Chapter 181: Relics of the Sky Mage (Still begging for monthly votes!)
Darren's brows furrowed even deeper...
Earlier, in the hall of the Ashen Tower, Darren had already said that Salomon would do best to stick to that young man like glue. The implication was clear: if Salomon so much as stepped away, the Ashen Tower's retribution would come swiftly.
For Darren, this was something that had to be done.
Harrison's grievous injury wasn't just about him anymore—it was about the reputation of the Ashen Tower, and Darren's own prestige. If that young man walked out of Rockridge unscathed, where would that leave the Ashen Tower's dignity? How could Darren expect mages to continue serving him?
In fact, even as he turned to leave, Darren had already made up his mind: if Salomon failed to protect that young man for even a moment, he'd have someone make a move. As for Salomon's reaction, Darren didn't care in the slightest. The Ashen Tower and Sage's Spire had been rivals for years, and the two of them had clashed more than ten times—everyone knew exactly how strong the other was.
To put it bluntly, the only reason I can't do anything to you today, Salomon, is because your teacher Joey is here. But on Ashen Tower's turf, if you think you can do anything to me, you're just dreaming.
But now Darren suddenly realized that the young man might very well be Joey's disciple...
That was no joke. Joey was nothing like Salomon—he was a true peak Title Archmage, with one hand already touching the realm of the extraordinary. If he got angry, it wouldn't just be Darren who couldn't handle it—even Darren's own teacher, Keith, would be in trouble.
And don't forget, today is the day of the Order of the Arcane Hand gathering. The top mages of the Andalusia Kingdom are all here. If the Ashen Tower killed Joey's disciple now, things would get ugly—fast.
For the moment, Darren didn't dare make any rash moves. He simply sent the young mage away to keep watch, then quietly chanted an incantation. Through a crystal ball in his study, he sent out a request for a visual transmission. The instant the crystal ball lit up, Darren's stormy expression vanished, replaced by a look of respectful humility...
Late at night, Leon had finished a day's meditation.
"Still too slow..." Leon checked his own condition—the sixth Mana Harness was already taking shape, but it would be a long time before it was truly complete.
Back in the prince's crypt, every time Leon touched the Eye of Reincarnation, it was like living through another cycle of reincarnation. In two months, he'd accumulated a hundred thousand runes. Half had gone into forming five Mana Harnesses, but the rest remained stubbornly beyond his grasp.
That's because, once you reach five Mana Harnesses, it's no longer just a matter of piling up runes. Leon had to integrate them into his own magical system, merging them with his mana. There was no shortcut—unless he stumbled upon another miracle like the Eye of Reincarnation, he'd just have to grit his teeth and endure a years-long slog.
In fact, magical runes themselves take a massive amount of time. Forget the complex, intricate Mana Harnesses—even the lowest, simplest runes, like Ice Crystal or Spark, can take a year or more for many archmages to complete.
At this rate, Leon's progress was already downright miraculous...
Still, for someone who'd managed to complete four Mana Harnesses in just two months, this pace felt agonizing. After finishing his day's meditation, Leon was already considering whether he should offer the Merlin Family some benefits in exchange for a chance to enter the Merlin Ancestral Estate.
Maybe he'd find some clues about Mana Harnesses there.
"Merlin... Merlin..." Just then, a deliberately low voice came from outside the door. Leon listened carefully and realized it was Salomon.
Still, how could a top-tier Title Archmage sound so... sneaky?
"Come in, Archmage Salomon..."
"Shh, keep your voice down..." Salomon slipped into the room, tiptoeing and looking around warily, his bizarre expression leaving Leon utterly baffled.
"Archmage Salomon, what are you doing?"
"Shh, shh, shh... Don't call my name, someone might hear!" Salomon kept glancing around nervously, looking so suspicious that no one would ever guess he was actually the president of the Seaview City Mage Guild.
"Alright, alright, I won't call you by name..." Leon rolled his eyes and fell silent.
Only after confirming nothing was amiss in the room did Salomon finally relax a little, though he still kept his voice low: "Merlin, do you know why the Ashen Tower is called the Ashen Tower?"
"Huh?" Leon nearly bit his own tongue.
