Chapter 827: Common Sense
Damn, I’ve heard before that Baroque is insanely arrogant. In the Black Tower, he looks down on everyone except Lord Heron—always acting like he’s above it all. How did he end up offending Archmage Leon?
My god, he actually wants to kill Archmage Leon! Does he really think that just because he’s broken through to Ninth-Rank Title Archmage, he can take out Archmage Leon? That’s way too naive.
Hobart of the Fireblade Tribe, that guy was peak Eighth-Rank Title Archmage, but under Archmage Leon’s hand, he was like a child—barely put up a fight before getting killed. And you think you can kill Archmage Leon?
After hearing Baroque’s even more blatant death threat, Weiss was so scared he nearly collapsed, then rushed into the reception hall.
“Lord Baroque, Lord Baroque, there must be some kind of misunderstanding here…”
Weiss didn’t have time for formalities—he burst in and blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
Baroque was fuming, and when he saw Weiss barge in, he immediately shouted at him in anger.
“Who are you? Who let you in here? Damn bastard, are you trying to insult the dignity of a Ninth-Rank Title Archmage?”
Weiss’s face went pale as he hurried to explain.
“Lord Baroque, I’m Weiss. Do you remember me? I wasn’t at Griffin Fortress before, so you probably don’t know…"
Baroque’s expression softened a little at that. He knew Weiss—an Eighth-Rank Title Archmage, and now at peak Eighth-Rank. In a few years, he might break through to Ninth-Rank, and when he takes over the Black Tower, Weiss will be second-in-command if all goes well.
A powerhouse like that deserves at least a little respect…
“Ah, so it’s Councilor Weiss. What brings you here?”
Weiss forced a bitter smile, wondering how on earth he could persuade Baroque.
“Lord Baroque, I just heard you say you want to kill Archmage Leon. Is there some kind of misunderstanding?”
At the mention of that, Baroque’s anger flared again.
“Damn Merlin Family, and damn Archmage Leon! He killed so many of our Black Tower people before, and now he dares to ignore my summons, leaving me waiting here a whole day! It’s contempt—contempt for my dignity, contempt for a Ninth-Rank Title Archmage! I’ll make him pay with his life!”
Weiss opened his mouth, feeling his legs go weak. Seriously? That’s all? Over something this petty?
Damn it, do you even know how those Black Tower people died before?
Open your damn eyes! Over a hundred magic crystal cannons, and then there’s the Dauntless—the most terrifying ‘Hand of Destruction’ on board. A mountain over a thousand meters tall, and with one blast, it’s turned into a crater!
So what if a few Black Tower cannon fodder died? In the fight against the Fireblade Tribe, several Title Archmages fell. When Archmage Leon intervened, how many losses did he prevent for the Black Tower?
Damn it, these idiots actually dared to team up with those bone-crunching Ashen Orcs. Since when was it so easy to snatch Merlin Family’s interests?
A bunch of fools—if Archmage Leon hadn’t shown up, Griffin Fortress would’ve been flattened by those damned Ashen Orcs. And you’re blaming Archmage Leon?
Do you really think breaking through to Ninth-Rank Title Archmage makes you invincible? For some geniuses, rank is just a reference point.
If you want to die, don’t drag me or the Black Tower down with you! That lunatic Falton was already trouble enough, and now you want to get the Black Tower involved too?
Damn it, no way. I have to talk sense into this madman. Archmage Leon isn’t someone we can mess with—he’s not exactly known for being merciful…
Weiss was furious, but Baroque outranked him and was stronger—there was no way to use force, so persuasion was all he had left…
“Lord Baroque, let’s set aside misunderstandings for now. Archmage Leon is not so simple—you absolutely cannot treat him like an ordinary Title Archmage…
Just look at the Fireblade Tribe’s chieftain, Hobart—you know him, right? He was a peak Eighth-Rank Title Archmage, and yet he died at Archmage Leon’s hands…
Archmage Leon’s talent is terrifying, his spellcasting is terrifying, his mana far surpasses the norm—and he’s a newly minted Creator. Every True Spirit artifact he wields is self-forged. He’s the strongest young mage I’ve ever met…"
Weiss kept on extolling Leon’s strength, hoping to dissuade Baroque from his reckless idea.
But Baroque just paused, then sneered, his gaze toward Weiss tinged with contempt.
This Weiss really doesn’t have a clue. No wonder, after all that time with Heron, he still hasn’t made it to second-in-command of the Black Tower, and I’m the one who took the spot instead.
