Advent of the Archmage

Chapter 580: A Wretched End to a Glorious Life

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

When the flow of time returned to normal, Bryant had reached the first basement.

There was a tearing sound. It came from the divine time seal in his hand. In an instant, it crumbled into a pile of ash which scattered into the air.

He was taken aback. “How is this possible? Only a tenth of a second has passed!”

His targets had resisted the seal’s effect. This was to be expected. But he had hoped that the seal’s effect would last for at least eight-tenths of a second. Though its duration was not as long as he would have liked, Merna had already planned out his route for him. Eight-tenths of a second was enough time for Bryant to enter the place, rescue Katyusha and immediately teleport out of there.

Only one-tenth of a second had passed. As soon as the thought flashed across his mind, he felt an intense magic reverberation surrounding him. A magical barrier was taking shape around him.

He turned around and saw that magical runes had appeared on the walls around him. Level-11 magical barriers surfaced one after another, completely trapping him within and preventing him from destroying the Mage Tower.

A chill ran down Bryant’s spine as he saw the barriers forming one after another.

He had thought about destroying the Mage Tower as his last resort. But there was no chance of that happening with this thing around him. The magical barriers were all Level-11. Though he could still bring the whole place down, he would need time, which was not what he had plenty of at the moment. As soon as Link reached him, he would be done for.

He knew that right now, his only option was to flee. He could not afford to waste another second, or else he would definitely be killed in this Mage Tower. He was the one who had cast the Blazing Sun spell in the outskirts of Scorched City. There was no way he would be able to hide his tracks from his enemy. Knowing Link, if given the chance, he would certainly execute Bryant on the spot.

He needed to escape from this place immediately!

Turning around, he saw a tiny shape running out of the entrance to the Mage Tower’s second basement. A shrill voice cried out, “Wait for me, take me with you!”

It was Merna. She had realized something had gone wrong. If they did not flee now, they would both be dead. She did not really know the Naga anyway, and she had no intention of throwing away her life for a complete stranger. Now that their plan had failed, Merna’s first reaction was to flee as well.

She also knew that she would not be able to get out of there alive on her own. She was up against four Legendary masters of Ferde and the Mage Tower itself. She needed Bryant’s help in this.

Bryant glanced at her, then at the enclosing magical barriers around him. Without any hesitation, he turned around and began to run.

It was every High Elf for himself. It would be a miracle if he managed to escape from the Mage Tower with his body still intact. He could not care any less about a puny little demon like Merna.

His body dissolved into a faint green light. Like lightning, he was able to pass through a crack under the magic door that was materializing in its door frame and reach the great hall on the first floor.

Layers of magical barriers were taking shape in the great hall. They were all Level-11. The scale of magic being used here was huge. At that moment, two layers of barriers had already materialized in the hall.

There were even more magical barriers forming near the Mage Tower’s great door. His opponent apparently had no intention of letting him leave the place. But thanks to his lightning reaction time, Bryant had chosen to retreat as soon as things went awry. At that moment, there were only two layers of magical barriers around the Mage Tower’s great door. He could still break through them.

In his desperation, Nature Power boiled in his body as he raced through the air with lightning speed. He had also channeled his magical energy within his wand. A silver leaf shot out, clearing a path in front of him.

The silver leaf then broke through the barriers. It immediately lost all its momentum and returned to Bryant’s wand. Taking the opportunity, Bryant burst through the great door.

Once outside the tower, Bryant’s magical energy again rushed into his wand. There were three leaves on it . At that moment, a blinding light shone out from them in unison. One of the leaves expanded into an emerald shield. The other two danced around him, ready to intercept any incoming attack from any direction.

When he finished casting his spell, there was a sudden palpitation Bryant’s heart. The Mage Tower has locked onto me. It’s even able to affect time. Damn it, its attack is above Level-15. There’s no way I can block it!

He turned around swiftly and began doing an erratic dance in the air, trying to dodge the incoming attack.

However, just as he began moving, a streak of dazzling light shot down from the sky. It hit squarely against the emerald shield that was spinning around him.

The emerald shield’s magic was Level-12. Bryant was unharmed, but he could feel the impact of the attack.

While he was still shaken by the impact, the Mage Tower launched a second attack. It was the same unblockable laser as before. He was still slightly dazed. There was no way he could dodge the attack in time.

Is this the end? No, I still have a chance! Substitution spell!

In an instant, one of the leaves flew forward with blinding speed. In mid-air, the air dissolved into a faint green mist, out of which appeared Bryant. The green mist he had left behind solidified into another leaf with the same shape as the one before.

The newly formed leaf was shot down by the laser. The World Tree’s leaf was Level-17, but it was disintegrated immediately by the Mage Tower’s attack.

Bryant did not have time to look at what happened behind him. He had just cast a Substitution spell to propel himself 1000 feet forward. He was now outside Scorched ridge, flying in the air above the outer city.

Just as he was about to let out a sigh, there was the same palpitation in his heart again. The Mage Tower was still targeting him. It seemed as if there was no end to its attacks.

Thank god I’ve put some distance behind me. I can still dodge its attack. Bryant was about to dodge to the side. But before he could even move, another laser shot down from the sky. This time, the attack blocked off his trajectory.

Bryant was stunned for a moment. Under such circumstances, his reaction speed was slowed down. Before he could even react, there was a tearing sound in the air. A transparent laser had pierced through his green light form.

Before the laser’s energy exploded within Bryant’s body, a searing pain bore through his head. Bryant immediately reacted to this by activating his wand’s special effect.

Death Substitute!

Death Substitute

The World Tree’s divine spell

Description: After activation, the World Tree wand will absorb all the damage its user has sustained and die in his or her place.

(Note: Try not to get yourself killed, as you can only use this once.)

When Bryant activated the spell, the World Tree wand in his hand began to splinter. Before long, it was completely shattered into pieces.

The wand had been by Bryant’s side for 300 hundred years, and now, it was shattered beyond repair. Still, there was no time for him to mourn as the danger had not yet passed.

Without the World Tree wand’s protection, he had lost his ability to disturb the flow of time. On the other hand, Link’s Mage Tower seemed capable of freezing time itself, and Celine never missed her mark with that magic rifle of hers. At that moment, Bryant had no chance of dodging either one of their attacks. He would be dead for sure when the next wave of attacks reached him.

Bryant felt a growing dread in him as he realized that he was doomed. He returned to his physical form and amplified his voice magically as he shouted at the Mage Tower behind him, “I surrender! I surrender! Don’t kill me!”

He was floating motionlessly in the air.

Surrendering himself was his only way out of this alive.

Celine was about to take her next shot at him but soon stopped as she saw Bryant giving himself up. At the magic core area, Link was also stunned. The Mage Tower’s offensive magic formation was already charged up and poised to fire another shot at Bryant.

Around Link, Eliard and the three High Elves looked at Bryant. None of them said a word as they waited for Link to make a decision.

Fearing that Link had no intention of sparing his life, Bryant shouted again, “I know all of the High Elves’ secrets, including the World Tree. I knew the High Elf Queen herself, as well as all of the core members of the Royal High Elf family. If you promise to spare me, I’ll tell you everything you need to know. I’ll even defect to Ferde and devote all my talents to you.”

Bryant had said all this in earnest. His voice amplification spell was one-directional. Only Link and the rest of the core Magicians heard what he said, while everyone else in the city could not hear him. This way, he would not spark outrage among the people of Ferde, and Link would not have Bryant answer for the resulting chaos in the city.

One’s crime usually tended to fade away from people’s memory if hidden away from scrutiny for a long enough time.

Hearing this, Evelina said, “My lord, we should subdue him immediately. He’s more useful to us alive.”

Eliard knew that the Blazing Sun spell that exploded in the south of the city was Bryant’s doing. Seeing him surrendering himself in order to live a little bit longer, Eliard’s contempt for Bryant intensified even more. But from a logical point of view, it was indeed better to keep Bryant alive. Eliard did not say a word, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with Evelina.

Though the other two High Elves were Legendary masters, they were not exactly core Magicians of the Mage Tower. As such, they were not in any position to voice their opinions. Milose’s mouth twitched as if he wanted to say something, but Elovan pulled his arm back, stopping Milose immediately.

Link thought about this for half a minute. Then, he said to Celine, “Shoot him down from the sky. Nullify his powers, but don’t kill him.”

Though Bryant’s life was spared, his actions could not be pardoned so easily. The High Elf’s extensive knowledge of the Isle of Dawn was the only thing Link needed from him. His powers, on the other hand, was of no use to Ferde. It might even bring more harm than good, and so there was no need for him to keep them. He might even decide to turn on Ferde again in the future.

Celine knew what Link had in mind. Without any hesitation, she fired her rifle.

Bang! A streak of light raced out across the sky and tore through Bryant’s legs.

There was another bang. Another streak of light took out one of Bryant’s arms. Bryant could not keep himself afloat in the air any longer after taking those two hits. Like a bird whose wings had been injured, he began to fall from the sky

A third streak of light arched across the sky and hit Bryant’s other arm, slowing his descent through the air.

A moment later, there was a dull thud. Bryant had landed on the road, breaking god knew how many bones in his body. Due to the last bullet that slowed his fall, he managed to survive the impact.

Bryant lay on the ground, pain paralyzing his arms and legs. Due to his indomitable spirit, he was still conscious enough to feel the indescribable pain gripping his body after his fall.

He sighed. Who would have thought this glorious life I have led until now would all come crashing down?

Chapter 581: The High Elves Are Crazy!

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Oh, ah! My arm! My leg!

Bryant shuddered and was shocked awake from his nightmare. After regaining consciousness, he felt that he was under the covers of a bed. It felt warm and soft. His broken limbs weren’t in pain either. They didn’t seem to be hurt; he could even move them.

He found this strange. What’s going on? Were they all nightmares? And now I’m awake, so none of that had happened?

Opening his eyes, Bryant looked around. He was lying in an open and bright room. The furniture inside looked familiar. At closer inspection, he seemed to be in the courtyard from before.

Sitting up, he looked at his hands. He realized that there were many subtle runes on his skin. Immediately, he recognized that his hands and feet weren’t actually his. This was a flesh magic puppet spell.

Oh, seems that everything that had happened was real. Bryant sighed.

“You’re awake?” a voice asked.

Bryant looked over. There was a table by the illuminated window. Link, clad in casual clothing, sat there. He closed his book and looked over.

Ferde now was bright and sunny. Golden sunlight shone in from the window like a gold beam inside the room that was dim in comparison. Link was half bathed in sunlight and half covered in shadows. Because of the light, Bryant couldn’t see his expression clearly. He just felt like the other was very calm.

“How long did I sleep?” Bryant clutched his head. It felt heavy like there was cotton stuffed inside. His thoughts couldn’t flow smoothly.

“Not long, 75 hours.” Link’s voice was light and emotionless.

Bryant suddenly discovered something. All his power had disappeared, not a shred left behind. His body was empty; he was no different from a regular person.

“You sealed my power?” he asked. He wasn’t surprised.

“No, I didn’t,” Link said. But just as Bryant sighed in relief, Link continued, “I just separated it completely from your body… What I truly sealed was your soul.”

Bryant was shocked. He subconsciously clutched his head, trying to think of a spell to cast. But when he tried it, he discovered something even more shocking. “Where are my spells? Why can’t I remember them? What did you do?!”

Only spells under Level-2 were in his memory, and they weren’t much either. Thinking carefully, he only knew five or six harmless spells. Everything else was gone. Like a book soaked in water. His memory was like the words in the book. There were some imprints, but he couldn’t think of anything if he tried.

