Chapter 232: Tower of Fangs

  South of Ainfast is an alliance of several small countries. For many years, these countries, who worship the Elemental Gods, have been in constant conflict with the Empire. It was only in recent years, after a series of treaties were signed, that much of the friction subsided, and they gradually settled into peace.

  The combined strength of these small countries was not formidable; even together, they were less than half as strong as Ainfast. Yet, for many years, they had been able to resist the Empire's army. One of the biggest reasons for this was the Tower of Fangs, standing tall near the border of Ainfast.

  Let alone the small mages' guilds elsewhere, even Celeste and the Magic Academy, in terms of their achievements and influence in elemental magic alone, were no match for the Tower of Fangs. It was the largest mages' organization recognized on the continent, as well as the biggest and best academy for elemental mages. More than half of the mages on the continent graduated from here each year. The alliance of small countries relied on the strong support of the mages from the Tower of Fangs to maintain their undefeated stance against the Empire's army.

  The Tower of Fangs was not, in fact, just a single tower. In reality, it was the collective name for four magic towers of "Earth," "Fire," "Water," and "Air." four identical magic towers stood tall, their tops converging at a single point with a slight arc, resembling a colossal fang jutting out from the ground, easily visible from dozens of miles away.

  Among them, the one that was entirely white was the Tower of Air, and its highest level was the room of the tower master, Master Aiden. Master Aiden was a low-key individual, his reputation not widespread on the continent; in many places, he could even be considered inconspicuous. However, his incomparably profound mastery of air magic was greatly admired by his students.

  To him, air magic seemed almost not like magic, but a part of his own body that he could draw out and transform at will. Coupled with this tower master's unpredictable whereabouts and a perennially icy, detached expression, his voice was like the wind blowing in the high sky. Some even joked that he was nothing more than a humanoid form condensed from air elementals.

  The tower master's room was now tightly closed, as Master Aiden was receiving a guest. For a tower master who seemingly never had any social interactions, this was an absolutely rare event.

  "The elves really used a Dimensional Gate to come to the Whispering Woods? The War Ancient Tree will cause the Sunwell's anti-magic barrier to fail for two days? Is it true? Two days to get to the Whispering Woods... That would only be possible using flight magic or summoning air elementals to carry people. Although that would only take half a day from the air, not many people could be transported. But none of that is the point..." Master Aiden looked at Marquis coldly. "The point is, why should I help you based on these untrustworthy words? I am only receiving you out of respect for a fellow member of Diya Valley, which is already very polite. Don't forget I don't like you very much."

  "You don't need to believe me. And you certainly don't need to like me. You just need to believe in the great Lord Archibald." Marquis took a book from his robes and tossed it to Aiden. "And I know you'll definitely like this."

  As soon as Master Aiden took it, his expression, which had been frozen like ice, instantly collapsed.

  It was a very old leather-bound book. Although very old, it was not damaged in the slightest. The opened page was filled with dense ancient script. The elegant, flowing, yet neat and clear font showed it was the handwriting of a very cultivated person.

  "This is... Lord Archibald's notes... and Meditations on Truth is on it..." Aiden looked at Marquis, his voice even losing control. "Did you steal this from Sandro? No wonder... he wants you dead so badly."

  "See for yourself. The records about the elven War Ancient Tree are on it. Although not detailed, you can see that I shouldn't be lying to you. So? If you're willing to help me, this is yours." Marquis said flatly.

  "It's a pity I have no use for this thing now. Meditations on Truth holds no attraction for me at this point." Aiden thought for a moment, then sighed. His expression returned to its ice-like, undisturbed state. "Also. The reason I don't want to help you is that I really dislike you."

  "What if I add the Robe of the Lich Lord?"

  "What?" Master Aiden's expression not only collapsed but directly transformed from frozen to boiling. "You stole that one too?"

  "Since I had the audacity to obtain Meditations on Truth, it seems there's no reason not to take the Robe of the Lich Lord. You can take Meditations on Truth first. As long as you help me get the Leaves of the World Tree, I will give you the Robe of the Lich Lord. How about that?" Seeing that Master Aiden still seemed hesitant, Marquis added another sentence. "Don't worry. I don't dare go back to Diya Valley now, so these two items don't mean much to me..."

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  Master Aiden did not speak, as if he had also forgotten how to. The sound of his breathing now was like a panting ox, and the desire beneath his frozen exterior was hotter than magma.

  Whether it was the Meditations on Truth or the Robe of the Lich Lord, if taken separately, they might not be considered much, just symbolic, rare treasures of Diya Valley. But the combination of the two had a completely different meaning.

  The Robe of the Lich Lord and Meditations on Truth had always been guarded by the acting guild master of the Necromancer Guild, but it seemed that almost every generation of acting guild masters had little interest in these two treasures. Those who could gain the recognition of other Necromancers to become acting guild master would not be people obsessed with power and strength. But it was obvious that Master Aiden was not this kind of person.

  Ever since he entered Diya Valley and learned of these two items, he had always hoped that one day he would be able to obtain and use them. Decades of this desire had accumulated. He had almost thought himself crazy with wanting. And now, all he had to do was get the Leaves of the World Tree, and he could exchange them for these two things he had dreamed of.

  He was not afraid that Marquis would play any tricks. Although he must have had significant intentions and motives for stealing these two items, he now could not return to Diya Valley. Thus, the utility of these two items was truly not comparable to a single Leaf of the World Tree that could heal his son's ailment. As long as he could obtain it, Marquis would surely come to trade.

