Chapter 572: The Scepter
There was almost no chance of survival...
"This..." At this moment, Weiss seemed to realize it too, his expression suddenly awkward. He reluctantly tore his gaze away from the spatial rift. As a peak Sixth Level Title Archmage, his eyesight was naturally keen enough to see that the space beyond the rift was twisted to the extreme—utterly impassable.
Still, he was clearly unwilling to give up...
"A Dissipation Array—about five days should do it..." Leon Merlin glanced at Weiss indifferently. After speaking, he pulled a quill from his pocket, dipped it in ink, and swiftly inscribed runes in the air. Soon, a Dissipation Array enveloped the spatial rift.
In an instant, a white light flashed...
After finishing, Leon Merlin ignored the crowd's stares and, with Larn Merlin, the Frost Dragon, and the Sky Rank Golem, retraced his steps back to camp.
Leon estimated that in five days, the spatial rift's fluctuations would no longer be chaotic, gradually stabilizing. However, passing through such a space was not something ordinary people could endure—at minimum, one needed to be above Title Archmage to withstand that terrifying pressure.
About half an hour later, Leon returned to his quarters, pulled out a few notes detailing clues about ancient gods and demons, glanced through them, shook his head, and tossed them onto the alchemy bench.
"Emperor Norlick of the Blazing Flames..."
At this moment, Leon Merlin suddenly recalled what Larn Merlin had mentioned not long ago about a Blazeforge Orc named Norlick. In truth, Leon Merlin was no stranger to the name Norlick.
In the history of Northend, Norlick was easily one of the most famous Sky-rank Shamans. Whether in the dusty, decaying libraries or in the records provided by the Merlin Family, Norlick's name appeared time and again. Even if Leon's memory was poor, he knew exactly who Norlick was...
Thousands of years ago, the native Blazeforge Orcs of the Blazing Flames Plane formed countless tribes along the banks of the Howling River. Back then, the Blazeforge Orcs had no civilization or order—only chaos.
It was only with the rise of a legendary Blazeforge Orc that things began to change. That Orc's name was Norlick...
For more than a century, Norlick fought tribe after tribe with thunderous methods, and ultimately unified the entire Blazing Flames Plane, founding the Orc Empire.
As for the title 'Emperor of the Blazing Flames,' that was coined by mages of later generations...
Only then did the Blazeforge Orcs gain order and civilization, and the empire grew ever stronger. Sadly, just over two centuries after the empire's founding, Norlick—the pillar of the empire—vanished without explanation. Overnight, the mighty empire collapsed. The thirteen Blazeforge Orcs who had first followed Norlick divided the empire among themselves, giving rise to the thirteen tribes that exist today...
Norlick's disappearance remains a mystery to this day, but a rumor persists in the Blazing Flames Plane: On the night before Norlick vanished, a streak of light crossed the night sky and plunged into the Howling River. Legend has it that this was Norlick's Scepter, symbolizing supreme authority. Whoever possesses the scepter could command all the Orcs of the Blazing Flames Plane, just as Norlick once did...
The empire fell into endless war. The thirteen Blazeforge Orcs founded their own tribes, and decades later, as the fighting subsided, the tribes sent countless Orcs to dredge the Howling River in search of the scepter. Yet after decades more, not a single clue about the scepter was found.
Thus, the story of Norlick's Scepter became legend. Eventually, even the thirteen tribes gave up the search and turned to recuperate...
At this thought, a faint smile crept onto Leon Merlin's lips. He finally understood why Weiss and the others had such a strong reaction upon seeing the spatial rift. If Norlick's Scepter truly existed and had fallen into the Howling River as legend said, the thirteen tribes would have halted their wars to dredge for it decades later. By then, the scepter would surely have been swept to the river's end, but after decades of searching, not a single clue was found.
That meant the scepter was no longer in the Howling River—it had followed the spatial rift and flowed into another plane...
It's undeniable—Norlick's Scepter holds irresistible allure for any power. If one could obtain it, perhaps they truly could command all the Blazeforge Orcs, just as legend claimed. With that, conquering the entire Blazing Flames Plane would be within reach.
Even Leon found himself tempted by the scepter...
