Chapter 870: Poaching Talent
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Every action you take will be calculated for its impact on the entire battle. Points are no longer just awarded to those with the highest kill count."
As Lord Heron finished speaking, the initial dissenters bowed slightly to him and sat back down, indicating they had no further objections.
"Lord Heron, if we’re not charging at the front lines, won’t we earn fewer points?"
Heron shook his head.
"The Crystal Orb’s powers are mysterious and unfathomable—even I don’t fully understand them. But I can assure you, it never makes mistakes. It seems you still don’t get it: you don’t earn points just for killing enemies. The points measure how crucial your actions are to the victory of the entire campaign. That’s what the scores reflect."
For example, say you only killed one person during the whole campaign—a regular Blazeforge Orc shaman. You might still earn hundreds of thousands of points.
Because that single, seemingly minor act could have a huge impact on the outcome of the battle.
Maybe that ordinary shaman was the apprentice of the Blazeforge Orcs’ strongest healer, carrying vital medicines. With his death, the medicines are lost, and he can’t deliver them. Meanwhile, the best healer in the Blazeforge Orc tribe might be gravely wounded and waiting for those medicines. The death of this ordinary shaman could ultimately lead to the death of their best healer.
At that moment, the battle at the front lines might have reached a critical juncture. The enemy’s Grand Chieftain, gravely wounded, could escape, but with the tribe’s best healer dead, even he can’t be saved—and ultimately succumbs to his injuries.
The death of the Grand Chieftain could lead to the complete collapse of the Blazeforge Orcs, and thus, victory for our side.
Normally, no one would ever know about this chain of events. But with the Crystal Orb, even a small action could directly influence the outcome of the campaign. You might just become the true hero who decides the battle’s fate.
Your contribution would be the greatest—though you only killed an ordinary shaman, you tipped the scales and secured total victory.
So, it’s not just killing that counts as contribution. This system is absolutely fair—there’s no room for cheating, and your efforts will never go unnoticed."
Heron’s explanation was now perfectly clear. Everyone understood: this was true fairness. Strength alone didn’t guarantee the greatest contribution. Suddenly, all the medium and small factions grew eager to participate.
Plus, with the blood oath just sworn, even if the losses were heavy this time, there was no need to worry about getting a fair share of the spoils.
Just then, Heron threw cold water on the crowd.
"This time, our wager with the Odin Kingdom will also use the points system."
Immediately, everyone who’d been caught up in a brief wave of excitement—those who thought the fruits of victory were already theirs—had their expressions change.
Odin Kingdom...
These four people were like a mountain pressing down on everyone’s hearts. Even Star Sage Joey, Heron, and the Azure Sword Saint looked troubled.
The Odin Kingdom occupies the best land in all of Northend—flat, fertile, and resource-rich. Except for the heartlands, every direction is blocked by natural barriers, making it both easy to defend and convenient to move in and out.
The sheer number of ancient ruins and the abundant legacy treasures have made the Odin Kingdom’s overall strength surpass that of every other kingdom.
Originally, it seemed the points system would make the spoils more fairly distributed. Combined with the alliance pact, no one could complain.
But everyone overlooked the biggest issue: the fruits of victory haven’t actually been plucked yet.
In fact, all these discussions and alliances hinge on one thing: actually seizing victory, conquering the Blazeforge Orcs, and beating the Odin Kingdom in the wager. Only then do any of these plans mean anything...
If we can’t defeat the Blazeforge Orcs or win against the Odin Kingdom in the wager, then all of this is just empty talk.
Just moments ago, everyone thought the battle would be perfectly fair and had no complaints. Now, though, it’s the beginning of a creeping despair.
In such a truly fair competition, can we really defeat the Odin Kingdom?
This time, the enemy isn’t just the Blazeforge Orcs—who, though likely to be defeated, still pose a threat—but also the Odin Kingdom.
Remember, the Blazeforge Orcs’ defeat isn’t set in stone. No one can predict what will happen next, or what trump cards the orcs might still be hiding.
Who knows if the grand offensive will go smoothly? It could even fail—the Blazeforge Orcs might win, and that’s not out of the question.
More importantly, with this points system, the threat from the Odin Kingdom grows even greater. Their overall strength is higher, so they’ll inevitably claim more points.
