Translator: Shiraishi Editor: TheAlliance
The team stopped under the shadow of a huge tree as this happened, and the forest suddenly sank into an eerie silence.
Everyone looked at Lin Yun, waiting for the young mage’s answer…
A proud sneer could be seen on Suval’s face as he calmly stared at Lin Yun. He surprisingly wasn’t urging Lin Yun to answer. In his eyes, this youth simply couldn’t disobey the order from Falton, so it was only a matter of time before he agreed.
Since the outcome was already predetermined, Suval wouldn’t mind showing the Black Tower’s magnanimity and giving the young mage some time to think.
‘Merlin, ah, Merlin. As a young mage, you are really quite troublesome! You actually made an esteemed 7th Rank Archmage eat quite a few losses. But so what? Although I don’t know how you managed to curry favor with Sir Harren to the point that he would cover up for you several times, the situation is different now. I am carrying out Sir Falton’s command, so Sir Harren can’t blame me for following orders.’
‘Holding back the magic beasts won’t be an easy matter. It’d be almost impossible to avoid injuries. You are a mere 6th Rank High Mage, not worth mentioning among the rest of us. Once you can no longer rely on your subordinates, hehe…’
As his train of thought reached this point, the way Suval looked at Lin Yun changed again. He felt that Lin Yun was prey that had fallen into a trap and was now powerlessly struggling.
Lin Yun just remained silent for a moment, weighing the pros and cons. He obviously didn’t fear Falton, but he was considering whether it was necessary to fall out with the Black Tower and the Watson Family at this moment…
This Demiplane located at the end of the Wailing River had most likely been created after the death of Ancient God Constance.
He was an Ancient God famous for his outstanding achievements, and he represented wisdom. This peerless powerhouse, second only to the King of Gods, was likely undergoing his eternal rest in some part of this Demiplane.
Constance’s corpse was something that could make anyone go crazy over it. Even a powerhouse at the pinnacle of the world wouldn’t be able to remain calm if they had the chance to obtain it.
Lin Yun had never planned to share it with others…
This meant that Lin Yun had never planned to foolishly remain in the team the whole way. At some suitable occasion, he would split from the group and look for Ancient God Constance’s corpse on his own. Thus, his choice seemed obvious.
The only question was whether this was a suitable opportunity or not…
He had just replaced the Heaven Puppet’s mechanical system, and the Hydra Heart was still in the process of fusing. Although the power of the puppet would reach an extremely terrifying level once it was done, it still needed some time.
Perhaps waiting until the Heaven Puppet completely fused would be even more suitable.
After all, there had been too many accidents happening in this Demiplane. In a way, this forest they had been moving through was like a microcosm of the Ancient God Era. No one could anticipate what they might encounter next.
There was strength in numbers.
Moreover, from another point of view, the requirements of the Black Tower weren’t completely unacceptable in Lin Yun’s eyes.
Compared to separating and facing the ancient magic beasts on his own, he would at least be able to borrow the power of Archmages for free. This would play a huge role.
Although he would be letting the Black Tower and the Watson Family take advantage of him, Lin Yun could tolerate this small loss for the sake of Constance’s corpse. In the grand scheme of things, he would be the one taking advantage of them.
Moreover, Lin Yun already had some suspicions as to Falton and Zeuss’ goal.
The scepter of the Raging Flame Emperor Norrick wasn’t enough to alarm the Black Tower’s Holy Land and the Watson Family’s Ancestral Land. The timely arrival of these two High Rank Archmages couldn’t be a coincidence…
In order to confirm the intent of the two old foxes, Lin Yun felt that he needed to remain in the team and secretly observe.
Of course, although he had already come to a decision, Lin Yun didn’t immediately accept Falton’s plan. He had to reject it to some extent. Weakly backing down when faced with such an unreasonable arrangement wasn’t a very plausible reaction.
“I’m against it. This isn’t fair. The three major forces should take turns to block the magic beasts,” Lin Yun said with a frown.
Hearing this, the relaxed expression on Suval’s face suddenly became somber.
‘Fair? What a joke! Who does that kid think he is?’ he thought. But out loud, he said, “High Mage Merlin, I think I should have made it clear earlier. This is an order from Sir Falton.” Suval intentionally stressed Falton’s name to remind the young mage. “Could it be that you don’t know what the consequences are for disobeying an 8th Rank Archmage’s command?”
