Chapter 229: Incitement (Third update complete, rolling around begging for monthly votes!)
Originally, Fran thought that if anyone came this time, it would be either Nolan or Caron.
If it was either of those two, Fran could rest easy. Nolan was always gentle with his disciples—no matter what mistakes they made, he would just say a few words and let it go. Caron, even more so, was the earliest to join and the most accomplished; he always looked out for everyone, and whenever Nolan couldn't step forward, Caron would handle things for them.
Fran was sure that as long as he explained a bit about what he'd been through on the way, whether it was Nolan or Caron, they'd stand up for him without hesitation.
But why was it Sylas West who came...
Of all Nolan's many disciples, Sylas West was the last to join, but his talent was extraordinary. Not only was he one of Auckland's top Grandmasters, but he also became a Title Archmage a few years ago. The name 'Flame Demon Sylas West' had echoed throughout Auckland in recent years, and many considered him the third most important figure at Mercury Tower.
Compared to that, Fran's own achievements seemed hardly worth mentioning...
Fran had joined Nolan at least ten years before Sylas West, but after all these years, the one he used to look down on had surpassed him. Fran was still stuck in place—his alchemy and magic had barely improved at all.
And their relationship had only gotten worse.
In the past year or two, Sylas West usually wouldn't speak to Fran at all, but whenever he did, it was either to scold or reprimand him. Fran could hardly lift his head in front of him, and would go out of his way to avoid Sylas West whenever possible. Toward this junior who joined later, Fran felt a deep sense of dread.
Of all the people at Mercury Tower, Fran wasn't afraid of Nolan or Caron—he was only afraid of Sylas West.
Seeing that it was Sylas West who had come, Fran couldn't help but groan inwardly...
"Come inside." Sylas West glanced at Fran, said nothing else, and walked straight into the tent.
Fran saw the look in Sylas West's eyes and couldn't help but feel anxious. He glanced around, but then remembered this wasn't Mercury Tower—there was no one left to help him. So, he had no choice but to steel himself and follow Sylas West into the tent, his twisted expression making him look like a prisoner being dragged to the gallows...
"The letter you wrote—Master has already read it." Sylas West sat casually inside the tent, his voice calm, his face expressionless.
But for some reason, Fran just felt afraid—so afraid his voice trembled: "Master... what did Master say?"
"Master's concern is that you might not be able to handle things alone, so he sent me to help. If we do end up finding that Soulbound Relic, I'll negotiate with the other factions—Mercury Tower is willing to exchange for it by other means." At this, Sylas West shot Fran another look, his eyes growing more dissatisfied. "But I think that Soulbound Relic probably doesn't even exist..."
"I..." Fran was startled—the thing he'd been worried about had finally happened.
"Fran, you'd better put away your little tricks. Do you really think Master doesn't know? Heh. If you hadn't run into some major trouble, would you really have written to him? You figured that if you mentioned Vaughn's Laboratory and the Soulbound Relic, Master would come to Four Seasons Gorge himself, didn't you? You just wanted him to solve all your problems."
Sylas West looked at Fran with a cold sneer. "I've told you before: spend more time on alchemy. If you put half the effort you spend dealing with the Merlin Family into alchemy, you'd already be a top Grandmaster. Then you wouldn't need to write to Master at all."
"I don't want to be like this either..." Fran couldn't even lift his head after being scolded.
"Forget it, Fran. You chose this path yourself. I can help you this time, but if you get into trouble again, I hope you won't write to Master anymore. He's hundreds of years old—do you really think it's fair to make him worry about you all the time?"
"I... I thought it wouldn't come to this."
"Alright, tell me—what trouble did you run into? My time is precious. Once your problem's solved, I have to go to the Sungold Plane and take over for Caron."
"It's like this..." Fran, sweating in fear, perked up a bit when he heard Sylas West was willing to help. He organized his thoughts: "After I arrived in Seaview City, I've been researching Vaughn's Vault, poring over tons of documents. But the alchemical array in Vaughn's Vault is way beyond my abilities. I was about to give up, but Lance kept begging me, so... so..."
