Chapter 136: Starting to Become Dislikeable

  Axsis carefully took out a small, pale-blue crystal shard from his robe. This was what their employer had given them when he first commissioned them, to contact him in case something happened.

  The item had never been used. Besides the fact that nothing major had occurred, it was mainly because Axsis would lose control the moment he saw it and blurt out its approximate value to Sylka. Thus, Sylka had decided it would never be used, no matter what.

  But "no matter what" usually had its limits, and the current situation was one such instance.

  Axsis looked at the tiny crystal shard and sighed. With the pained tone of someone sending his own son to be sacrificed, he said, "If there were a way to sell this to Celeste or the Tower of Fangs to the east, it would fetch at least two thousand gold coins, and that's just selling it as a magical material. This is a Star Shard..."

  Starstone was the most wondrous, rarest, and most precious of all magical materials. Like Magical Jade, it was only found in the Sanderfirth Mountains. But unlike Magical Jade, known as the "Source of Magic," it couldn't resonate with any school of magic nor store magical energy. Its sole function was to produce a unique magical fluctuation, a spatial fluctuation, that no other method could generate.

  The era when Starstone was discovered was impossible to trace; it was known only to be as ancient as magical civilization itself. That miraculous fluctuation had once attracted countless mages who dedicated their lives to studying it. Yet, despite countless years and the research of innumerable genius mages, not a single spatial mage had ever emerged on the continent. A great mage once lamented that the energy and time countless geniuses had poured into Starstone would have been enough to advance magical civilization by another two hundred years.

  But the efforts of these geniuses weren't entirely in vain. Though unable to decipher the essence of this fluctuation and transform it into versatile, flexible spells like other schools of magic, they had, through countless failed experiments, figured out practical applications like teleportation arrays and teleportation scrolls—things that worked well, even if the "why" remained unknown.

  All spatial magic relied on Starstone to activate. The most complete Starstone was called a "Star-Eye," exceedingly rare, and was the core component of teleportation arrays. For centuries, there were fewer than ten teleportation arrays on the entire continent. The primary reason was the lack of complete Star-Eyes. Fragments of Star-Eyes were Star Shards, which could also create a temporary, single-use array. In terms of practicality, they were equally invaluable. Even the finest Star Dust was an indispensable ingredient for crafting teleportation scrolls.

  Except for complete Star-Eyes, all other fragments were destroyed after a single use. The one in Axsis's hand was no exception. However, this shard differed significantly from ordinary ones. On this palm-sized azure crystal, patterns finer than a hair formed a magical array. This near-artistic method alone was enough to prove its immense value.

  "Stop dawdling. Hurry up," Sylka said in a low voice.

  Axsis nodded, his face mournful as he slowly channeled magical energy into the crystal shard. A blue magical glow began to brighten in his hand. This was unmistakably the unique glow of teleportation magic, just smaller and purer.

  Using a Star Shard directly like this, even with the most exquisite magical array, couldn't activate teleportation magic, but it could produce a similar effect. The magical glow didn't vanish instantly like a teleportation scroll's; instead, it condensed in his hand. After a short while, a figure faintly appeared within the glow, and an aged yet vigorous voice emerged: "What has happened, mercenaries?"

  "It's like this, respected sir," Axsis's expression and voice were solemn and reverent, the same he used when praying to deities at the Magic Academy years ago. "We've encountered a minor incident, and also discovered someone who might be of great interest to you..."

  Not long after, in a secluded location not far from the thieves' stronghold, the man called Sanderfirth also took out an identical Star Shard. Channeling magical energy into it, a figure appeared within the blue glow.

  "The plan has changed. A Temple Knight appeared midway," the man said to the image formed by the magical glow. "I've decided to alter the plan. I intend to..."

  "I already know," the image sighed, interrupting the man. "Those fellows notified me just now. I can probably guess what you intend to do."

  The man paused, then said, "What did they tell you?"

  "They saw through your identity. They told me to capture this fake Necromancer."

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  "I didn't realize these fellows weren't so dim-witted. I thought I could hide it from them for a while longer," the man smiled with slight surprise, still a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "What did you say?"

  "Naturally, I told them not to make a fuss. To let them make good use of you in Tulalion to get things done, and I would naturally come deal with you afterward. The reward I promised them is enough to make them willingly do anything, heh heh." The laughter from the shadow was cheerful, even sounding a few years younger. "Besides, it's an empty promise. The grander, the better."

  "Just hope your acting skills are up to par," the man smiled. "You said you guessed my plan?"

  "You want to drag the Church into Tulalion as well?"

  "You're half right. My target isn't the Church; it's the Necromancer Guild. I've already found a way to let the Temple Knight know I'm going to Tulalion. Originally, I was still figuring out how to release her without raising suspicion, but then a helper suddenly appeared. Saved me quite a bit of time. Once that knight reports back..." The man smiled. "Probably before the folks in Celeste understand, the Necromancer Guild will likely figure out my identity first. They'll head straight to Tulalion. As long as we make sure Diya Valley notices that the Leaves of the World Tree are in Tulalion, the elves will beg for your help even if we don't say a word. Then Oufu can name his price."

  "Hmm... to be honest, I've never had much confidence that these thieves could put enough pressure on the elves. I've also been considering drawing the Necromancer Guild's attention over. I didn't expect you'd do it first." The image considered for a moment, its tone still worried. "But this is really too risky. There are too many uncertainties. The reason I never did it was that I couldn't grasp Diya Valley's and Celeste's movements, couldn't truly know the enemy and myself. What if their reaction is beyond what you anticipated? What then? Are you sure Diya Valley will act before the Church?"