“I’m not a member of the Black Tower,” Lin Yun indifferently answered.
“That’s right, you aren’t a member of the Black Tower, but…” Suval paused as his sneer became more pronounced. “This place isn’t the Raging Flame Plane. No one would know if something unexpected happened…”
A threat! It was a naked threat!
Before Lin Yun even reacted to Suval’s threat, Weiss was already reeling in shock, a chill running down his spine.
‘Damn Suval, do you know what you are doing?’ Weiss inwardly cursed.
Weiss had always been concerned by how the situation was developing, but as a member of the Black Tower that was thinking of their interests, he didn’t think that there was a problem with Sir Falton’s order if it was listened to. If Mafa Merlin put in more effort, their side would naturally have an easier time.
But Weiss truly hadn’t expected that Suval would disregard Harren’s warning by using Falton’s instructions to once again provoke this young mage.
‘You can just discuss it if there is something, why do you have to threaten him?’
Weiss knew very well that although that young mage appeared harmless on the surface, he was hiding his true strength, which could even make a Representative like himself feel fear.
Even though he was an esteemed member of the Council of Seven and a 7th Rank Archmage, he was actually afraid of a 6th Rank High Mage. No one would believe it if they heard of this.
But it was a fact. Weiss clearly knew that this young mage had the power to make him feel fear.
And Suval and Weiss had very similar levels of power, ‘Can’t you see how polite I am towards Mafa Merlin? How could you keep provoking him? And furthermore, there is a Heaven Rank powerhouse standing behind him. You asked him if he knew the consequences of angering an 8th Rank Archmage, but do you even know how grave the consequences of angering a Heaven Mage are? Even Sir Harren, who is standing at the peak of the Black Tower, is still a step away from the Heaven realm!’
‘And although Sir Falton came from the Holy Land, he is only an experienced 8th Rank Archmage. Although his magic power has made some progress over the years, it would be hard to say when he might reach the peak of the Archmage realm. You are threatening Mafa Merlin like that, but would you be able to handle the wrath of a Heaven Rank if you truly angered his backer?’
‘Damnit, had I known earlier that Suval would pull something like that, I would have asked Sir Harren to transfer him back to the Black Tower as soon as possible to stop a calamity from descending upon us!’
“High Mage Merlin, please don’t take Suval’s words to heart. I don’t think he meant it like that…” Weiss forced himself to intervene while helplessly complaining in his heart, ‘Damn, I have to clean up your mess again.’ He tried to lighten up the atmosphere, but he was instantly interrupted by Falton.
“Suval’s words represent my stance. High Mage Merlin, I think you should carefully think this over.” Falton’s sinister voice echoed, unquestionable and awe-inspiring.
“Sir… Sir Falton, this…” Weiss was stupefied, but he tried to say something.
“Alright.” Falton waved his arm, interrupting Weiss once more. He then turned to look at him, resentfully telling Weiss, “Remember your status as a Representative of the Black Tower! The might of the Black Tower must not be challenged.”
“This…” Weiss was speechless, but with no better option, he could only turn around to check Lin Yun’s reaction. From the latter’s calm expression, it looked like he hadn’t been infuriated by Falton’s words.
But Zeuss, who had been watching from the back this whole time, suddenly added, “I approve of Sir Falton’s proposal. You mentioned unfairness, but High Mage Merlin, as the weakest person in the team, you should work harder and offer more help to make it fairer to the others.”
The two foxes who had been opposing each other all along had unexpectedly united…
At this time, Weiss’ heart sank. He hurriedly looked at Lin Yun in worry.
The others were still underestimating Lin Yun, but he clearly knew that only if both sides joined hands would they be able to barely resist this prodigy.
At this time, Weiss couldn’t even worry about whether they might enrage the mysterious Heaven Rank behind Lin Yun. There was the much more immediate problem of how he should save himself if the young mage made a move.
But just as Weiss was fearfully paying attention to Lin Yun’s expression, ready to cast a defensive spell any time, the young mage gave a reply that stunned him.
“Well, that argument is sound. In that case, I shall accept. My side will hinder the magic beasts.”
