what happened in the South now, but he was still puzzled by some questions.

If they wanted to escape, he wondered, why didn’t they take refuge in the deeper parts of the Delonga Kingdom? Why come here?

His estate was known across the continent as a bleak and barren place. What did they expect to find here? Were they going to eat dust to survive? Besides, surely the Delonga Kingdom wouldn’t be happy to know that their citizens had escaped to the Norton Kingdom, would they?

Fortunately, Gildern had figured everything out from his inquiries.

“This must have something to do with Warter, my lord,” he said. “Warter had been to the South frequently, buying slaves. He’d spread rumors all around that we are lacking people here in Ferde Wilderness. He’d probably spread the news of the anti-magic soil discovery as well, giving the impression that we are wealthy. These refugees probably thought they’d be safe here, that’s why most of them sneaked through the borders of the kingdom by the Black River and reached here eventually.”

Link’s estate was indeed short of people, so in Gildern’s eyes, their arrival had been a good thing.

While Link had the same opinion as well, as a liege lord, there were many more things for him to consider. He had to view it from the perspective of his estate’s development as well. If anything went wrong at this point, it would send a cascade of negative effects into motion and ultimately influence his estate’s future.

Link gazed around at the refugees on both sides of the road and fell into silent contemplation.

These refugees all knew that Link was the Magician lord of the land. They all stood humbly before him with their heads bowed down. When Link’s gaze fell upon them, they all became restless, as if awaiting a verdict that would decide their fate.

The children all looked malnourished and weak. Their little faces were dirty, and the clothes they wore were nothing more than tattered rags. They held tightly to their parents’ clothes with wonder and fear in their eyes. They seemed curious and wanted to get a closer look at Link, and yet they were afraid of the strange man, so they quickly darted their eyes away from Link. They were just as fearful as little rabbits.

Seeing that Link had not spoken, even Gildern had begun to feel nervous now. Although he’d become Link’s follower not too long ago, at that time, Link’s reputation had risen higher and higher, and his power kept expanding at a shocking rate. Even his aura was so terrifying now that it could inspire anyone with fear.

Suddenly, there was a change in Link.

He lifted his finger and pointed at a young man not too far away from him.

“Catch him and bring him here!” he ordered two soldiers beside him.

“My lord, what—” Gildern muttered in bewilderment.

Link interrupted Gildern’s sentence with a wave of his hand and motioned to the soldiers to obey his orders immediately.

Right now, the mercenary troop had transformed into the armed guards of the Ferde Wilderness. Link was the lord of the Ferde Wilderness and a powerful Master Magician, so he wielded absolute power over the soldiers in the troop. The two soldiers then rushed towards the young man with haste.

The young man panicked and was about to turn around and run away. But that was foolish of him, of course, since there was another soldier merely a few feet away from him who instantly kicked his leg and made him fall splat to the ground.

The two strong soldiers then rushed over and seized him and took him to Link. They made the young man kneel on the ground in front of him.

The atmosphere was extremely tense, and all the refugees went silent. Some babies seemed to sense the fear in the air and opened their little mouths to cry. But before they made a sound, their cries were muffled by their mothers who held them closer to their chests.

Link said nothing to explain himself. He took out his wand and used the Magician’s Hand to rip open the front part of the young man’s clothes, exposing his bare chest. The young man was well-built and looked very strong, completely different from what a starving refugee would look like. Then, over his heart, there was a tattoo of a dark green dagger with seven drops of blood dripping from it.

The young man’s face changed suddenly. His whole body tensed up, and there was a faint Battle Aura emanating from his body. No one knew where he got the dagger that suddenly appeared in his hand, and he then sprung up abruptly and lunged forward to stab the dagger at Link!

It all happened so quickly and unexpectedly that all everyone could do was gasp in horror. Gildern’s eyes bulged out, and he tried to pull out his sword to rush up and block the dagger, but he was an archer, so his speed couldn’t compare to that of an Assassin.

Just then, a faint white light appeared around Link’s body. It was the Level-4 Edelweiss. A moment later there was a blur in the air in front of Link’s body where the Vector Resistant Force Field appeared.

Bam!

The Assassin lost his balance when he lunged forward and was blocked by Link’s shield. He was knocked back a few steps before a whoosh was heard when a terrifying giant Flaming Hand appeared which grabbed the Assassin and held him in its palm. Horrible screams then escaped the lips of the Assassin which rang through the whole area.

