Chapter 166 The Secret of the Floating City
2015-01-01
Author: Floating Tower
Is the Universal Skillful Hand really restored?
Soren could not be completely certain yet, as the requirements for the Legendary Equipment were still relatively weak and could possibly be forcefully suppressed by power. For example, certain Abyss weapons could be used after purification, reducing the demand for faction alignment. If this Legendary Curved Blade had experienced anything in the past or had its spiritual demands forcefully erased, then its usage requirements would be greatly relaxed, possibly allowing people from the Evil Faction to use it.
The best tools to test the Universal Skillful Hand would be artifacts and Soul-Bound Equipment.
The former is practically impossible to erase faction demands, and changing it would require direct intervention from a deity. The latter has Soul Marks on it, mostly created by Legendary Spellcasters, and once completed can only be used by themselves or their descendants. Among them, the three Legendary Rings are representative; one is in the hands of an Elf, one is with a Dwarf, and the last is inherited by an ancient human family. These three rings are Soul-Bound Legendary Items that can only be worn by direct bloodline descendants.
Otherwise, it must be a Legendary Thief with the Universal Skillful Hand!
Soren initially wanted to create a Soul-Bound ring of Legendary rank or higher himself, but unfortunately, he couldn’t find a Legendary Spellcaster with a Profession Level above 25 to collaborate with.
If possible in the future, he still desires to forge a ring because Soul Marks have special effects! [Note: The ring in human hands grants +1 Legendary Spell Slot.]
………………
In a pitch-black room.
Soren stood by the window gazing into the distance. Without an artifact in hand, he couldn’t test the Universal Skillful Hand, so he had to set it aside for now. Gloria was preparing the divination ritual to determine Vivian’s location, and he would have to wait until the ritual was complete. His mood was a bit chaotic; he worried about Vivian’s safety and feared for Lilian’s complete awakening. He had fought against the will of the Demon God of Fear and naturally understood how terrifying the will of a deity could be. One careless move could plunge him into it.
At the top of the Wizard Tower.
The figure of the Enchantress appeared on the astrological platform. She cast a faint glance at her daughter and said slowly, “You have already overexerted your life force; why are you using the divination ritual?”
Gloria, dressed in a white robe with her long hair flying in the wind, did not look back but replied flatly, “My affairs are none of your business.”
The Enchantress’s expression seemed somewhat angry as she responded, “Foolish! You are toying with your own life! Don’t you understand the cost of predicting a deity’s child? You will only drag yourself into the mire! I say, you might as well capture them now; perhaps you can extract their divinity through some experiments!”
“Soren should also be a divine child, right? Otherwise, how could his power increase so rapidly?”
Gloria slightly furrowed her brows. She turned to look at her mother and slowly said, “Did you come here today just to say this to me?”
The Enchantress’s face stiffened. After a moment of silence, she sighed, “Do as you will; I just hope you do not regret it in the future!”
Regret?
Gloria raised her hand and gently brushed her long hair, noticing a silver strand among it. She shook her head and said, “The path is chosen by oneself. There is no need to regret anything! Besides, I have always had a strange premonition that something terrifying will happen in the future! Being near them intensifies my premonition; I feel as if I am touching the river of destiny!”
“That is a torrent; I simply chose my faction in advance.”
“I like that little girl, and I am willing to help her, to stand by her side. Look at that sky! Have you noticed that the stars representing the deities are somewhat dim? Perhaps the appearance of the Demon Son of Fear is just the beginning!…”
The Enchantress’s expression froze momentarily as she gazed at the stars in the sky, but unfortunately, she saw nothing.
She was a master of Transformation and Enchantment spells, yet had little research on divination. Her daughter was the true master of divination, with a talent that even the Eye of the North found astonishing. Unaccountably, she believed her daughter had indeed sensed or seen something.
The deities had been silent for a long time.
It was because of this that she escaped the place of exile, believing that the Druid Order had become too exhausted to concern itself with her.
Unfortunately, she still underestimated the stubbornness of the Druids! And her own reputation!
“Mother.”
Gloria gently sighed and said, “You have already violated the rules of the Witch Council. Your evasion of punishment enraged the Eye of the North, Your Excellency!… Although she will not personally capture you and take you back, she will not stop the Druids from acting!… It would be best for you to leave here, to hide in a place they cannot find, perhaps when the change truly begins, the Druids will not have the mood to pursue what you did back then!…”
The Enchantress’s expression gradually turned angry, her voice sharp, “Those idiots know nothing!”