“No, you can’t do this to me! Magic is my everything. You must return it to me!” Bryant used all his might to sit up in bed, but he discovered that some power had restrained his limbs. All struggle was in vain.

Link didn’t speak or even look at Bryant. He just sat in the chair and read his book, completely focused.

After struggling, Bryant finally realized that right now, he was just an insect to Link. All his struggling, growls, and roars were useless. Link could isolate him from the outside world with a small spell. The world wouldn’t even be able to notice his situation.

Understanding this, Bryant gave up. He leaned against the bed, panting heavily. When he caught his breath, he said, “Alright, what do you plan on doing to me?”

Link closed his book again. “While you were sleeping, we read all your memories, including your cooperation with the Army of Destruction, the Isle of Dawn’s plan, as well as the exact actors, their personalities and characteristics, and even the names of some young talents. Basically, we know everything that you know. Right now, you’re useless to Ferde.”

Bryant’s heart went cold. “So you’ll kill me?”

“No, you’re wrong.” Link shook his head. He waved at the door, and two beautiful magic puppets walked in. One was slender and delicate; the other was curvy and full. Both were attractive.

“Your explosion destroyed hundreds of homes. As the lord, I should give you the death penalty. However, we also received a great amount of information from you. As an exchange, you kept your life. Now, you can only live in this courtyard, unable to step outside forever. You can’t interact with anyone. If you have any needs, these two magic puppets will do their best to satisfy you… Don’t try escaping with the magic puppets either. They’re different from typical war puppets. They’re only slightly stronger than a regular human…”

“You’re holding me captive!” Bryant was furious. No matter what, he was at the Legendary level. Now, he was being imprisoned by a junior for life. He had to be angry.

Link ignored his reaction and continued, “There is no room for you to fight back. As a disabled man, no one will risk things to save you. Enjoy the rest of your life, Bryant.”

He didn’t care about Bryant’s reaction. After speaking, white light flashed around him. When the light faded, he’d already left the courtyard.

Bryant felt the magic restraints on him disappear as well. He lay on the bed without moving like a soulless puppet.

After a long while, his stomach grumbled. The feeling of hunger traveled to his mind. He was hungry.

The curvy puppet immediately said, “Master, I will go prepare your meal.” Her voice was smooth and lovely.

After she left, the slender puppet walked over with some clothing from the bedside. “Master, I will help you change,” she said softly. Her voice was gentle and unique, very lovely as well.

When the puppet got closer, Bryant smelled a clean fragrance. This reminded him of his first woman. She was a human girl of 19 years old called Lilian. The smell was similar to Lilian’s. It was filled with youthfulness but was still so different.

For a moment, Bryant felt like he’d gone back hundreds of years. At that time, he was still a human. He was still a hero worshipped by thousands of humans… Ah, that was all in the past.

He’d always heard that Ferde’s puppets were top-tier. Earlier, he was busy with saving the Naga and didn’t focus on the magic puppets. Now, he realized that they were also made with flesh magic puppet techniques. This one looked exactly like a real human. Her movements were gentle too. When she helped him change, her pressure was just right. He didn’t feel any discomfort.

After changing clothes, he waited a few minutes before the plump servant walked over with food. The delicious smell floated over, tempting him.

“Master, I will help you,” the puppet said. After that, Bryant didn’t have to move at all. He just had to sit on the chair.

He drank some of the soup made by the puppet. It was very fresh and brought his appetite to life. After finishing all the food, he burped happily and stretched. The plump puppet started clearing the dishes. The slender one began massaging him. Her pressure was just right, and her technique was great. Bryant was close to moaning in pleasure.

His anger slowly extinguished under this enjoyment. Fine, whatever. Without my power, I won’t be able to live much longer. I’ll just retire here.

Sighing, Bryant gave up.

…

Mage Tower

Link’s group was watching Bryant. When he started enjoying himself, Eliard said, “He’s no longer a threat to us.”

“Who would have thought of this ending?” Evelina scoffed.

Celine only had one word. “Karma!”

Bryant’s matter was over now. Next, they had to deal with the High Elves’ crazy plan.

“Judging from Bryant’s memories,” Link said, “the confluence between the two realms is unavoidable. What we must do now is accumulate power for the new challenge.”

The High Elves used the World Tree to fuse the realms. They were crazy and should be stopped if it was possible. Unfortunately, the World Tree was too big. Not only was it at Level-19, its scope was unimaginable. Even a Legendary Magician was as insignificant as an ant before it.

Once this plan was activated, it would be like a mortal facing an avalanche. They could only watch as it moved forward and then follow the current. If they tried to stop it, they would be pulverized.

Anyway, judging from Bryant’s memory of the World Tree, Link couldn’t think of any ways to stop the confluence. Even if there was, it would be extremely risky. In that case, he could only prepare for self-defense.

As for how exactly to respond, they had to discuss it.

While Ferde was having a critical meeting, the other forces in Ferde also felt the giant shake.

Dragon Valley, the Golden Plains, the northern Black Forest, the southern Syndicate, and some hermits were all alerted. While they were shocked, they also tried finding the source.

The second day after Ferde started acting, two unexpected guests came to Link. They were familiar—Light Magician Halino and Dark Magician Eugene.

They’d fought and seemed to have gotten back together. Their relationship was really confusing. When they saw Link, Magician Halino’s first words were, “The High Elves have gone crazy. We must stop them!”

Chapter 582: The World Tree’s Administrator (2/2)

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Link was adjusting his body’s Realm Essence power when Halino and Eugene came to him.

With Evelina’s own blood as a model and Bryant’s aid and knowledge, Link now had a better understanding of Royal High Elf blood.

Of course, he still did not possess the actual thing, but his Realm Essence power was able to mimic certain properties of Royal High Elf blood.

At this stage, Link’s Realm Essence power was now able to pass for the real thing. Even Evelina could not tell the difference, though it was in part due to the fact that her blood was impure. However, as a Magician, Link was obsessed with detail. He had personally experienced the power of pure Royal High Elf blood through his clashes with Milda, Ariel, and the High Elf Queen. Whenever he found a flaw in his replication of Royal High Elf blood, it was as if something would gnaw on him until he smoothed it out completely. Link even felt that he would not be able to sleep well for nights if the matter remained unresolved.

Three seconds after Halino saw Link, his expression changed. He then said, “What’s wrong with you? When did you become a member of the Royal High Elf family? Have you gone mad?”

Eugene was even more observant. “Lord of Ferde, your power’s grown purer. Why, you could even pass yourself off as an actual Royal High Elf! This is amazing!”

Hearing this, Link frowned. “What tipped you off? Did you sense a flaw in it?”

Eugene shook his head. “No, there’s no flaw. That’s the thing. It’s too perfect. There’s always a flaw or two in everything, even a Royal High Elf’s power. You simply tried too hard.”

“I see. It would seem that my powers of imitation aren’t quite up to your level yet,” said Link with a faint smile. Putting aside the matter of the Royal High Elf blood, he then said, “I need to know how you intend to disrupt the High Elves’ machinations. Do you plan on destroying the World Tree?”

According to Bryant’s memories, the World Tree was not a High Elf creation. It had existed since time immemorial. The High Elves had simply settled under its shade.

In order to occupy the area around the World Tree, the High Elves were forced to pay a huge price. They had to adjust their own power and lifestyle in order to adapt to the World Tree’s power. For 3000 years, the High Elves had coexisted with the World Tree, gradually forming the symbiotic relationship between the two that existed today.

This relationship was akin to that of a lion and the fleas sucking blood off its body. The World Tree was the lion, and the High Elves were the blood-sucking fleas. But these fleas had been sucking blood off this gigantic lion for a long time. They knew how to steer it in a more favorable direction.

On the other hand, it was simply impossible for other fleas outside the Isle of Dawn to turn this lion around.

At least, Link did not know how to do such a thing.

Halino shook his head. “The World Tree is indestructible. Its power is limitless. Its roots are planted directly into the core of Firuman. Destroying it would mean destroying all of Firuman.”

“Then what should we do?” Link was now even more curious.

Before, he had assumed that Halino had no idea just how terrible the World Tree’s power was. Judging from his explanation, the Light Magician seemed to know a lot more about it than Link himself. Since he knew something that Link did not, he must have some sort of inkling to stop the High Elves. This was all the more reason for Link to listen to what Halino had to say next.

Link pricked his ears up, listening attentively to Halino now.

Eugene, the Dark Magician, added, “The World Tree is a magical relic passed down from ancient times. In a way, it’s like a huge tree-shaped magical puppet, which isn’t all that different from the tower spirit Lily that you had developed recently. The World Tree implements a user authority system similar to your Mage Tower’s, which also offers supreme administrative authority over the tree itself. As far as we knew, none of the High Elves were given such an honor. According to legend, this authority was carved on a stone tablet.”

“Supreme administrative authority? On a stone tablet?” Link grew even more curious. There was no mention of this in the game. He had always assumed that the World Tree was simply an ancient tree whose existence was similar to a guardian deity. He never knew that the tree was a magical creation.

If such a stone tablet existed, wouldn’t it automatically grant anyone wielding it the power to destroy the whole world? thought Link.

This piece of information had come as a surprise to him. The fate of the world could literally be in anyone’s hands. Link would not have minded if the stone tablet was in the hands of someone he could trust to keep the world in one piece. However, it would be a different story if it fell in a demon’s hands.

The Light Magician Halino was thinking the same thing. He shot a sideways look at Eugene and said, “Also, according to legend, this tablet was called the Book of Creation. It was torn to shreds by the Storm Lord during a great war in the past. As a result, no one in this world has had complete administrative authority over the World Tree for a long time.”

“The Book of Creation was destroyed?” Link jolted. Halino had mentioned the Storm Lord. Incidentally, Link’s Ode of a Full Moon sword had once belonged to the Storm Lord in its previous life. It should know something about this.

Ignorant of the origin of Link’s sword, Halino continued, “The original Book of Creation was lost forever, never to resurface in this world. However, its fragments were found. At the moment, there are three known fragments of the Book that still exist in this world. One is in the hands of the High Elves, another one is in the dragon’s possession, and the third one is somewhere in the far north. Any one of these fragments would be enough to give you some power over the World Tree. Maybe this will put an end to the High Elves’ madness.”

“Sounds hard.” Link was now extremely fascinated by this. Still, he managed to keep his face expressionless. His voice also remained impassive as he spoke.

Seeing Link’s expressionless face, Halino assumed that Link was still not aware of the gravity of their situation. He continued, “Lord of Ferde, you must understand, the High Elves’ plan to reunite the two realms will set off a magical disruption across the entire continent. At that moment, ordinary folk may not feel a thing, but without the World Tree’s protection, more powerful Magicians will be severely affected by the disruption. If nothing is done to stop this from happening, our powers will go out of control, and we’ll all perish!”

Realization came over Link’s face. That was the reason why both Eugene and Halino had come to him for his help together. It seemed that Link would not be spared by the effects of this magical disruption as well.

However, he was no longer that young Magician who would be easily swayed by the words of others. He had power and influence of his own. He could decide what to do based on his own judgment.

Though the matter was indeed serious, Link and his companions had already considered the possibility of a magical disruption and devised a proper countermeasure against it.

Noticing that Link’s face was still inert, Eugene said, “If you think you can weather this storm safely, then I think you should know about the second effect of the two realms’ reunification.”

“Tell me,” said Link.

“The second most terrifying thing about it is that there is a world crack in the Korora Mountain range. Once the two realms are reunited, the stabilizing runestones around the crack will lose its effect, and the crack will then open up. Not saying that the world will end immediately at that point, but the God of Destruction will definitely take advantage of this opening to slip back into our world and bring about its end!