A second later, Link stretched out the giant hand which made the Assassin fall slumping to the ground. He wasn’t dead yet, and the burns on his body weren’t so serious, but his Battle Aura was completely burnt out.

He fell to the ground panting and stared at Link with eyes that were full of terror.

The refugees around Link watched the scene silently. Many of them gulped in fear. They now gazed at Link as if he were the most fearsome person they’d ever met. Some children even burst into tears. The scene that displayed the Magician lord’s power had been seared into their memories, and in that instant, they knew that Link was a man who was “invincible” and who possessed terrifying “godly powers.”

That’s exactly the kind of effect that Link had expected. He cast a voice amplifier spell on himself and took a few steps towards the Assassin.

“Are you a spy sent by the Syndicate?” Link asked with a voice loud enough that everyone could hear.

The young man’s face was pale, but he remained silent, which meant that the allegation was true.

The refugees then went into an uproar. It’s no wonder why the lord would suddenly launch those terrifying attacks since the young man turned out to be one of those infamous Syndicate thieves. With this revelation, the fear in their hearts was greatly reduced.

Link observed the reactions of the refugees. He found it satisfactory. He had no intention of showing his terrifying power just to intimidate these people at all.

“Take him away and hang him at the north gate!” ordered Link at the soldiers beside him.

The soldiers obeyed his orders immediately. Not long afterwards they could hear a brief scream from the northern gate of Scorched Ridge. The Syndicate’s spy was dead.

Throughout the process, all of Scorched Ridge was silent.

Link’s actions had left a deep impression on the refugees’ minds. In their eyes, this Magician lord had godly eyesight and was capable of fearsome magic powers. He was also very decisive and would have his orders carried out as soon as they were given. Thus, right now the refugees were as docile as a flock of sheep before Link. They felt that they were completely at his mercy.

When Link sensed their reactions, he knew that he’d achieved what he expected to do. His face suddenly turned warm and kindly. He had many reasons for doing what he just did. In fact, killing that spy from the Syndicate was merely his secondary goal.

These refugees had arrived too early in his estate’s development stage. They hadn’t seen true order being set up, and the construction in the area was also still in operation. In other words, with the large influx of refugees into his estate, there was a chance that the area might become too chaotic.

Once this happened, it would be difficult to solve in a short span of time. It could only be gradually improved over time. Therefore, the wisest thing to do now was to establish the absolute power of the lord in order to avoid the conditions in his territory to descend into chaos later.

That was why Link acted the way he did the moment he arrived. He used the most impressive spells to remind everyone that he was the lord of this land and that he would make sure that order was installed in this area.

After the severe act, now it was time to show the people his kinder and gentler side.

Having dealt with the Syndicate spy, Link walked to a high mound where everyone could see him and began his address.

“I, Baron Link Morani, the lord of the Ferde Wilderness, welcome you to stay in my territory. Here, as long as you obey my rules, you will lead good lives as free people.”

The refugees heaved a sigh of relief in droves the moment they heard Link’s speech. Their tightened heartstrings began to loosen, and they calmed down and began to whisper among themselves.

“The lord is such a young man,” whispered one of them.

“The rumors are true,” said another, “his magic really is powerful!”

“He’s not just fearsome and majestic, he’s also very wise!” commented one of the refugees. “Did you see how he recognized the thief from the Syndicate with just a glance?”

Link knew that he’d done well after hearing these remarks. Now that his work here was done, he decided that it was time to leave.

“Summon all officials for a meeting,” said Link to Gildern. “I have some important things to arrange with all of you.”

Chapter 220: Such Measly Power Is Easy to Dispel?

Gildern was pretty smart and could vaguely understand Link’s motive. He admired how Link managed to make this decision. He could feel that they were no longer the small mercenary troop they were in the past. They were now in charge of developing a territory with great prospects. Their decisions might determine the fate of thousands of people. This meant that they had to handle everything that happened in the territory more cautiously as compared to before.

Recollecting Link’s handling of the situation, he felt extremely inspired. He hence ran to execute it immediately.

After Link reached the parliament hall on the second floor, the core members Jacker, Lucy, Gildern, Carrido, and Celine arrived within 15 minutes.

