Chapter 248 How Can You Be Poorer Than Us?

"Who are you?"

Evan's face was grim as he scrutinized the two individuals before him, suspicion evident in his eyes.

The woman's body exuded an ethereal quality, clearly not human and more like a specter.

It was peculiar to see a ghostly figure in such a setting.

What concerned him even more, however, was the young man who had spoken.

The man radiated an aura of profound depth, akin to the boundless depths of the ocean. Evan couldn't see through him.

The only time he had felt such an impression was in the presence of higher-tier mages—those at the second or third circle.

Suddenly, a realization struck Evan, and he blurted out, "You're the leader of the Star Alliance!"

His words startled the other Obsidian Throne mages. When they turned to look at Su Nan, their gazes were filled with wariness and unease.

According to the information Andrew had gathered, it was this Su Nan who had founded the Star Alliance single-handedly and built it into its current formidable state.

Such a feat was almost miraculous. Even after living for over a thousand years, none of them had heard of anything comparable.

"Prisoners don't have the right to ask questions," Su Nan replied, ignoring Evan's remark. "Tell me, what's the Obsidian Throne's plan this time?"

Evan's expression darkened, and he responded coldly. "You're just a mage from a plane sealed off for a thousand years. You have no idea how many mage factions in the multiverse are far stronger than your Star Alliance. Let me warn you: the Obsidian Throne is far more powerful than you can imagine. Defeating us changes nothing."

"Oh, I know a thing or two."

Su Nan smiled faintly and began speaking leisurely.

"The Obsidian Throne is one of the top five mage factions in the multiverse. You've been at odds with the Deep Blue Alliance and the Codex of Wisdom, engaging in frequent conflicts. You control the Umbra Moon Plane Cluster and are currently waging a campaign against the Crescent Moon Plane Cluster. Unfortunately, the campaign isn't going well, and you recently lost a True Spirit Mage. Am I wrong?"

The room fell deathly silent.

Evan and the others stared at Su Nan as though they had seen a ghost.

If Su Nan had only mentioned the first few details, it might have been plausible that they were recorded in some ancient text left behind by another mage.

But the Obsidian Throne's invasion of the Crescent Moon Plane Cluster had begun just over three centuries ago, during the time when the Starlight Continent was sealed off from the outside world.

Moreover, the death of the True Spirit Mage was a closely guarded secret that had occurred within the past year. No outsider could possibly know about it.

Unless someone had leaked the information.

Evan seemed to realize something and abruptly turned his head, glaring at Andrew.

Of everyone here, Andrew was the only one who had been detained earlier. If someone had leaked the information, it had to be him.

Caught off guard by Evan's gaze, Andrew froze for a moment before hurriedly protesting, "I didn't say anything! They didn't even interrogate me!"

Despite his protests, the others looked at him with evident doubt.

Even Lize couldn't help but wonder if Su Nan had secretly interrogated Andrew without her knowledge.

Evan, however, quickly calmed down.

Mages possessed extraordinarily resilient wills and souls, rendering them nearly immune to most forms of hypnosis or charm magic.

For this reason, standard interrogation techniques were useless against mages.

More importantly, mages like them had contracts with the Obsidian Throne. Any action detrimental to the Throne would result in the immediate annihilation of their souls and bodies.

It was impossible for the Star Alliance to extract such sensitive information from Andrew.

But if that were true, how did Su Nan know so much about the Obsidian Throne's secrets?

Evan glanced at Su Nan, finding the man even more enigmatic. It felt as though he were shrouded in an impenetrable mist.

Taking a deep breath, Evan adjusted his demeanor. Gone was the arrogance he had shown earlier. In its place was a more measured tone.

"Since you know the power of the Obsidian Throne, you must realize that opposing us is a dead end.

"Let me tell you, the Obsidian Throne's forces sent to the Starlight Continent are far more extensive than just us. The true main force is yet to arrive.

"I admit that your Star Alliance has some strength, but you're no match for our main force.

