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Chapter 694: Repairing the Warship III

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The palace of the Blackmoon royal family was very large and was protected by a Runic Magic Circle. Therefore, even Merlin would not be able to find out what exactly was going on in the palace.

Merlin followed the eighth prince through many corridors and finally arrived at a huge statue. There was almost no one around the statue, and there was a strict Runic Magic Circle guarding it. It seemed that this was an important place in the palace.

Merlin did not feel anything special about it though. There was nothing around it, just this one strange statue. He did not know why the eighth prince brought him here.

The eighth prince looked solemn. He waved his hand and produced a few mysterious runes. They flew into the statue one after another. Suddenly, the air about them seemed to ripple as though when the surface of the water was disturbed.

"Open!"

With a loud shout from the eighth prince, the Runic Magic Circle began to gradually open, and even the large statue began to shake. Then, a staircase appeared under the statue.

"Oh? What rich Elements!"

Merlin's expression changed slightly. He felt the strong Elemental fluctuations the moment the Runic Magic Circle was opened. These Elemental fluctuations were stronger than any other he had felt in the Glorious Land.

That meant that there could be a large number of elemental crystal stones under those stairs!

"Wizard Merlin, did you feel that? This is why our royal family has to seal this place with a Runic Magic Circle."

The eighth prince was not surprised upon seeing the change in Merlin's expression. He was also very surprised when Bhutto XVI brought him here for the first time.

After the eighth prince finished speaking, he took the lead and stepped into the passage. Merlin did not hesitate and followed after him.

The passage was long and inclined downwards, and it was going deeper and deeper. There was a dull smell of dust in the passage, indicating that people did not come here often.

"I haven't been here for a very long time." The eighth prince said casually. Around half an hour after entering the passage, they finally walked out of the passage and arrived at a spacious secret chamber.

Merlin was shocked by the scene before him when he reached this secret chamber. He saw that the chamber was filled with elemental crystal stones which were emanating a thick aroma of elemental force. They were so many of them stacked into small hills around the chamber.

Each pile pribably contained around tens of millions of elemental crystal stones. Merlin glanced around and saw that there were around eighteen hills of them. That was at least eighteen million elemental crystal stones!

"How can there be so many elemental crystal stones?"

Merlin was truly shocked. He had once seen an unimaginable lode when he was in the Void Zone in the dimension on the Slothful Beast's body and that was it. An unimaginable number of elemental crystal stones could have been dug out from that lode, but it had been destroyed in the end because of the Slothful Beast.

Now that Merlin had seen the Blackmoon royal family's collection, he thought for the first time that the Glorious Land was in reality nowhere as 'poor' as he thought it was.

"Wizard Merlin, are these elemental crystal stones enough? If they aren't, then why don't you look over there?"

The eighth prince pointed forward, and Merlin glanced over in the indicated direction. In front of the secret chamber was a flat and wide field. Merlin was even more shocked to see such an open area like this underground.

It was very clear to him that this was a lode. It was an incredibly large lode that had been dug deep. These elemental crystal stones were clearly what the royal family had dug out from the lode since thousand of years ago.

More importantly, Merlin could still feel the richness of the elemental crystal stones. It meant that there were many elemental crystal stones that had not been mined yet in this lode.

The eighth prince smiled when he saw Merlin's shocked expression and said in a low voice, "Wizard Merlin, I believe you know about the Spell Casters' most glorious era during the Molta Empire. This was a place where my royal family ancestors were first discovered. This is actually the largest elemental crystal stone lode in the Molta Empire. By relying on this lode, the Molta Empire rose to glory and finally declined. This lode had witnessed the rise and fall of the Molta Empire. After the collapse of the Molta Empire, my royal family ancestors discovered this lode and acquired some treasures and inheritances left behind from the Molta Empire, and thus created the Kingdom of Blackmoon!"

Merlin listened carefully to the eighth prince's explanation. He did not expect that this lode was originally controlled by the Molta Empire and had not been completely mined up till now. It showed just how large this lode was.

It was no wonder that the Blackmoon royal family claimed that they were descendants of the Molta Empire. It turned out that it was because they had obtained this Molta Empire's lode as well as some inheritances.

Nevertheless, Merlin noticed that there were some things the eighth prince was not saying. There must be more than just a lode here, and the treasures the royal family had obtained might not be just something that was left behind by the Molta Empire.

At the very least, treasures like the purple-gold crown were extremely precious even in the Void Zone. Its origin must have been extraordinary, but since the eighth prince did not seem willing to elaborate further, Merlin did not plan to ask about it. This might have something to do with the greatest secret of the Blackmoon royal family.

"Are these elemental crystal stones enough?" The eighth prince asked confidently.

No one could imagine that the royal family had accumulated such a terrifying amount of elemental crystal stones. This was the reason why the royal family could flourish so quickly to establish the Kingdom of Blackmoon to the point all the large Spell Caster organizations could not do anything about it.

"It's enough. It's definitely enough!"

Merlin's heart burned. He believed that the warship could definitely be repaired with so many elemental crystal stones. Even if it was not enough, he could obtain more elemental crystal stones from this large elemental crystal stone lode.

"I'll need to stay here for several days though." Merlin said with hesitance.

"That's not a problem!"

The eighth prince agreed without any hesitation. Merlin was confused by his behavior, so he asked doubtfully, "Your Majesty Bhutto XVII, how are you so sure about me? I'm afraid any Spell Caster would be tempted by such fortune and that lode."

"Why wouldn't I be assured?"

The eighth prince shook his head and continued, "The secret of the royal family is only known to the successive kings. Back then, Kleis was ambitious, and I knew that his plan was to unify the entire Spell Caster world. Even our royal family was included in his plan, but even if that plan of his were to succeed, he would never have obtained this treasure.

"However, Wizard Merlin, you're different. You've unified the entire Spell Caster world and controlled Ozmu and the northern Spell Caster world, but you only asked for some elemental crystal stones in return. You even took the initiative to take out some experiences about becoming a Great Wizard and imparted knowledge about constructing Spell Models, Runology, potions, and alchemy. With your current status and strength, you could easily control the royal family but you haven't. It was as if nothing here has much appeal to you. Greed would've blinded everyone who has stepped in here, but you wouldn't be affected!"

The eighth prince spoke and stared at Merlin intensely.

After a long while, Merlin finally laughed. The eighth prince really understood him thoroughly. There really was nothing worth remembering apart from the space of the Origin Lord in the Glorious Land. What was the point of having so many elemental crystal stones?

If he had not obtained a damaged Atlan civilization warship, Merlin would not find elemental crystal stones all that useful. He needed elemental crystal stones now merely to repair the warship.

Since the eighth prince had already taken out the elemental crystal stones and allowed Merlin to take however many he wanted, Merlin naturally had no rapacious thoughts towards the elemental crystal stones here as well as the lode.

"Your Majesty Bhutto XVII, if the Holy Light Empire is defeated, I'll definitely honor my promise!"

Merlin knew what the eighth prince was most interested in. It was to reunify the whole world and establish a single empire, just like the Molta Empire three thousand years ago.

Relying on this lode and the backbone of the royal family were indeed the most potent force in the entire Spell Caster world. If Ozmu had not produced Kleis who had been a force to be reckoned with, then they could not be compared to the royal family.

The eighth prince showed a hint of happiness on his face and left the secret chamber, leaving Merlin alone.

Merlin looked at the almost inexhaustible elemental crystal stones here and took a deep breath before going into the space where the warship was. The energy bar was already down to five percent, and the Matrix had stopped repairing.

"Matrix, how's the repair going?"

In fact, Merlin could see that the two halves of the warship had not been repaired yet.

"The fracture on the warship has not been repaired yet due to the low energy!"

Merlin nodded. The answer was identical to what he had suspected. There really was too little energy. However, the energy was no longer a problem now.

Plak!

Merlin poured a large stream of elemental crystal stones into the high-powered engine furnace. The energy bar of the warship rose rapidly, from five percent to ten, twenty, fifty… and finally one hundred percent!

"Beep. Replenishing energy, complete!"

The voice of the Matrix sounded. The energy of the warship had been restored to one hundred percent, and Merlin murmured, "Perform a comprehensive repair on the warship. Focus on repairing the ruptured part first!"

"Comprehensive repair of the warship requires more repair robots. Do you want to build more repair robots?"

"Manufacture the repair robots according to your needs!"

Merlin did not have any restrictions this time. He had just used ninety-five million elemental crystal elements plus the remaining five percent of energy to fully recover the warship's power to one hundred percent. Then, he let the Matrix conduct a comprehensive repair on the warship.

After all, Merlin needed an empire-level warship that was whole and ready to go to war!

As a result, the energy of the warship decreased rapidly, but Merlin was not worried at all. He replenished as much power as the warship reduced. He even saw that the elemental crystal stones outside were not enough, so he ordered the warship to manufacture some mining robots to start mining the huge elemental crystal stone lode.

In short, Merlin wanted to restore this thousand-year-old Atlan civilization empire-level warship no matter what the cost!

Chapter 695: Soldiers at the City Walls I

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"The heretical country is really fertile! However, God's radiance will soon spread across this land. Our Church of Light will also become the proprietor of this land!"

Philandeny, the Emperor of the Holy Light Empire and the pope of the Church of Light, looked at the scenery along the way and appeared high-spirited. They had been fighting with the Kingdom of Blackmoon for so many years, and each of their crusade against heresy was equally difficult. It was his first time stepping into the heretical land of the Kingdom of Blackmoon.

It was very likely that Philandeny would become the most powerful pope in the Church of Light's history!

"How far are we from the Kingdom of Blackmoon's Imperial City? Have there been any news about the royal family?"