Although the top powers of the Odin Kingdom couldn’t come to the Blazeforge Realm in person, several renowned champions have joined the grand offensive.
Now, the Andalusia Kingdom faces both an enemy and a competitor—the pressure is immense...
The atmosphere in the meeting room turned gloomy. Soon, all the necessary discussions were finished, and everyone left in a hurry to prepare for the expedition...
Leon hadn’t expected the Crystal Orb to appear at the end, but he’d more or less guessed things would end up like this.
Getting these greedy groundhogs to contribute without enough incentive and with huge risks? Impossible.
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But now, with the Crystal Orb’s points system, a lot of trouble can be avoided—rewards will be based purely on contribution.
Representing the Merlin Family as its commander, Leon naturally had the right to sit at the central round table as one of the seven major powers.
With the meeting over, almost everyone hurried away. Star Sage Joey, who hadn’t spoken a word until now, suddenly moved his lips. A thread of magic wrapped his aged but gentle voice and carried it to Leon.
"Archmage Leon, please wait a moment."
Leon’s expression shifted as he saw Heron smile and nod in acknowledgment.
What do these two want with me? Has Cloudspire Tower already started working with the Black Tower?
Puzzled, Leon didn’t leave immediately. Instead, he followed Joey and Heron to a smaller meeting room.
As soon as they sat down, Joey looked at Leon with a hint of admiration.
"Good day, Archmage Leon. It’s only been a year since we last met, hasn’t it...?"
Leon smiled and nodded. He genuinely respected Joey—a true mage and a scholar worthy of admiration. If Joey hadn’t spent so much time pondering formulas, he might have already advanced to Sky Rank by now.
Ever since Leon solved the formula problem last time, Joey’s aura has clearly grown by leaps and bounds. Advancing to Sky Rank is all but guaranteed now.
"Good day, Lord Joey. Long time no see—your magic has improved a great deal. It looks like your advancement to Sky Rank is just around the corner."
Leon replied with a smile.
At that moment, Joey smiled and said something to Heron.
"Didn’t I tell you? I said, next time we meet Archmage Leon, we might as well address him as ‘Lord.’"
Heron shrugged helplessly and gave a wry smile.
"Yes, before I only thought it was possible, but who could have imagined Archmage Leon would advance this quickly? In fact, only you, me, the Azure Sword Saint, and that old fox, Prophet Droy, can see it—Leon’s strength probably isn’t inferior to ours."
Joey looked at Leon with admiration.
"Indeed, few noticed that when Lord Heron tapped the table twice just now, he was casting a spell called Dread. It’s a rare spell, adapted from the Five-Colored Dragons’ magic for human use.
Few people realize that the spell’s effect is strongest at close range, and its power drops off rapidly with distance. Within five meters, it’s at its peak.
Within that range, only those whose strength was nearly equal would remain unaffected. At the round table, aside from me and the Azure Sword Saint, only you showed no reaction.
"Archmage Leon, you accidentally revealed your true strength."
Joey explained cheerfully, and Leon’s face showed a look of realization. He just smiled and didn’t deny it.
There are countless spells in the world, and many aren’t much use in combat. Though Leon’s Arcane Array instantly deduced the spell’s effects, he didn’t analyze it further—there was no need.
Heron looked the most impressed of all.
"Archmage Leon, I already regret it—I was wrong, I deeply regret not bringing you into the Black Tower when I had the chance.
Your talent is extraordinary—no, it’s more than just talent. I’ve seen many gifted people, but none have advanced as quickly as you.
There are no shortcuts on a mage’s path: gathering mana, collecting runes, accumulating knowledge, fusing arcane sigils. The fastest I’ve seen someone reach Title Archmage took sixty-three years.
And you? Two years? Three?
Most importantly, I’m sure you didn’t take shortcuts. Your foundation is more solid than anyone’s—steady as a mountain. That’s what I regret most.
If only I’d been more decisive, I’d have dragged you to the Black Tower by force, given you anything you wanted, as long as you joined.
Of course, it’s not too late. If you come to the Black Tower, the Chairman’s seat is yours—I’ll be your assistant... (My novel "Throne of the End Times" will have more content on the official WeChat platform, plus a 100% prize lottery for everyone! Open WeChat now, click the '+' in the top right to 'Add Friends,' search for the public account 'qdread' and follow, hurry up!)