Chapter 212: The Odds Are Truly Slim
"Sigh..." Lance couldn't help but let out another long breath. It was obvious Fran wasn't going to let this go. If he couldn't change Fran's mind, the two of them were bound to clash again sooner or later—and most likely, that fight would happen at Vaughn's Vault. The thought left Lance deeply conflicted...
Lance and Fran went way back. They'd known each other since their days as Master Alchemists, so Lance knew full well what kind of person Fran was. To put it nicely, Fran was someone who never let a grudge go. Less nicely, he was the type to repay every slight with vengeance. That day, Leon had stomped Fran's head into the mud in front of everyone—a humiliation so complete that, knowing Fran's temperament, there was no way he'd let Leon off the hook. It was going to be a fight to the death...
Strictly speaking, Lance's best option now would be to persuade Leon—to have the young Archmage lower his head, maybe even apologize to Fran, and let the whole thing blow over. That would be the ideal outcome.
But Lance didn't dare...
Lance knew perfectly well that Leon wasn't the sort to bow to anyone...
Lance had been keeping an eye on the young Archmage for a while now—from the Hope Potion hearing all the way to this joint expedition. He'd seen it clearly: Leon never backed down, not once. He never even had the chance to bow his head; it was domination from start to finish, smacking down his opponents every step of the way, never missing a beat. Lance was starting to wonder if Leon's next move would be to "smack down" a Title Archmage...
Besides, in this joint expedition, Leon's status was far more important than Fran's. His work cracking the alchemical arrays was one thing, but his combat power was downright terrifying. Just look at his fight with Fran the other day—Leon was already pushing close to Saruman's level.
All things considered, it made more sense for Fran to be the one to back down...
After all, putting aside his own friendship with Fran, the Grandmaster was basically just a backup in this expedition. When Leon hit a wall with certain alchemical arrays, Fran could step in and offer some useful help—and that was about it...
Unfortunately, Fran had no idea that, in Lance's mind, he'd already been relegated to the role of backup...
"That Matthew Merlin must've been acting under orders from the Merlin Family to insult me during this joint expedition. Hmph, when I get back to Auckland, I'm definitely telling Master Nolan about this—I want him to see the Merlin Family's true, sinister intentions..."
"Come on, Fran, as far as I know, Matthew Merlin isn't actually that close to the Merlin Family..." Lance couldn't take it anymore. Archmage Horne from Cloudspire Tower brought his disciple, Leon Merlin, to the Gilded Rose—Saruman and Soth saw it with their own eyes. Anyone with half a brain could figure out that Matthew Merlin's relationship with the Merlin Family was nowhere near as harmonious as the rumors suggested.
But Fran just wouldn't believe it...
"Lance, you're far too superficial in how you look at things..."
...Lance nearly coughed up blood. He'd even used a magic lock, and that was still 'superficial'?
Thinking about it, Lance felt he really ought to warn Fran. If he kept making a scene like this, things were bound to get ugly.
"Fran, just listen to me for once. You're a Fifth-Rank Mage, and you've mastered the Timeweaver's Hand, but honestly? If you go up against Matthew Merlin, your odds are tiny—really, really tiny..."
"Ridiculous..." Fran let out a cold laugh, dripping with contempt and scorn.
Truth be told, Fran still didn't think he'd lost. He figured he'd just been caught off guard, that's all...
If he hadn't been so sure of victory and tried to use Dragonfire Roar just to make his opponent taste despair before death, none of that defeat—and certainly none of the final humiliation—would've happened.
The only reason he lost was because he'd never imagined Matthew Merlin could cast spells so fast—even faster than the Timeweaver's Hand!
If it had been a different time and place, he would never have let his guard down like that.
He was a dignified Fifth-Rank Mage, master of the Timeweaver's Hand—how could he lose to a Grand Mage? It was laughable...
"Don't think I'm joking. Matthew Merlin's strength is honestly unfathomable. You haven't been to Seaview City, so maybe you haven't heard, but Matthew Merlin only became a mage this year. Yet in the past year, his record has been nothing short of undefeated. He's taken down two Archmages, and even went toe-to-toe with Ninth-Rank Mage Horne from Cloudspire Tower. Star Sage Joey himself said Matthew Merlin had the power to take Horne down with him..."
"Horne?" Even Fran, confident as he was, couldn't help but frown at that name.
Horne's name carried serious weight in Auckland. He was one of Cloudspire Tower's most likely candidates for Title Archmage, had spent years fighting in the Pale Plane, and only returned to Northend World two months ago—just in time to be appointed head of the Magic Department by Star Sage Joey.
