Chapter 546: Very Smooth
"No..."
William Merlin quickly shook his head. Having grown up in the Merlin Family manor, he’d often heard legendary tales of this commander’s campaigns across countless planes. In the past, it was impossible not to feel pressure when facing him.
But things were different now. Ever since that so-called exile to Thousand Sails City, and after meeting his cousin Marfa, his fate had completely changed. In just over a year, he’d covered ground that would take most people ten years—rising from a Fifth Level Grand Mage to a Ninth Level Magus.
Honestly, now that he was face-to-face with Thorne Merlin, he didn’t feel any pressure at all.
He couldn’t help it—his confidence was overflowing. Not long ago, he’d completely mastered the meditation law composed of thirteen formulas that Marfa had given him. He destroyed his old magical sigil and rebuilt something far stronger on its ruins: the Well of the Stars.
Don’t be fooled by the fact that he was only a Ninth Level Magus. In real combat, his power could easily crush some of the lesser-known Title Archmages.
"Lord Thorne, you’d better take a look now. Marfa said you’d definitely love this gift—the Alchemical Mana Core forged by Vaughn the Worldshaper." William Merlin hesitated, still not placing the object on the table, but instead handed it directly to Thorne Merlin.
"Hmph..."
Thorne Merlin was clearly taken aback. The notoriously short-tempered commander was about to lose his temper, but remembering William Merlin’s relationship with the young mage, he forced down his anger and let out a cold snort.
"What is this..." Thorne Merlin hesitated for a moment, then reached out to take the object. He unfolded layer upon layer of manuscript paper, until a faint glimmer was revealed—a thumb-sized metal sphere lay quietly inside.
A cold, sinister smile crept onto Thorne Merlin’s lips. He stared at William Merlin for a full three to five minutes before finally speaking in a gloomy voice: "Do me a favor and tell Magus Merlin I don’t have such hobbies. I hope he won’t send me things like this again. Oh, and before you leave, you’d better take this metal sphere with you. If it stays here, I’ll just throw it out as trash."
That exquisitely crafted, seemingly inert metal sphere might look like a collector’s item to others, but only he, Marfa, and a handful of others knew just how precious the Alchemical Mana Core really was.
Because half a year ago, he’d received a similar Alchemical Mana Core from Marfa. Following Marfa’s instructions, his magical power doubled overnight.
That’s right—this was the greatest invention of Vaughn the Worldshaper: the Alchemical Mana Core!
That exquisitely crafted, seemingly inert metal sphere might look like a collector’s item to others, but only he, Marfa, and a handful of others knew just how precious it really was.
At that moment, Thorne Merlin was so overcome he could barely speak, his face flushed red. He repeated his thanks three times—there wasn’t a shred of the commander’s usual dignity left.
He couldn’t help it—he was simply too happy.
Half a year ago, Owen Merlin’s Mana Core was destroyed in that incident, cutting off his path as a mage. Seeing his son’s despair in that moment was like a knife to Thorne’s heart—he suffered even more than Owen did.
He’d fantasized more than once about helping Owen become a mage again, but it was never realistic—just wishful thinking.
William Merlin’s expression was calm. He let out a dry laugh, then took a deep breath and said, "Lord Thorne, you might not know the origin of this metal sphere. It was created by Vaughn, the last Worldshaper of the Third Dynasty. If you don’t believe me, look closely—the forging material isn’t ordinary metal, but a rare magical alloy called Eclipse Mithril. This metal can only be found below the fortieth layer of the Abyss..."
"Hmm?"
Sure enough, as soon as William finished speaking, Thorne Merlin’s idle fiddling stopped abruptly. He examined the Alchemical Mana Core more closely and quickly noticed something unusual. "What’s it for?"
"It’s called the Alchemical Mana Core. Simply put, it can replace a mage’s Mana Core, and it doesn’t interfere with meditation or spellcasting. Maybe, just maybe, it could help your son, Owen Merlin, become a mage again. As for how far he’ll go in the future—that’ll depend on his own talent..."
"Wait... what did you say?"
Thorne Merlin was utterly stunned, nearly dropping the Alchemical Mana Core. He replayed William’s words in his mind several times before finally reacting, gripping the core tightly as his hand trembled. "Thank you... truly, thank you. William, please be sure to thank Magus Merlin for his selfless help. No, I’ll go thank him myself right now. And thank you, William..."
At that moment, Thorne Merlin was so overcome he could barely speak, his face flushed red. He repeated his thanks three times—there wasn’t a shred of the commander’s usual dignity left.