“This is certainly worrying.” Link nodded, but he and the others had also already thought of this problem. According to Bryant’s memories, the reunification process would not be immediate. Its early stages would take at least two years. Also, Link had already collected 224 Jogu pieces at the moment. He was close to reaching 300 Jogu pieces, which was the amount he had agreed to compensate Aisenis the Traveling Magician with for his services.

Two years was more than enough time to repair the crack. It was not as serious as Eugene made it out to be.

Though he acknowledged the seriousness of what the two Legendary Magicians had told him, Link decided still to remain impassive to all this. Halino and Eugene looked at each other, visibly even more troubled than before.

How could the lord not be concerned over the dangers a magical disruption and the world crack posed? Could it be that he already had some sort of countermeasure to deal with both threats? Could it be that Link planned to take refuge in the Isle of Dawn by replicating Royal High Elf blood in his veins?

Finally, the Light Magician said, “My lord, are these two things not enough for you to step in and stop the High Elves’ madness?”

Link shook his head, “No, you misunderstand me. I don’t really think that the situation is as bad as you claimed. Maybe I’m just being optimistic, but I think the two of you may be exaggerating things a bit. I’ll need to look into this personally if I’m going to decide on anything.”

“Alright then.” Halino did not know what else to say. Link spoke the truth. Both of them might have gotten carried away when they came to him with their problems. This young man was different from them. He held power over a huge territory. He had a terrifyingly powerful Mage Tower and countless fearsome subordinates under him. Basically, Link was more powerful and wiser than the two of them. It would not be an easy task to persuade him to see their way.

Deep down, Halino was disappointed. The lord of Ferde was someone he had wanted as an ally. It was a shame that things did not go his way. He sighed and said, “But I’m sure that you’ll arrive at the same conclusion as us after seeing things for yourself.”

“You’re wasting your breath, Halino,” said Eugene the Dark Magician cynically.

Link was not offended by Eugene’s words. He smiled and said, “The two of you have come a long way just to see me. There’s no need to get all upset, just because we don’t see things the same way. Come, it’s already lunchtime. Why don’t we have lunch together?”

Halino shook his head. “No thanks, we need to find other potential allies. We’ll be paying Dragon Valley a visit, and then maybe the Mountain Sage later.”

“Alright, enough talk, Halino. Let’s go, we don’t have much time!” said Eugene. His body was already starting to dissipate. He then leaped out of a window and soared a few thousand feet into the sky. Before long, he vanished into the distance.

Halino shrugged his shoulders. “Lord of Ferde, don’t pay him any mind. Eugene’s always had a nasty temper, though he’s been in a fouler mood than usual these days.”

“Of course. Have a safe journey,” said Link, smiling.

Halino nodded, then turned around and left the place.

When the two of them were gone, Link placed his hand on the handle of his sword. He then asked it telepathically, “Did he Storm Lord really shatter the Book of Creation?”

The Ode of a Full Moon sword replied, “I think he did break some stone tablet before. Or maybe it was me. It’s been too long. My memory’s a bit fuzzy, let me think about it for a moment.”

Chapter 583: Book of Creation’s Pieces

When the Storm Lord was still alive, the World Tree already existed. It had a manager at that time, and we all called him Heim. That means ‘highest sovereign. At first, the lords and Heim lived in harmony. Then one day, a lord made a mistake while testing a new spell, leading to a horrible spatial change. Heim spent three years trying to revert this change. During these three years, countless people died… Finally, Heim realized the danger of magic, and he decided to ban everyone from using it… Then, the War of Domination erupted.

Link sat quietly in his Mage Tower’s library, listening to the sword spirit recount the War of Domination from millenniums ago.

It was too long ago, and the sword spirit often had to stop, but his memory was still quite clear.

“What happened next?” Link asked.

What happened next? Let me think, let me think.

The sword spirit’s voice was close to a murmur. He didn’t continue until a long while later.

Heim was too powerful. The lords weren’t his match at all. Using the World Tree’s power, he easily defeated them all… Until one day, someone discovered his secret.

Here, the sword spirit stopped again. Link couldn’t help but urge in his mind, “And then?”

Don’t worry, don’t worry. It’s been too long… Oh, right. There was some unknown thief who somehow climbed onto Heim’s World Tree. He discovered the secret of the Book of Creation. Heim destroyed the thief, but the secret still spread. The Storm Lord, Fire King, Iron Dragon and more all went forth. Finally, my old master, the Storm Lord, found the chance. He used turbid lightning to shatter the Book of Creation into pieces… Ah, I was so powerful back then. I shattered the tablet with one hit, scattering the pieces on the ground… After that, I became famous…

“Alright, alright,” Link quickly cut the sword spirit off so it wouldn’t drown in its past glory. “What about the pieces? Was it really broken into three big pieces with one in the Dragon Valley, one in the Isle of Dawn, and one in the North?”

Let me think.

The sword spirit sank into deep thought again. Link had to wait patiently. This time, it took a long while to think. Just as Link was about to give up, it spoke again.

It was too chaotic at that time. I don’t remember how many pieces it broke into, but one was really big. It was the main portion. When it broke, the Storm Lord grabbed it… He’d checked it carefully and then said it was useless. He was about to throw it away, but someone stopped him…

“And then?” Listening to the sword spirit’s memories made Link feel constipated. He had to push it out bit by bit. It even made his stomach hurt.

This time, the sword spirit didn’t reply. More than ten minutes later, it said in confusion, I can’t remember, for some reason.

Link sighed deeply and composed himself. “Then tell me what you can remember,” he said.

Okay. I’m sorry. It’s been too long, and I can’t remember. Its voice was apologetic.

Link couldn’t do anything except comfort it. “It’s okay. Anything you say now will become my unique advantage. I don’t need to know everything. I just have to know more than other people.”

The sword spirit seemed to feel better, and it continued.

I have some impression of where the large piece went. I think… the Storm Lord still threw it to the north. He threw it really, really far away. He even used a wind spell. Perhaps that’s the one in the North.

“Oh… So you’re saying that the one furthest up north may be the biggest one and the main portion at that?” Link suddenly wanted to go north immediately and search for the piece.

However, he quickly calmed down. It had been millenniums since the war. Throughout these years, there must have been countless ambitious people who went to find it. The High Elves must have had some information too. They wouldn’t let go of a chance to control the World Tree.

After all these years, either someone found it secretly, or it was very difficult to find. Anyway, it couldn’t be rushed. It depended on pure luck to find it.

Probably. I remember that the main portion had many more times the content than the other pieces.

Link was intrigued. He continued asking, “Is there more information?”

Let me think.

The sword spirit fell silent. After that, it managed to say some more, but they were mostly unreliable rumors. Link could only remember them and use them for reference.

While he was communicating with the sword spirit, Celine came over. “Link, that mouse surrendered.”

Ever since that day, the mouse had been stuck in the basement. In order to not damage the Mage Tower, the Magicians just used the most powerful seal to keep the thing in a corner instead of capturing it.

It had been more than a week now. The thing hadn’t had any food or water and had less than 30 feet to move in. It probably couldn’t keep going anymore.

Since the sword spirit couldn’t think of other valuable things, Link stood up. “Let’s go take a look.”

The two got to the basement. Eliard and Evelina were there too, observing the cage.

Eliard looked as if he’d seen something new and special. “Link, you came at the right time. Come look at this thing. We thought it was a magic pet, but it’s actually a demon. It has such great transformation skills!”

Transformation? Link was quite curious. The game had transformations. For example, dragonification was the most typical one. However, a dragon couldn’t hide their power after transforming. They were still a dragon.

But this demon didn’t have any demonic aura after transforming. It looked just like a mouse. This was quite interesting.

He walked inside the seal but didn’t see a mouse anywhere. There was just a demon girl around 13 or 14 years old.

She couldn’t be over four feet tall. She wore a pure white fur dress and was barefoot. Her face looked just like a human’s with pink cheeks. There were only two inhuman characteristics. First, her black eyes had faint purple veins. There were also two curled horns near her ears. The horns were also black with the same purple veins. They were beautiful and looked harmless.

Perhaps due to being watched by everyone, the “little girl” looked shy. She hugged her knees in the corner, peering outside cautiously. Her expression, paired with her lovely features, made her look pitiful. There was none of the chaotic murderous intent a demon should have.

Seeing Link come, she curled up even tighter, hiding her face behind her knees. Only her eyes were revealed.

“Will you kill me?” She finally spoke. Her voice was bright and young like a little girl’s.

However, this was just the surface. To Link, he saw a Level-10 demon. She looked pitiful now because the Magicians present were all more powerful than her. If she faced regular people, she would be a horrific demon… The souls lost due to the explosion outside the city hadn’t been laid to rest yet.

Link didn’t answer the demon’s question. Instead, he asked, “So you must be Nozama’s daughter. Tell me your name.”

“I’m Merna.” The “little girl” still looked pitiful.

“Merna?” Link thought back. This name was foreign… No, he might have seen this girl before. Oh, right. She might have been in the game’s demon fortress.

With this clue, Link’s memory sharpened. Yes, after Avatar used his life to injure Nozama, he’d returned to the demon fortress. In the game, it was actually a storyline game. Naturally, countless players swarmed over to watch. Link went too, of course.

While they killed one boss after another, there would be a non-player character who wouldn’t attack voluntarily. Her name was Merna, and she wasn’t eye-catching. She wasn’t brave either and would run away after a player came. They wouldn’t be able to find her afterward.

Thinking now, she’d faced many players in the mid-Legendary Level and must have been terrified. She had escaped without caring about her poor dad at all. Of course, that didn’t mean that Merna wasn’t dangerous. It just meant that she didn’t feel anything towards Nozama. They were merely using each other.

Thinking of this, Link said, “I want to know everything about Nozama. If you tell me, I’ll let you go.”

Merna shook her head. “No, it doesn’t matter if you forgive me. If I betray my father, he can easily use a dark curse to kill me. I can’t.”

“Oh, then I’ll just have to take you to the city’s church to be baptized,” Link said with a smile. He studied Merna’s reaction while talking.

When he mentioned baptism, he saw Merna shudder clearly. To a demon, a baptism was like getting sliced by thousands of knives. It was the most horrible torture. Their souls would disappear completely after it.

Merna gulped. Instead of begging him, she turned to Celine and wiped at her tears. “Sister, you’re my sister. Father told me about you many times. Save me, Sister, I don’t want to die.”

Her tears rolled down like pearls, and her voice was so sad. She looked very pitiful. Celine opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. She looked to Link. It was clear from her eyes that she had softened a bit.

It wasn’t because of Merna’s overly-dramatic performance. Instead, it was because of their similar pasts. If not for Link, Celine would probably have a fate like Merna and become a puppet too. Merna looked to only be a teenager. She was curled up in the enemy’s Mage Tower and tried so hard to save herself.

Celine couldn’t do it.

Link understood Celine and knew her thoughts with that one look. He sighed inwardly and said to her, “Merna is still useful. In the future, she can help us defeat Nozama. You will be in charge of her, but know that if she does anything, you’re responsible.”

Gentleness appeared in Celine’s eyes. She knew that Link always respected his own rules and was strict on himself. Today, he broke the rules for her. Clearly, she was very important to him.

“I will watch her carefully, Lord,” she said seriously.

“Yes.” Link nodded and turned to Eliard and Evelina. “The single annual forgiveness right of the Lord has been used up.”

The lord’s forgiveness was the only special right Link gave to himself.

Eliard and Evelina nodded to show that they’d recorded it. This was the supervision system between the core Magicians. Even the lord wasn’t exempted from it. Of course, Link could break it if he really wanted. However, his image that he’d built up would be destroyed instantly. He had to choose between these two options.

