Astral Calendar, Year 14525, April 20th.

  The Winter Frost Theocracy launched a full-scale assault on White Ice City. The Divine Avatar of the Lady of Winter Frost descended, leading three major Divine Envoys to clash with the two Councilors garrisoning the city.

  The two sides engaged in an apocalyptic battle at the Dragon Rock Mountains, over three hundred kilometers outside White Ice City.

  In the end, two of the major Divine Envoys were killed in action, and the Divine Avatar of the Lady of Winter Frost fell.

  One of the current members of the Aurora Council, Patriarch Monroe of House Monroe, died in battle.

  Fellow Aurora Council member and Vice Commander of the Silverlight Legion, Eamon, was severely injured and forced to flee.

  On the very same day, one of the five major Divine Envoys under the Lady of Winter Frost, the Glacial Giant Yannick, led an army to breach White Ice City, locked down the spatial coordinates, and engaged in a bitter bloodbath with the defending legion.

  In a mere half-day, the defending legion was annihilated, and White Ice City completely fell.

  Free Wizards suffered catastrophic casualties, fleeing en masse toward Red Maple City.

  Also on that day, the massive Turin army—commanded by the Dukes of Snow Wolf and Blue Ice—which had been standing off against Red Maple City from afar, began their forward march.

  An all-out war was imminent!

  Red Maple City.

  Pedestrians on the streets were sparse. The occasional few who passed by were hurrying along, their expressions grave and tense.

  Screech!

  Flocks of Giant Eagle Knights frequently soared across the high sky, flying out of the city.

  An atmosphere of severe tension permeated all of Red Maple City.

  Pierce walked down the street, taking in the sights around him with a hint of lamentation in his eyes.

  Ever since White Ice City fell seven days ago and the massive Turin army pressed their advance to the very gates of Red Maple City, this entire war fortress had transformed into its current state.

  To escape the war, many Free Wizards had already abandoned the Planar Battlefield altogether.

  Those who remained no longer dared to venture out on missions, choosing instead to hole up within the city walls.

  Pierce was naturally no exception.

  The wilderness outside the city was now like the gaping maw of a bloodthirsty beast; the slightest misstep would leave a person devoured with not even bones remaining. Aside from a very few reckless fools who didn't fear death, hardly anyone dared to risk being surrounded and slaughtered by the Turin army.

  The battlefield was now exclusively the stage of the military legions.

  Lost in thought, Pierce arrived in front of a stone house.

  Before he could even step up to knock, the door opened automatically.

  Pierce walked in with practiced familiarity and saw Yuna standing by the entryway, looking at him with a gentle smile.

  "Yuna." Pierce looked her up and down before smiling. "Seeing that you've recovered so well puts my mind at ease."

  A look of tenderness flashed in Yuna's eyes. She said softly, "I heard everything from Ian. It's all thanks to your help this time that I was able to heal so quickly."

  "Let's skip the pleasantries. Haven't you helped me countless times in the past as well?" Pierce said, waving his hand.

  Yuna pursed her lips into a smile and led Pierce to sit down in the living room.

  Once seated, Pierce didn't stand on ceremony and asked directly, "I assume you've heard about the fall of White Ice City?"

  With an event of this magnitude, there was hardly anyone in Red Maple City who didn't know. Yuna was naturally no exception.

  She understood what Pierce truly wanted to ask. After a moment of thought, she said slowly, "According to the intelligence from our family, House Monroe suffered utterly catastrophic losses this time. Their upper echelon was almost entirely wiped out, and over eighty percent of their core combatants died in battle. Furthermore, they failed to obtain the Silver Frost Calamity Wolf. After this incident, House Monroe is most likely doomed to complete decline."

  Yuna sighed in lament.

  As one of the five great Wizarding families of Aurora City, House Monroe had been at the absolute zenith of their power, with Patriarch Monroe ranking among the top five Councilors of the Aurora Council.

  Who could have expected that in a single battle, the vast majority of House Monroe's Wizarding combat strength would be eradicated, directly leading to the family's ruin?

  And after this catastrophe, it would be virtually impossible for House Monroe to ever reclaim their former glory.

  The massive void of benefits and resources left behind by the fall of a major Wizarding family was enough to make countless people red-eyed with greed. They would never give the original owners a chance to take those benefits back.

  Let alone the Elemental Faction, even their own factional allies like House Pierce and House Sterling would never wish to see them rise again.

  "One wrong step leads straight into the Abyss."

  Pierce was also somewhat moved.

  House Monroe had wagered the fate of their entire family just to obtain the Silver Frost Calamity Wolf.

  Unfortunately, they lost the gamble.

  One could only blame their terrible luck.

  "However, House Monroe's sacrifice wasn't entirely in vain."

  Yuna reached out and swept her hand across the coffee table, and two cups of steaming black tea instantly appeared.

  She took a sip from one before continuing:

  "Although the Winter Frost Theocracy annihilated White Ice City, they also paid a massive price. The fall of the Lady of Winter Frost's Divine Avatar will inevitably cause her true body to suffer a severe backlash. She likely won't be able to make a move for a very long time."

