Chapter 140: Still Trying to Run?
Hmph, just as I thought—afraid to offend the Watson Family.
The moment Raven Watson heard that "Wait!", a cold smirk appeared on his face. After all, the Watson Family was one of Auckland's Five Great Houses—a top force in the kingdom, the only clan whose crest bore both sword and staff. Compared to such a colossal power, Seaview City and the Gilded Rose were nothing but insects. Opposing the Watson Family? Clearly, someone didn’t know the meaning of fear…
Now you regret it, don’t you? Now you’re scared…
But I’m not giving you another chance…
Raven Watson strode out of the Gilded Rose without looking back, a cold smile lingering on his lips. In his mind, he silently counted—he was certain that before he reached ten, Matthew Merlin would beg to hand over the Nether Iron Vein.
One, two, three... nine, ten!
When Raven Watson reached ten, he finally stopped. But he didn’t turn around. He was just waiting—waiting for Matthew Merlin to surrender the Nether Iron Vein.
Instead, what Raven Watson got was a mark of flame.
Almost at the exact moment Raven Watson stopped, Leon’s Spirit Staff pointed gently, and a surge of flame erupted from behind, engulfing Raven Watson…
In an instant, a scream echoed down Triumph Avenue.
Even as a Ninth-Tier Archmage, Raven Watson couldn’t withstand a Flame Mark cast without warning. The blazing fire roared to life, and in a blink, it had scorched him so badly his eyebrows and nose were barely recognizable. The young archmage could do nothing but roll madly on the ground, shrieking in agony.
That Flame Mark burned for a full ten seconds before Raven Watson managed to put it out…
By then, the young archmage was hardly recognizable as human. Not a single patch of skin was spared—his hair was a tangled mess, his eyebrows uneven, his face a charred ruin, and his once-elegant robe now looked worse than a beggar’s rags. His chest and arms were covered in massive blisters. It was a sight that would make anyone weep.
"I told you to wait, and you still tried to run. Did you really think you could get away?"
Leon grumbled as he finished, then had William Merlin help Farrow into the alchemy lab for treatment. As for Raven Watson, left lying outside the door—Leon didn’t bother with him at all.
...Raven Watson lay there, utterly baffled. What did that 'wait' even mean...?
It didn’t feel like he was trying to kill me. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have used just a Flame Mark…
Wait—a Flame Mark…
As the thought struck, Watson suddenly understood. It was that Flame Mark. Since arriving at the Gilded Rose, he'd cast three spells: two Gust Impacts and one Flame Mark. Later, Matthew Merlin appeared and knocked him down with another Gust Impact, but there’d been no chance to use the Flame Mark…
So that final ‘wait’—it was just to swap the Flame Mark back to me!
Damn it, would it kill you to just say what you mean?
For a moment, Raven Watson was on the verge of tears. Why not just say so? If you wanted the Flame Mark returned, I’d give it back—it’s just a third-tier spell. I’m a Ninth-Tier Archmage, do you really think I’d refuse? But no, you had to say ‘wait,’ making me think you wanted to beg for mercy. I was actually waiting, happy to hear your apology…
Damn it, this is just bullying!
Cursing under his breath, tears in his eyes, Raven Watson limped away from Triumph Avenue…
………………
Meanwhile, inside the Alchemist’s Lab, Farrow’s injuries had been treated. With a few days of rest, he’d be fine.
"Cousin William, how are those fifty Fifth-Tier Mages doing?" After tending to Farrow, Leon turned his attention to William Merlin’s work.
"Not bad. They’ve completed quite a few group missions for the Mercenary Guild, and their combat skills have improved somewhat. I’d say, give them another half a year, and the more talented ones could reach the sixth or even seventh tier…"
"Half a year is too long…" Leon shook his head. This batch of Fifth-Tier Mages was his only real team. The soon-to-be rebuilt Mercury Mercenary Company would have to center around them. Sixth or seventh tier might be enough for ordinary team missions, but to protect the ever-growing Gilded Rose, it just wouldn’t cut it…
The ideal mage company would need at least fifty archmages.