Amongst the five of them, four had followed Link very early in his journey. Celine was the only one that joined recently. Although she did not show any capabilities in terms of combat power, she seemed to be extremely smart and was on good terms with Lucy. Celine would often give Lucy inspiring advice and solved many problems regarding the territory. She had proved herself to be a capable person.

“Please take a seat.”

Link nodded to the five of them to acknowledge their presence. When he saw Celine, he felt a warm fuzzy feeling in his heart and smiled.

Link immediately went straight to the point and said, “I will have to leave the territory for a while. Before I leave, there are some things that I have to arrange.”

Everyone listened carefully.

“Firstly, I have already seen the refugees. Most of them are ordinary people. However, to be able to get past the Black River and travel all the way here is a testament to their adventurous spirit and courage. If we manage them well, they will definitely prove themselves to be excellent citizens.”

Link had no reason not to take these refugees in.

Upon hearing this, Lucy said, “I’m afraid we might encounter some problems with the Kingdom of Delonga. They are essentially still citizens of that kingdom. If they request that we hand them over, we have no reason to refuse.”

This was truly an issue. Although the Ferde Wilderness could simply give an outright rejection, they would still have to trade with the Delonga Kingdom in the future. It was not cost-effective to make that move. The mercenary band had grown over this period. They all now understood the dangers without anyone specifically voicing them out. However, their experience of dealing with these issues was still limited. Jacker, Gildern, and Carrido all frowned at the thought.

Celine then interrupted, “I have an idea.”

Link smiled as he said, “Please continue.”

Celine said, “Please think. The Kingdom of Delonga has suffered a defeat in the war. They might even have to pay reparations to the South Moon Kingdom in the future and will definitely be in financial crisis. If the Kingdom of Delonga truly wants to claim their citizens back, we can simply purchase them using gold coins. They should be very happy with this trade.”

The relationship between two nations boiled down simply to interests. As long as their interests aligned, anything was possible.

The Ferde Wilderness would never run out of gold coins after all.

Lucy thought for a moment and commended, “That is a good idea. There is no problem then.”

Link also nodded. He then continued, “The Syndicate in the North is running rampant trying to spread their sinister doctrines. They will probably try to infiltrate our territory. Jacker, please make sure that the Syndicate does not extend its reach into our territory.”

“I understand!” Jacker’s voice was low and reassuring. As the military commander of the territory, he had been practicing even harder to meet that expectation. He had already reached Level-4 and was about to breakthrough to Level-5, becoming the strongest Warrior in the entire territory. This was already a significant strength. However, as the one holding the highest military power in the entire territory, it was still lacking.

The limitations of Jacker’s power lay in the Level-3 Secret Battle Aura Link taught him. It was merely a low-level Battle Aura skill, and Level-5 was probably the maximum anyone could go practicing that skill. It was preposterous to even think about reaching greater heights.

Previously, Link was also out of options. He could only find the Level-3 Secret Battle Aura in the game system. However, he now had seven Epic Battle Aura scrolls and many other ordinary ones with him. It was time to bring them out.

“That is all for the refugees’ case. Now let’s move on to the next issue.”

As Link spoke, he brought out a scroll and gave it to Jacker. “Open it.”

Jacker was slightly puzzled by Link’s actions. After browsing through the scroll briefly, his eyes widened and immediately stood up, “My lord, this…this is way too valuable for me!”

Jacker had a natural affinity for the earth elements. Link hence gave him a scroll named the Ares Tactic, an earth elemental Epic Battle Aura stance that focused on defensive techniques. Jacker had already learned how to read. Although he could not understand the technique at a glance, he knew that it was a terribly strong Battle Aura the moment he saw the named Ares Tactic. He was extremely honored to be entrusted with such a piece of treasure.

Link merely smiled before giving Lucy a wind elemental Emperor Duel Battle Aura scroll and Gildern, a fire elemental Overlord Tactics Battle Aura scroll.

“This is only meant for the three of you. No spreading of the scroll without my permission,” Link commanded.

“Yes, my lord!” The three of them answered immediately. A single scroll would be able to be passed off as a treasured heirloom in a strong, noble family. To think that Link could produce three of them at once. However, Link was still not done. He then took out over ten more ordinary Battle Aura scrolls and handed them to Gildern and Jacker.

