Chapter 219: Heart in Chaos, Heart Stirred (Part 1)

  In Diya Valley, the light of the teleportation magic circle lit up and then dissipated, and a figure appeared in the center of the magic circle.

  The teleportation magic circle here is perhaps the one used the least on the continent, and also the most mysterious and majestic one. No matter who it was, facing the teleportation scroll inlaid with a purple skull that leads here, they would be filled with fear and terror. But this person, as soon as they appeared in the magic circle, their next action was immediately to spit towards the magic circle below.

  "I thought that guy was so bold as to dare to set a trap on the teleportation magic circle here." This person snorted coldly, stretched out a foot to wipe away his own spit, and walked out of the magic circle.

  "I've been waiting for you for a long time. What, is this the attitude you have towards Diya Valley, which you haven't seen for twenty years? Respected former Acting Guild Master Sandro." An old man sitting on a stone chair not far away sighed and closed the book in his hand. He wore a blue-black mage robe, his thin and sharply defined face and those deep-set eyes made him look very much like a wise scholar.

  Sandro rolled his eyes and saw this old man, and was slightly taken aback. "Stephen? Is that you? Didn't I hear that you went to sea over a decade ago and vanished without a trace? I thought you were swallowed by a sea monster on the way, or died in the belly of a beauty from the Far East."

  "It's been twenty years without seeing you, and you still have that stinking temper and stinking mouth." The old man called Stephen smiled faintly and gestured with his hand. He held a cup of steaming hot tea in his hand, the few wrinkles on his face wrinkled into a very kind smile, the few strands of goat's beard on his chin trembled slightly, like a very cultured teahouse owner. "Don't stand there, come and sit. Don't you miss the tea brewed from the Clear Shadow Spring? This is the finest tea I just brought from the Far East, I guarantee you're the second person on this continent to taste it."

  "You just came back? Then have you heard about the trouble those youngsters have caused recently?" Sandro snorted coldly not far from Stephen. He didn't sit down, but stood there straight. "The youngsters these days are too bold, and their methods are too unrestrained... I'm here today to teach those youngsters a lesson."

  "Teach them a lesson? Are you planning to teach them a lesson?" Stephen chuckled. "You dare to make a move on other equally noble Necromancers in Diya Valley, under the sacred The Black Star? Even for you, this seems a bit too reckless."

  "Didn't they also make a move on that girl Vedenina?" Sandro snorted again. A wisp of killing intent emanated from him, his black-and-white eyes were terrifyingly bright. The white parts were as pale as a dead man's skin, with a hint of corpse-like stench, while the black parts were like black holes leading to the abyss underground, capable of devouring the person in front of him at any moment. "I've said it before, if anyone acts recklessly in Diya Valley or on my head, I won't let them go."

  Stephen took a sip of his tea and smiled faintly: "What a strong killing intent. I haven't seen such killing intent from you in at least thirty years."

  Sandro answered grimly: "Because for at least thirty years, no one has dared to provoke me like this. Tell me, where is that guy?"

  "Since he knew he failed. You would definitely come to settle the score with him, how could he possibly stay in Diya Valley?"

  "So I'm asking where exactly he is? You won't say, or you don't know?" Sandro glanced at Stephen, then turned and walked towards the valley. "I'll go ask others first. If none of you tell me, I'll make my move until you do."

  "Don't be too willful. This is Diya Valley." Stephen said lightly, looking at Sandro's back.

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  "I know, I don't need you to remind me. And, I advise you not to stop me." Sandro didn't turn back or stop.

  His steps were not large, still unhurried as before. But around every spot where his foot landed. The green grass on the ground instantly withered and rotted.

  Stephen was still sitting on the stone chair, unmoving, but his brows had slightly furrowed. He flicked his finger on the teacup in his palm, and the teacup silently and swiftly flew towards Sandro's back.

  But almost the moment the teacup left Stephen's hand, Sandro sensed it. He turned sharply, and in that instant, the killing intent in his eyes had become an active volcano.

  But only for that instant. Sandro's killing intent did not truly explode. Because Stephen still hadn't moved, the expression on his face was still as calm as before, and the teacup stopped just in front of Sandro, floating in mid-air as if held by an invisible hand. Not a single ripple appeared in the tea, the steam gently and smoothly rising upwards.

  "Have a cup of tea, you're too tense." Stephen said lightly from where he sat.

