End Of The Magic Era

by Stayrr

The world that nurtured the civilization which reached the pinnacle of magic was on the verge of destruction. The last survivor transmigrated to the past, when the magic civilization started growing, as countless mages were still fumbling their ways through the thorny paths of magic knowledge. He, who came from the end of the magic era, aim to reach the pinnacle of magic.

11. 321

Read End of the Magic Era - Chapter 321 - Misunderstanding online free - Light Novel Full

Chapter 321: Misunderstanding

Translator: Shiraishi Editor: TheAlliance

"Eh…" Lin Yun was stunned. How could there be such a hot-tempered Master Alchemist? How could someone like this study alchemy, which required patience?

At this moment, the mana shackles forming in the air let out a sharp sound, just like a tense bowstring being suddenly released as they snapped down and bound Lin Yun.

"I said, who is your teacher? Is it Casey? Or Kenchi?" The middle-aged man didn't do anything else after restraining Lin Yun with the mana shackles. He only looked at Lin Yun. "I want to see who disregards the rules and lets their disciple casually burst into this laboratory."

"Eh…" Lin Yun helplessly shook his head after being shackled.

He slightly exerted himself and freed himself from the bindings of the mana shackles.

Indeed, very slightly.

Based on these mana shackles, Lin Yun estimated that this middle-aged man was a High Mage that was at least 5th Rank or higher. Lin Yun would have had a very difficult time if he had been an ordinary 1st Rank High Mage. He would even have had to use Runic Shield immediately. After all, the pressure of having a higher rank was quite huge.

Unfortunately, he met none other than Lin Yun.

To Lin Yun, mana shackles made only of pure mana were the same as nothing. The Magic Array revolved, showing Lin Yun the structure of the mana shackles and their vulnerabilities. Lin Yun only had to release a wisp of mana, stimulating a few weak points, which led to the mana shackles collapsing.

He only had to slightly shake them off afterwards.

But it looked different in the eyes of that middle-aged alchemist.

"Battle Mage?" The middle-aged alchemist squinted as he looked at Lin Yun with alarm and hostility.

From that alchemist's point of view, the mage in front of him holding a magic staff hadn't let out the slightest bit of Aura. In other words, he was a mage and not a warrior. But how could he free himself from the mana shackles purely through force despite being a mage? And with such ease… He had to be from Gaugass, he had to be one of those Battle Mages that focused on the martial path and the magic path at the same time.

This situation would be a lot more complicated if it involved a Battle Mage.

In the past, the King of Gaugass and his Battle Mages almost collapsed the rule of the 3rd Dynasty Empire. Although the Emperor defeated the Gaugass leader in the Tulan Mountains, forcing the Battle Mages to remain silent for millennia, as recently as three hundred years ago that disaster made the relationship between the Black Tower and the Gaugass Battle Mages burst apart. From that point on, the Battle Mages became an isolated race.

That disaster was truly too painful for the Black Tower.

It was to the point that the Black Tower's hate for them had yet to be quenched to this day.

By approaching the Black Tower, once could see hunting boards posted outside. According to those, one could obtain a Magic Tool on the same level as any Battle Mage they kill. The bounty never changed in the past hundred years, and this was the result of three hundred years of hatred.

The attitude of the Black Tower, one of the most powerful forces, was naturally influencing other factions. Over time, even forces like the Cloud Tower and the Mercury Tower naturally also started avoiding contact with the Battle Mages. It was due to the combination of the Battle Mages indeed being a different race, and also the fact that they didn't want to provoke the Black Tower.

Over the last three hundred years, the Battle Mages almost completely disappeared from Noscent, and even if they did appear, they would soon hide their tracks.

"I truly didn't expect a Battle Mage to be hidden within our midst. I want to see who was blind enough to let a Battle Mage infiltrate the Mercury Tower…" The middle-aged alchemist's expression turned rather gloomy. His gaze did nothing to hide his hostility as he glared at Lin Yun.

This was no joke… There would be huge troubles if the Black Tower got information that a Battle Mage infiltrated the Mercury Tower. They might even suffer from the retaliation of the Black Tower.

The consequences were too grave.

The first thought appearing in the mind of that middle-aged alchemist was to hurriedly make that Battle Mage disappear while this matter had yet to spread and to then erase every trace.

Thus, the middle-aged man didn't even wait for an answer and instantly started casting a Frost Ring. A blue radiance flickered in front of Lin Yun followed by the sound of an explosion as the ice elements within the Frost Ring erupted. That instant burst of power was formidable enough to force any 5th Rank High Mage to cast a Runic Shield.

But not Lin Yun.

Facing the frantic ice elements, Lin Yun only took a step back and avoided the scattering ice chunks before conjuring an Ice Fire Shield. Under Lin Yun's formidable control, that Ice Fire Shield blocked what he hadn't been able to dodge with ease. The Ice Shield and the Fire Shield worked in tandem. The latter had blocked the previous explosion while the Ice Shield blocked the scattering chunks of ice. If one didn't pay attention, they wouldn't notice the appearance of that Ice Fire Shield.

Just like the middle-aged alchemist.

Because he was preoccupied with maintaining the Frost Ring, he didn't notice the Ice Fire Shield. The first thought flashing to his mind was, 'Such a terrifying body, if he isn't a Battle Mage, what is he?'

"You are truly a Battle Mage!" After confirming his conjecture, the alchemist no longer stayed his hand and let out another Ice Ring, followed by a Fire Dragon, a Flame Burst, and Hellish Flames.

Three fire spells blossomed almost instantly.

This was a Spell Combo often used by High Mages. It took advantage of the Fire Dragon Spell's delay to cast a Flame Burst and Hellish Flames. These two spells would then both burst out at the same time as the Fire Dragon. The instant burst that ensued would completely surpass the caster's own rank.

"Hmm?" Lin Yun frowned as the middle-aged alchemist cast his Fire Dragon. He hadn't cared about the mana shackles and the Frost Ring, as they were only control spells. They didn't carry harsh enmity, so how could Lin Yun get angry? He had kept a good relationship with the Mercury Tower….

But this time…

One Fire Dragon Spell, one Flame Burst Spell, and one Hellish Flames Spell…

The most commonly used High Mage combo.

This also meant that this middle-aged man wanted to kill him.

The past two decades gave Lin Yun the habit of nipping any danger in the bud. If someone wanted to kill him, he would kill that person first. It was a subconscious reaction. Lin Yun also instinctively cast Elemental Incarnation and instantly turned into a ball of flames. He relied on the three fire spells cast by the opponent to Flame Flash over.

It was followed by a Flame Spear piercing down.

The middle-aged alchemist wasn't slow to react at all. He saw Lin Yun's Elemental Incarnation and instantly cast an Elemental Shield, because he knew that the enemy was about to counterattack. And sure enough, the Flame Spear appeared right as the Elemental Shield formed.

The Flame Spear dissipated after colliding with the shield.

The middle-aged man had a strange expression, and a sneer could be seen playing at the corner of his mouth. 'Battle Mages are indeed Battle Mages, how could they truly step on the path of magic when they also have to devote themselves to the martial path…'

But… When the alchemist lowered his guard, Lin Yun who was the embodiment of a fire Elemental, raised his hand once again, sending a very long Flame Burst out.

"Shit…" The middle-aged alchemist instantly cursed. 'How could it be so fast?'

How could he know…

That Lin Yun could use almost all fire type spells under the effect of Elemental Incarnation while completely ignoring spell cooldowns.

Thus…

One Flame Burst, Two Flame Bursts, Three Flame Bursts, Four Flame Bursts…

The middle-aged man's forehead was soaked in sweat.

The Elemental Shield was becoming dimmer and dimmer. It was bright at first, but it was a bit faint now. The middle-aged man knew that he wouldn't be able to take one more Flame Burst.

He knew that he would be suppressed unless he immediately counterattacked, as his Elemental Shield was on the brink of collapse.

The blazing flames then engulfed him.

The alchemist thoroughly panicked.

'How could a Gaugass Battle Mage have such incredible casting prowess? He used an entire seven Flame Bursts! Even with the power up from Elemental Incarnation, it still shouldn't be this frightening!

'Didn't it stem from me wanting to teach him a lesson? To make him understand the rules? How did it come to this…'

The middle-aged alchemist became clear-headed under the shock of fear, as he had suddenly realized that he might be losing his life in this fight. This made the middle-aged alchemist feel quite morose. He felt as if he just kicked a hat only to find out that a huge stone was hidden underneath, before then finding out that this huge stone was, in fact, an overwhelming monster.

"What are you doing!?" The doors to the laboratory were suddenly pushed open as someone hurriedly came in. He saw the darkened Elemental Shield as well as the Flame Burst being prepared in Lin Yun's hands. He took some time to figure out what had happened before casting an Elemental Shield to try to save the middle-aged man while hurriedly shouting at Lin Yun, "Stop quickly!"

But he froze just as he shouted.

"Merlin?"

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Chapter 322: Herman

Translator: Shiraishi Editor: TheAlliance

"Haha, long time no see, Sir Suyass…" Lin Yun knew that the middle-aged alchemist would be able to keep his life when Suyass appeared, so he greeted the latter with a smile as he cancelled that Flame Burst and removed his Elemental Incarnation.

"Merlin, how come you are here…" Suyass looked at this scene, stunned.

But Suyass' reaction wasn't slow, he looked at the smiling Lin Yun and the sweating alchemist and quickly understood.

Guessing what had happened, Suyass got a headache.

Suyass clearly knew that a fight had broken out; even a fool would be able to notice it.

The battle wasn't that important, the problem was who was fighting with who…

Suyass had joined the exploration team of Thousand Sails City and fought alongside Lin Yun, so how could he not know how terrible that young mage was? He had been a 9th Rank Great Mage at the time and already defeated Fran, who had temporarily gained the power of an Archmage. And now he had already advanced to become a High Mage, which should make him ten times more terrifying.

He was a living monster.

Wasn't Fran bold enough? He was still traumatized after coming back from the Four Seasons Canyon. Whenever the name Mafa Merlin was uttered, fear would appear on his face as he looked around everywhere. He was getting scared to death.

Even Suyass, who was already an Archmage, couldn't avoid having some post-traumatic stress after the trip to the Four Seasons Canyon. It was fortunate that his teacher and Karon had some friendship with Mafa Merlin. Otherwise, with how he and Fran had acted in the Four Seasons Canyon, they would have already died over ten times…

Even after returning to Okland, Suyass would still feel cold sweat whenever he remembered that unfathomable Great Mage.

He originally thought that he would stay in Thousand Sails City for a long time and wouldn't come to Okland anytime soon.

But he hadn't expected that just a month later, he would see that frightening monster once again.

And in such circumstances nonetheless.

It was too frightening.

This monster truly was just as ruthless as before. If he had been ten or twenty seconds later, Barlow might have already become a corpse.

"Barlow, what's going on?" Suyass' voice was extremely strict.

Nothing could be done about it, Suyass had no other choice but to be strict.

Not being strict with Barlow now would be the same as causing trouble for himself. 'Why did you have to trouble this person? Why did you provoke this ruthless monster that even Fran couldn't even get rid of? If it weren't for me pleading for Fran, he wouldn't even have been able to return to the Mercury Tower…

'That's right, you might be powerful, Barlow, a Master Alchemist who is also a High Mage could be considered something in Okland. But you still can't compare to Fran from the Four Seasons Canyon… At that time, Fran gained power from a Magic Tool and already became a genuine Archmage. But how did it end? He was casually defeated by this Mafa Merlin.

'What makes you so courageous? Barlow… To dare go against such a monster… If you are courting death, do it somewhere else…

'Now what? I saved you and you are helping me by implicating me into your mess? My legs still shake a bit when facing this monster…'

Unfortunately, Barlow truly didn't know any of this.

He was completely bewildered.

When he saw Suyass shouting for the young mage to stop, Barlow felt overjoyed and thought that his savior had come. Suyass was one of Nolan's personal disciples. Since Karon left for the Gold Forest Plane, he was the person with the most authority in the Mercury Tower, a true Archmage. He could settle this easily.

Thus, Barlow was happily waiting.

But what awaited him was Suyass' angry scolding.

"Sir Suyass, this is what happened…" Barlow hurriedly wanted to explain himself.

"Barlow, you shut up!" How could Suyass let him explain anything? This was no joke. It would be fine if Barlow was the one in the wrong, as he would just scold him and apologize to Merlin.

But if Barlow wasn't…

He would definitely face an imminent catastrophe.

If Barlow was right, then wouldn't that mean that Merlin was in the wrong?

How could Merlin be in the wrong?

If he was, it would be a big deal.

What if he did something like in the Four Seasons Canyon?

At that time, Suyass managed to save Fran, but who could save Suyass now?

Suyass didn't even think and immediately interrupted Barlow. "Do you know what you are doing!?"

"I…" Barlow was stunned by the harsh tone before he suddenly regained himself and hurriedly said, "Sir Suyass, Sir Suyass, he… He is a Gaugass Battle Mage!"

"What Gaugass Battle Mage, you are kidding me…?" Suyass almost spat out blood. 'How could Merlin be a Battle Mage? Shit, do you think Fran and I are blind?'

"It's true, Sir Suyass, he truly is…"

"Less nonsense. Merlin is my friend. Aside from the obvious fact that he isn't a Battle Mage, even if he was, so what? Don't forget that our Mercury Tower hasn't declared war with the Battle Mages. You are worried about the Black Tower's reaction? Let them come look for me…"

"I was wondering who was spouting so much nonsense! Turns out it was you, Suyass. How come you are dissatisfied with our Black Tower? Let me hear about this…

While Suyass was thinking of a way to kick Barlow out of here, a voice came in from outside.

The doors to the laboratory opened once again as a middle-aged man wearing a black robe entered.

But the cuffs of that man were shockingly embroidered with an interwoven pattern of gold and silver.

Archmage!

He was an Archmage from the Black Tower!

"Herman? Why are you here?"

"Hehe, why can't I…." After the man entered the room, he glanced at Lin Yun with a gloomy expression before looking back at Suyass. "My Evil Dragon Eye is damaged, I was originally looking for your Mercury Tower to help me fix it…"

He stopped here and looked at Lin Yun once again. "Had I not come, I wouldn't have known that your Mercury Tower was actually colluding with the Gaugass Battle Mages. Suyass, it looks like you are trying to shield this Gaugass Battle Mage?"

"Herman, your words are a bit too excessive. Your Black Tower has no right to criticize how our Mercury Tower handles its matters."

After Suyass finished, he glared fiercely at Barlow. 'Fuck, look what you did. There was no issue originally, yet you insisted on him being a Battle Mage and attracted someone from the Black Tower, look what you did…'

"Eh?" The middle-aged Archmage clearly didn't think that Suyass, who had always been so cooperative, would be so blunt this time. Herman looked at Suyass with a strange expression as he pressed, "Suyass, you should think about it carefully. Our Black Tower has a bone-deep hatred towards those Gaugass Battle Mages. Don't think you can do as you please just because you have Nolan's support. Let me advise you, Suyass, don't start a disaster for the Mercury Tower…"

"Herman, High Mage Merlin comes from Thousand Sails City and is the owner of the Gilded Rose. He is a true Andlusan Mage and not a Gaugass Battle Mage as you keep accusing him of being. Barlow is lacking and made a mistake, but you are an Archmage, Herman, how could you be so ignorant?"

"Very well, Suyass, you needn't say anything else. Whether this kid is from Gaugass or not, our Black Tower shall naturally decide. Since when has it become your Mercury Tower's time to talk?" After saying that, Herman no longer looked at Suyas and directly raised a finger at Lin Yun. "Kid, follow me. It doesn't matter if you don't want to admit that you are a Battle Mage, the Black Tower's Obsidian Prison is well-known in Okland. As long as you spend a day there, you'll spill all your secrets."

"Hey, Herman, Merlin is my friend, what are you trying to pull?" Suyass' expression became very grave. He had known that Herman was brash, being one of the youngest Archmages of the Black Tower. But Suyass hadn't thought that he would be this brash.

He was completely disregarding him.

And he wanted to take Merlin away from the Mercury Tower.

He didn't even put the Mercury Tower in his eyes.

It wasn't a subordinate of the Black Tower!

This was a provocation to the entire Mercury Tower.

Even Suyass was somewhat nervous about the other side's strength, but this time, he had no choice but to stand against him. He reached out with his hand and immediately put Lin Yun behind him, his eyes not moving away from the middle-aged Archmage.

"Haha, Suyass, I haven't seen you in a few years, you have some courage. Don't tell me you forgot that pursuit in the Gold Forest Plane?"

Suyass' expression turned nasty when he heard this. He looked as if he was about to erupt. This event was one of the rare disgraces in Suyass's life. At that time, Suyass and Herman were both 9th Rank High Mages.

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Chapter 323: Devouring Hand

Translator: Shiraishi Editor: TheAlliance

A few years ago, Suyass had been dispatched to the Gold Forest Plane's battlefield. He led a puppet legion and fought the Dark Elves, tempering himself for many years as he was getting closer and closer to the Archmage realm. Everyone was looking forward to Suyass' breakthrough as that would add one more Archmage to the Mercury Tower.

But something huge happened in the Gold Forest Plane. An Abyssal Evil Dragon's corpse actually appeared before the forces of the Mercury Tower after one of the Seven Great Magic Cities of the plane, Somal, was conquered. That Abyssal Evil Dragon had been sealed in the underground of the Gold Forest Plane, its huge body extending for over 500 kilometers, just like a mountain range, and it was connected to the Seven Great Magic Cities. What appeared before the mages of the Mercury Tower after claiming Somal was the head of the Dragon, and the aura that was leaking through the seal on it felt extremely violent.

At the time, it caused a stir in the entire Mercury Tower.

To the Mercury Tower which was a force of alchemists, the corpse of an Abyssal Evil Dragon was simply priceless. In response to the discovery, Nolan sent the order to seize that corpse at all cost.

Thus, the Mercury Tower sped up their plans and hastened to conquer the Seven Great Magic Cities, only taking three years to vanquish three of them.

But no one expected that the information about the Abyssal Evil Dragon was leaked…

And so, the Black Tower arrived.

The Black Tower used some unknown means to forcibly pinpoint the Gold Forest Plane's coordinates and faced great dangers to dispatch three Archmages and ten 9th Rank High Mages to quietly infiltrate the Gold Forest Plane.

Back then, Suyass' puppet legion had met fierce resistance at the 4th Great Magic City, and with his attention occupied he ended up making a huge mistake. He hadn't discovered that the news of the Abyssal Evil Dragon's corpse had been leaked and he hadn't noticed that the force of the Black Tower had already arrived.

Thus, unbeknown to Suyass, the Black Tower's force went deep inside Somal, and under the joint force of the three Archmages and ten 9th Rank High Mages, they forcibly cut a corner of the seal and snatched away one of the eyes of the Abyssal Evil Dragon.

That eye was now the True Spirit Magic Tool Evil Dragon Eye.

After the Abyssal Evil Dragon Eye was taken away, Suyass reacted promptly, giving up on capturing the 4th Great Magic City and just leaving the whole puppet legion there as he rushed back to intervene with the intruders. But he ended up running into Herman who had been left on the rearguard.

The two men fought a fierce battle, which ended in Suyass' defeat.

Herman pursued Suyass through the entire Gold Forest Plane for three days until they finally reached the place where the puppets had been left.

This was a disgrace Suyass would never be able to forget.

Not only had he lost to Herman, he felt that his mistake had shamed the entire Mercury Tower.

The Black Tower snatched that Abyssal Evil Dragon Eye from the Gold Forest Plane, but refused to admit that they ever sent a team to that plane.

Because of this, Nolan angrily charged into the Black Tower and pointed at Harren cursing wildly.

But no matter how much he cursed, he couldn't change the fact that the Abyssal Evil Dragon's Eye was taken unless the Mercury Tower was resolute enough to start a war against the Black Tower. They had no proof and thus simply couldn't denounce the Black Tower.

In fact, the Mercury Tower was forced to endure this nauseating grievance.

What was most intolerable was that Herman started frequently visiting after that and would often request the help of the Mercury Tower for repairs on his Evil Dragon Eye Magic Tool.

Every time Suyass saw Herman, every time his eyes landed on that Evil Dragon Eye, Suyass felt great humiliation.

But Suyass knew that the current Mercury Tower couldn't fall out with the Black Tower at the moment.

Thus, Suyass could only endure.

Just like today, even if Herman came to visit with the Evil Dragon Eye and mocked that he had been the one chasing him for three days and nights, Suyass could only restrain himself.

It was because the current Mercury Tower couldn't afford to make an enemy of the Black Tower.

There was a sizable gap between the two forces, and because of the unforeseen events happening in the Gold Forest Plane, the Mercury Tower already had their hands busy. If they also started a war with the Black Tower, they would have to deal with enemies in the front and in the back, putting the Mercury Tower in great danger.

"I'll say it again, Herman, my friend Merlin isn't a Battle Mage." Suyass curbed his anger with difficulty as he said this with an ashen face, "Our Mercury Tower welcomes you if you wish to have your Evil Dragon Eye repaired. But I don't have the time to spend on other matters."

After saying this, he turned to Lin Yun and said with an unsightly smile, "Merlin, let's go talk in my study, this place is too noisy."

"Go?" But before Lin Yun could answer, Herman intervened once again, "Suyass, you are truly naive. Even Okland's children know of the hatred the Black Tower has towards those Gaugass Battle Mages. Who do you think you are to dare take away a Battle Mage in front of me."

He continued, "Don't tell me this is the standing of the Mercury Tower." After saying this, Herman's expression turned heavy. The mana fluctuations of an Archmage spread in the surroundings as he started brimming with an imposing aura, "No one is taking away anyone today."

"You…" Suyass' expression froze.

"Kid, don't think that Suyass can protect you. Be obedient now and follow me back to the Black Tower…"

"Herman! Don't go too far!"

The atmosphere in the laboratory was tense. Lin Yun knew that he had no other choice but to make a move.

"It's fine." Lin Yun patted Suyass' shoulder before moving out from the cover behind Suyass' back as he looked towards Herman, "I shall repeat, I am from Thousand Sails City and I am not a Battle Mage."

"Haha…" Herman suddenly sneered, "It doesn't matter whether it is you or Suyass who say that you aren't a Battle Mage. All you have to do now is to follow me back to the Black Tower and undergo torture in the Obsidian Prison. The torture will make you spill everything."

"What if I don't want to?"

"Hmpf, this is not for you to decide…" After saying this, Herman extended his hand. That hand didn't look strong or powerful, it even looked somewhat frail.

But even Suyass' expression couldn't help changing when he saw that hand.

"Herman! You dare!" Suyass panicked as he wanted to intervene.

But it was already too late.

Herman's outstretched hand caused the surrounding mana to turn berserk. It felt as if the mana in the atmosphere was suddenly being devoured, as if there was a huge vortex in Herman's hand, absorbing everything.

"Hmm?" Lin Yun frowned, 'This doesn't seem to be a spell?'

"Merlin! This is the Devouring Hand, be careful…" Suyass had a worried expression.

Among the few people in the room, Suyass was the only one who personally experienced that Devouring Hand. Suyass suffered from the Devouring Hand many times during that long pursuit in the Gold Forest Plane.

After returning from the Gold Forest Plane, Suyass repeatedly turned over everything he researched about Herman and only later, thanks to the help of Karon and Nolan, understood that this Devouring Hand wasn't really a spell, it was an ability similar to one.

But this wasn't an innate ability.

Herman's Magic Conducting Rune was the Black Hole, one of the three Great Magic Conducting Runes of the Black Tower.

The Black Hole could be considered one of the peak Magic Conducting Runes of the Andlusa Kingdom, and it was very evil and strange in nature. It wasn't particularly special with only one or two such Magic Conducting Runes on a mage, but once a person possessed five Black Holes, the power of that Magic Conducting Rune would be fully displayed. Black Hole innately had the ability to devour anything. During a battle, the Black Hole could even absorb the mana from enemies.

This showed how wicked and special the Black Hole was.

But, this strange and evil Magic Conducting Rune was also very dangerous. Many mages would choose the Black Hole when advancing to the Great Mage realm. The unique characteristic of this Magic Conducting Rune would allow one to fight people beyond their ranks.

But these Great Mages usually wouldn't have a good ending.

Devouring unfiltered mana was a very dangerous thing in itself. If there was an issue, in the best case, it would lead to one's mana not being pure enough, in the worst case, mana would exceed what they could bear and the Mana Whirlpool would collapse under the weight.

It could be said that out of ten Great Mages deciding for the Black Hole Magic Conducting Rune, nine would fall midway. Even if they were lucky enough to form one, most of them would be unable to reach a higher rank.

As time passed, less and less Great Mages chose the Black Hole as their Magic Conducting Rune.

Herman was one such exception.

Suyass once heard someone mention that Herman was the only Archmage with the Black Hole Magic Conducting Rune in the current Black Tower.

And this was because Herman obtained a Meditation Law Set matching the Black Hole.

Moreover, this was a Meditation Law Set unique to Herman. Besides Herman, no one could practice it in the Black Tower.

It should be because of this that Herman was valued by the Black Tower to the point where they would hand him the Evil Dragon Eye.

The Devouring Hand Herman was displaying now had been formed with the Black Hole as its core along with Herman's own Meditation Law Set.

This was Herman's unique ability.

It was powerful to the point that even Suyass didn't dare claim he could withstand it.

If it was left alone, it would engulf the entire laboratory as the mana was steadily forming a hurricane with the hand as its center.

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It was terrifying.

Suyass' heart sank, 'He is really using it…'

The hurricane of mana was frantically rushing towards the hand, as if it was being absorbed by an incorporeal force. In an instant, the peaceful laboratory turned into a great tempest.

"Barlow, get out!" Suyass had personally clashed with the Devouring Hand before and knew how terrifying it could be. He had suffered from it a few times during that pursuit.

Now that this Devouring Hand appeared, Suyass instantly knew that something bad would happen and thus immediately pushed Barlow away.

Sure enough…

The power of the Devouring hand burst just as Barlow started to retreat. Suyass then heard a cry and turned, only to see Barlow's extremely pale face.

And the scariest part was that Barlow tried to cast a spell, twice… But the Runic Shield never came out.

Barlow was a genuine 5th Rank High Mage, he only needed to say one word to release his Runic Shield. But now… He chanted two full incantations, and it didn't show any signs of appearing…

Suyass knew that this was the evidence of mana disorder…

This detail made Suyass' expression turn unsightly. He truly didn't expect that in a few years, Herman's Devouring Hand would become so much more frightening. After all Barlow had only been affected by the aftermath of the Devouring Hand, yet it caused him mana disorder.

The true target of the Devouring Hand was Merlin.

As he thought of this, Suyass' expression became even worse.

"Shit…" Suyass cursed while raising his head.

Because he saw Herman's right hand extending towards Lin Yun.

Suyass knew that the most terrifying part of the Devouring Hand was when the hand directly touched one part of the body. At that time, the Devouring Hand would be akin to an unequalled existence. Even an Archmage like himself would lose a great amount of mana by getting in contact with that Devouring Hand and ending up with a mana disorder was the best outcome. At worst, his mana whirlpool would be drawn out.

The young High Mage should immediately withdraw.

He would only be able to find a chance to counter-attack if he avoided the strongest attack of the Devouring Hand.

But Suyass instantly froze when he saw the raising magic staff in the young High Mage's hands.

'It's over, it's over…'

Sure enough, the magic staff was already risen as Suyass cursed.

In a flash, the magic staff embedded with a huge precious gem knocked against that hand.

"Truly overestimating yourself…." Herman coldly snorted as he grinned at Lin Yun. He had been able to distinguish himself in the ruthless Black Tower and went through so many close calls over the years. He defeated countless powerful enemies. No one knew more than Herman how powerful the burst of his Devouring Hand was.

Let alone a twenty years old mage, even those rivals who had surpassed him a long time ago with their power and talent would be instantly shocked and filled with remorse once they experienced a touch of that hand.

Another burst of power came from the hand as the magic staff and the now huge Devouring Hand came in contact. It was followed by the huge magic gem embedded at the tip of the magic staff darkening as a steady flow of mana poured into Herman's body. Herman felt infatuated with that familiar feeling. It wasn't unexpected, nor was it a pleasant surprise. Herman knew that this decent Magic Tool would soon turn into scraps by the Devouring Hand, that young mage's turn soon following. It would only take a minute or two, it would be very fast. If he could absorb every trace of mana of that young mage, he would thoroughly cripple him.

Everything was under Herman's control.

The magic staff with the huge gem inlaid was standing off against the Devouring Hand. The gem blossomed with radiance as runes started appearing on the magic staff, looking shocking and inspiring.

But Herman knew that this was only the final radiance of the Magic Tool.

Sure enough, under the continuous draining of power, the precious gem bloomed with light, before becoming darker and darker. The runes appearing on that magic staff were just like flowers wilting. It only took ten seconds before Herman felt the power of that magic tool sharply declining. It would soon be unable to stop his Devouring Hand.

'What should I do…' Suyass was pale and fearful. Herman's move had been too unexpected, Suyass never expected Herman to use the Devouring Hand.

Moreover…

Merlin was too careless.

'How can you be so careless as to directly touch the Devouring Hand? This is Herman's greatest card, one of the most powerful Magic Conducting Runes of the Black Tower. This ability evolved from it and Herman's Meditation Law Set. This was a terrifying ability that could make Herman crush any opponent on the same level as himself.'

Merlin was facing off such a frightening ability.

'What should I do? What can be done?'

Suyass knew that this Magic Tool wouldn't be able to last, the Magic Tool would turn to scrap and the Devouring Hand's power would directly fall on Merlin.

Suyass felt that he had to do something!

He absolutely couldn't let the Devouring Hand's power descend on Merlin, nor could he let Herman carry Merlin away, otherwise how could he face his teacher, how could he face Karon?

In Suyass' eyes, the Devouring Hand would be able to devour anyone within the same rank.

Just as Suyass was in a hurry, the Elemental Amber at the top of the Magic Staff let out its final spark of light. This meant that the last bit of mana of the Elemental Amber had been devoured, and the Devouring Hand would now devour the power of the magic staff itself.