  Or perhaps there was no need to trade. As long as he could use this as bait to make Marquis produce the Robe of the Lich Lord, he might be able to use some more direct methods to get both... And as long as the Meditations on Truth, the Robe of the Lich Lord, and the Leaves of the World Tree were all in his hands, he could then return to Diya Valley.

  ...This secret association made him feel his blood burning. It was the same surging excitement, the uncontrollable feeling, a sixteen-year-old boy might have when smelling the scent of his first love. But this was an excitement that absolutely could not be shown. He had to restrain himself as much as possible.

  Finally, Master Aiden seemed to have stabilized a bit. He nodded and said, "Fine. But you have to do me a favor. The Tower of Fangs is not something I can decide on alone."

  The rooms of the four tower masters were not very far from each other; the tops of the Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind Towers were connected together.

  The master of the Earth Tower, Master Graden, was a fat old man with a full beard, who always looked smiling, like a kindly, wealthy landlord.

  In reality, with Master Graden's exquisite earth magic and his very practical financial sense, he and his Earth Tower were indeed the wealthiest in the Tower of Fangs. Almost all the mines in the surrounding small countries belonged to the Earth Tower's properties. Even the dwarves of the Kalendor Basin had once invited Master Graden to prospect for mineral veins and help excavate underground palaces.

  This practice of treating the profound and subtle art of magic as a practical skill, like blacksmithing or mining, was very much against the values of most mages. Fortunately, Master Graden was very kind and won people's hearts. The Tower of Fangs truly needed such a practical tower master, and he had always been the most charismatic of the four tower masters.

  But when this tower master, who should have had "economy and practicality" as his motto, heard Master Aiden's request, his kind face immediately hardened, and he refused, shaking his head: "Master Aiden, the Tower of Fangs is not an army. Our students and mages are not soldiers. Even if they join the army and fight, it is only by their own private will to defend their homes and countries or to become mercenaries themselves. We absolutely cannot, for our own purposes, make them go fight a life-and-death battle."

  Aiden nodded, his face returning to its usual cold, unmoving expression. He turned to Marquis beside him and said, "It seems it won't work, Lord Marquis. You heard what Tower Master Graden said, right?"

  Marquis said, "Master Graden, as long as you are willing, my reward will absolutely satisfy you. Whether it's magic gems or anything else..."

  "Whether it's magic gems or anything else, the Tower of Fangs does not lack. Even if we did, it's absolutely not as important as the lives of the students and mages in the tower," the fat old mage said with a smile, slowly and very solemnly. "The key is, please respect us. We are not mercenaries who are blinded by money."

  "Is that so? Then I suppose there's no other choice." Marquis let out a long sigh, his regret palpable. But he also nodded, looking a bit embarrassed, with a slightly apologetic expression. He extended a hand to Master Graden: "You are right. I was indeed too disrespectful to you and the Tower of Fangs. This is because I was too anxious. Please forgive me."

  "It's alright. I understand the heart of a father. I also express my concern and regret for your son's injury." Tower Master Graden also extended his hand and shook Marquis's. "Actually, it's not necessarily that you must use the Leaves of the World Tree. You could try Celeste..."

  But Tower Master Graden's words stopped there. Not just his words, but his expression and his movements all froze in the instant he shook Marquis's hand. He did not move.

  "I'm sorry, I know..." Marquis's face still maintained that slightly embarrassed, apologetic expression. He withdrew his hand from Master Graden's and then placed the rigid, motionless Master Graden back into his seat. The fat old mage's face still wore that very kind smile, looking as if nothing was wrong, except for the fact that he could not move.

  Marquis just flicked his fingers slightly, and the nearly imperceptible needle on his ring retracted into the ring. Then he casually cast a white magic healing spell on Tower Master Graden's finger. The equally imperceptible needle mark vanished completely.

  Master Aiden watched coldly from the side and asked, "Are you sure no one can detect any traces? Although that bitch Adelaide is gone, there are still a few great water mages in the Water Tower. They will definitely come to check and heal. Although water magic is not as good as white magic, it is not to be underestimated."

  Marquis shook his head: "Besides that old fellow Magnus and a few other old-timers like Sandro and Valthor, absolutely no one can easily discover that he has been cursed and poisoned, and absolutely no one can heal him. You should also know that Necromancy is absolutely not something that elemental magic can detect or dispel. They will only sense that the life force within his body is almost completely severed. And those few old fellows are absolutely impossible to appear here."

  "And if you think it's truly necessary, I can use mind magic to arrange two witnesses for you, to prove that this tower master simply collapsed inexplicably on his own..."

  Aiden nodded: "The Fire Tower and Water Tower have not yet elected new tower masters. As long as this fellow is out of the picture, I am the sole tower master of the Tower of Fangs, enough to command the others." He thought for a moment, then added: "And this fellow is very popular. If I also say that the Leaves of the World Tree can heal him, I believe many people would be willing to help, as long as I add a little more fuel to the fire..."

  Marquis frowned: "But you can't actually heal him, can you."

  "It doesn't matter. As long as I can lead people out and help you obtain that Leaf of the World Tree." Master Aiden's gaze was scorching hot, looking like two small volcanoes beneath the ice of his expression. The heat was not just a display of power; it even masked everything else. "Once I have the Meditations on Truth and the Robe of the Lich Lord, everything else is trivial. I could even give up the position of tower master of this Tower of Fangs."

  Just then, a voice came from outside the door: "Reporting to the two tower masters, two elven envoys have arrived at the Tower of Fangs. They say they are from the Whispering Woods and request an audience with the two tower masters."

  "Elven envoys from the Whispering Woods?" Marquis and Master Aiden looked at each other, both with strange expressions, and they both couldn't help but smile.