Chapter 1107: Subchapter 1066 – Infiltration
The more benefits I help Archmage Leon Merlin gain, the more he'll give me in return. If a fat sheep walks right up to your door, waiting to be slaughtered, who else would you pick?
I can only squeeze you dry, so Archmage Leon gets more out of it. Then maybe I can negotiate with him to let me owe those dozens of Mana Crystals for now...
If I help Archmage Leon Merlin earn a hundred and fifty Mana Crystals, maybe he'll let me delay paying back the ones I owe...
As long as Archmage Leon Merlin is pleased, he'll help me make another Golden Temptation Potion. When that happens, even Arno will break through to Sky Rank—heh, our Henry Family will be the strongest in the entire Blazeforge Battlefield.
None of the other factions have even a single Sky Rank powerhouse right now...
Besides, even after leaving the Blazeforge Battlefield, Archmage Leon still knows how to make that potion.
Whatever, it doesn't matter. Even if that idiot figured it out, only Archmage Leon Merlin can make Golden Temptation Potions in the entire Blazeforge Battlefield.
Even if they knew how, those people probably couldn't make it anyway...
Only by following Archmage Leon Merlin can we go further and make our Henry Family even stronger...
If we lose those territories in the Blazeforge Realm, so be it. We could hand them all over to Archmage Leon and it wouldn't matter. Our Henry Family ancestors didn't amass wealth for its own sake, but to grow stronger.
Morgan strutted off to brag to Leon Merlin about his achievements, while on the other side, Diras left in a fury, growing angrier the more he thought about it.
Morgan, that idiot—he's a mage of the Odin Kingdom, yet he's helping those Andalusia Kingdom bastards squeeze me dry. Just wait, I'll make you regret it sooner or later...
Morgan kept asking for sky-high prices, never budging, all while wearing a face that said, 'I'm doing this for your own good.' Diras was nearly in tears...
They argued for over an hour, but Morgan still refused to give in. Diras tried several times to offer Morgan some benefits, but Morgan turned him down without hesitation.
"We're both from the Odin Kingdom; we've fought side by side as close friends. How could I take your stuff? I have to help you.
As long as you provide the necessary materials, I'll even beg Archmage Leon Merlin on my knees to make you a Golden Temptation Potion."
Morgan sounded righteous and sincere, without the slightest hint of guilt. He really didn't want anything from Diras; all the benefits he wanted were with Leon.
After another hour of arguing, Diras's face grew darker and his mouth was dry, but Morgan's price never dropped even a little...
Diras grew increasingly furious, his expression turning gloomier by the minute.
Damn it, Morgan that bastard, actually siding with outsiders...
And that detestable Leon Merlin—does he really see me as a fat sheep to be slaughtered?
Just you wait. If a proper deal won't work, don't blame me—I'm done playing nice...
"Morgan, I really can't come up with that many Mana Crystals and materials. If it's impossible, then forget it—I'll come back when I've gathered enough."
Diras's face was so dark it was almost dripping black water; he bit back his anger, tossed out a line, and turned to leave...
Morgan was still talking animatedly, but when he saw Diras suddenly leave, he was stunned.
Damn, did I push too far? Did that bastard figure out I was screwing him over?
Whatever, it doesn't matter. Even if that idiot figured it out, only Archmage Leon can make those golden transformation potions in the entire Blazeforge Battlefield.
Actually, it's not just the Blazeforge Battlefield—even the Odin Kingdom has never heard of such a thing. Maybe, in all of Northend, only Archmage Leon can do this...
So what if Diras knows I'm cheating him? Sooner or later, he'll have to come begging again. Heh, trying to get the better of Morgan, the best businessman in all Northend.
Give me a break...
Morgan strutted off to brag to Leon about his achievements, while on the other side, Diras left in a fury, growing angrier the more he thought about it.
Morgan, that idiot—he's a mage of the Odin Kingdom, yet he's helping those Andalusia bastards squeeze me dry. Just wait, I'll make you regret it sooner or later...
And that Leon Merlin—don't think you're hot stuff just because you know how to make those transformation potions...
So what if you have this secret? If I dig it out, it becomes mine...
Leon Merlin, you think you can use this secret to squeeze me? Dream on!
Two hundred and fifty Mana Crystals from pseudo Sky Rank beasts? Three hundred pseudo Sky Rank beast corpses?
Damn it, this is extortion—blatant, shameless extortion!
Two hundred and fifty Mana Crystals from pseudo Sky Rank beasts could get you the best Essence Relics at the temple. They even had a top-tier set of three Essence Relics there before.
