Chapter 231: Don't Stoop to His Level
The battle on the Senjin Plane had reached a critical moment. The underground elves' rebellion had been suppressed, and Caron was on the verge of leading the Mercury Tower's alchemical golem legion straight in, ready to wipe out the cancer that had plagued the Senjin Plane for centuries. Yet, at that very moment, Mercury Tower sent Grant to take over his task and ordered him to head to Four Seasons Gorge to keep an eye on Sylas West...
Caron immediately found this odd. Sylas West was a top Grandmaster and a newly titled Archmage. He'd performed well in the Senjin Plane these past few years, and on three occasions had crossed into the Bloodsoaked Plane and come back unscathed. His strength ranked among the top three in all of Mercury Tower.
Now, he'd only gone to Four Seasons Gorge once, just to help a joint exploration team from Seaview City investigate a site that might be a relic left by Vaughn. Why was his master so nervous about it?
It turned out, after asking around, that Matthew Merlin was also part of that joint exploration team.
That was when Caron understood. Sylas West's personality was far too domineering—once he joined that joint team, he would never tolerate any dissent.
Ordinarily, that wouldn't be a problem...
Sylas West, as a top Grandmaster and titled Archmage, demanding absolute control over a team made up of archmages, swordmasters, and sharpshooters was perfectly reasonable.
The problem was, Matthew Merlin was there too...
Other people might not know much about this young Archmage, but Caron had once worked with Matthew Merlin in the Vanrison Research Group. He knew all too well—this young Archmage was not easy to deal with. If they could discuss things politely, that would be fine, but with Sylas West's domineering nature, if the two didn't clash, that would be the real miracle...
Besides, Matthew Merlin wasn't just any ordinary Archmage—he really had the ability to leave Sylas West utterly humiliated.
Just look at Hogarth back then: a ninth-level archmage, a data calculation authority, who got thoroughly put in his place by Matthew Merlin over a core spell model in Vanrison's Formulas, and almost got kicked out of Cloudspire Tower by Joey.
What's more, Matthew Merlin wasn't the same as he used to be. At the recent Order of the Arcane Hand Gathering, he stole the spotlight single-handedly—three sets of Meditation Codexes caused a huge sensation. Now, countless top-tier powerhouses want to get on his good side, including Caron's own master, Nolan. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so eager to call Caron back from the Sungold Plane...
If a conflict really did break out, it's hard to say who would come out worse.
Realizing how serious the situation was, Caron became anxious too. After leaving Mercury Tower, he practically traveled day and night, barely stopping for water, and finally arrived at Four Seasons Gorge just ahead of Sylas West.
Just as Caron landed from the sky, he spotted Sylas West by a campfire—and Leon, who was busy writing.
Caron's arrival caused quite a stir. He was the number two figure at Mercury Tower, second only to Nolan in status and strength. Given Mercury Tower's exalted position in Auckland, people hurried to greet him. Even Sylas West and Leon paused their high-stakes bet—one that involved two arms—to come over and say hello.
"Caron, what brings you here?" Sylas West's face broke into a rare smile when he saw who it was.
And this smile was completely different from the ones before.
Previously, whether facing Fran or Leon, Sylas West's smile always seemed cold and sinister. But now, standing before Caron, his smile was genuinely heartfelt.
Sylas West might be domineering, but in Mercury Tower, Caron was the true prodigy. He'd become a Grandmaster in his twenties, and now, in his fifties, was only half a step from reaching Worldshaper. His magical prowess was dazzling—he became a titled Archmage at forty-five, and for nearly ten years now, his strength could only be described as unfathomable.
Even Sylas West had to admit that Caron's level was a whole tier above theirs—he was qualified to stand alongside Nolan, Joey, Heron, and the kingdom's greatest powerhouses.
Caron always looked out for his peers. Decades ago, when Sylas West first apprenticed under Nolan and eventually became a top Grandmaster, he got used to relying on Caron for everything. If there was trouble, Caron would handle it. Over the years, Caron's reputation at Mercury Tower had quietly come to rival Nolan's.
Sylas West was proud—he even dared to 'hmph' at Star Sage Joey. But when it came to Caron, his respect was sincere.