Merna had Legendary power while Celine was only at the pinnacle of Level-8. Thus, Link tapped the magic seal. Countless runes appeared in the air and easily passed through the seal, burying into Merna’s body.

At the same time, other runes flew into Celine’s body.

Three seconds later, Link tapped the seal again to cancel it. Merna pouted, but she stood up obediently and walked to Celine.

She had no choice. Not only did Link seal up most of her power, but she also had a curse planted in her for Celine. Celine could torture her with one thought. She had no way to fight back.

Celine patted her head and murmured, “Alright, Merna. It’s much better than baptism.”

Merna’s matter would temporarily stop here. “I wish to go north. I need some helpers,” Link said to Eliard.

The north had the main piece of the Book of Creation. He had to at least try his luck. If he really got the piece, the High Elf threat would vanish.

Chapter 584: Winds of War from All Sides(1/3)

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Dragon Valley, outside the mist maze

“No, Halino, the Dragon Valley will no longer be a party to any wars in the continent,” said the Red Dragon Queen’s illusion. In the illusion, her dragon body lay coiled up on the ground. She was gazing at the Light Magician, her golden gleaming eyes half-closed.

Still, Halino did not give up. “Your Highness, you don’t look too good. Did something happen in the Dragon Valley?”

“There’s been no other incident since the opening of the crack. We already have our hands full with it. It was our mistake to begin with, so naturally, it falls to us dragons to keep the crack closed. I’m sorry, but it is beyond our power to intervene in anything else right now.”

The Red Dragon Queen’s voice was deadpan as if she could not be bothered with anything else in the world. When she finished, her eyes swiveled towards Eugene and then said, “Halino, do you really intend to find the Book of Creation’s fragments with Eugene? Are you not worried that he has other plans for them?”

“Of course I’m worried, but it’s a risk I’m willing to take. It would be better if you could join us in our search. It’s a shame, really…” Halino shrugged, visibly disappointed by the queen’s refusal.

“I’m truly sorry,” said the Red Dragon Queen again, sighing.

Seeing her in such a state, The Dark Magician Eugene cackled. “Just give up, Halino. Your words won’t move her. She was the one who got dumped after all, and now look at her. You’re better off seeking a dog’s help instead of hers.”

“Eugene!” Halino was aware of Eugene’s sharp tongue, but he did not think that he would go this far!

As soon as Eugene said those words, the Red Dragon Queen’s illusion trembled violently. It was probably due to a sudden surge of emotion on her side. After a few seconds, the illusion vanished.

Eugene shrugged his shoulders and chuckled. “See, I told you. I don’t really know the specifics, but the fact that the lord of Ferde abandoned Dragon Power completely, and the dragon race in Ferde has withdrawn from the place meant that things did not end well between the two. But you should know, Link was a Dragon Duke before. So isn’t it reasonable to assume that he was the one who dumped the Red Dragon Queen?”

Despite their differences, Halino could not help but admit that Eugene’s words sounded reasonable. He let out a sigh. “Alright, I guess the only Emerald Council member we could go to now is the Mountain Sage himself.”

He turned around, ready to leave. But just then, there was a stir in the Mist Maze. After a while, a gigantic form burst out of the maze. It was the Red Dragon Queen Gretel.

With a loud thud, she landed on the ground, and the earth trembled. Eugene immediately took on a defensive posture. If there was one thing he had learned from his long life, it was that hell indeed hath no fury like a woman scorned.

But he thought wrong.

Gretel lowered her head and widened her eyes at Eugene. Her voice was still flat when she said, “Though you could have worded it nicely, you are right, Dark Magician. I’ve been dwelling in the past for far too long. Everyone experiences failures and setbacks. Link has also been no more than the child of a noble family once. If he can move forward, so can I!”

Hearing this, Eugene raised a brow. “Your Highness, you still haven’t let go of your little duke, have you? But no matter, we all have our little fixations. As long as you don’t hamper our plans, I’m fine with you tagging along.”

Gretel let out a humph. “You’re mistaken. I never said I would work with you. I’m only proposing my alliance with Halino. I couldn’t care any less about what happens to you.”

Eugene shrugged, but he muttered under his breath, “Such a vindictive dragon!”

Halino did not expect such a turn of events. He was happy. The Red Dragon Queen’s power level was not as high as theirs, but the extent of her power was vast, and she was also able to travel through dangerous places like the Sea of Void. She would make a valuable ally.

Feeling more optimistic, Halino said, “Great, then let’s go find Mountain Sage Heroto. I’m sure he’ll agree to join us.”

“Let’s hope so.” Eugene did not share his companion’s optimism.

…

North of the Black Forest, Skeletal Fortress

In the deepest depths of Skeletal Fortress, there was a secret room. In the middle of this room was an obsidian altar, and a blinding, red light was radiating from it. Beneath it, Molina the priest was kneeling on the ground, motionless.

This went on for an hour. Suddenly, a voice rang out from the red light.

“Katyusha’s soul is lost to us. We can no longer bring it back. However, our greatest concern now is not Katyusha, but those pointy-eared elves. The actions of those elves will bring destruction upon the Firuman realm. Go help them, and make sure their plans do not fail. Hehehe…”

“But Master, Katyusha…” Molina still could not come to terms with what happened to her sister.

“Katyusha was weak. She has failed me twice. There won’t be a third time! Molina, she’s gone forever. Do you understand?” said the cold voice from the red light.

Molina felt a sudden chill. “I understand, Master.”

“Good. Now go. Let the pathetic creatures of this realm see for themselves how these elves came to destroy their own world. Hahaha, idiots, the lot of them.”

The voice gradually faded away. Finally, the room once again fell into silence.

Molina was still kneeling on the ground. Five minutes later, she wiped the tears from her eyes and whispered, “Goodbye, Katyusha.”

She stood up and walked out of the room. There were three Legendary Nagas already waiting outside the room.

Molina had regained her authoritative demeanor as a Naga Priest. She said with a low voice, “Alright, Master has given us his orders…”

…

The High Elves were not wasting any time on the Isle of Dawn as well. They were already in the midst of the realm reunification’s preparations.

…

The High Elf royal palace, Andwar

The High Elf Queen was listening to her subordinates’ reports on their progress.

“Your Highness, we’ve already begun the reunification runestone’s construction. With our current rate of progress, we’ll have it ready in approximately 14 months.”

“Very good. Has contact been made with Princess Milda on the other side?” asked the queen.

The one who answered her was King Mordena. He stepped forward, frowning. “We’ve made contact, but Milda did not agree with what we’re doing. No matter how I tried explaining it to her, she still strongly objected to it.”

“Uhm?” The queen was confused. “Did you not explain to her the current state of the Firuman continent?”

“I did, but she said that the risks of reuniting the two realms are huge and that there is a better solution to our problem. She has even proposed an alternative.”

“What alternative?” The queen was troubled. She would not have been as upset if it had been the elders who objected to her wishes. But this was her own daughter they were talking about. In the past, Milda had always been the respectful and compliant daughter. Now, she seemed to think that she now stood on equal footing with her own mother. Was this still the same obedient Milda she had raised?

“She said that her power had reached Level-16. She’s also now a priest of the Blazing Fire sect. With your consent, she could send two Level-14 Inferno Warriors to help us out.”

In truth, King Mordena thought that her daughter’s plan was excellent. Deep down, he felt that the reunification of the two realms was just too risky. One mistake was enough to set off a catastrophe of a magnitude that surpassed even the Mana Disaster.

But as soon as he finished speaking, the queen immediately waved a dismissive hand. “The realm reunification will proceed as planned. There’s no turning back now. What we should be discussing now is how best to reduce the risks we’re running instead of switching plans halfway through!”

Seeing that her husband still had second thoughts, she said even more assertively, “King Mordena, two Level-14 Inferno Warriors are certainly powerful, but can they take on Ferde’s Mage Tower themselves? The power of that Mage Tower is not to be taken lightly. Not even a hundred Inferno Warriors would be enough to resist its attacks, let alone two. And so what if we manage to kill Link? The humans remain numerous. Who’s to say another Link won’t rise up against us in the future? After reuniting the two realms, our forces will be in the millions. At that point, we’ll have both the all-powerful World Tree capable of fending off even gods and ten thousand years of magical knowledge on our side. Even if the humans are able to find allies of their own from the Aragu realm, they won’t stand a chance against us!”

Finally, she said, “Have you forgotten Ariel? She’s your daughter, and she’s also the first royal family member to be killed by a human. This affront will be paid in human blood!”

At this point, King Mordena could not say anything else to change the queen’s mind.

Though Milda had objected to this, the fact remained that she was still in another realm and did not fully understand Firuman’s current state. Her plan would only serve as a temporary solution to the High Elves’ troubles. On the other hand, the queen’s plan would completely turn the situation to their advantage. They would also finally be able to avenge Ariel’s death. King Mordena nodded and said, “I’ll contact Milda and have her full support on this matter.”

“Go then. Tell her that her sister was slain by the humans!”

King Mordena nodded, “As you wish.”

He turned to leave. Just then, a High Elf elder stepped forth and said, “Your Highness, we received word from one of our sentries that the Emerald Council will not support our plan and that they intend to stop us. They also seem to have known about the existence of the Book of Creation.”

He handed a letter over to the queen.

The queen gave it a glance, then fell silent for a few seconds. Finally, she said, “Take this to King Mordena. Tell him to ask Princess Milda to send over her two Inferno Warriors.”

At the moment, the High Elves were running short on powerful Warriors. There was no way they could oppose the Emerald Council’s Magicians on their own. They needed outside help right now.

“As you wish, Your Highness.” The elder immediately left the palace to carry out his order.

The rest of the High Elves then continued reporting their progress on different aspects of the realm reunification plan to the queen. As an ancient race, they had never done anything like this before, but there had been many scholars in the past who had explored the possibility of reuniting two realms and had even conducted large-scale experiments on the subject. Right now, aided by the wisdom of these scholars, the High Elves carried out every step of their plan steadily and without any trace of disorder.

As the winds of war began to blow across the continent, the Magicians of Ferde had also begun making their own preparations.

Chapter 585: A Strange Person

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Trot, trot, trot.

The sounds of organized hooves came from the training field in the north of Ferde. The Sunlight Warriors were gathering.

There were many soldiers here—more than 150,000. Looking down from the tall stand on the side of field, one would see a sea of people. It was practically boundless. With all the people and horses, it was extremely noisy as well. Looking closely, one would see that the soldiers all shone as if they were covered in a layer of sunlight.

An indescribable vitality radiated from each of them. It spread in all directions and, from the distance, it seemed that this land was loved by the sun. It was very warm and abnormally bright.

To the outside world, these soldiers were gathering to help reinforce the Orida Fortress in the north.

In the near distance, Link and his Magicians were watching this. General Jacker was also in the stands. He was now a Sunlight Warrior at the pinnacle of Level-9, one step away from the Legendary Level. He was still the most powerful Warrior in the territory.

However, there were many new stars behind him. For example, Warrior Thoreau had risen two levels in a row. He was now Level-8 already. There were more than 700 soldiers in Level-8. There were also many in Level-9—more than 90. They were all chasing close to Jacker.

Though these newbies wouldn’t replace him as general even if their power surpassed him, Jacker still felt pressured. He practiced like crazy whenever he had time, not daring to relax for even a bit.

“Lord, with our speed, we should finish preparing tomorrow and can depart the next day,” Jacker reported the specific developments.

Link nodded. “This trip north is to deal with the Army of Destruction if they come southward and also to build a sturdy foundation there. We will also establish defensive sentries along the way to reinforce our actions whenever needed. Go back and keep observing. Choose enough elites for this mission.”