Philandeny knew that in order for the Church of Light to spread God's radiance throughout this land, the royal family, as well as those heretical Spell Casters everywhere, had to be destroyed. For this reason, he had mobilized the entire force in the Church of Light and even sent forth a Divine Believer.

He believed that no matter how powerful the heretics were, they would be eliminated as long as the Divine Believer was present.

"Your Holiness, there are still three days away from the heretical kingdom. As for news about the royal family, there are some, but it's very bad news for us!"

The scarlet-robed Archbishop Nananni who was in charge of intelligence seemed to have received some bad news.

"What bad news?" Philandeny looked very calmed as he asked.

"The chaotic Spell Caster world has been assembled by a new force and was now called the Spell Caster Alliance. They're in the Imperial City now and seem to be joining hands with the royal family to stop us in the Imperial City!"

Nananni's information was very accurate. After he learned that the Spell Caster world had been unified, he was also very surprised. After all, no one had been able to unify the entire Spell Caster world since the collapse of the Molta Empire.

The royal family was defeated so easily at the Polosi River because the Spell Caster world was plunged into internal disorder and did not support the royal family at all.

"The Spell Caster Alliance? That's interesting, but what does it matter? It's already too late. If it had happened a few years ago, we ought to be worried, but now we have three Divine Believers and one Divine Believer possessing the power of God following us. What can those heretics do to stop us? It's fine. It was only the Blackmoon royal family that had decided to fight us last time. Now that they've decided to fight us in the Imperial City, that means those heretics have chosen to fight against us too. When they're defeated this time, they can no longer give us any trouble. The glory of God will shower across this land!"

A sharp light flashed in Philandeny's eyes. There was nothing he feared now. The Spell Caster world and the royal family had joined hands and was prepared to fight with the Holy Light Empire. That was exactly what Philandeny wanted. It would be better to be able to settle everything at one go!

As a result, the army of the Holy Light Empire sped up and hurried towards the Kingdom of Blackmoon.

…

"Beep, the warship has been repaired!"

The Matrix's voice suddenly sounded in Merlin's ear. He quickly opened his eyes and saw that the warship's energy source was down to around forty percent. The mining robots had been mining a large number of elemental crystal stones and pouring them into the high-powered engine furnace incessantly.

Even Merlin had to admire that the Atlan civilization robots indeed had natural advantages in mining lodes. Of course, a Great Legend could rely on their powerful strength to take control of the entire lode. The process would be much faster.

"The repairs are finally complete!"

Merlin was pleased. He first observed the appearance of the warship. The warship which had been broken in half was now intact and restored to its original form. The dark hull gave out a kind of 'ferocious' and dangerous feeling. It was just like when Merlin faced off against those Great Legends when he was weak.

This was an Atlan civilization empire-level warship and was comparable to Honored Legends. Therefore, Merlin was eager to find out what power the warship possessed for it to be comparable to Great Honored Legends and let even Honored Legends feel threatened.

"Matrix, what's the strongest attack of this warship?"

Merlin asked the Matrix directly. After all, the Matrix was the one to receive the data of the battleship that had been completely damaged and could not operate. It had already taken control of the warship easily and had become the core of the empire-level warship.

"The warship's most powerful main cannon, the Destruction Cannon! It can easily shatter space, break down Maxims, and destroy dimensions!"

Merlin was shocked upon hearing the Matrix's introduction. Shattering space was fine; anything possessing the strength of Legends could do it, but breaking down Maxims was different from resisting Maxims or suppressing Maxims. It was breaking down Maxims.

Even a Legendary Wizard far more powerful than a Great Legend would not be able to break down Maxims. Only something that was a level more powerful like an ultimate Maxim would be able to break down ordinary Maxims.

Now it was known that this Destruction Cannon could break down Maxims. This was already comparable to an Honored Legend. Coupled with the fact that it could destroy dimensions, Merlin finally knew why the birthplace of Spell Caster civilization would suffer such huge losses. Even the Molta Empire, which was in its heyday, had completely collapsed, causing a gap to appear in the knowledge and inheritance of the Glorious Land.

The Atlan civilization definitely did not send out just one empire-level warship back then. There might be more powerful dimension-level warships out there. As long as there were a few of these warships, no amount of Glorious Land would be able to resist them. Only if Great Wizards like the Origin Lord fought desperately would the Glorious Land be saved.

"Very good, now that we have the destruction cannon, we can rely on it when we're fighting with the Holy Church of Light and the Void Zone!"

Merlin was still excited. This kind of opportunity could not be stumbled upon simply. If it were an ordinary Spell Caster, even Great Lords would not be able to control an Atlan civilization warship.

Only Merlin, who possessed the Matrix, and since the warship's control core system had collapsed, could successfully control the empire-level warship.

"How much energy does it cost to fire the Destruction Cannon once?"

Merlin once again remembered the most crucial thing about the warship: energy! Repairing and manufacturing robots required energy, so launching such a terrifying attack would definitely require a huge amount of energy.

Sure enough, the Matrix immediately replied, "Firing the Destruction Cannon once requires fifty percent of energy. Please reserve more energy!"

Half the energy bar was needed to use it once, which meant that if a warship was full of energy, it only had the opportunity to launch two attacks. However, twice was enough. Besides, a warship would certainly carry a lot of energy sources.

In other words, this empire-level warship was even more powerful than ordinary Honored Legends!

"It seems we still need to store more elemental crystal stones!"

Merlin looked at the many robots that were constantly mining and digging the elemental crystal stones. He had not found anything that could replace elemental crystal stones yet, so he could only use elemental crystal stones to serve as the warship's energy source for now.

Perhaps, upon returning to the Void Zone, he could go to a vast dimension and find a better energy source than elemental crystal stones.

Rumble.

Merlin was preparing to wait for the robots to mine enough elemental crystal stones when he suddenly heard a dull sound. It was the sound of the huge statue outside the secret chamber opening.

Sure enough, the figure of the eighth prince appeared in the secret chamber. He was stunned at the sight of the robots moving around the lode.

"Puppets?"

He muttered a few words to himself before putting the matter aside. His expression seemed anxious.

"Wizard Merlin, the Holy Light Empire is closing in on the Imperial City. They'll reach the gates of the Imperial City in half a day!"

The eighth prince brought a shocking piece of news.

Chapter 696: Soldiers at the City Walls II

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"The Holy Light Empire is arriving so soon?"

Merlin thought carefully and found that it had not been seven days yet. It had only been six days. The Holy Light Empire was fast.

"Alright, my preparations are almost complete. I'll be ready right away!"

The eighth prince nodded. He saw the mining robots and laughed. "I didn't expect Wizard Merlin to be a master alchemist!"

He left after saying that. The royal family still had many issues for him to take care of. They could not do without him as the King.

Merlin released a deep breath after the eighth price left and looked at the warship in the ring. He found that the energy bar was already nearing eighty-nine percent. He would definitely be able to accumulate one hundred percent of energy before the arrival of the Holy Light Empire.

…

In the Imperial City, the perimeter of the city had been shrouded by a Runic Magic Circle. Fortunately, this did not cause a stir in the Imperial City because ordinary people in the Imperial City had already left. The ones who had temporarily took refuge in the Imperial City and could stay here were all Spell Casters that were gathered from all sorts of places.

Whether it was Ozmu from the south, Wizards from the northern Spell Caster world, people from the Kurdmansla Islands, or from the northern Subzero Snowfield, there were Spell Casters coming from everywhere continuously and gathering.

There was about to be a decisive battle between the entire Spell Caster world and the Holy Light empire in front of the Imperial City. Spell Casters were the dominant force in the Kingdom of Blackmoon. The royal family's previous defeat had already made the Spell Casters feel slightly threatened.

They felt especially threatened by what the Holy Light Empire did after entering the Kingdom of Blackmoon. They had held a huge massacre on all the Spell Casters. Those who were unwilling to 'purify their souls' were publicly executed. This had angered all the Spell Casters. They knew that they could no longer stand by idly. Once the Kingdom of Blackmoon falls into enemy hands, all Spell Casters would really have to go in hiding and disappear completely. That was the end that no Spell Casters wanted to see.

"Your Majesty the King, look. Right in front of us is the Holy Light Empire's army. They've really arrived so quickly!"

Standing on the tall rampart, they could see the densely packed army in the distance. There was even a dazzling cluster of light in the sky, making them stand out.

"This time won't be like the last. We only had the strength of the royal family the last time, but we have the strength of the entire Spell Caster world with us this time!"

The eighth prince pointed at the numerous Spell Casters on the ramparts. The Great Wizards standing at the forefront had released their unrestrained life force. There were nearly fifty Great Wizards including those from the royal family.

One would not dare to even imagine a terrifying force like this in the past.

However, just thinking about the Holy Light Empire's Divine Believer from earlier caused the eighth prince to tremble. The strength of that Divine Believer far surpassed Great Wizards.

"Perhaps only Wizard Merlin will have a way."

The eighth prince turned back to look. Merlin had not appeared yet. He might still be working hard to prepare, but the time he had and the time all Spell Casters had was running out.

…

"Your Holiness the Pope, right in front lies the heretical kingdom! They've arranged several layers of Runic Magic Circles and have soaring Elemental fluctuations. I'm afraid there are at least forty Great Wizards, or even more! We cannot advance any further."

Archbishop Nananni frowned as he reported to Philandeny.

"Looks like the Spell Casters are going all out!"

Philandeny's gaze grew icy. He could naturally see the situation in front of the Imperial City before him. It was completely different from the last time at the Polosi River. Even the confident Philandeny had grown grim.

"Your Holiness, what do we do now?"

"Stop everyone. We can't rush into their Runic Magic Circle unprepared. Call all the Archbishops and Inquisitors."

He paused for a moment and still seemed worried. Then, he said, "Call for Divine Believer Bonnet as well!"