“There will be more people coming to the territory in the future. We will have to increase the scale of our army and scouts inevitably. If you see any powerful and competent people, you can reward them with these Battle Aura scrolls. Those with exceptional talents can then be temporarily considered to read these Epic Battle Aura scrolls. You can pass the name list to me for the final deliberation.”

Jacker was the captain of the army while Gildern was the captain of the scouts. Their eyes flashed with excitement upon hearing those words. With these Battle Aura techniques as a foundation, both of them believed that the strength of their army would increase exponentially.

They then started discussing some other superfluous things which took the rest of the day. The meeting ended in the evening.

Link had not gotten any rest in a long time. After dinner, he was prepared to have a good night’s rest and set off to the North the next day. The moment he lay on his bed, he heard knocking on his door. The sound was light, almost as if they did not want to disturb anyone else. From the magic fluctuations, Link could tell that the person behind that door was Celine. He opened the door with his Magician’s Hand without any hesitation.

Celine then quickly entered the room and closed the door behind her. Seeing Link lying in bed in just his pajamas, she felt slightly embarrassed. She got these thoughts out of her head before asking, “Are you seriously going to the North?”

Link was speechless. He felt that King Leon was not doing a good job keeping his mission a secret. How else would everyone around him know what he was going to do?

“Who did you hear this from? That’s not true…” Link denied.

“I gave Dorias a roasted lamb leg, and he told me everything,” Celine silenced Link in just one sentence.

“What a gluttonous overweight cat.” Link smiled bitterly. He was, however, certain that Dorias only gave in because the other party was Celine. If it had been anyone else, he would have stayed silent even if they had brought him 100 roasted cows.

Celine said, “Let me accompany you.”

Link immediately shook his head. “No, that is a terrible idea. You cannot be exposed, especially in the North. If that happens, the Norton Kingdom army and the Dark Elves will both become your enemies.”

Celine rebutted, “But have you ever thought what would happen if I stayed here? My father might send ferocious demons to your territory and cause a disaster.”

Link fell silent immediately and frowned. This was indeed a problem that he had neglected. Although sending a large army of demons to Firuman required a huge amount of resources, Celine had a special type of bloodline which till this date, no one knew the value of. What if it was indeed so valuable that Nozama would risk anything to get his hands on it?

Seeing Link’s reaction, Celine grabbed his hand and pleaded, “Don’t worry bout me. I will just follow you around and hide in the shadows. I’ll only appear if you are in danger. What do you think?”

Link still did not reply. Although having Celine with him always put him at ease and allowed him to reach his maximum potential, this mission was way too dangerous. However, if he were not at Celine’s side, she would similarly be in danger from her father’s pursuit.

As he was at his wit’s end, a voice rang in his mind, “What a strange little girl.”

This voice came from the sword spirit who claimed that he was too lazy to talk to Link and would enter a state of slumber. Link naturally was not petty enough to care about such things. The moment he heard this, he then remembered Vance’s evaluation of Celine’s blood. He then asked in excitement, “What do you mean?”

“She reminds me of a man named the Soul Dominator. She has a very similar aura and might be a descendant of that powerful man…I cannot be sure unless I taste her blood.”

Link was also very curious about the mystery of Celine’s blood. He then thought of an idea and took over the Storm Lord’s sword he had placed on his bedside, asking, “Celine, what do you think of this sword?”

Celine thought Link was hesitating as he fell silent after her proposition. She was taken aback by the sudden change of topic. Nonetheless, she still took the sword over and brandished it slightly before handing it back to Link, “Not too bad. Don’t try to change the topic; you have not agreed to take me with you.”

Link smiled awkwardly and continued, “This sword is not only beautiful, but also very sharp. Look at its blade.”

“How is that possible, this blade is obviously blunt.” Celine’s attention was once again brought to the sword by Link. She took the Storm Lord’s sword over and ran her fingers gently over the blade. It was rounded and definitely blunt. To be honest, she had been wondering why Link carried it around with him everywhere he went.

Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her fingers and pulled her hand back. She then looked at the supposedly blunt blade and saw a drop of her blood on it.

“That is odd; it is indeed sharp.” Celine was now completely absorbed by the sword. She observed it with interest and stopped pressing Link on the matter about him going to the North.

In this period, Link patiently waited for an answer.

Half a minute later, the sword spirit said, “I was right. She is a descendant of that man, a direct descendant at that. There can be no other reason how her bloodline could be this strong.”

Link’s curiosity was piqued, “What kind of person is the Soul Dominator exactly?”