“Understood, Lord.” Jacker nodded.

After that, Link gave some more detailed instructions that Jacker recorded. Then he left to get to work.

After Jacker left, Eliard said, “Link, let me go with you this time. I feel that it only takes a bit more for a breakthrough, but I still lack something. I think I need the opportunity.”

Link glanced at Evelina who said, “Lord, don’t look at me. I don’t care…as long as this guy doesn’t die in the north.”

Eliard huffed. “How would I die there? You’re cursing me!”

“Alright, alright, just come with me,” Link agreed quickly.

Beside him, Celine had some thoughts, but Link sensed them and spoke before she could.

“Celine, you’re at Level-9, but you’re still far from a breakthrough. All the enemies we’ll meet in the North will most likely be in the Legendary level. Stay in Ferde and train patiently.”

“Fine,” Celine had to answer.

Beside her, Merna giggled at this. “Sister, the north isn’t fun at all. It’s filled with Father’s underlings, and it’s too dangerous. Ferde is more fun.”

This girl was a demon, but she wasn’t very demonic. Her personality was only a bit more mature than a regular little girl’s. After staying in Ferde with Celine for these days, she was mesmerized by the colorful world. It would be hard to kick her away now.

Celine chuckled wryly. She knew that Merna couldn’t understand her worries now, so she didn’t say anything. She just smiled and patted her sister’s head.

On the other hand, Link was discussing with Evelina, Vance, Alloa, and Eleanor about the arrangements after he left.

The Mage Tower was getting bigger and bigger with more sub-towers nearby. There was also the Gold Rune Workshop, and alchemy shops were getting built. There were many tasks, even with Lily’s help. Link discussed with them for more than an hour before settling everything.

Finally, it was decided that the three who would go to the Orida Fortress were Link, Eliard, and Milose. Elovan had wanted to go, but he was, unfortunately, a flesh magic puppet now. He couldn’t travel quickly and would hold them back, so he decided not to go.

Of the three, Eliard was almost at the Legendary Level, Link had successfully reached Level-12, and Milose was in the middle of Level-10. Because they had the support of a rich territory, the three were covered in the best magic equipment, all types of potions, and runes.

This way, even if they ran into forces much stronger than them, they could still put up a fight. The trio was now the top force in Firuman.

The Sunlight Army would depart the day after tomorrow. Link’ group obviously couldn’t wait for that. After settling everything, Link took Eliard and Milose and used a transmission spell.

After the flash of light, the three appeared in the sky miles away. The increase in distance was a benefit to Link’s leveling up. After that, Link used the Void Walk and sped northward.

After a while, Eliard felt a change. He watched as clusters of runes flashed by like flowers and exclaimed, “Link, I feel that you’re using a new magic technique. It’s different from before, and it’s 50% faster!”

Milose didn’t say anything, but his eyes were filled with shock. Link’s speed was honestly too fast. He was at least twice as fast as before. With this extreme speed, Milose couldn’t even feel any wind. His surroundings were calm as if they were in a nonexistent illusion and were flying through the air.

Even more shocking was that Link wasn’t alone. He was flying with two others. This spell was too incredible.

Link chuckled. He didn’t keep it a secret. “Indeed, I changed it, but the general theory didn’t change. I’m still using the force from spatial distortions to move forward. I just greatly increased the curvature of the spatial distortions and added some auxiliary forces. For example, all the currents are behind us now. Look behind. The air is distorted, right?”

Eliard and Milose turned to look and found it was so. The air before and beside them was calm, but the air behind them was shaken. Everything they could see was twisted.

Technically, such intense spatial ripples would create horrible noises. However, they were going so fast that the speed of sound couldn’t catch up. Thus, they couldn’t hear anything at all.

Eliard studied carefully for five or six minutes. Then he shook his head. “Oh, your methods are getting better and better…This requires very strong magic control. I’m too far from this.”

Hearing this, Milose smiled wryly. It wasn’t just far—it was impossible.

Eliard wasn’t at the Legendary level yet, so he couldn’t feel how terrifying Link’s tactics were. However, Milose could clearly feel the precision in Link’s control. It was inhuman.

Link’s power seemed to be his soul. He could use his power according to his whim without any delay. It was magic, but he made it seem like a martial arts attack. This kind of Magician was too terrifying. Even if Milose stood behind him, he didn’t have the courage to attack.

Link didn’t know what Milose was thinking, of course. After that, he helped the two fly while discussing the Void Walk spell with Eliard. He was fast at comprehending and could understand everything before Milose could. He could even draw his own inferences later on.

Both Link and Eliard displayed inhuman thought operations during this trip. In Milose’s opinion, Link was a strange beast. Eliard was too.

It was understandable. In the game, Eliard was a total genius. He was the star of the stars and all players called him the prince of the realm. The fact that Link could be one step ahead of him this entire time was mostly due to his strong soul.

Now, as Eliard grew stronger, his soul was awakening and strengthening too. He could gradually catch up to Link. Many times, Link could feel the pressure coming from Eliard, so he didn’t allow himself to relax.

As for Milose, he was just a regular genius. He could reach the Legendary Level thanks to his talent, but also because of the complete training he’d received in the Isle of Dawn since childhood. If he lived in the human world where there weren’t many magic academies, he would at most be at Level-6 now.

This was an astronomic difference. No wonder he was so dazed.

Link was honestly too fast. Half an hour later, the Orida Fortress appeared before them. Here, Link had planned on crossing over it and continuing northward.

However, after glancing at the fortress, he changed his mind. Inside the Orida Fortress… No, more specifically, it was in the forest outside the fortress that he felt a strange aura. It was familiar, but he couldn’t pinpoint who it was.

Chapter 586: It Really Was Her (3/3)

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Slowing down, Link cast an invisibility spell on all three of them. He then began to slowly let his altitude drop as he flew straight for the aura that he just felt.

“What is it?” asked Eliard when he saw the grave expression on Link’s face.

“There’s someone in the woods. His aura is extraordinarily powerful. It may even be at Level-13. What’s strange is that I seem to have felt it somewhere before.”

“A Level-13 master?” said Milose, aghast.

Milose was a High Elf. Before the Mana Disaster, numerous masters had existed when there was still a high Mana concentration in all of Firuman. The High Elves had a complete record of their own history and lineages; as such, they knew more about Legendary masters than the humans did.

For most professions across the continent, Level-10 was a huge bottleneck. This meant that subsequent promotions after Level-10 would become progressively harder.

For instance, a hundred years ago, the former High Elf prophet Bryant had reached Level-12. A hundred years later, though his power was still increasing, he still had yet to reach Level-13.

Despite the difficulties of a promotion, its payoff was huge. After reaching a new level, the extent of one’s power would increase drastically. His or her body would also be one step closer to perfection.

Of course, this was what normally would happen for most races. Legendary races like the dragons who were blessed by their ancestors’ wisdom were a different story.

Though power did not necessarily equate to combat power, if someone had actually attained such power, they would most certainly not be a pushover.

As far as Milose knew, among the natives of Firuman, only two Level-13 masters existed. One was the Light Magician; the other was the Dark Magician. Next was the Level-12 High Elf prophet Bryant. After him was the Lord of Ferde himself, the Red Dragon Queen and the Dwarf Mountain Sage, who were all Level-11 masters.

Last but not least were the High Elf Legendary prodigies who had only recently reached Level-10 at the bottom of this hierarchy.

Right now, Milose’s heart was thumping in apprehension at this sudden appearance of another Level-13 master.

“My lord, should we prepare for battle?” asked Milose. A master of such caliber would not be hanging around near Orida Fortress without any reason. He must have come all the way here to fulfill a mission. If all three of them blindly rushed in, there might be trouble.

Link thought for a while, then nodded. “Alright, prepare yourselves then.”

Saying this, he slightly made some adjustments to their formation, placing Eliard in a position where he could do the most damage.

Half a minute later, the three of them landed on a clearing in the middle of the woods. Link narrowed his eyes and felt for the enemy’s aura. It was extremely weak. He probably would not be able to sense it if he only had Dragon Power at his disposal like before.

“He’s approximately 300 feet in front of us. I think he’s resting.” Link was troubled by this. He sensed that the person was weak as if wounded.

What on earth would be able to injure a master like him? Was he injured by someone? If so, who was his assailant?

Things had become complicated.

Link raised a hand for the other two to stop. He then mouthed out silently to them what he had sensed from the other person. When he was done, he then said, “This does not look too good. If this Level-13 master was really injured by someone, that means that there’s an even more dangerous being lurking in the vicinity. What’s worse is that I can’t even feel this other being’s presence.”

The fact that he could not sense the presence of this assailant could only mean that either such a person did not exist, or that the person had used a technique to camouflage his or her own presence that surpassed even Link’s current level. If it was the latter, this unseen enemy would be able to easily to flatten all three of them like ants.

Eliard did not know much about the masters in the continent. He looked at Milose.

Milose looked even more apprehensive. “There was no way such a powerful being existed on the Firuman continent. It’s just impossible. The World Tree would be able to pick up his or her presence right away. Unless…”

“Unless what?” asked Eliard.

Link already had the answer. “Unless this person was from another realm. The Aragu Realm, perhaps?”

Milose nodded. “When Princess Ariel brought us to the plains, the High Elf Queen had revealed her intention to seek help from Aragu. She had also contacted Princess Milda in Aragu numerous times, asking her to send over masters there to assist the Isle of Dawn, but the princess refused her mother’s requests each time. However, with Princess Ariel gone, I fear that…”

This seemed possible.

Link knew Aragu’s state all too well.

There were countless masters in the Aragu realm. Masters above Level-13 were no more than a lord there. For instance, the Bloody Butcher Balha back then was a Tier-3 master, whose power was only Level-12 in Firuman terms.

Time worked differently in Aragu. A hundred years had probably passed there ever since Link came back to Firuman. No one knew what had changed during that time. If Milda was still alive and also knew that Link had killed her sister Ariel, then her sending over a master to assist the High Elves was just a matter of time.

Teleporting a Legendary master across the two realms would only cause a tiny splash, which would not be enough to trigger Link’s Eye of the Realm.

Link still could not grasp the situation they were in at the moment.

Finally, Link said, “Things have gotten out of control. Let’s retreat for now. We’ll go back to Orida Fortress and convince Marshal Kanorse to dispatch a squadron to investigate the woods… Wait, something’s changed. The injured master’s spotted me. He’s heading towards us!”

Milose was stunned. “He’ll draw the attention of his attacker to us! My lord, let us retreat, quick!”

Eliard had also sensed how serious things had become. Though he was already panicking on the inside, he did not dare interrupt Link’s thoughts. Eliard immediately waved a hand at Milose, stopping him from saying another word.

Eliard might not understand the state of the world as much as Milose, but he was a hundred times more familiar with Link’s ways than the latter. He had known Link for almost four years and had personally witnessed his strength and powers of judgment. He deeply believed that Link would be able to lead the two of them out of there safely.

However, Link did not move a muscle.

He silently stood there, feeling the other master’s aura closely. The other master seemed to be hesitating, his movements tentative. He was making his way towards them inch by inch. As he got closer and closer, Link had an even clearer sense of his aura.

Everything about this master was extremely familiar to Link. The person’s aura, the frequency of his footsteps, the heft of each step he took, and even the soft sound the wind made as it grazed past the person’s body were all coming together to form a familiar image in Link’s memory.

Though these characteristics gave Link an indescribable sense of familiarity, there was still a stark difference between the approaching master and the person he remembered. In the end, he could not come to a final conclusion as to who the mysterious master was.

He decided not to make any further judgments and waited patiently for the other party to arrive.