Archbishop Nananni's heart froze as he went and invited the Divine Believer Bonnet. It was proof that a large battle would soon break out. The Pope really could not wait a moment longer…

However, Nananni still complied with the Pope's order and called together the dozen or so Archbishops and Inquisitors. There was also a man dressed simply, barefooted and with a look that seemed to be full of piousness.

He was the Divine Believer Bonnet!

"All the Archbishops and Inquisitors are here, and Divine Believer Bonnet is here as well! Very good, you've all seen the heretical kingdom. Does anyone have any way to get rid of its Runic Magic Circle?"

The many Bishops and Inquisitors looked at the Runic Magic Circle enveloping the Imperial City and did not know what to do. They looked at each other helplessly, and no one made a sound. The battle between the Spell Casters and them had not been going on for just a few days. Naturally, it was clear that the Runic Magic Circle was powerful. An ordinary Spell Caster would not be able to arrange a Runic Magic Circle with so many layers. It was made with many Great Wizards. It would not be an easy feat to break it!

"Your Holiness the Pope!"

One of the black-robed Inquisitors stepped forward. The Inquisition had a very special position in the Church of Light. They were just under the Pope, and not even other Archbishops could control the Inquisition.

Therefore, this has always led the Inquisition to be revered by everyone. However, there were also many powerful believers among them. In the past, capturing heretics were the Inquisition's most important task.

"It's impossible for us to destroy so many Runic Magic Circles in a short amount of time. If we want to destroy them all, it would require a long time. We'd need at least half a month."

The black-robed Inquisitor glanced at the densely packed Runic Magic Circle and shared his thoughts. It was not impossible to break it, but they needed time.

"Half a month?"

Philandeny's expression immediately sank. They had hundreds of thousands of troops, but they were also deep inside a heretical kingdom. Every kind of delay was dangerous, let alone being hindered for half a month. He could not imagine what kind of danger the Holy Light Empire would face in the end.

"No, fifteen days is too long. How many days will it take if we attack by force?"

Philandeny would never agree to use half a month just to destroy the Runic Magic Circle.

"If we attack forcefully, we'll only need three days. The premise is that those heretics don't attack us, but that's impossible. They would definitely seize the opportunity to cause a commotion."

The Runic Magic Circle outside the Imperial City was really troublesome. This was the power of Spell Casters. A Runic Magic Circle arranged by so many Great Wizards for such a long time was naturally extraordinary. It was already a testament to the Church of Light to be able to break it in fifteen days.

"Are we really going to wait for half a month? We can't!" Philandeny's face was sullen as he cried. His eyes roamed all around at the people in the crowd before finally landing on the plain and simple looking Divine Believer, Bonnet.

"Sir Bonnet, you're the most devout person that was chosen by God and possess God's power. Do you have any way to help us solve this difficulty?"

All eyes fell on Bonnet. Holy Believers only existed in the Church of Light's legends, and many red-robed Archbishops did not see them much either.

Therefore, they respected and were bewildered by Divine Believers all at once.

Divine Believer Bonnet was expressionless. He maintained his appearance of piousness and calmly said, "As long as we follow God's guidance, nothing can stop us! Under the power of God, the Runic Magic Circle arranged by those heretics will melt and collapse…"

"Haha, Sir Bonnet, do you really have a plan?"

Philandeny was overjoyed as he looked at Bonnet. Although he had seen Bonnet demonstrate extraordinary power at the Polosi River, it seemed that only a small amount of Bonnet's strength was used against the purple gold crown.

Could Bonnet succeed in dealing with such complicated Runic Magic Circles? Even Philandeny was not sure!

"God is guiding us. Don't be afraid!"

Bonnet said and turned around, heading directly towards the Imperial City and the densely packed Runic Magic Circle.

…

Everyone saw the Holy Light Empire's army stopping from the Imperial City ramparts. No one stepped forward even after a long time. They knew that it was the Runic Magic Circle that was blocking their advance.

"Hehe, the Holy Light Empire can't move forward now? So many of our Rune Wizards had spent days to arrange this eighteen-layered Runic Magic Circle. I'm afraid even if Kleis were to resurrect, he wouldn't be able to break these circles in a short time either!"

"That's right. We also have nearly fifty Great Wizards. As soon as they dare to attack the Runic Magic Circles, we'll take the initiative to attack and maybe find the opportunity to kill some of their Archbishops."

"We're almost invincible with these Runic Magic Circles. Why were we so humbled before?"

Many Great Wizards fell into a heated discussion about it. They were very confident about their eighteen-layer Runic Magic Circle. There were nearly fifty Great Wizards watching the circles at all times. It was just impossible for the Holy Light Empire to break them. Should the Holy Light Empire did any damage, all they just had to do was just to mend them.

The Spell Casters were almost invincible. This was the safest method, but it made several Great Wizards feel wronged. Why should the mysterious and powerful Spell Casters act so restrained?

Looking at the optimistic Great Wizards, the eighth prince and the royal family Elders remained calm, but they knew the Holy Light Empire would not be defeated so easily.

Their purple gold crown back then was no inferior to this eighteen-layered Runic Magic Circle in terms of defense, but it became extremely fragile when the Divine Believer appeared and shattered it instantly.

That moment was something that the eighth prince would never forget.

"The Holy Light Empire has moved. Why are they only sending out one person?"

Many people still had their doubts when they saw a seemingly ordinary looking white-robed man flying out from the Holy Light Empire's camp. The eighth prince's and the royal family Elders' expressions changed instantly.

"It's him again? It's the rumored Divine Believer of the Church of Light who possesses God's power!" the eighth prince could not help but shout.

He felt greatly threatened by the sight of the Divine Believer.

Chapter 697: Purify

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The Divine Believer, the most pious Ascetic! In the past, even knowledgeable Great Wizards from large Spell Caster organizations would not know what a Divine Believer was.

However, ever since the royal family was defeated in the Polosi River and the purple gold crown was smashed, the words 'Divine Believer' had been repeated in many ears.

Therefore, they were all slightly shocked and did not dare to underestimate him when they heard the eighth prince's shout the name. Their expressions had grown grim.

Bonnet the Divine Believer was dressed in plain clothes and barefooted. He walked lightly on the air as if he was walking up a long ladder all the way to the top of the Imperial City, overlooking the entire city.

"God guides us to the path of light. Darkness will eventually be dispelled. No challenges will be able to stop God's glory!"

Bonnet's body radiated a dazzling white light in the air, making him appear extremely sacred. Flecks of white light seemed to fall down like raindrops from his body.

Hum… hum… hum…

These white lights seemed to be corrosive when they fell on the Runic Magic Circle. The seemingly powerless white lights had corroded the Runic Magic Circle layer after layer, and five layers of the Runic Magic Circle had been corroded in no time.

"Damn it, we can't let him continue to do that. Kill him!"

The Great Wizards on the Imperial City ramparts saw Bonnet melted and destroyed the Runic Magic Circle with its peculiar light in such an effortless manner. They could no longer sit still and remain indifferent about it.

"Yes, we have to act now. We mustn't let him destroy the Runic Magic Circle!"

The Runic Magic Circle was the most important barrier for the Imperial City. If they lost this barrier, a large portion of the Imperial City would be destroyed even if they won the battle. This was something that no one wanted to see.

After all, the Kingdom of Blackmoon had existed for a long time, and its history was no worse than any Spell Castre organization. The Imperial City was the symbol of the entire Kingdom of Blackmoon. If it were destroyed, it would be a great blow to the entire Spell Caster world.

Therefore, it was necessary to stop Bonnet and save Imperial City's barrier.

Hoo…

A gust of wind surged as forty or so Great Wizards cast their Spells. Multi-colored Wizard Hearts rose behind them, making the sky shine colorfully.

Boom!

Suddenly, the spells erupted and the entire sky darkened. Gales, flames, ice, and countless spells roared toward Bonnet like waves crashing against one another.

Bonnet remained indifferent, but his body emitted more white light that turned into a rain of light that and melted the Runic Magic Circle below.

He opened his eyes a little only when the strong winds swept past. He said calmly, "God's power is everywhere. People who are devout to God, don't be afraid. Evil cannot harm God's most devout believers!"

The expression on Bonnet's face seemed to become more pious than before, and the white light on his body became purer and holier. The raging winds and burning flames seemed to be unable to harm him.

However, the Runic Magic Circle below was being destroyed rapidly. Soon, only one layer remained from the eighteen-layered Runic Magic Circle.

Tss…

With a crackle, the eighteen-layered Runic Magic Circle was destroyed by Bonnet completely. Bonnet was uninjured even when he was facing more than forty Great Wizards' Wizard Hearts, and his body still continued to emit a sacred light.

All Great Wizards had stiff expressions on their faces. Their hearts were plunged into turmoil. The combined force of more than forty Great Wizards did not work on him at all. Keils would not dare to contend head-on with more than forty Great Wizards even if he was still alive today.

Nevertheless, Bonnet was completely unscathed and still appeared very calm.

"Is this the power of God?"

"Is there really a God in this world? What are Spell Casters for then?"

Many Spell Casters started to doubt. Since the Glorious Land had been severely damaged, and there were gaps in knowledge and even inheritances. They knew nothing else besides the Molta Empire. It went to show how terrible the war with the Atlan civilization was.

Therefore, these Spell Casters did not know that there was once a God in the Glorious Land. They seemed to be hesitating now. Was the unfamiliar power that did not belong to any Elements the power of God as claimed by the Church of Light?

"Oh no, the Runic Magic Circle was destroyed. Not even forty or so Great Wizards could stop the Divine Believer of the Holy Light Church."

The eighth prince's heart sank. The thing that he was most worried about had happened after all. He had seen the Divine Believer in action at the Polosi River before. Deep in his heart, he had known that even forty or so Great Wizards would not be able to resist the Divine Believer.

Now it seemed that the worst had indeed happened.