"Instead of walking down this path of destruction, why not lead the Star Alliance to join us? With your abilities, I'm sure our lords will welcome you and treat you with respect."

Su Nan shook his head. "I have no interest in being a slave to the Obsidian Throne."

Before Evan could respond with indignation, Su Nan continued with a smirk.

"Besides, a small mage tower and a second-circle mage aren't enough to make me feel threatened."

The moment these words left his lips, Evan and the others were visibly shaken, their faces filled with shock and disbelief.

How did this man know about the mage tower and Liam?

Su Nan observed their reactions, his heart settling.

In truth, he had no intention of interrogating them. He knew it wouldn't work. He had come here purely to confirm whether the Obsidian Throne's actions matched his memory.

Evan and the others' reactions left no doubt in his mind.

Having obtained the information he needed, Su Nan lost interest in further probing. He turned to leave.

"Wait, you—"

Evan tried to call out, but Su Nan ignored him and strode out of the corridor.

"What's going on?"

Evan sat in stunned confusion.

The others shared similar expressions of disbelief, feeling as though every move they made had been laid bare before their opponent.

The sensation of being completely under the enemy's control was deeply unsettling.

Outside the detention zone, Lize occasionally glanced at Su Nan with a curious expression.

Eventually, she couldn't help but ask, ""How do you know so much about the secrets of the Obsidian Throne?"

Su Nan glanced at her and replied, "Prophecy."

Lize was half-skeptical.

It was true that some mages specialized in prophecy and could use spells to foresee future events.

However, she had never seen Su Nan perform any prophecy-related spells, nor was he known as a mage adept in that field.

Moreover, the information gleaned from prophecies was usually vague and cryptic.

Su Nan, on the other hand, knew specifics, such as the Obsidian Throne's main force involving a mage tower and a second-circle mage. This didn't seem like information gained from a prophecy.

Her thoughts churned, but Lize pressed down her doubts and instead asked about the handling of the twelve captured mages.

"Have you searched their belongings?" Su Nan asked in return.

At this, Lize pursed her lips.

"Yes, we've gone through everything. Aside from about a hundred magic stones and some rare materials, there wasn't anything of value—not even a single vial of construction potion. They're poorer than our Star Alliance mages."

Su Nan wasn't surprised. He chuckled and said, "The Obsidian Throne's structure is unique. Even most first-circle mages are exploited and often poorer than those in second- or third-rate factions. It's no wonder we couldn't find anything valuable."

After some thought, Su Nan made a decision. "These individuals have contracts with the Obsidian Throne. We can't extract valuable information from them, nor are they likely to surrender. Kill them all and extract their souls to create soul crystals. At least they'll still be useful."

Su Nan had always been ruthless toward enemies.

The souls of twelve first-circle mages would suffice to produce several legendary-level soul crystals.

Lize agreed without hesitation and then asked, "When will the main force of the Obsidian Throne's vanguard arrive?"

Su Nan pondered for a moment. "Not anytime soon. For their mage tower to descend on the Starlight Continent, a lot of preparation is needed. It'll take at least three or four months.

"Besides, the mage tower breaking through the planar barrier will cause a significant disturbance. The Starry Eye will definitely detect it. Just have someone keep an eye on it, and you'll know when it happens."

Lize nodded in understanding.

After concluding their business, the two began chatting casually.

"While the Obsidian Throne mages were being captured, Xieman and Kore just happened to be near one of the targets and took them down themselves."

"What a coincidence. Or maybe they deliberately kept an eye on the situation, hoping to earn significant contribution points?"

"Who knows? But because of this, quite a few mages in the Star Alliance have been complaining to me, asking why they weren't allowed to join the fight against the Obsidian Throne."

"The Star Alliance doesn't have enough mages yet. Each one is precious. It's better to leave the combat to the Witch-Hunting Corps for now. I don't want to see casualties among our mages."

Su Nan truly felt this way, though it wasn't the only reason.