As Link waited, he placed a hand on the Ode of a Full Moon sword hanging from his waist. This way, he would be able to lash out first at the first sign of trouble.

Milose and Eliard too readied themselves for a confrontation. Their eyes were fixed on Link the whole time.

In front of them was a dense forest. The cold air in the North was unable to fly down south due to the iron wall blocking off the region. The climate here resembled the South’s. As a result, the woods were thicker, and all kinds of plant life grew uninhibited in every corner of the forest.

Five minutes later, footsteps sounded from the woods up front. All three had heard them. Link was now able to gather more information on their mystery guest.

A woman. She doesn’t seem tall, perhaps 4 feet. She has a slim physique, but she feels heavier than her body’s supposed weight. Is it due to the armor that she’s wearing?

Her footsteps seem to be in disorder. Even if her body had been considerably weakened, judging by her current power level, she should still be able to retain some control over her movements… No, she’s lost control of her own emotions.

Who is it? Link now had a clearer image of who he was dealing with. He slowly let his hand slide off the pommel of his sword.

When the other party exited the woods and revealed her face and pair of huge eyes to everyone, Link let out a sigh.

It really was her!

Chapter 587: Time Passes, Magic Puppet Heart

Forest

The figure behind the trees was just as how Link had estimated. She was around five feet tall and was slim. There were a clean ponytail and a pair of pure eyes with complicated emotions in them. There was confusion but also the fatigue of having seen too much.

She wore simple leather armor. Its style and color were very strange. It didn’t look like the Firuman style or the Araguan style that Link had once experienced. There was a sword at her waist. The hilt was old, and the handguard had many small nicks.

Link had great vision. He could see instantly that the sword had gone through countless battles. The nicks had resulted from collisions with enemy weapons. He could see from the runes that this was the main weapon he’d once made for Nana—the Last Nightmare.

“Master,” the girl said while walking forward and lowering onto one knee before Link.

“Master?” Milose was very shocked. The change was a bit drastic, and he couldn’t process it.

Eliard recognized Nana and explained softly, “She’s Nana, the first Legendary Magician and had once killed a dark divine gear.”

“Ah.” Milose was even more shocked after hearing this name. Wasn’t Nana in the Aragu Realm? Why did she appear in Firuman?

Link ignored his surprise. Through his contract with Nana, he was sure that this was still his Nana. He walked up and hunched to help Nana up. “Why did you return?” he asked.

Nana rose and pouted in a human-like way. “Princess Milda knew about Ariel. In the end, she agreed to fuse the two realms. At the same time, she had sent two Tier-5…or Level-14 Inferno Warriors to the Isle of Dawn. She’s now the priestess of the Fire Sect and has many Inferno Warriors around her. She doesn’t need Nana’s protection anymore, so Nana came back.”

Her voice was still a bit mechanic, but it was very faint, and most people wouldn’t be able to tell. She didn’t look like a magic puppet at all.

Link looked at Nana’s arm and then the sword at her waist. His eyebrow quirked. “You’re hurt. Who injured your waist?”

Nana’s armor wasn’t damaged, but Link was extremely sensitive. He was also a martial artist himself. Especially after practicing the battle technique from Avatar, he became even more sensitive.

Link saw a flaw in the power circulation in Nana’s waist when she had knelt and later when he helped her up.

Nana lowered her head and didn’t speak.

Link didn’t need her to speak. Using his thoughts, pure Realm Essence surged and formed a dot of light in the air. It circled Nana. Three seconds later, it brought the information it gathered back to Link.

Now, he knew Nana’s situation. She was at the pinnacle of Level-13. This wasn’t very powerful in Aragu, but her power was very pure. It was only a bit weaker than Link’s Realm Essence.

The pureness meant high control. Nana’s battle techniques must be intimidating. However, there was a bit of foreign power at her waist.

“It’s a sword injury with a bit of Fire elemental power. It’s very powerful, at Level-19, but it’s faint. Did an Inferno Warrior of the Fire Sect hurt you?”

“Yes.” Nana nodded.

Link’s thoughts whirred; he’d guessed most of it.

“You and Milda had an argument… No, you wouldn’t do that. She didn’t want you to return, but she couldn’t convince you, so she sent people to kill you. Is that right?”

Nana’s expression turned a bit sad. She sighed and nodded lightly. “I can’t fool Master. She…she’s not like before. After 113 years, she’s completely into the Fire Sect now, becoming the ambassador of the god in the mortal world. She…is drunk on the ultimate power. She’s completely forgotten Master.”

“Oh.” Link nodded. This change was expected. If he left Celine for more than 100 years, he would probably forget her too, let alone Milda. This was how people were.

Since Milda was now the ambassador of the Fire Sect and had ruled it for more than a century, she must be a mature politician now. It would be laughable to talk about romance with someone like that.

It wasn’t hard to understand her actions towards Nana.

Thinking of this, Link asked, “You went between the realms. Did people pursue you here?”

Nana shook her head. “No. Nana killed all pursuers… Nana’s weakness now is from passing through the realms. Fighting against the chaotic currents in the Sea of Void used up much of Nana’s power… After entering Firuman, Nana appeared in the Hengduan Mountain Range and traveled quickly. Nana didn’t expect to meet Master here.”

Link now completely understood Nana’s situation.

After spending a century in Aragu, Milda had changed, and Nana had changed. Both had changed a lot, but the one thing that remained unchanged was that Nana belonged to Link. To her, Link was always her master. Thus, when Milda sent Inferno Warriors against Link, she was willing to end the relationship with Milda and hurry back to Firuman.

Judging from her actions, Milda was also important to her. Unfortunately, Milda had betrayed the thing most important to Nana. Thinking of this, Link sighed inwardly. Everything changed with time, and people’s hearts couldn’t be trusted. The only thing he could trust was the magic puppet he’d created.

Patting Nana’s shoulder, Link smiled. “It’s great that you’re back. Your protection mission is over. Come with me now.”

“Nana understands.” Nana went behind Link. Her position was exactly the same as 100 years ago.

Nana was a great helper, but her power hadn’t recovered completely. Link prepared to rest for a bit. Since the Orida Fortress happened to be nearby, he said, “Let’s go to the Orida Fortress now.”

Eliard and Milose had no objections. Nana obviously didn’t either. The group turned and hurried toward the Orida Fortress.

Because Nana was weak, Link traveled slowly. Along the way, he learned about the Aragu Empire from her. Nana obviously told him everything she knew, telling him about what had happened over the century.

The Aragu Realm hadn’t been quiet for the hundred years. It had changed drastically too. The once-powerful Aragu Empire collapsed 15 years after Link had left and split into two. In one, the Araguans, Laguans, dwarves, and other races that believed in the Fire Sect formed a new empire—Yan. The other group of Araguans inherited the empire and continued the Aragu Empire.

The two empires were in the state of civil war and constantly had battles. The longest period of peace was less than two years. Both sides put their all into the war, even going past their bottom line at times. Not only were the people tormented by war, even the realm was hurt.

The injuries were caused by the curses of Magicians. The countless curses might have angered the realm’s conscience or changed the laws. For whatever reason, the Mana density decreased greatly. It was less than one-fifth of what it had been!

The direct change was that the strong figures lessened. Their rate of strengthening decreased as well. Add to that the fact that many older ones had died in war, the strongest person in Aragu now was the Fire Archmage who was trying to become a god. After that was the Snow Mountain Archmage. These two were protectors at Level-19. Below that, there was a break, jumping from Level-19 to Level-16.

A hidden change was that time was flowing slower now. Of course, very few knew about this. Now, Aragu was only around 1.5 times faster than Firuman.

Milda was now at Level-16. Other than the two Level-19 Archmages, she was the strongest in the mortal world. The other was Saroviny. She was now completely following the Fire Sect. She was the Black Flame Envoy and the commander of the Inferno Army.

For this century, more than 50,000,000 lives had died because of her and her army. In Aragu, she was also known as the Black Blood Rose.

Here, Eliard suddenly asked, “Nana, you didn’t talk about yourself. What was your status in the Yan Empire?”

“Nana’s status?” Nana chuckled wryly. “My power rose too slowly. At first, Nana was head of Milda’s guard. As Milda had more trusted people, Nana was pushed to the side. Before returning, Nana was only one of Milda’s 12 Holy Yan Warriors.”

“Really?” Milose felt something wrong. “If you were pushed to the side, why would she send people to kill you when you wanted to leave? That means that you’re still important to her.”

“Maybe she didn’t want Nana to notify Link?” Nana said.

This made sense; Milose and Eliard believed her. However, Link felt that Nana was hiding something. No, she wasn’t hiding it. Rather, she thought it wasn’t important, so she didn’t mention it.

Link felt that Nana’s position in the Fire Sect wasn’t as low as she said. Of course, this was just his gut feeling. He had no proof.

Thinking of this, Link didn’t continue asking. Since Nana was back, she had nothing to do with the Fire Sect anymore. She was his own Nana.

“The Orida Fortress is before us,” he said. “We can go see General Kanorse… Nana, your power is recovery a bit slow.”

Nana nodded. “That is Nana’s biggest flaw. I am not living flesh, and my body isn’t perfect. I need a long time to recover after using up my energy.”

Link thought a bit and said, “That’s okay. I’ll check your body. Maybe I can find a way to improve you.”

Eliard laughed at this. “Be careful of Celine if she finds out…” Link glared at him before he could finish and he quickly changed the topic. Chuckling, he said, “Nana, you’re lucky. Link’s magic improved tremendously these years. He can probably even use magic to create a person. He can definitely fix your problem.”

Nana smiled. “Nana’s owner has always been the most powerful Magician!”

Chapter 588: Creation of Life (2/2)

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Half an hour later, Link finally saw Kanorse.

It had been half a year since Link saw him. Kanorse was no longer the naive young knight he once was. He now exuded an air of authority that befitted his place as the army’s marshal.

When Eliard and Milose saw Kanorse, they could feel a sudden pressure weighing on them. The two of them stood behind Link nervously. Despite being a master of the same level as Kanorse, Milorse still did not dare speak out of turn for fear of offending him.

Of course, this did not affect Link and Nana.

This was due to the training both of them had undergone and also the fact that Ferde was a main supporter of Orida Fortress. Ferde provided 70% of the fortress’ resources and had a monopoly on the provision of all kinds of magical equipment for the soldiers there.

Given the fact that Link had also saved his life once, it seemed that this was a debt Kanorse would not be able to fully repay in his lifetime.

In a study on the second floor of the fortress, Kanorse personally poured a cup of hot tea for every one of them. He then sat down and smiled. “My lord, why haven’t you come with your army?”

Kanorse was already made aware of the news that the Sunlight Army of Ferde was going to back up Orida Fortress.

Link smiled back. “I’m heading towards the North on a secret mission, so I thought I would drop by here first. My army should reach Orida Fortress in half a month’s time. You know Nana here. She’s injured, and I’ll need to borrow the fortress’ enchantment workshop for a bit.”

“Oh, I see.” Kanose did not even bother asking what Link intended to do up north. Since it was a secret mission, even if he asked, Link probably would not be willing to give him the details. “I’ll order the military Magicians to vacate the workshop immediately.”

“Thank you.”

“It’s no problem at all. Actually, my lord, there is something I was hoping you could help me with. There’s something off about my sword. I was wondering if you could fix it a bit for me.” Kanorse handed the Lion’s Fury sword over to Link.

Link smiled and asked, “What would you like me to change, then?”

It was Link who had given this sword its current form. Back then, Link’s combat skills were excellent, but his combat sensitivity was nowhere near his current level. Despite his attempts to forge the perfect sword for Kanorse, it might not have suited him. Hearing what Kanorse said, Link thought that he did not forge the sword right in the first place.