Fran was confident in his own strength, but compared to Horne of Cloudspire Tower, he had to admit he was still a notch below...
Could it be that Matthew Merlin was really that strong now?
"And another thing—Saruman told me the Star Sage thinks very highly of Matthew Merlin. If anything happens to him, I'm afraid Cloudspire Tower might..."
"The Star Sage?" Fran's heart clenched again. Now there was the Star Sage to worry about too?
He was the kingdom's mightiest Title Archmage, a man who could step into the Sky Rank at any moment. If someone like that stood up for Matthew Merlin, it wouldn't just be one Fran—ten Frans would be doomed.
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"Just think it over, all right? We've known each other for over ten years—I'd never do you wrong..." Seeing Fran's expression, Lance knew his words had gotten through. He didn't push any further, just made a bit of small talk before saying goodbye and leaving Fran's compartment.
Once Lance was gone, Fran's face looked pretty grim...
Was there really no chance to get revenge on Matthew Merlin?
Fran leaned back against the compartment wall with his eyes closed, replaying that brutal stomp and the whispered snickers of Seaview City's faction leaders over and over in his mind. Just thinking about it filled him with a shame so bitter it felt like a venomous snake gnawing at his heart.
But when he opened his eyes again, Lance's words started echoing in his ears...
The strength to stand against a Ninth-Rank Mage, and the favor of the kingdom's mightiest Title Archmage...
Each and every one of these made Fran even more wary.
If it were just about strength, that would be one thing. With the alchemical traps in Vaughn's Vault, he might actually pull off a reversal. But if he did, he'd have the kingdom's mightiest Title Archmage coming for revenge—and that was Star Sage Joey. If Joey really set his mind to it, not even ten Frans could survive.
Wait a minute—Cloudspire Tower, Star Sage Joey... Fran's eyes suddenly lit up. If Matthew Merlin had Cloudspire Tower and the Star Sage backing him, didn't Fran have his own support?
He had Mercury Tower and Master Nolan behind him too, didn't he?
In terms of strength, Mercury Tower was no weaker than Cloudspire Tower. And when it came to status, the Star Sage might not even outrank Master Nolan...
But how could he get Master Nolan to step in...?
Master Nolan wasn't the Star Sage...
The Star Sage never cared much for rules. He'd spent twenty years cracking the Vanrison formulas, and when Saruman got hurt, he stormed right into the Black Tower. No other Title Archmage would dare do that.
At least Master Nolan would never do something like that...
After decades at Mercury Tower, Fran knew his teacher's temperament inside and out. Unless there was a truly compelling reason, Master Nolan would never stick his neck out for him.
A reason... That's it!
With that thought, Fran quickly pulled a sheet of magic paper and a quill from his pocket and began writing a letter right there in the compartment...
In the letter, Fran claimed to have discovered information about Vaughn's Vault. The clues suggested that Vaughn's Vault was not a vault at all, but a laboratory left behind by the Creator Vaughn, containing not only his complete alchemical insights but also the set of True Spirit Artifacts Master Nolan had long desired.
However, the difficulty of exploring this alchemical laboratory was far beyond his abilities—the alchemical arrays inside were simply out of his league. So he hoped Mercury Tower could provide some support.
Fran knew Master Nolan had been searching for those True Spirit Artifacts for ages, but had never found them. If he used this as a reason, even if Master Nolan didn't come himself, he'd at least send Senior Caron.
As long as Senior Caron came, what was Matthew Merlin to him? Caron was a true Title Archmage, personally sent by Master Nolan. Even if something happened to Matthew Merlin, the Star Sage would have to think twice about challenging Master Nolan.
And if Senior Caron arrived and found there was no laboratory, no alchemical insights, and no True Spirit Set? Well, Fran could just claim the information was wrong. At worst, he'd get a scolding or two—nothing compared to the humiliation Matthew Merlin had dealt him.
The long letter was quickly finished. Fran muttered a spell, and the ring on his right hand flashed. The letter vanished without a trace.
This was Mercury Tower's exclusive communication method. The ring on Fran's right hand was a legacy-level spatial artifact—not truly capable of manipulating space, but perfect for sending letters.
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Thank you all for your concern. I was really lucky this time—my brakes failed at the highway exit, but thankfully, there was a Mercedes E-Class parked at the toll station. My old Jinbei van crashed right into it, but all three of us are fine, just minor injuries. A week of rest should do it.
Special thanks to the Mercedes owner who got caught in the crossfire at the toll!