"What a pity, this was a decent Magic Tool" Herman shook his head as he urged the Devouring Hand once again.

The Magic Tool was thoroughly destroyed.

"Indeed, what a pity. It's the first time I see this kind of ability…" Lin Yun had yet to talk since the battle started.

But the others didn't understand what he meant..

What did he mean by this was a pity?

"You won't trick me!"Herman coldly snorted as the Devouring Hand burst with all its power. In a flash, the Spiritual Magic Staff deformed, the many runes on it deforming along with it as well as the arrays on it.

This was the sign of the Magic Tool collapsing

It wasn't just Suyass this time, even Barlow who hadn't been too happy with Lin Yun couldn't help sweating and crossing his fingers for that young mage. If the Magic Tool exploded, the young mage would lose the last thing he had been relying on and would have no other choice but to face the Devouring Hand on his own.

Time seemed to be frozen at this moment.

The entire alchemy laboratory felt stifling.

One second, two seconds…

Eventually, the power of the Devouring Hand thoroughly destroyed the array of that magic staff, and in that split second, everyone seemed to hear a mournful sound. That was the sound of the Magic Tool falling.

"Hey…" The pale Suyass let out a sigh.

What a pity…

But then, Suyass saw that the young mage who had lost its Spiritual Magic didn't seem to be annoyed, he actually looked rather happy.

"Thank you, Sir Herman." The Spiritual Magic Staff's arrays had already collapsed and the esteemed Spiritual Magic Tool had already turned into something ordinary, yet Lin Yun actually thanked him?

It was indeed a "Thank you"…

The three other mages all thought they had misheard.

Did that young mage go crazy? His Spiritual Magic Tool became something ordinary and he might lose his life to the Devouring Hand, why would he thank him?

But they didn't have time to think, because Lin Yun put away the remains of the Magic Tool in his pocket while revolving the Magic Arrays and the two Alchemic Mana Whirlpools. The mana poured in an incredible way, it was like an unrestrained flood crazily attacking the Devouring Hand.

"Ridiculous!" Herman sneered.

It's not as if Herman never met someone trying such a move, this was something that would happen quite often, he met many such opponents that would burst with all their power at a critical juncture, vainly using this method to try making a comeback.

But unfortunately…

No one succeeded. Even those Archmage rank opponents had been left suffering a loss.

Not to mention a young mage in his twenties.

Indeed, that young mage was really powerful and persevered in front of the Devouring Hand. Although he lost a Spiritual Magic Tool, that kind of performance already made Herman respect him.

But it was only respect.

A twenty years old kid's mana was bound to be inferior to his, in these circumstances, no matter if he burst or counterattacked, it would be nothing more than a joke.

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Herman didn't have to do anything else to deal with this.

He only increased the power of the Devouring Hand to allow the surging mana to flow in.

Seconds slowly passed.

A large amount of mana was pouring in Herman's body. Whether it was Suyass, or Barlow, they could both clearly see Herman's body swelling, his robe fluttering due to the surging mana. He started to look like a balloon filled with air. It looked very funny and ridiculous.

But Suyass didn't laugh, and neither did Barlow…

Because they knew that Herman who looked funny and ridiculous was in his most terrifying state, what made Herman's body swell like a balloon wasn't air, it was a large amount of pure mana.

It would create a disastrous explosion if it burst.

In fact, Suyass and Barlow could already feel a frightening aura being formed, and although Herman was focused on keeping the Devouring Hand under control, Suyass knew that once Herman's mana reached a critical point, what would await them would be a despairing explosion.

Only Suyass who experienced the Devouring Hand knew about this terrifying ability.

It was back then, in the forest of the Gold Forest Plane, that Suyass had personally seen Herman fight a Level 30 magic beast. At that time, Herman had only been a 9th Rank High Mage, yet he forcibly devoured over half of that magic beast's mana before erupting with it, killing that Level 30 magic beast in one move.

That battle left a deep impression on Suyass.

Herman had burst with a power far exceeding his rank at the time, that was an attack surpassing his limits. That Level 30 magic beast let out a blood-curdling scream as it fell at Herman's feet.

He might have been the one who had meticulously lured that magic beast over in order to block Herman's pursuit, but Suyass was so shocked that he even forgot to flee.

Now, Herman was once again being filled with mana.

Suyass knew that there was not much time left for that young High Mage, he would soon end up like that Level 30 magic beast if he couldn't counterattack immediately.

"Kid, you don't have much time left…" As the Devouring Hand crazily gathered mana, Herman felt that familiar sensation of mana and sneered.

Herman had already devoured enough mana, and that Spiritual Magic Tool had contained such a large amount of pure mana. Herman was now certain that if he erupted with that mana, the explosion might even be able to knock down an Archmage like Suyass, let alone the young mage before his eyes.

But Herman was in no hurry.

Herman still maintained his Devouring Hand.

Because he wanted to see that young mage slowly despair, he wanted to see the helplessness on his face, like all his previous opponents did as he used the Devouring Hand.

Everyone in the Black Tower knew that Herman took great joy and pleasure in killing Gaugass Battle Mages and watch them as they wept in despair.

But Herman had miscalculated this time.

The Devouring Hand was already operating at its limit, mana was frantically pouring in, yet the young mage in front of him didn't seem afraid. On the contrary, he was still looking at Herman with a smile.

"Indeed, I don't have much time left to study this fascinating ability, this is quite regretful…"

"Hmm?" For some reason, Herman felt cold when he heard that young mage's calm words.

This was a rare feeling for Herman.

Herman carefully recalled, it felt the same as a few years ago, when he entered the Gold Forest's Somal Magic City. When he stole that Abyssal Evil Dragon's eye, the Dark Elf Queen looked at him in the exact same way.

'This feels so similar…'

'It's the same hair-rising feeling…'

'But why?'

'A barbarian from Gaugass, a twenty years old mage, how could he make me feel this way?'

Unfortunately, Herman didn't have time to think.

He suddenly discovered that the mana within his body had became chaotic. This feeling was akin to having countless vipers digging into his body and frantically stirring his insides.

It didn't take long before Herman's inner shirt became drenched in cold sweat.

Herman was panicking, it wasn't as if Herman never suffered from mana disorder, after all, a strange ability like the Devouring Hand wasn't something that should appear on a mage. That ability was too evil and dangerous, thus Herman never used this ability to absorb mana for himself, he only used it to create an explosion with the stolen mana.

It was because he was so careful that Herman managed to repeatedly survive dangers.

Herman had suffered from mana disorder before and always managed to resolve it.

But it was the first time he suffered from a mana disorder as troublesome as today's.

That incomparable pain far exceeded even the harshest torture imaginable.

A mix of panic and fear flashed on Herman's face.

'Why is it like this?'

Herman seemed to have gone mad as a painful shout rushed out from the depths of his throat. He staggered a few steps back before pointing at Lin Yun, his other hand covering his own stomach. He struggled to open his mouth, but no sound came out.

"What a pity…" Lin Yun shook his head with a regretful expression.

Lin Yun might be the only one knowing that he wasn't sarcastic and was truly feeling regretful.

Herman's Devouring Hand was extremely rare, even with his era-transcending knowledge, it was the first time Lin Yun heard about this ability.

He truly wanted to research this ability…

Unfortunately, he didn't have the opportunity.

This time, Lin Yun used the Magic Array. That was ten different sources of power, along with an extra two Alchemic Mana Whirlpool. In other words, Lin Yun's mana output was 12 times that of an ordinary mage.

It was as if Herman devoured the mana of twelve High Mages, if he didn't suffer from mana disorder after that, then the Devouring Hand would be truly unequalled.

Added to the previous Spiritual Magic Staff's mana, the outcome was to be expected.

"I'm very interested in knowing what your Meditation Law Set is…" Lin Yun stood in front of Herman with a smile, not gathering his mana, nor ending the battle with an Icicle or a Wind Blade. He also didn't use a defensive spell.

It wasn't that Lin Yun forgot to defend himself or attack his enemy, they were in a deadly battle after all, it's just that Lin Yun already knew that there was no need.

Herman was already tortured by that mana disorder, he might even end up being crippled. Let alone attacking Lin Yun, even moving a finger was difficult for him.

But Lin Yun didn't immediately act against Herman, he didn't pierce his chest with an Icycle, nor did he cut his throat with a Wind Blade.

He was still curious about the Devouring Hand.

"Haha…" Herman bitterly smiled, but he looked Lin Yun in the eyes.

This was the pride of an Archmage…

Mage able to rise to the Archmage realm were all talented people, which of them didn't have a glorious path? Even if he was in a desperate situation, Herman was still unwilling to lower his head.

He was even less willing to bow to a Gaugass' barbarian.

"You… You wish to know? Ha… Haha…" Under the torture of the mana disorder, Herman had already lost his poise. He said in an icy voice filled with hatred, "It's possible… It's possible if you come to the Black Tower… I'll let those guards in the Obsidian Prison… Tell you what Meditation… Meditation Law Set it is…"

"No need for such trouble…" Lin Yun kept his smile and didn't care about Herman who was now laying on the ground as he rubbed the ring he wore.

"Fuck, why are you disturbing this Lord? I just managed to fall asleep…" The ethereal figure of the Ghost Wolf who called himself Lord Shawn appeared in the laboratory. His figure was already a lot more solid compared to the first time Lin Yun saw him. Lin Yun knew that he had mostly recovered due to the large amount of mana crystals he received, especially that soul mana crystal…

Even if Shawn wasn't at his peak, he wasn't that far off.

Something trivial such as extorting a weakened Archmage shouldn't be a problem.

"Help this Sir Herman, make him remember the Meditation Law Set he had learnt. As for the reward, you can get two Level 15 mana crystals."

After saying this, Lin Yun didn't care how Shawn took care of Herman and only turned towards Suyass, "Sir Suyass, long time no see! The processing of my magic materials should be under your responsibility, right?"

"Long time no see, Merlin…" Suyass smiled, but that smile seemed somewhat bitter.

After coming back from the Four Seasons Canyon, Suyass had been shocked by that young mage's power but kept a respectful attitude most of the time. Since he couldn't afford to offend him, he actually stayed away.

But Suyass knew that he couldn't hide today.

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Suyass still couldn't understand how the battle ended.

It looked like Herman who had the whole situation under control and was just toying with Lin Yun suddenly fell to the ground, struggling, while the young mage who should have ended up suffering from mana exhaustion won in a baffling way.

This was too strange, too unimaginable.

Suyass didn't know what just happened.

The whole fight ended in an inexplicable way.

Suyass felt that he couldn't see through that young High Mage…

When looking at his youthful face, he would feel an inexplicable fear.

"What is it, Sir Suyass?"

"Eh, nothing…" Suyass shook his head, throwing these chaotic thoughts out of his mind before regaining the poise of an Archmage, "I truly hadn't expected that batch of magic materials to be yours, Merlin…"

"Ah? Sir Karon didn't specify it…?" Lin Yun felt a bit strange. Karon should have known he was familiar with Suyass, so why did he not mention it when organizing the task…

"Ahah, Karon is too busy recently…" A bitter smile appeared on Suyass' face, "There has been some trouble in the Gold Forest Plane. Teacher has to remain there and Karon became very busy, supporting the Gold Forest Plane while managing the Mercury Tower. I didn't exchange more than ten sentences with Karon in the past two months. When he arranged the task, he only said that these magic materials were very important…"

"No wonder…" Hearing this, Lin Yun couldn't help sighing. Karon was very good towards him… He still helped him take care of his batch of magic materials.

"Oh right, I heard you met some trouble while refining the Darkness Evil Python Skin?"

"Eh…" Suyass froze, before looking at Lin Yun with a happy expression.

'Damn, why didn't I think about it before…'

'Isn't he a peak Master Alchemist…?'

'Moreover, the alchemy knowledge he displayed in Vaughn's ruins was far superior to mine… Me not being able to solve the solidification process of the Darkness Evil Python's Skin didn't mean that he couldn't…'

Had it been someone else, Suyass might have had apprehensions. After all, wasn't it shameful to ask for help from another Master Alchemist as a Master Alchemist?

But there was no issue if it was this person, Suyass felt no shame asking him for help.

Not to mention, this batch of magic materials originally was his, he was most welcome to come and help.

Thus, Suyass didn't think much before saying, "Merlin, how about you give us some pointers…"

"Eh…" Lin Yun hadn't thought that Suyass would be so direct.

But it didn't bother him, after all, it was his magic materials.

"Giving pointers is fine, but this isn't the best place for this. Suyass can you help me with the current issue?" Lin Yun looked around. The surroundings had been ruined by the Devouring Hand, and Herman who had been laying on the ground had been dragged to a corner by Shawn. Lin Yun helplessly shook his head, "Well, it's fine, let's change room first. We can borrow Sir Karon's laboratory…"

"Good, I'll immediately send someone to put it in order." After Suyass said those words, he turned to glance at the dumbstruck Barlow, "Still not moving?!"

"Yes, yes, yes…" Barlow shook as if he had just woken up from a dream. He fearfully glanced at Lin Yun before quickly lowering his head and leaving the laboratory, as if he was fleeing from a predator.

After going through the laboratory doors, Barlow let out a long sigh of relief.

He carefully closed the doors, his back drenched in cold sweat.

Barlow truly didn't know how he managed to leave that laboratory alive…

He also didn't know when he became so bold.

'Too frightening…'

Barlow only felt fear as he thought about it, how could he dare attack such a monster? how could he accuse him of being a Battle Mage?

Thankfully Suyass had appeared.

Barlow only understood now why Suyass was acting like that when he came in, it wasn't because Suyass loathed him, but rather, because Suyass wanted to save his life.

And the ridiculous part was that he hadn't understood and inwardly cursed Suyass a few times.

Now that he thought about it, he had overdone it a bit. If not for Suyass' timely arrival, Barlow would have ended in the same state as Herman.

'I was so lucky…'

Barlow patted his chest as he went to the top floor of the Mercury Tower to sort out Karon's laboratory.

At that time, Suyass gathered the alchemists.

There had been about twenty alchemists tasked by Karon, five of which were Master Alchemists while the rest were pretty good Great Alchemists.

It could be seen from this that Karon did his best for Lin Yun's matter. Suyass, Barlow and five more Master Alchemists, this was a total of 7 Master Alchemists, along with over a dozen outstanding Great Alchemists. This kind of line-up could be described as luxurious.

These were the elites of the Mercury Tower.

After being notified by Suyass, the alchemists came to Karon's laboratory one after the other, most of them carrying a puzzled expression as they looked at Suyass and Lin Yun.

"This is Mafa Merlin, from Thousand Sails City…" Suyass took a step back, moving a bit to let Lin Yun stand out, "He is the owner of the magic materials you are working on…"

Suyass' words led to a commotion.

Many people had been guessing who the owner of those magic materials was after Karon gave them their task.

They were wondering because the price of these magic materials was shockingly high.

They could even be described as priceless.

They had privately estimated the price of that batch of magic materials to be at least ten million golds.

Ten million golds…

This was no joke, this was a crazy price even in a place like Okland, it would be very strenuous even for a force like the Mercury Tower to gather that amount of golds to buy magic materials.

Thus, they all thought that these magic materials belonged to one of Okland's peak forces like the Cloud Tower, the Black Tower, Okland Magic School, or the two Great Families.

Only these millennial forces could spend ten million golds without blinking.

In any case, these magic materials shook the Mercury Tower far more than Lin Yun could have imagined.

And they could finally see the owner today…

A young man in his early twenties…

The alchemists all flared up, they all started whispering among themselves, making conjectures on that young mage's identity.

"How could he be so wealthy? That was ten million golds after all…"

"Wait, Sir Suyass introduced him as Mafa Merlin…"

"Mafa Merlin, Mafa Merlin…"

"Could he be someone of the Merlin Family?"

They thought it made sense. As one of the three Great Families, the wealth the Merlin Family gathered over a millennium could only be described as terrifying, it wouldn't be too strange for them to take out magic materials worth ten millions.

But Mafa Merlin's name seemed a bit strange…

The name of the three great geniuses of the Merlin Family had widely spread in the last few years, Ross Merlin, Aube Merlin, Leon Merlin. These three geniuses had became High Mages at a young age and could be considered famous among the various major forces.

But Mafa Merlin…

No one ever heard of this Merlin.

"Is he the newest genius of the Merlin Family?"

"No matter how talented he is, it's unlikely that the ten million golds came from his hand…"

"And he does look very familiar with Sir Suyass."

"Oh, could he be Sir Suyass' disciple?"

A few Master Alchemists quickly reacted and thought of this possibility.

They considered it and felt that it was highly possible. Everyone in the Mercury Tower knew of Fran and Suyass' trip to Thousand Sails City, moreover, not a word of what happened in Thousand Sails City was leaked, and no one was willing to ask them.

"Could Sir Suyas have accepted this disciple on that trip?"

"Then, this Mafa Merlin relied on Sir Suyass' fame to be valued by the Merlin Family?"

"No wonder…"

Suyass was a newly advanced Archmage as well as a peak Master Alchemist, he was currently in the limelight and even peak Archmages would be polite towards him.

Mafa Merlin would definitely be valued by the Merlin Family if Suyass was his teacher, it wouldn't be strange for him to take care of this batch of magic materials.

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Chapter 327: Alchemy Formula

Translator: Shiraishi Editor: TheAlliance

"Merlin came over this time to help everyone solve the problem of the Darkness Evil Python Skin's magic solidification…"

"What?"

Suyass' words caused a commotion.

Everyone reacted strongly, all thinking, 'So is this Suyass' disciple or not?'

Everyone thought that Suyass had brought Mafa Merlin over just to introduce him so that they could show him some consideration in the future.

Naturally, they would definitely have had to show some respect…

Suyass was Nolan's disciple, and with both Karon and Nolan in the Gold Forest Plane, Suyass was the person in charge of the Mercury Tower.

Moreover, Suyass usually had a very good attitude.

Besides being a bit arrogant, he could be said to be almost perfect. They had to show some consideration when he was introducing his disciple.

That was what they all thought at first.

Some of them even thought that they should take it a step further and were secretly preparing to give him some gifts.

But then Suyass' next words stumped everyone.

They wanted to ask him, 'Sir Suyass, what do you mean? We all spent a considerable amount of time on it, yet we couldn't solve the Darkness Evil Python Skin's magic solidification. Saying that your disciple can solve it… What do you think of us? You aren't even an Artisan…'

The laboratory was eerily quiet, and the alchemists were all looking at Suyass with frowns.

They were all dissatisfied, but no one retorted out of respect for Suyass.

"Merlin, you should say a few words."

"Okay." Lin Yun nodded. He stepped forward, and he wasn't as polite as Suyass.

Because he didn't have the time to be polite, as he would rather cut to the chase.

If the Doom Staff reached the True Spirit rank one day later, it meant that Lin Yun would have to wait one extra day before being able to enter the Tulan Mountains. It would also be an extra day without having the Meditation Law Set of the Gaugass King. This would affect Lin Yun's future magic path, and this was more important to him than wasting time on niceties.

"I have two ways to complete the magic solidification of the Darkness Evil Python Skin," Lin Yun said while taking out two pieces of paper from his pocket. Written on them were the processing plans he had prepared beforehand.

But someone interrupted him just as he started talking.

"Ridiculous!" An old man with grey hair came out from the crowd. His hair seemed to stand up on his head, most likely due to being too agitated. "Immature kid, you dare come here to speak nonsense? Do you even know any of the Seven Great Formulas? Do you even understand Hawkins' Theorem? Don't think that you can ignore others after learning some alchemy under Suyass. Indeed, this old man might not be gifted, and I might not be lucky enough to become an Artisan during my life, but I've lived for over a hundred years and personally completed no less than fifty Spiritual Magic Tools! Have you even seen that many? You don't put me in your eyes? Well, with one word, this old man can make you no longer welcome in the Mercury Tower and make you leave with your magic materials!"

"Uncle Griffith, don't worry…" Suyass moved forward with a bitter smile.

"Beat it!" But the one Suyass called Uncle Griffith didn't even look at this newly advanced Archmage as he pushed him away.

Had it been someone else, that movement would have been enough to be a major offense. After all, Suyass was an Archmage and a peak Master Alchemist, he was one of the greatest existences in the Mercury Tower, yet he was pushed away like that…

But Suyass didn't dare to be angry. He instead squeezed out a smile as he awkwardly tried to advise the old man.

Because that old man was Griffith…

He was one of the senior figures of the Mercury Tower, having started following Nolan several decades ago, when he was still a youth. Although he didn't have much talent in the field of alchemy, by relying on hard work and diligence, he staggered into the Master Alchemist realm in eighty years, becoming one of the pillars of the Mercury Tower alongside Karon and Suyass, who were younger by a few decades. Griffith's innate talent was simply not worth mentioning.

But the status of the talentless Griffith in the Mercury Tower wasn't low at all.

He was someone who had followed Nolan for close to a century. He had always been very conscientious and had made so many contributions to the Mercury Tower. Even Karon would be respectful in front of Griffith.

But…

The entire Mercury Tower knew that Griffith was irascible.

Suyass had experienced it firsthand…

In those days, when Suyass had just become Nolan's apprentice, the first task he gave him was to serve as Griffith's assistant.

Suyass suffered for an entire three years.

To be honest, Griffith was a very good teacher for building foundations. His knowledge of the basics was very good, and he was a very rigorous and proper teacher.

It's just that his character wasn't very good…

Suyass could still remember Griffith's temperament… It had been hard for him to avoid making mistakes when he had just become an assistant.

It was then that Suyass learnt of that old man's bad temper. He was greeted by a thunderous roar the first time he made a mistake. This completely terrified the 20-year-old Suyass. And soon, Suyass made a second mistake. That time, he was hit by a flying beaker.

This continued for an entire three years.

This caused Suyass to be meticulous in his alchemy work. He never forgot Griffith's hellish teachings even after he became a peak Master Alchemist, and he always operated in a textbook manner.

From this, it could be seen how inflexible and irritable Griffith was.

When Suyass saw that the one complaining was Griffith, he inwardly grumbled.

Had it been anyone else, Suyass would have used his authority to pressure them. But Suyass didn't dare do that with Griffith.

Those three years were a nightmare to Suyass, having left him with a deep trauma.

Thus, Suyass retreated…

"You said that you have two methods to settle the problem of the Darkness Evil Python Skin? Good, I shall give you an opportunity to prove yourself…" After saying that in a rough tone, Griffith took out a piece of paper from his pocket and wrote down a formula. He then coldly snorted, "Solve this formula and I'll believe in your abilities."

Griffith was very angry. Let alone Suyass, even the other Master Alchemists and Great Alchemists couldn't stop themselves from backing away a bit. That old man's temper was famous in the Mercury Tower, and his status was so great that it could be compared to Karon's. No one in the Mercury Tower would be foolish enough to offend him.

At this time, many people started sympathizing with that Mafa Merlin.

He really was unlucky.

Normally, with Suyass's introduction, even if he said something unpleasant, they would have pretended not to have heard it out of respect for Suyass.

But he was very unlucky today, because Griffith was here…

The old man was too inflexible and took the field of alchemy very seriously. How could he not intervene when he heard that youth boasting in front of him like that?

And should the youth step down now that Griffith had locked onto him?

They were all thinking about it, feeling that this young mage could only refuse to attempt that formula. The field of alchemy was vast… Who would dare to say that they were proficient with every formula? This matter would be settled as long as that Mafa Merlin dared to say that he wasn't proficient with that formula. Although he would lose some prestige, this was his only way out at this point.

Griffith was almost a hundred years old, could he force that twenty-year-old kid to pick up a quill and a sheet of paper and work on that formula?

In the eyes of those alchemists, Mafa Merlin's choice was clear.

Besides this, there was no other way…

Or would he think that he could really crack that formula?

Griffith had studied alchemy for nearly a hundred years. Although his talent was limited, after spending eighty years staggering along that path, even Suyass couldn't compare to his experience. Would he take out an alchemy formula that an average person could crack?

But against everyone's expectations…

The young man didn't even think about it as he went to pick up the piece of paper. "Sure."

"Oh?"

Many of them thought they had misheard…

'How? Is that Mafa Merlin Crazy? Does he want to become a laughingstock?'

'He is being too stubborn…'

"Haha, good. I shall see if you can uphold the reputation of the Merlin Family…" Hearing Lin Yun's answer, Griffith sneered as he handed him the piece of paper.

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Chapter 328: Fess Formula

Translator: Shiraishi Editor: TheAlliance

"Turns out it's the Fess Formula…" Lin Yun chuckled after taking out the piece of paper. He casually grabbed a quill from his pocket and moved to a nearby refining table to start writing.

"So pretentious…" Griffith coldly snorted as he looked at Lin Yun with a newfound disgust.

At first, Griffith had only disliked that young man's boasting. He was only in his twenties, yet he was boasting in such a way, saying that he had two methods of solving the Darkness Evil Python Skin's magic solidification.

But the "Fess Formula" that the young man mentioned suddenly made Griffith loathe him.

'Ridiculous… That Mafa kid doesn't even know the name of that formula…

'What Fess Formula, I copied that formula from vestiges of the 3rd Dynasty thirty years ago, and the name "Lauren Formula" was clearly written on top. It was one of the three major formulas written by the famous Artisan of the 3rd Dynasty, the Life Alchemist, Lauren.

'You think you are so great, pretending to understand something you don't and dubbing it as the Fess Formula…'

Griffith remained silent, sneering as he looked at Lin Yun.

At this time, Lin Yun was so focused that he couldn't sense the change in Griffith's expression. He was completely immersed in breaking the alchemy formula. To Lin Yun, a formula of this level wasn't anything too complicated, and he worked for only about four minutes before he put down his quill. He picked up the sheet of paper and handed it to Griffith.

"Mafa Merlin, isn't it? Let me give you a piece of advice. It is good for youths to be ambitious, but losing respect for their elders in the process leads to disaster…" Griffith didn't seem to be in a hurry to check the piece of paper and only sighed, as if his interest had waned.

"Eh? Master Alchemist Griffith, how about you check it first?"

"Haha, check? Check what? Check how you are pretending? Check your nonsense? You don't even know the name of the formula, how could you have the qualifications to make me check your gibberish?"

"Eh?" Lin Yun froze. 'Impossible, the formula he gave me is definitely the Fess Formula.'

Lin Yun was very sure of this.

Lin Yun might occasionally be mistaken about other things, but the Fess Formula was used in many different applications. It could be used in the Physical Enhancement Formula, which was a very important skill at the end of the magic era as it didn't need to rely on mana. Lin Yun used physical means to complete the Physical Enhancement several times and used it to handle some sand beasts on several occasions, so how could he be mistaken about the Fess Formula?

"Let me tell you the truth. What you think is the Fess Formula is actually the Lauren Formula. This is the proud work of the Life Alchemist, Lauren, who was a fellow student to Emperor Zhantui and the Gaugass King. Fess Formula? What a joke. Being an alchemist that doesn't know something isn't scary, what's truly scary is pretending to know when you don't."

After saying this, the old man no longer looked at Lin Yun and threw that piece of paper to the ground before turning to leave the laboratory.

'Lauren Formula, Lauren Formula…' Lin Yun contemplated these two words when he suddenly thought of something. 'How could I forget this? This is a huge misunderstanding…

'The Lauren Formula and the Fess Formula are one and the same…'

They were only named differently.

This was a well-known joke in history.

But the truth wasn't something that the mages of this era knew.

He had to clear up the misunderstanding first.

Seeing the old man reach the door of the laboratory, Lin Yun had no choice but to loudly say, "Whether it's the Lauren or the Fess Formula, the seven variables would stay the same. The key to cracking this formula relies on calculating these seven variables, and that's not difficult…"

"Eh?"

Griffith suddenly stopped at the door.

"In fact, one only has to use the Five Color Theorem, there is nothing complicated in that."

"What did you say?" The old man abruptly turned around and stared at Lin Yun for no less than ten seconds before coming back over. He stooped and picked up the paper that he had thrown to the ground and quickly looked at it in an impatient way.

But after reading, his expression suddenly changed.

He was amazed at first, but soon, the amazement turned to shock, before being followed by disbelief. He shook his head as he looked at the paper. "Impossible, impossible, how could it be so simple…"

It had taken Lin Yun less than five minutes to solve this formula.

But Griffith spent no less than twenty minutes reading that solution.

After twenty minutes, the pale old man let out a long sigh before gently putting that piece of paper on the refining table. He then showed a bitter smile. "But how could you not know that its name is the Lauren Formula?"

"Several thousand years ago, Lauren, who was known as the Alchemist of Life, had a disciple named Fess. The one who killed the Dark Phoenix with his own hands, Wind Sage Fess. Haven't you noticed that this formula's style is completely different from Lauren's style?

"You mean…" Doubt appeared on Griffith's face. 'It does look strange… The style of that alchemy formula is very different from the other two major formulas. Could it be…'

"Haha, this is quite normal. If you study the history of the 3rd dynasty, you would discover that there were a lot of bad practices during that era. For example, any research results made within thirty years of apprenticeship in the field of alchemy would be put under the teacher's name. You would understand if you checked Lauren's testament. On his deathbed, three-quarters of that testament repeated how much he owed Fess and how he left all his heritage for Fess. This debt, haha…"

"This… Isn't that just your conjecture?" For the meticulous Griffith, the alchemist ancestors were like idols. He wouldn't allow doubts or blasphemy. Even if what Lin Yun said sounded fair, the old man couldn't help calling him into question.

"I do have some evidence, but there isn't much time today. If Master Alchemist Griffith is interested, it can wait until the problem of my Darkness Evil Python Skin's magic solidification has been solved, I can discuss this with you then, alright?"

"Alright, alright…" Griffith repeatedly nodded, but after doing so, he looked doubtfully at Lin Yun. "But, Merlin, can you really solve the problem of the Darkness Evil Python Skin's magic solidification?"

"Haha, I did say I had two methods…"

"…"

"Uncle Griffith…" Seeing the old man remaining suspicious, Suyass couldn't help coming close to Griffith and whispering in his ear, "Merlin has higher achievement in the field of alchemy than I do."

"What!" Griffith suddenly jumped.