Kanorse scratched his head, confused.

I don’t really know. At first, it felt right in my hand. But recently, it’s become a bit unwieldy.”

Link understood what was going on. Kanorse’s skills had improved tremendously, but the weapon just could not keep up with them.

After thinking for a moment, he said, “Why don’t you perform a basic sword form here in the study? I may be able to see what is wrong with your sword.”

“Alright.” Kanorse knew that Link was now a combat master and should be able to see what the problem was with it. He then began to brandish his sword about in the tiny room.

The study was extremely tiny. There were bookshelves and paperwork around him. He started slow, holding his movements back. After giving his sword two swings, Link said, “Now you’re just dancing. I can’t see what your problem is from a dance number. The sword that I’ve forged for you is meant for murder, so use actual killing techniques with it!”

Kanorse immediately understood what Link meant. There was now a drastic change in his form as he swung his sword a third time. Killing intent flowed out from every stroke of his sword, rocking the whole room like a tidal wave.

With a gentle wave of his hand, Link set up a barrier around the room in order to shield everything in it from Kanorse’s sword. At the same time, an illusion of himself surfaced from his body with a sword ready in its hand.

Link’s illusion held nothing back as its sword stabbed straight at Kanorse’s back. The attack came slow, giving Kanorse ample time to react.

The illusion accelerated its attack as soon as Kanorse sensed it behind him. He immediately turned around and managed to block the attack in time.

In the span of a few moments, Link’s illusion and Kanorse exchanged flurries of stabs and slices with each other in the cramped, 100-square-foot space of the study. Each stroke of their swords was calculated to slay the other on the spot.

Though Eliard and Milose were Magicians, the two of them could feel just how terrifying Kanorse’s swordsmanship was. Eliard still had a grip on himself. On the other hand, cold sweat dripped from Milose’s forehead profusely. His eyes were wide with awe and terror as he watched the two masters cross swords.

The only other person who was not affected by this was Nana.

Her eyes were locked tightly on the two duelists’ movements. When the duel reached a high point, her hands began swinging about in an attempt to imitate their movements. She was completely captivated by the spectacle before her.

Such a reaction was understandable. Both Link and Kanorse were masters of the combat arts. A duel between two masters of their caliber was guaranteed to be worth watching. One would be hard-pressed to find such high-level displays of swordsmanship from masters of the Aragu realm.

The duel went on for ten minutes. Then, Link’s illusion took a step back and faded into specks of light. Kanorse chased after it, still intent on continuing the fight. He then turned to Link, somewhat disappointed. “That was fun. My lord, we could still continue our duel for a few more minutes if you like.”

It had been a while since Kanorse had fought someone to a standstill even with his full strength. It was an exhilarating experience.

Link shook his head. “Another time, perhaps. I now know what your sword needs. Give it to me.”

“Alright.” Still not completely satisfied, Kanorse handed Link the Lion’s Fury and then wrote a mandate for him.

As soon as Link received the document, a white light enveloped his body, and he vanished from the study. An instant later, he reappeared in front of the fortress’ Mage Tower.

MIlose reappeared behind him. He let out a sigh, looking at Link with renewed admiration.

“My lord, I never knew you were this good with the sword.”

He had only known about Link’s swordsmanship through hearsay. Even back on the Golden Plains, Link had only ambushed them with a few strikes from his sword. Milose finally witnessed the true extent of Link’s swordsmanship with his own eyes today.

“I dabbled with it from time to time,” said Link, smiling. “Come, I’ll need all your help on the next item of our agenda.”

Eliard and Milose nodded. Both of them followed Link into the Mage Tower.

Inside the tower, without even looking at Kanorse’s mandate, the Magicians instantly knew who Link was and nearly went down on all fours before him. They were more than willing to provide him with everything he needed. Link probably would have the whole tower for himself if he asked for it.

A few minutes later, Link and the others were now in a fully furnished enchantment workshop.

“Nana, lie down on that platform, please,” said Link.

“Oh, alright.” After lying down, Nana asked, “Should I take off my clothing?”

“No need. Wait there for a bit,” said Link. He then placed Kanorse’s Lion’s Fury sword on an enchantment workbench in a corner and proceeded to mend it into a new shape for no more than five minutes. When he was done, he stroked the blade with a finger, and it flashed with white light.

Seeing this, Eliard asked, “That’s it?”

“Of course. Just wait and see, Kanorse will personally come and thank me…”

Before he could finish, a figure appeared in the in the workshop’s doorway. It was Kanorse. When he received the newly mended Lion’s Fury sword from Link, his face flushed with excitement.

“That’s it, my lord. It’s perfect. There’s no reason for such a perfect sword to exist in this world. Oh, it’s basically a divine weapon made only for my hands!”

Eliard and Milose were speechless as well. Both of them had always felt that there was something divine about Link’s enchantments.

“Alright, alright, I still have work to do. I’m sure you have lots of work to do as well.” Link dismissed an excited Kanorse out of the room with a wave of his hand.

Link was in no rush to repair Nana. He walked over to where Nana lay and laid out all sorts of alchemical materials on a nearby workbench. As he began preparing a medicinal concoction, he explained, “Nana’s body was once infused with Dragon essence. It’s undergone all kinds of changes ever since. She’s also probably encountered much in the Aragu realm. I already gave her a look. She’s now evolved into something resembling actual life, but it still lacks a certain spark.”

“How so?” Eliard walked over to Link’s side, watching him picking and choosing his ingredients carefully. Link’s words had piqued his curiosity.

Though Milose did not say a word, he was stunned by what Link had just said. Link basically meant that he was able to turn a magic puppet like Nana into an actual living being.

How was this possible?

No matter how powerful a Legendary master might be, Link was still a normal human being. There was no way a normal human being could create sentient life!

Chapter 589: Water of Miracles Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

In the World of Firuman, the High Elves were the best at creating life. Using the World Tree, they could create seeds of magical plants. They’d also created various types of tree spirits, flower spirits, and tree people.

But despite their efforts throughout the generations, they could only create lifelike flesh bodies for animals. They had many attainments in creating lives and even intelligent lives, but there was still a long way to go before truly succeeding.

Thus, Milose also walked over after hearing what Link had said. He wanted to see what Link could do.

Nana also turned around curiously to watch Link make the potion.

Link was extremely busy. Occasionally, there would be mysterious flashes of light. At the same time, he explained, “You’re all wrong. I can’t create a true life. I’m not even close to that. Nana’s level is mostly due to her experiences which can’t be copied. All I can do is perfect her a bit more, but I still can’t give her a true life. I recently figured out the improvement method too. I added alchemy and enchantments. I call this… Automatic Enchantment Magic Potion.”

“That name is so simple. It doesn’t match the miraculous potion.” Eliard wanted to stand up for the potion. After thinking for a bit, he said, “I think we should call it Water of Miracles.”

Link chuckled. “It’s not a miracle, but that’s a nice name. We can call it that.”

As he spoke, his hands stopped. There was a new bottle in his hands. The potion looked like white fog. At closer inspection, one would discover that it was a type of sol. Countless glowing dots floated in the sticky substance.

Looking even more closely, one would discover that each glowing dot was actually the glow of a detailed rune. There was a subtle force between each rune’s glow, keeping them equidistant.

“Is it ready?” Eliard asked.

“No, this is only the foundation potion. If the entire Water of Miracles is a ship filled with cargo, this bottle is that ship. Next, we have to make the cargo to fill it with.”

With that, Link took out various enchantment materials and laid them out. There were around 100 types. “Come help me process these,” he said. “It’s tiresome work. It’ll take a long while if I do it alone.”

“Understood.”

The two Magicians walked up while Link instructed them.

“That is replenishment gold. Grind it into powder with the Gritz grinding method. Eliard, you’re familiar with this, so you do it.”

Eliard nodded. He took the precious metal covered in light purple haze. Walking to the enchantment table nearby, he started working carefully.

“This is suppression silver wood. I need it turned into liquid. When the particles are in their natural positions, it should have the effect of a Tier-3 mirror surface. It’s wood, so Milose, you do it with the Marshal Fractal method.”

“Yes, Lord.”

Milose took the dark silver material that looked like the withered root of a tree. Faint green light surged from his hand, and the wood gradually started transforming.

Link himself took a piece of metal with a faint red light and started refining it. He also ground it into powder with high requirements for the size of each particle.

The enchantment room instantly fell silent, the three Magicians all busy with their own work. Whenever Eliard and Milose finished their task, Link would take out new material for them. He didn’t let them rest at all. Of course, it was the same for him. He wouldn’t waste a single second.

A day and night passed in the business. To a Legendary Magician, this kind of work only made them a bit tired. They could recover with some rest. Link and Eliard especially had types of power with great endurance. They weren’t affected at all.

During this time, Link took out 125 types of material in total and used various enchantment methods to turn them into 210 types of materials of different physical properties.

It was far from the end though. This was only the preparatory stage.

After all this, Link finally started to use his actual enchantment technique. He took each material and used enchantment spells or the tools to refine them. Magical light never stopped flashing from his hands. The various materials quickly changed in his hands, either mixing, dissolving, or transforming.

Occasionally, he would give Eliard and Milose some missions. Most of the time, he did everything alone while the other two just watched on the side.

After a long while, Milose whispered to Eliard, “Lord’s Mana output hasn’t decreased at all. It’s been five hours and the Mana he uses every three seconds is equivalent to a Level-7 spell. How can he have so much energy?”

“You wouldn’t know, but Ferde’s Sunlight Power’s strongest characteristic is its recovery rate,” Eliard replied quietly. “It practically surpasses dragon power. Link is the main creator, so his recovery rate means that he basically will never run out of energy.”

“Oh,” Milose said. After a while, he asked again, “Do you understand the lord’s techniques? It seems to be like Isle of Dawn enchantments, but after looking closer, it seems different. There are occasionally dragon techniques, and I even saw the melting techniques of dwarves. It’s so strange.”

“I can understand some but not most.” Eliard’s eyes never left Link’s hands; his eyes were practically shining. “Link created many more intricate enchantment techniques. After a while, he’ll probably write a book with them. If you have the authority and enough Magic Points, you can read it.”

“Really? He’ll share it?” Milose couldn’t believe it. In his opinion, these were probably Link’s most secret tricks. He should treasure them. For example, in the Isle of Dawn, many families treated their Magician’s ultimate techniques as treasures. Like the royalty wouldn’t pass many powerful spells to non-royalty, or even to those not directly in line to the throne.”

Eliard guessed Milose’s thoughts and smiled faintly. “Every new idea is like a brick. After some time, the bricks will form a small magic house. The small house will turn into a big house, and then a tower and a palace. After centuries, perhaps Ferde will become the most brilliant magic temple in Firuman. The Isle of Dawn…might be stronger now, but who knows in the future?”

“But if people learn the lord’s abilities…” Milose mumbled. He understood the logic, but he was still conflicted about sharing. If someone learned his tricks and surpassed him, he would have nothing.

Eliard sighed and glanced at Milose with pity. “That depends on what kind of person you want to become. If you want to stop improving, keep all your good stuff. If you want to improve, you should share your accomplishments. If you do that, you’ll naturally receive the fruits of others. You can only improve by mixing different thoughts… You should know that in Ferde, the Magic Point reward for sharing any unique spell is 1000 times more than creating a potion of the same level. Buying someone else’s wisdom also costs 1000 times more than magical items of the same level. This is the reward for wisdom.”

Milose was affected by Eliard’s eyes. He wanted to refute him but couldn’t find anything and gave up in the end. He still wasn’t entirely convinced, but the idea of sharing wisdom was carved into his soul.

At that time, Link stopped.