“They have no idea how great my research is! If I can succeed, the Arcane Empire will be revived because of my existence! The unprecedented age of the Arcane will be initiated by me!…”
Gloria slightly frowned and sighed, “Mother, unfortunately, you have still failed.”
“Although I do not know what you found in the ruins of the desert, I know that the core knowledge of the Arcane Empire has already been lost. Your research has only brought about horrifying destruction and irreversible energy radiation. You probably don’t even realize that the area where you conducted your experiments has already undergone biological mutations, right? The Northern Witch and the Druid Order have joined forces to block all news and have set up a maze in that area to prevent other creatures from entering!”
What?
A hint of surprise appeared on the Enchantress’s face, and she murmured, “There have been mutations?”
“But my research is about to succeed!… It’s just a tiny bit away!… Just a little bit!… As long as I can clarify the energy core that supports the operation of the Floating City from the Arcane Empire period!… I can create a new era!…”
Her expression seemed very despondent, with a hint of despair. Suddenly she raised her head and said, “There is still a chance!… As long as I can enter Legendary rank!… I will qualify to enter the Clockwork Nirvana Mechanical Mirror!… Once I find the energy core operating the Floating City!… I can establish my own Floating City!… At that time, no one would dare threaten me, exile me, or hunt me!… I will become a Grand Archmage who can stand alongside the Gods!…”
“Daughter, will you help me?”
Gloria gently sighed and shook her head, “Mother, have you not woken up yet?”
“Since the Arcane Empire disappeared until now, so many forces have tried to recover the core secrets of the Arcane Empire. But what has been the result? Goblins originally possessed excellent alchemical skills, and as servants of the Arcanists, they grasped much knowledge, yet in a terrible explosion, they were nearly completely destroyed, and now they can only survive in the desert near the sea. Gnomes also tried to find the secrets of the Arcane Empire, but their cities were completely destroyed, buried deep underground by collapsing mountains.”
“The Wizard Alliance has secretly conducted research for thousands of years, but aside from a few catastrophic explosions, there have been almost no results.”
“Mother.”
“It is far too dangerous! A slight mistake could bring about catastrophic disaster!”
“Give up the research on Elemental Oblivion.”
The Enchantress took a step back and resolutely shook her head, “No! I will not give up! I have invested half of my life into this research!… Dear daughter!… I know you hate me!… I have never fulfilled a mother’s responsibility!… But please believe me!… You are the only person I care about in this world!…”
“If I hadn’t reached the most crucial moment with my research, I would never have entrusted you to the care of the Eye of the North!”
Gloria looked at her deeply and sighed, “Mother, in fact, I do not hate you.”
“In fact, I have always had a vague understanding of your existence. In my childhood memories, your appearances were few and far between; by the time I began to understand, your experiments had already brought about horrifying disasters, killing many innocent lives, forcing nearby people to migrate elsewhere. When I truly got to know you, you were already exiled and imprisoned in White Horse City. The you then was no longer the you I remembered.”
“Do you know?”
“Even now I cannot see you clearly; my only request as your daughter is that you give up this dangerous experiment.”
“With your current strength and wisdom, you cannot possibly control such terrifying powers!”
The Enchantress fell silent.
Finally, she raised her head to gaze at Gloria and then turned to walk outside. Her escape was not merely for freedom.
She refused.
She felt the rift between her and her daughter growing ever wider, but she truly was unwilling to give up just like that, for she believed that as long as she could cross this hurdle, she would become a being comparable to the Gods; at that time, her daughter would naturally know that it was her who was wrong. She was not one of those incapable fools in the Wizard Alliance, nor was she a low-intelligence Goblin or a foolish, laughable Gnome. In fact, she had already completed part of her experiment; otherwise, the resulting destruction would not stop there.
She had to find a way to reclaim what belonged to her, no matter what price she had to pay!
She needed an ally.
Since her daughter was unwilling to help her, she would have to find new allies.
The Arcane Empire.
The ancient and glorious age of the Arcane; she did not need to complete all her research. As long as she could find the core secrets of the Floating City, she would fear nothing, even the Gods!
She would not give up so easily; for this, she had already been imprisoned for over ten years.
………………
(PS: There will be another update today; if it doesn’t update, it will be a bit late.) (To be continued ~^~)