Better than Suyass…

Although Griffith could be considered Suyass' teacher in the field of alchemy, that irascible and inflexible old man knew that Suyass had already surpassed him in his own field and reached the peak of the Master Alchemist realm a few years ago.

But now, this peak Master Alchemist said that Mafa Merlin was better than him in the field of alchemy…

How close was he to the Artisan realm?

This…

Griffith was completely stunned. This was outrageous. The youth before his eyes didn't seem older than twenty, he was even younger than his own disciple's disciple…

Yet he was a peak Master Alchemist close to the Artisan realm at this age!

Was he going mad? Or was the world going mad?

"He… He isn't your disciple?" Griffith asked with a strange expression.

"Eeeeh? Uncle Griffith, don't joke like that…" Suyass was frightened when he heard this. 'Words can't be taken back! This person's temper isn't very good…

'In fact, he isn't much different from you in that respect. Even Herman of the Black Tower accidentally provoked him with his Devouring Hand and ended up running out of luck. He is still in the laboratory under us, being extorted by that strange Ghost Wolf. It doesn't matter what you say, old man, just don't create trouble for me…'

"Looks like he really isn't your disciple…" Griffith was very old, and although he was inflexible and irritable, he was very good at interpreting body language. He saw the fear in Suyass' face and knew that he had made a wrong guess. How could a teacher be this afraid of his student?

But he still felt strange. "How could there be such a young peak Master Alchemist…"

"Ahah, I also don't know."

While Lin Yun was handing the two pieces of paper to a Great Alchemist, Griffith kept whispering with Suyass, "There is such a genius in this world that can accomplish in twenty years what most people can't accomplish in their lifetimes, isn't that a bit too much?"

"Right, Teacher regards him as very important. If not for the Gold Forest Plane's trouble, Teacher would have personally waited for him. I think Teacher wants to take him to the Starry Sky College…"

"Right! Those old monsters of the Starry Sky College would be very interested in him. Yes, yes, it should be like that…"

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Chapter 329: Lively and Energetic

Translator: Shiraishi Editor: TheAlliance

The two of them having a discussion about a secret of the Mercury Tower that no more than ten people were qualified to participate in. Thus, they were busy whispering in a corner, to the point that they didn't even notice that the laboratory was bustling with noise and excitement.

The pair of them were stunned when they finally paid attention to the others.

"What happened?" Griffith seemed unhappy. In the eyes of that inflexible old man, this was a clear disregard for the rules.

But then, Griffith found out that it was all because of those two thin stacks of paper.

Those papers passed between the Master Alchemists and the Great Alchemists. Each time they changed hands, they would lead to an alarmed shout, as if they were seeing something they weren't normally allowed to see.

They all started discussing this…

And at the core of those discussions was the young Master Alchemist, Mafa Merlin, who had come up with what was written there.

'Is he really that formidable?'

Although he had already heard from Suyass that this Mafa Merlin was a peak Master Alchemist, Griffith couldn't really accept the fact that he could create such a stir with just these papers. He hesitated a bit before quietly pulling a Master Alchemist aside, mostly out of curiosity, but also out of doubt.

"What's written on those two stacks of papers?"

"Too amazing, too formidable…" That Master alchemist was in his fifties and appeared to be in the prime of his life. He had clearly been startled greatly by what he had seen. He wanted to answer to Griffith, but couldn't figure out where he should start.

"Don't be so chaotic, just say the important part!" Griffith's expression darkened.

"Eh, eh, the important part…" Just like Suyass, that Master Alchemist used to be an assistant in Griffith's laboratory. He had also been devastated by the experience, and it had left a huge shadow in his heart. Although he had already become a Master Alchemist, he immediately started sweating when he saw Griffith's severe expression.

"This Mafa Merlin didn't lie, he wrote two methods that can truly take care of the solidification problem of the Darkness Evil Python Skin, but…"

"But what?"

"But these two methods are very strange."

"What do you mean?"

"There are two methods, one is simple, one is complicated, and they have completely different styles…"

The middle-aged man stopped there because he couldn't figure out how to explain it better, so he waved a colleague to bring the papers over before giving one to Griffith. "You should check this one first, it has a total of seven formulas interlocked, it also has countless variables, and in these, an astronomical amount of things had to be calculated…"

"Hmm…" Griffith looked through the stack of paper in his had as he nodded. The middle-aged man's explanation was spot-on. The method Mafa Merlin described there was certainly extremely complicated, and a frightening quantity of calculations were packed in this solution.

"Check this one next…"

"Hmm?" Griffith was a bit surprised when he took the second stack of paper. "This… This is this simple?"

"Yes, simple to the point of being frightening…" The middle-aged man shook his head, the expression on his face somewhat desolate. He had read these papers no less than ten times, but he would still be startled every time.

"…" Griffith didn't know what to say for a while.

If the first method had reached the peak of complexity, then the second method reached the peak of simplicity. It was a kind of rough simplicity… It didn't have any principles, it was purely an unconstrained thought. Find one gap and ignore everything else to settle the issue.

One complex, one simple.

Two completely different styles came from the same alchemist.

And that alchemist was so young.

This kind of ability qualified him to occupy a place at the grand meeting of the Starry Sky College.

As Griffith was discussing it with the others, Lin Yun quietly left the alchemy laboratory. Giving them the two solutions was enough for Lin Yun because he knew that the Mercury Tower would naturally work out the details.

He had something more important to deal with.

Lin Yun left Karon's laboratory and went to the lower floor once again, to the place where he fought Herman.

"Hmm?" Lin Yun noticed a thick smell of blood just as he was about to enter.

'No way?' Lin Yun was startled as he though, 'Shawn wouldn't have killed him, right? That wouldn't be good.'

No matter what, Herman was still an important person in the Black Tower. From what Suyass had said, he was like Mason's uncle and would most likely join the Black Tower's Elder Council soon.

That was the core of the Black Tower. Once one entered the Elder Council, they would have the power to control countless mages' prospects and fates. If that kind of person died in the Mercury Tower, would the Black Tower leave the matter at that?

To be honest, Lin Yun dreaded the Black Tower a bit.

In the Magic Hand's gathering in the Ash Tower, the master of the Black Tower that Jouyi had called "Ladyboy" left a profound expression in Lin Yun's mind. That was someone who could do anything to get what he wanted. He might even shake the hand of someone that he considered his mortal enemy for some benefits. The Black Tower was definitely troublesome when led by this person.

However…

No one in this era understood more than Lin Yun how fearsome the Black Tower would become in the future. It was hardly an exaggeration to say that the future Black Tower, and the Cloud Tower as well, would crush all the other forces of Andlusa and become one of the peak powers of Noscent.

Unless he absolutely couldn't avoid it, Lin Yun would rather not become their enemies.

As he thought about this, Lin Yun rushed in and found a dying Herman in the corner of the laboratory.

Shawn was truly vicious and merciless, and Herman was now laying on the ground. He had no visible wounds, but his mind had already collapsed. His eyes were empty, and there was no anger, no emotion. He didn't react at all when Lin Yun walked over. If Lin Yun hadn't noticed his faint breathing, he might really have thought that this Archmage from the Black Tower was dead.

His breathing was weak and rough, and he looked like a corpse. When Lin Yun yelled at Herman to try to rouse him, he didn't get a response.

"I did say that no answer could be hidden from me…" At this time, the figure of the Ghost Wolf appeared from the shadows and looked just as brazen as usual.

"Hey, Lord Shawn, aren't you a bit too ruthless? This guy is almost dead. He is an important figure of the Black Tower, how would I be able to explain if you kill him…" Lin Yun was a bit worried.

Herman took the initiative to attack him and ended up shooting himself in the foot. He was in the wrong for that and even if Harren personally came over to confront him, he wouldn't become hostile with him because of this.

But…

Death was another matter altogether.

After all, that was someone who would enter the Black Tower's Elder Council.

"Rest assured, Lord Shawn knows how to act. If you are worried, I can make him lively and energetic…" After saying that, Shawn chanted a few words and some soul power struck Herman.

This caused the corpse laying on the ground to suddenly jump up.

Herman let out a blood-curdling scream as he rose, and Lin Yun couldn't help showing a sympathetic expression.

"See, lively and energetic!" Shawn's voice was full of pride.

"…" But Lin Yun's expression was rather dull.

"Oh right, I had him make a copy of the Meditation Law Set you wanted, it's on the refining table there, you should check it out first. I still have some things to take care of…"

After Shawn finished, he directly transformed into smoke, wanting to go back in the Soul Walker.

"Stop." Lin Yun wasn't a fool. How could he let him run away? Before Shawn got close to the Soul Walker, Lin Yun had already raised his hand. Sparks appeared all around as ten blazing rays interweaved together, forming a decently-sized cage around Shawn.

"Fuck, what are you doing? Biting the hand that fed you?"

"Lord Shawn, you seem to have forgotten to ask for your reward?" Lin Yun ignored Shawn's curse and only looked at that flaming cage as he asked with a smile, "This isn't your style, that's a Level 25 mana crystal…"

"…" Shawn was sluggish and evasive as he turned towards Lin Yun, but Shawn was still Shawn. Even under such circumstances, he wouldn't feel guilty and wouldn't admit any mistakes. " What about it? I'm in a good mood today and I don't need that reward, is there a problem with that?"

"Haha, Lord Shawn, your words might trick others, but how could you trick me? You would never let off a Level 5 mana crystal, yet you aren't even caring about a Level 25 mana crystal? I wonder what this means?"

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Chapter 330: Assimilation

Translator: Shiraishi Editor: TheAlliance

"No time, I want to sleep!" Shawn started struggling in his black smoke form, looking around the cages of flame rays for a way to escape.

But it was a cage made by Lin Yun, so how could escaping be easy? Shawn circled inside the cage for a few minutes but didn't find a way to break through, so he finally gave up, transforming back into a Ghost Wolf before lazily resting on his stomach, pretending to be sleepy.

"Haha, let's talk about it…" Lin Yun obviously knew about this guy's character. He didn't get angry and only extended a hand. "The Evil Dragon Eye?"

It was a simple sentence, but Shawn twitched a bit when he heard it. After nervously looking at Lin Yun for a while, he realized that he'd reacted too strongly and went back to pretending to sleep. But the next time he talked wasn't as natural as before.

"What… What Evil Dragon Eye? I don't understand what you are saying!"

"Don't pretend. Herman has a True Spirit Magic Tool on him called the Evil Dragon Eye. It is made from the eye of an Abyssal Evil Dragon from the Gold Forest Plane and he would flaunt it pretty often. Every child in Okland knows about it, do you think you can hide it from me?"

"Eh…"

"Eh what? Take it out quickly."

Shawn's eyes were wide open for a while before he suddenly let out, "I can't take it out anymore…"

"Don't joke with me…" Lin Yun's voice rose a few notches.

"I truly can't take it out…" Shawn's voice started carrying a sobbing tone. "You think I really want that Evil Dragon Eye? The problem is that I can't take it out, I have no way to do so. Can you take out the Evil Dragon Eye for me?"

"You are saying the truth?"

"Of course…"

"Tell me, what the hell happened!" A vein was pulsating on Lin Yun's forehead. The Evil Dragon Eye was a True Spirit Magic Tool. It was invaluable in this era, having power equivalent to that of an Archmage.

Even if Lin Yun could take out ten million golds, he would only be able to get some magic materials…

If he truly wanted to buy a True Spirit Magic Tool, ten or twenty million wouldn't be enough. After all, a Spiritual Magic Tool could start a long war, so how could Lin Yun not be angry now that a True Spirit Magic Tool went missing, how could he not fly into a rage?

Shawn had a dejected expression as he was glared at by Lin Yun.

"I really don't know, I only felt that this guy seemed to be hiding a very strange aura that might have come from the Abyss or Hell. It was a very sinister aura, and I swear that I was just a little curious…"

"Just a little curious?"

"I swear!" After Shawn made his solemn vow, he didn't forget to flaunt, "Lord Shawn is also a True Spirit Magic Tool, so I know how to act… I wouldn't dare go for such a small thing that you coveted."

"…" The vein on Lin Yun's forehead pulsated faster. 'This great True Spirit Magic Tool was likened to trash in your mouth.'

"In any case, this aura felt very familiar, and as you know, Lord Shawn has always been someone meticulous, so I would naturally study this interesting aura meticulously. Thus, Lord Shawn tore open this guy's soul and found the source of that aura…"

"…" Lin Yun couldn't help sympathizing with Herman when he heard this.

That Archmage was truly unlucky.

In hindsight, dying might be better than being left at the mercy of Lord Shawn.

'Tearing a soul open…'

Anyone with a bit of understanding of souls would know how cruel and ruthless these casual words were. The feeling of having one's soul being torn open was worse than any torture in this world. No wonder Herman had been half-dead on the ground…

"Then, I found out a huge eyeball embedded tightly in his chest, and it seemed to have been refined through alchemy. I tried to dig up the eyeball, but without any success. It actually made that guy bleed and some of his bones even broke…"

"…" Lin Yun took a deep breath, feeling as if he had already become numb to it all as he said, "Continue…"

"But I didn't give up, you know, Lord Shawn is dedicated to research…" Shawn kept pretending as he explained, "Thus, I thought of a way and looked for the connection between the eyeball and him. And I have to say, it took me less than ten minutes to find it. It was a lot simpler afterwards, I broke the soul connection, separating him from the eyeball, and sure enough, the eyeball immediately fell from his chest…"

"You are truly…"

"Truly smart, aren't I? Haha, I also think so. I don't know what was going on with that eyeball, but after separating from his chest, it directly turned into ashes…"

"Into ashes?"

"Yes, into ashes…"

"Nonsense!" How could Lin Yun believe this? That eyeball was a True Spirit Magic Tool made from the eye of an Abyssal Evil Dragon. That was an item with power on par with that of Archmages, how could it turn to ashes for no reason?

"I am telling the truth! It truly turned to ashes…"

"Impossible!"

"I'm telling you the truth, if you don't believe me, check yourself…"

Lin Yun looked suspiciously at Shawn.

He observed him closely for several minutes.

But in the end, Lin Yun couldn't help sighing. The two of them had a master-slave contract, one of the closest types of connections. If Shawn lied to Lin Yun, he certainly wouldn't be able to conceal it from him…

But Lin Yun couldn't feel anything off from him.

This meant that what Lord Shawn was saying might actually be true… that the True Spirit Magic Tool truly turned to ashes.

'Hold on…'

After initially feeling dejected, Lin Yun suddenly felt that something was wrong…

There was a faint light flickering on Shawn's forehead.

"What is this?" Lin Yun looked at Shawn strangely, a grave expression on his face. "Could it be…"

"Hey, why are you looking at me like that?" Shawn was scared by Lin Yun's gaze and his voice was a bit shaky…

"Come."

"No!" When the scared Shawn was beckoned over by Lin Yun, immediately withdrawing in fear.

"Be less annoying!" Lin Yun was interested in that light and reached out his hand through the barrier made of flaming rays to grab Shawn.

"Let go! Fuck! Let go! You pervert! What do you think you are doing!?"

"Don't move!" Lin Yun impatiently scolded as he stopped Shawn before carefully looking at that weak light.

Lin Yun could see it clearly now.

There was a faint ray of light flickering on Shawn's forehead, it just wasn't very distinct. If one didn't pay attention, they simply wouldn't notice that this light had a special shape, the shape of an eyeball.

Yes, an eyeball!

"Alright, go back…" After confirming that the light on Shawn's forehead had the shape of an eyeball, Lin Yun roughly understood what had happened and no longer had any interest in the troublesome Shawn. He waved his hand and the cage made of flaming rays flew over, sending Shawn into the Soul Walker Ring.

"Hey…" Shawn didn't have time to finish his words before Lin Yun cut off the mental connection between them.

But after going through all this, Lin Yun wasn't in a hurry to deal with the dying Herman. Instead, he picked up the copy of the Meditation Law Set that Herman had personally written.

He could see how formidable Shawn had been.

He was worthy of being an expert in the field of souls.

When it came to extortion, he was far sharper than Syudos, who was more useful when it came to raw power, as could be seen from what he had gotten out of Herman.

It was scarily thorough and detailed.

Who would tell their deepest secrets so thoroughly if they weren't truly filled with terror?

Shawn's fighting strength wasn't that great, but he was among the best out of Lin Yun's True Spirit Magic Tools.

Lin Yun chuckled as he thought about it.

In the field of power…

It might not take long before Shawn's flaw was fixed.

Lin Yun was almost certain that the faint light on Shawn's forehead was Herman's famous Evil Dragon Eye.

But before Lin Yun knew it, it had actually taken a liking to Shawn.

Lin Yun was certain that the power of the Evil Dragon Eye was already fusing with the incarnation. This must have been why the eyeball had instantly turned to ashes.

No matter how powerful a True Spirit Magic Tool was, it would just become an ordinary item if it lost its incarnation and power.

Just what kind of result would this change bring? Lin Yun himself didn't know. He could only let Shawn return to the Soul Walker's protection to slowly assimilate the Evil Dragon Eye's power and incarnation.

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Once the assimilation was completed, Shawn's fighting strength would inevitably advance by leaps and bounds.

It would be illogical for them not grow stronger once fused…

Moreover, that Evil Dragon Eye was a True Spirit Magic Tool made out of the eyeball of an Abyssal Evil Dragon.

In the legends, the Abyssal Evil Dragons were the most loyal servants of the Ancient Gods during the Gold Era. They had endless power and could fight against Chromatic Dragons. But after the Ancient Gods fell, the Abyssal Evil Dragons fell into the Abyss.

Anyone with a bit of knowledge about the Abyss knew that the Abyssal Evil Dragons were overlord-type existences in the Abyss. They didn't have a set residence and would only drift to various corners of the Abyss. But a battle would immediately start if an Abyssal Evil Dragon entered an Abyssal Plane occupied by a Great Overlord.

All Abyssal Evil Dragons had the power to contend against Great Overlords.

The most powerful Abyssal Evil Dragons even exceeded the Heaven Rank!

The corpse of such an existence would still possess endless power even after death. It could be seen from how the Mercury Tower gave up on their plans and chaotically attacked the entire plane for the corpse of an Abyssal Evil Dragon. They had been preparing those plans for over a hundred years and had funneled a lot of effort and resources into them, yet the plan was overturned because of that Abyssal Evil Dragon's corpse. This showed how valuable such a corpse was.

In the eyes of the Mercury Tower, the corpse of that Abyssal Evil Dragon might be more important than the entire Gold Forest Plane.

It was quite amazing.

Even if only an eyeball was made into a True Spirit Magic Tool, it wasn't to be taken lightly. It was rumored that calamities would fall once the eyes of an Abyssal Evil Dragon opened.

Thus, the eyes of the Abyssal Evil Dragons were also known as the Eyes of Calamity.

The Eye of Calamity that Shawn was fusing with contained unimaginable power. It would make the Soul Walker evolve once Shawn was done assimilating it.

Naturally, this transformation wouldn't happen overnight…

So Lin Yun wasn't in a hurry. After smiling, he made a copy of Herman's Meditation Law Set and put it in his pocket. Once he was done, Lin Yun slowly crouched down and put a potion in Herman's mouth.

It took a few minutes for Herman to recover.

It was just that even though he looked like he was getting better, he had yet to open his eyes and just remained there, motionless.

"Haha…" How could Lin Yun not know that this Archmage was playing dead? "Sir Herman, You just drank a Holy Spirit Potion. You'd recover even if all your bones were broken. I won't mind showing it to you if you don't believe me…"

"…" Herman awkwardly opened his eyes before slowly standing up.

"Take a seat, Sir Herman." Lin Yun didn't pursue the awkwardness of the action and only dragged a chair over before sitting next to the refining table and casually beckoning to Herman.

"Okay…" Perhaps it was due to fear or blood loss, but Herman, who had already drunk the Holy Spirit Potion and had his injuries healed, was still a bit pale. His eyes showing extreme fear as he looked at Lin Yun.

The previous hour was like hell to Herman. It consisted of endless pain and otherworldy torture, he was shivering just thinking about it.

Although that frightening Ghost Wolf had already disappeared, Herman hadn't forgotten that this young mage was the one who ordered around that demonic existence…

Herman's attitude had completely flipped. He stood in front of Lin Yun with a pale face, not daring to sit in front of him. "What… What do you want to tell me?"

"I am very curious… Why would you attack me?" Lin Yun wasn't thinking of making things difficult for Herman, he only smiled, casually sitting there as if this was a normal discussion.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, this was a misunderstanding…" Herman repeatedly bowed as he apologized, "I heard someone say that you were a Battle Mage when I came in. You should know of the hatred between the Black Tower and Battle Mages? It has been going on for a few centuries… And thus, I had the urge to attack you…"

"Of course…" Lin Yun looked at Herman with a smile that wasn't a smile, but didn't expose him. He only rubbed the Soul Walker Ring on his right hand. "Looks like you still miss Lord Shawn, Sir Herman. How about I make him appear so you can keep chatting with him?"

"No!" This minute movement terrified Herman. He let out a cry mixed with fear and dread. "Don't!"

"Sir Herman, we are both adults, do you think I would fall for this? You are insulting my intelligence, or perhaps your own… The way Battle Mages and classic mages use their mana is completely different. Even a High Mage such as myself can make out the difference, so how could Sir Herman make such a rudimentary mistake as an Archmage?"

"I…" Herman was suddenly at a loss.

"Alright, Sir Herman, let's talk openly and honestly. I just want to satisfy my curiosity, I can promise you that I wouldn't mention this to anyone afterwards…" Lin Yun had a smile on his face all this time, before he suddenly became serious. "But I can assure you that I have not one wisp of patience. Try me if you think you can really deceive me, but I won't be as nice if I find out you lied to me. I'll have Lord Shawn appear and he'll be the one talking to you in my stead. I believe you haven't forgotten the feeling of your soul being torn apart?"

Lin Yun continued, "Oh, and I am a pretty good alchemist, but since I'm very much afraid of dying, I carry all sorts of potions on me. The effects of that Holy Spirit Potion should be pretty good right? I still have seven of them in my pocket. I can use one of them after you have your chat with Sir Shawn, and I can guarantee that you won't die before the end of the discussion…"

"…" Lin Yun's had looked quite gentle this whole time, but what he said made Herman's hair stand on end.

No one understood the pain of having their soul torn open more than Herman right now. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that this torture far surpassed any torture ever created in this world. Herman would rather die than experience it once again…

But that young mage clearly understood what he was thinking about. Seven Holy Spirit Potions might be something to be excited for normally, but they would now restrict him and prevent his suffering from ending.

"I… I …" Herman collapsed from fear. He didn't wait for Lin Yun to ask him again and directly told him the whole truth.

In fact, Herman had already understood that this young mage wasn't a Battle Mage as soon as he saw Suyass. After all, even if Suyass had just advanced, he was still an Archmage. Lying over such a trivial matter wasn't worth it for him.

Moreover…

The Mercury Tower never had anything to do with those from Gaugass, so why would Suyass defend a Battle Mage?

But Herman's real target wasn't that young mage. He wanted the new coordinates of the Gold Forest Plane.

When the news of the Abyssal Evil Dragon's corpse leaked, the Black Tower took advantage of the Mercury Tower not being prepared to take an eyeball. There was a tacit mutual understanding over this matter, and in order to prevent this from happening again, the Mercury Tower paid a huge price to forcibly change the coordinates of the Gold Forest Plane, making it so that for anyone else, the Gold Forest Plane disappeared amidst the endless planes.

The Black Tower couldn't do anything about that.

They had already taken advantage of the Mercury Tower and made them vigilant. There would be no meaning in finding the new coordinates of the Gold Forest Plane unless the Black Tower was willing to directly fight with the Mercury Tower.

But Herman wouldn't report to his teacher…

Because Herman knew a secret.

Herman knew that as long as he gained the second Abyssal Evil Dragon's eyeball, the Evil Dragon Eye he possessed would become the Eyes of Calamity, and they would reach the peak of the True Spirit realm.

This was too enticing…

A peak True Spirit Magic Tool meant power close to the Heaven Rank, how could Herman remain unaffected?

The only problem was that the coordinates of the Gold Forest Plane had already changed. Since the Black Tower was unwilling to start a war against the Mercury Tower, Herman simply couldn't get the second eyeball by himself.

Therefore, he kept provoking the Mercury Tower ever since he returned from the Gold Forest Plane. This wasn't because Herman was brash, but because Herman wanted to start a major conflict between the two forces.

But the self-control and patience of the Mercury Tower's leaders gave his plan no chance.

Up until today.

Lin Yun being mistaken as a Battle Mage reminded Herman.

'Right… Battle Mages are the best way to attract the hatred of the Black Tower…'

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Chapter 332: Ghost Evil Dragon

Translator: Shiraishi Editor: TheAlliance

Herman immediately decided to consider this young mage as a Battle Mage from Gaugass, accusing the Mercury Tower of harboring a Battle Mage. By using the hatred of the Black Tower, he would start a war on a shocking scale. At that time, whether it was in exchange for his achievements or through something else, he would be able to get the Gold Forest Plane's coordinates.

As for whether that young mage actually came from Gaugass, Herman simply didn't care.

In any case, once he was locked in the Black Tower's Obsidian Prison, the methods of those crazy mages would force him to admit any criminal charges that they wanted.

At first, Herman had felt that his plan would be sure to succeed.

The only mistake he made was to underestimate that young mage…

The problem was that this one mistake was a huge one.

'Fuck…. Who would have ever thought that a twenty-something mage would have such formidable power? He managed to stand tall against an Archmage like me and burst with strange and extreme mana at the critical moment. Shit, that strange mana fucked me… It felt wrong the moment his weapon broke… That mana was too murky, it felt as if it came from a dozen mages…'

It was a true poison for the Devouring Hand…

After the Devouring Hand consumed the opponent's mana, it would be stored in Herman's Mana Whirlpool. He wasn't a Heaven Mage, so he couldn't contain world power. He had no problem with one mage's mana, and the mana of two mages wouldn't be too difficult, but the mana of three mages or more crammed in his Mana Whirlpool would become tumultuous. Who could control it?

Moreover, the mana that poured into his Mana Whirlpool didn't just amount to that of three or four mages, it was as much as the full reserves of at least ten mages…

The outcome was unsurprising.

As he thought of this, Herman felt regretful. Had he known earlier, he wouldn't have used the Devouring Hand. Who knew who would have won in a fair fight? But instead, he used his trump card and was unable to retaliate, ending up paralyzed by that endless pit of mana.

And he wasn't in a good state now.

His Mana Whirlpool was heavily damaged and full of holes after being wrecked by those dozen streams of mana. He would now have the strength of an 8th Rank or a 9th Rank High Mage before he could fully recover. Let alone Suyass, even that strange young mage would be able to crush him easily.

Herman was very long-winded and spent half an hour explaining everything while Lin Yun was listening patiently, that smile never leaving his face. But Lin Yun couldn't help frowning when Herman mentioned the Eye of Calamity.

"Are you certain you can get the 2nd eyeball?" Lin Yun knew some things regarding Abyssal Evil Dragons. It was written that after their deaths, all the evil and resentment of an Abyssal Evil Dragon would be released. And upon release, it would fuse with a ghost and transform into a terrifying Ghost Evil Dragon.

The power of the newly formed Ghost Evil Dragon wouldn't be too great, perhaps at most at the Archmage realm. But after a long time, the power that the Abyss Evil Dragon held during its life would slowly be inherited by the Ghost Evil Dragon, and it would mature to a frightening realm. Lin Yun knew that the fiercest Ghost Evil Dragon in Noscent was Salla, the one who caused the Bombeii Massacre. Salla was comparable to Undead Monarch Sandro in terms of power.

This was the only Undead lifeform that Sandro hadn't managed to conquer during his life.

It was said that Sandro and Salla wrecked three Abyssal Planes during their fight before Sandro paid a huge price to open a door to the Undead Plane and used his endless army of Undead creatures to seriously injure Salla.

But Salla didn't acknowledge allegiance after being seriously hurt, and instead let out a loud Dragon Roar before charging into a crack of an Abyssal Plane, disappearing without a trace.

Lin Yun didn't know how Herman came across the first Abyssal Evil Dragon's eyeball, but if he wanted to get the second one, that Archmage might have to face a Ghost Evil Dragon. Such an enemy wasn't to be trifled with. It could be close to Heaven Rank, or if unlucky, it might even actually be at the Heaven Rank. Let alone Herman, even Harren might not be able to survive against such a monster.

"I.." Hearing Lin Yun's question, Herman hesitated once again.

"What? Sir Herman is really missing Lord Shawn?"

"I… I know a secret." Herman hesitated for a long time before making a firm decision. "But you have to guarantee my safety after I come out, and not make things difficult for me!"

"That's fine." Lin Yun didn't need to consider before answering. In any case, he hadn't planned to kill Herman. After all, Herman's Mana Whirlpool was severely damaged, so he was not much different from a cripple. Who knew how many months and years it would take him to recover? He would have no chance to retaliate in this life, and killing him would definitely draw the ire of the Black Tower.

"I know a way to circumvent the Ghost Evil Dragon…"

"Hmm?" Lin Yun was truly interested. After all, the Mercury Tower spent so much effort on the Seven Great Magic Cities because of that Ghost Evil Dragon.

That existence made of evil and resentment was too formidable.

The Mercury Tower thought of a way to weaken it, and that method was to control the Seven Great Magic Cities to cut off the Ghost Evil Dragon's source of power.

But if there was a way to circumvent the Ghost Evil Dragon to obtain the Abyssal Evil Dragon's corpse, the Mercury Tower would definitely become feverish with excitement.

He hadn't expected Herman to know of such a method. Lin Yun's eyes shone.

But Herman's words were like a splash of cold water in his face.

"However, there are some huge restrictions. One would at most get a few scales, or if lucky like last time, an eyeball."

"…" Lin Yun felt discouraged.

'Whatever… Getting an eye would be a shockingly good harvest.'

After all, getting both of the eyes would let one form the Eyes of Calamity.

That would be a peak True Spirit Magic Tool that would be ten times stronger than the Evil Dragon Eye!

Moreover, Lin Yun had the advantage.

