Chapter 579: No Time
To be honest, after spending several months with the young mage, she thought she understood him well enough...
Although the young mage was only a sixth-level Archmage, within one of humanity's factions he was a high-ranking leader whose word was law, able to command thousands at will. More importantly, he was a formidable alchemist—she had witnessed the Doombringer Staff ascend to the rank of High Essence Relic with her own eyes...
Of course, none of that truly mattered to her...
But now, she realized just how wrong she had been—so wrong it was almost laughable...
This young mage was far more mysterious than she could have ever imagined!
"Heh..." For Reina's momentary loss of composure, Leon only gave a dry chuckle and said nothing more. At that moment, his brows were furrowed in deep thought.
After more than ten minutes, the team formed by the three major factions regrouped once again, flying over the lake toward a distant destination. The sheer size of the lake caught everyone off guard—it took nearly an hour of flight before they finally landed on the shore...
"What the hell..."
Councilor Weiss glared at the endless expanse of water, cursing under his breath. Ever since arriving in this realm, it had been one bizarre event after another—encountering the nearly extinct Hydra from ancient times, and now traversing a lake so vast that, even flying at their speed for an hour, they must have crossed at least several hundred kilometers...
A lake stretching for hundreds of kilometers—who could say that's not bizarre?
After the long flight, most of the team was barely holding on. Once they landed and rested, Leon gripped a Mana Crystal, surveying the desolate plain that stretched endlessly. The sight, combined with thoughts of the Hydra and the vast lake, made him frown, a vague suspicion forming in his mind...
After half an hour of rest, the group set out again, wandering aimlessly across the barren plain. They had come to this realm seeking the Scepter and the Primordial Deity's Skull, but now, with no leads, all they could do was grope their way through this vast land.
Soon, a shrill cry split the sky—another formidable magical beast had appeared...
The Dragonhawk flapped its enormous wings, stirring up a fierce wind as it swooped toward the group. It circled arrogantly overhead, then unleashed a blast of scorching dragonfire.
Fortunately, this Dragonhawk was nowhere near as strong as the Hydra—about level thirty-seven. Within ten minutes, Reina in her dragon form slew it and handed Leon a Mana Crystal.
Yet the Dragonhawk's appearance left Leon deeply shaken once again...
It wasn't the Dragonhawk's strength that stunned him—it was its sheer size.
Dragonhawks, like wyverns, possess a trace of dragon blood. In the age of the Primordial Deities, they were common across Northend. But tens of thousands of years later, their numbers have dwindled—Leon knew only Silvermoon Forest still harbored Dragonhawks. Modern ones, mutated to survive, have shrunk, their wings barely spanning ten meters. Yet the Dragonhawk just now had a single wing over ten meters long...
It seemed that only Dragonhawks from the age of the Primordial Deities could grow so immense...
All along the way, Leon was lost in thought as the team trekked across the barren plain. It truly was desolate—no plants, and even magical beasts were pitifully scarce. In a whole day, they encountered only a handful, and every single one was a Dragonhawk.
"What's that...?"
As dusk approached, Anthus, the seventh-level Sword Saint leading the group, gazed into the distance. With his superhuman eyesight, he spotted a patch of green and sensed a surge of life force.
"It's a forest..." Red Watson let out a sigh of relief and quickly cast a Wizard's Eye. But his expression froze: "What the hell, seriously, you guys have to see this!"
"What's wrong?" Even Leon was puzzled by Red Watson's reaction. With a wave, he summoned a Wizard's Eye into the air, and the scene ahead appeared in his vision—towering trees radiating vibrant life, the ground carpeted with plants and bursting with flowers, everything thriving.
Nothing seems out of place...
Leon shook his head inwardly, about to dismiss the Wizard's Eye when a doubt crept into his mind.
Wait a minute...
Aren't those plants and trees a bit... too big?
Just then, a dark figure flashed by—it was Falton from the Black Tower Sanctuary. The powerful elder clearly sensed something amiss and flew toward the forest. The rest of the team, startled into action, also took flight and landed at the forest's edge.
