Chapter 863: Entanglement
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After digging out the Primordial Venom Dragon's massive liver, which was at least four or five meters across, Leon couldn't help but smile. Nearly all of it could be used as material, ensuring that for a long time to come, there would be no need to worry about toxins. Once the anti-toxin potion was refined, Hubert could apply it all over his body.
With this, Hubert—the Dragonblood Orc whose body was already unimaginably strong—would no longer fear any toxin except that of the Primordial Venom Dragon.
As for interference with magic, that was even less of a concern. Hubert, that fool, had completely wasted the Dragonblood Orc's gift for spellcasting—he couldn't cast spells at all, but his body kept growing stronger. This anti-toxin potion would only make him even more formidable.
Now that the Primordial Venom Dragons had been completely extinct for who knows how many years, the only way to be poisoned by one would be to find a corpse and foolishly throw yourself at it...
After digging out the liver, Leon moved on to the heart, but unfortunately, the Primordial Venom Dragon's heart had shattered—he only found a single drop of Primordial Venom Dragon Heartblood. He gave it to Hubert to fuse with, which might grant Hubert a trace of the dragon's power.
At worst, it would make his body even stronger and increase his power; if he was lucky enough to gain the dragon's most potent venomous abilities, even if not as strong, it would still be terrifying.
Venom is never something you can judge by rank—at any time, an ordinary person might use it to kill a swordsman, and there are plenty of cases where even mages have been poisoned to death by common folk.
Finally, beneath the dragon's jaw, Leon unearthed a Primordial Venom Dragon Throatbone over two meters long—the strongest bone in the dragon's body, second only to its reverse scale. Weighing more than ten thousand pounds, it was the perfect material for Hubert's new weapon.
The most valuable materials had already been gathered; all that remained was to collect flesh and blood from the Primordial Venom Dragon's rarest parts.
These tissues and dragon sinews might make up only a small portion of the Primordial Venom Dragon, but don't forget—the dragon's body stretched hundreds of meters. Even a small part weighed over ten thousand pounds.
Once processed, these materials could be slowly consumed by his fifty Archmages. The power within would continually enhance their talents and bodies, even refining their magic.
For Leon, these things were no longer of much use—the baptism potion had already pushed his talent to its peak. But for those Archmages born with innate shortcomings, this was the best remedy.
If they kept taking it, it would make up for their natural deficiencies and strengthen their foundations. Once the Primordial Venom Dragon's flesh and sinew were gone, barring surprises, every one of them would advance to Title Archmage in the future...
Fifty Title Archmages...
And not just any Title Archmages, but ones bearing the Blaze Storm Arcane Sigil. On any battlefield, they'd be a nightmare for the enemy.
Even a force like Cloudspire Tower, the most elite mage faction in Auckland, couldn't field fifty Title Archmages on a single battlefield.
You have to realize, this isn't the peak era of the Northend World, when mages were colonizing planes like mad and Title Archmages were everywhere.
These days, no matter how powerful the faction, Title Archmages are the elite of the elite—wherever they go, they're in charge.
If his retinue had fifty Title Archmages, at least in Auckland, they could walk anywhere unchallenged—no one would dare provoke them.
Leon, along with his Alchemical Golem and Hubert, rampaged through the Primordial Venom Dragon's corpse like locusts, taking anything valuable and collectible.
It took nearly half the night. By the time Leon emerged from the dragon's body, almost every valuable resource inside had been harvested.
If not for the fact that the dragon's corpse was so ancient that most of its scales and hide had lost their power—and even their aura—Leon wouldn't have skipped collecting those materials.
Mainly, those nearly worthless materials were also hard to collect and couldn't be gathered in any significant quantity.
After all, besides them, the Caucasus Battlemages knew about this place too.
No matter how much they collected inside, the Caucasus Battlemages wouldn't be able to tell, but if the exterior changed too much, everyone would know the dragon corpse had been harvested for materials.
That old fox Droy—there's no way he wouldn't realize Leon was keeping the spoils for himself.
Risking it all for the dragon's exterior materials that were almost worthless just wasn't worth it.
After leaving, Leon carefully restored the Primordial Venom Dragon's jaws to their original state, making it look almost untouched.