Of course, what mattered most to him was still the secret of the ancient god Constantine—the skull that represented the fountain of wisdom could radically change his magical path. If he could obtain and fuse it, not only would it solve his current predicament, but it would also greatly shorten the time needed to become a Sky-rank Mage...
Five days passed quickly. Leon stepped out of his quarters, ready to head for the end of the Howling River. But before leaving, he sought out Larn Merlin...
Originally, he planned to bring Larn Merlin along, but considering the demi-plane behind the spatial rift might be tied to an ancient god, the danger level would be extremely high. As a Fourth Level Title Archmage, Larn Merlin might not be much help, and the camp still needed a strong figure to hold the fort—Larn Merlin was the perfect choice.
After briefing Larn Merlin for over ten minutes, Leon Merlin set off with the Frost Dragon, the Sky Rank Golem, and the Dragonblood Orc, following the route in his memory toward the river's end. It took about half an hour; when they arrived, they found the Black Tower and Watson Family powerhouses already assembled along the shore, apparently waiting for Leon Merlin.
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Just as Leon predicted, on the fifth day, under the influence of the Dissipation Array, the spatial rift's fluctuations had finally calmed and settled into complete tranquility...
"Archmage Merlin..." As soon as Weiss spotted Leon, he hurried over, all smiles. "This spatial rift is connected to a scepter lost for thousands of years—the scepter once belonged to Emperor Norlick of the Blazing Flames. There's a legend in the Blazing Flames Plane: whoever claims the scepter can command all the Orcs of the plane. Archmage Merlin, I wonder if you're familiar with this?"
"Mm..."
Leon nodded slightly, giving Weiss a puzzled look. "What are you trying to say...?"
"Archmage Merlin, here's the situation. I just discussed with the Watson Family: the three major powers will join forces to search for the lost scepter. If we're successful and use the scepter to command all the Blazeforge Orcs, the benefits will be split evenly among the three powers. The Watson Family has already agreed—what about you...?"
"Heh, I have no objections..."
"Then here's to our cooperation..."
"Agreed, Councilor Weiss..."
Leon and Weiss shook hands, sealing the partnership in less than a minute. Weiss continued with some trivial small talk, and Leon responded with polite smiles and perfunctory answers...
At that moment, Leon's attention wasn't on Weiss, but on the black-robed mage standing beside Suville. From this, he judged that Black Tower had sent three people into the spatial rift: Weiss, Suville, and the black-robed mage...
Leon was almost certain that the black-robed mage had never appeared at the Black Tower camp before. In other words, the black-robed mage arrived at Fertile Horn within the five days after the spatial rift was discovered...
There was no doubt—the black-robed mage was powerful, a high-level Title Archmage.
But if he were just an ordinary high-level Title Archmage, Leon might not have paid him any attention...
In fact, from the very first glance, Leon could tell that the black-robed mage's power far surpassed Weiss and Suville. If nothing else, he was surely an Eighth Level Title Archmage...
Such strength was exceedingly rare in the entire Kingdom of Andalusia.
"That is Councilor Falton..." During their small talk, Weiss noticed Leon's distraction, smiled, and turned to glance at the black-robed mage, quietly introducing him to Leon. Weiss's face was full of wariness—clearly, this Falton was someone special.
Special doesn't even begin to describe it...
Perhaps only Suville and I truly understood just how terrifying Councilor Falton's strength was...
To be precise, Councilor Falton came from the Sanctuary and held no official post within Black Tower. Yet, among the Seven Councilors, all but Chairman Heron treated Falton with utmost respect.
But...
Councilor Falton hardly ever left the Sanctuary. The last time was three hundred years ago, when the Caucasus Battle Mages split from Black Tower, leaving it severely weakened and in crisis. Though Chairman Heron was formidable and employed countless thunderous measures, he struggled to stabilize the situation quickly...
Perhaps only a handful of Black Tower's upper ranks knew that, at that time, someone emerged from the Sanctuary—Councilor Falton. After Falton's assistance, Black Tower was able to reclaim its place at the pinnacle of the kingdom within decades...
In fact, after discovering the spatial rift, Weiss realized the gravity of the situation. Among the Black Tower's Planar Legion stationed at Fertile Horn, only he and Suville were high-level Title Archmages. So, upon returning to camp, Weiss used Black Tower's special communication methods to report the spatial rift and his suspicions to Chairman Heron at Darkmoon Fortress.