Chapter 363: Some Explanations
"You finished it so quickly?" Anderson had just been awakened and immediately sensed the magical fluctuations from the Arcane Wheel. His voice was tinged with a hint of astonishment.
Originally, Anderson thought this young mage would need several years to complete a True Spirit Magic Relic. But in reality, it had only taken a few months. Now, the True Spirit Magic Relic was right in front of Anderson, just waiting for him—the Relic Spirit—to merge with it, and it would immediately become a fully perfected True Spirit Magic Relic!
"So, what do you think? Satisfied with your new body?"
"Not bad..." Anderson felt the powerful magical fluctuations radiating from the Arcane Wheel. Even for a Relic Spirit as proud as he was, he couldn't help but click his tongue in admiration. "Really impressive, kid. I didn't expect you to be such a brilliant alchemist. And your luck? Unbelievable—Lathite Mithril, Elemental Amber, and even a Starstone. These are magical materials that most mages could only dream of..."
"Heh, yeah, I guess I got pretty lucky."
"Alright then, just as we agreed—I’ll serve as the Relic Spirit for this True Spirit Magic Relic for a hundred years. After that, you let me go free!"
"Of course..."
Anderson was straightforward. Once Leon gave his confirmation, Anderson transformed into a mass of black mist, surging out from the mana array. At the same time, Leon didn’t dare slack off—he poured all his focus into activating the Arcane Wheel. Instantly, endless light flooded the room, and the intense magical fluctuations kept climbing, stronger and stronger, until it felt like the very magical elements around them were boiling.
At the same moment, Anderson revealed his true power for the first time. A dragon’s roar echoed through the room, and an immense force pressed against the spinning Arcane Wheel. The dazzling light and surging magical energy seemed to freeze in an instant. Then, Anderson—now a mass of black smoke—rushed into the Arcane Wheel and vanished within it in the blink of an eye...
"Such power!" As soon as Anderson merged with the Arcane Wheel, Leon could feel it—the already intense magical fluctuations suddenly surged to a whole new level. The might of this True Spirit Magic Relic kept climbing, stronger and stronger, until it reached the rank of a mid-tier True Spirit Magic Relic...
This power...
It’s already equivalent to a fourth-tier Title Archmage. Just a bit further, and it could break through the limits and truly reach the level of a fifth-tier Title Archmage.
And yet...
With Anderson’s merger, Leon felt for the first time a sense of oneness with the Arcane Wheel in his hand. It was as if he himself was the Arcane Wheel, and the Arcane Wheel was him...
Leon knew that, up until now, this was the first True Spirit Magic Relic that truly belonged to him.
Before this, whether it was Saedus or Lord Shaun, neither was crafted by Leon’s own hands. He’d only subdued them through contracts. Sure, he could control them at will, but there was always that layer of contract between them—never true unity.
The Death Tome was even further removed...
In fact, even now, Leon couldn’t be said to truly control the Death Tome. All he could do was borrow a portion of its power.
Only the Arcane Wheel...
The Arcane Wheel was crafted by Leon’s own hands, and Anderson could be said to have been born from the Mana Harness. Now, as the Relic Spirit of the Arcane Wheel, Anderson could easily connect the Arcane Wheel and the Mana Harness. All Leon needed was a single thought—a single intention—and he could command the Arcane Wheel’s power with ease!
That feeling was simply incredible...
Leon spent a whole hour savoring the sensation of having the Arcane Wheel at his command. It wasn’t until nearly midnight that he suddenly remembered something...
"Oh right, Anderson..."
"What is it?" Anderson was still getting used to his new body, and this unexpectedly powerful True Spirit Magic Relic was a huge surprise to him. If not for his important mission, Anderson would have been tempted to abandon the hundred-year contract and become the permanent Relic Spirit of this artifact...
"I wanted to ask—how much do you know about the Turin Mountains...?"
"Hm?" Anderson’s voice instantly grew wary. "Why are you asking about that?"
"Nothing much..." Of course, that hint of wariness couldn’t escape Leon. He knew right away he’d guessed correctly. "You’ve been residing in my mana runes all this time, so you must have noticed—I haven’t chosen my own Meditation Codex yet. Now I have a chance to obtain a truly powerful Meditation Codex, but the catch is, I have to go to the Turin Mountains..."