A dignified ninth-rank archmage, master of Sage's Spire, the top mage in Seaview City—sneaking into my room in the middle of the night just to ask me something like this?
Do you know why the Ashen Tower is called the Ashen Tower?
Leon couldn't help but want to ask, 'Do you know why a lunatic is a lunatic?'
"Let me tell you, the reason the Ashen Tower is called the Ashen Tower is because..." Salomon, oblivious to Leon's thoughts, kept up his mysterious, sneaky air: "Back in the day, the last Sky Mage of the Third Dynasty, Rudolph, spent his final days here..."
"You mean the one from Oblivion Inferno?"
This line is not relevant to the novel's story and can be skipped.
"That's right, that's the one..." Salomon grabbed a cup from the table and took a big gulp of water before continuing:
"It's said that when Rudolph died, a single flame sprang from his hand and burned the entire tower to ashes. Years later, his three disciples rebuilt the Ashen Tower on this very spot..."
"Oh?" Leon perked up a little.
All along, people thought Rudolph's three disciples rebuilt the Ashen Tower to honor their teacher. But who would've guessed—they only did it for the relics Rudolph left behind...
"Relics?"
"That's right. Rudolph was gravely wounded in the Twilight War, and knowing his end was near, buried everything beneath the tower. His three disciples rebuilt the Ashen Tower atop the ashes just to claim those relics..."
"How do you know all this?"
"Heh, that's thanks to you..."
"What does this have to do with me?"
"Don't tell me you've forgotten. Back at the Blackhorn Auction, you and I split the cost to win that incomplete spell scroll..."
...Leon cursed under his breath. No wonder Salomon was so eager back then—he thought Salomon wanted the Oblivion Inferno spell, but it turns out he was after the scroll itself, just like Leon.
"No need to feel bad. The secret on that scroll can only be seen by the masters of Sage's Spire, because Sage's Spire's legacy also comes from Rudolph..."
"So why are you coming to me now?"
"I'm here to invite you, of course. We're talking about a Sky Mage's relic—aren't you tempted? Besides, your relationship with the Ashen Tower isn't great right now. If they get Rudolph's relic, their power will skyrocket. That won't be good news for you or your Gilded Rose."
"So that's what this is about..." Leon stared at Salomon for a long moment, torn between laughter and tears. No wonder Joey came to Rockridge for the Order of the Arcane Hand gathering and Salomon tagged along so eagerly—they've got their sights set on the Sky Mage relic buried beneath the Ashen Tower...
Leon thought it over and found himself genuinely tempted...
However, what truly tempted Leon wasn’t the Sky Mage Relics Salomon spoke of.
Leon had returned from thirty thousand years into the future. How could he not know that relics left by Sky Mages were actually quite common—especially those from the Third Dynasty. In the mad grave-robbing era to come, at least half of the Third Dynasty’s Sky Mage relics would be plundered.
If Leon wanted, he could easily rattle off the locations of seven or eight Sky Mage relics.
But digging them up is a whole other story...
Just look at Prince Barov’s crypt. Leon had ventured deep into it twice, and both times it was a close call with death. Even now, all he’d managed to reach was the Eye of Reincarnation. As for the true core of the tomb, he hadn’t even gotten close.
Everyone knows the Prince’s burial chamber must contain earth-shattering treasures. But would Leon dare go in? Right now, he’s just a Level 5 Grand Mage. Even if he reached the level of a Level 5 Archmage, he probably still wouldn’t have the guts to enter the Prince’s burial chamber...
What really caught Leon’s attention was actually the story Salomon just mentioned—that spark of flame ignited from Rudolph’s hand...
Leon had been coveting Oswald’s Duskfire for quite some time now.
Duskfire is a natural magical flame spirit. It may not offer overwhelming combat power, but in alchemy, its value is immeasurable. In fact, Oswald’s eventual rise to Sainthood owed at least half its credit to Duskfire.
Unfortunately, Duskfire was already in Oswald’s hands.
Leon knew that, no matter what he said, Oswald would never give up Duskfire. So along the way, Leon never tried to snatch it—he only mentioned, when the time was right, that he hoped to borrow Duskfire for a bit.
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The monthly ticket ranking nearly slipped out of the top fifty, but I haven’t given up yet!