  The teacup was right in front of Sandro, but Sandro did not reach out to take it. He just looked coldly at Stephen, his gaze not sharp, nor fierce, but the coldness and the unique corpse-like aura in it could easily seep into the body of the person he was looking at.

  "I'm not here to drink tea." Sandro said lightly.

  "I said, don't stop me."

  "I'm not stopping you, just asking you to have a cup of tea to calm down."

  "I don't need to calm down, and I don't need you to meddle."

  "No, you do. Drink it." Along with this voice came a fit of coughing.

  This voice came from a short, hunched old man, who slowly walked out from the shade of a nearby tree. He seemed to have been standing there all along, but before he spoke, even Sandro had not noticed his presence.

  This old man was half-bent over, and with every word he spoke, every move he made, he would bring on a fit of coughing, looking as if a slightly stronger gust of wind could blow him over and kill him. But Sandro's pupils suddenly contracted when he saw him appear, and he asked in surprise: "Valthor? Is that you?"

  "Can't it be me?" The old man coughed, slowly walking to a spot not far in front of Sandro and sat down.

  "Your health is so poor, to have you wait for me here, I really don't deserve it. I thought you were always recuperating in your cemetery, no longer concerned with the affairs of Diya Valley." Sandro said coldly, looking at him.

  "I have to be concerned. You know how the youngsters these days are more and more disobedient, and even some of the old fellows seem to be getting restless." Valthor sat on the chair and didn't look at Sandro again, just curled up on the chair, coughing to himself.

  In the chair in front, Valthor coughed with great concentration and effort, as if coughing had become the meaning of his existence. In the chair behind, Stephen picked up the teapot beside him and poured another cup of tea. Both of them seemed very relaxed and at ease, as if they didn't care about Sandro between them.

  In contrast to these two, Sandro's face began to show an unprecedented solemnity. He stood still, his gaze constantly moving between the two Necromancers. He knew very well the strength of these two, and if they really joined forces, he could guess what the situation would be, and he wasn't even sure he could handle it.

  The priest's robe on Sandro began to flutter without wind, and a very subtle but dense sound of joints cracking burst from his body, a mist-like fluctuation swirling around him. The teacup, still suspended in front of him, began to tremble slightly.

  "By the way, Sandro. You came to Diya Valley alone, and Ronis is no longer here, aren't you afraid someone will take the opportunity to go after that thing?" Stephen asked, as if he had just remembered. "I know you still have some helpers, but they can't stand with you completely on the same side as Ronis did. If they knew the true face of that thing, what would they do? Be suspicious? Fearful? Or would they... be interested?"

  Sandro still didn't move, but the teacup suspended in front of him suddenly shook.

  In the study of the Chancellor's mansion in the Royal Capital.

  "What exactly is the thing in Mr. Sandro's hand, or rather, in the dungeon under the Grand Cathedral?"

  The one who suddenly asked this was Sophia, but everyone's eyes were similarly focused on Ethan, as this was also the question they wanted to ask.

  Ethan was taken aback, hesitated for a moment, then shook his head and replied: "I don't know, don't ask me."

  But immediately after answering this, he himself sighed inwardly. Everyone here was looking at him, and none of their abilities to read people could be fooled by his unnatural expression.

  And these people would not point out this obvious flaw directly, only Sophia said lightly: "In my opinion, perhaps more than half of this turmoil was caused by the thing hidden in that dungeon. Many people heard it at the time. What was Bishop Javi's reaction when he heard the thing in the cellar had been taken... To be able to abandon the situation he was controlling at the time and leave in a panic, it shows that in his mind, that thing might be more important than scheming for the empire... What exactly is that thing? I think it's better to give them an explanation..."

  "Then you can just make one up for them." Ethan said.

  "But we also want an explanation. A real explanation. Things have come to this point, does Mr. Sandro still feel he can't trust us?" Sophia looked at him and said.

  "Then you can go ask him, don't ask me." Ethan turned his head away.

  Sophia looked at him silently for a while, then also withdrew her gaze.

  At this moment, a voice came from outside. "Reporting to Lord Chancellor. Someone from the Magic Academy has come to report that the old priest Tom has disappeared."

  "Yes, I know, you may go." Sophia ordered coldly, then looked at Sedros and said: "It seems Mr. Sandro has really gone to Diya Valley."

  Sedros didn't speak, but looked at Regiment Commander Roland. Regiment Commander Roland then looked at Ethan and said: "We really want to know, what exactly is in that cellar? Although I can go and see it right now, I still hope you will tell us directly."