He must’ve never met any real heavyweights. Well, it figures—there aren’t any in the Ashen Plane. Just look at the Merlin Family: a Fifth-Rank Sword Saint gets to be a commander, and even with all those brutal Ashen Orc attacks, they still can’t field anyone stronger.
This guy’s so eager to speak up for Archmage Leon, their relationship must be pretty solid. No wonder he’s never seen any truly powerful figures—he’s always surrounded by mediocrity…
Hmph. No wonder he’s already an Eighth-Rank Title Archmage but hasn’t made a name for himself with any major achievements.
Baroque held Weiss in contempt, but didn’t say it aloud. Instead, he asked a question.
“I heard Archmage Leon was just a Magus a few months ago. He only advanced to Title Archmage recently, right?”
Weiss nodded, then instantly realized what Baroque was getting at. He started to panic.
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“Lord Baroque, Archmage Leon isn’t your average Title Archmage. Even when he was just a Magus, he fought at Title Archmage level—and now he’s even stronger…”
Baroque waved his hand impatiently.
“Enough, you don’t need to say more. A newly advanced Title Archmage—how strong could he possibly be? I know some people’s combat strength doesn’t match their rank, but Councilor Weiss, do I really need to teach you some common sense? Don’t you know that the gap between each rank of Title Archmage is huge?
After Fifth-Rank Title Archmage, each rank is much stronger than the last. It’s a qualitative leap. I’m a Ninth-Rank Title Archmage, and he’s just newly advanced—how could he possibly compare to me?
Forget it, I know you don’t understand. Until you reach this level, you’ll never grasp how powerful a Ninth-Rank Title Archmage really is. Honestly, I could easily kill my old self before I broke through. You wouldn’t get it, so just drop it…"
Baroque, thoroughly impatient, turned and left the reception hall.
“Lord Baroque… Lord Baroque…”
Weiss called out a few times, but Baroque didn’t even acknowledge him.
Weiss could only force a bitter smile; he had no idea how to persuade Baroque. Baroque just ignored him completely—nothing Weiss said would get through.
It’s over—Lord Baroque is about to cause trouble. If Archmage Leon were really that weak, none of this would be happening. So stupid. Haven’t you noticed the Watson Family’s been keeping a low profile lately? No one dares mess with the Merlin Family anymore.
That idiot Green Watson was crippled by Archmage Leon in a single blow, and even Seth didn’t blame Archmage Leon—instead, he apologized to him…
Weiss was bitterly frustrated. After returning, he couldn’t sit still, tried to see Baroque twice, but didn’t even get a meeting. Now Weiss was truly at a loss.
Damn it, this won’t do. I have to notify Lord Heron—otherwise there’s no way to resolve this. That arrogant Baroque is sure to cause trouble.
With that thought, Weiss immediately started writing a letter…
“To Lord Heron, personally…”
Weiss considered, then wrote out everything that had happened since leaving the minor world, and sent it off right away.
Meanwhile, Baroque grew more and more irritable after returning—his anger only mounting. Night had fallen, but still no one had come. Finally, he lost his patience and stormed out of Griffin Fortress.
Damn bastard, today I’ll make you understand what it means to insult the dignity of a Ninth-Rank Title Archmage!
As for Leon, he honestly forgot who Baroque even was—he didn’t care about the whole thing. All he was focused on was improving his own strength.
The matter of the Dragon Staff was settled, and during this time Leon had also gained some insights into the Dauntless’s structural blueprints—this time, he was studying them with a Sky Rank alchemy array in mind.
Even a small breakthrough—barely a crack, really—brought Leon immense benefits, and his alchemy array skills improved dramatically.
This time, he was out to test his results by rapidly boosting the strength of his fifty Magus subordinates.
Their core meditation law was Swift Startrace. It only had fourteen core formulas—not the very best—but in terms of meditation efficiency, Swift Startrace was the strongest and perfectly suited for these fifty Magi.
As long as there was abundant mana, their strength would soar. In less than a year, they’d reached Magus rank—thanks in large part to the core meditation law.
Another key factor was the alchemy array in Wraith Valley!
Earlier, Leon had set up a mana-gathering alchemy array here, boosting mana concentration over tenfold and drastically accelerating their progress.
While it still couldn’t compare to a natural semi-plane, it was more than ten times stronger than anywhere else.
Now, Leon was about to set up a new alchemy array. If successful, it would make mana concentration four or five times denser—and this array had some other special effects as well.