He wasn't willing to lose valuable contributors.

If a mage died, it meant one less person to help collect elemental dust—a significant loss.

On the other hand, mage-level constructs could be rebuilt, albeit at the cost of more resources.

That was precisely why he had created the Witch-Hunting Corps in the first place.

"Without my explicit orders, no mage is allowed to engage in battle on their own."

After instructing Lize to relay his command, Su Nan left and returned to the element pool atop the mage tower to continue constructing his talent crystal model.

Though another batch of enemies would arrive in a few months, he remained unconcerned.

Whether it was the small mage tower or the second-circle mage, neither posed a significant threat.

The real concern was the period between the planar barrier's full removal and the Star Alliance securing sufficient allies. That was when the Obsidian Throne might launch a more substantial attack.

As for the current vanguard, their threat had diminished considerably with the completion of the Starlight Mage Tower and Su Nan's ascension to the second-circle.

"Xieman."

Walking through the warehouse corridor, Xieman suddenly heard someone calling his name. He turned to see that it was Staff.

"Mentor Staff."

Staff approached and waved dismissively. "We're both mages. There's no need to add the 'mentor' title."

Xieman smiled faintly, not dwelling on the topic, and instead asked, "Is there something you need from me?"

"I heard you fought against one of the Obsidian Throne mages?" Staff asked with interest.

"That's correct." Xieman didn't hide it.

"What did you think of their strength?" Staff was curious. "How did they compare?"

Xieman thought for a moment before replying, "Honestly, weaker than I expected."

"Weaker?"

"Yes. They didn't know advanced spellcasting techniques, had no mage tools, and didn't even use powerful items like engraved gems. Their only notable ability was the 'Bone' talent."

"So, the Obsidian Throne mages aren't even as well-equipped as our Star Alliance mages?"

"Exactly. I even talked to Atil recently. She mentioned that the twelve mages didn't have any valuable loot on them—just some magic stones and rare materials."

Xieman sighed.

To be honest, after learning about the Obsidian Throne, he had been deeply wary of them.

As one of the multiverse's premier mage factions, their resources, traditions, and environment were far superior to the Starlight Continent, which had only recently emerged from the Age of Elemental Scarcity.

Xieman had secretly harbored the feeling of a rural militia facing an elite urban army.

But after actually encountering the Obsidian Throne mages, he realized this wasn't the case at all.

Their first-circle liquefied mages were no stronger than he was. Their arsenal was limited, and they didn't even have mage tools, making them easy targets for Kore's Black Lightning.

This revelation shattered his image of the Obsidian Throne as an all-powerful faction.

In fact, Xieman felt that the twelve Obsidian Throne mages were poorer than the Star Alliance's secret puppets.

At least the puppets had engraved gems and rings enhanced to the limit, like the Microglow Ring and the Calamity Ring.

Staff fell silent after hearing Xieman's account, feeling at a loss for words.

He, too, had been apprehensive about the Obsidian Throne.

Upon learning of their invasion, he had been worried sick, only to be stunned when news arrived of all twelve invaders being captured. It had taken him a while to process.

Wanting more details, he had rushed to Xieman.

"It seems life outside the Starlight Continent isn't as easy as we imagined," Staff remarked.

Xieman chuckled. "Atil once told me that Lord Starfall said larger factions may have more resources, but with so many mages, those resources are spread thin, making competition extremely fierce.

"In contrast, we in the Star Alliance have fewer mages and receive abundant resources from our lord. There's no need for competition; as long as we complete tasks and earn contribution points, we can exchange them for resources. There's no infighting—just everyone working at their own pace."

"But once the Star All

iance has more mages in the future, this treatment won't last."

Staff laughed. "So we're benefiting from the early days of our faction's formation."

"That's one way to look at it."

The two exchanged a glance and shared a knowing smile.

--Support me in Patreon for more chapters 35+ chapters in there 

patreon.com/LegendaryTL

Thanks!