After several hours of travel, the group of six arrived at Inferno Fortress. Leon could tell at a glance that the fortress’s military strength had dropped by more than half since before. But he quickly understood why—after the Forgefire Tribe’s destruction, the Merlin Family’s territory in the Blazeforge Plane had expanded two or three times over, so troop dispersal was inevitable.
"Everything went smoothly, right?" Seeing William Merlin return empty-handed, Leon immediately knew his cousin had finished the task.
Speaking of that Alchemical Mana Core...
But now, thanks to the Alchemical Mana Core sent by the young mage, Owen Merlin had hope of becoming a mage again.
In this moment, Thorne Merlin wasn’t a commander or a Sword Saint—just another father, simply happy that his son might become a mage once more.
"Why thank me..." Seeing Thorne Merlin’s complete change in attitude—even thanking him—William Merlin couldn’t help but give a wry smile. "By the way, Lord Thorne, you don’t need to make a special trip. Marfa should be coming to Inferno Fortress tomorrow, so you can thank him in person then. The instructions for using the Alchemical Mana Core are written on those papers. If you still have questions, you can ask Marfa..."
"Alright, alright..."
Thorne Merlin clutched the Alchemical Mana Core in one hand and the stack of papers in the other, still visibly excited.
William Merlin smiled, giving the middle-aged commander—lost in his joy—a long, thoughtful look. He couldn’t help but marvel at Owen Merlin’s luck. If his father weren’t Thorne Merlin, how could he possibly have a chance to become a mage again?
He didn’t say anything more, just turned and left the council chamber, heading for Specter Valley.
By the time William Merlin returned to Specter Valley, it was already evening. The blood-red sun was setting, and the surroundings grew dim.
"Everything went smoothly, right?" Seeing William Merlin return empty-handed, Leon immediately knew his cousin had finished the task.
Speaking of that Alchemical Mana Core...
Saying he didn’t feel a pang of regret would be a lie...
It’s a treasure that can double a mage’s magic power out of thin air. With an Alchemical Mana Core, you can effortlessly crush opponents of the same rank.
In the entire history of Northend, only six Alchemical Mana Cores have ever appeared. Back in Four Seasons Gorge, he managed to obtain all six from the stone tower, but gave two to Saruman, fused two himself, and then gave one to William Merlin. That meant the one delivered to Thorne Merlin was his last.
To break down the barrier with Thorne Merlin, he had no choice but to do this...
Still, in the near future, he might be able to craft an Alchemical Mana Core himself...
Years from now, the Ivory Tower seized Vaughn’s Vault on Crystal Isle, and found a set of research notes on the Alchemical Mana Core. The Ivory Tower explored Four Seasons Gorge four times after that, but never found another core.
Now, with an Alchemical Mana Core in hand, if Leon could get those research notes and study them alongside the core, he was confident he could craft one himself once he reached the Worldshaper’s peak.
But for now, Crystal Isle was still out of reach...
Thousands of years from now, Crystal Isle would be the site of a cataclysmic battle, with more than a dozen Heavenly Rank powerhouses falling. Title Magi at that level were nothing but cannon fodder in such a fight.
In the end, the Ivory Tower prevailed, taking Vaughn’s Vault. Some secret records say they also unearthed the corpse of an ancient god-demon...
No matter how dangerous Crystal Isle was, Leon had to go. The soul fragment of an ancient god-demon in the natural demi-plane was a constant threat—if it ever awakened, disaster was certain. He’d have to abandon the demi-plane with all its potential.
And in Vaughn’s Vault on Crystal Isle, there was a way to suppress the ancient god-demon’s soul.
"Very smooth..." William Merlin recounted the events with a smile, unable to resist curling his lip. "Owen Merlin really is a lucky guy..."
"Heh..."
After a brief chat with William Merlin, Leon found a quiet spot to meditate. Before he knew it, it was morning. He gathered the three Merlin brothers, Reina, and the dragon-blooded orc Shuban—who’d just awoken from a half-month slumber—and set out for Inferno Fortress.
Counting the days, it had been about half a month since Weiss delivered the Forgefire Tribe’s totem. Today was the agreed date to return it, which was why Leon set out for Inferno Fortress early in the morning.
After several hours of travel, the group of six arrived at Inferno Fortress. Leon could tell at a glance that the fortress’s military strength had dropped by more than half since before. But he quickly understood why—after the Forgefire Tribe’s destruction, the Merlin Family’s territory in the Blazeforge Plane had expanded two or three times over, so troop dispersal was inevitable.