The slightest change would go unnoticed—after all, this Primordial Venom Dragon corpse had been here for who knows how long. Just look at those scales, many have weathered away.
Leon left with his people, leaving behind a dragon corpse that looked nearly unchanged on the outside, but was hollowed out within.
Meanwhile, the Caucasus Battlemages had completely given up on exploring Viperfog Valley. They found valuable things, but had no way to actually claim them.
Forget the dragon corpse—without the anti-toxin potion, they couldn't even reach the spot where it lay.
Back at camp, Droy grew more and more frustrated, even starting to regret things a little. The task assigned by the king would now be nearly impossible to complete.
All this trouble for a dragon corpse you can look at but not touch—was it really worth offending Leon Merlin?
Word was, Leon Merlin was a powerful creator. Unlocking the poison mist of Viperfog Valley was already a feat, and that potion was only an anti-toxin, not a cure.
Relying on him to neutralize the Primordial Venom Dragon's venom wasn't realistic—it's been unsolvable since the Age of Gods and Demons. Leon Merlin apparently didn't even recognize the dragon, so how could he break its curse...
Now they hadn't gotten a bite, and had managed to offend Leon Merlin—a lose-lose situation...
Wait, he still hadn't asked Kempes how he'd managed to offend Leon Merlin before...
Kempes used to be the most talented young member among the Caucasus Battlemages, and barring any surprises, the next King of the Caucasus.
Even if he wasn't yet—just a junior—no one would dare act against Kempes just for the king's orders. So the earlier punishment was just words, and he was brought along for this Viperfog Valley expedition...
But now, Kempes was ruined—and there was no one to blame but themselves for being too greedy...
Right, he needed to figure out what happened before—maybe there was still a chance to smooth things over with Leon Merlin. Kempes had been corrupted by the Primordial Venom Dragon's poison and would never recover. Giving up the king's mission for him just wasn't worth it for the Caucasus...
Droy quickly thought of a roundabout way to fix things—after all, the conflict with Leon Merlin started with Kempes...
Droy stormed into Kempes's sickroom. After a few questions, he was furious—almost blowing his top.
Kempes was already ruined—nothing could be worse for him. But for the others, it wouldn't be so simple.
"Idiots! To offend someone as terrifying as Leon Merlin over a plane's coordinates that's already been claimed and mined..."
A few of Kempes's close followers were sent to dig mines by the furious Droy, but once he calmed down, Droy began to think things through again.
Kempes, that fool—dared to target someone he didn't even understand. Leon Merlin isn't so easily killed; his combat power is at least equal to mine, maybe greater. And he's a creator.
Such critical information, and he didn't know—acting so recklessly. If it were that simple, would the Charlotte Family seek your help? Good thing Kempes was ruined; otherwise, if the Caucasus fell into his hands, they might have collapsed overnight.
That damned Charlotte Family—unable to kill Leon Merlin themselves, so they tried to drag us down. This can't just be let go.
The Merlin Family has done well these past years. Though they're still far from matching the Black Tower, in Auckland they're a major power. And now, with Leon Merlin, they have someone to rival the greatest Merlin of a millennium ago.
No, someone even more terrifying than the one who led the Merlin Family out of decline. It's said Leon Merlin was just a mage half a year ago, but now his power is unfathomable—his magic rivals that of Ninth-Rank Title Archmages.
His combat ability is fully on par with the strongest Ninth-Rank Title Archmages, and he's a powerful creator.
The Merlin Family's time to soar has come—nothing can stop it. Those fools in the Charlotte Family still want to kill Leon Merlin? Utterly naive.
What's worse, they offended Leon Merlin and dragged us Caucasus Battlemages into it. This can't be left alone.
We've offended a terrifying powerhouse like Leon Merlin for nothing—the Charlotte Family must pay. Right, Kempes said that Charlotte fool was desperate to give him the Goldspire Realm's coordinates...
Droy thought for a while, not just angry at the ruined Kempes, but even angrier at the Charlotte Family.
In an instant, Droy made up his mind and sent out a flurry of orders.
That very night, the Charlotte Family received news that shocked everyone to their core.
The Goldspire Realm had been conquered—everyone there was slaughtered. Only the message got out...
The news hit the Charlotte Family's patriarch so hard he nearly fainted from rage. (Irrelevant promotional content follows and will be skipped.)