  "As for her five major Divine Envoys, one was previously slain by Councilor Jareth, and two more fell recently. Only two remain, meaning their overall power is nowhere near what it used to be."

  "Don't be fooled by the fact that Red Maple City is now facing the full brunt of the Winter Frost Theocracy's army alone. In reality, the enemy's strength has been severely depleted. Even if an all-out war breaks out, we don't need to worry about losing."

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  "The ones who should truly be worried are the Winter Frost Theocracy. They have already exhausted the entire might of their nation, whereas Red Maple City can still receive a continuous, unending stream of support from Aurora City and Crimson Lotus City. If this drags on, as more resources and troops pour into Red Maple City, the scales of victory will only gradually tip in our favor."

  Pierce nodded in understanding.

  Having a friend born into a prominent Wizarding family was truly advantageous; it granted access to a wealth of intelligence that ordinary Wizards could never hope to know.

  "So, do you plan to remain in Red Maple City?"

  Yuna nodded slightly. "I am a member of the Wizard-Hunter Force. Fighting the Turins is my duty. I am definitely staying."

  She paused for a moment, looked at Pierce, and asked hesitantly, "What about you? What are your plans?"

  Pierce fell into deep thought.

  Back when the Turin army first pressed upon their borders, Red Maple City had issued a Call to Arms, summoning all Free Wizards to participate in the war and slaughter the Turins.

  In return, Free Wizards who participated would receive the exact same treatment as military Wizards—identical Merit Point calculations and, more importantly, identical resource exchange rights.

  This meant that many rare resources previously restricted solely to military Wizards would now be open to Free Wizards, provided they joined the war.

  The moment this decree was issued, it successfully lured in a massive number of Free Wizards.

  Truth be told, Pierce was also quite tempted.

  At his current mental energy level, the effects of both Resonance Potions and Sprouts of the Holy Spirit had severely diminished.

  And it was highly predictable that once he advanced to a Rank 2 Wizard, those effects would weaken even further.

  By then, his mental energy growth rate would likely grind to an agonizingly slow pace.

  —Even though, thanks to the Visualization Technique, his growth rate was already far superior to the vast majority of Wizards.

  Of course, changing this predicament was simple: exchange for higher-tier resources that boosted mental energy.

  However, since the path of taking on external missions was completely blocked, the only way to continue earning Merit Points was to answer the Call to Arms and join the Great War.

  Furthermore, the variety of resources at the standard Exchange was limited. To acquire items more potent than Sprouts of the Holy Spirit and Resonance Potions, answering the Call to Arms was once again the only path forward.

  No matter how he looked at it, if he wanted to continue rapidly increasing his strength, he had to participate in the upcoming war.

  Pierce didn't hesitate for long; he had already considered this problem many times.

  "I plan to answer the Call to Arms," Pierce said in a deep voice.

  Yuna's brow furrowed slightly. She had actually anticipated his answer.

  But hearing him say it, she still couldn't help but urge, "Pierce, there's really no need for you to take this risk. With your talent and aptitude, you can still advance to a Rank 2 Wizard very quickly just by following the standard progression."

  Pierce shook his head.

  Advancing to a Rank 2 Wizard was no longer an issue for him.

  He had already prepared all the necessary resources; in two months at most, he would successfully break through.

  What he cared about was the path after that.

  Indeed, with the Omniscient Eye, even if he cultivated peacefully and steadily, he would eventually reach Rank 3, or even higher realms.

  But lacking sufficient resources, the time required to achieve those goals would inevitably multiply by hundreds or thousands of times.

  The higher one wished to climb on the Path of Wizardry, the more resources they required.

  Without a massive influx of resources to support him, he would at best rely on the Omniscient Eye to become an 'ordinary' genius. He could forget about experiencing the explosive, leapfrogging progress he had enjoyed recently.

  Pierce didn't want that.

  Or rather, he didn't want to cower and play it safe.

  The path to pursuing truth and power was inherently fraught with immense peril. Those who lacked an unwavering will to forge ahead and cut through all thorns would never reach the absolute pinnacle in their lifetimes.

  If he missed a rare opportunity just for the sake of playing it safe, he would likely be filled with regret whenever he recalled it during periods of stagnant growth in the future.

  Taking a step back, the battlefield was indeed dangerous, but wasn't his desperate drive to increase his strength and accumulate numerous trump cards precisely to handle such situations?

  Even if he truly encountered lethal danger, he believed he had the means to escape.

  Of course, there was no need to explain all this to Yuna.

  Pierce simply said with a calm expression, "This is a rare opportunity. I don't want to miss it."

  Seeing the resolute look on Pierce's face, Yuna paused, ultimately choosing not to say anything more.

  Her junior had always possessed a strong, independent mind. Once he made a decision, she knew she couldn't persuade him otherwise.

  Sensing the atmosphere grow slightly heavy, Pierce decisively changed the subject.

  "I heard the Divine Frame Golems from Azure Water City have been deployed here?"