Without the Runic Magic Circle, all that stood in between the Imperial City and the Holy Light Empire were the forty or so Great Wizards. Once they were dealt with, the Imperial City would be easily occupied, and the whole Spell Caster world would be defeated.

Therefore, this battle was pivotal!

"Everyone, don't panic. We have more than forty Great Wizards. What can a single Divine Believer do?"

This gathering of more than forty Great Wizards was indeed very impressive.

"God brings light and washes the souls of the depraved!"

Bonnet's hands seemed to pray to the sky, and a layer of light quickly spread across the entire Imperial City, trapping all the Spell Casters. Even the Great Wizards felt themselves becoming more familiar with Bonnet at that moment.

"No, everyone, don't be fooled!"

Many Great Wizards' Mind Power was extremely strong. Their willpower held staunch, and they had quickly came to their senses after having detected that something was wrong. All the other Great Wizards were awoken with a loud shout.

Even the eighth prince fell into a trance for a moment. It was as if he felt that Bonnet was an incarnation of God, welcomed by everyone.

"Wizard Merlin, why haven't you appeared yet? If you don't come soon, the Imperial City and the entire Spell Caster world will be finished…"

The eighth prince was extremely anxious, and he kept turning his head back constantly. The power of the Church of Light's Divine Believer was far beyond the imagination of ordinary people. Even Great Wizards had been mistaken about his strength. They simply could not contend against Divine Believers.

Bonnet opened his eyes and saw that it was impossible to confuse these Great Wizards, and a hint of coldness was revealed in his gaze.

"Fallen souls, God will absolve you of your sins and purify you all…"

As Bonnet spoke, the Spell Casters on the ramparts looked at the holy light that was radiating from his body and seemed to feel a boundless yet dangerous life force. The instantly felt frozen, as if entering an icehouse.

Chi. Chi. Chi.

The sacred light shone on the Spell Casters like the sun, and every Spell Caster let out miserable cries. The flames seemed to be melting the cold as if the sun melts the ice. They disappeared into thin air at the end.

The 'purification' that Bonnet talked about was to murder every single one of them there!

"We can't hold on. We can't resist at all!"

"It seems that it's true that Divine Believers have the power of God. Who can defeat the Holy Light Empire who has Divine Believers?

"No, we still have a chance. Where's Wizard Merlin? He killed Kleis. Right now he's our chance at fighting this terrifying Holy Believer and save the whole Spell Caster world!"

Many people thought about Merlin right now. In the past, they believed that nothing could threaten the Spell Caster World, and that the Holy Light Empire was just a minor thorn that could be easily plucked away.

However, they now knew that they were too naive. The Holy Light Empire had developed way beyond their imagination. Just one Divine Believer was enough to make them despair!

Only Merlin might be able to compete with the Divine Believer. If Merlin appeared, perhaps they would have a chance of survival.

As a result, many Spell Casters were looking for Merlin frantically, but they did not know where Merlin went no matter who they asked.

How could Merlin have disappeared at such an important juncture?

The eighth prince grit his teeth. He also seemed to be overwhelmed. All the Spell Casters were in imminent peril.

"Sir Bonnet is really great. Is that the power of God?"

Outside the Holy Light Empire's camp, several believers of the Church of Light saw the Divine Believer Bonnet demonstrate his might to fight singlehandedly against nearly fifty heretical Great Wizards.

One heretical Great Wizard could rival a red-robed Archbishop or black-robed Inquisitor, but the Divine Believer Bonnet not only was not in a disadvantaged position, he even suppressed nearly fifty heretical Great Wizards and seemed to have 'purified' those evil heretics thoroughly.

"Yes, it's the power of God! As long as our faith is true, God will be with us. You've all seen God's vast and incomparable power!"

Philandeny was also excited. Of course, he was a staunch believer in the God of Light. However, unlike pure believers like the Ascetic, he was more concerned about authority and the power of the entire Church of Light.

Now, he watched as Bonnet defeat more than forty heretical Great Wizards and saw that the Imperial City would soon be controlled by the Church of Light. The entire Holy Light Empire would become the sole country in this world, and then he would become the person with the highest authority since the Molta Empire royal family.

This was a temptation that Philandeny could not resist!

"No one can stop the footsteps of God!"

In the sky, Bonnet's expression grown more devout. The sacred light on his body was like a burning flame. Many Spell Casters below, including Great Wizards, were shrouded in the intense sacred light and were 'purified' from the inside out.

Boom!

The Imperial City trembled suddenly. A loud roar sounded, and a three-headed dragon's made a violent dash into the sky. All eyes were fixed on the figure on the three-headed dragon's head!

Chapter 698: Lord God of Light

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"Wizard Merlin has finally appeared!"

All the Great Wizards on the rampart reveled in joy when they saw the figure perched atop the three-headed dragon. Merlin's status had climbed to the top of the entire Spell Caster world. He was the most powerful among the Spell Casters. Hence, he was also the indisputable number one Wizard!

The anxiety felt by the eighth prince subsided a little. He remembered that Merlin had spent a long time inside the royal family's lode of Elements in order to prepare to confront the Holy Light Empire. After such a long time, Merlin should be quite well-prepared.

Merlin had indeed increased the warship's energy to one hundred percent as well as stored large amounts of elemental crystal stones inside it. It was only then that he left the lode of Elements and came to the city's rampart.

Fortunately, he was not too late. The siege of the Holy Light Empire had just begun. He saw Bonnet immediately hovering mid-air and wielding 'god' powers.

"Divine energy? The aura of divinity is here too!"

Merlin narrowed his eyes. He had encountered many gods in the Void Zone, so he was very familiar with the aura of gods. This Bonnet before him was not a god, yet his body contained a portion of divine energy as well as a sliver of divinity. This was quite curious.

Divine energy was not something that everyone could withstand. The believer had to be incredibly devout in his faith, and it should be without any trace of selfishness. He had to offer his body and mind wholly to his god in order to withstand this divine energy.

This group of people was known as zealots. They were also the favorite type of believers of the gods. Obviously, this Bonnet before him was a zealot and had also received power from the Lord God of Light.

No matter how much power Bonnet received, he must at least be comparable to a Great Legend. Therefore, not just these forty over Great Wizards but any number of Great Wizards would not be able to defeat Bonnet. There was a substantive difference between them, after all.

Roar!

The three-headed dragon was tainted by the Holy Light and began to burn all over. It seemed to be in tremendous pain and was going to fall at any time.

Merlin remained calm. He patted the crown of the three-headed dragon, and the surrounding air cooled slightly. Then, the temperature plunged sharply without warning. All the flames on the Spell Casters were extinguished, and even the Holy Light on Bonnet's body seemed to be oppressed.

For the first time, Bonnet's expression cracked. This was the first time he had actually sensed danger ever since he received God's power. It was a greatly threatening sense of danger at that.

"How could someone defy God's power? Purify, you fallen soul!"

Bonnet exerted a divine energy fluctuation much more intensely than before. This aura far surpassed a one-Maxim Legend and was almost comparable to a two-Maxim Legend.

Fortunately, Merlin had already consolidated the Five-Elemental Wizard Heart.

Therefore, he stretched out his hands and a large Wizard Heart appeared behind him. This Wizard Heart had not been perfectly consolidated, yet it gave off an intimidating sense of oppression. As soon as it appeared, the surrounding elements fluctuated wildly, stirring up a storm.

"Suppress!"

A fiery palm appeared in the sky. It reached down, covering up half of the sky above their heads and came crashing straight down.

Boom!

Bonnet's face was incomparably pale, but his eyes remained resolute and devout as the Holy Light on his body continued to resist Merlin's spell.

"Hmm? True enough, the Lord God of Light's power is extraordinary, but how much could the Lord God of Light transmit his power to the Glorious Land even if he wanted to it stealthily when a seal has been put on the Glorious Land by the three Ultimate Arcane Wizards? Shatter!"

Merlin roared mightily. The fiery palm transformed into a solid ice hammer and struck down mercilessly. Since Merlin's spells were able to transform at will, they were very unpredictable.

Boom!

Finally, Bonnet could no longer withstand it this time when he was faced against Merlin who was far superior in power. The Holy Light surrounding his body diminished. His entire person was slammed onto the ground by the force of Merlin's spell.

Bonnet did not die though. Merlin could sense that the sliver of divinity inside Bonnet was restoring him rapidly. As long as this sliver of divinity existed, it would be hard for Merlin to kill Bonnet.

"Divinity. Divinity again!"

Merlin frowned. His Five-Elemental Wizard Heart had far surpassed an ordinary Legend. Bonnet's abilities were so far below Merlin that he could practically run him into the ground. Nevertheless, it would be hard to kill someone with divinity.

Seeing that Bonnet had been completely restored, Merlin remembered one of his treasures specifically useful for suppressing gods.

"God-Binding Disc!"

Merlin wielded the God-Binding Disc without hesitation. The huge God-Binding Disc had released an infinite suction power instantly that covered Bonnet's head and sucked him into the God-Binding Disc.

Inside the God-Binding Disc, Bonnet did not have a single ounce of resistance. His body was immediately crushed into pieces and the sliver of divinity was torn viciously out of his body by the God-Binding Disc.

Boom!

Merlin's God-Binding Disc shuddered slightly, seemingly cracking. Merlin was flabbergasted. The God-Binding Disc was specifically invented to suppress the gods. Countless gods had been suppressed by the God-Binding Disc and had their divinity extracted, leading to their eventual deaths.

However, this small sliver of divinity actually managed to unleash enough power to break the God-Binding Disc.

"The Lord God of Light is indeed a force to reckon with. Even this sliver of divinity is extraordinary!"

