Chapter 182: Flame Sprite
In exchange, Leon would awaken the Flame Sprite of the Duskfire ahead of time.
It was, fundamentally, a win-win deal. Leon needed the Duskfire to unlock a bountiful plane, and Oswald was eager for the Flame Sprite of the Duskfire to awaken early. So, the two reached an agreement almost instantly—right there in the carriage.
To be honest, Leon also wished to have a Flame Sprite of his own.
Of the six great elemental spirits in Northend, the Flame Sprite has the widest range of applications—especially the Prime Flame Sprite, which is almost omnipotent. Not only does it offer immense combat power, it can also elevate alchemy to a new level. Of course, such sprites are exceedingly rare. Even Oswald’s Duskfire is merely a High Flame Sprite.
But now, after hearing Salomon’s words, Leon felt that there might be a Flame Sprite buried beneath the Ashen Tower. Even if it wasn’t a Prime one, it was probably at least a High-tier…
Just thinking about it made Leon’s heart race.
"Well, Merlin, want to come with me? If we find Rudolph’s relics, we’ll split them fifty-fifty, how about it?"
"Heh…" Leon stared at Salomon for a long moment, not agreeing right away. Instead, he asked with a half-smile, "So, there are quite a few alchemical arrays in Rudolph’s ruins, aren’t there?"
…Salomon’s smile froze instantly. He couldn’t deny it—Rudolph’s ruins were indeed filled with powerful alchemical arrays.
Otherwise, Leon wouldn't have come here in the middle of the night.
Originally, the best companion to explore Rudolf's ruins would have been Sophron from the Sage's Spire.
A Magus with near-master level alchemical skills, Sophron was, most importantly, truly one of our own...
But Sophron couldn't make it...
After all, Rockridge is currently under the influence of the Ashen Tower...
Leon was only able to enter Rockridge because his mentor was attending the Order of the Arcane Hand Gathering. But if Sophron had come too, the Ashen Tower would be in trouble, wouldn't they? Two of the Sage's Spire's three giants arriving at once—how would Ashen Tower survive?
So, after thinking it through, it could only be Merlin...
Come to think of it, Merlin was a solid choice too. Whether in magical prowess or alchemical skill, he likely surpassed even Sophron. The only trouble was, Merlin never tolerated a loss; even if we found Rudolf's relics, he'd insist on at least half.
Leon considered for a moment, then didn't refuse: "Half and half is fine, but I want the right to choose first."
"Deal!"
After that, Salomon gave a brief rundown of the situation with Rudolph’s ruins. The entrance was hidden in the lowest basement of the Ashen Tower—a storeroom for all manner of magical materials. The rune to open the secret door was inscribed on the Oblivion Inferno scroll, a sequence of seven Nethyr glyphs. Leon only had to hear it once to commit it to memory, as if it were etched onto his bones.
"By the way, it seems someone outside is keeping an eye on you."
"I know. Leaving behind a decoy will do." Leon nodded. He had noticed, even before going upstairs, that a young mage had been tailing him—likely sent by Darren. But since the young mage hadn’t made any moves, Leon hadn’t bothered to deal with him.
"Alright then." Salomon finished, and with a flick of his wrist, cast a clone spell. An identical Salomon immediately appeared in Leon’s room, as if conjured from thin air.
Leon didn’t hesitate. He chanted a spell softly, summoning a water elemental. With a quick flicker of his mana array, the elemental soon took on all of Leon’s features—even his magical aura was identical. Unless someone walked right in, no one would realize it was just a decoy.
"Merlin, if I’d invited you to join Sage’s Spire a little earlier, would you have accepted?" Salomon couldn’t help but sigh at the sight of the water elemental.
The water elemental might not have looked as convincing as Salomon’s clone spell, and it was certainly more complicated to conjure. But let’s not forget—Leon was only a Fifth-Rank Grand Mage. To use a water elemental as a decoy was no small feat.
No wonder Master Joey never stopped singing the praises of this young Grand Mage. Just this one trick showed that, even as a mere Fifth-Rank, Leon’s mana simulation abilities were leagues above ordinary Magi. Genius? That word hardly sufficed. Salomon sometimes thought Leon was born for magic itself. Who knows—maybe, one day, Seaview City would witness its first Sky Mage in history…
A pity, though—he’d never agreed to join Sage’s Spire.
This wasn’t the first time Salomon had sighed over it… and it probably wouldn’t be the last.