[Author's Note: Tickets are really running low. I have no choice but to shamelessly beg for recommendations... (Omitted from main translation)]
[Separator: ………………………………………………]
"Yes, yes, I'll clean it up..." At this moment, forget just tidying up the entrance—if he had to scrub every inch of Seaview City, Larry would probably agree before you finished asking.
Larry never imagined this young mage would let him off so easily—no torture, no silencing, not even a hair out of place. He walked out whole, like his ancestors’ graves were spewing lucky smoke. If only every day were so charmed.
So the Ninth-Rank Mage agreed in a flash, then left the house just as quickly. And once outside, he’d certainly have someone clean up the entrance in record time...
After sending off the Ninth-Rank Mage, Leon sat in the study for a while longer. When the old butler had someone bring food, Leon ate a little right there, then shut the study door and told everyone not to disturb him. He began to activate his Mana Vortex, releasing one Witch’s Eye after another...
Witch’s Eyes are conjured entirely from mana, but unlike your average spell, the mage never loses control. Even after they're released, each Witch’s Eye stays tethered to the Mana Vortex—a direct feed to the mage’s mind, showing everything they see, no filter, no delay.
Most mages can only manage three or five Witch’s Eyes at once. But Leon could casually release a dozen or more, and it seemed almost effortless—a rare feat indeed.
Each Witch’s Eye demands precise control—more so than forming the Mana Vortex itself. Most newly advanced mages wouldn’t even dare to try, let alone handle several at once.
Leon spent ten minutes releasing about a dozen Witch’s Eyes, then guided them into every corner of the house.
When Roger Merlin bought this house, he spent nearly hundreds of thousands of gold coins—a huge sum even among Seaview City's merchants. Though it couldn't compare to the sprawling Monchi Estate, it was still too big to explore in a short time.
A dozen Witch’s Eyes might sound like a lot, but scattered through a house this size, they’re barely noticeable…
That’s why Leon closed the study door and told everyone not to disturb him—he knew this would be a long job…
Once the Witch’s Eyes left the study, they darted into every corner of the house—some to the living room, some to the courtyard, some to the kitchen, some to the bedrooms… Under Leon’s control, a dozen Witch’s Eyes began the most thorough search of the entire house.
Time ticked by, second after second…
The heavy drain on mana left Leon’s face pale. After an hour, he picked up the first magic crystal and quickly drew out its power, keeping the Witch’s Eyes active. But this time, he could only last forty minutes before needing a second magic crystal…
Even after draining two crystals, Leon’s complexion didn’t improve—in fact, he looked even paler.
Magic crystals do provide mana, but it’s impure. Most mages wouldn’t dare draw directly from them—only someone like Leon, who’s extracted mana from a Void Storm, would even try.
But even Leon couldn’t keep this up forever. He figured he could draw from one more crystal at most before he’d have to stop searching and meditate—otherwise, the impurities flooding in with the mana would cause serious problems.
Twenty minutes later, just as Leon reached for a third crystal, one Witch’s Eye flying into the second-floor study suddenly stopped!
This is it!
Leon muttered a spell under his breath, and a dozen Witch’s Eyes instantly flew back, dissolving into pure mana and merging with his Mana Vortex. At the same time, Leon stood up, pushed open the study door that had been closed for over two hours, and hurried up the stairs to the second-floor study.
The second-floor study was Roger Merlin’s workspace, where he handled confidential business matters. No one was allowed in—not even his only son, Matthew Merlin, who’d only visited a few times as a child.
It hadn’t seemed odd at the time, but looking back now, there was probably something off about that study…
After entering the second-floor study, Leon went straight to the row of bookshelves at the back. He counted—the sixth book on the third shelf. At first glance, it looked no different from the others, but to someone who’d spent twenty years in a library, it was suspicious.
There were plenty of books on the shelf, but only this one had a spine so worn. Maybe someone would say it was just read a lot—maybe Roger Merlin loved reading, and this was his favorite? Sure, that’s possible. But the spine was battered while the pages inside were pristine. Did Roger read without opening the book?