  Yuna nodded and said, "That's right. They were transported into the city three days ago. With the Divine Frame Golems, our chances of winning this war have increased significantly."

  The two then continued to chat about various matters concerning the war.

  It wasn't until half an hour later that Pierce stood up to leave, heading back to his residence.

  During this recent period, he had continuously finished optimizing his first batch of 3rd-Circle spells.

  The metal alloy combination for Silver Star's Tier 4 evolution had also been fully deduced.

  Unsurprisingly, the new formula incorporated a multitude of incredibly rare magical metals.

  Calculated out, a single standard unit of this alloy combination cost a staggering 16,000 Magic Stones.

  And for Silver Star to evolve into a Tier 4 Magic Tool, it needed to absorb at least thirty standard units.

  That added up to roughly 500,000 Magic Stones.

  Truth be told, when Pierce arrived at this figure, he was quite startled.

  But in reality, the value of a genuine Tier 4 Magic Tool was easily a million Magic Stones at the absolute minimum.

  And more often than not, they were priceless treasures with no market supply; you couldn't buy one even if you had infinite Magic Stones.

  Even factoring in his previous investments, evolving Silver Star to Tier 4 would cost him less than 600,000 Magic Stones in total.

  Crucially, it would stand at the absolute pinnacle of all Magic Tools in its tier.

  Looking at it that way, 500,000 Magic Stones was actually an incredible bargain.

  "It's easy to say, but I don't have anywhere near that many Magic Stones right now."

  Although Pierce still held nearly 20,000 Merit Points, he was reserving those for the materials needed to inscribe the Alchemical Etchings.

  "I'll wait until the Alchemical Etchings are inscribed. If I have any Merit Points left over, I'll buy the metal alloys then."

  "For now, I just need to wait for the optimization of the Alchemical Etchings to finish."

  Time flew by.

  On the boundless wasteland outside Red Maple City, the Turin army and the Red Maple City defenders had been in a tense standoff for over a month.

  Friction was constant, and small-scale skirmishes erupted frequently, but the true, all-out Great War had yet to begin.

  However, this didn't mean the situation was relaxing.

  According to the reconnaissance of the Giant Eagle Knights, more and more Turin troops were continuously arriving, merging into the main army encampment.

  The enemy's strength was increasing by the minute.

  Red Maple City wasn't falling behind either.

  The teleportation arrays within the city ran almost without pause, operating continuously day after day. Massive numbers of personnel and resources were constantly being transported into the fortress.

  Both sides were currently stockpiling their power like madmen, preparing for the decisive clash.

  Once both sides finished their preparations—or if one side finished first and ruthlessly initiated the assault—an unprecedentedly apocalyptic war would erupt.

  Under these circumstances, the atmosphere within Red Maple City grew suffocatingly tense.

  Walking down the street and looking at the tightly shut doors of the shops on both sides, Gwendolyn deeply felt the oppressive urgency of an impending Great War.

  Beside her, Enevia remained as composed as ever, even examining the surrounding scenery with keen interest.

  White Ice City's terrain was relatively flat, and its layout was quite standard. It wasn't like Red Maple City, whose main body was built directly into a sprawling, undulating mountain range, giving it a uniquely seamless, natural charm.

  "The person who designed this war fortress had quite good taste," Enevia nodded approvingly.

  Gwendolyn rolled her eyes, harboring a strong desire to retort: Look at the time we're in! Who has the luxury to care about the designer's taste right now?

  But upon remembering that the Vampire beside her had likely lived for thousands, if not tens of thousands of years, and had seen every kind of spectacle imaginable, she swallowed her words and asked about something else instead.

  "Enevia, are you really going to stay in Red Maple City?"

  "Of course."

  "Why? Didn't you say you didn't want to get involved in the war?"

  "That's true. But not getting involved in the war doesn't mean I can't do other things."

  Enevia cast a sidelong glance at Gwendolyn. A crimson glint seemed to flash in her eyes as a seductive smile blossomed on her exquisite face.

  Only this time, unlike her usual smiles, this one carried a faint trace of eerie, demonic allure.

  "Have you forgotten? I am an Undead creature."

  Gwendolyn froze.

  Indeed, she had almost forgotten that Vampires belonged to the Undead race. A battlefield overflowing with death was practically a holy land for them.

  Seeing Gwendolyn's silence, Enevia chuckled and smoothly changed the subject. "Didn't you say you wanted to find Pierce? Do you know where he lives?"

  Gwendolyn snapped back to reality and shrugged. "I don't. But with how famous he is, we can just ask any random person, and they'll know."

  She scanned her surroundings, her eyes quickly locking onto a heavily built Knight. She strode over confidently.

  "Excuse me, could you..."

  However, as the man turned his head and she saw his face clearly, Gwendolyn's words came to an abrupt halt.

  What a familiar face!

  Gwendolyn quickly remembered. Wasn't this man one of the Knights who had been in the same squad as Pierce during the cult encirclement mission? If she recalled correctly, his name was... Payne.