Chapter 165: Universal Skillful Hand
Inside the Wizard Tower.
The Enchant was glaring fiercely at Soren, but Soren maintained a calm expression as he ascended the Wizard Tower. Since Gloria was already aware of their presence, she wouldn’t allow her mother to take action against him. Furthermore, given Soren’s current strength, even if he couldn’t defeat the Enchant, escaping wouldn’t be difficult. It was evident that Gloria had a strained relationship with her mother, likely due to the Northern Witch’s uniqueness, which suggested they didn’t spend much time together.
This was quite normal.
Many wizards tend to become distant from their children due to their focus on spell research, often leading to estrangement if they do have offspring.
For wizards, who can live for hundreds of years, their attitude towards children resembles that of elves, who are known for their emotional detachment. Most elven families only spend a part of their childhood together. After that, they lead separate lives, and it’s possible for couples to live apart for long periods, especially among the stronger ones, as they typically don’t need to raise their children themselves. Royal families tend to fare slightly better, at least allowing for longer periods of cohabitation during childhood.
Though Gloria had never mentioned it, Soren could tell from the Enchant’s personality that she wasn’t a competent mother.
………………
The Enchant’s expression was stiff, seemingly wishing to dispose of Soren, yet she was somewhat unsure of how much his strength had really increased. To have the qualifications to battle her in such a short time undoubtedly shocked her and generated a bit of wariness in her heart.
She suspected that Soren might be the Demon Son.
Because apart from the Demon Son, she couldn’t think of anyone who could rapidly rise to Third Tier Wanderer in just one month.
And he seemed more dangerous than other wanderers.
The top of the Wizard Tower was quite spacious, and when Soren saw Gloria standing alone, his expression darkened significantly, indicating that Vivian had indeed encountered trouble. Soren’s gaze fell upon Gloria, and he noticed that her complexion was slightly pale, with strands of silvery hair that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. This change startled him, and he exclaimed, “Your hair? What happened?”
Gloria glanced briefly over his shoulder and replied, “Mother, I think you must be tired. I’ve already heard some things. You can stay here for a while, but it’s best to leave quickly. You’ve already violated the Witch Council’s banishment penalty. If His Excellency the Eye of the North finds out, you may be permanently banished.”
“Perhaps you should take a good rest and think about how to deal with those Druids.”
The Enchant had already been banished, but she first avoided the punishment, and the Witch Council had no power to protect her anymore.
As her daughter, Gloria could temporarily provide her with protection due to bl**d ties, but she couldn’t let her stay here forever since the Witch Council would find out sooner or later, and the Druids wouldn’t easily let things go.
The Enchant’s expression darkened. She looked at her daughter with a complex expression and murmured, “Alright.”
After saying that, she turned and left the room, her face becoming gloomy upon exiting.
In fact.
She was feeling increasingly cornered.
Due to her past taboo experiments, she had risen to the top three of the Druids’ blacklist, and the Witch Council had to exert significant effort to temporarily placate those Druids. Initially, she thought she could quickly unravel the mystery of the Fate Cards and become a Legendary Witch with that knowledge. However, she couldn’t even activate the power of that card. Her past Wizard Tower and laboratory had been repossessed by the Witch Council, and some important magical devices were sealed away. The Druids were likely lying in ambush, waiting for her to walk into their trap. A wizard relying solely on their limited spell slots ultimately couldn’t defend against too many enemies.
Before leaving the room, she glanced at Soren, seemingly lost in thought.
Once the Enchant exited the room, Gloria let out a gentle sigh and slowly said, “Mother has evaded punishment. This has made the Witch Council very angry, and some have proposed to permanently imprison her. I can’t change that either.”
She seemed reluctant to elaborate further. Turning to Soren, she softly said, “I’m sorry. I couldn’t take good care of Vivian. Some unexpected events have occurred these days that I couldn’t help.”
For something to render a high-ranking Northern Witch powerless, it must be related to a legend.
Soren took a deep breath and asked seriously, “What happened?”
Gloria raised a hand to tuck her hair behind her ear. Among her locks were strands of silver, and she observed Soren with a complex expression. Sensing his rapid rise in strength, she slowly said, “Someone infiltrated my Wizard Tower. It was a legendary assassin, presumably the infamous Hand of Despair. I was no match for him, but unexpectedly Vivian awakened suddenly. Not only did she save me, but she also killed that legendary assassin.”
“However, she claims to be called Lilian. Fear Witch – Lilian!…”
Soren’s body jolted.
His expression instantly darkened, and he said in a low voice, “Lilian!? Fear Witch – Lilian!?”
A series of memories surged in his mind.