Shawn was already fusing with one of the Eyes of Calamity, so as long as he obtained the other one, Lin Yun could even omit the processing and let Shawn fuse with it again. At that time, if Shawn was lucky enough, he would be able to gain the Eyes of Calamity!

"Alright, tell me the way to circumvent the Ghost Dragon, then you can leave…"

An hour later, Herman limped out of the Mercury Tower.

And Lin Yun once again got himself busy in the laboratory.

He spent almost two days peeling off the Elemental Amber from the Spiritual Magic Tool.

During the fight two days ago, Lin Yun had used the Spiritual Magic Staff to touch the Devouring Hand. Suyass, who had spectated that fight, had thought that this was a very stupid move. It was because Suyass felt that Lin Yun had a lot of ways to deal with the Devouring Hand, such as increasing the distance between them or suppressing its mana. In any case, the worst solution was to directly touch the Devouring Hand.

At the end, Lin Yun used the Magic Array and the two Alchemic Mana Whirlpools to make Herman collapse. Suyass still stubbornly believed that Lin Yun's previous move was the biggest mistake of that fight.

But Lin Yun hadn't told Suyass that he had been doing that on purpose.

Indeed, on purpose.

In fact, Lin Yun's Magic Array had already made a complete analysis of the Devouring Hand when it appeared, so how could he not know how it functioned? In reality, Lin Yun had plenty of ways to break through the Devouring Hand, some of which didn't even require the Magic Array.

But in the end, Lin Yun chose this course of action.

Why?

It was because Lin Yun wanted to use the Devouring Hand's property to disintegrate the Spiritual Magic Staff's arrays and reduce it to an ordinary item.

This sounded a bit unbelievable.

Why would someone deliberately damage a perfect Spiritual Magic Tool?

No one would believe it if they heard such a story.

But this was exactly what Lin Yun wanted.

Because the Doom Staff was already approaching completion, and the Spiritual Magic Staff no longer had any meaning. The only use left for it was the Elemental Amber's mana recovery function.

But Elemental Ambers had a lot of uses and didn't necessarily need to be placed in weapons, so Lin Yun had already been considering how to take the Elemental Amber out of the staff, but without success. After all, the Spiritual Magic staff was a peak Spiritual Magic Tool. If the Elemental Amber was forcibly removed, it might damage the amber.

Thus, Lin Yun came up with this method on the fly when he saw the attack.

Using the Devouring Hand to collapse the arrays of the Spiritual Magic Tool, completely taking it apart. It was the only way he could take out the Elemental Amber whole.

But after taking it out, Lin Yun was still hesitating on where to place it.

With the lesson of the Spiritual Magic Staff, Lin Yun wasn't willing to use the Elemental Amber on an ordinary Magic Tool. After all, ordinary Magic Tools would rarely see any use in Lin Yun's hands. And he might not have a mage with the Devouring Hand to help him destroy the arrays next time, so it would be better to embed the Elemental Amber on an important Magic Tool.

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To Lin Yun, this most important Magic Tool was obviously the Ten Thousand Spell Wheel.

The Ten Thousand Spell Wheel carried Lin Yun's path of magic. After turning it into a True Spirit Magic Tool and transplanting Enderfa into it, it would have a complete Magic Tool Incarnation. Lin Yun even felt that the Ten Thousand Spell Wheel could become an Extraordinary Magic Tool in the future.

Thus, he once again changed the plans concerning the Ten Thousand Spell Wheel.

The new version would have two gem connectors. One would be for the Star Gem while the other would be for the Elemental Amber. This small change would completely transform the Ten Thousand Spell Wheel. The Elemental Amber would give it a large source of mana, so it wouldn't rely on Lin Yun supplying mana like before.

But this change also brought troubles.

Once the Spell Wheel had its own source of mana, Lin Yun's control over Enderfa would be greatly reduced. At first, Lin Yun had planned to control Enderfa using mana, just like with Shawn. If he planned anything funny, Lin Yun would directly cut off the supply of mana and turn this True Spirit Magic Tool into trash.

But now, the Spell Wheel would be complete on its own, and therefore, it would be self-sufficient. Enderfa could completely ignore Lin Yun.

A True Spirit Magic Tool ought to have a source of mana, a framework, and a Magic Tool Incarnation. The Ten Thousand Spell Wheel would have all of the above.

'Well, it's fine…' Lin Yun threw these worries to the back of his mind after thinking about it for a bit more.

Because he had already considered it carefully.

He couldn't leave a flaw on the Ten Thousand Spell Wheel just to guard against Enderfa. This was a True Spirit Magic Tool that would be linked to Lin Yun's future, making it even more important than the Book of Death.

Not to mention…

How could Enderfa think of betraying him as long as he was powerful enough?

If Enderfa one day broke away from his control, it would only mean that he wasn't strong enough.

If he, who had come to this era from 30,000 years in the future, who transcended all magic knowledge of the current era, couldn't control a True Spirit Magic Tool and couldn't suppress Enderfa, then he would only have himself to blame.

After reaching this conclusion, Lin Yun no longer hesitated and embedded that large Elemental Amber into the new Ten Thousand Spell Wheel.

Dazzling rays of light flickered, and Lin Yun even felt a deep connection being established with the Ten Thousand Spell Wheel on the refining table. He knew that it was a sign of spirituality and that the recently created Magic Tool was giving birth to a Magic Tool Spirit. Who knew how many people would be terrified if news of this spread?

But this was far from enough for Lin Yun.

In the next dozen days, Lin Yun spent all his time on the Ten Thousand Spell Wheel, sleeping and eating in the laboratory.

But even the closed doors of the laboratory couldn't stop those crazy alchemists of the Mercury Tower from chasing after him.

Lin Yun's previous display had been too domineering…

He solved the Fess Formula in a few minutes, startling Griffith silly, before taking out two solutions to the magic solidification problem. He quickly became someone that the entire Mercury Tower aspired to be like. A few Master Alchemists even considered these two solutions as authoritative texts and took a few days to research and analyze them.

The people of the Mercury Tower were worshipping Lin Yun like fanatics.

More importantly, due to the frenzied interest of these alchemists, some matters involving Lin Yun had been dug up.

Soon, everyone learnt that this young Master Alchemist had a huge alchemy store in Thousand Sails City and had a monopoly over the eastern market. In a short year, he overturned the alchemy market and various unprecedented items came out of that store on Victorious Return Street, creating one miracle after another.

Suyass, who had been harassed constantly by questions, couldn't help but leak out a few secrets.

Thus, everyone knew that this young Master Alchemist had once entered Vaughn's ruins with Suyass and cracked various complex alchemy arrays while also beating one powerful opponent after another, and even Fran, who had managed to obtain the power of an Archmage for a while, had been defeated by him.

And he had only been a Great Mage at the time.

In a short ten days, Lin Yun completely conquered the hearts of these prideful alchemists.

If not for the doors being tightly locked, a few of the alchemists might have already rushed in to see that amazing youth with their own eyes.

The Ten Thousand Spell Wheel was completed a month later.

Even if Lin Yun deliberately suppressed them, the mana fluctuations caused by the advancement of the Spell wheel to True Spirit Rank alarmed quite a few people, including Suyass and Griffith. At the time, the two were in the Mercury Tower's library, consulting some books. Shock and disbelief appeared on their faces when they suddenly sensed those fluctuations. They looked at each other, at a loss for words, before silently lowering their heads and continuing to consult their books as if nothing had happened.

A week later, the Mercury Tower finished the processing of the six magic materials. On that night, the Doom Staff reached the True Spirit Rank. Suyass and Griffith had been busy refining in the laboratory above Lin Yun. The beakers that they had been using shattered when the new fluctuations spread to them.

Lin Yun finally left the Mercury Tower the next day.

Suyass and Griffith personally accompanied him to the door, followed by a group of Master Alchemists and Great Alchemists.

It was noon when he returned to the Merlin Family. William and Ross were there, next to a sleeping Draconic Beastman.

Ever since he had absorbed that drop of blood, Xiuban's sleeping time had greatly increased, from about six hours to twelve hours. Lin Yun even wondered if that drop of blood had a hypnotic effect…

But the effects were quite visible.

After reaching Okland, Xiuban spent most of his time sleeping, yet his power quickly increased at a visible pace. He already had the strength of a 3rd Rank Expert Swordsman. And he wasn't to be underestimated; the blood of Dragons and Beastmen flowed within Xiuban, giving him a natural mastery over both the martial and the magic path. In terms of power, a 5th Rank Expert Swordsman wouldn't be his match.

Lin Yun conservatively estimated that the current Xiuban was at least comparable to a 7th or 8th Rank Expert Swordsman.

Xiuban might be able to contend against a Sword Saint once he broke through the 5th Rank.

In contrast, William looked weaker…

Nothing could be done about it. Although William had accepted the soul inheritance from that damaged crest, he needed time to digest it. William's strength wouldn't just increase on his own while he slept like it did for Xiuban. He had recently advanced to become a 2nd Rank High Mage and was quite far from the 5th Rank.

But William had thoroughly studied the Crimson Heart. Lin Yun checked him and was quite satisfied with William's progress. He was already thinking about whether he should give that 11-formula Meditation Law Set to William ahead of time.

The three of them found a place to sit down. Lin Yun reminded Ross to go pick up the Meditation Law Set he had prepared while he chatted with William. He learnt of some matters that had been happening in the Merlin Family in the past month. When Ross came back, he heard the contents of the discussion and couldn't help adding a few words of his own.

"Cousin, the assembly of the Merlin Family's Elder Council will happen in a few days, you should be careful…"

"Oh?" Lin Yun had just taken the Meditation Law Set that Ross had prepared for him, but Ross' words made him frown. "What's going on?"

"Well…" Ross hesitated for a moment before continuing, "I heard that some people are using underhanded schemes and are trying to convince others to rise against you at the assembly…"

"Rise against me?"

"Yeah…" Ross nodded, "After all, the Gilded Rose is making them jealous. You hold a monopoly over the eastern part of the kingdom and can even expand to Okland. An alchemy store that can produce such a huge amount of expensive goods every day… It's fairly normal for others to be jealous. Moreover, your display in the Black Horn Auction last month made some of them go crazy with envy…"

"So you are saying that in this Elder Council assembly, some people will try to force me to hand over the Gilded Rose?"

"Something like that…"

Lin Yun nodded but remained silent. But William let out a disdainful sneer when he heard this. "They are courting death…"

William hadn't been valued by the Elder Council before. Everything he had gotten now was thanks to this cousin he met in Thousand Sails City, so when he heard that the Elder Council wanted to scheme against this younger cousin's properties, his first reaction was to be dismissive of them.

"This might not be the case…" But Ross saw things differently. He had a seat at the Elder Council and his understanding of the Elder Council far surpassed William's. Thus, when he heard William, he immediately shook his head. "The Elder Council is backed by the Ancestral Land, how else could those greedy geezers keep obstructing Ofran up until now?"

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"I'm going to find Patriarch Ofran!" William stood up fiercely.

Patriarch Ofran had given many generous conditions to make Lin Yun return to the family. William had participated in the whole process as the bridge between the two of them, and even he felt envious when he heard some of the conditions.

But the conditions that Ofran had agreed to had gradually started to change ever since Lin Yun arrived at the Family. Such as the matter of entering the Ancestral Land. William was still feeling sour about it. He had originally agreed, but when they arrived, he insisted on some contributions to the Family first. Fortunately, it was Lin Yun… Had it been someone else, they would have ended up dead while trying to assassinate Stan Watson, or probably just given up.

Ever since then, William had been quite dissatisfied by the Family. But because Lin Yun didn't say anything, William endured it.

But it wasn't long before they now heard this news.

This was a bit excessive.

William wanted to go and ask Patriarch Ofran what had happened to all the conditions he had agreed on.

"Haha, this matter definitely has nothing to do with Patriarch Ofran…" Ross shook his head, "Don't you know Patriarch Ofran's style? He is always flexible. With his character, he would definitely use a gentler method if he coveted the Gilded Rose, such as using feelings. He would persuade Cousin Mafa to collaborate with the Family. With the power of the current Gilded Rose, they could increase the level of alchemy of the Merlin Family if they had a close partnership…

"The ones who want to annex the Gilded Rose are those ignorant and narrow-minded elders. I dare say that those geezers might not even know that the Gilded Rose is a behemoth controlling the eastern alchemy market, they simply don't understand that taking over the Gilded Rose would be biting off more than they can chew…"

"Then Patriarch Ofran is just looking on?"

"He doesn't really have much choice. The Merlin Family's Elder Council has great authority. You might not know, but the Elder Council as a whole is above the Patriarch. And in the past hundred years, those ancestors spared no efforts to support the Elder Council. Patriarch Ofran is actually in a very awkward situation…"

"But…"

"It's okay, William…" Lin Yun shook his head and stopped the unconvinced William from arguing further.

The greed of the Elder Council hadn't come as a surprise to Lin Yun.

When he spent millions in the Black Horn Auction, Lin Yun had already thought that this huge sum might make some people envious.

The reaction of the Elder Council was quite normal.

However, Lin Yun hadn't thought that this would actually involve the Ancestral Land.

But it still didn't matter.

He had already undergone the bloodline ceremony in the Ancestral Land and fused his ten Magic Arrays into one. The identity of being a Merlin was no longer important to him. If these elders were foolish enough to try to take the Gilded Rose from him, then they could only blame their own poor luck.

Lin Yun no longer bothered with this matter and picked up the Meditation Law Set Ross had brought and started reading.

The first section of the Elemental Tide wasn't that complicated. It could even be described as quite shallow in Lin Yun's eyes. Lin Yun spent half an hour recalling the first section of the Elemental Tide. After making sure that nothing was missing, Lin Yun thought for a short moment before taking out a sheet of paper.

The room was extremely quiet, and for a while, only the sound of the quill streaking across the paper could be heard.

At this time, both William and Ross tacitly held their breaths. They remained there, motionless, not daring to let out a single sound. The two only watched as Lin Yun wrote, as that blank page was filled to the brim with characters.

An hour later, Lin Yun completed the 2nd section of the Elemental Tide that he had inferred.

"Phew…" Lin Yun let out a long sigh. He moved his hand around a bit as it was a bit sore from all the writing, before preparing to write the 3rd section of the Elemental Tide.

To Lin Yun, the 2nd section of the Elemental Tide was only the beginning, and finishing off would be the real challenge. The 3rd section was the core of the whole Elemental Tide.

Lin Yun put down his quill and picked up a cup of water to soothe his parched throat.

"Cousin Mafa, how… how is it?" Ross only dared to talk now, but his voice was hoarse and scary.

The Elemental Tide Meditation Law Set would affect the future of Ross' journey down the path of magic. He would have boundless prospects if it was successfully completed. Let alone easily reaching the Archmage realm, he might even be able to reach Heaven Rank in the future. But it would be the end if it couldn't be repaired, as 5th Rank High Mage would be his limit. Taking even one more step would be extremely difficult.

This was far too important.

Lin Yun had just finished the 2nd section of the Elemental Tide, and after ten minutes he said, "I need more time…"

"Really?" Ross had worked hard for ten years by using the 1st Section of the Elemental Tide. He had been through countless planes looking for clues. Ross thought he had run out of luck many times, especially when the map fell into Stan Watson's hands. At that time, he truly despaired.

In fact, Ross never expected for this to be so dramatic. He had already lost hope to ever get the complete Elemental Tide, when it suddenly seemed to be so close to him that he could touch it by extending his hand.

When Ross heard his unfathomable cousin say that he needed some time, Ross' first reaction was disbelief.

It felt just like walking on the street and finding a gold coin.

"Hmm." Lin Yun nodded as he assessed the time. "If you have something to deal with, take care of it first. You should come back at night…"

"No, no, no, I'll stay here, I'll stay here…" How could Ross leave? He was so close!

All his other matters would have to wait for the Elemental Tide to be completed.

"That's alright then…" Lin Yun knew that Ross was in an eager mood and simply couldn't remain calm. Thus, Lin Yun thought for a bit but didn't force him. He only turned towards William and commented, "I saw that you made great progress in your Crimson Heart, how about you find a place to compare notes with Ross?"

"How could I? I'm not a bully…" William said with a provocative tone as he looked at Ross.

"Who the bully would be has yet to be decided!" Ross' expression sank. It could be said that the two of them were on the same side, but their relationship didn't change much. One was still brooding over his older sister's death while the other had his defeat from a month ago in his mind. They both seemed eager now that Lin Yun had suggested a spar.

"Hurry up, stop being long-winded…" Lin Yun waved them away before focusing his energy back on the 3rd section of the Elemental Tide.

The complexity of the 3rd section far surpassed that of the two previous sections. After two hours, Lin Yun was only able to complete a third of it. Moreover, that third was the most insignificant part of the 3rd section.

But he wasn't in a hurry.

The completed Elemental Tide consisted of thirteen formulas, making it a top-tier Meditation Law Set in all of Noscent. Even with his era-transcending knowledge and his almost omnipotent Magic Array, inferring the composition of the entire Elemental Tide from almost nothing wasn't easy.

The scratching of the quill could be heard in the peaceful room, and it carried a unique rhythm. A pile of paper was stacked on a desk beside Lin Yun, and they were filled with numerous characters and formulas.

The sky gradually darkened…

Lin Yun put down the cup of water and massaged his brows. He didn't take another new sheet of paper this time. The thirteen formulas of the Elemental Tide had been completed, and only the finishing touches were left. What Lin Yun had to do now was optimize those thirteen formulas so that this complete set would be as easy for Ross to learn as possible.

But someone knocked on the door at this time. "Is Mafa Merlin here?"

"Hmm?" Lin Yun suddenly frowned. He was disturbed by someone just as his work was on the verge of being completed. Let alone Lin Yun, anyone would feel annoyed in such situation.

"Mafa Merlin, please come out, I came to find you for a certain matter!" Since the person outside didn't get an answer, he raised his voice.

Lin Yun could only helplessly shake his head, and knowing that the other side wouldn't leave easily, sighed as he said, "Come in…"

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Chapter 335: Shareholder

Translator: Shiraishi Editor: TheAlliance

A young mage in his twenties wearing a spotless white robe came in. His eyebrows looked similar to William's, but he looked a bit younger.

"You are?"

"I am Aube Merlin, you ought to call me Cousin." After the young mage named Aube entered the room, he sat across Lin Yun as he introduced himself while casually looking at the papers on the table.

"Hello." Lin Yun nodded, not stopping Aube. The true Elemental Tide was still in his hands, while the sheets left on the table had only been used for deduction. They were full of complex formulas and dull data, and moreover, no one apart from Lin Yun himself could understand the codes he had been using.

"Haha…" Sure enough, Aube only flipped through a few pages before putting them back in their original place, but not without displaying a mocking smile. "I hadn't expected you to be so hardworking…"

"It's just me passing the time." Lin Yun frowned once again. "I wonder Why Cousin Aube is looking for me?"

"Oh, right…" Aube leaned against the back of his chair and adjusted himself into a more comfortable position. "I came today for two matters. The first one is to make your acquaintance, Cousin Mafa. After all, there are plenty of Merlin children spread through various cities, but you are the only one to be summoned by Patriarch Ofran. As for the second matter…"

Aube Merlin paused there, before continuing, "The second matter is a business deal I would like to discuss with you."

"Eh?" Lin Yun was surprised at first, before smiling. "Why? Cousin Aube is also interested in the alchemy business?"

"Naturally…" Aube nodded as he smiled proudly. "Cousin Mafa, I believe you heard a bit about me after returning here. I think you should know that I am one of the most outstanding alchemists of the Merlin Family!"

"Haha…" Lin Yun had a noncommittal smile on his face.

"Alright, Cousin Mafa, let's not beat around the bush. I know you'll meet some trouble from the Elder Council, but I have a few allies in the Elder Council. There would be no problem if I said a few words…"

"Indeed, I would have to thank Cousin Aube in that case. But Cousin Aube, what would I have to do for you and your allies to speak on my behalf?

"Hahaha, speaking with someone smart is a lot easier…" After bursting into laughter, Aube slowly stood up from the chair. He put both hands on the table and looked at Lin Yun with an arrogant and prideful expression. "You would have to do something very simple… Let me become a shareholder of the Gilded Rose. I will use three millions to invest in the Gilded Rose for a 40% share!"

"Eh?" Lin Yun looked at Aube for a full ten seconds before smiling. "Cousin Aube, you sure are quite the jester…"

Three million golds.

Just for words!

"Haha, you don't have to agree." Aube's smile was filled with confidence.

In Aube Merlin's eyes, there was no question as to whether Lin Yun would accept the offer.

The entire Merlin Family knew that the Elder Council had already come to a consensus and wanted that kid to hand over the Gilded Rose. This wasn't the decision of an Elder, or a few Elders… This was the joint decision of the entire Elder Council.

And this was all due to the commotion Lin Yun had raised the previous month, back in the Black Horn Auction.

He spent millions for a handful of magic materials, to the point of making Hanson Charlotte spit out blood on the spot. This kind of wealth was very shocking, even in Okland. How could these old geezers of the Elder Council not be envious?

Hearing of this, Aube Merlin knew that his opportunity had arrived.

Everyone knew that the three geniuses of the Merlin Family's younger generation were competing to become the next patriarch. It wasn't just Ross and Aube, even Leon, who came from the Cloud Tower, had been working hard for a few years. Ross went through many planar wars and formed his Planar Legion while Leon gained the support of the Cloud Tower. The Cloud Tower would greatly help him if he asked.

Only Aube was left…

He was a 5th Rank High Mage and a Master Alchemist, but he didn't have enough support and could only watch as Ross Merlin's Planar Legion swept through one plane after the other, he could only watch as Leon solidified his support from the Cloud Tower, he could only watch as he was getting further and further away from becoming the patriarch.

But an opportunity finally appeared before him.

Indeed, this opportunity was the Gilded Rose.

Aube was a Master Alchemist, and he understood the Gilded Rose far more than those elders. Aube even personally went there and saw how that alchemy store monopolized the market with his own eyes.

It was hardly an exaggeration to say that it was a behemoth producing enormous amounts of wealth every day. Aube couldn't help becoming green with envy every time he saw those items with the mark of the Gilded Rose. How great would it be if that wealth were in his hands?

By relying on that wealth, he would be able to secure his position as the next patriarch and would lead the Merlin Family to crush their rivals, the Watson Family and the Charlotte Family, the latter of which was recently on the rise. He could even make the family rise to being one of the greatest forces of Andlusa.

In contrast…

Leaving that wealth in Mafa Merlin's hands was really wasteful.

It could clearly be seen from last month's auctions. Millions of golds had been used for a few magic materials. This proved that this cousin of his lacked ambition. Otherwise, he would have used that sum to arm a mercenary group. Even if that wasn't enough to take over a plane, it would be more than enough to protect the Gilded Rose. It would allow that behemoth to grow bigger and stronger. Wasn't this better than buying a few magic materials?

In Aube Merlin's eyes, this wealth could only be used properly in his own hands.

And now, he finally had his opportunity.

Those greedy elders were truly impatient. It hadn't even been two months since Mafa Merlin returned to the Family, yet they couldn't even wait and were about to force him to hand over the Gilded Rose.

This was incredibly stupid.

It hadn't been long enough since he returned and he didn't have anyone he was familiar with besides William. He had no sense of belonging to the Family… This was forcing him into a dead end.

From Aube's point of view, it would be better to wait a few years until Mafa Merlin had thoroughly assimilated into the Merlin Family to the point where they were both interlinked. Then, they would slowly get bits and pieces of the Gilded Rose by slowly nibbling away at it. At some point, even if the Merlin Family couldn't get the entire Gilded Rose, they would definitely occupy a key position in the alchemy market.

But unfortunately, those geezers of the Elder Council simply couldn't understand this logic.

But it was good, because it gave Aube a chance.

He could use this opportunity to strike a deal with Mafa Merlin.

He was relying on the help of some of these geezers who owed him a favor. Otherwise, he wouldn't rashly offer such a deal to Mafa Merlin, because he would certainly be declined without enough leverage. But now, unless Mafa Merlin was a fool, he wouldn't be able to refuse this offer due to the pressure of the Elder Council.

Thus, Aube was full of confidence, waiting silently.

Time slowly passed, but Aube wasn't in a hurry.

Because he knew that the other party was pondering over it and weighing the pros and cons.

But no matter how much he considered, Mafa Merlin's final choice couldn't stray from what he expected.

Sure enough, it didn't take more than three minutes before the young mage sitting on the other side of the table forced a smile. "It looks like not agreeing would be bad?"

"Haha…" Aube Merlin didn't say anything to this and only chuckled.

The young mage's smile felt even more forced.

In the end, he said under Aube's attentive gaze, "But I still won't agree…"

"Hmm?" Aube thought he had misheard at first, but after taking some time to digest the information, he understood that the response truly had been a refusal.

'How could he have refused?'

The calm Aube suddenly lost his cool.

"How could you not agree!?" Aube simply couldn't accept this outcome, he fiercely jumped up and looked at Lin Yun with a vicious gaze and ragged breath, simply forgetting himself.

"Because I have no need for it?" Lin Yun only looked at Aube a bit regretfully as he responded, "The Gilded Rose's business is very good right now, I don't need an additional shareholder. Why would I need one?"

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Chapter 336: Lava Heart

Translator: Shiraishi Editor: TheAlliance

"But, the Elder Council!" Aube completely lost his composure when he heard those words. If he could, Aube would have really liked to open up his cousin's brain to see what was inside!

'Does he not understand that things will go out of control if he turns me down? Once the Elder Council brings up this matter, he will only have two choices. One would be to hand over the Gilded Rose and become a puppet of the Elder Council, while the other would be to oppose the Merlin Family and become the enemy of this major force of Okland.'

Aube Merlin simply couldn't understand. 'How could this seemingly smart person fail to make the wise decision?'

Aube's voice was a bit rough, and his eyes were slightly red. "Do you not know what the consequences would be?" He simply couldn't accept this outcome.

How could this be…

This was impossible.

'Didn't I already consider all possible outcomes? He has no way out of this besides cooperating with me… Why would he make such a choice?'

"I know…" Lin Yun was about to answer when footsteps could be heard outside.

Soon, William and Ross arrived, badly battered.

The two had pale faces and were panting, as if they had fought against a few hundred magic beasts. They were supporting each other as they entered the room, but they both froze when they saw Aube.

"Aube, why are you here?" Ross and Aube were two of the three great geniuses of the younger generation, and the competition between them had reached its peak. Their relationship was even worse than Ross and William's, so Ross' tone wasn't very polite.

"Haha, Ross, long time no see." Aube had calmed down a bit. He couldn't help freezing when he saw the two of them entering, but he quickly recovered and even showed a polite smile.

"You aren't welcome here."

"Your character still hasn't changed after such a long time, Ross. Haha, I came to discuss a business deal with Cousin Mafa today, that's all. But you are perfectly on time, you should help me advise our younger cousin…"

"Cousin Ross, help me see Cousin Aube out…" Since William and Ross had arrived, Lin Yun naturally wouldn't be interested in keeping Aube company. He only gave an apologetic smile before turning his focus back to the Elemental Tide.

"Hear that, Aube?" A sneer appeared on Ross' face as he took a step forward, putting himself between Aube and Lin Yun.

"Hey, Cousin Mafa, listen to me…" Aube started worrying.

But Lin Yun had already buried his head in his papers and continued his work as before. As for what Aube was now saying, he simply didn't care.

"Why are you still here, Aube? Do you need me to send you out personally?" Ross had an icy expression. He felt even more unrestrained as the fluctuations of the Endless Spring also spread out, making it look as if he was ready to attack anytime.

In fact, Ross might very well attack if Aube didn't leave.

As far as Ross was concerned, every minute Aube spent there would be minutes keeping Ross away from the completed Elemental Tide. Ross wouldn't be polite if he could use force to kick Aube out.

"Okay, okay, I'll leave immediately…" Aube wasn't an idiot. He could see that with Ross' current attitude, the deal couldn't be discussed any further today. Aube raised both hands, showing that he wasn't planning on having a fight. He slowly retreated towards the door while trying one last line. "But, Cousin Mafa, don't think that Ross can help you. The truth is that Ross doesn't have any allies in the Elder Council. Accepting my investment is your only choice if you don't want to be eaten by those geezers. Only I can help you, if you let me become a shareholder of the Gilded Rose. "

After saying this, Aube left the room.

"Aube wants to invest in the Gilded Rose?" William had a strange expression. 'How come I didn't know that Aube was wealthy enough to think of investing in the Gilded Rose…'

"3,000,000 golds for a 40% share…"

"He is crazy!" William almost burst out in laughter. Let alone 3,000,000 golds, the current Gilded Rose wouldn't care about 30,000,000 golds. Moreover, a 40% share? This was such a crazy thought.

"Haha…" Lin Yun chuckled.

The thirteen formulas were already complete with only the optimization of the Meditation Law Set left, and this wasn't very complicated for Lin Yun. It was only another two hours before he finally put down that quill and gave the thick stack of papers to Ross.

"This is the complete Elemental Tide, study it carefully."

"Yes, yes, yes…" Ross held the stack of paper with both hands, his legs shaking.

He looked at Lin Yun with an extremely complicated expression.

He had obtained the first section of the Elemental Tide ten years ago and had relied on this badly damaged Meditation Law Set to keep advancing at a crazy speed. Not only did he become a 5th Rank High Mage before turning 30, but he also had the strongest Magic Conducting Rune of the Merlin Family, the Endless Spring. Ever since then, Ross knew that the Elemental Tide was the magic path he had to walk on.

It was just that the badly damaged Elemental Tide eventually started showing its weak point… Ross didn't make a single step forward after becoming a 5th Rank High Mage. He had considered every method he could think of to keep progressing on his magic path. He kept taking risks as he went through one plane after another. Ross spent a lot of energy to find only a vague clue, not to mention that this vague clue was in the hands of his biggest rival, Stan Watson, making him truly despair.

It was at that time that Ross felt that all his achievements would forever stop at being a 5th Rank High Mage.

But he truly hadn't expected that this younger cousin that he had planned on robbing would truly change his life.

Now that Ross was holding the complete Elemental Tide, he felt as if his eyes were on fire.