According to the description, if they're in the right mage's hands, their power rivals Mythic Artifacts. Even so, they cost less than three hundred Mana Crystals!
If I had that set of artifacts, I'd have Sky Rank power myself—why would I need to beg that damned Leon Merlin?
Damn it, I get it now—Leon Merlin never intended to help me at all...
I shouldn't have come here. That bastard, just wait—don't think I don't know. If he'd had the method earlier, he'd have shown it off outside, not waited until the Blazeforge Battlefield.
He must've only gotten the secret here in the Blazeforge Battlefield...
Enraged, Diras quietly hid around Leon's temporary encampment, then secretly released a Shadow Demon to infiltrate the camp...
A Shadow Demon is a strange lifeform from Hell, lacking a physical body—just a phantom shadow that feeds by devouring the shadows of other beings. Its strength grows by consuming the shadows of powerful creatures.
If it only devours the shadows of weaker creatures, that's just enough to survive.
This peculiar creature from Hell can only survive in places utterly untouched by light. In Northend, even a little sunlight will bring a Level-30 Shadow Demon to the brink of death.
Any Shadow Demon below Level 30 that appears during the day—even without direct sunlight—will be burned by reflected light, and if hit by sunlight directly, it'll vanish instantly...
Diras's Shadow Demon was lucky to survive; only Shadow Tower magic, which specializes in shadow spells, could possibly detect a hidden Shadow Demon.
He intimidated the Shadow Demon, then forcibly took control of it, making it his best tool for investigation.
When Diras first broke through to Title Archmage, this Shadow Demon could even be used to assassinate other mages or newly advanced Title Archmages.
But later, it became useless. For most powerful beings, especially those above Fifth-Rank Title Archmage, who have begun to grasp the power of rules—even a trace of it can foil the Shadow Demon’s assassination.
Although it can’t get close for assassinations anymore, it’s still the best tool for investigation.
Diras controlled the Shadow Demon, and after the sun disappeared below the horizon, he followed the earth’s shadows, quietly infiltrating Leon Merlin’s camp.
Whenever Diras saw Xuban or Reina from afar, he quickly directed the Shadow Demon to hide. Against such powerful individuals, if the Shadow Demon was discovered, it wouldn’t survive a single blow.
But when he saw the fifty legion mages of the Mage Legion, Diras couldn’t help but show a trace of envy and jealousy.
Damn it, how come all of Leon Merlin’s subordinates are so strong? Besides that orc and the cold woman, who are ridiculously powerful, there are also so many Title Archmage legion mages…
The auras of these legion mages were nearly unified. When gathered together, the surrounding fire elements would converge toward them, ready to unleash powerful combat strength at a moment’s notice.
Damn, these legion mages are just lucky. Right now, finding Leon Merlin’s hidden secret is the most important thing. Once I find it, I’ll take out these legion mages first. With the Shadow Demon, assassinating them will be a breeze…
Diras gritted his teeth, suppressing the urge to take out a few legion mages, and kept the Shadow Demon roaming around the temporary camp.
But after circling two or three times, it only wandered through some unimportant areas. Any place of significance—like tents—was protected by alchemy arrays, and every tent had seven or eight detection spells fixed on it.
Among them, two spells could detect the presence of a Shadow Demon.
No matter how peculiar the Shadow Demon is, it’s still a living being. The simplest life detection spell can find it, and there are also mana-repelling runes that the Shadow Demon can’t pass through. Touching them would immediately trigger the alert array…
Diras watched, grinding his teeth in frustration.
Damn, it’s just a temporary camp, yet every tent has eight detection runes—more than defensive spells. Leon Merlin, that guy…
The sky began to darken, the air grew heavy, and soon thunder rumbled overhead as rain poured down like the sky had been torn open.
Diras lay not far outside the camp, his robe soaked inside and out. To avoid detection, he didn’t dare activate even the most basic magic shield, and some minor spells fixed on his robe were forcibly interrupted.
Spending most of the night outside the temporary camp, Diras was drenched, his face pale from the cold, his lips turning blue…
Damn, almost there—just three tents left to check. As long as I uncover Leon Merlin’s secret, I can break through to Sky Rank…
Diras controlled the Shadow Demon, staking out each tent. Whenever someone entered or exited, the Shadow Demon would follow the trajectory into the tent.
By now, he’d checked almost every tent in the camp but found nothing. When dawn broke, he finally checked two of the last three tents, but still found nothing…
Just one tent left—this must be Leon Merlin’s. If the Shadow Demon can get inside undetected, I’ll definitely uncover Leon Merlin’s secret!