"Don’t go there!"
"Oh?"
"Don’t ask me why—just don’t go." After Anderson said this, he seemed to realize it sounded a bit off, so he softened his tone a little: "The dangers of the Turin Mountains are far beyond your imagination. Countless mages stronger than you have perished there. With your current strength, you wouldn’t even leave bones behind..."
"But I’ve got you, don’t I...?"
"Me...? What could I do? I can’t help you—I’m just a Relic Spirit. I’ve followed Vaughn my whole life, and now I’m just waiting for you to set me free after a hundred years..." Anderson’s voice suddenly betrayed a hint of guilt.
"Heh, Anderson, you’re not being very honest..."
(Irrelevant passage skipped.)
"What are you talking about? I don’t get it. Ugh, I’m exhausted—I need to sleep now..." Anderson blurted out quickly, then retreated his consciousness deep into the Arcane Wheel, refusing to respond no matter how much Leon called out to him.
... Leon gripped the Arcane Wheel, momentarily dumbfounded.
Seriously?
Whatever...
Even though Anderson refused to admit it, Leon was now almost certain—this mysterious Relic Spirit was, for better or worse, connected to the Turin Mountains. That was all Leon needed to know for now.
Whether Anderson admits it or not doesn’t really matter...
Once I actually get to the Turin Mountains, I’ll have a hundred ways to make him talk...
Besides...
Leon hadn’t forgotten that, the moment Anderson merged with the Arcane Wheel, there was that earth-shattering dragon’s roar...
Over the next few days, the three mages in the house—Leon, William Merlin, and Ross Merlin—were each busy with their own affairs. Leon was getting used to the powers of the Arcane Wheel and the Doombringer Staff, while William Merlin and Ross Merlin barely left their rooms, wholly absorbed in studying their new Meditation Codices...
Just like that, another week passed...
On this day, after finishing his meditation, Leon called out to Anderson as usual. But as expected, there was no response, just like before. Leon wasn’t in any real hurry—he just smiled helplessly, put the Arcane Wheel back in his pocket, and took out the Doombringer Staff. He sank his consciousness into the staff, silently reciting those mysterious runes from the Death Tome...
This was Leon’s daily routine...
The Doombringer Staff was different from the Arcane Wheel...
All the alchemical arrays on the Arcane Wheel were designed for inscribing spells and runes, so Leon could easily engrave the mysterious runes from the Death Tome onto it. Someday, he might even use the Arcane Wheel to perfectly replicate the Mana Harness!
But the Doombringer Staff was a different story...
The alchemical arrays of the Doombringer Staff formed a complete, independent system. If Leon tried to engrave those mysterious runes onto it, the whole system would collapse. So all he could do was subtly guide the staff to 'remember' those runes...
This method wouldn’t show results in a day or two, but after a year, two years—or even ten or twenty—once the Doombringer Staff truly remembered those runes, the effects would be beyond anyone’s imagination.
*Knock, knock, knock...* But today, Leon’s work was only halfway done when a rapid knocking at the door interrupted him.
"Come in." Leon frowned. Being interrupted during this kind of work always irritated him.
"Damn, this place is a nightmare to find..." The door opened to reveal a short, stout middle-aged man, sweating and grumbling as he entered. "Leon Merlin, right? Put down your work and come with me—the elders want to question you."
"Oh?" Leon’s eyes narrowed with curiosity. "What do the elders want to ask me?"
Leon hadn’t expected a real answer—he’d just asked out of habit. But to his surprise, the question seemed to hit a nerve with the short, stout man...
"Outrageous!" The man nearly jumped, finger almost poking Leon’s nose. "Know your place, Leon Merlin! Who do you think you are? The elders want to question you, and you expect them to explain themselves first? The younger generation of the Merlin Family is getting more and more disrespectful. In our day, if the elders gave an order, we’d march into fire without a word! Not like you lot, always asking questions. Stop dawdling and get moving! What, do you want me to report what I had for breakfast, too?"
... Leon rubbed his nose, genuinely at a loss as to what nerve he’d struck in this short, stout man...
"Joseph, is there a problem with the younger generation of the Merlin Family?" Just then, someone else pushed open the door...