If Leon couldn’t spot something that obvious, those twenty years spent in the library would’ve been a total waste.
Leon stepped up to the shelf, pressed gently, and sure enough—there was a faint click, as if something had just been unlocked…
A hidden door—just as I thought…
Leon tried pushing the shelf; to his surprise, it slid aside with just a gentle nudge, revealing a long passage behind it.
By the study’s lamplight, Leon peered into the passage. It was long, dark, and he had no idea where it led. Faint magical ripples drifted out from within.
[System Message: This chapter isn't over yet ^.^, please click next page to continue reading! (Omitted from main translation)]
The magical ripples weren’t especially strong, but they felt heavy and tightly sealed. Leon guessed it was some kind of alchemical array for suppression or sealing.
He’d have to see it up close to know for sure.
Leon casually cast a Light spell, letting the gentle, bright orb float a foot in front of him. Using its glow to light the way, he stepped into the long, dark passage.
He walked through the gloomy, shadowy passage for nearly five minutes before finally reaching its end.
At the end of the passage stood a tightly shut stone door. The magical ripples he’d sensed earlier were coming from behind it.
Leon tried pushing the stone door, but it didn’t budge. He searched around for a mechanism like the bookshelf, but found nothing. Scratching his head, he wondered, “Do I need a key?”
That didn’t seem right either—the stone door didn’t even have a crack, let alone a keyhole…
Huh, what’s this…
Just as Leon was wondering if he should try breaking the stone door by force, he suddenly noticed some strange markings on it.
The markings weren’t obvious, and with the passage so dark, Leon had first assumed they were just natural patterns in the stone. But on closer inspection, something was off…
Nesserian script!
Before the Third Dynasty, Northend had seen two great empires. One was the Ashan Dynasty, said to have been founded by gods and demons, but its history is so ancient it’s impossible to verify.
The other was the Nesser Dynasty…
The Nesser Dynasty was ruled jointly by dragons and elves. It’s said that magic itself was born in that era. The two powerful races governed Northend for only a few thousand years before succumbing to endless infighting, and now, relics of the Nesser Dynasty are rarely found.
But one thing did survive—the Nesserian script. It’s a blend of Dragon and Elvish, simple yet precise, and many mages consider it the most perfect magical language.
Even after tens of thousands of years, in the golden age of magical civilization, Nesserian script was still a must-have skill for mages. Many advanced spells had to be written in it, and some profound magical knowledge could only be described with Nesserian script—otherwise, the information would be unwieldy and convoluted, making even simple reading a chore.
But widespread use of Nesserian script only came after the Plane Colonization Era. Nowadays, only the top mages—at least titled Magi—can master it.
So who left the Nesserian script on the stone door?
Leon racked his brain but came up empty, so he gave up and turned his attention to studying the Nesserian script on the stone door.
For Leon, this was much easier. In less than ten minutes, he’d deciphered nearly all the Nesserian script on the door.
Simply put, it was a puzzle—a riddle written in Nesserian script.
After that, it was easy. Leon simply stood there and loudly spoke the answer in Nesserian script, and the stone door—closed all this time—swung open at once!
Holy—! The moment the door opened, Leon felt blinded.
Three red diamonds embedded in the stone wall blazed with dazzling light in the darkness, flooding the air with intense magical energy—so thick it was hard to breathe.
Those were Abyssal Magic Diamonds, said to be formed from the eyes of dead demons. Each one contained earth-shattering magical power, and every mage dreamed of owning one. Even in this age of abundant resources, Abyssal Magic Diamonds were priceless; if they hit the market, countless mages would go mad for them—even the exalted Magi would pay any price.
Their immense, pure mana and astonishing magical conductivity made Abyssal Magic Diamonds one of the finest sources of magical power. Whether drawing mana directly or powering an alchemical array, you could skip the purification step—their magic was so pure, you never had to worry about impurities.