"Cousin William…" Lin Yun ignored Ross after handing him the papers. He instead called William over and said, "During that time, you meticulously studied the Crimson Heart and got a deep understanding of it. You already reached the level of those High Mages of the old Crimson Tower. If you had studied the Crimson Heart earlier, your Magic Conducting Rune should have been the Blazing Forge. Unfortunately, you learnt the Crimson Heart too late for that.

"Ah?" William had felt envious when he saw Ross getting the complete Elemental Tide, and he was at a loss after hearing these words from his younger cousin…

"Thus…" Lin Yun thought for a bit before taking out a stack of paper from his pocket. "I prepared the Lava Heart for you. This is the strongest Meditation Law Set of the Crimson Tower, and it has thirteen formulas. Moreover, the Lava Heart is very different from the Crimson Heart, it is very tyrannical. If you study it properly, you should be able to destroy your original Magic Conducting Runes, and from the wreckage, you should be able to rebuild the strongest fire Magic Conducting Runes, the Blazing Forge…"

"That amazing?" William's expression suddenly changed; that feeling of loss disappeared from his face and was replaced by a speechless pleasant surprise.

"The only condition is that you need to endure the pain that this Meditation Law Set would bring…"

"Of course, no problem!" William was fully focused, pondering over the meaning of Lin Yun's words.

"Haha…" Lin Yun shook his head. He didn't tell William that the pain he was talking about was the most genuine pain, pain that would make him wish he could just die.

After both of them got their Meditation Law Sets, they impatiently wanted to check them, so they only lingered for a short moment before quickly excusing themselves and going back to their rooms.

Lin Yun didn't remain idle after they left.

Lin Yun took out the Ten Thousand Spell Wheel.

It had already been finished, and the mana fluctuations of a True Spirit Magic Tool instantly flooded the whole room. The disk made of Latour Gold Essence was about the size of a palm. The Star Gem and the Elemental Amber occupied a semicircle each while surrounded by densely packed runes and arrays. It would take Lin Yun but a thought for these runes and arrays to activate and burst forth with enormous power.

'Worthy of Latour Gold Essence…' Even with his insight, Lin Yun couldn't help secretly admiring the Ten Thousand Spell Wheel made of Latour Gold Essence. It could already be described as shocking purely based on its capacity. After all, the runes he had carved on the Ten Thousand Spell Wheel all came from the Book of Death. Another magic material wouldn't have been to support such a frightening power, let alone the Star Gem and Elemental Amber embedded within.

The Elemental Amber would have been fine…

But the Star Gem contained World Power. How could ordinary materials function while bearing the weight of World Power?

'Let's see what Enderfa has to say…' After testing the might of the Ten Thousand Spell Wheel, Lin Yun began revolving his Magic Array, waking up Enderfa, who had been sleeping in that 10th Magic Array.

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Chapter 337: Summon

Translator: Shiraishi Editor: TheAlliance

"Finished so soon?" Enderfa asked with amazement as he sensed the mana fluctuations of the Ten Thousand Spell Wheel after waking up.

At first, Enderfa thought that it would take this young mage a few years to complete a True Spirit Magic Tool, but only a few months had passed and he was now presenting a True Spirit Magic Tool. This Magic Tool would become a perfect True Spirit Magic Tool once Enderfa took a place in it.

"How is it? Are you pleased with this new body?"

"Not bad…" Sensing the powerful mana fluctuations coming from the Spell Wheel, even the greedy Enderfa couldn't help clicking his tongue while exclaiming, "Indeed, not bad, kid. I truly hadn't thought that you were such a brilliant alchemist, and a fortunate one too. Latour Gold, Elemental Amber, and surprisingly, a Star Gem. Those are magic materials that can be found, but not sought…"

"Haha, I'm indeed quite fortunate."

"Good, then according to what we said, I'll become the Magic Tool Incarnation of this True Spirit Magic Tool for a hundred years, and you'll let me go in a hundred years!"

"Naturally…"

Enderfa was straightforward. After obtaining Lin Yun's agreement, he directly transformed into a black mist and flew out of the Magic Array. Lin Yun didn't dare to be careless and urged the Ten Thousand Spell Wheel. Boundless light illuminated the room as fierce mana fluctuations rose up, stronger and stronger, making the surrounding elements flare up.

It was also the first time Enderfa showed his true power. A Dragon Roar could be heard as a huge force rose up to the rotating Ten Thousand Spell Wheel. The dazzling lights and fierce mana fluctuations suddenly seemed to have been frozen. The black fog could be seen rushing into the Ten Thousand Spell Wheel and disappearing within in a split second.

"Wondrous power!" With Enderfa integrating with the Spell Wheel, Lin Yun noticed that the fierce mana fluctuations became stronger. The power of this True Spirit Magic Tool grew more and more, up until this newly created True Spirit Magic Tool shockingly became a Mid-Rank True Spirit Magic Tool.

This kind of power was comparable to that of a 4th Rank Archmage.

Just a bit more and it could break the limit and contend against a 5th Rank Archmage.

Moreover…

With Enderfa's integration, Lin Yun, for the first time, could feel a very familiar feeling with the Ten Thousand Spell Law. It felt as if he was the Ten Thousand Spell Wheel and the Ten Thousand Spell Wheel was him.

This was the first True Spirit Magic Tool that truly belonged to him.

Shawn hadn't been made by his own hands, and although Syudos was similar to a True Spirit Magic Tool in both power and utility, he still wasn't something Lin Yun had crafted with his own two hands. They had both been subdued and controlled through contracts, and although they would do as he pleased, there would always be that contract between them, so they would never reach this near-fusion state.

And the Book of Death didn't even need to be mentioned.

In fact, Lin Yun had yet to truly master the Book of Death. All he could do right now was to borrow part of its power.

But the Ten Thousand Spell Wheel…

Lin Yun crafted it, and it could be said that Enderfa was linked to his 10th Magic Array. Now that he had become the Magic Tool Incarnation of the Magic Array, he could easily connect between the Magic Array and the Ten Thousand Spell Wheel, allowing Lin Yun to transfer power to the Ten Thousand Spell wheel with just a thought.

That feeling was really pleasant.

It took Lin Yun an hour before he had the feeling of being able to cast spells at will. Later on, he suddenly recalled one matter.

"Hey, Enderfa…"

"What is it?" Enderfa was also taking advantage of this time to adapt to his new body. This True Spirit Magic Tool's level power was quite unexpected, leaving Enderfa feeling pleasantly surprised. If it weren't for the fact that he was shouldering an important mission, Enderfa would have already given up on that hundred-year agreement and truly become the Magic Tool Incarnation of that True Spirit Magic Tool.

"How much do you know about the Tulan Mountains…"

"Hmm?" Vigilance could be in Enderfa's voice as he responded, "Why are you asking this?"

"It's nothing…" How could Lin Yun not notice this vigilant tone? After hearing it, he knew that he was right. "You should have noticed that I haven't chosen my own Meditation Law Set while you were sleeping in my Magic Array. There is now an opportunity for me to get a very formidable Meditation Law Set, but it requires me to go to the core of the Tulan Mountains…"

"By all means, don't go!"

"Oh?"

"Don't ask me why. Just don't go…" After saying this, Enderfa realized that his words were somewhat improper and thus eased his tone. "The Tulan Mountains are far more dangerous than you can imagine. I don't know how many powerful mages have fallen there, but not even a bone will be left if you go there with your current strength…"

"Isn't this why I have you?"

"Wh… What about me? I can't help you, I'm only a Magic Tool Incarnation. I followed Vaughn for a lifetime and I still have to wait a century before you free me…" The lack of confidence could be heard from Enderfa's voice.

"Haha, Enderfa, you are not being sincere…"

"What are you saying? I can't understand. Ehhh, it's no good, I used too much power, I have to slumber…" After he was done, Enderfa quickly sank into the depths of the Spell Wheel, and no matter how much Lin Yun called for him, he didn't let out the slightest sound…

"…" Lin Yun could only be dumbstruck as he held onto the Ten Thousand Spell Wheel.

'How could he… Well, whatever…'

Although Enderfa didn't acknowledge it, Lin Yun was 70 to 80% sure that the origin of that mysterious Magic Tool Incarnation was linked to the Tulan Mountains.

It didn't matter if he didn't admit it now…

Once they reached the Tulan Mountains, Lin Yun would have a hundred ways to make him admit it.

Lin Yun hadn't forgotten the world-shaking Dragon Roar that Enderfa had let out when integrating with the Ten Thousand Spell Wheel.

For the next few days, the three mages inside that house were all busy with their own matters. Lin Yun was getting familiar with the power of the Doom Staff and the Ten Thousand Spell Wheel, while William and Ross were meticulously studying the Meditation Law Set with heart and soul.

A week passed like this.

That day, Lin Yun had been calling Enderfa's name after his meditation, as per usual, but unfortunately, he still didn't get an answer. But Lin Yun wasn't too worried about it. He only smiled wryly before putting the Ten Thousand Spell Wheel back in his pocket. He then took out the Doom Staff and began focusing his mind into the depths of the staff while silently mouthing those mysterious characters from the Book of Death.

This was the work Lin Yun did every day.

The Doom Staff and the Ten Thousand Spell Wheel were different.

All of the arrays of the Spell Wheel were made for carving runes and mana, which meant that Lin Yun could easily add runes from the Book of Death in the future. One day, he could even use this to perfectly copy the Magic Array!

But it wouldn't work with the Doom Staff.

The Doom Staff's arrays already completed their own system. If those mysterious characters were carved into it, they could instantly destroy that system, so Lin Yun could only use a very subtle method to make the Doom Staff remember those characters…

This wouldn't work in the short term, but a year or two, or maybe even ten or twenty years later, when the Doom Staff thoroughly registered those mysterious characters, the effects brought about would exceed all expectations.

"Knock, knock, knock…" But unfortunately, Lin Yun was interrupted by a hurried knocking halfway through his work.

"Come in." Lin Yun frowned. The feeling of being interrupted while busy made him twitchy.

"Hell, this place is quite difficult to find…" A short and plump middle-aged man in his forties entered and wiped his sweat while complaining, "Mafa Merlin right? Put aside anything you are doing, and come with me, the Elders want to question you…"

"Oh?" Lin Yun's eyes faintly squinted as he curiously asked, "What do the Elders want to ask me?"

Lin Yun had casually asked this question, not really expecting a proper answer, but it looked as if it struck a nerve…

"Impudent!" The chubby man was startled. He pointed at Lin Yun with a finger, almost poking his nose. "You should understand your status, Mafa Merlin! Who do you think you are? The Elders want to ask you something, do you think they have to give you an account of themselves first? The younger generation is truly unreasonable. Back in my days, we would follow the Elders' words even if we had to go through extreme dangers, how could we be as long-winded as you? Still not moving? What are you waiting for? Do you think I'm gonna serve you breakfast?"

"…" Lin Yun scratched his cheek. He truly didn't know how he had set that middle-aged man off.

"Joseph, do you have a problem with the younger generation of the Merlin Family?" The door was opened once again by someone.

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Chapter 338: Fuck Off

Translator: Shiraishi Editor: TheAlliance

"The younger generation is truly getting more and more…" Joseph was repeating what he had just said, when he noticed that young and familiar face.

The room then became silent.

Joseph seemed frozen, his mouth wide open. His eyes were filled with shock and fear. It wasn't clear whether it was because he was too frightened, but he looked as if someone was grasping his neck. He opened and closed his mouth repeatedly but could only let out a meaningless sound.

"Please do continue, Joseph, more and more what?" Ross Merlin entered the room while looking rather irritable. Although he had a smile on his face, his gaze didn't look amused.

"More and more…" Joseph gulped as he looked at Ross, unable to finish his sentence.

"Say it!"

"More and more…" Joseph was scared to the point of getting teary-eyed. What could he say? The one standing before him was Ross Merlin, one of the three geniuses, a powerful competitor to become the next patriarch. He confronted a thousand Raging Flame Beastmen in the Crimson Fort. He had killed more people than Joseph had ever seen. Even if Joseph were a hundred times bolder, he wouldn't dare offend him.

When he saw Ross enter, Joseph wished he could slap himself. 'Why was I so stupid to insult the younger generation? Now, Ross, one of the geniuses of that generation, showed up. What should I do now, should I really repeat what I said?

'No way… I'm only fifty, I still have a lot of years ahead of me…'

"Ross… Young Master Ross, I was naturally not talking about you. I was only… I was only saying this to Mafa, my words were aimed at him…" Facing the pressure from Ross, Joseph was struck by inspiration. "This Mafa Merlin is too impudent, he truly doesn't care about the Elders. I was referring to people like Mafa Merlin when I mentioned the younger generation, not you. Don't misunderstand…"

Joseph spoke while cautiously observing Ross' expression. In Joseph's eyes, his words were extremely fitting. He was shirking the blame while sucking up to Ross. And these words would definitely leave Ross with a bad impression of Mafa.

He could hardly protect himself, so how could he care about a new member of the Merlin Family?

Moreover…

If it hadn't been for Mafa Merlin, he surely wouldn't have offended Ross. Using him to avoid the blame was just taking cheap advantage of him.

"Young Master Ross, this really can't be blamed on me. People like Mafa Merlin only spend their time asking what the Family can give him, but they disregard the Family when they are asked something. Some people truly can't be compared with others. Young Master Ross already conquered the Crimson Fort in your twenties, comparing you to people like Mafa is like comparing heaven and earth…" Joseph became more and more energetic as he spluttered, while shaking his head with a lamenting expression.

He was shaking his head and gesturing so exaggeratedly that he didn't even notice that the more he talked, the worse Ross' expression became.

"Locusts like Mafa Merlin should be removed from the Family…"

"Enough!"

"Ah?" Joseph had been getting more and more excited as he talked. He'd planned on ruthlessly criticizing the thoughtless youngster, but he became confused when Ross interrupted him angrily. He stood there in a daze, looking nervously at Ross…

Joseph was scared silly.

'What's going on? What's going on? Did I say something wrong?

'I only spoke about Mafa Merlin, how could Young Master Ross be unhappy? How did I offend Young Master Ross… Are they acquainted already?'

"Do you know what you are talking about?" Ross almost jabbed his finger in Joseph's nose…

Joseph had always played an insignificant role in the Merlin Family. It couldn't be helped because he didn't have a backer and could only struggle for a decade before finally getting a position at the Elder Council… He was in charge of running errands. From that point on, that fatty relied on his position to use his powerful connections to intimidate and pressure people with the backing of the Elder Council.

Naturally, no matter how Joseph liked to bully people, he wouldn't dare try it on Ross. Thus, Ross would usually turn a blind eye to Joseph's actions.

But Ross hadn't expected this fatty to be so near-sighted…

'Really? He actually dared to try and intimidate Cousin Mafa…'

When he thought of the consequences, Ross started sweating. If not for Lin Yun standing right next to him, Ross would have grabbed that fatty's neck while he asked him what he was trying to do!

'Is Cousin Mafa someone you can casually provoke? It doesn't matter if you are courting death, but don't draw the whole Merlin Family into this… The Elder Council may already be acting noisy, but who are you to dare to come here with such an attitude?'

"Young… Young Master Ross… I… I was only…" Seeing Ross' expression worsening, Joseph's started to soften. He wobbled there, not knowing what to say.

"Fuck off!" Ross took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to kill that fatty with a Fireball.

"Yes, yes, yes, I'll scram immediately…"

"Hold on…" At this time, Lin Yun suddenly called out to Joseph.

"Ah?" Joseph stood there with a dull expression, looking at Lin Yun and then turning to Ross, not knowing who he should listen to at this moment.

"Ah, what!" Ross saw Joseph's expression and a vein started pulsating on his forehead. "Cousin Mafa told you to wait, didn't you hear that?"

"Yes, yes…" Joseph discreetly wiped away some cold sweat before facing Lin Yun. He didn't dare to appear condescending this time…

Joseph's position in the Elder Council wasn't as simple as going around and intimidating others. He also needed some insight. The situation in front of him was clear and simple: Ross flew into a rage and almost attacked him, but Mafa Merlin told him to wait and Ross immediately echoed his words.

Since it reached this point, how could Joseph not figure it out?

It was only now that Joseph truly understood the offense he had made.

It seemed that this Mafa Merlin wasn't just a kid who had recently joined the Merlin Family without any ability or backing. From this situation it could clearly be seen that Mafa Merlin's backer was most likely Ross.

Joseph couldn't help being regretful as he thought about it. He regretted not asking for more detailed information before. If he had known that this Mafa Merlin's backer was Ross, he wouldn't have acted like that. With just a few sentences, he had offended Ross Merlin. His future days in the Merlin Family might not be that great…

"Young Master Mafa, is there… is there something you need?" The more he thought about it, the more scared Joseph became. It reached the point where his attitude did a full 180.

"It's not that much. I only wanted to ask which Elder ordered me to be questioned by the Elder Council," Lin Yun casually said with a friendly smile on his face.

"It's Elder Logan…"

"Oh?" Lin Yun was distracted for a moment before remembering that William had mentioned Elder Logan being Jason's grandfather, the unfortunate man whose head had been stepped on by William.

He was the leader of the Lorraine Merlins, one of the three main branches of the Merlin Family.

He had a lot of authority in the Elder Council, his influence so great that it was only below Patriarch Ofran's.

"Good, I understand…" Lin Yun nodded before he stopped paying attention to Joseph and sank into contemplation.

"What are you doing, still not fucking off?" Ross saw Lin Yun and knew that he no longer needed Joseph's presence. Thus, he immediately kicked Joseph's leg to drive this middle-aged fatty out.

"Let's go, Cousin Ross. Let's check the Elder Council and take a look at this Elder Logan. I want to see how much he wants the Gilded Rose…"

"Okay."

The two left William's sister's house, Lin Yun in front and Ross following behind him.

They walked for about ten minutes before finally reaching the Merlin Family's conference hall. This was the most sacred place, and it was only used when the Elder Council was convened. It would usually be heavily guarded anyways, but when the Elder Council convened, it would be surrounded by a hundred guards and not even a fly could go inside.

"Are you blind? This is the Merlin Family's conference hall, the place where the Elder Council gathers. Why don't you fuck off?" Lin Yun just arrived at the conference hall when a few guards blocked his path.

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Chapter 339: Elder Council

Translator: Shiraishi Editor: TheAlliance

This was followed by an explosion as a Fireball blasted the guard blocking the path before he could say anything.

The surroundings fell silent.

"Let me teach you…" Ross waved his arm to extinguish the remaining flames on his fingers. He swore as he kicked aside a few guards blocking the way before entering the conference hall.

Most of the seventeen Elders were already there. They saw Ross and Lin Yun, yet no one greeted them. They were all discussing among themselves in groups of two or three.

"Looks like you don't have good social skills, Cousin Ross…" Lin Yun could see that Ross was even worse than he had thought when it came to relationships. This was the core of the Merlin Family's power. Every single person sitting there was an influential person in the Merlin Family, and their attitude showed the entire Family's attitude.

In other words…

The Merlin Family wasn't too fond of Ross.

Lin Yun had seen many such cases, but Ross was the only one that had reached this point.

Even Mason was better off.

He had some good relations in the circle of rich wastrels in Thousand Sails City…

"…" Ross himself hadn't expected that these old geezers wouldn't show him any respect and let out two awkward chuckles before cursing them in his heart. 'Shit, do you have to be so excessive? Would it kill you to greet me?'

As Lin Yun teased Ross about it, the doors opened once again as Aube and Leon entered, alongside a late Elder. The Merlin Family's seventeen Elders were finally gathered.

After Aube entered, he looked at Lin Yun with a strange smile. No one knew what he was thinking…

But Leon…

Leon staggered and almost fell. After barely managing to recover his balance, he looked at Lin Yun with a pale and terrified expression, as if he had seen a ghost.

"…" Leon almost forgot to breathe as he looked at Lin Yun.

He rubbed his eyes, but it made no difference.

He rubbed them again more vigorously, but he was still there!

'Shit, I'm not dreaming! It's really that Mafa!'

After confirming that what he was seeing was real, Leon was frozen on the spot, 'What's going on? Why did he run here to the Merlin Family? Didn't he already settle in Thousand Sails City? Didn't he agree to let me off? This is the Merlin Family, what is he planning!?'

"Hi!" Lin Yun greeted Leon with a warm smile when he saw him; he could be considered an acquaintance, after all.

But unexpectedly, Lin Yun's greeting frightened Leon even more…

"What… What are you planning!?" Leon subconsciously took two steps back, his hands covering his chest as if he was a young girl being stared at by a pervert.

"…" Lin Yun awkwardly scratched his nose. He hadn't thought that a simple greeting would actually elicit such a strange response.

Lin Yun helplessly shook his head and sat next to Ross.

But him sitting down didn't help Leon feel relieved.

That young genius of the Merlin Family was now looking at Lin Yun with a bewildered expression. He couldn't understand what was happening or when that monster had come to the Merlin Family. 'Is that matter still not settled? Does he want the Merlin Family to make it hard for me? This… This is bullying!'

Leon was extremely angry.

But he quickly calmed down his anger…

He couldn't afford to offend him.

Originally, he had hurried to Thousand Sails City to get him under his control, but because he hadn't been careful with his anger, he'd ended up being Mana Shackled, making him unable to use mana. If not for his teacher, Hogg, taking action, he might have been spent his lifetime without being able to use magic.

He originally thought that since his teacher had gone to take care of the matter, he wouldn't have to be so careful anymore.

But in the end…

The outcome was even worse.

They met Jouyi after entering the Gilded Rose…

Star Sage Jouyi!

The master of the Cloud Tower, a peak Archmage. Okland's closest powerhouse to the Heaven Realm. His name alone would make everyone shake, let alone the real one who stood in front of Leon.

In the twenty years he spent in the Cloud Tower, he had never caught a glimpse of the Star Sage, but he met him in an alchemy shop in Thousand Sails City.

And under those circumstances…

At that time, the master and disciple duo had stood there foolishly. Leon didn't even remember how he returned to Okland, he remained muddle-headed for a full month.

A month later, his teacher took him to the Pale Plane, where he spent a few months fighting magic beasts, continuously lingering on the edge between life and death. Under the huge pressure, he finally forgot the blow he'd suffered in Thousand Sails City…

The world of magic was like that. As long as one invested enough time and effort, it would surely reciprocate. Staying in that hellish place for a few months helped his strength advance greatly, and he was now a 7th Rank High Mage. He'd felt that even if he saw that Mafa again, he wouldn't be as scared as before.

But he knew he was wrong the moment he entered the Elder Council's conference hall, terribly wrong.

He was now a 7th Rank High Mage, which should have made him the number one mage of the younger generation in all of Okland, but even then, he was still scared when he saw Mafa Merlin.

At this time, Leon truly wanted to say, 'Shit, what are you planning, you already terrified me, can't you just let me off?'

But unfortunately, Leon didn't dare to say those words.

He would need to be a hundred times more courageous to say such a thing.

After the seventeen Elders arrived and everyone was seated, Patriarch Ofran entered the conference hall. He sat at the head of the table and looked around at everyone before saying, "Everyone is here, the meeting shall commence…"

Resignation could clearly be heard in his voice.

The conference hall was the place he loathed the most. Every time he came, he would be embarrassed by those old geezers, especially today…

Thinking of what might happen, Ofran couldn't help secretly sighing, 'This is truly unfair to Mafa…'

If he could, Ofran would stand up and say a few words on behalf of Mafa.

Unfortunately, Ofran knew that it wasn't an option.

As the head of the Merlin Family, he was often forced to take the big picture into consideration.

He couldn't do anything about it, as the wealth of the Gilded Rose was too significant.

Of the seventeen Elders, besides Leon and Ross, fifteen were united in demanding Mafa to hand over the Gilded Rose.

Even Ofran, as the Patriarch, had no choice but to tread lightly.

If he stood to talk of justice and fairness on behalf of Mafa, he would inevitably become the target of the entire Elder Council.

Especially Logan…

The proposal to make Mafa hand over the Gilded Rose had come from Logan. Standing against it meant standing against Logan. And Logan represented the interests of the entire Lorraine branch. Standing up against him could possibly collapse the Merlin Family.

Ofran couldn't help inwardly sighing again as he thought of this.

He could only give up on fairness in front of the Merlin Family's interests. No matter how outstanding Mafa Merlin was, he could only become a pitiful sacrifice for the Family.

Ofran threw a glance at Lin Yun, filled with apology and sympathy. That youth had returned to the Merlin Family under his continuous persuasion, and he had made a great contribution to the Merlin Family by eliminating the future threat, Stan Watson. It would be lying to say that Ofran wasn't thrilled about it, but the Gilded Rose that he controlled drew the envy of others.

"Today's first topic is the Planar Legion expanding the Raging Flame Plane. Thorne already sent three urgent letters telling us that the Raging Flame Beastmen's recent attacks were fiercer and fiercer. The losses to the Merlin Family's Planar Legion is disastrous, they have to be reinforced within the month. After receiving the first letter, we already prepared a reinforcement plan, and a conservative estimate of the cost put it at 30,000,000 golds. What does everyone think about it?"

After Ofran was done, Elders started discussing among themselves.

Lin Yun casually looked around and could see that among the Elders, Ross was the most isolated. While they were all discussing, Ross was staring at the ceiling by himself. It wasn't by choice. No one was willing to discuss with him.

Leon's situation was better, but not by much…

There was only a forty-year-old Elder willing to discuss with Leon.

Most of the power of the Elder Council revolved around two factions. One, a group of five Elders, was headed by Aube Merlin. The other faction was a group of seven Elders headed by an Elder that seemed to be in his sixties. Lin Yun could guess that this old man was most likely Logan Lorraine.

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Soon, Logan's group came to a decision.

Unexpectedly, the first one to express an opinion was Logan himself. That old man with meticulously groomed white hair helped himself off his chair and slowly stood up. "Patriarch Ofran, I have to cautiously remind you, 30,000,000 golds isn't a small amount. The Merlin Family doesn't have such stable resources that they can support a Planar Legion setting root in the Raging Flame Plane. I believe that we should write a letter to Thorne and tell him that his mission is to gain wealth for the Family instead of using the Family's wealth in war."

"Elder Logan…" Aube stood up with dissatisfaction on his face just as Logan finished talking. "My father has been doing expeditions in the Raging Flame Plane for many years. He's never made any decisions going against the interests of the Family, has he? If it weren't for the Raging Flame Beastmen launching a fierce offensive and causing dire losses to the Planar Legion, would my father request reinforcements?"

"Haha, Aube, you are worried about your father's safety, I can understand this. But you should understand that the Merlin Family doesn't just serve the interests of one individual. Everyone knows how much your father brought to the Family in the Raging Flame Plane. But we are talking about 30,000,000 golds. If only the Merlin Family were specializing in making money… Let me tell you, the Merlin Family's finances are very tight, we simply can't take out 30,000,000 golds. If you have the ability, you should scrape together that amount yourself. I would help you convince the Elder Council to use it as your investment, and make it so that you would get all the earnings if the Merlin Family earns anything from the Raging Flame Plane!"

"You!" Aube turned red from anger, but he didn't say anything else.

He couldn't say anything else, as this was Aube's weak spot.

He was an alchemist.

Everyone knew that an astronomical amount of resources was needed to nurture an alchemist, especially one like Aube. He had been supported by the Family as he became a Master Alchemist and his consumption could only be described as frightening. It could be said that the profits his father, Thorne, had gained from the Raging Flame Plane had all been invested in Aube. Now, let alone 30 million, the father and son duo couldn't even take out a tenth of that…

This was also the true reason Aube wanted to invest in the Gilded Rose.

Aube needed such a gold-making machine.

Unfortunately, that Mafa Merlin wasn't agreeable.

"In short, the Merlin Family's finances can't allow us to reinforce the Raging Flame Plane. Thus, I personally recommend that we limit the amount used for reinforcing to 5,000,000 golds. Anything more can only wait for the Merlin Family's financial situation to improve…"

"Seconded!"

"Agreed!"

…

Seven Elders quickly showed support for Logan's motion. They were all around Logan, clearly part of his faction.

"Elders, I believe that you all understand the situation in the Raging Flame Plane more than I do. I only want to say that all the forces of Okland are vying over the Raging Flame Plane, and it could be said that whichever one ends up controlling the Raging Flame Planes will become the number 1 force of Okland. My father is currently leading the Planar Legion to struggle in the Raging Flame Plane, arduously resisting the fierce attacks of the Raging Flame Beastmen. He only needs some support from the family, just 30,000,000 golds. The Family has some savings, don't tell me that they can't even take out this amount? This sum would guarantee that the Merlin Family doesn't end up being kicked out of the Raging Flame Plane and keep the chance to become the number 1 force in Okland. Elders, are those 30,000,000 golds not worth spending?"

Aube's words clearly got reactions from some Elders…

Thus, the Elder Council became noisy.

Besides Leon's side and Ross abstaining from voting, the remaining 14 Elders were divided into two factions, arguing endlessly on whether they should spend 30,000,000 golds or not.

This was an eye opener for Lin Yun…

The dignified Elder Council had turned into a food market. Those well-groomed Elders became haggling aunties and peddlers, spluttering and pulling on each other's sleeves because of those 30,000,000 golds.

An hour later…

The argument had yet to be resolved.

In the end, neither side could convince the other.

"Okay, this subject will be put aside temporarily…" After an hour, Ofran, who had been massaging his temples, couldn't help intervening as both sides were taking an instant to regain their breaths.

No one objected to this decision.

They all knew that nothing would come of continuing with this argument. After all, none of them had anything to pressure the other side with, unless they could get Ofran to step in and use his authority as the Patriarch to make the final decision.

But…

No one wanted to do so.

Even when the argument was at its fiercest, neither Logan nor Aube asked Ofran to step in. This was a tacit understanding of the Elder Council. Whoever disregarded it would end up being pushed aside by all the others, because getting Ofran to intervene would give him the opportunity to interfere with the Elder Council.

This wasn't a matter of 30,000,000 golds or 50,000,000 golds…

Thus, they tacitly agreed to put aside this argument for now.