Merlin reached out to grab the God-Binding Disc. He felt resigned seeing the numerous cracks running along the God-Binding Disc. After all, this was not the divinity of an ordinary god, but the divinity of the Lord God of Light who had founded a god organization. Just a sliver of it could give out such a terrifying burst of power.

Merlin looked up into the sky. He felt like a pair of eyes was glaring at him from afar.

"Did you notice it?" Merlin mumbled under his breath with a pensive expression.

…

In a vast dimension filled with Holy Light all year round, the Great Lord God of Light was constantly being worshipped.

The God of Light occupied the largest dimension as a Lord God who had founded a god organization. In this dimension, hundreds of millions of believers provided him with an endless stream of power of faith every single day.

That was not all. Every god controlled at least one dimension in the Light God Organization which he had founded. The more powerful gods might control up to ten dimensions. In all of these dimensions, the Lord God of Light was the supreme and was constantly absorbing the most powerful of faith.

This was the advantage of founding a god organization. The benefits enjoyed by a Lord God were far greater than the other gods.

At this time, the Lord God of Light had his eyes closed and was searching for a few lucky souls among its hundreds of millions of believers. He was answering their prayers, performing miracles and granting them some form of fortune. These were the tactics most commonly used by the gods to control their believers.

The faith of the believers would become more convicted as long as the gods showed them some form of miracles. Therefore, the search for lucky souls had become almost a daily cultivation routine for the gods.

"O Great God of Light, praise be unto You. Please grant me courage, I want to kill these worthless horse thieves…"

This was a devout knight who seemed to have encountered some horse thieves and was preparing to sacrifice his life in order to fight the horse thieves. He did not forget to pray to the God of Light before doing so.

He was a lucky soul. The God of Light heard the prayers of this knight. The god smiled, and a sliver of divinity quickly befell the knight. With this sliver of divinity, the knight was able to kill all the horse thieves. Afterward, he would surely proclaim this victory and testify the greatness of the God of Light.

The God of Light had done this a lot of times.

Crack!

Out of nowhere, the God of Light noticed that a sliver of divinity that he had consolidated was broken. Every sliver of divinity in his body was incredibly precious. Despite how tiny and insignificant this particular sliver was, the God of Light seemed to realize something and his expression shifted drastically.

"This sliver of divinity belongs to a Divine Believer in the Glorious Land! Was he defeated? If even a Divine Believer can be defeated, it seems like the Glorious Land is indeed not simple…"

The Lord God of Light's expression darkened slightly. He recalled the splendor of the Glorious Land, back when the Spell Casters had not existed. He was the supreme ruler and king of all the gods in the Glorious Land with dozens of gods, big and small, under his wing.

The Glorious Land was a special place. From the moment the God of Light was born, he knew that the Glorious Land was very special. Therefore, he had controlled the Glorious Land with an iron fist.

However, just like the other dimensions, a new civilization was born into the Glorious Land. It was not a weak civilization. This civilization had arisen, retaliated, exiled and killed countless gods just as the God of Light was taking a nap for ten thousand years. In the end, even he, the supreme ruler and king of all the gods, was driven out of the Glorious Land.

Later on, the God of Light finally founded a god organization and became an ultimate Lord God, but the weak civilization had also produced three ultimate existences. Even the Lord God of Light would not dare to confront the Spell Caster civilization by himself, so he had no choice but to join the God Alliance.

The fact that the Spell Caster civilization rose so quickly further reinforced the God of Light's speculation about the Glorious Land. He knew that there must be an earth-shattering secret hidden in the Glorious Land. Otherwise, how could it give birth so such a powerful civilization as well as such a powerful Lord God like himself?

Therefore, despite the three Great Arcane Wizards sealing the Glorious Land, but there were fortunately still believers of the God of Light due to the continuous expansion of the Church of Light in the Glorious Land. With his power as a Lord God, he was able to forcibly project a bit of his power to support the expansion of the Church.

He had secretly cracked open the seal just a few years ago. He had selected three Divine Believers and transmitted his divine energy and divinity to them. Thus, the church now had three Divine Believers.

Then, he had issued a commandment to the Church of Light to eliminate all Spell Casters and take over the world. The stronger their faith, the higher the chance that he would be able to break the seal in the future and transmit more power to the Glorious Land. Surely, he would be able to regain control over the Glorious Land and discover its secret one day.

Nevertheless, this plan had only been completed halfway when one of his Divine Believers died. This meant that the Glorious Land might have given birth to a powerful Legend!

"The seal on the Glorious Land has never been opened, so it's impossible for the Spell Caster civilization outside to send a Legendary Wizard into the Glorious Land. That means this is a Legend born in the Glorious Land! The Spell Caster civilization is really unique. Even in such a fallen place, a powerful Legend can be born. I still have two Divine Believers with me though."

The Lord God of Light seemed to have made up his mind. He quickly extended his consciousness toward the Glorious Land through the power of faith.

Chapter 699: Six-Elemental Great Wizard!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"Bang."

Outside the Imperial City, Merlin was preparing to attack and capture Pope Philandeny. However, he discovered that while Philandeny did not have the power of a Great Legend, he had a precious item that enabled him to tear open space at will.

Therefore, Philandeny managed to escape. However, he was the only one. Besides Philandeny, hundreds of thousands of troops sent by the Holy Light Empire as well as numerous believers including dozens of red-robed bishops and black-robed Inquisitors, had died under the attack of almost fifty Great Wizards.

Those with faith were incredibly frightening. Even regular soldiers would fight back maniacally. Only a very small group of people with shaky faith would throw away their weapons and surrender to the Kingdom of Blackmoon.

Merlin no longer got involved but instead, watched the scene indifferently until the battle was over. The entire land in front of the Imperial City was stained dark purple with fresh blood, and a thick bloody stench filled the air.

"Wizard Merlin, we've defeated the Holy Light Empire and safeguarded this free country!"

"We won, we finally won!"

Many Spell Casters felt a sense of redemption. From the previous sense of despair to the current clean sweep of victory, the rise and fall felt like a dream to them. Several Spell Casters were crying tears of joy.

The eighth prince was also watching the scene in front of him with a thumping heart. Just not too long ago, the royal family was in grave danger, and at risk of being wiped out. However, this battle had defeated the Holy Light Empire. Other than Philandeny and a few odd soldiers who managed to flee back to the Holy Light Empire, all the others perished here.

"Wizard Merlin, this is all thanks to you. If not for your victory over the Divine Believer, I'm afraid the Imperial City would've been invaded by now!"

Thinking of their helplessness against the Divine Believer back then, the eighth prince could not help but feel traumatized. He knew that the outcome of this battle was turned around by Merlin alone.

Merlin remained calm. Looking at the dwindling battle, he said slowly, "There are many things to do after a battle, so I won't stay here. Take a few days to rest. Although the Holy Light Empire has been defeated, the Holy Light Empire and the Church of Light still exist!"

Merlin cast his gaze into the distance. His meaning was crystal clear. At the same time, the eighth prince was undeniably thrilled as he recalled his previous agreement with Merlin.

It appeared that his aspiration for the Kingdom of Blackmoon to rule the entire world was not impossible!

…

Back in the silent castle, Merlin's expression turned thoughtful. He reached into the spatial ring and grabbed the God-Binding Disc.

Currently, the God-Binding Disc was covered with cracks all over, obviously damaged. This was the price he had to pay for extracting that sliver of the Lord God of Light's divinity from Bonnet.

Unfortunately, Merlin was not a Great Alchemist. Otherwise, he could probably try to mend the God-Binding Disc. After all, the God-Binding Disc had an obvious suppressive power over the gods.

"Whoosh."

Merlin opened the God-Binding Disc. Immediately, an overwhelming godly authority filled the entire room. The divinity was motionless, apparently suppressed by Merlin.

With regard to divinity, Merlin was thoroughly familiar with them. Back then, he had absorbed a lot of divinity. The divinity of gods had many benefits including healing injuries and increasing Mind Power.

However, the divinity that Merlin obtained before this all came from the ordinary gods, most of them lower rank gods. He had never obtained divinity from a middle or upper rank god. Meanwhile, this sliver of divinity before him belonged to a Lord God who had founded a god organization.

The overwhelming godly authority was not able to suppress Merlin. He observed this sliver of divinity carefully. Besides the overwhelming godly authority, it contained the concept of light.

With just a little touch, he could sense various characteristics of light, such as sacredness, everlastingness, gentleness, and so on. Most of all, Merlin wanted to use this sliver of divinity to improve his understanding of light in order to gain enlightenment of his Darkness spells.

Merlin now had the Five-Elemental Wizard Heart. He was only one step away from consolidating the Six-Elemental Wizard Heart and becoming a Great Wizard. Nevertheless, this one step seemed insurmountable.

In fact, Merlin had already tried simulating the fusion of the Darkness-type Wizard Heart in the Illusory World but the end result was still a failure.

After watching it for a moment, Merlin still did not gain any enlightenment. This sliver of divinity had become a burden for Merlin. Considering his current level of Mind Power, what he lacked was not Mind Power but enlightenment. No matter how much further his Mind Power increased, it would not help his enlightenment of the Illusory Heart.

Therefore, the Illusory World had reached a bottleneck. Using this divinity to increase his Mind Power would be useless.

"Divinity is all-powerful. Even an Honored Legend would covet it!"

Merlin contemplated for a moment Then, his eye flashed bright as an idea struck. Simulating the fusion of Wizard Heart in the Illusory World was simply a simulation. There were still plenty of differences from a real-life fusion.

However, a real-life fusion would pose come risks. Nonetheless, with this sliver of divinity, Merlin could try to forcibly fuse the Six-Elemental Wizard Heart.

Even if he failed, the divinity should be able to protect his existing Wizard Heart, and mend the injured parts. The benefits of divinity would attract the envy of even Honored Legends, what more the divinity from a Lord God who founded a god organization. Surely, this divinity would be extraordinary.