“He belonged to neither the light or the dark side. Amongst the Legendary professionals, he had the deepest understanding of the principles of the soul. He could even create a soul directly and also destroy them with ease. My master and the Soul Dominator were good friends. In fact, I owe it to him that I can be speaking to you right now…I kind of owe him a favor.”

The sword spirit spoke with nostalgia. He then fell silent before continuing, “This young girl also has dark energy mixed into her blood. This is terrible, simply a blasphemy against the Soul Dominator. I won’t allow this to happen; I am going to dispel it to return the favor.”

Can you do it? You won’t injure her right? Link was not convinced.

“Hmph! You ignorant mortal!”

As soon as he spoke, the Storm Lord’s sword in Celine’s hand started glowing in a white light. The light was dim and entered Celine’s body through her arms. Following which, Celine fainted immediately.

Link hurriedly went over and laid her on the bed.

Furthermore, after Celine fainted, the Storm Lord’s sword levitated into the air and pierced right through Celine’s heart with a swoosh. Streaks of lightning then enveloped the sword and continuously poured into Celine’s heart.

Link looked at the entire scene with horror. If not for the fact that Celine was still breathing and no visible wounds or even blood could be seen, he would have absolutely destroyed the sword.

In order to prevent any magic fluctuations from leaking, Link cast a concealing barrier spell over the wooden house. The situation in the wooden house then became more intense than ever.

Dark energy poured out constantly from Celine’s heart. However, the moment it appeared, it would be instantly dispelled by the streaks of light around the sword. At first, the dark energy was extremely concentrated and strong, but as time passed, this energy grew weaker until the last trace of dark energy disappeared.

At that moment, the Storm Lord’s sword removed itself from Celine’s chest. Link ran over and was surprised to see no visible signs of damage, not even on her clothes. It was as though the Storm Lord’s attack was a phantom blow that passed through matter.

A weak voice then rang in Link’s mind, “The dark energy is extremely strong. I am certain that it is from some strong demon. If this young girl had already attained Legendary status, there would have been no hope. However, it was still within my power to dispel the dark energy within her as of now. I have dispelled most of the dark energy and have also sealed the remaining. Now, no one can ever trace her from her bloodline.

“What about her powers?” Link asked.

“Power? You mean that measly bit of power? I naturally dispelled it together with the dark energy. But this is only temporary. Without the oppression of the dark energy, the power she inherited from the Soul Dominator will start to awaken.”

Link then stared at Celine and realized that she had begun to undergo physical changes. Her hair color had turned from pure black to a deep purple while her skin had become crystal clear with a white glow. The faint evil presence emanating from her previously had also completely disappeared.

Link then carefully opened Celine’s eyelids and realized that her irises had also turned a deep purple. Even Celine’s trademark the little demon fangs under her lips had also disappeared.

Celine started breathing faster, and before long, she was awake.

“What happened?” Celine sat up with her hand on her forehead as she gasped. She was still slightly confused at first, but upon realizing that she was lying on Link’s bed, her cheeks immediately flushed, and she got up in a hurry.

“You passed out and then…”

“Do not mention anything about me!” The sword reminded.

“And I sealed the dark energy in your body. You are now an ordinary human.” Link thought of an excuse on the spot.

Celine could feel the changes in her body as well. The surging dark energy within her had completely disappeared. She had mixed feelings at the beginning, happy that she had finally gotten rid of her detestable dark past, but also disappointed that the power she worked so hard to build up was now gone.

Link comforted, “Without the bloodline of the dark energy, the demons will not be able to find you. This means that you are now safe in the territory. As for the North, you don’t have to go now, do you?”

“You…Oh, how infuriating!” Celine did not know how to react and stamped her feet all the way out of the room.

“I’ll be going back!”

Link did not ask her to stay and watched as she disappeared into the hallway. He then thought for a moment and was still worried about leaving Celine alone in the territory. He then went to look for Dorias.

“What, you are not letting me go to the North? I’d be happy not to!” the tiger exclaimed. “Protect Celine? Oh, rest assured that no harm will come to her!”

Link then went back to rest feeling satisfied.

The next morning, Link bade farewell to everyone in the territory and summoned the Wind Fenrir in front of the on looking crowd before riding his way to the North. This suave action caused the new immigrants and refugees to look on with admiration and respect.