Ofran knew what they were all thinking and sighed before bringing up the second topic. "The next subject was brought up by 13 Elders. Thousand Sails City's Mafa Merlin is too young and lacks experience. He is also lacking in ability and cannot run the Gilded Rose by himself, so it is suggested that he hand over the authority over the Gilded Rose and let it be supervised by the Elder Council. It would be given back once Mafa Merlin matures. What does everyone think?"

The hall was surprisingly quiet this time.

All the Elders remained seated, and no one discussed with the others, because there was no need to discuss this. This was the decision of the entire Elder Council.

"I approve." Logan stood up once again. "I shall first declare, Mafa Merlin, I'm expressing my approval not because I'm resentful towards you, but rather for the interest of the entire Merlin Family. You are too young, and I was still worried over a few thousand golds when I was your age, yet you already control the Gilded Rose, you control such huge wealth…"

After saying that, Logan's words changed. "But you don't have the ability to use your wealth. Look at what you did in Okland! A month ago, you spent 37,000,000 golds in the Black Horn Auction just to buy a few magic materials, especially the Star Gem. Just because of a grudge with the Charlotte Family, you spent an entire 20,000,000 golds on it. You heard the first subject of this meeting, so you should understand what having 20,000,000 golds means. It means a large amount of equipment, a large number of warriors, and the ability to handle the fierce attacks of the Raging Flame Beastmen…"

"That's right." Aube, who had been quarrelling with Logan, now looked as if he had forgotten their previous disagreement and nodded with a smile, expressing his support for Logan.

"Haha, you see, Aube is not only better than you, he is also a lot more sensible. Mafa Merlin, do you really think that spending 20,000,000 golds to get back at Hanson Charlotte is worth it? I really think that you cannot control the Gilded Rose with your personality, so I agree with the Elder Council's suggestion to let us manage the Gilded Rose until you are mature and sensible enough to think over the interests of the Merlin Family. Only then would you have the Gilded Rose back…"

"Seconded!"

"Seconded!"

"Seconded!"

…

This was a lot more lively than the first subject. This time, fourteen of the remaining sixteen Elders raised their hands in approval.

Only two remained…

Ross and Leon…

It was quite normal for Ross because he was already part of Lin Yun's faction. As for Leon, it was because he was terrified.

In fact, when the second subject was brought up, Leon's face turned paler and paler.

Because Leon had heard something…

It turned out that Patriarch Ofran was the one who had persuaded him to return to the Family….

Thinking of this, Leon wanted to curse…

'Patriarch, oh Patriarch, is your vision deteriorating with age? Why would you recall someone like him who would cause trouble to the Merlin Family…'

And this wasn't the worst thing.

What made Leon go crazy was that in the first Elder Council he had participated in months, they started talking about taking over the Gilded Rose from Mafa Merlin's hands.

'You are fucking insane! You want to take over his Gilded Rose? Are you tired of living? How about I find you a rope instead so you don't draw me into this?'

Leon Merlin had been shaking the entire time. When Logan made everyone vote, Leon was even more terrified. He wished he could drill a hole under the table… How could he raise his hand in approval?

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Chapter 341: Link's Return

Translator: Shiraishi Editor: TheAlliance

'Shit…' The more Leon thought about it, the more afraid he felt. He wished he could bury his head under the table… When he suddenly noticed that the middle-aged man next to him was recklessly raising his hand!

Leon was terrified.

'You are crazy!' Leon's expression changed as he kept his head lowered while desperately shooting his companion meaningful looks.

But…

Leon Merlin's gaze wasn't easy to understand.

The middle-aged man seemed doubtful as he noticed Leon's gaze. 'What's going on with Young Master Leon? Does he have something in his eye? Or is he trying to tell me something? …Right, he is definitely trying to tell me something!'

The middle-aged man suddenly understood. Leon had gone to Thousand Sails City and had run into some trouble there. He was completely changed when he came back. 'Isn't that Mafa from Thousand Sails City? It looks like the trouble Young Master Leon had was most likely related to him…'

As he thought of this, the middle-aged nodded to Leon in a way that seemed to say, "be at ease."

'Looks like he isn't too stupid.' Leon visibly relaxed when he saw that.

But…

Leon didn't feel that way for long. He watched as the middle-aged man stood up and said in a loud voice, "I agree with Elder Logan's suggestion. It would be a huge loss to the Merlin Family to leave the Gilded Rose in the hands of the young Mafa Merlin…"

After saying that, he threw a provocative glance at Lin Yun…

"…" Leon watched this scene unfold, dumbstruck. He could only hear thunder rumbling in his mind. Leon threw a dull glance at that middle-aged man, weeping and smiling mixing together on his face.

"Young Master Leon, rest assured…" After announcing his stance, the middle-aged man softly whispered to Leon.

'Fuck, rest assured what!' Leon almost went crazy. 'You nutjob, how could you make me feel at ease? Are you afraid I wouldn't die fast enough without your help? I'm already in such a miserable state, yet you are trying to push me into the fire? Would I ever feel at peace if that monster thinks that I was the one who instructed you to say those words?

'Shit, how could I have such a pig-like teammate… You are truly digging a hole for me…

'It's bad, this is bad, I have to clear my name or I might not be able to walk out of the Merlin Family Manor alive once the Elder Council is over.'

Leon clenched his teeth as he looked at the middle-aged man next to him while shifting uncomfortably in his chair to lower his head even more…

He then started thinking hard…

Hearing all these Elders supporting his suggestion, Logan pressed on. "Mafa Merlin, we are doing this for the benefit of the Merlin Family." Hiding a proud smile, he added, "This isn't something I decided, this is something the entire Elder Council decided."

"That's right, Mafa Merlin!" Aube stood up after Logan was done talking. "You are still too young! You can't control the Gilded Rose, and you are only a 1st Rank High Mage. That power might be decent in Thousand Sails City, but open your eyes, this is the core of the Andlusa Kingdom, this is Okland! What does the strength of a 1st Rank High Mage amount to in this place…

"Look at Ross, he is a 5th Rank High Mage, yet he was easily defeated by Stan Watson in the Raging Flame Plane…" Aube took a convenient shot at Ross.

"Haha…" To everyone's surprise, Ross, who had been unjustly attacked, didn't take offense and only issued a sneer.

Because Ross knew that he didn't need to do anything. His cousin would naturally settle it all…

Ross only wanted to tell Aube, 'It's sad that you don't know that Stan Watson didn't even last ten seconds in front of this 1st Rank High Mage…'

Aube kept chattering endlessly because of his ignorance.

"Think about it, if your Gilded Rose is one day targeted by some force, one that has at least a few 5th Rank High Mages and a few dozen Great Mages… This wouldn't even be a major force in Okland, it'd be a second-rate one. Yet, if such a power attacks your Gilded Rose, would you be able to protect it with your strength as a 1st Rank High Mage?"

"Indeed…" Logan echoed Aube's words. The previously quarrelling duo was now in sync. "Mafa Merlin, truth to be told, your Gilded Rose won't be able to survive without the protection of the Merlin Family. It would be swallowed by someone sooner or later…"

As the two talked, a thin silhouette wearing black leather armor abruptly entered the Family's conference hall…

He seemed to be in his thirties and had an ordinary face that gave a familiar feeling to everyone who saw him. He also had a pale countenance and his armor was worn down.

"Shameful! Is the Family's conference hall a place you can charge inside? Hurry up and disappear from my sight!" Logan was quite annoyed at being interrupted by a stranger after he had built up so much momentum. It was natural for Logan to be extremely rude here.

"Elder Logan, please sit down." Ofran frowned before surprisingly exerting his authority as the Patriarch.

"Yes?" Logan froze. In fact, Ofran had assumed his authority as the Patriarch for over twenty years, but he had always been patient and accommodating towards the Elder Council, to the point that Logan and many Elders seemed to have forgotten that Ofran was the Patriarch.

It took some time for Logan to react when seeing Ofran suddenly use his authority, but he ended up sitting down.

"What is it?" After sitting down, Ofran calmly nodded and indicated to the man who had just entered the conference hall that he could start talking.

Only Ofran himself knew what kind of mood he was in… He wasn't as calm as he face let on.

This was because the man who had just barged in the Elder Council's meeting was Link.

Yes, the Link who had followed Santon Merlin and had been guarding the Family for the past three centuries.

He had originally sent Link to keep an eye on Mafa in order to stop this youth from doing anything stupid, but he hadn't expected Link to go missing for all this time, even when the news of Stan Watson's death spread the next day.

For over a month, Ofran had been wondering where Link had been, and how exactly Stan Watson had died.

Unfortunately, these questions couldn't be answered until Link came returned.

But now he was back.

And although Link had yet to say anything, Ofran could feel that something big must have happened…

This feeling made Ofran's mood unstable.

Under the puzzled looks of the Elders, Link took a few steps to reach Ofran's side and whispered a few words.

"Yes?" At first, Ofran only nodded perfunctorily, but the more he heard, the more his expression changed. He was pale and appalled as he looked at Link, his eyes filled with disbelief. "Really?"

"Yes…" Link's emotionless face was showing a hint of anger for the first time…

"Uhh…" Ofran let out a cold breath. If Link's words were true, then today's Elder Council might trigger a calamity for the Merlin Family.

'What should I do, what should I do…'

"Patriarch Ofran, the Elder Council finished voting. The patriarch should decide the final outcome…" Logan grew impatient at the delay being caused by this stranger when they were on the verge of getting the Gilded Rose.

"Hold on, hold on…" Ofran, who had turned a blind eye to this situation so far, now seemed to be struggling with something.

Only Ofran knew the terrifying scenes that had been seen by Link, who had been missing for over a month.

Link had seen two things.

One of them had nothing to do with today's Elder Council, but the other one was enough to make Ofran's blood run cold.

Link clearly described this Mafa Merlin's terrifying strength.

The Red Dragon Mercenary Group's fifty elites, the 5th Rank Expert Swordswoman Anna, as well as the 8th Rank High Mage Stan Watson. This group could take down an Archmage.

But…

Link told Ofran that this group didn't even last ten seconds in front of Mafa Merlin. All along, Mafa Merlin seemed to have been walking down his own hallway as he casually took Stan Watson's life.

Ofran felt his mind going numb as he heard that…

Originally, Ofran thought that a 1st Rank High Mage in his early twenties was quite formidable, especially since he came from Thousand Sails City, so Ofran had always regarded Mafa Merlin as very important.

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But…

No matter how much he'd valued him, Ofran had never thought that Mafa would be this formidable.

When Stan Watson died unexpectedly, Ofran had first thought that he had met some danger in the Aurij mountains, and he then thought that Mafa Merlin had spent money to hire a hitman. But he'd never ever considered the possibility that Mafa had personally done the act, let alone in such a simple and domineering way…

The Red Dragon Mercenary Group was stably within the top three mercenary groups of Okland, and the power of fifty of their elites gathered together was quite shocking, not to mention the beautiful Expert Swordswoman, Anna Achilles. Ofran had seen her more than once; how could the disciple of the Storm Sword Saint be weak?

And there was Stan Watson.

Ofran felt that even if he had personally made a move, he might not have been able to kill Stan Watson.

Yet, Link told him that such a powerful line-up was easily broken down by Mafa Merlin, that he was able to take Stan Watson's life in front of Anna Achilles and the others.

What kind of power was that?

Ofran didn't dare to keep thinking about it.

Mafa's strength far surpassed his own.

And this wasn't the most important part…

In the world of magic, one would carefully choose their inheritor. No matter how talented a mage was, they couldn't become a genius on their own. The more powerful a mage was, the more powerful and shocking their background would be.

It could be seen from Okland.

Jouyi, Harren, and others… Which of them didn't have a famous teacher giving them pointers, which of them didn't have a shocking background?

Ofran wouldn't think too much about it if Mafa Merlin were only an ordinary 1st Rank High Mage, but Mafa Merlin was far beyond that. What Link told him was enough to prove that Mafa Merlin had the power to kill an Archmage.

Killing an Archmage despite being a 1st Rank High Mage…

How could that person have been taught by an ordinary teacher?

How could he not have a shocking background?

Cold sweat trickled down Ofran's forehead.

'This is going to blow up! What should I do…'

Ofran's brain was working at full capacity. He wanted to stop the Elder Council, but there was one problem. How? If this continued and Mafa Merlin was infuriated by their antics, a conflict could hardly be prevented. If Mafa came out worse and suffered a loss, it might provoke his backer, and the Merlin Family might run out of luck.

He was someone that had the power to kill an Archmage as a High Mage… Who was his backer?

Jouyi or Harren?

If one of these two demons were triggered, the Merlin Family would definitely face an imminent disaster…

But…

"I have something to say!" As Ofran was crumbling under the pressure, someone interjected.

This would surely pour old on the fire…

Ofran then saw Leon slowly standing up…

'Shit!' Ofran cursed to himself, 'How come it's Leon!'

Others might not know…

But Ofran, who had been in contact with William, knew about it. Leon had gone to Thousand Sails City in order to recruit Mafa Merlin, but he had failed and ended up suffering a huge loss. He spent a few months in the Pale Plane after returning before finally being able to recover from that blow.

The relationship between the two of them wasn't good.

'Why are you standing up now! Shit, Leon, you little bastard, what the hell do you think you are doing?'

Ofran couldn't sit still.

The situation was bad enough to begin with, and if Leon tried anything to aggravate it, today might be the last day of the Elder Council. They would all suffer the consequences for their actions.

"Ha… Haha, it's you Leon, you… Let us hear what you want to say…" But as the Patriarch of the Merlin Family, Ofran could only follow the procedures with a smile on his face. But his eyes were staring fixedly at Leon when he prompted him to continue. Even a fool would know that he was trying to say, 'Bastard, don't fucking talk!'

"Yes, I have something to share…" Ofran hadn't expected Leon to keep going despite his stare.

Leon was terrified right now and want to quickly get it off his chest.

If he could, he wouldn't stand up right now.

But that pig-like teammate…

Leon's original plan was to remain careful and not say anything in this meeting. No matter what the other Elders did or said to Mafa Merlin, in the end, the ones who would suffer would be them. All he needed to do was make himself as invisible as possible, and make it so that Mafa Merlin didn't even pay attention to him. He only had to survive this meeting…

But his plan was shattered by the other Elder that supposedly supported him.

Leon wanted to curse as he thought of this. After obtaining a seat at the Elder Council, he'd felt that he should be more vocal in order to become more noticeable, which would give him an advantage in the future competition over the patriarch position.

Thus, when that terrible teammate expressed the wish to join his faction, he didn't hesitate to accept him.

To be fair, that Elder did help him many times over the years, and although he didn't give him any tangible benefits, he allowed him to not have to fight alone in the Elder Council. When needed, he was someone he could discuss with…

But…

Today…

With only a few sentences, that man had destroyed all the goodwill he had accumulated over the years!

'Is Mafa Merlin someone you can offend? Star Sage Jouyi stands behind him! You won't even know how you died if Star Sage Jouyi is unhappy with you!

'You don't know shit, yet you dare to openly support Logan's proposition. Logan's side is courting death, are you ready to die with them?

'You give me no choice but to personally stand up to wipe your ass! You are really incapable, yet you are very good at causing disasters…'

"I believe everyone in the conference hall knows that I went to Thousand Sails City a few months ago. To tell the truth, it wasn't a pleasant experience…"

"…" Ofran felt like weeping as he heard him. 'That's right, we know you got sorted out by Mafa in Thousand Sails City, you resent him deeply… But please, Leon, don't say anymore, okay?'

But Leon continued talking…

"I also got the opportunity to get close to the Gilded Rose back then. No one here can imagine how shocking the Gilded Rose is. It could be said that the Gilded Rose rules over Thousand Sails City. All the magic materials are flowing towards it before coming out as magic items that are then distributed to every major force…"

"…" Ofran was already rolling his eyes. 'You are courting death, you'll die…'

"Then, I excitedly entered the Gilded Rose and saw Cousin William. We chatted for an entire two hours. Cousin William was the one talking most of the time, and he told me how Cousin Mafa built the Gilded Rose from the ruins of the old Gilded Rose all on his own, how it had a monopoly over the alchemy market, how it became Thousand Sails City's true ruler…

"It sounded like fantasy at the time, I simply couldn't believe it. How could such a young mage achieve all this? I was just like you are now, unaware how of outstanding Cousin Mafa was. You are now trying to take away the Gilded Rose from such a genius. This is truly ridiculous! Do you even know how the Gilded Rose is operating?

"That's why I'm opposing Elder Logan's suggestion!"

'You are courting death, you are courting death, you are…' Ofran's thoughts had been repeating like a broken record, but then he heard Leon voicing his opposition to the decision of the rest of the Elders…

'He's opposing?'

Ofran almost stood up on the spot…

'Why is he opposing? Did something happen to him?'

Ofran wasn't the only one who was startled…

Leon's declaration was like a bomb exploding in the conference hall, shocking all the other Elders.

'How could it be!'

'Is Leon crazy!?'

'Why is he opposing the decision!'

'Doesn't he know that this is a meat pie falling from the sky for the entire Merlin Family, for all the Elders? That is incredible wealth ripe for the taking. Is he sick?'

"Leon Merlin." As his rival for the patriarch's seat, Aube didn't fail to live up to everyone's expectations. He stood up and said, "Please understand, we are worried about Mafa Merlin's abilities. You should be well aware that he doesn't have the ability to protect the Gilded Rose. Instead of having it taken away by others, it would be better for the Elder Council to manage it…"

"Hahaha, Aube, you mean to say that you can protect the Gilded Rose?"

"Leon, stop causing trouble!" Aube suddenly got mad. "Once Mafa hands over the Gilded Rose, the whole Elder Council would be managing it, including you, Leon!"

"I don't have the ability…" A sneer appeared on Leon's face. "In fact, no one here has the ability…"

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Chapter 343: Veto Power

Translator: Shiraishi Editor: TheAlliance

"Is that a joke? Mafa Merlin is a 1st Rank High Mage, aren't there many more people in the Elder Council that can protect the Gilded Rose? I, Aube Merlin, am a 5th Rank High Mage, a whole tier higher than Mafa. Moreover, I'm also a Master Alchemist. Tell me, do you think I don't have the ability to protect the Gilded Rose?"

"…" Hearing these words, Leon looked at Aube with a strange smile. After a pause, he chuckled, "Haha, Master Alchemist?"

"Is there a problem with being a Master Alchemist?" Aube didn't know why, but he lacked confidence.

"Forget it, Aube, you just don't know. In short, I'm telling you that the Gilded Rose isn't as simple as it looks…"

"Okay, okay, Aube, Leon, stop being noisy…" Logan intervened at this moment. "Everyone is working for the interests of the Merlin Family, there is no point in quarrelling needlessly over a trivial matter. The purpose of our Elder Council's meeting is to discuss whether the Gilded Rose should be managed by the Elder Council. Now, the Elder Council has already made its decision. Mafa Merlin must hand over the Gilded Rose and let it be managed by the Elder Council temporarily. Once he matures, it will be handed back to him."

"Haha…" Leon sneered, but no longer said anything. 'What a joke…'

He had only spoken up to correct the error of that piglike teammate. Leon didn't intend on actually going against the Elder Council. He was only openly showing his stance. 'Mafa Merlin will end up cleaning this mess anyways, he doesn't need my help…'

"Since Leon abstains from voting, I believe that we have come to a conclusion. Patriarch Ofran, you should announce the outcome…" A proud smile appeared on Ofran's face.

"Hmmm…" Ofran thought for a bit, before clenching his teeth. "I think I have to use my veto power…"

"What!?" Logan's proud smile disappeared. He jumped up, startled, at Ofran's words.

The veto power was the greatest authority of the Patriarch, it was the right to make a stand against the Elder Council!

In other words, as long as the Patriarch disagreed with any decision, even if the Elder Council decided on it unanimously, the Patriarch could use that right to set aside that decision for an indefinite period of time.

But…

In the entire history of the Merlin Family, the veto power was used less than ten times.

Because it was a double-edged sword.

Once used, it meant that the Patriarch was no longer standing with the Elder Council. It was often that anything the Patriarch would approve of from then on would be rejected by the Elder Council and anything the Patriarch disagreed with would be approved by the Elder Council.

And the most terrible part was…

The veto power had its own restriction.

It could only be used once every three years.

In other words, after the Patriarch used that right, he would be unable to exercise his greatest authority as a Patriarch for three years. It would normally be fine, but once the Patriarch lost his veto right, he would thoroughly become a puppet of the Elder Council.

The united Elder Council would go right over the Patriarch's head.

This was a situation no one wanted to see…

Neither side would truly win.

Otherwise, how could there be less than ten instances of the veto power being used in the Family's history?

Yet, the always careful Ofran suddenly used this double-edged sword, shocking everyone. They all looked at Ofran as if they were looking at a crazy person.

'Is he insane? How could he use his veto power, doesn't he know that this would push the Merlin Family in a very dangerous situation by using it now? It might even divide the three main branches!'

"The decision will be put aside for the time being, and brought before the Elder Council again when the time is right…" Ofran's voice echoed clearly in everyone's hearts.

"How… How could you use your veto here, Ofran! You are crazy!" Logan completely forgot himself. He pointed at Ofran, a vein pulsating on his forehead and his eyes almost coming out of their sockets. "I don't agree! I definitely don't agree!"

"Elder Logan, it doesn't matter if you don't agree, the veto power of the Patriarch can freeze any decision. You are the most reputable Elder of the Merlin Family, don't tell me that you don't understand this?"

"Ofran, don't forget that besides being an Elder, I am also the Patriarch of the Lorraine branch…"

"Hmm?" Ofran frowned when he heard Logan's words…

In an instant, the entire conference hall turned silent.

It was scarily quiet, to the point that if a fly flew in there, it would attract everyone's attention.

Everyone could feel the oppressive atmosphere in the conference room.

Something huge was about to happen.

And sure enough…

"On behalf of the Lorraine Merlins, I impeach you. I believe that you are unqualified to act as the Patriarch of the Merlin Family. Your actions aren't for the benefit of the Merlin Family. Who is in favor!? Who disagrees!?" Logan roared with a hoarse voice as he looked at Ofran with crimson eyes.

Of course, one arm after the other was raised following Logan's declaration.

"I am in favor."

"I am in favor."

"I am in favor."

…

In an instant, over half of the Elders agreed with the impeachment and raised their hands.

Eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve…

It was over…

Soon, two-thirds of the Elders were in favor. In other words, the impeachment was a foregone conclusion. Next would be Ofran's official statement… If Ofran couldn't give them a satisfactory answer, he would lose his position as the Patriarch.

Ofran sighed as he shook his head. He didn't plan on defending himself, nor would he try to salvage the situation. He knew that it would all be in vain.

In these Elders' eyes, he was blocking their path…

They had a fanatical longing for the value shown by the Gilded Rose. To them, it meant endless wealth and a way to become rich overnight. Faced with such incredible benefits, none could resist, making them view others as obstacles.

Standing up at such a time meant becoming everyone's enemy.

Ofran didn't feel anger when he saw them all standing against him… He only felt exhaustion, as well as worry for the future of the Merlin Family.

He didn't feel anything wrong about being impeached. In fact, he would have done the same were he in Logan's shoes. Ofran was only worried about the consequences once Mafa Merlin shed all pretense of cordiality due to the Elder Council's decision. He was worried that the Merlin Family wouldn't be able to handle it…

A disaster might occur…

"I'm a bit curious…" Just as everyone thought that this matter was set in stone, Lin Yun, who had been sitting on his chair in silence since the start, slowly stood up.

"Mafa Merlin, you have no right to speak!" Logan had been in an extremely good mood after successfully impeaching Ofran, so he rudely berated Lin Yun when he heard him talking.

"Haha, Elder Logan, everyone seems to have been discussing the Gilded Rose. If I'm not wrong, the Gilded Rose is under my name, isn't it? Shouldn't I have the right to ask a few questions since you are discussing my assets?"

"…" Lin Yun's words shut Logan up. The Gilded Rose hadn't been given to the Elder Council yet, and it was indeed still under Mafa Merlin's name, so he did have the right to speak.

Naturally, this was from a theoretical point of view.

The situation had reached this stage and even Ofran had been impeached. How could a mere youth cause any trouble now?

"I was sitting here and listening all this time. I came to the conclusion that the most important part that made the Elder Council feel that I'm incapable of managing the Gilded Rose is my strength as a 1st Rank High Mage being insufficient… Am I wrong?"

"Yes…" Logan nodded after hearing that. "Mafa Merlin, I am very pleased that you can recognize your flaws. Rest assured, the Elder Council will only manage the Gilded Rose. It'll still be considered yours after we deduct a management fee. Moreover, the Elder Council will return it to you at a suitable time."

"That's not it…" Lin Yun shook his head, he looked at Logan with a strange smile. "I'm just curious, who would the Elders think has the qualifications…"

"Well…" Logan thought for a bit before pointing at Aube. Although they were quarrelling earlier, they were in harmony when it came to taking over the Gilded Rose, so he reciprocated the favor to Aube. "I personally believe that Aube is qualified. He is already an Elder, he is a genuine Master Alchemist, and most importantly, he is a 5th Rank High Mage. He is the most outstanding genius of the Merlin Family, so advancing to Archmage is only a question of time.

"Aube, is it…" Lin Yun nodded before glancing at Aube.

For some reason…

Aube, who had been sitting there with a smile on his face, suddenly felt a deep chill when Lin Yun looked at him. It felt as if he was being stared at by a fierce magic beast inspecting its prey.

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Aube was suddenly terrified.

This was a feeling that hadn't appeared to him in years, and every time it did, it meant that danger was descending.

But…

He was now in the conference hall of his own Family, he was participating in the Elder Council as an Elder, he was sitting amidst influential members there, including Patriarch Ofran. There weren't many places safer than here for him in all of Okland.

'How could I feel danger here?'

Aube pondered, but couldn't understand.

'Did I imagine it? …Yes, I definitely imagined it.'

As Aube comforted himself in bewilderment, Logan's gaze stopped on other people.

"Hayden, he is also a famous person in our Merlin Family. He is an 8th Rank High Mage at the age of forty, his future can be said to be boundless.

"Follen Merlin, he is a 9th Rank High Mage at forty-five. He is one of our High Mages with the greatest chance of becoming an Archmage…"

After pointing to two Elders at his side, Logan's gaze fell on Leon.

"There is also Leon. He is a 7th Rank High Mage at thirty and is the disciple of Hoen, the head of the Magic Department of the Cloud Tower. Whether it is strength or background, he is more than qualified to manage the Gilded Rose…"

"…" Leon raised his head with a stupefied expression. He stared fixedly at Logan, his eyes almost leaving their sockets.

'Elder Logan, you old bastard, I did nothing to you, why are you trying to pull me in…

'Shit, don't you see me trying to bury my head in my arms? Do you think it is easy for me to act like this do so at the Elder Council? I'm doing my best to weaken my presence, yet you are unwilling to let me off…

'Good, good, good… I won't be polite since you won't let me off…'

Leon clenched his teeth and stood up. "You are too polite, Elder Logan. You are a senior figure of the Merlin Family, you have good morals and ample experience. You would be the best candidate to manage the Gilded Rose!"

After finishing, he politely smiled at Logan.

"…" Logan felt baffled. 'What's going on? Is there something wrong with Leon? Who wouldn't want to manage the Gilded Rose, an alchemy behemoth constantly producing massive amounts of wealth…'

Golds were counted by tens of millions there, and just by stretching out his hand, he would be able to obtain unimaginable wealth. Not to mention, the Gilded Rose didn't only have golds; it had all kinds of advanced techniques, all kinds of powerful alchemy items, and all kinds of rare magic materials. Whoever managed the Gilded Rose could use those at will.

Who would give up such a position?

'What's going on with Leon… Why would he push such a position onto me? Is there some conspiracy I'm unaware of…?

'This feels wrong… How could there be such a pleasant conspiracy? But regardless…'

Logan didn't think long before making his decision. Even if there was a plot against him, it would have to wait until he took his position as the manager of the Gilded Rose. He wouldn't be showing any respect to Leon if he didn't take advantage of his praise to take that spot. ( NovelFull )

Logan gave a meaningful glance to the Elders on his side before shaking his head. "I can't, I can't, I'm already under heavy pressure from handling the affairs of the Lorraine branch, I don't have the energy to supervise the Gilded Rose. Elders, please find someone more qualified…"

"Elder Logan!" An Elder from Logan's group stood up. "You can't say that! Isn't the Lorraine branch part of the Merlin Family? I feel that you should make some sacrifice for the benefit of the Merlin Family and put energy into developing the Gilded Rose!"

"Yes! Elder Logan, you cannot favor your branch over the whole Family!"

"That's right, you are the most qualified person, Elder Logan…"

At this time, Logan's faction all stood up and did their best to push Logan into being the manager of the Gilded Rose.

As for Logan…

He resolutely declined, but the more he declined, the less resolute he looked. In the end, his tone relaxed…

"Since that's the case…" Logan said with reluctance.

But he was cut off by Lin Yun's sudden laughter.

"Only these few?"

"You… What do you mean!" Logan's faction had been acting for a while, and he was just about to agree to take over the Gilded Rose when Mafa Merlin stood up. Naturally, Logan's expression wasn't good.

"Haha, nothing, it's only a few people…" But Lin Yun just kept chuckling.

Then, berserk mana fluctuations suddenly filled the atmosphere.

"What!?" The one who endured the brunt of the pressure was that forty-year-old 8th Rank High Mage, Hayden. He was originally sitting, but under the pressure of those berserk mana fluctuations, he crumpled on his chair.

The mana fluctuations were so shocking.

They burst out in the conference hall like a tsunami and caused complete chaos.

And this wasn't over…

A bright moon rose up behind Lin Yun…

Before they could understand what was going on, that moon blossomed with a bright light as the two gems, one red and one blue, seemed especially dazzling.

"I'm curious about one thing. What if no one is able to manage the Gilded Rose?"

After Lin Yun said those words, the bright moon behind him flew out as the two lights flashed.

Then…

The seventeen Elders and the Patriarch of the Merlin Family saw an unforgettable scene.

The berserk mana fluctuations seemed to have reached their peak in an instant, before being followed by a loud explosion.