Thinking along these lines, Merlin took a deep breath, and made up his mind. With this sliver of divinity, it was his best chance. He could not let it go easily.

"The most critical fusion of all!"

An apparition of the Darkness-type Wizard Heart appeared behind Merlin. Then, the bigger Five-Elemental Wizard Heart also made an appearance.

Comparing side-by-side, the Five-Elemental Wizard Heart clearly held an advantage. It was like a gigantic beast that could easily crush the Darkness-type Wizard Heart.

In fact, Merlin also intended to allow the Five-Elemental Wizard Heart to engulf the Darkness-type Wizard Heart to transform it into a Six-Elemental Heart. Then, he would become a true Great Wizard.

With that, Merlin's abilities would undergo a substantive leap!

"Hum."

Suddenly, the two Wizard Hearts began to get closer to each other. Originally, among all his spells, Merlin had the deepest understanding of Fire- and Darkness-type spells.

By an unexpected twist of fate, it was his Darkness-type Wizard Heart that failed to fuse in the end.

In his mind, he recalled the feeling of constructing each Darkness-type Spell Model and the feeling of wielding Darkness-type spells. Even the Darkness Eye appeared among Merlin's memories.

The bits and pieces of Darkness-type spells flowed quietly in Merlin's memory. This way, Merlin gained a deeper understanding of Darkness-type spells.

However, just as the two Wizard Hearts were about to begin the fusion, Merlin discovered that the process of fusing a Six-Elemental Wizard Heart was not simple. The Wizard Heart began to vibrate so strongly that Merlin was almost unable to control it.

At this moment, Merlin immediately brandished the divinity. A warm feeling appeared in Merlin's Awareness. A dazzling radiance shined and rapidly mended the Darkness-type Wizard Heart.

Merlin was stunned. His mind seemed to be completely fixated on the dazzling radiance until it gradually turned into darkness and quietened down.

"Darkness is solitude… This is the Essence of Darkness Element!"

At this very moment, Merlin unexpectedly received enlightenment. Initially, he was about to give up continuing the fusion but upon attaining the dazzling radiance of the divinity, hope was ignited in his heart once again.

Hence, he used the small remaining amount of divinity to continuously shine its radiance in his Awareness. While the divinity mended the damaged Wizard Heart, Merlin also gained deeper enlightenment of Darkness-type spells.

"Fuse!"

The moment when divinity was completely used up, Merlin did not hesitate any longer. He controlled the Darkness-type Wizard Heart and began the fusion. This time, he did not have any protective measures, so it was very dangerous.

Fusing a Wizard Heart to become a Great Wizard had always been the most dangerous stage for Spell Casters. Upon passing this stage, the road ahead would be smooth sailing. Even if one did not become a Great Legend, it was still possible to live for a very long time. There were also no internal dangers such as Spell Models or Wizard Hearts collapsing to worry about.

However, if the attempt failed, Merlin might cause the Wizard Heart to collapse. Even if he did not die, he would be grievously injured, and it would be difficult to recover.

Merlin had experienced this type of danger many times. This was the last time, and also the one with no room for mistakes. His heart was filled with a conviction that he must succeed.

"Boom."

Finally, the two Wizard Hearts slammed together violently and began to fuse. Even though it was only a moment, it felt like an eternity to Merlin.

His Wizard Heart began to vibrate strongly once again like it was about to lose control.

At this time, Merlin thought of Old Man Eita, his father Old Wilson, and his wife Charise. He also thought of the vast darkness of the Void Zone and the painful struggles of countless civilizations.

Suddenly, Merlin realized that he was truly insignificant. Although he was now comparable to a Great Legend, in the infinite Void Zone, he was as insignificant as a grain of sand.

"No matter how powerful an ability is, it'll fade over time! No matter how beautiful a countenance, it'll grow old. No matter how heated a passion, it'll gradually become as cold as ice…"

"Eternity! Only a Maxim will last through eternity!"

At that moment, Merlin's heart seemed devoid of all elements. There were no spells and no Wizard Hearts. There was only a Maxim, an everlasting Maxim.

Only by consolidating a Maxim and becoming a Great Legend would he be eternal. Otherwise, he would eventually decay over a long time!

"Hum."

Just as Merlin fell into this unprecedented line of thought, his entire body jolted as if he was awakened. He sensed that in his Awareness, there was an incomparably powerful Wizard Heart.

Moreover, this Wizard Heart was emitting multi-colored rays. This was the multi-colored Wizard Heart of a Great Wizard.

Merlin had succeeded. He was a Six-Elemental Great Wizard!

Chapter 700: Return to Blackwater City I

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"Fuh…"

Merlin felt his entire body filled with power. Such an invincible feeling made him feel like he could destroy the entire dimension!

This was power comparable to a Great Legend!

Of course, Merlin's ability had long since surpassed a two-Maxim Legend, and might even be comparable to a three-Maxim Great Legend. Right now, however, with the complete fusion of the Six-Elemental Wizard Heart and the perfect combination of spells, his abilities had undergone a substantive leap. Merlin was perhaps comparable to a five- or six-Maxim Great Legend now.

In other words, Merlin was already infinitely close to an Honored Legend, despite only just achieving the level of a Great Wizard. Even in the Void Zone, Merlin had never seen anyone as powerful as him at the level of a Great Wizard.

"The thrill of power!"

Merlin gently shut his eyes. His had the most insights about Fire and Darkness. In fact, he had an inkling that if he wanted to consolidate a Maxim, all he needed to do was spend some time to carefully understand it. Then, he would be able to consolidate a Maxim and become a Great Legend.

However, he would only be an ordinary Legend. Merlin could vaguely sense that he was no longer like the ordinary Legendary Wizards. All his spells above the Fourth-level were perfect, and the Wizard Heart he consolidated was unrivaled.

There was not another Spell Caster like him in the entire history of the Spell Caster civilization. Therefore, Merlin had a sneaky suspicion in his heart that he did not have to waste his energy and effort to consolidate an ordinary Maxim. Even if he did, based on his current abilities, the enhancement would be inconsequential.

Of course, he would still consolidate a Maxim. Only, it would not be an ordinary Maxim but an ultimate Maxim! In terms of insight, Merlin had the most insight on Fire- and Darkness-type spell, certainly no less than an ordinary Legendary Wizard.

Therefore, it was possible for him to consolidate an ultimate Maxim and become an Honored Legend directly!

This was Merlin's thought for now. He indeed had a chance at it. At least in the area of Fire- and Darkness-type spells, he had the potential.

"Time to go out!"

Merlin stood up and left the castle. After a few days of clean-up, the Imperial City had started to regain its previous development. Since they had utterly defeated the Holy Light Empire, the latter would not be able to launch another large-scale war in the near future. Thus, it would only be a matter of time before the Imperial City recover its past progress.

However, a new trouble was brewing. The Spell Caster Alliance was never a strict force to begin with. It was merely a slapdash combination of numerous forces and Merlin's authority.

Now that the threat had been eradicated, this force was looking a little shaky. Some of the Spell Casters even suggested returning to their original forces and keep the Spell Caster Alliance as an empty shell.

Such arguments had become commonplace recently. So, when Merlin emerged, he immediately heard of the dispute.

As for the Spell Caster Alliance, Merlin had indeed never intended for it to become a strict force. It was merely a temporary grouping.

"Gather all the Great Wizards, and invite His Majesty King Bhutto XVII!"

Merlin knew it was time for his to announce the next target in order to put an end to such disputes.

Subsequently, with Merlin's order, the default First Elder of the Spell Caster Alliance, forty over Great Wizards and members of the royal family gathered together in the great foyer.

These Great Wizards treated Merlin with reverence. After all, it was Merlin who had managed to defeat the Divine Believer single-handedly, which allowed them to defeat the powerful Holy Light Empire.

According to legend, the Divine Believers had powers from a god, which made them fearsome existences comparable to the Great Legends.

"Everyone, we've managed to fend off the attack of the Holy Light Empire but this isn't the end. I'm sure I don't have to elaborate further about the conflict between the Spell Casters and the Church of Light, right? This conflict has been going on for a few thousand years. Back in the time of the Molta Empire, the world belonged wholly to the Spell Casters – the Spell Casters alone!"

Merlin swept his gaze across the Great Wizards. In a deep voice, he said, "Therefore, I've decided to call upon the strength of the Spell Caster Alliance and join forces with the royal family in order to completely destroy the Holy Light Empire and the Church of Light. The entire world will be a free country for all Spell Casters, bringing an end to thousands of years of conflict!"

Merlin's words shocked many of the Great Wizards below. Ending a thousand-year conflict and destroying the Church of Light was something that they would not even dream of in the past.

Although they had defeated the Holy Light Empire this time, they did not even consider destroying the Church of Light. After all, the Church of Light had amassed a solid foundation over thousands of years. Despite the constant conflict with the Spell Caster world, they had never suffered a disadvantage.

Defeating the Church of Light might be easy but to wipe out the Church of Light completely would demand an unimaginable sacrifice.

Many of the Great Wizard hesitated and had lingering doubts. However, seated on the throne, there was someone who was particularly thrilled. His emotions were swirling so intensely that he was unable to calm down.

After a long moment, the eighth prince exhaled heavily, and soothed his excitable emotions. He still remembered his previous agreement with Merlin. Perhaps, under his rule, the Kingdom of Blackmoon would be able to fulfill the destiny of the Molta Empire, which was to rule over the entire world!

However, in order to fulfill this audacious destiny, he had to leverage on this opportunity and support Merlin!

Hence, on behalf of the elders of the royal family, the eighth prince was the first person to speak up. "The royal family supports Wizard Merlin. The Holy Light Empire is controlled by the Church of Light. This time, we might have defeated the Holy Light Empire temporarily but as long as the Church of Light doesn't fall, sooner or later history will repeat itself. Moreover, do you think the Church of Light only has one Divine Believer? If we don't leverage on our victory and destroy the Church of Light for good, who among us can stop another Divine Believer in the future?"

