About twenty minutes later.
In the fortress dungeon.
Torches were placed in the sockets of the long-dilapidated and unused dungeon, the air hot and musty, with moss-covered carvings and weeds growing through the giant stone cracks.
The anxious Liszt and others finally awaited the return of Mika from Warhammer.
The Khorne’s face had been shot, Nagou had soup poured into his mouth, Slaanesh had procured a prostitute in bed, and Jianqi had divided the spoils into a 70-30 split.
That 70% belonged to others, and whether Jianqi got his 30% still depended on Mr. Mai’s mood.
"Damn a Wandering Mage!"
Liszt was shocked—this... this little setup of his was something else. Some disobedient kids liked to play with runes, causing arcane energy to flow and explode in Twin Cities. What’s there to discuss?
Shadi was holding his head in his hands. Abnormal Mika had gone online, this couldn’t avoid a Holy Spirit QTE mini-game.
"This isn’t ashes... these are the characters from the Dark Demon Scripture. Heard they were written by an ancient mad mage in the Ancient Era, used for communicating with the Demon God Calirabos’s Annihilation Domain."
Mika actually didn’t quite understand it either.
"Damn... a Biochemical babe."
Morison was the first to notice the Dream Demon Carrie, tied up in the fence. This woman was extremely lascivious and seeing a large group of people, she was aroused, rubbing herself in obscene poses that the thin camping tent cloth couldn’t cover, revealing too much, which should rightfully be taxed.
Since Dream Demons don’t have a physical form, it would be easy for Carrie to escape if not restrained by Mika’s Annihilation Energy.
But for the well-versed Fen, it wasn’t a problem. He even had methods to suppress the aura of the Netherworld Stele Fragments, so he inscribed a simple array in the dungeon to quickly dissipate surrounding energies, trapping the somewhat weakened Dream Demon here.
Carrie wasn’t just easy; she could restore her strength by devouring humans, and cooking her could steal men’s blood and spiritual power.
Facing the muscular men of Black Sail, she could only imagine how satisfying a group session would be.
"Handsome little brother, don’t leave."
Seeing that Fen was about to leave the dungeon after setting up the array, Carrie hurried over, rubbing her chest feverishly against Fen.
Fortunately, Fen was cautious of Carrie’s violent tendencies, knowing she was a demon. He left a spiritual body outside, instantly ’swapping places’ to avoid Carrie’s pounce, thwarting her attempt.
"To resist all that, General Fen, you are the man."
Morison gave a thumbs-up.
Carrie, never refusing a visitor, started being provocative towards the mesmerized Morison as well, sensing his potent flowing blood.
Archer, a traditional Ji Weng, discriminated against undead, Beastmen, and bumpkins from east of the Narrow Sea. As a white man, he was often called Little Ji Weng.
In Aran literature "Acania Travelogue" from eighty years ago, it was noted that discrimination was a cultural matter, unrelated to military or economic power. Ji Weng had been at the top of the disdain hierarchy for millennia.
Now, Ji Weng, one of the West Continent Five Permanent, albeit one of the bottom three, remained relatively closed-off and xenophobic.
With Mr. Aran being authentic, Mr. Gion staying combative, Archer had no interest in Carrie.
"Quite the opposite."
Morison thought for a moment. Mr. Mai probably couldn’t hold it together, and since he wasn’t an Innate Piling Holy Body, contracting an ancient virus would be a great loss, an unfortunate misfortune.
"Theoretically, if someone powerful killed you and stripped your skin, reordering and compiling the disordered spell characters, they could also enter the Annihilation Domain." Thɪs chapter is updated by N()velFire.net
Fen looked at Mika with interest. Information about Demon Gods was from the Ancient Era, and few now sought to understand it, thinking it a legend.
The Western Continent’s mainstream churches’ deities never revealed themselves, making Fen, who was always passionate about studying arcane and scientific laws, a vital resistive force against foreign religious influences in Pedan.
Even with Haywood’s appearance, Fen’s atheism didn’t shake until seeing the truly otherworldly Dark Demon Scripture, used to connect to the Annihilation Domain.
Fen felt it was time to reevaluate many things. His expertise in necromancy was unmatched, having created the unreplicable Senluo Death Technique, recognized as the most potentially powerful magic in the present world.
No one could achieve what Fen did, creating souls from nothing at the Sixth Tier, skeletons at the Seventh Rank, and growing flesh at the Eighth Rank.
And all these were living entities formed through magic without needing ritual materials.
Fen sought a transcendent breakthrough. He almost mastered every kind of arcane—destructive series, launching magical attacks using various elements; transformation series, mimicry of arcane energy—gaining abilities like underwater breathing or gliding from high places; mystical series, unable to alter reality fundamentally but temporarily change laws within a range.
Even with a natural "concentration" talent difference, Fen had a vast gap from the various tower masters in the Eleven People Pavilion, part of the Tower Alliance, but he claimed his theoretical knowledge had peaked, unable to progress further in arcane magic.
Thus, he turned his focus to spell studies. Researching spells wasn’t banned by the Tower Alliance but was limited to academic research. Using it for politics or self-interest risked being placed on an expedited list.
Someone intelligent who steps onto the evil path poses a tremendous threat to civilization compared to mere highwaymen or bandits.
Fen had studied Gu Technique, curse, and other dark magic but believed necromancy contained the most potential.
Known as the "Funeral Coffin," Mo’er had died, and Fen occupied his research site in the Heavenly Port Mansion. Despite being swamped, managing East Sea for months, besides forging alliances and handling Shipyard Island, he spent his free time on necromancy research.
He invested all his earnings and savings since joining Black Sail, but to his shame, saw little progress these months, beyond further honing his magic proficiency. The bottleneck in evolving Senluo Death Technique to the Ninth Rank remained unbroken, indefinitely delayed.
Fen’s desire for truth surpassed even his desire for revenge against the Pedan Royal Family, the Elder Council, and the Magic Energy Industrial Committee.
He had to take an unconventional path, re-evaluating himself. Demons were research-worthy if they existed, but he needed transcendental power to complete his studies.
Mika got chills under Fen’s gaze; his execution was exceptional.
"You overthink; even an imprint can be researched," Fen responded to Mika’s sacrificial explanation. "In a sense, if Calirabos exists, its confirmation in some aspects sure would help you and the Annihilation Domain. With the Holy Spirit Church’s Stone Tablet Fragments arriving, making thorough preparations, I might check it out later—a long time from now. Don’t die before then."
Fen admitted he wasn’t an Innate Piling Holy Body and wouldn’t be acknowledged by Calirabos, requiring extensive preparation.
Currently, Black Sail’s relationship with the Holy Spirit Church was very tight, with the Church admitting they owned a Stele Fragment, yet the Black Sail’s disruption of the Aran National Church wasn’t enough for them to share just yet.
They needed to continue appeasing the Holy Spirit Church.
The Aran Imperial City.
Preparations for the Continent Martial Arts Competition had steadily progressed in the Empire’s capital, the center of the world, with about forty days to go.