That ascending bright moon burst with endless spells in an instant: Frost Spike, Fire Arrow, Wind Blade, Earth Spike, Flame Spear, Frost Lance… It was as if countless mages attacked at the same time, making the endless spells turn into a wave of magic.

And the target was that 8th Rank High Mage, Hayden…

To be honest, that Hayden's reaction was pretty fast. When targeted by all those spells, he quickly jumped off his chair, already aware that the situation wasn't good. He cast a Mana Shield and a Runic Shield, and not feeling safe with just these two shields, he cast an additional Ice Wall in front of him.

But…

It was no use.

Under the frightening flood of spells, the Ice Wall instantly disappeared, followed by the Mana Shield. The last layer of defense, the Runic Shield, only lasted one second.

In that second, everyone could see Hayden's expression turning from terror to despair, before finally turning into ashes.

It only took one second for Lin Yun to kill an 8th Rank High Mage. Lin Yun's ferocity frightened the entire conference hall.

But it felt like a trivial matter to LIn Yun. He only beckoned the Ten Thousand Spell Wheel back and smiled, as if he hadn't killed an 8th Rank High Mage, but only squashed an ant.

"First one." After saying that, Lin Yun's gaze turned towards that forty-five-year-old 9th Rank High Mage, Follen…

"Mafa Merlin! What do you think you are doing!" Logan was stunned, a mix of anger and alarm on his face.

The Merlin Family had been around for over a millennium, but never before had someone attacked someone in the conference hall, let alone going so far as to kill an Elder like just now.

This was a provocation to the entire Merlin Family!

No Merlin could tolerate such an action.

After Hayden died, Lin Yun was staring at Follen.

Then, the Ten Thousand Spell Wheel emerged once again…

The mana fluctuations turned berserk in an instant.

As the red and blue lights interweaved once more, the shadow of death covered the conference hall.

"Mafa Merlin, you are insane!" Aube was losing himself to fear.

'Fuck, fuck, I got so much information on him, but why was there no mention of him being a lunatic? He is simply unreasonable! To overturn the decision of the Elder Council, he didn't hesitate to start a slaughter in the conference hall. Does he want to become enemies with the entire Merlin Family?'

"Stay your hand, stay your hand! Mafa Merlin, you will become the enemy of the entire Merlin Family, it won't end well for you…"

But…

Regardless of how loudly Aube shouted, he couldn't stop the Ten Thousand Spell Wheel. The flood of spells submerged Follen Merlin in an instant…

The conference hall turned silent once again.

This was too frightening.

That madman killed two Elders in just moments. Who could say that he wouldn't kill all seventeen Elders if it continued?

"There are still a few left, isn't there?" With a smile, Lin Yun looked to the other side of the table before his gaze fell onto Aube's body.

"Shit!" Aube screeched, "Shit, why are you looking at me!"

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Aube finally understood why he had felt that chill earlier…

'Shit, it was because that damn lunatic was looking at me, no wonder I had a bad feeling. He isn't just a madman…'

As a Master Alchemist, how could Aube not know that the revolving disk in Lin Yun's hands was a very frightening Magic Tool?

Its power was so incredible that it swallowed up two peak High Mages in a split second. Aube's only guess was that it was a True Spirit Magic Tool.

This guess left Aube frozen in terror, because the Magic Tool Incarnation had yet to appear, which meant that this Magic Tool was displaying less than half of its power.

Two peak High Mages had already been easily taken care of without even using half of its power; how frightening would it be if it displayed its full power?

"Mafa Merlin, you…" Aube nervously held onto his magic staff as cold sweat dripped down his forehead. He looked at Lin Yun with a mix of fear and despair…

But…

At this time, Logan, who had lost two allies, suddenly slammed his hand on the table and pointed his magic staff at Lin Yun. "Mafa Merlin, what are you doing, don't you know where this is? You had best surrender or you'll face the retaliation of the entire Merlin Family!"

Logan was enraged.

He had spent decades building his power in the Elder Council until he had gained enough authority, but today, during an ordinary meeting of the Elder Council, Follen and Hayden Merlin died. These two were the most capable subordinates Logan had. Let alone having outstanding strength, they also knew how to coordinate with Logan in the Elder Council's meetings to maximize his influence.

But who could have expected them to die today?

How could Logan not be angry?

"You are too unbridled and too arrogant, Mafa Merlin. This is Okland, not Thousand Sails City. You think you can do whatever you want here? Well, I won't let you do so!" Logan's beard shook due to anger.

But…

It might have been due to his anger, but Logan seemed to have forgotten something…

He was one of the candidates…

"It's nothing, Elder Logan, I just feel that the dead can't supervise the Gilded Rose…" Lin Yun smiled before pouring mana into the Ten Thousand Spell Wheel. The dazzling light alongside the red and blue radiances quickly rotated as it scattered even more frightening mana fluctuations.

Moreover, the target of these fluctuations quietly changed…

"What are you trying to say?" Just as Logan furiously said these words, he suddenly realized that something was horribly wrong. The mana fluctuations that had been locked onto Aube abruptly changed direction and targeted him.

Thus, the anger was quickly replaced by panic.

"Shit!" Logan shrieked before casting a few defensive spells. "Mafa Merlin, what do you think you are doing!?"

Then, another explosion echoed in the conference hall.

The Ten Thousand Spell Wheel burst out once again as a dazzling sun-like radiance spread above Lin Yun's head. Countless spells turned into a flood and submerged Logan in a split second.

There was no struggle, no scream.

Only a deathly silence.

The conference hall became quiet once again.

Everyone looked at Lin Yun with deep fear…

They understood what Lin Yun meant earlier.

The dead can't manage the Gilded Rose.

He planned to kill every person mentioned as being qualified to manage the Gilded Rose…

And he was really doing it…

Of the five candidates, Follen Hayden, Aube, Leon, Logan…

Three were already dead.

The Merlin Family had never suffered such a terrible loss in their thousand-year history. In one day, three of the seventeen Elders had been killed.

What kind of concept was that?

And it still wasn't over.

Because some people alarmingly discovered that this rather excessive young man was already urging that frightening Magic Tool once more and was aiming it at Aube!

"I warned you, I told all of you to not be blinded by greed…" Ofran had no choice but to stand up at this moment. He looked sharply across everyone before looking back at Lin Yun with a smile. "Alright, Mafa, let's please leave it at that…"

"Sorry, Patriarch Ofran, I have to follow up on my words…" Lin Yun helplessly laughed. "I said that they would end up dead, so they have to end up dead. Otherwise, people would think that I am not a man of my words…"

It was a simple answer…

But it gave shiver to all those who listened.

"Mafa… Logan and those two were one thing, but Aube is one of the few youths with good prospects in the Merlin Family, especially since he has some accomplishments in the field of alchemy. This is very important to the Merlin Family. Mafa, you also share the Merlin name, you should know that the Merlin Family can't bear this kind of loss…"

"Businessmen have to be trustworthy."

"…" Ofran took a deep breath. "I know, today's matters were caused by the Merlin Family letting you down. But we did it in the interest of the entire Family. We didn't know you had such shocking strength. You are too young, after all. Please listen to me, Mafa, and end it here. I'll use my status as the Patriarch to guarantee that no one will look into the deaths of those three. Your Gilded Rose won't be disturbed anymore."

"Yes, yes, yes, Mafa Merlin, I'll also guarantee that whoever targets the Gilded Rose will have their legs broken!" Leon couldn't hold himself back any longer and stood up from his seat.

After all, if there was one person who wanted to stop this the most, it was definitely Leon.

After all, Leon knew how terrifying his younger cousin was…

He had been Mana Shackled by his younger cousin when the latter was only a Great Mage…

Those were Mana Shackles!

That was a spell only used when higher-ranked mages pressured lower ranked mages, yet his cousin did it the other way around. This was enough to show how powerful Mafa Merlin was…

Now that he had advanced to become a High Mage, his strength would have increased by over ten times!

Moreover, there was still Star Sage Jouyi behind him…

Leon didn't want the tragedy to repeat again.

And he couldn't do anything about it, because he was one of the five candidates…

If he waited for Mafa to casually kill Aube, wouldn't he be next?

Thus, Leon had no other choice but to stand up.

"Who wants to harm Aube!?" But suddenly, a loud voice rumbled like a tsunami.

In an instant, a frightening power filled the conference hall.

This frightening power even counteracted some of the pressure caused by the Ten Thousand Spell Wheel.

"It's Thorne!" The originally silent conference hall suddenly flared up.

It was indeed the voice of Thorne Merlin…

One of the three Sword Saints of the Merlin Family, the owner of the Crimson Flame Sword, the commander of the Raging Flame Plane's Planar Legion, as well as one of the strongest members of the Merlin Family. He would inevitably have a seat within the Ancestral Land in a century or so.

Aube managed to become who he was today because he was Thorne's son.

Ofran couldn't help sighing when he felt that power.

'Thorne really came back…'

"Mafa, you should stop while there is still time, I can give an explanation to Thorne. I can guarantee as the Patriarch that as long as you stop now, Thorne won't retaliate against you. I don't think you'll be able to escape Thorne's vengeance if you plan on doing things your way…"

"That's right, Mafa Merlin, don't think that because you can do whatever you want because you have a frightening Magic Tool! If you touch even one of my hairs, my father will uproot your Gilded Rose. Weeping won't help then!" When Aube felt that familiar power, his pale face regained some color. His next words were full of self-confidence.

"Really?" Lin Yun gently rotated the Ten Thousand Spell Wheel, and countless abstruse runes flickered amidst the two precious gems…

As if feeling Lin Yun hesitating amidst the flickering runes, a proud smile appeared on Aube's face. "Mafa Merlin, I advise you to think this through. My father controls the entire Planar Legion, do you know what that means? Your Gilded Rose would be annihilated if my father just gave the word." Aube continued, "At that time, your closest relatives, friends, subordinates, they will all be doomed because of your recklessness. Who do you think you are to challenge the entire Merlin Family with one Magic Tool?"

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"Mafa, don't be impetuous…" Ofran bitterly smiled.

There were so many people in the conference hall, but only a few people, including Ofran, knew how frightening that voice was.

Because Ofran had heard it clearly.

Each of the words of the sentence, "Who wants to harm Aube," sounded closer than the previous. The first one sounded more distant while the last one sounded louder.

What did this mean?

This meant that Thorne was rushing over at an astonishing speed and would soon arrive. From this it could be seen how unimaginably powerful Thorne was.

Ofran couldn't help sighing as he thought of this.

Although his position as the patriarch gave him a lot of authority, it had no benefits when it came to the study of magic. He was very hardworking and diligent, but compared to Thorne, who had been hovering on the line between life and death in the Raging Flame Plane, Ofran was too inferior.

After all, when Ofran became an Archmage, Thorne had been an 8th Rank Expert Swordsman.

Hearing that voice, Ofran knew that Thorne was stronger than him now.

But this was fine.

( NovelFull ) Thorne Merlin's strength would be able to intimidate that maverick Mafa Merlin. Otherwise, who knew who else would die today?

"Yes, Cousin Mafa, don't be impulsive…" At this time, even Leon, who was doing his best to shrink away his existence, couldn't help weakly advising him.

As for the other Elders, they were afraid of saying anything that would get Aube killed. If that happened, they would become the targets of Thorne's anger.

"Look, Mafa Merlin, I'll give you one last chance! Immediately hand over the Gilded Rose before my father arrives, or else…" As he sensed that familiar aura drawing closer, Aube became more confident.

He smiled proudly, no longer caring about that revolving disk, straightening the robe soaked in cold sweat before calmly sitting down.

Aube knew that his father would arrive within a minute.

And once his father arrived, the meeting of the Elder Council would become a joke. Even Ofran, as the patriarch, wouldn't dare to stand off against this Planar Legion Commander, let alone Mafa Merlin.

"You should hurry up and make your decision, you don't have much time left…"

"Indeed…" After thinking about it, Lin Yun raised his hand and collected the Ten Thousand Spell Wheel as he nodded, agreeing with Aube's point of view.

"Phew…" Seeing the Ten Thousand Spell Wheel stopping its rotations, all the Elders seemed to let out a relieved sigh.

Especially the Elders who had previously denounced Lin Yun.

It couldn't be helped, because they all felt too much pressure when facing the madman who killed three Elders. No one knew if he was addicted to killing and might try to get rid of all the Elders in the conference hall.

"Fortunately…" Ofran sighed in relief.

As the Merlin Family Patriarch, Ofran was thinking far ahead of the other Elders.

To the other Elders, Lin Yun stopping meant that they were safe, but to the Patriarch, it meant that the Merlin Family had escaped from a disaster.

The news that Link brought was too shocking…

Ofran became aware that there was most likely a horrifying backer behind Mafa Merlin. If he killed Aube, Thorne would definitely retaliate, and at that time, even greater trouble would come. If Mafa Merlin's backer came out, the entire Merlin Family might sink into chaos.

'Fortunately, fortunately… Thankfully, Mafa Merlin is rational enough and decided to withdraw at such a critical time.'

Thinking of this, Ofran couldn't help letting out another relieved sigh.

"See, you are smart enough Mafa…" As he saw the Ten Thousand Spell Wheel stopping, the smile on Aube's face gradually widened. "I'm not like Logan, I am a very fair person. I don't want to monopolize your Gilded Rose. We can go with my previous proposal, 3,000,000 golds for 40% of the shares of the Gilded Rose…"

"Sorry, Cousin Aube…" Lin Yun smiled as he shook his head, putting away his Ten Thousand Spell Wheel while chuckling. "I don't like to collaborate with the dead."

"Hmmm?" Aube froze, the smile on his face stiffening. "What do you mean!"

"I'm saying that time is running out…" After saying this, Lin Yun opened up his right hand. It was followed by a ball of fire fiercely rising up. It was only the size of a fist, but the mana fluctuations it emitted made everyone tremble with fear…

"You… What are you doing?!" Aube Merlin was deathly pale. Even if he reacted slowly, he could already feel the ball of fire carrying an aura of destruction.

Unfortunately, Aube understood too late…

Just as he shouted, that ball of flame split in two and turned into two straight Fire Bolts, intersecting like sharp scissors as they ferociously fell on Aube's body.

These two straight Fire Bolts were too fast. No one was able to react, and even Aube, a 5th Rank High Mage, only had time to erect a Runic Shield.

But the Runic Shield melted like butter when faced with those two Fire Bolts. Under the blazing temperature, Aube Merlin's robe instantly turned to ashes.

"Link!" In a moment of desperation, Ofran called Link, who hadn't made a move in several decades.

In that split second, Link came out and displayed his own strength. A second earlier, he had been standing beside Ofran with a wooden face, but the next second, he was at Aube's side like a shadow. No one saw him move, nor did they see how the two dazzling scimitars appeared.

Only a dazzling spark could be seen.

The two Fire Bolts met the two scimitars…

Link's scimitars had been made out of Meteorite Magic Iron, a top-notch material for weapon forging. It could easily create an Inheritance rank weapon. Moreover, these two scimitars had complex arrays carved onto them, indicating that they were at least Spiritual Rank Magic Tools.

But now, these Spiritual Rank Magic Tools only lasted three seconds under the pressure of those two Fire Bolts before melting.

But these three seconds gave Aube a rare opportunity to breathe.

Aube cast an Ice Fire Shield.

He couldn't control the Ice Shield and Fire Shield individually at this moment, so he just used both to welcome the Fire Bolts while urgently retreating.

The scene was shocking. Aube had retreated a few meters just as the Ice Fire Shield came into contact with the Fire Bolts.

"Phew…" After doing this, Aube finally let out a sigh of relief.

To Aube, these several meters were the difference between life and death. If he had stayed a moment longer the Fire Bolts would have instantly engulfed him, but everything was different after managing to retreat a few meters.

Besides being a 5th Rank High Mage, he was a genuine Master Alchemist. As long as there was enough distance between them, he would have enough ways to stall for time.

As he thought of this, a smile once again appeared on Aube's face.

"Mafa Merlin, I shall let you know what the title of Master Alchemist means!" Aube had already finished drawing an array in the air after saying those words. The array was stable and surrounded the two Fire Bolts.

"Flame Inhibiting Array?" One of the Elders shouted this name.

Indeed, Aube had drawn the Flame Inhibiting Array.

It was a simple array with only one effect.

It only suppressed the activity of the fire elements. Any fire spell would be greatly weakened when under the effect of the Flame Inhibiting Array.

This rarely used array was now Aube's answer to save his life.

As the Flame Inhibiting Array was completed, the two Fire Bolts truly weakened.

"Let me see if you still have any tricks left!" Aube sneered while casting various defensive spells on himself.

But…

The sneer didn't last long before Aube saw a bright light.

The flame rose up and illuminated the entire conference hall. The fire elements in the atmosphere were simply flaring up as everyone suddenly felt an aura of devastation.

"Stay your hand!" At the same time, an angry shout echoed outside the conference hall, followed by a majestic Sword Aura tearing through the air, carrying a terrifying temperature as it tore through the walls of the conference hall.

Everyone froze…

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Chapter 347: Unfair

Translator: Shiraishi Editor: TheAlliance

A rumble could be heard as the thick wall of the conference hall was torn apart by that majestic Sword Aura. A tall silhouette shrouded in flames came in from that breach and intruded on the Family's conference hall.

The first thing that fell into everyone's eyes was that flaming red weapon. Raging flames were lingering on the blade as the blazing heat seemed able to burn down everything. The long meeting table was broken in two as it had been cut apart by that blazing greatsword.

At the same time, this tall silhouette took only two steps to cross the distance before raising the greatsword once again to slash down vigorously. The rumbling sword's target was Lin Yun, who was controlling the Upper Rank Flame Spirit.

Everyone held their breaths.

The air was frozen as time seemed to stop flowing, as if the world had paused on this scene.

The conference hall was completely silent.

No one knew how much time passed before a scream broke this strange silence.

A Fire Bolt rose up sharply before turning in a strange way. After twisting, it hit the dumbstruck Aube in a very odd manner.

Aube immediately let out a blood-curdling scream.

The most frightening thing was that in that split second, everyone felt Aube's mana fluctuations disappearing.

Indeed, all the mana fluctuations suddenly disappeared from a 5th Rank High Mage.

What did that mean?

Even a fool would know that his Mana Whirlpool had been pierced.

In other words, Aube had just turned into an ordinary person, and a very miserable one at that. Aube might never be able to accumulate mana again.

"Mafa Merlin!" Aube's voice carried boundless despair…

"Who told you that I only had one True Spirit Magic Tool?" After sneering, Lin Yun no longer cared about Aube and immediately cast a spell with the Doom Staff, causing seven Ice Walls to suddenly rise up.

It was followed by a crashing sound.

Thorne's flaming greatsword smashed into the seven Ice Walls, displaying the power of one of the three Sword Saints of the Merlin Family.

Unfortunately, he was too slow…

It took him no more than a second to cut down the seven Ice Walls, but that was enough for Lin Yun.

During that time, Syudos, who had pierced Aube's Mana Whirlpool, had already returned to Lin Yun's side before turning into a flaming shield.

A rumble echoed once again as the flaming shield and flaming greatsword collided, causing dazzling conflagration to surge.

It looked like fireworks.

This was the collision of peak magic and peak Aura, the collision of two True Spirit Magic Tools…

After colliding, the flaming shield and flaming greatsword were sent flying backward simultaneously.

This showed how powerful the Crimson Flame Sword in Thorne's hands was… Even Syudos couldn't completely stop it. Under the fierce attack, the flaming shield was knocked out of Lin Yun's control. It flew a dozen meters back before changing into a ball of flames, while the sword in Thorne's hand shook before he tightened his grasp on it.

But because it shook too much, it let out a Dragon Roar.

"Very amazing." Lin Yun waved his hand, recalling Syudos, while also tightening his grip on the Doom Staff.

Since he came to this era, Lin Yun had gone through countless battles, but regardless of how powerful the opponent was, there weren't many that would actually draw a compliment from him.

That sentence was heartfelt praise.

Thorne Merlin's strength exceeded Lin Yun's expectations.

From this, it could be seen how formidable this Planar Legion Commander was.

After they collided, Thorne didn't continue his attack. He instead withdrew and supported Aube.

When Syudos pierced Aube's Mana Whirlpool, he not only took away his ability to use magic, but also grievously wounded him.

Aube was pale and breathing roughly, seeming to be on the verge of death. After supporting him, Thorne took out a potion, opened the lid, and cautiously poured that greenish liquid into Aube's mouth.

Aube's complexion became better as he drank the potion. His originally weak and chaotic breathing gradually steadied. What was even more unbelievable was that the wound caused by Syudos was rapidly closing and healing.

The conference hall was in an uproar. Everyone was trying to guess the origin of that potion, and how could it have such mystical effects.

"Aube, how do you feel?" Thorne's frown finally relaxed a bit.

"Fa… Father, he…" After opening his eyes, Aube weakly nodded before pointing at Lin Yun.

"Alright, don't talk." Not waiting for Aube to say anything, Thorne Merlin pushed his hand back before gently helping him lie down on the side. "Be at ease, no one can harm the son of Thorne Merlin without paying the price."

After treating Aube, Thorne held his Crimson Flame Sword once again, his expression greatly changing as he looked at Lin Yun with unconcealed killing intent. "You are called Mafa Merlin?"

"Indeed."

"Good" Thorne nodded, he pointed the Crimson Flame Sword at him. "I'll give you a chance. Cripple your Mana Whirlpool and your hands and leave Andlusa to never come back!"

"You are quite generous…" Lin Yun sneered. To a mage, what was the difference between crippling one's Mana Whirlpool and death?

"You can refuse, but I can guarantee that you'll regret your choice…" Hate couldn't be concealed from Thorne's eyes. "I am Thorne Merlin, I believe you should have heard of my name? I am the Planar Legion Commander of the Merlin Family in the Raging Flame Plane. In that plane, there is an underground flaming river known as the Howling River. I frequently throw some Raging Flame Beastmen in there to listen to their screams…"

"But rest assured, that won't be your fate," Thorne said in a deep voice. His next words gave chills to everyone. "I'll tie you above the Howling River to let the flames gently caress your body. You won't die immediately, you'll slowly feel it as your body slowly roasts. You'll even be able to smell the fragrance of meat being cooked…"

"Haha, Sir Thorne, I have to say…" Lin Yun fiddled with Syudos a bit before saying with a mocking smile, "You look quite pleased with yourself."

"Hmmm?" Thorne's expression sank, his grave face turning somber as he burst with flaming Aura.

"Then you are courting death!"

The Crimson Flame Sword let out a rumbling sound as he tore through the air. The majestic Sword Aura curled up like a hurricane as it shrouded the entire conference hall in an instant.

"That might not be the case!" Lin Yun unceremoniously let out Syudos. The latter turned into a myriad of Fire Arrows, giving out more pressure than Thorne's Sword Aura, as it covered the entire area in an instant.

Everyone in the conference hall panicked.

Even a powerhouse like Ofran cast a Runic Shield. The power of those two had reached a frighteningly inhuman stage, and the fight between them was bound to be world-shaking. Just the stray attacks from that fight could cause the death of a High Mage…

But as they panicked, they all discovered in shock that whether it was the Sword Aura or the Fire Arrows, they were all focused completely on their respective opponent. There wasn't a single bit of power leakage.

'So formidable…' Ofran couldn't help sighing. He had no plans to interfere. Whether it was Thorne or Mafa, their power already far exceeded his own.

Even just that precise control, that wasn't something he could do.

It could be seen from their battle.

Thorne's Sword Aura was spread all around while Mafa's Fire Arrows were dispersed in the air, but in the end, there was not one bit of superfluous power leaking out. That control could only be described as terrifying.

'Logan, ah, Logan, your death was truly unfair…'

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Chapter 348: Call It a Day

Translator: Shiraishi Editor: TheAlliance

If Logan had known that the person he'd been trying to manipulate was so powerful, he would never have dared to scheme against the Gilded Rose.

But it was too late now…

The battle was unavoidable. And if Mafa Merlin won, the Merlin Family would lose its Planar Legion Commander, while if Thorne won, the Merlin Family would face a disaster. In other words, no matter the outcome, the Merlin Family would suffer terribly.

( NovelFull ) Ofran stood there with a bitter expression, looking at this battle with an even more complicated mood.

As he'd expected, once the battle started, it could only with victory and defeat.

After Lin Yun and Thorne finished their initial probing attacks, they burst out with their strongest fighting power.

Thorne's Aura ignited to its limit as he seemed to be bathing in flames, while Lin Yun used two True Spirit Magic Tools, the Doom Staff and the Ten Thousand Spell Wheel, as well as Syudos, who was on the same realm, to block Thorne's almost unrivalled Sword Aura.

In a few instants, the two of them collided several dozen times.

Each time the Crimson Flame Sword in Thorne's hands moved, it would rumble with the sound of thunder and stir up raging flames that looked as if they would swallow everything. Lin Yun never stopped casting, chanting one incantation after the other like a flood, making the surrounding elements flare up.

At this time, the two gradually lost the precise control over their power, causing spells and Aura to leak into the surroundings. This was simply a disaster for the others. Over a dozen Elders started withdrawing from the conference hall one after the other…

Rumbles echoed as the two ravaged the conference hall, which could no longer bear the burden…

Only a surge of dirt could be seen as the four-story stone tower that had stood tall for over a millennium collapsed.

"…" The Elders who made it out couldn't help shaking as they looked at this scene.

It was too frightening…

This wasn't an ordinary stone tower; it was the conference hall of the Merlin Family, the core of the Merlin Family. Its importance was only second to that of the Ancestral Land. Each piece of floor and wall was inscribed with defensive arrays. Even Okland's Magic Crystal Cannons would need to bombard it at least ten times before that stone tower might collapse.

But now…

That stone tower had been destroyed by the fight between these two…

All the onlookers were pale as they saw this.

Most of the Elders were drenched in cold sweat.

Thorne wasn't a problem…

But Mafa Merlin…

No one ever expected Mafa Merlin to be this formidable, so they had all supported Aube and Logan in asking him to hand over the Gilded Rose.

They had schemed against this person's assets…

Just thinking about it, they all felt lingering fear. They were truly lucky to still be alive.

Although the conference hall collapsed, the battle still didn't stop. Among the dust, the two silhouettes could be seen moving extremely quickly. Lin Yun was already in his Fire Elemental Incarnation form, casting all kinds of fire spells one after the other.

As he coordinated with the Ten Thousand Spell Wheel, the swarm of spells he rained down was enough to make countless mages despair.

That wasn't something an ordinary mage could imagine…

Everyone could see how powerful Thorne was as he faced Lin Yun's wild casting yet wasn't falling behind. And not only was he not having to take a defensive stance, but he was actually brandishing his Crimson Flame Sword while attacking fiercely.

Indeed, both sides were on the offensive.

That battle could only be described as monstrous. Usually, in a battle between a mage and a swordsman, there would always be an attacker and a defender based on their specialization. One would be on the aggressive while the other would have to respond, but this common sense didn't apply here.

The two of them were attacking as if they never even considered defending. Most of the time, Thorne would rely on his Sword Aura to endure Lin Yun spell bombardment. And it was the same for Lin Yun, who relied on the powerful defensive ability of the Fire Elemental Incarnation to endure three attacks filled with Sword Aura.

"What kind of battle is this…" Leon, who was hiding in the distance, was looking at this world-shaking scene with disbelief while whispering to Ross.

"How could I know…" Ross rolled his eyes in exasperation. 'Do you think I'm a monster like them? How could I know something like that?'

"This battle is a bit irrational…"

"Indeed." Ross nodded.

This was a battle they couldn't understand. It didn't make sense for a mage and a swordsman to fight like this.

In fact, they weren't the only ones who didn't understand.

Not one onlooker could understand.

Only Thorne and Lin Yun understood.

Only the ones who were fighting understood why they were disregarding their lives.

It wasn't that they wanted to, but the power of the other side gave them no choice…

Especially Thorne.

Thorne Merlin was called the Crimson Flame Swordsman. He was known for his blazingly fierce offensives, but no matter how fierce his attacks were, he couldn't afford to just take hits, either. In fact, Thorne never expected the battle to reach this stage. The other side was only a High Mage, and even if he had a True Spirit Magic Tool that far exceeded his rank, in front of a 4th Rank Sword Saint, he truly shouldn't even count as an opponent.

But Thorne learnt that he was wrong as soon as the battle started. His opponent's strength was far greater than he had imagined.

First of all, his opponent didn't have just one True Spirit Magic Tool.

He had a boundlessly changing flame, a revolving disk, and a frightening spell-amplifying magic staff, a total of three True Spirit Magic Tools which could allow even a Magic Apprentice to contend against a Sword Saint.

Moreover…

The mage's strength was far from being as simple as he'd thought. He definitely had the strength to contend against an Archmage. If not for Thorne being close to becoming a 5th Rank Sword Saint, he would have already lost.

Especially since the other side's Elemental Incarnation coordinated so well with the crazily spinning disk. His casting speed could only be described as terrifying. Thorne could only struggle against the flood of spells.

It wasn't that he couldn't protect himself.

But he didn't dare to spend any effort protecting himself.

He wouldn't be far from losing once he let up the offensive against this horrifying spell bombardment. The adversary's unreasonable bombardment would thoroughly suppress him.

Thus, he could no longer change his stance.

He could only attack, attack, and attack some more. Only by incessantly attacking would he be able to hold back the other side's suppressive fire and force his opponent to defend. This was a waiting game. Whoever collapsed first under the pressure and was forced into a defensive position would lose this battle.

The longer the fight lasted, the more apprehensive Thorne was. 'When did such a monster appear in the Merlin Family? He is so young, yet he has such a frightening power. He'd become another Santon Merlin if given time…

'It's no good, I can't let him mature. Aube's injury will never be cured!'

Thorne burst out with more Aura, the Crimson Flame Sword in his hand shining with flames as the temperature of the atmosphere shot up even further.

Thorne's Aura had already reached the limit earlier. Bursting out with power once again would definitely harm his body and damage his vitality, possibly even affecting his future advancement. But Thorne didn't care right now, because the only thought in his mind was to behead his opponent.

However, they were interrupted by a voice.

"Alright, time to call it a day."