And not those artificially boosted by alchemical potions. Take Mason, for instance—he became a mage by using the alchemical potions Ryan brought back from the Black Tower. But what happened? His combat ability was worse than a magic apprentice. When Leon first arrived, he could order Mason to eat glass bottles, and Mason would do it. After burning out all his potential with those potions, Mason would be stuck as a First-Tier Mage for life.
As for Mana Baptism…
That’s not something you can just replicate. Not everyone has a body as frail as Matthew Merlin’s, and certainly not everyone has Leon’s terrifying mana control.
Even if every Fifth-Tier Mage got a bottle of Mana Baptism, at best it would improve their physique and give them a shot at building up magical power. Whether they became archmages would depend on their own luck…
Besides, Leon didn’t have fifty bottles of Mana Baptism.
So this batch of Fifth-Tier Mages needed another solution.
In fact, Leon had already thought of a way. He was just missing one crucial Essence Relic. If he remembered correctly, that relic was still in Cloudspire Tower…
That’s a tricky one. Borrowing an Essence Relic could be simple or complicated. On the small side, because of the artifact’s soul avatar, the relic almost never changes hands. Even if you borrow it, it can be reclaimed at any time.
But on the big side, Essence Relics are often the foundation of a faction’s power. If you ask to borrow one, people might think you’re trying to undermine their roots. That could get ugly…
Luckily, Leon wasn’t in a rush. He didn’t need that Essence Relic right away. First, he’d have to spend plenty of time making sure this batch of Fifth-Tier Mages were truly loyal.
Otherwise, Leon wouldn’t dare use them freely.
With his mind made up, Leon chatted with William Merlin for a while longer, mostly about how to deploy the Fifth-Tier Mages. Once William left, Leon called Farrow over and pulled a few Mana Crystals from his pocket…
"Take these Mana Crystals and have the Alchemist Workshop make me a batch of Mining Golems."
"Sure, I’ll—" Farrow reached out to take the crystals, about to say he’d get right on it, when he suddenly felt a surge of magical power leaking from them. Startled, he nearly dropped them. Staring at Leon, his eyes were wide with disbelief: "T-t-t… Tier-18 Mana Crystals?"
"Yep. All Tier-18. Six of them."
"My god…" Farrow sucked in a breath. On the market, a single Tier-18 Mana Crystal went for about three million gold coins. Now he was holding nearly twenty million in his hands.
Suddenly, Farrow felt that working for a boss like this was seriously stressful.
It had only been a little over a month since he’d last seen Boss Merlin, and already he’d killed six near-king-tier magical beasts and scored six Tier-18 Mana Crystals. Give it a few more months, and would Boss Merlin be hunting king-tier beasts too?
Forget it, better not think about it. Any more and he’d start having nightmares…
"Alright, Boss Merlin, I’ll get it done." Farrow took the six Tier-18 Mana Crystals and limped away…
Good thing Farrow left…
If Farrow had looked back just then, he really would have had nightmares. Because as soon as he left the Alchemist’s Lab, Leon pulled out more than a dozen Tier-18 Mana Crystals from his pocket.
"Honestly, Lord Shaun, do you really need so many Mana Crystals?" All these crystals had been forcibly claimed by Lord Shaun. Leon had practically snatched six away to give to Farrow.
Even though they’d reached an agreement, Leon still wasn’t happy about handing over so many Tier-18 Mana Crystals. That’s a fortune in gold—if he kept them, he could upgrade his Soulbound Staff with two more components…
"Seems like you really don’t want Lord Shaun to regain his power, huh? Hmph, don’t forget how you survived those three Spellcaster Alchemical Golems. You think a single archmage could stand against three spellcasters? Or that you could take on Barov’s Alchemical Golem Guards? If Lord Shaun hadn’t taken pity and solved those golems with a finger, you wouldn’t be standing here running your mouth…"
"Yes, yes, I get it, Lord Shaun. The Mana Crystals are yours—enjoy." Leon’s head started aching as Lord Shaun launched into another tirade.
Lord Shaun had already repeated this speech countless times on the way back…
And every time, he’d go on for at least an hour. Leon had endured this all the way back from the Prince’s Crypt, and it was driving him mad. That’s why the young archmage from the Watson Family ended up as the scapegoat for Leon’s frustration.
If Raven Watson ever found out, who knows what he’d think…