The eighth prince's words struck a chord in the hearts of the Great Wizards. They were not afraid of the Church of Light but they were helpless against the Divine Believers.

If Merlin was not around, it was difficult for them to imagine, what power could possibly stop the Divine Believers?

Thus, they must destroy the Church of Light entirely. Their sacrifice today would pave the way for long-lasting future. This way, they would not face the same danger again in the future.

"We, Ozmu is willing to follow Wizard Merlin's lead, and destroy the Church of Light in a single swoop."

"We, the Seven Major Spell Caster organizations of the North also support Wizard Merlin…"

One after another, the Great Wizards expressed their stances.

"Very well. Then, I must trouble Your Majesty King Bhutto XVII to make the necessary preparations. After all, we'll have to travel far to conquer the Holy Light Empire. Merely relying on the Spell Casters is insufficient."

Merlin grinned at the eighth prince.

"Of course. Give us three days, the royal family will make preparations!"

The eighth prince estimated the time required and declared steadfastly.

"Alright, three days it is! In three days, we'll depart!"

Merlin set the date of departure. In these three days, he would restore order in the Spell Caster Alliance.

"We're going back to Blackwater City… Father, Charise, I once said that I'll bring you back. It won't be long now…"

Merlin murmured softly. He had not forgotten the promise he made to them.

Chapter 701: Return to Blackwater City II

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"Your Holiness the Pope, the evil heresies of the Kingdom of Blackmoon have marched past the Polosi River and are beginning to step foot into our Holy Light Empire…"

Listening to the subordinate's report, it was filled with bad news. The freshly-escaped Philandeny felt extremely annoyed. At first, it was almost a guaranteed victory. They were about to rule the entire world. Suddenly, a mysterious Wizard appeared, and used the force of lightning and thunder to suppress Bonnet, hence defeating the esteemed disciple of the Holy Light Empire.

If not for the precious item that could tear space apart, Philandeny might have remained in the Kingdom of Blackmoon forever.

Philandeny initially thought that the Kingdom of Blackmoon would do the same as before, which was recovering slowly over a few decades, and both sides would live in peace in the meantime. Then, one day in the future, the Holy Light Empire would journey to conquer the Kingdom of Blackmoon once again.

However, this time, it looked like the aim of the evil heresies was to destroy the Church of Light completely. This gave Philandeny a bad sense of foreboding.

"Nevermind. Summon all members of the Church into Light City. Here, the Almighty God of Light will protect us and help us defeat the evil heresies!"

That was all Philandeny could do right now. With their combined strength, hopefully, they would be able to safeguard Light City.

Philandeny had no other viable ideas, so he could only pray silently in his heart. Compared to the others, he was a pathetic Pope with little faith. Only when he faced utmost desperation, he remembered to pray.

"Creak."

The door was pushed open gently. Sunlight flooded the main foyer, causing a pang of annoyance in Philandeny's heart. Enraged, he was just about to rebuke the intruder when he opened his eyes and saw two men wearing plain white believer robes.

"Divine Believers?"

Philandeny knew that there was a total of three Divine Believers. Now that one of them, Bonnet, had died in the war against the heresies, there were only two of them left.

"Dear Sir Divine Believers, why are you here?"

Philandeny's only saving grace was these two Divine Believers. He hoped that they would be able to safeguard Light City. As for defeating the leader of the heresies, Wizard Merlin, he did not even consider it for a moment. Back then, Bonnet seemed completely powerless, and was immediately suppressed by Merlin. Most probably, even these two Divine Believers would not be able to defeat Merlin.

"Your Holiness the Pope, we have a new commandment!"

One of the Divine Believers said with a calm expression.

"What? There's a new commandment?"

A glimmer of joy appeared on Philandeny's face. Finally, God had revealed Himself once again. Perhaps the Almighty God of Light was aware of the situation faced by the Church of Light.

Perhaps, this was the turnaround for the Holy Church of Light!

…

"Rumble."

With an earth-shattering sound, the ancient church standing in Blackwater City collapsed right before the horrified gazes of the Normies.

Perhaps, this marked the beginning of a new era!

The collapse of the church was simply a form of symbolism. Waking up this morning, the Normies in Blackwater City discovered that the members of the clergy had all disappeared. Even the knights of the church vanished without a trace. Thus, the church became a deserted luxurious building.

At the same time, a new flag was raised in the Castellan's Mansion of Blackwater City. Some of the more well-informed businessmen recognized that it was the flag of the Kingdom of Blackmoon.

The heresies of Kingdom of Blackmoon had already invaded Blackwater City, and even the members of the clergy had escaped. It seemed like the Almighty God of Light have abandoned his devout believers and the rest of Blackwater City.

A woman in a burlap skirt was holding a snot-nosed child in a death grip, trying to prevent the child from making a sound. All the people's faces revealed a look of horror.

Before them, on the gravel road, a team of horsemen was slowly entering Blackwater City. They were the five hundred knights stationed in Blackwater City by the Kingdom of Blackmoon. In reality, after the escape of the Church of Light and the City Defense Troop to the bigger city, a mere five hundred knights were enough to conquer Blackwater City.

Furthermore, following behind them were numerous carriages which contained the infamous evil heresies – the devious Spell Casters who preyed upon fallen souls were sitting inside the carriages.

Some people were silently praying for God to save them but there was no God, only more and more knights poured out into Blackwater City.

Cleansing was a necessary course of action. Faced with the unwavering and devout believers, the Kingdom of Blackmoon did not spare them any mercy. Therefore, blocks after blocks of godly statues were destroyed. Some of the more stubborn devout believers were captured and thrown into prison while some were directly executed. The peaceful and prosperous days of Blackwater City had come to an end. Now, every day was filled with death. There was a faint stench of blood even in the air.

However, at this moment, the biggest uproar was happening in the Dougland clan. Specifically, the head of the Dougland clan, Old Gutt, was the most influential person in Blackwater City once upon the time. Even the castellan did not dare disrespect this chubby old man, Old Gutt.

This was because the Dougland clan had conducted business directly with the Church of Light. Hence, the Dougland clan was scattered throughout the Holy Light Empire. They were a large clan that was protected by the Holy Light Empire.

At first, the Dougland clan had moved to Light City but because Blackwater City was Old Gutt's hometown, he brought some family members, and returned to Blackwater City to live his remaining years in peace.

Unexpectedly, the evil heresies had invaded Blackwater City quickly and silently. Seeing as the Dougland clan had close ties to the Church of Light, they were, of course, a clear target to be eradicated by the Kingdom of Blackmoon.

When they found Old Gutt of the Dougland clan in Blackwater City, the Kingdom of Blackmoon was overjoyed. Thus, a hundred knights surrounded Old Gutt's castle and dragged him out.

The chubby Old Gutt did not appear at all panicky. He was dressed neatly, like a true gentleman. Despite being dragged by the knights, he said cheerfully, "The Dougland clan also has business dealings with the Kingdom of Blackmoon. I'm just a businessman. Whether it's the Church of Light or the Kingdom of Blackmoon, as long as there's business to be done, the Dougland clan will be there. Many years ago, I also have a Spell Caster friend but maybe he's dead now…"

Old Gutt did not seem to be aware of the situation he was in, and continued to ramble on.

"Hey, you're an interesting old man. It's true that the Dougland clan also has some business with the Kingdom of Blackmoon. If this was peacetime, you may not be in trouble. However, right now, you're in a terrible situation. No one will be able to save you now. You shouldn't have occupied that castle. His Majesty the King has personally ordered to reclaim Wilson Castle."

One of the knights who were restraining Old Gutt showed a trace of compassion but he shook his head gently. He knew that it would be difficult for this old man to evade his misfortune.

"Wilson Castle? This castle belonged to an old friend of mine. Ever since he left, I bought it and hired servants to look after it. You mean your king actually know about this castle?"

Old Gutt's face was brimming with doubt. Looking at Wilson Castle reminded him of his childhood playmate but unfortunately, after so many years, its owner had never returned.

"Trot trot trot trot."

In front of Wilson Castle, a fully-armored captain of the knights wearing a purple helmet was looking into the sky with a solemn expression. Beside him were some men dressed in black robes. The knights all seemed fearful of these black-robed men, and dared not come forward.

"Who are you dragging? Why did you drag him here?"

The captain of the knights hollered in rage as soon as he saw a team of knights dragging an old man behind them.

"Sir Commander, this old man is the one who forcibly occupied Wilson Castle. He's also the current head of the Dougland clan, who has close ties to the Church of Light!"

"Oh? The Dougland clan? Occupied Wilson Castle too? I'm afraid no one will be able to save you. Take him in, we're welcoming a great Sir Wizard."

Just as he finished speaking, a black spot appeared in the distant sky. Then, a loud roar reverberated across the sky. At this moment, everyone could distinctly see that it was a remarkably enormous and vicious-looking three-headed monster.

"Boom."

The three-headed monster landed on the ground and gently tucked in its outstretched wings. Its vicious-looking three-heads lowered swiftly to reveal a black-robed Wizard atop its back.

"Great Wizard Merlin, welcome!"

All the knights and black-robed Wizards presented him a look of reverence as they bowed their heads and greeted in unison.

"Finally, I'm home…"

The black-robed man's voice was very even but even then, he could not conceal the slight tremor in his voice. This spoke volumes of the elation in his heart.

On the other hand, chubby Old Gutt's eyes bulged wide open when he saw the black-robed Wizard atop the three-headed monster. His entire body shuddered, and his wrinkled face was filled with disbelief.

"You… You're Merlin?"

His hoarse voice was unmistakably distinct amid the hushed, gentle breeze.

