In this era, the Black Tower might still be just one of many factions in the kingdom. In the eyes of most people, it’s not yet counted among the kingdom’s top powers. But Leon knows that, in a few decades at most, the Black Tower will rise rapidly, becoming one of the two strongest mage forces in the fallen kingdom alongside the Cloudspire Tower.
At its peak, the Black Tower nearly controlled the entire eastern part of the kingdom, holding more than a dozen planes of various sizes, and nurturing countless powerful mages. Its military might was renowned throughout the world of Northend.
When the Eye of the Sorcerer discovered that bloodstained robe, Leon had already begun to suspect quite a lot…
Leon kept wondering who had entered the Bone Plane first—was it the original owner of this house, or Roger Merlin, who bought it later? But Leon never imagined it would be a mage from the Black Tower.
The Black Tower may not be as powerful now as it will be in a few decades, but they could easily field one or two titled Archmages. If they learned about the existence of the Bone Plane, Leon would never have had the chance to profit from it.
Besides, Leon remembered very clearly—historically, the Black Tower had never controlled the Bone Plane.
Could it be that the mage who met misfortune in the Bone Plane never had the chance to send word back to the Black Tower?
The more Leon thought about it, the stranger it seemed. He examined the Soulbound Staff in his hands, pondering what could have caused all this…
"Wait…" Leon’s gaze fell once more on the end of the staff.
Earlier, the sight of the black lightning insignia had left Leon utterly stunned, so he hadn’t looked closely. This time, he saw it clearly: in the center of the lightning mark at the staff’s end, a spear pierced straight through.
"I understand now…" In that instant, Leon grasped the whole picture.
Lightning and spear—that was the emblem used by the Black Tower three centuries ago.
Back then, the supreme authority of the Black Tower was the Sevenfold Council. The Caucasus Battlemages held three seats within it, until a great upheaval struck the Black Tower three hundred years ago. The institution fractured, and the Caucasus Battlemages declared their departure, journeying thousands of miles back to the Dark Highlands. From that moment on, the Black Tower forever lost the spear from its insignia.
In other words, these bones on the ground are at least three hundred years old…
With that realization, everything became clear to Leon.
Exactly. The mage who met his fate in the Bone Plane most likely never managed to send word back, so all the Black Tower knew was that something was odd about this place. They never discovered that it was connected to a Plane Path leading to the Bone Plane. Then, the great schism happened, the Caucasus Battlemages withdrew, and it took the Black Tower two hundred years to recover…
Otherwise, how could the Black Tower have missed out on the resource-rich Bone Plane?
But in recent years, it seems someone has started paying attention to this place again…
That thought made Leon frown. Ever since he arrived in this era, the Monty Family had targeted this house again and again. How could he not notice? First Felix came demanding payment, then Larry, the Ninth-Rank Mage from the Viper's Nest.
Whether it was Felix or Larry, the Monty Family was always lurking in the background.
Leon even suspected that Roger Merlin’s shipwreck might have something to do with the Monty Family.
Still, for now, it’s only the Monty Family that has stepped forward.
In other words, the renewed interest here probably isn’t from the entire Black Tower, but rather a powerful individual within it—someone who likely holds a seat on the Black Tower council. Otherwise, there’s no way they could mobilize two Grand Alchemists to serve the Monty Family so easily.
That thought brought Leon a bit of relief.
As long as it’s not the entire Black Tower paying attention, there’s no real problem.
All Leon needs now is a little more time. If he can just get his hands on the Death Tome, then there’s nothing left to worry about.
Because Leon knows that this extraordinary Soulbound Relic isn’t just the crystallization of the Bone Plane’s power—it’s also the control center for the entire Bone Plane.
With the Death Tome in his possession, Leon could completely master the Bone Plane. No one—no faction—would ever have a chance to interfere again. By then, what they’d be facing wouldn’t be Leon or the Bone Plane, but the laws governing every plane in the universe.
Right now, Leon’s only race is against time: he needs to upgrade his Mana Harnesses to five as quickly as possible, and reach Archmage-level combat power. Only then will he be qualified to seize the Death Tome.
Once he gets the Death Tome, Leon won’t even need the Plane Path—because the tome itself is the key to the Bone Plane. He’ll be able to enter and control everything within the Bone Plane at will. By then, it’ll be the powerful figure in the Black Tower who’ll have to worry—Leon could use the full might of the Bone Plane against him…
But building five Mana Harnesses takes far too long—if Leon had to construct them all himself, even three to five years would be considered short…
Now, the only shortcut is the Eye of Reincarnation hidden in the Prince’s Crypt.
Looks like, after returning, he’ll need to organize a caravan and head to Venomfog Gorge once more.
Once he was sure there was no immediate danger, Leon finally put away the staff and resumed searching the skeleton from over three centuries ago.
Strange, really—this skeleton has lain in the Bone Plane for at least three hundred years, yet never turned into an undead creature. In a place where death energy is everywhere, it’s surprising that these bones could resist its corruption. Leon found that rather unexpected.
But more than two hours had passed already, and Leon didn’t have time to investigate the reasons. All he wanted was to finish looting the skeleton’s belongings and leave the Bone Plane as soon as possible. Otherwise, if the Plane Path closed, he might be stuck here forever.
Unfortunately, what he found next was nowhere near as impressive as before…
After searching for ages, Leon only managed to find a single inheritance-grade ring. He didn’t have time to test its effects—he’d have to wait until he got back to the Gilded Rose to study it.
Once he was sure he hadn’t missed anything, Leon stood up, summoned the glow of Lightspell to his hand, and swept it around the area before heading back the way he came.
But that sweep revealed a problem Leon hadn’t expected…