To Sylas West, Caron was both an older brother and a mentor.
"My master asked me to come take a look..." Caron said hurriedly, then turned to Leon with a smile. "Merlin, what a coincidence—you're here too."
"Haha, yes, what a coincidence, Lord Caron."
Leon had a very good impression of Caron. Back in the Vanrison Research Group, Caron had single-handedly overseen the alchemy modules, and his abilities left Leon deeply impressed. Their later interactions had been pleasant, and Leon had even planned to visit Mercury Tower in Auckland someday.
He hadn't expected to run into Caron here in Four Seasons Gorge—especially under these circumstances...
"Merlin, long time no see. How have you been? Ever since the Vanrison Formula project wrapped up, I haven't seen you join any research groups. Oh, my teacher mentioned the other day that you made quite a splash in Rockridge—a set of Meditation Codexes nearly bankrupted Lord Morg! Haha, that's some impressive handiwork..."
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"Haha, Lord Caron, you're too kind. Those three sets of Meditation Codexes—I just happened to have them on hand, and since someone needed them, I figured I'd trade them for a few Mana Crystals..."
"Lord Morg owns Howling Isle. His annual income rivals Mercury Tower's holdings in two planes. With a tycoon like that, you really shouldn't hold back..."
As the two chatted warmly, the leaders of Seaview City's major factions felt utterly lost.
What was going on here? Why did Archmage Merlin seem so familiar with Lord Caron? And what were they talking about—Vanrison's Formulas, Lord Morg... Wait, Lord Morg, Howling Isle—could that be the Hurricane Envoy Morg, master of Howling Isle?
No way...
For a moment, many looked at Leon strangely. The Hurricane Envoy's reputation was legendary throughout the Andalusia Kingdom. Though only a fifth-tier titled Archmage—not quite the kingdom's top powerhouse—his wealth from Howling Isle rivaled that of Cloudspire Tower and the Black Tower. That kind of figure nearly went bankrupt at Archmage Merlin's hands...
So now, Archmage Merlin must be...
"Hey, Merlin, are you deciphering an alchemical array?" While everyone was lost in thought, Caron suddenly noticed the spread-out scroll.
Wait a minute...
Karon only glanced casually, but his expression instantly changed. He recognized that scroll—the alchemical array drawn on it was the very one Sylas West had just recently completed.
This alchemical array, named the Lightless Domain by Sylas West, was inspired by a note from Vaughn, then perfected with help from his teacher. Now, the Lightless Domain was fully laid out, with intricate lines traced in Snowmelt Ink.
Just as he and his teacher feared, it had happened...
"Yes, I just made a bet with Lord Sylas West—to see if I could crack this alchemical array within a single day."
Just as expected...
Karon understood everything at once. Sylas West was far too domineering—of course he'd clash with the young archmage. Now they were fighting for authority in this roundabout way. He could only hope... hope the stakes weren't too high...
"So, it was a bet. Merlin, when it comes to alchemical arrays, even Lord Oswald can't praise you enough. You should go easy on Sylas West, don't make the stakes too steep..." Karon's smile was warm and casual, but inwardly he was tense, repeating to himself: not too much, please, don't let them go too far...
"It's only two arms..." Lin Yun replied, smiling with feigned nonchalance.
"Oh, good, just two..." Karon was relieved at first, but then suddenly realized—two arms? He stared at Lin Yun in disbelief: "Two... two arms?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Karon felt his vision go dark. How could the stakes be so high—two arms, just like that!
"That's right. At first, Lord Sylas West wanted to bet one arm, and even had Saruman the Magus demonstrate for me. I thought one arm was too dull, so I suggested we raise it to two."
"Merlin, listen to me, please listen—" Karon was nearly frantic, ignoring the crowd as he dragged Lin Yun aside. "Sylas West is still young, don't take him too seriously. Could you let him win this once?"
"Sylas West is still young?" Lin Yun glanced at Sylas West from afar—at least forty-five, by the look of him. That counts as young?
"Uh..." Karon realized his mistake. Age-wise, Sylas West was more than double the young archmage's years. But with alchemy, age didn't guarantee victory: "I mean, Sylas West has always been a bit slow-witted. Don't take him too seriously, alright?"