"So you made up a story and wrote to Master for help, right?" Sylas West sneered, then nodded briskly. "That's fine. I've been studying Vaughn's Hexagram Array lately, and I've got some insights into the thinking of the last Worldshaper of the Third Dynasty. When your expedition team goes in, just save me a spot."
Fran knew this meant there was hope, so he quickly put on a hesitant expression. "But..."
"Hm?" Sure enough, Fran's performance caught Sylas West's attention. "But what?"
"But Lance, for some reason, found someone else to break the alchemical array."
"Isn't that a good thing?"
"The problem is, the person Lance found... I don't even know how to describe it. His name is Matthew Merlin—a Grand Mage and Grandmaster, only about twenty years old. His talent is remarkable, but at that age, how could I possibly trust him..."
"About twenty years old?" Sylas West was visibly moved. To be both a Grandmaster and Grand Mage at that age was rare—even he hadn't achieved that until he was twenty-five.
But isn't that a little too young?
In magic, there are prodigies who achieve great things young, but with alchemy, there's no shortcut. The deeper the alchemy, the more it relies on accumulated experience—every achievement is built on countless failures.
Relying on a twenty-year-old Grandmaster to break the alchemical array...
What was Lance thinking?
They're gambling with the lives of hundreds, maybe thousands, in the entire joint expedition team...
"I've tried to persuade Lance many times. Matthew Merlin is an undeniable genius in alchemy, but at that age, his experience is sorely lacking. The alchemical array in Vaughn's Vault is way beyond him. But Lance won't listen, and Matthew Merlin is incredibly arrogant—he insists he can break the array, and even claims my lack of confidence is because Mercury Tower's alchemical standards are too low!"
Fran stopped there, head bowed, carefully watching Sylas West's face...
"Oh?" Sure enough, Sylas West's brow furrowed. "Mercury Tower's alchemical standards are too low?"
"Yes, that's exactly what Matthew Merlin said. If it weren't for that, I wouldn't have written to Master in the middle of the night. I really don't want to see hundreds, maybe thousands, from the expedition team die in Vaughn's Vault because of his arrogance..." Fran sighed helplessly, as if he truly cared about the team's fate.
"Heh. Looks like Mercury Tower has kept too low a profile these past years—so low that a twenty-year-old Grandmaster dares question our alchemical standards..." Sylas West's brow relaxed, and he even smiled, a rare sight.
"Maybe it's just that Seaview City is too isolated." The instant Fran saw that smile, he knew he'd gotten what he wanted.
Both were disciples of Nolan. They didn't get along, but they'd spent years together. Fran knew that whenever Sylas West smiled like that, it meant he'd truly been provoked.
Being provoked was good...
Next, it was time for Matthew Merlin to taste the anxiety Fran had felt at Mercury Tower...
"Come on, take me to meet this Matthew Merlin. I want to see just how capable he is, daring to question Mercury Tower's alchemical standards." Sylas West stood up slowly. Though he was still smiling, to Fran, it looked like he'd already sentenced Matthew Merlin to death.
Fran was secretly pleased, but still said, "By the way, Sylas, the ninth-rank mage outside is Salomon, disciple of Star Sage Joey. He's always protective of Matthew Merlin. When you go out, be careful not to antagonize Salomon too much, or Master might have a hard time explaining things to Joey later..."
Fran's words were venomous. On the surface, he seemed to be warning Sylas West not to go too far, but in reality, he was hinting that Salomon was shielding the young Grandmaster who questioned Mercury Tower's standards, relying on his connection to Star Sage Joey.
Ordinary people might actually worry about Star Sage Joey's reaction after hearing that.
But Sylas West was different—the only one in Nolan's line who might catch up to Caron. In all of Auckland, the only people he respected were Nolan and Caron. Joey, Heron—he'd never cared about them. Hearing Fran's words, his smile grew even more menacing: "Salomon, huh? Got it..."
*******
People really are driven by pressure—finished nine thousand words before midnight, hoping for a few more monthly votes!