Chapter 315: Unified Mana Harness
Of course, Leon had no idea that, just after completing the Bloodline Rite, he had become the center of heated discussion at the Guardian Spires.
By now, Leon had already returned to the Merlin Family Manor. For several days, he locked himself in his room, adapting to the new form of his Mana Harness.
After the Mana Harnesses merged into one, they became something entirely different. Previously, the ten Mana Harnesses were like ten separate wheels, slowly turning under the flow of magic. Even with Leon’s precise control, they always operated independently, needing him as a bridge to connect them. There was always a hint of separation between them.
But now, everything had changed...
Now, the ten Mana Harnesses had fused into a single entity, with no barriers left between them. Though the principles of operation remained unchanged, efficiency had increased tenfold. Leon no longer had to split his focus to control them; as long as he kept the magic flowing, the Harnesses would operate automatically within him.
In the past two days, Leon experimented with the new Unified Mana Harness, trying to decipher the mysterious runes in the Death Tome. To his delight, the efficiency was worlds apart from before—tasks that once took ten days could now be finished in a single day, and the energy cost had plummeted. Regular meditation was enough to sustain what once required supplemental magic crystals.
As for spellcasting and combining magical abilities, Leon’s progress had leapt to another level. He was already attempting Tier 3 spells and abilities, and if he broke through to Tier 5 Mage, he might even try core spells like Elemental Avatar, or advanced abilities such as Instant Spellcasting and Spell Amplification.
For days on end, Leon didn’t leave his room, his mind completely absorbed in the Unified Mana Harness. Even William Merlin didn’t dare disturb him.
Ross Merlin did come by a few times, but William Merlin always blocked him at the door with a cold expression.
Today was no different...
"Ross Merlin, I've told you, Marfa has important matters to attend to. If you keep pestering here, don't blame me for getting rough with you..." William Merlin was truly done with politeness. They were both Archmages now, and Ross was still his defeated rival—so his warning wasn't an empty threat.
Every time William Merlin thought about it, he couldn't help but feel grateful to Marfa...
If he hadn't spent half a year in Seaview City, how could he have the chance to say something so triumphant to Ross Merlin?
Back then, among the younger generation of the Merlin Family, he was just second-rate—a Tier 5 Grand Mage and Grand Alchemist. Impressive on paper, perhaps, but in the talent-rich Merlin Family, he was never remarkable. His ranking among the youth hovered around fifth, sixth, or seventh, and compared to Ross Merlin, Leon Merlin, and Owen Merlin, he was a whole tier below.
At the time, William Merlin truly believed he'd spend his whole life looking up to them...
But unexpectedly, a family assignment he saw as exile sent him to Seaview City, where he met a long-lost cousin. From that moment, his entire life changed—it was as if he'd touched a whole new world...
That long-lost cousin was a monster in every sense—his mastery of both alchemy and magic was awe-inspiring. Often, a casual word from him would give William Merlin sudden insight. Compared to Marfa, the teachers William had followed for over twenty years seemed worthless. Sometimes, William even wished those teachers could come to Seaview City and learn from Marfa, instead of misleading students all day...
From Tier 5 Grand Mage to Archmage, William Merlin traversed a path in half a year that would take others a decade or more. Returning to Auckland, he found that Ross Merlin, whose shadow he'd always chased, was no longer so distant. Thanks to Marfa's guidance, William could even defeat him...
"I really do have important business..." Ross Merlin looked at William Merlin, his expression complicated. Not long ago, William was a minor character in his eyes. Who could have guessed that, just half a year later, this former nobody could now meet his gaze as an equal—and had even beaten him in battle just yesterday...
"Forget it, Ross Merlin. I’ll be honest: Marfa is dealing with something extremely important right now and doesn't want to be disturbed by anyone. If you really have urgent business, you can tell me first. Once Marfa is free, I’ll pass it on."
Ross Merlin stared at William Merlin for a long time, finally admitting that William didn’t seem to be lying.
For a moment, Ross Merlin was at a loss...
Since yesterday, Ross Merlin had been investigating the cause of Stan Watson’s death.
To that end, Ross Merlin even visited the Red Dragon Mercenary Company and tracked down Hannah Achilles to ask about what happened.
The Red Dragon Mercenary Company was in chaos over Stan Watson’s death. To soothe the Watson Family, even the commander had to personally apologize. As for Hannah Achilles, who executed the mission, she was harshly punished—demoted from First Vice Commander to mere squad leader, now stuck leading ten old, sick, or injured mercenaries.
The battle at the Auridge Mountains was under strict secrecy; only a handful of top members in the Red Dragon Mercenary Company knew the details.
Fortunately, Ross Merlin had dealt with the Red Dragon Mercenary Company before, and once, by chance, had helped them out. When he visited the commander this time, the commander—though reluctant—couldn’t refuse outright. Once Ross hinted that the Merlin Family could pressure the Watson Family to ease up on Stan Watson’s death, the commander finally relented...
In the end, the commander called Hannah Achilles in and left the room.
Hannah Achilles looked terrible. The famed swordmaster beauty of Auckland seemed haunted by nightmares, her spirit half absent. At first, she acted almost normal with Ross Merlin, but as soon as he started asking about the battle, her face turned deathly pale.
The rest of her recollections were a mess, and it took Ross Merlin a long time to get a clear description of the killer from Hannah Achilles.
He was a young human mage in his twenties, thin and pale, always wearing a lazy smile as if he wouldn't even harm an ant. But once he fought, he was as terrifying as a predator in the jungle.
The killer wore a plain black robe with silver trim—likely a Grand Mage’s robe—but the power he showed was far beyond what a Grand Mage could muster. He carried a staff topped with a fist-sized Elemental Amber, which seemed to be the only valuable Magic Relic he possessed.
The string of fragmented details left Ross Merlin completely confused...
First, the age...
As one of Auckland’s leading young mages, Ross Merlin knew all the prodigies in their twenties. He’d bet his life there wasn’t a single Grand Mage that age in Auckland who could kill Stan Watson—let alone do it under the Red Dragon Mercenary Company’s heavy protection. That would take a Title Archmage at least.
A Title Archmage in their twenties? That’s insane.
And even if such a person existed...
Ross Merlin couldn’t find them.
A thin, pale mage in his twenties, dressed in a black robe... Auckland had countless young mages like that. The only clue might be the staff inlaid with Elemental Amber...
After all his questioning, Ross Merlin left the Red Dragon Mercenary Company disappointed.
But upon returning to the Merlin Family Manor, Ross unexpectedly heard that Marfa Merlin from Seaview City had been granted permission by Patriarch Hoffland to enter the Merlin Ancestral Estate.
The news left Ross Merlin puzzled...
For a while, the Elder Council had been arguing over this very issue. As a member of the Elder Council, Ross Merlin was well aware of the situation. So why had that cousin from Seaview City suddenly been allowed into the Ancestral Estate?
Ross knew Patriarch Hoffland’s character—cautious to a fault, rarely bold. He’d been bound by the Elder Council for years. There’s no way he’d risk a confrontation with the Council just for Marfa Merlin.
Unless...
Unless Marfa Merlin had made a truly enormous contribution, forcing Hoffland to agree to his entry into the Ancestral Estate.
But what could that enormous contribution be?
Ross Merlin spent the whole night pondering in his room.
The next morning, a sudden thought struck him: Would weakening a rival family count as an enormous contribution?
More precisely, would killing the greatest genius the rival family had produced in centuries count as an enormous contribution?