"My god..." The first gasp came from Councilor Weiss of the Black Tower. The old man's face was etched with shock as he looked up at the trees, his voice raspy.
Everything in the forest seemed magnified dozens, even hundreds of times. The shortest trees were nearly a thousand meters tall, and some fallen leaves were so huge they could be used as blankets. Most of the nearby plants stood over ten meters high, and the fragrant flowers were bigger than a person's head...
"This is unbelievable..." Suville, standing not far from Weiss, couldn't help but marvel. "Just what kind of world have we stumbled into...?"
After more than ten minutes of cautious probing confirmed the forest was safe, the group ventured inside. They spent several hours exploring before night fell, eventually finding a clearing to rest for the night.
Three campfires glowed in the pitch-black forest, awkwardly out of place. They marked the three major factions; the people didn't gather together but kept dozens of meters apart.
"Damn it, why is it always Lord Xiu Ban who gets stuck with night watch..." The dragonblood orc sat by the fire, grumbling bitterly. For a dragonblood orc, night watch duty was the absolute worst!
Suddenly, a faint sound reached his ears...
"Damn!" The dragonblood orc jumped in fright. How could Lord Merlin's ears be so sharp, hearing even from this far away?
As the dragonblood orc grew uneasy, two figures approached from the distance. By the dim firelight, he recognized them and relaxed, not even bothering to stand. He shot them a sideways glance: "Hey, it's late—what are you two sneaking around for?"
Red Watson and Anthus walked side by side, their silhouettes oddly mismatched—Anthus, the seventh-level Sword Saint, was tall and powerfully built, nearly two meters high, while the seventh-level titled Archmage was gaunt and skeletal...
"I want to see Archmage Merlin..." Red Watson's lips twitched at the dragonblood orc's tone, his hatred for the beastman reaching new heights. He still couldn't forget that humiliating ordeal—not long ago, he, a dignified seventh-level titled Archmage and councilor of the Watson Family, had been dragged by the ankle through camp by an orc, only to be tossed out unceremoniously.
It was a disgrace beyond words...
If not for his fear of the young mage, he would have loved to blast the damned orc to bits with a Fireburst.
He was truly suffering right now...
Because he had to suppress the urge to blow up the orc while forcing a smile at the same time...
"Yes, we'd like to see Archmage Merlin..." Anthus nodded repeatedly, his demeanor unusually friendly. This Sword Saint, who had spent years at the Watson Family patriarch's side and whose hands were stained with blood, usually kept a cold face even when dealing with peers.
But now he wore a smile...
It was all forced...
He and Red Watson had come so late just to visit the young mage and resolve past conflicts. If the young mage still refused to let bygones be bygones, Anthus was even ready to apologize...
Compared to surrendering a Sword Saint's dignity and apologizing, a little friendliness was nothing at all.
At this point, both Red Watson and Anthus felt they'd already given the orc enough respect. After all, they were high-level titled Archmage and Sword Saint—there were few in the entire Kingdom of Andalusia who could claim equal footing, and the orc wasn't even a Sword Saint, just a Greatsword Master.
Normally, forget Greatsword Master—even a low-level Sword Saint would be honored to be treated as an equal by these two. Wouldn't they be overjoyed?
And then...
Reality defied their expectations. The dragonblood orc sat by the fire, too lazy to stand, barely glancing at them: "Go on, Lord Merlin is busy. He doesn't have time to see you."
"Uh... We won't take up much of his time..."
"No time means no time..."
Hearing the dragonblood orc's lazy voice, Red Watson and Anthus both felt veins bulging on their foreheads as they struggled to hold back the urge to lash out. This unimpressive orc was just too arrogant!
"You think you can stop us...?" Anthus's voice was icy as he shot the orc a contemptuous look. But just as he finished, his Sword Saint eyes caught sight of two figures dozens of meters away...
Who...?
Anthus took a deep breath, said nothing, and grabbed Red Watson's arm to leave.
"Let go, Anthus—what are you doing!" Red Watson was bewildered. The Sword Saint's strength was far beyond anything he could resist.
"They're here too..." After a few seconds, Anthus stopped, his voice low.
"Who do you mean?"
"Those two..."