Amber City, prior to the upheaval, the first Fear Demon Son awakened, she was the Fear Witch – Lilian, the most powerful progeny of the Fear Demon, and also the last vessel to resurrect the Fear Demon. This progeny was naturally stronger than other Fear progenies. There weren’t many descendants left by the Fear Demon, but there were dozens in total, with strong divine powers dispersed among these progenies. The Fear Witch – Lilian had killed the vast majority of the progenies and eventually angered Lady Silver Moon, being slain by the latter during a fight when the Saint descended.
History had already been altered.
However, upon hearing that name, especially when spoken by Vivian, Soren’s mood plummeted.
Was Vivian Lilian?
No!
Vivian was Vivian; how could she possibly be Lilian!
Lilian must be the conscious control of the Fear Demon; after the awakening of the Fear Demon Son, her character must have changed drastically due to the influence of the Demon God’s will!
No! I must find Vivian!
If Vivian has killed other Fear progenies, then her divinity will grow stronger, and the Demon God’s will will also become more potent. By that time, she may truly become the Fear Witch – Lilian!
Although Soren was feeling frantic inside, he didn’t act recklessly. He didn’t even know where Vivian was right now.
He meticulously inquired about everything that had happened, then fell into deep thought.
Legends had begun to appear more frequently, but the name “Hand of Despair” reminded him of something; he seemed to have encountered this legendary assassin before. It was likely in the Shadow Plane, where the opponent transformed into shadow form as a legendary Wanderer. Killing him was as difficult as dealing with a lich. Soren had teamed up with someone to defeat him once, but he hadn’t permanently eliminated him. This guy’s soul was somewhere in the Shadow Plane; without sealing his soul, he could only destroy his physical body.
Soren looked up at Gloria, appearing somewhat hesitant and asked, “Is it possible to use divination to locate Vivian?”
Gloria pondered for a moment.
Unconsciously, she raised her hand to stroke her hair, her fair fingertips caught a strand of silver, then she slowly said, “Yes. However, I need to prepare.”
Using divination to locate a Demon Son is not without its cost.
Soren’s eyes lit up with gratitude as he gently bowed his head and said, “Regardless, I am very grateful to you. In the future, I will definitely repay everything you do today!”
Gloria gently shook her head, her expression somewhat complex, and quietly said, “I also really like Vivian. In her, I can see my past self.”
As if seeing something, she slightly frowned, gazing at Soren’s curved blade, puzzled, “Icebane?!”
Does she recognize this curved blade?
Soren gently nodded, replying, “Yes. A weapon I obtained in the Frozen Kingdom. Do you know it?”
“Yes.” Gloria slowly walked closer, wanting to touch the curved blade, but suddenly, as if sensing something, her fingers trembled slightly, withdrawing her hand as if electrocuted, seemingly shivering from the cold. Gloria expressed disbelief, murmuring, “Indeed, just like in the legends! If it is not chosen by its master, it cannot be touched!”
“However.”
“Why can you wield this curved blade? It seems to require a good person to wield it!”
Could there be a requirement for allegiance?
Soren’s expression was quite surprised. He drew Icebane, and in his palm, the legendary curved blade emitted a faint white light; he felt no anomalies and could use it freely.
“This is impossible!”
Gloria’s expression was filled with confusion as she murmured, “It seems you are not someone who firmly believes in goodness, are you?”
Could it be?
Soren seemed to recall something, his expression incredulous, quickly opening his status display.
—Universal Skillful Hand [Legendary Skill] (Soul Weakened)!
Still in a state of unusability.
Soren reached out to stroke the curved blade in his hand. He didn’t feel any rejection; if his legendary curved blade truly had a requirement for allegiance, then the only possibility for him to use it was that his understanding of Universal Skillful Hand, although still sealed, had produced effects.
There are some special legendary items in this world.
Using them requires meeting specific conditions; if not met, they may fail to work or even harm the user.
Most Northern Witches believe in neutrality, so when Gloria encountered it, she shivered slightly.
Because she felt the bone-chilling cold.
If the allegiance deviation is too severe, one might even get harmed by the weapon’s energy. For instance, an evil being could be hurt by a legendary item that requires goodness. Such weapons often carry a hint of sentience, having undergone long periods; they might have been used by their past masters to k*ll too many evil beings or enchanted with a specific spell. Many weapons in the Underdark and Bottomless Abyss can only be used by those of evil allegiance.
If Universal Skillful Hand did not come into effect, Soren should have suffered cold damage upon encountering it.
This type of legendary item isn’t rare, the most iconic being the weapons of Paladins. Their legendary weapons are always enveloped in holy power, and if they k*ll too many evil beings, they can develop use requirements on their own. Some might even awaken sentient consciousness (panconsciousness), automatically attacking enemies in the presence of evil targets, like the seventh-circle spell ‘Sword of Duncan!’
……………… (To be continued ~^~)