He’d used up all the refined magic equipment at that time too. A fist-sized ball was now in his hands. It was brown and completely dull. No magic aura seeped out of it. If he tossed it on the ground, it would be like any small rock.

“That’s it?” Eliard glanced at the “rock.” He knew that it was filled with boundless wisdom, so his eyes were reverent.

“Getting close.”

There was some fatigue in his eyes, and his hand twitched. The white foggy sol flew out of the bottle and spread equally in the air. At the same time, the brown “rock” in Link’s hand broke into a mist with a soft sound. The mist and sol mixed together under the invisible force of magic.

After around half an hour, the brown mist was gone. The originally white sol was now dark red. It looked a bit like blood.

The liquid formed a circle. Though it contained the brown mist, its size hadn’t changed. It was only around two centimeters in diameter. Hovering in the air, it floated towards Nana.

“Open your mouth and swallow it. It will fix your body’s last flaw, Link said.

Nana did so without hesitation. The round liquid entered her mouth and automatically “rolled” down her throat. Around three seconds later, Nana’s body shook. She gripped the enchantment table, and the sturdy table cracked, turning to powder.

But the next moment, Nana stood up with a confused expression. She clenched her fist and then touched her face. Her expression grew more confused. “Master, Nana doesn’t feel any change.”

Link smiled. “That’s right. Life is the most complicated structure in the world, so all changes happen gradually. Wait patiently, and you’ll feel the power of the Water of Miracles.”

“Oh.” Nana was still confused, but she accepted Link’s explanation.

Eliard found it strange too. He’d thought that a potion of this level should cause some things like a giant flash or Nana’s power multiplying. But the ending was so anticlimactic. He just felt like something was missing.

“It seems too simple,” Eliard said.

Link chuckled. “Don’t just look at Nana now. You have to see what’s growing inside her now. Just wait and see.”

“Alright, so what do we do now?” Eliard asked.

Link asked Nana, “Your injuries should be all good now, right?”

Nana moved her hands and feet and then felt her body. Immediately, she said confusedly, “It’s weird. Why don’t I feel anything?”

Earlier, her injury seemed okay on the surface but would subtly affect her movements. Now, it was as if she wasn’t injured at all. She even forgot how it had been.

Eliard laughed and clapped. “Amazing. This must be the first effect of the miraculous potion. It reminds me of a seed sprouting in the spring. It’s soundless but keeps changing. One day, it will grow into a big tree.”

Link also smiled. “Since it’s okay now, we can continue northward… Oh, I almost forgot. Let me see your sword. Perhaps I can strengthen it.”

So Nana gave Link the sword and sheath.

Link slowly pulled the sword out. As soon as he did so, he felt a blazing aura radiate from it. At the same time, his heart turned cold as if someone stabbed him.

“Ah!” A cry came from Milose. He was staring at the sword in Link’s hand. When it was pulled out, he stumbled back and activated a defensive barrier subconsciously.

Eliard flinched as well. Big droplets of sweat beaded on his forehead. Wiping his sweat, he exclaimed, “Is that the Last Nightmare? What a great sword!”

Clang! Link sheathed the sword again and returned it to Nana. “This sword changed a lot. What happened to it?”

“Nothing? Nana has always been using it. Unfortunately, Whispers of the Forest broke in a battle.” Nana found it strange. She took the sword and pulled it out casually. Weirdly enough, the sword was very different when she did that. There was no glow at all, and its surface was covered in marks. There were even many nicks on the blade. It was extremely old and ragged.

At this time, the sword spirit of Ode of a Full Moon spoke in Link’s mind.

This sword has killed at least 1000 Legendary figures. A bit of every victim’s soul wraps around the sword. Those souls are filled with hatred and anger. The only one who can control them is Nana. Thus, only Nana can use this sword.

One thousand? No wonder, this is a weapon of mass destruction! Link sighed inwardly.

He walked over with magic materials in his hands. “Nana, hold it, and I’ll fix it up.”

“Yes, Master.”

It was just a quick fix up, and Link finished within an hour. He also added some very resilient hardening seal to upgrade the sword. It was now at Level-11 and counted as a Legendary weapon too.

“Okay, that’s done. We can go north now.”

Chapter 590: Visitors from Another Realm (2/3)

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

“Four people passed by here recently. One of them was a human, and the other two were half-elves. What’s even stranger is that they all seem to be heading north,” said a human male with a full mat of fiery red hair. He was standing in front of a pile of ashes that had once been a campfire in the Black Forest. His red glowing eyes were narrowed as he observed his surroundings.

Beside him stood someone else. The person was also human. The only difference was that it was a woman.

Her eyes also shone with the same red light. Like the man beside her, the woman was wearing an elegant set of magical armor. A pair of scimitars hung from her waist. Her hair was also a brilliant red and even more luxuriant than the man’s hair. At a glance, it looked like the woman’s head had been set ablaze.

She squatted down and wiped a hand that was wearing a dark red leather glove across a tree stump. She then raised a finger to her eyes, closely observing whatever she had wiped off from the stump. She even took a whiff from it. Five seconds later, she whispered, “Hamilton, I sense a familiar hint of coldness in the aura of one of them. There’s also a slight warmth in it… Do you think it’s her?”

“It is possible. The saint told us that she was the Lord of Ferde’s magic puppet. She has crossed realms to return to Firuman. The first thing she’d probably do would be to go back to the Lord of Ferde. Noa, we’ll need to tread carefully from now on.”

Noa grinned. “She’s the only one who poses a threat to us. Everyone else isn’t even worth our time. The saint was right. This realm’s power level is just too weak.”

“Don’t underestimate them,” said Hamilton. He then began walking northward as he continued, “Forget what the saint said about keeping them alive. Kill them on sight with all your might. We’ll just have to see if they’re lucky enough to survive our attacks.”

Noa caught up to him, giggling. “Of course I won’t show them mercy. But I would rather we not come across them too soon. It’s probably better to let them find the Book of Creation first. Saves us a lot of time finding it ourselves.”

Hamilton shrugged. “That certainly would be convenient.”

After taking a few steps, Noa suddenly said, “But really, those High Elves are a bunch of idiots, especially their queen. She thinks she can boss us around and even belittle our bloodline just because she’s the saint’s mother. I just really want to chop her head off with my sword!”

“Alright now, you’ve been saying that ever since we got here. Let her have her way for now. She’ll get what she deserves later.”

“I just can’t stand her!”

“But you can’t deny that her World Tree holds considerable power.”

The two of them were now heading north. They strolled through the Black Forest without an air of concern as if they were simply taking a walk in their own backyard.

After walking for two hours, another group of four arrived at the remnants of the campfire. This time, it was the Red Dragon Queen’s party. When they got there, the Light Magician Halino pointed at the pile of ashes with his wand and cast a high-level detection spell: Time Reverse. A gold shower of light fell from his wand, forming a couple of vague silhouettes around the pile of ashes. The silhouettes then began to move.

There were four silhouettes sitting around the campfire. A huge tent had been set up in a corner. A freshly skinned wild boar was roasting above the campfire. Through the silhouettes, they could see drops of oil dripping from the wild boar.

Halino’s spell had vividly conjured three of the silhouettes. Two of them looked like half-elves. Their features were handsome. They were sitting around the fire, discussing something. From their get-up and mannerisms, they were probably Magicians.

The third silhouette belonged to a girl who was wearing a full set of armor. She seemed to be around sixteen to seventeen years old. She was sitting near the fire as well, enthusiastically turning the skewer that was holding the wild boar above the fire.

However, the fourth silhouette stood out from the rest. Its entire form was a blur. The figure was basically a condensed ball of light sitting quietly near the fire. It was easy to miss if one was not looking properly at it.

No one could see what the figure looked like or even what it was doing at the time.

Just then, the four of them saw that the human blur waved a hand. An instant later, the figures conjured by Halino’s Time Reverse spell shook violently. Tried as he might, Halino could not maintain the integrity of the silhouettes any longer. In the end, they all faded back into a shower of light.

Seeing this, the Dark Magician Eugene let out a humph. “That’s definitely the lord of Ferde. No one else could pull off such a trick.”

The other party must have disrupted the flow of Time power. In Firuman, aside from a couple of the High Elves who had spent a long time studying Time Magic, only the lord of Ferde could do such a thing.

The Mountain Sage Heroto sighed, stroking his white beard. “I had seen the lord of Ferde back in Dragon Valley. He was still such an innocent little thing back then, like a sprout that had just poked its head out from the soil. Who would have thought that he would become so powerful in less than a year? It’s incredible.”

Gretel did not say a word. She was still gazing absently at where Link’s silhouette had been.

Noticing Gretel’s current state, Eugene said, “Your Highness, Link’s most likely heading north to search for the Book of Creation’s fragment there. Try not to let your heartstrings be pulled by a few words from Link when we catch up to him. If you can’t even do this, I suggest that you go back to Dragon Valley right now.”

Gretel let out a long sigh and looked sideways at Eugene, smiling bitterly. “I’m fine, thanks. Just worry about yourself. I’m not the one making life difficult for everyone in Firuman, anyway.”

“Alright, alright, point made.” Eugene raised his hands in defeat. He then turned to Halino. “Link’s a handful by himself. Now that he’s involved in this, what should we do now?”

Halino thought for a moment, then said, “I don’t think we need to worry about him too much. The lord of Ferde is a reasonable man. We’ll try to come to an agreement with him if we see him. He’ll probably accept our terms as long as Ferde stands to profit from them.”

Just then, Heroto burst out angrily, “Well sure, he’s a bloody businessman who only thinks about profiting off everyone he meets. Heck, he’s probably hoarded all the gold in Firuman for himself in Ferde by now.”

“That’s enough! Let’s continue our journey, shall we?” said Gretel.

The four of them fell silent. They then activated their spells and continued their journey towards the far North.

Ten minutes later, Halino suddenly said, “Stop, something’s not right. There are two people up ahead. I can sense that they’re extremely powerful!”

Eugene had sensed them too. He emerged from a black ball of mist. “Strange, I’ve never felt such powerful Warriors in Firuman before. They also seem to be no more than 30 years old. Has something changed in the world?”

He was shaken by this. All this time, Halino was the only person who had stood on equal footing with him in terms of power. Now came along these two youngsters whose power surpassed even his. This was just not possible.

Gretel stopped. She pricked her ears and then closely felt the two youngsters’ power levels. Ten seconds later, she spoke, “These two are not from Firuman. I heard them mentioning something about a saint, the Aragu Kingdom, and a Black Blood Rose. They probably came from the Aragu realm. Link once told me about that place. The Mana there is extremely saturated. It’s probably five times that of Firuman.”

Eugene was stunned upon hearing this. He was now even more curious. “So that’s why those two possess such power. They’ve been living in a Mana haven. From the looks of things, those two don’t seem to be up to anything good. Why don’t we take them on now?”

“Why would you want to pick a fight with them right now?” The Mountain Sage Heroto did not agree with Eugene’s suggestion.

Eugene immediately replied, “I highly doubt those two come all the way here from their native realm with good intentions. Heroto, would you have minded if I barged into the dwarves’ underground capital one day without even saying hi to you?”

Heroto glared at him. “I would have you escorted out of the city in a coffin if you so much as came near the place!”

“Hahaha, that’s my point. Those two fellows didn’t even bother introducing themselves to us, the rightful inhabitants of this realm. Halino, you up to it or what?”

After thinking for a bit, Halino said, “You do have a point. We’ll need to at least ask what they had come here for. It’s just two Warriors anyway. Though they may be more powerful than us individually, we could set up a trap for them. Subduing them shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Hehe, it’s not every day you would agree with one of my ideas. Then let’s do it.”