Chapter 702: Fat Old Gutt

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The moment Merlin leaped down from the three-headed dragon, an unfamiliar voice resounded in his ear. He followed the direction of the sound and soon spotted a chubby old man.

"Hmm?"

Seeing this chubby old man, even after such a long time, Merlin had never forgotten him. Memories that were locked away burst out of the floodgates and filled Merlin's mind.

He still remembered, back then, there was a little fatty Gutt who was one of his "best friends". On the eve before the Church of Light conquered Blackwater City, little fatty Gutt had once helped Wilson Castle.

"Gutt…"

A faint smile appeared between Merlin's lips. His childhood playmate, little fatty Gutt, was now a shaky-stepped, chubby old man.

"Merlin, it's really you!"

Fat Old Gutt was completely speechless. He had never thought that their previous goodbye would span tens of years, and that their reunion would be under such circumstances.

Merlin waved his hand. Naturally, the knights did not dare to restrain Gutt any longer. Currently, Merlin occupied an incredibly respected position in the Kingdom of Blackmoon. In fact, perhaps even the king of Blackmoon himself did not command as much authority as Merlin.

Gutt looked at Merlin but did not seem shocked. Instead, he smiled and said calmly, "Merlin, you're finally back to Blackwater City. For me, to be able to see you before I die is considered a dream come true. When you left Blackwater City back then, I once thought that we'll never see each other again…"

In the face of his childhood friend, Gutt's tone was calm but his eager expression could not hide the excitement and joy in his heart.

"I'm back, Gutt. I've said before, I'll come back!"

Thus, Merlin stepped forward and gently supported Gutt. This chubby old man was already a little fat when he was a little boy but now, his body was bloated, and much older than before. It looked like he needed support to be able to walk steadily.

"Let's go. Follow me into Wilson Castle and take a look around."

Merlin looked around. Seeing this old castle evoked complicated emotions within him. Back when he first arrived in this world, it was in this exact castle. Within the blink of an eye, so much had happened.

Walking into the castle, Merlin discovered that the garden seemed to be regularly maintained. There was not a single trace of mess. However, the small tree in front was now a huge sky-scraping tree.

In the primly maintained garden, vibrant flowers were blooming beautifully. There were many new species, and they all emitted a faint fragrance.

"Creak."

Merlin swung open the long-shut doors. Everything inside the castle remained the same as when he left. From the broad dining table to the squishy armchair, this castle did not suffer from any neglect.

Seeing the surprise plastered across Merlin's face, Old Gutt beside him grinned widely. Proudly, he told Merlin, "After you left, I employed some clever tactics to buy this castle from the Church of Light. I've left it as it is. Every so often, I'd send someone to clean it up. Now, it seems that all that effort hasn't been in vain."

Merlin gently caressed the clean white walls. After a long silence, he spoke up softly, "Thank you, Gutt!"

"Don't mention it. If you hadn't left back then, perhaps I might have even ended up as your brother-in-law. That's right, where's Macy and the Baron? Why didn't they come back?"

Merlin was a little stunned. Only then did he remembered, back then, the family of little fatty Gutt and the Wilson clan were quite close. In particular, the Dougland clan had always harbored the desire to marry into the Wilson clan. With a Baron in the family, surely the Dougland clan's business would prosper even more.

If not for the changes that had happened, that might actually be a distinct possibility.

Stumbling upon this thought, Merlin could not help but shake his head in amusement. If Macy found out that she had to marry little fatty Gutt whom she despised, he wondered what kind of expression she would spot.

"They're at the back. They'll arrive soon!"

Merlin knew that Old Wilson and Charise had waited a long time for this opportunity to return to Blackwater City. Therefore, when Old Wilson received the news, despite his advanced age, he was adamant on returning to Blackwater City.

The journey from Subzero Snowfield to Blackwater City was a long one, so it would take a long time for them to reach Blackwater City.

In Wilson Castle, Merlin explored every single room. All of them were well-kept, so he believed that Old Wilson would be very pleased when he returned. Gutt, on the other hand, was quite overweight and elderly. So, after following Merlin around, he was wheezing in exhaustion, almost on the verge of collapsing.

"I'm old now, Merlin. I'm not a Spell Caster like you. Even after a few hundred years, you'll still be the same. Whereas for me, surviving another ten years would be considered a bonus…"

Fatty Old Gutt said in despair. He knew Spell Casters very well. After all, his clan had business in every land. Even in the Kingdom of Blackmoon, the Dougland clan carried out their business.

Furthermore, Gutt was well-aware of his body's condition. Merlin could feel the life force in Gutt trickled away bit by bit. Just as Gutt himself had said, it would be difficult for him to survive another ten years. For the sake of the Dougland clan, Gutt had worked hard for almost all his life. He was not even an Elemental Swordsman, so naturally, all that labor took its toll on his body and he grew old quickly.

This was a fact that even Merlin could not undo.

"Very well, I've looked around the castle. Bring me to your house for a visit, and share with me some of your stories."

Merlin also noticed that Gutt was quite extraordinary. Back then, Gutt came from a small family in Blackwater City. Although they were the richest family in Blackwater City, it was not to the extent where the Church of Light would get involved with them.

Subsequently, Merlin followed Old Gutt back to his castle. However, when Merlin first laid his eyes on this castle, he almost thought that his eyes were deceiving him. This was not a castle but a palace.

It was exceedingly opulent!

In Gutt's castle, there were countless servants. When they saw Gutt coming home unharmed, many of them heaved a breath of relief. If something had happened to Gutt, they would not be able to face the Dougland clan.

"My lord, did the heresies do anything to you?"

A tall, auburn-haired knight asked softly.

"Bang."

Outside the castle, the three-headed dragon stretched its wings. The three ferocious heads appeared to be taunting the castle guards. The fact that these guards did not escape immediately upon seeing this terrifying beast was considered commendable.

Gutt waved his hand. "I'm fine. That's my good friend, Wizard Merlin's friend. Don't offend it!"

Following that, Gutt smiled. "Merlin, please come in. This is my castle!"

Merlin took a glance at the knight beside Merlin. Unbothered, he followed behind Gutt and entered the castle.

Thereafter, Gutt shared his legendary story. Back when the Kingdom of Light was occupied by the Church of Light, who then formed the Holy Light Empire, Gutt slowly began to display his flair in business.

Relying on some of his family's industries, he began to build a trading clan. Eventually, his business spread throughout the entire Holy Light Empire, and he was even bestowed the title of Count by the Emperor of the Holy Light Empire. Even though it was only an illusionary title, he was still considered an aristocrat, which was an achievement that many had dreamt of.

In just a few decades, the Dougland clan became the largest trading clan in the Holy Light Empire and even the world. His family's business was able to provide all kinds of supplies for the Holy Light Empire.

It was not surprising that the Kingdom of Blackmoon would target and eradicate the Dougland clan. This huge business empire was too useful for the Holy Light Empire.

"I didn't expect that you have such talents, Gutt. Your experience can be considered a legend…"

Merlin was also happy for his friend's achievement. Although Gutt's achievements were nothing compared to Merlin, it had reached the limit of Normies.

"Grandpa!"

A beautiful little girl around seven or eight years old with pretty golden braids was looking at Merlin a little fearfully.

"Come come come. Merlin, this is my granddaughter. Her name is Andie! Little Andie, quickly, greet Grandpa Merlin."

"Uh…"

Merlin was taken aback. Looking at this porcelain doll-like beauty Andie, he suddenly realized that he had reached the "seniority" of a grandfather. Even he already had grandchildren.

"Grandpa Merlin!"

Andie did not seem to mind this excessively young-looking "grandpa". Gutt picked her up but her big eyes seem to be avoiding Merlin. She would peek at Merlin for a while then look outside.

"Grandpa Merlin, I have a request. Can you grant Andie a wish?"

"Oh? Whatever your request, little Andie, I'll surely grant it!"

Merlin smiled. Seeing such a beautiful little girl like Andie, no one would be able to turn her down.

"I would like to touch that big guy but Uncle Guard says that he belongs to Grandpa Merlin."

Following the line of little Andie's gaze, Merlin saw the three-headed dragon outside. It turned out that little Andie was talking about the three-headed dragon.

A faint smile appeared on Merlin's lips. In a low voice, he asked, "That big guy is so scary. Everyone is afraid of him. Isn't Andie afraid of him?"

"Andie is very brave. I'm not afraid! The big guy might look fierce but it must be very pitiful. Grandpa Merlin, can I touch it?"

Merlin smiled. The ferocious three-headed dragon was perceived as "pitiful" by a little girl.

However, seeing the eagerness in little Andie's eyes, Merlin nodded his head. "Of course. Since little Andie isn't afraid, I'll bring you to interact with the big guy closely."

Seeing that Gutt was a little bit uneasy, Merlin said to him calmly. "Don't worry, nothing will happen to her."

Thus, Merlin led Andie and Gutt before the three-headed dragon. The three heads of the three-headed dragon nuzzled Merlin's body lightly, apparently very affectionate toward him.

Merlin said in a deep voice, "Don't hurt anyone here!"

The three-headed dragon nodded its heads. Its intelligence was very high, so naturally, it understood Merlin's command. Then, Merlin led little Andie before the forehead of the three-headed dragon. Smiling, he said, "Little Andie, now both of you are friends, so it won't hurt you."

Little Andie reached out to pat the three-headed dragon excitedly. Due to Merlin's orders, the three-headed dragon dared not get angry. All it could do was glare at Merlin with a "resentful" expression. Since when did a ferocious three-headed dragon monster become a human girl's "oversized pet"?

Little Andie played happily. Gutt also showed a contented smile. Merlin could sense the contentment in Gutt's heart, and an epiphany filled his heart.

Perhaps, Gutt truly had no more regrets in his life…