Once the voice echoed, both Lin Yun and Thorne felt a huge power descend.

This power was unfathomable. The two had even destroyed the stone tower as collateral damage, but they both couldn't resist this incredible power. Lin Yun's Elemental Incarnation instantly disappeared, and the same happened to Thorne's Aura. The surroundings became quiet as they felt restrained by that power.

"Who!" Thorne angrily shouted as he waved the Crimson Flame Sword in his hand at the newcomer… But just as he started moving, he discovered that there was no power in his body.

Thorne was terrified.

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Thorne turned his head in horror…

He saw an old person coming over with Patriarch Ofran, but this time, Ofran was slightly bowing as he led the way with a respectful attitude. The old man behind him seemed to be in his sixties, but was emitting frightening power…

"Heavens…" Thorne forgot to breathe.

Someone with such terrifying power that even Ofran showed such respect to…

He could easily guess the identity of that old man.

He could only be an ancestor of the Ancestral Land!

Thorne wasn't the only one who guessed that; the Elders who had been watching the battle prostrated themselves. The Merlin Family had stood tall in Okland for over a millennium. To outsiders, it looked like this was due to their countless geniuses, but the core of the Merlin Family knew that this was thanks to the existence of these old men.

They might not come out of the Ancestral Land for several decades, or even centuries, but every time they came out, they would make the Merlin Family shock the entirety of Okland…

They remembered the last time an ancestor entered the Merlin Family Manor, three hundred years ago. Santon Merlin had yet to rise and the Merlin Family was being suppressed by the Watson Family and the Charlotte Family, and it looked like they would fall down from being part of the Three Great Families.

At the time, the Merlin Family had started retreating little by little in various fields and the resources of three planes were divided by the other two Great Families. When they seemed to be at the end of their rope, an ancestor left the Ancestral Land and took away Santon Merlin, who had only been average at the time.

Ten years later, Santon Merlin quietly returned to the Merlin Family, and against everyone's expectations, he easily killed the prodigy of the Charlotte Family before continuing to progress at a rapid pace and reaching Heaven Rank within a century.

This story has already become somewhat of a legend in the Merlin Family.

Any child with a little understanding of the Merlin Family was familiar with this story, especially geniuses like Ross and Leon. They worshipped the ancestors like gods, hoping they would gain an ancestor's recognition and be led onto the path to Heaven Rank.

Now, one of the ancestors of the Ancestral Land had truly appeared, shocking everyone.

And let alone the others…

Even Thorne, one of the noble Sword Saints of the Merlin Family, changed his expression completely when he saw that ancestor.

However, unlike the others, Thorne was a well-known figure in the family. He had seen a few ancestors when he completed his bloodline ceremony.

And the ancestor that appeared just now was one that Thorne had met back then.

"Sir Ryan, How come you are here…" Thorne's voice was shaking, not because of excitement, but because of fear.

Among all the people present, only Thorne knew how frightening Sir Ryan was. Although he himself was now called Sir by everyone, Thorne knew that he couldn't be compared with Sir Ryan. He was like a mere ant in front of him.

Several decades ago, Thorne got the opportunity to enter the Ancestral Land due to his outstanding achievements in a Planar War.

Back then, Thorne was very young and impulsive. After entering the Ancestral Land, he didn't go to the temple to complete his bloodline ceremony and instead curiously pressed into the depths of the Ancestral Land, before seeing a scene he would never be able to forget.

There, Thorne was attacked by a Titan Python, a true prehistoric monster, which was said to be extinct in the 3rd Dynasty. Thorne cursed his luck. He had only gone exploring, yet he was attacked by a python that was several hundred meters long, towering like a mountain.

Thorne was terrified when the python opened its eyes and let out its tongue.

But facing a Level 36 Titan Python as a 9th Rank Expert Swordsman was no different than an ant attacking an elephant.

There was only one thought in Thorne's mind, which was to flee, to flee as far as possible.

So he did.

Even now, Thorne still felt that he had never again run so fast in his entire life.

But Thorne was only a 9th Rank Expert Swordsman back then. Even if he used all his stamina, could he outrun a Level 36 Titan Python? After a few minutes, Thorne heard a sound behind him and noticed a fishy smell. ( NovelFull )

The sinister, mountain-like head was less than five meters behind him. Thorne had felt his heart jumping out of his chest…

But at that time, a meteorite suddenly fell from the sky.

It was followed by an earthquake as the Level 36 Titan Python let out a blood-curdling screech and the meteorite smashed it.

And this wasn't over…

That meteorite was followed by a second one, and a third one, and a fourth one…

Thorne was completely terrified by what he witnessed.

He could only stare blankly as a dozen meteorites dropped from the sky and turned that Titan Python into mincemeat.

Even now, Thorne could clearly remember how shocking that scene was.

That wasn't power that people were meant to have…

Afterwards, the old man who had cast these meteorites appeared in front of Thorne Merlin. Thorne had been so frightened that he hadn't been able to say anything, he only remembered following behind that old man as he led him back to the temple for his bloodline ceremony.

Thorne only knew that this old man was called Ryan and that he was the Archmage closest to Heaven Rank after Santon Merlin.

Now, this Archmage infinitely close to the Heaven Rank was once again in front of Thorne.

Even if Thorne was already a Sword Saint and a Planar Legion Commander, his voice couldn't help shaking due to fear in front of this person.

"Ofran, you explain." Sir Ryan waved his hand as he called Ofran.

"Yes, Sir Ryan." Ofran respectfully nodded before turning towards Lin Yun and Thorne. "An hour ago, the Guardian Tower of the Ancestral Land made a decision. In three months, the Merlin Family and the Watson Family will work together to take control of the Raging Flame Plane's Ignition City…"

"What!?" Thorne had a complicated expression after hearing this 'Together with the Watson Family!? How could this be!?'

The struggle between the three Families had been going on for over a millennium, but because they had been restraining each other, that war was mostly happening in the dark, up until Santon Merlin's birth three hundred years ago. After defeating the Charlotte Family, the Watson Family and the Merlin Family stopped keeping up appearances. They fought who knew how many times in the dark and in the open since then, especially in the Raging Flame Plane. Both Planar Legion Commanders fought several dozen times, and countless people died in those confrontations. The hatred between the two Families had reached an irreconcilable level.

For a long time, whether it was the Merlin Family or the Watson Family, even if they would sometimes cooperate with other forces, they would never work together. It was impossible for the Planar Legion Commanders to make the decision to cooperate with each other.

It wasn't because they didn't want to cooperate…

But rather because the two Families could no longer cooperate at all.

Thorne never dreamt that those ancestors who rarely got involved with the Merlin Family would actually make such a decision.

"I don't agree!" Thorne subconsciously opposed the decision.

But after saying that, Thorne realized that he had misspoken, so he hurriedly added, "I meant, I think the Watson Family wouldn't agree to cooperate with us!"

"Thorne, this is a decision from the Ancestral Land." Ofran glanced at Thorne, before looking at Lin Yun. "Moreover, you and Mafa will jointly command the Planar Legion…"

"What!" Thorne thoroughly forgot himself this time. After hearing Ofran's words, he stood up and demanded, "Patriarch Ofran, what do you mean!"

This felt like a joke!

Even if they had to cooperate with the Watson Family, half of the authority of the Planar Legion would go to the one who almost killed his son?!

'No way, definitely no way!'

"Again, Thorne, this is the decision of the Ancestral Land…"

"I have a question…" Lin Yun couldn't help chiming in after hearing this. "I want to ask, what if I don't want to go?"

"You have to…" The one answering to Lin Yun wasn't Ofran, but rather Sir Ryan. Strangely, that old man hadn't talked to anyone since he reached the Merlin Family Manor apart from the Patriarch. Yet, he smiled when looking at Lin Yun. "Mafa Merlin, I truly didn't expect that we would meet so soon, but I heard from Ofran that your temper isn't very good. Young man, you shouldn't be so impulsive. Your name is still Merlin, after all…"

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"…" Lin Yun felt baffled. 'What do you mean by "meet again"?'

Lin Yun wanted to remind that Sir Ryan that they were meeting for the first time…

Moreover…

It had only been a bit over a month since he returned to the Merlin Family. Let alone contributions, he didn't stand out at all. The only thing he did was to undergo his bloodline ceremony in exchange for Stan Watson's life. It could be said that besides the support of Ross and William, he didn't have any foundation in the Merlin Family.

Under such circumstances, why would the ancestors of the Ancestral Land give him command over half the Legion?

How could they be at ease?

Lin Yun was racking his brain, but he didn't understand.

Following Sir Ryan's words, the mood became strange. Everyone was looking at Lin Yun with odd expressions. Some were astonished, some were envious, and there were even some who were jealous.

Yes, everyone…

Including Patriarch Ofran, including Sword Saint Thorne, everyone had odd gazes.

Because no one had expected that Sir Ryan from the Ancestral Land would speak to Mafa with such an attitude.

After all, four Elders had died, while three ended up seriously injured. This was something that had never happened in the Merlin Family's history. This was a true scandal, and no force could put up with something like this, even the weakest ones. Facing this kind of provocation, they would do everything in their power to kill the troublemaker.

Reaching a compromise was impossible.

But now…

Sir Ryan was trying to calm the situation by advising him to not be too impulsive.

His words made everyone feel like they had gone crazy.

This was too irrational.

It wasn't a matter of compromising anymore…

'Could it be…' At this time, Ofran was suddenly startled.

Before, Ofran had thought that since Mafa had such frightening strength at such a young age, his backer was most likely the Cloud Tower or the Black Tower…

But now, Ofran suddenly realized that this young High Mage's background might be even more frightening than he had imagined…

Ofran clearly noticed Sir Ryan mentioning them "meeting again" when greeting Mafa Merlin.

That sentence didn't sound that special, besides proving that the two had seen each other in the past.

But Ofran didn't think so…

Because Sir Ryan's attitude was too forgiving. He only offered a bit of advice regarding the mess that Mafa had caused in the conference hall before giving him command over half of the Planar Legion.

What did this mean?

He was clearly siding with him and covering up for him.

Most importantly, Ofran had suddenly recalled the true reason that young High Mage returned to the Merlin Family.

Only Ofran and William knew that the only reason that young High Mage who ruled over Thousand Sails City was willing to return to the Merlin Family was to visit the Ancestral Land.

Ofran thought that this was because that young High Mage had longed for his identity to be acknowledged.

But Ofran didn't dare to think so now.

On one side was the young High Mage who was eager to enter the Merlin Family's Ancestral Land, while on the other side was Sir Ryan, who was clearly covering up for him. Along with the words "meeting again", no matter how slow Ofran was, he naturally understood that there was some secret behind this.

'Could it be… that Mafa Merlin's backer isn't the Cloud Tower or the Black Tower, but an ancestor hiding in the Ancestral Land?'

This sudden thought scared Ofran. If it really was the case, then today's Elder Council's meeting was definitely a joke!

Logan and Aube would have never thought that the young High Mage they were scheming against had such a shocking backer.

As he thought about it, Ofran's face gradually paled. Cold sweat drenched his back and dripped down his forehead.

"Alright, I said what I had to say. Three months later, the Watson Family will send people to contact you. As for the relationship between the Merlin Family and the Watson Family after you capture Ignition City, you do as you see fit. Don't be affected by this short-term cooperation." After saying that, the old man turned around to leave, but before he departed, he glanced at Lin Yun. "Oh right, if you have time during these two months, you should take a trip to the Ancestral Land. There is an old man wanting to meet you there."

"…" Everyone stood still as they watched the old man's figure drifting away, not making any sounds.

After a long time, Ofran coughed before saying, "Well, the two of you, how about we stop this battle now?"

"I'm fine with anything…" Lin Yun had an indifferent expression. Thorne's strength was indeed far from Lin Yun's expectations, and Lin Yun hadn't gained any advantage during the fight. There was no point in continuing this kind of a battle.

Naturally, Lin Yun had ways to win if he needed to, but the price was too high and it wasn't worth it.

"Hmpf!" Thorne coldly snorted before sheathing the Crimson Flame Sword, picking up Aube, who had regained some vitality, and leaving the battlefield.

"Good, good, it finally ended peacefully." Ofran let out a relieved sigh as he followed Thorne and Aube with his eyes. He then turned to the other Elders. "Well, I personally believe that today's matters aren't very glorious for the Merlin Family, and thus, I advise all of you not to divulge anything, lest you make Sir Ryan unhappy…"

"…" These words stupefied the Elders. 'Damn, four Elders died, three are seriously injured, and even the Planar Legion Commander made a move! How could this be considered a peaceful ending?

This wasn't peaceful at all…

But although the Elders were inwardly complaining, they didn't dare to be careless and they quickly agreed to Ofran's request.

"Of course, of course…"

"We definitely won't say anything…"

"Rest assured, Patriarch Ofran, we won't leak anything!"

They were able to become Elders, so none of them were total idiots.

Since Sir Ryan had come out here, who would dare to leak anything? That would be no different from asking for death.

The farce was finally over.

Lin Yun put away his two True Spirit Magic Tools and Syudos before calling Ross, who had been watching all along. They were about to go back when they noticed Leon approaching.

"Leon, what are you trying to do?" Ross suddenly reacted.

Originally, there were three contenders to become the next patriarch: Ross, Leon, and Aube. Now that Aube's Mana Whirlpool had been pierced by Lin Yun, he had become a cripple. So now, only Ross and Leon were still qualified for the position.

In other words, the two of them were direct competitors.

With such a relationship, how could Ross let him follow them? If he got some support from Cousin Mafa, wouldn't the seat escape his grasp?

"Well, Leon, the Elder Council's meeting is over, we are leaving now. What are you trying to do by following us? You wouldn't be trying to eat dinner with us, right?" Ross rolled his eyes as he let out a mocking smile.

The two were both geniuses of the Merlin Family, and they frequently interacted with one another. Thus, Ross clearly knew that Leon had always been proud and arrogant and wouldn't let anything go.

Ross sneered as he looked at him.

But…

Ross had miscalculated this time…

The always proud Leon didn't react in a hostile manner. Instead, he actually showed a fawning smile. "Of course I'd like to eat dinner together! I haven't seen Cousin Mafa in such a long time, we definitely have to eat dinner. Leave it to me, tonight's dinner is on me. Let's go Cousin Mafa, I know a few good restaurants outside the Merlin Family Manor…"

As he said this, he tried dragging Lin Yun along…

"…" Ross was completely dumbstruck. He had never expected the prideful Leon to lower himself like this.

'Didn't he have some sort of disagreement with Cousin Mafa when he went to Thousand Sails City? How come he suddenly became so enthusiastic? Did his mind break during the time he spent in the Pale Plane?

'No way. I have to call William. William has been in Thousand Sails City, he definitely knows how Leon offended Cousin Mafa…'

In the evening, Leon entertained his guests as the four youths had a meal outside the Merlin Family Manor. During that time, what happened in the Elder Council that day gradually spread through the higher-ups of the Merlin Family…

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Chapter 351: Take Me There

Translator: Shiraishi Editor: TheAlliance

Although Ofran had reminded them to not spread any information about what had happened this day to avoid incurring the displeasure of Sir Ryan, who among the Elders of the Merlin Family didn't have friends and kin?

None of them wanted to see their relatives and friends offend Mafa Merlin because they weren't aware that they needed to be careful. He was a monster that they shouldn't provoke… unless they were tired of living. Not everyone had a father that could contend against that monster like Aube.

Thus, in one night, many of the Merlins understood that Mafa wasn't someone to pick a fight with, and that whoever did would run out of luck.

As for exactly why that was the case…

Only those dozen Elders knew. Nothing could be done about it, as they couldn't share what had happened in the Elder Council. It was a scandal for the Merlin Family. Over a dozen Elders had schemed against a youth's assets, yet that youth killed three of them on the spot and injured another one. If this spread, the Merlin Family would definitely lose some of their reputation.

Naturally, Lin Yun wasn't aware of this…

He only knew that something had happened since he left the stone tower area. Particularly when he met any of those Elders that had participated in the Elder Council, they would look at him with fear and anxiety as if they were looking at a plague.

No one dared to approach a hundred meters of Lin Yun whenever he walked somewhere.

Only a few people in the Merlin Family had the courage to approach him: Ross, William, and the little girl that William's older sister had adopted

What was baffling was that this girl, Ranya, who had always been antisocial and had rarely ever interacted with other members of the Merlin Family apart from William, had grown accustomed to Lin Yun after living together for over ten days. She was no longer running away at lightning speed whenever she saw him, and sometimes she even summoned enough courage to whisper a few sentences to him!

Lin Yun was very happy about this change. As the owner of the Quicksand Eyes, Ranya had an even better future than Xiuban, at least from Lin Yun's perspective.

Considering Ranya's age, Lin Yun didn't try to rush it. Instead, he spent a few days to teach her a set of Body Techniques dedicated to pureblooded Elves. Naturally, when he taught Ranya, Lin Yun only said that this was a set of physique-tempering Body Techniques and that it would help her grow taller if she practiced it regularly…

Seeing the little girl happily practicing this set of Body Techniques, Lin Yun couldn't help forcing out a smile. 'If those pureblooded Elves knew that the supreme Body Technique of the Royal Family was being taught as gymnastics for kids, would they jump out of their graves?'

After over a month without being bothered, Lin Yun once again became less conspicuous. He spent most of his time on the Ten Thousand Spell Wheel and the Doom Staff.

Lin Yun had relied on these two True Spirit Magic Tools alongside Syudos to face Thorne Merlin, to face that Sword Saint close to 5th Rank and hold him to a draw, despite only being a 1st Rank High Mage. The might that those two Magic Tools and Syudos displayed at that time had made everyone gasp in amazement, especially the Ten Thousand Spell Wheel. Before Thorne's arrival, it burst out three times and killed three Elders, leaving a deep impression in everyone's minds. A few more cowardly Elders would even shiver when they looked at their plates during dinner.

But in Lin Yun's eyes, whether it was the Ten Thousand Spell Wheel or the Doom Staff, their might had yet to be fully displayed.

After all, Lin Yun's plan was to get these two True Spirit Magic Tools to reach the peak of their realms in the future, and even go past that to become Extraordinary Magic Tools. Even if those two True Spirit Magic Tools had yet to completely mature, their power couldn't possibly be this lacking… They, along with Syudos, weren't able to thoroughly suppress Thorne Merlin, which seemed very abnormal.

But Lin Yun knew that it was because the Ten Thousand Spell Wheel had recently been crafted and the Doom Staff had recently been adapted and augmented to be tailored to him, making it so that Lin Yun had yet to master them both.

The Ten Thousand Spell Wheel was alright. After all, it had Enderfa as a bridge. With the Magic Array and the Ten Thousand Spell Wheel being linked, the Spell Wheel could act according to his will.

The Doom Staff was a bit worse off because it was built entirely out of piled up Augments and a Magic Tool Incarnation had yet to be born. It was entirely relying on Lin Yun to operate it and couldn't display the true might of a True Spirit Magic Tool.

Thus, Lin Yun wanted to quickly birth a Magic Tool Incarnation in the Doom Staff.

But it wasn't a simple matter for a True Spirit Magic Tool to birth a Magic Tool Incarnation. It needed time and resources, and the more it had, the greater the opportunity would be.

Moreover, the more powerful a True Spirit Magic Tool was, the more difficult it was to produce a Magic Tool Incarnation.

But Lin Yun wasn't worried at all…

Because he knew that as long as nothing went awry, Okland had one opportunity waiting for him that would grant the Doom Staff a Magic Tool Incarnation.

But before that, he had to advance to the 5th Rank…

After coming to this conclusion, Lin Yun no longer thought any further about the two True Spirit Magic Tools and instead spent all his time studying magic. Thanks to that battle with Thorne Merlin, Lin Yun smoothly advanced to the 2nd Rank.

At that time, Lin Yun felt something wrong…

After reaching the 2nd Rank, Lin Yun clearly understood that Meditation Law Sets were even more integrated in the Magic Array, a feeling of being inseparable.

'Looks like I have to take a trip to the Tulan Mountains earlier than I thought…' This change was beyond Lin Yun's expectations.

In Lin Yun's original plan, he needed to become a 5th Rank High Mage to go to the Tulan Mountains and seek the Gaugass King's Meditation Law Set, because then, his strength would truly crest another peak. If he found that Meditation Law Set, he would gain the power to unite three Meditation Law Sets into one and smoothly consolidate the 5th Rank High Mage realm.

But the Magic Array was too formidable and formed a crack in this plan…

This sounded very ridiculous, but Lin Yun was now facing this ridiculous problem.

Lin Yun had ten Magic Arrays fused into one, and its power was unprecedented. Although he did his best to stop the Meditation Law Set he was using for now from merging with the Magic Array and turning into a Core Meditation Law Set, an unforeseen event happened when he advanced to the 2nd Rank.

Fortunately, this small, unforeseen event was still acceptable for now.

But he wasn't sure he could control it if he continued to advance and reached the 3rd or 4th Rank.

If the Meditation Law Set completely merged with the Magic Array, he wouldn't be able to fuse three Meditation Law Sets into one even if he got the Gaugass King's Meditation Law Set.

This was something Lin Yun didn't want to see…

He didn't devote himself to magic for half a month. He instead looked for Ofran and requested a pass to the Merlin Family's alchemy laboratory. He began to spend his time there.

This showed him how serious the consequences of his fight in the conference hall were…

The Merlin Family's alchemy laboratory was for public use. Anyone with a pass could freely enter and exit. In fact, Ross and William both told him that there were usually dozens of alchemists spending their time there. Each of them would occupy an area, and they weren't to be disturbed as they did their own research and experiments.

But whenever Lin Yun went… the alchemy laboratory ended up empty.

The alchemists that would frequently enter and leave this place would just run. In less than three days, no more alchemists could be seen around it.

'Am I that frightening…?' Lin Yun didn't know whether to laugh or cry after seeing the circumstances.

But it was also convenient for him. He could openly use some techniques that transcended this era.

For half a month, Lin Yun ate and slept inside the laboratory, and no one knew what he was doing, because no one dared to go inside.

Up until he opened the doors half a month later and called Ross and William into the laboratory. The two finally understood how much wealth their cousin had spent during these two weeks when they were told to transport no less than a hundred potions.

"Get Xiuban, we are leaving for the Tulan Mountains." After saying this, Lin Yun started his final preparations.

The most important of which was recharging the Book of Death.

For this purpose, Lin Yun specially opened the Planar Path to the Bone Plane, and with the help of the Gilded Rose's mercenary group, he did a sweep of a Black Wasteland. After being fed with such a huge amount of Soul Fire, the Book of Death was finally in a flourishing state again.

But after returning from the Bone Plane, Lin Yun found out that there was one more person waiting for him at William's sister's house.

"Cousin Mafa, I know you plan on going to the Tulan Mountains…" Leon stood there with an excited expression, before saying something that almost made Lin Yun spit out blood. "How about letting me join in?"

"…" Lin Yun thought for a long time, but he couldn't understand. Since when was he this familiar with Leon?

'We indeed ate a meal together after the disaster at the Elder Council, but that was just eating a meal, does that guy think that's enough for us to take him to the Tulan Mountains? Moreover, how did he know that I am going to the Tulan Mountains?'

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Chapter 352: Arcane Ring

Translator: Shiraishi Editor: TheAlliance

"Well, Cousin Leon, how do you know we are going to the Tulan Mountains?" Lin Yun sounded like he was just very casually asking a question, but unbeknownst to the others, he poured mana into the Ten Thousand Spell Wheel.

If Leon's answer was problematic, Lin Yun's Ten Thousand Spell Wheel would burst out in an instant, ready to add another Elder to his list of victims.

Only three people knew about the plan to go to the Tulan Mountains: Ross, William, and Lin Yun himself. Perhaps one might also count the Draconic Beastman who had been slumbering for two months.

But now, Leon mentioned his destination. How could this not raise Lin Yun's vigilance?

Ross and William wouldn't leak the information. Lin Yun trusted them. As for the Draconic Beastman, he couldn't even if he wanted to.

Since that was the case, where did Leon's information come from?

Lin Yun could only think of one possibility, which was that Leon had been peeping all along and might have accidentally heard about it in one of Ross and William's discussions.

This was something intolerable for Lin Yun…

After surviving in that crazy era, Lin Yun knew more than anyone how dangerous it was to be stalked.

And Lin Yun usually used the same method to deal with any sort of danger.

Even now, if Leon couldn't give Lin Yun a satisfying answer, this 7th Rank High Mage from the Cloud Tower would be exterminated.

"Hold on, hold on!"

Lin Yun had been pouring mana into the Spell Wheel very covertly, to the point that even Ross and William didn't notice his killing intent.

But Leon paled when heard Lin Yun's words, and he shouted while retreating, as if he knew Lin Yun was planning something for him.

"Hmmm?" Lin Yun was secretly startled. This reaction was so different from how Leon had behaved in Thousand Sails City.

At that time, he was still speaking nonsense even after being Mana Shackled. How come he was now so timid, already panicking when a bit of mana was poured into the Ten Thousand Spell Wheel?

He had changed quite a bit after a few months.

This was quite interesting…

After thinking about it, Lin Yun dissipated the mana that he'd poured into the Spell Wheel. "Talk…"

"It's a misunderstanding, Cousin Mafa, this is a misunderstanding…" A relieved smile appeared on Leon's face when he saw Lin Yun lowering his guard. He wasn't as confident as before and fear could be felt in his voice, but his hands were no longer shaking. "Because I know some secrets regarding the Tulan Mountains…"

"Oh?"

"As for the specifics, I'll come back to them later… Rest assured, this matter is not troublesome to Cousin Mafa, so I won't hide it from you. First, how I knew that you were going to the Tulan Mountains…" After stopping, Leon looked at Ross with a strange expression. "In fact, I learnt of your destination because of Ross…"

"Nonsense!" Ross rebuked.

If Lin Yun weren't there talking to Leon, Ross would have already attacked him. 'That bastard Leon, slandering me. It's on you if you know our destination, don't go framing me, is there such great hatred between us?

'Why would you say it was because of me… Damn, wouldn't it be unfair if Cousin Mafa thinks that my lips aren't tight enough?'

"Don't worry, Cousin Ross, listen to him…" Lin Yun knew that things wouldn't be that simple, so he raised his hand to stop Ross and nodded at Leon. "Keep going."

"At least Cousin Mafa is smart enough, not like some people…" After saying that, Leon proudly looked at Ross, thinking, 'let's see if you still dare to cause trouble at dinner…'

After the last Elder Council's meeting ended, Leon enthusiastically invited Lin Yun to dinner, in order the dissolve the previous issues and see if he could establish some friendship, but he hadn't expected that scoundrel Ross to eagerly join in while also bringing William.

From the moment they sat down, Ross kept asking Leon what kind of conflict he'd had with Cousin Mafa in Thousand Sails City. He asked about every detail, such as how William tried to recruit Cousin Mafa, or his shameless boasting, or how he ended up Mana Shackled.

Leon remained red from embarrassment after every question and did not manage to resolve any issues or improve their relations as he'd hoped.

He finally had an opportunity to get back at him, ever so slightly.

After getting a small bit of revenge on Ross, Leon continued, "Cousin Mafa should know that Aube, Ross, and I were the three with the greatest hopes of becoming the next patriarch. Thus, I would pay attention to them to some extent, and I discovered a few issues due to this. I found out that Ross was always looking for something. This originally had nothing to do with me. Besides being a bit curious, I didn't pay much attention to it…

"But who would have thought that I would run into Ross in the Dawn Plane…" Leon once again looked at Ross with a smile. "Well, Ross, do you remember what happened in the Dawn Plane? You defeated those three Yeluren High Priests and charged into the temple to steal that diary. I was actually behind you as you went. But seeing you so focused, I didn't have the nerve to disturb you…"

"You…" Ross' expression grew serious. He looked at Leon with a complicated expression. Ross naturally remembered what happened in the Dawn Plane. He had paid a huge price to defeat those three Yeluren High Priests and was at the end of his rope. Had Leon been ruthless back then, there would have been one less candidate for the patriarch's seat.

"Alright, you don't need to look at me like this. Although my conduct isn't always the best, I'll never take advantage of someone's difficulties…" After saying that, he went back to the topic at hand. "Yet, Ross didn't expect that I had already read the notes that he stole. It was the diary left behind by an Archmage mentioning a Meditation Law known as the Elemental Tide…"

"How come you came out now?" Ross still couldn't accept it…

"It's simple… The secret I was mentioning has something to do with the diary…"

"Oh?" Lin Yun became interested as he heard about it.

"Ross, I think you should remember, that diary mentioned that the Archmage's inheritance came from the ruins of the 3rd Dynasty, but it was incomplete. It only retained a few portions of the magic inheritance, and that Archmage would find the complete ruins as long as he kept following those leads.

"That's right…"

At this time, Ross was thoroughly convinced that Leon indeed looked through that diary.

"In fact, I obtained another set of notes a few years ago. The contents of the diary were almost the same as the one you read, it was the same Archmage along with an incomplete inheritance that needed to be tracked down if one wanted the opportunity to get the complete magic inheritance. If I'm not wrong, there should be seven such diaries, each with almost identical contents…"

"Oh?" Lin Yun frowned, not quite understanding why Leon was saying all this…

"This is the inheritance of the Gaugass King. After the fighting between Emperor Zhantui and the Gaugass King, the latter disappeared in the Tulan Mountains, but he divided his magic inheritance into seven, one of which includes the Elemental Tide that Ross longed to obtain…"

"How did you learn about this?"

"It's because I'm the same as Ross, I also obtained one of the magic inheritances, but the one I obtained wasn't the Meditation Law Set, but rather the Gaugass King's Magic Conducting Rune, the Arcane Ring…"

"Eh?" Lin Yun looked at Leon strangely when he heard that. Lin Yun had naturally heard of the Arcane Ring. No, he hadn't just heard about it, it was actually one of the runes he had considered before settling on the Magic Array.

It was said that once a mage with an Arcane Ring stepped into the Archmage realm, each of their rings could be fused with a True Spirit Magic Tool. Once that mage reached the peak of the Archmage realm, with nine fused True Spirit Magic Tools, their strength would be pushed towards the Extraordinary realm.

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