Chapter 234: Scheming (Part 2)

  "Brother, how could this be?" In the dungeon, Aimee asked, looking at Yabin with red eyes.

  "Something's strange, something isn't right." Yabin looked left and right, and only after making sure there was no one outside the dungeon and that their voices wouldn't be heard, did he slowly speak.

  This was the second time he had spoken since being captured. The first time, after hearing that the Elven knights had stabbed Tower Master Graden and the overwhelming curse magic had brought the two of them down, Yabin used his last bit of strength to say to Aimee in a very small voice, "Don't speak carelessly." After that, he didn't speak again, his expression even wooden and blank.

  "What?" Aimee was stunned.

  "It seems we've stepped into someone's trap. But our luck isn't bad; it's not a trap aimed at us, we're just supporting characters."

  "What?"

  "The two Pegasus knight Elves were personnel dispatched by Elder Luya. No matter what kind of dispute occurred, they would never have fought with others. And with their strength, it's absolutely impossible for them to have injured a great archmage like Tower Master Graden?" Only now that he began to speak did the expression on Yabin's face completely return to its usual shrewdness and capability. "This is definitely a trap, that's why I told you not to speak carelessly. In a situation like this, the more inconspicuous you appear, the less others will notice us, and the more chance we'll have."

  "You mean this was all staged? Fake? But five people from three towers saw it. They all said Tower Master Graden was off his guard..."

  "Those few people were controlled by mind magic." Although Yabin was still tied up and thrown on the ground, the light in his eyes was like that of a harmless rabbit suddenly turning into a lurking beast. "I saw that Cardinal's Necromancer use it in Erathia. I can sense a similar magical fluctuation, and the expressions of those few mages seem somewhat strange."

  The magical perception ability of an elemental mage in an unfocused state cannot compare to that of a priest or a Templar who practices white magic, and Yabin's impression of mind magic was very deep, so deep that even if he deliberately tried to forget, he couldn't.

  "But no one in the Tower of Fangs knows mind magic. And this kind of obscure magic is rarely practiced by anyone..."

  Yabin thought for a moment and said, "Didn't we just hear that Master Aiden had a visitor? But how come we haven't seen him given such a huge incident has occurred? Someone who can associate with a great archmage like Master Aiden couldn't be an ordinary person, right?"

  "That's right, besides being friends with the missing Tower Master Asri, Tower Master Aiden has almost never been heard of having any friends. You don't mean..."

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  Yabin was silent for a moment, then shook his head: "I'm not clear on the specifics, I only know that we should escape as soon as possible. There's no need to stay here and become casualties of the Tower of Fangs' internal conflict." As he spoke, he had already stood up, and the ropes binding his body slipped down.

  The ones who tied them up were mages, not thieves, and to Yabin, those kinds of knots were no different from what a child would tie haphazardly. And the mages' primary method of restraint wasn't these two ropes, but the curses of weakness, slowness, and so on, within their bodies. But unfortunately, even a master-level elemental curse could not sustain itself under the Purification of white magic.

  Although the lock on the dungeon door had a strong magical sealing effect, enough to resist a grandmaster-level fire spell, Yabin opened it with just a small piece of wire. These little tricks of thieves aren't that hard to learn, especially for someone determined to do so.

  But just as the two were about to sneak out, a flurry of disorganized footsteps rushed in. Yabin signaled Aimee to lie back down in the corner, while he himself stood by the cell door to hide. This place was full of mages; as long as he could exert sudden force at close range, he had an absolute advantage.

  However, he immediately discovered that this seemed unnecessary. A group of magic apprentices charged into the dungeon in a grand procession, led by that female apprentice from the Tower of Flame in the fiery red dress. She held a magic key in her hand, poked the already-unlocked magic lock twice, pulled open the cell door, and shouted inside, "We're here to rescue you."

  Celeste, in the teleportation array of The Radiant Citadel, a blue light flashed. Marquis appeared in the teleportation array with a smile on his face.

  Master Aiden's reaction was all within his expectations. During his twenty years in Diya Valley, he had already seen through this seemingly plain old man, whose desire was stronger than anyone else's. The two items taken by Sandro had long driven him mad with longing. As soon as he himself revealed these two items, Aiden almost lost the ability to conceal his desire and bargain.

  And overly strong desire is always something that clouds a person's reason.

  In his actions, Master Aiden showed none of the composure and calm that a Necromancer should have, acting as impulsive and reckless as a starved bandit, his schemes full of holes. But none of that mattered. With the hundreds of senior mages under his command, he should be able to flatten the Whispering Woods, which was no longer protected by the Sunwell. The Leaves of the World Tree were now within easy reach.

  Just as he stepped down from the teleportation array with these slightly smug thoughts, the smile on Marquis's face froze. Because he saw a person standing opposite him, staring at him.

  This person didn't move at all. It was as if he had been standing there all along, not even blinking, like a statue. Only after seeing Marquis step down from the teleportation array did he walk forward.

  Rather than saying he was staring at Marquis, it was more accurate to say he was staring at the teleportation array, waiting for Marquis to return.

  "His Majesty has ordered me to wait for you, my lord Bishop. Please go to the meeting room immediately." Knight Tamika saluted Marquis. His face was still that wooden, blank expression of a statue. Behind him were two others dressed as Templars.

  For a good few seconds, the frozen smile on Marquis's face dissolved. But it seemed it didn't dissolve completely, as if many sharp ice shards couldn't help but stand out within it. "Good... good... His Majesty truly is as prophetic as the gods, I must say I admire that. I wish you success, Knight Tamika."

  Knight Tamika's face remained wooden, without the slightest expression.

  Watching Marquis leave, Knight Tamika and the two Templars behind him took out a teleportation scroll from their robes and unfurled it.

  After the blue teleportation light dissipated, Knight Tamika and his two companions appeared in the teleportation array. Not far away, the four towers of Earth, Water, Wind, and Fire stood tall. This was the teleportation array of the Tower of Fangs.

  Two mages guarding the teleportation array not far away walked over. The Tower of Fangs's teleportation scrolls were not common items that could be easily obtained. The three who had just appeared were clearly dressed as people from the Church, and the Tower of Fangs had no dealings with the Church, and was even considered hostile due to its past enmity with the Magic Academy. "Who are you? May I ask who you're looking for..."

  Crack, the two mages' heads smashed together and shattered into a pulp. They clearly saw that wooden-faced knight walk over, reach out, and press their heads. His movements didn't seem particularly fast or forceful, but until the very moment they heard the sound of their own skulls shattering, they couldn't struggle in the slightest.

  Knight Tamika dropped the two corpses with their shattered heads, without a single trace of blood on his body or hands. His movements were natural and casual, and also very practiced, without the slightest hint of killing intent or even a trace of worldly air, just like an old farmer picking two melons in his own melon patch, his eyes still looking at the noisy crowd in the distance. The Tower of Fangs was still in a state of panic, and no one noticed this place.

  "His Majesty was right. Let's set off. From here, head north and follow the trail of magical elemental traces."