  The man smiled faintly. "Rest assured. I gave the name Sandro. The Church's priests and bishops might not understand what it means. But the Necromancers will know instantly it's me. Those fellows absolutely won't want me to fall into the Church's hands first, so they'll act before the Church's people. And I believe they have ways to keep the Church from interfering."

  "But it's still too risky..." The figure in the light and shadow said, word by word. "Never underestimate them. No one has the right to underestimate them."

  "I never have, nor dare I, underestimate those people. But I know they will act that way. And with the added bait of the Leaves of the World Tree, they absolutely cannot ignore it."

  "I know that too, but I'm still uneasy." The figure in the light and shadow hesitated, falling silent. "After all, when dealing with them, there can be no carelessness..."

  "Who can truly grasp all variables?" The man shook his head slightly and sighed. "Taking some risks is unavoidable. After all, the time we have left is short. If we can divert the attention of both the Church and the Necromancer Guild here, it will also be very beneficial for the situation in Oufu."

  "Right. Time is short. Perhaps we have no choice but to take the risk." The voice in the light and shadow also sighed. "Notify us at the appropriate time. Gru and I will rush over immediately. With the combined strength of the three of us, we should be able to handle a few Necromancers."

  "It would be nice to eliminate a few along the way. Heh heh." The man smiled.

  "Don't get your hopes up. We should thank the heavens if we can just complete the objective smoothly." The voice in the light and shadow sighed. "I just received news. The Church seems to be preparing to send people to the Ainfast Empire. Looks like they're preparing to take a fully hostile stance towards Oufu. Probably also trying to fill the power vacuum left by Ronis's death."

  "The Ainfast Empire?" The man frowned. "Over there... there shouldn't be a problem, should there?"

  "Although the peace treaty stands in the way, I'm still very uneasy. If the Necromancer Guild truly intends to manipulate things, a mere treaty means nothing. Now, we can only hope the folks in Diya Valley are lucky enough to get your message as quickly as possible and shift their attention here."

  "Hmm, I trust my message has already spread through Celeste by now." The man nodded, thought for a moment, then said hesitantly, "If things go smoothly here... I'd like... I'd like to go back to the Magic Academy for a visit... would that be alright?"

  "No need for you to ask. I have a mission for you back in Ainfast anyway. I'll permit you to visit family while you're at it." The figure chuckled. "Just hope the leader of Oufu's shadow team doesn't let personal feelings interfere with official duties."

  "Naturally, I won't. I'm just a bit uneasy and want to go back and see." The man wore a very strange expression. "Don't call me by such a grand title as 'leader.' Isn't it still just me, alone?"

  "I've already arranged the structure for you. It's just that orcs aren't suited to appearing in human society. You'd best find some human companions, the kind who, like you, can't walk in the light and have decent skills. That's exactly what Oufu lacks most right now."

  "I'm used to being alone." The man curled his lip and said lightly.

  "It's not about whether you're used to it, but whether it's necessary. Having your own group makes everything much more convenient. You can also do more, and accomplish more." The figure paused, then added, "You'll have many things to do in the future, including when you return to Ainfast..."

  The man frowned, thought for a moment, and finally nodded: "Perhaps you're right. I do have some people here... I'll consider it." He suddenly paused, sighed, and said, "Consider whether it's necessary first... Why do I feel like I'm starting to become dislikeable..."

  The glow of the small Star Shard in his hand began to flicker. The magical energy within the shard was depleting.

  "Dislikeable people tend to live longer. Or rather, people who live long enough eventually become somewhat dislikeable, ha ha ha..." The figure left its final words before vanishing.

  With a crack, the Star Shard's glow vanished completely, shattering into tiny, ordinary crystal fragments. The man shrugged helplessly, tossed the fragments away, turned, and walked off, scratching his head as he went, muttering, "Dislikeable... dislikeable..."

  When he returned to the thieves' stronghold, two thieves with beaming smiles approached him: "Mr. Sanderfirth, the leader had us prepare the best room for you. Please rest well."

  The man grunted indifferently. Led by the two thieves, he arrived at a relatively secluded room in the manor. The other thieves had clearly received the leader's orders and didn't approach to make noise or disturb, allowing this honored guest to rest properly.

  Although the room was a bit dark, it was surprisingly clean. Unexpectedly, there was someone skilled at housekeeping among the thieves. The man closed the door and window, sat on the edge of the bed, sighed, then said coldly, "Are you going to be stabbed as if you were ambushing me, or are you going to come out obediently on your own?"

  "Why can't you carry me out?" A somewhat hoarse, yet cloyingly sweet voice sounded. "Aren't you a man? Can't you see I'm a woman? Haven't you noticed there's only one man and one woman in this room? Can't you imagine what I want to do?"

  "I'm not so immature that I embrace a woman just because I hear one, regardless of what she wants to do," the man didn't even look up, his voice as cold as ice water. "I'll say this one last time: you'd better come out obediently on your own."

  A figure stepped out from the shadows by the door. A feline stride, a pantherine posture. A female panther.

  "What's wrong with being immature?" This person had jet-black hair, large eyes, and a face of dark skin that blended beauty, wildness, and allure. She wore a black, form-fitting outfit that showcased a body that was simultaneously sturdy, slender, and full in all the right places. Her voice, in contrast to the man's icy tone, was hot enough to burn. "Didn't you say it yourself? Everyone grows up from naivety..."