svetikya Page 178
Page 178
"Although I don't know how you guessed that I was going to bid on this hammer, since Lady Oriana has returned to Lundia today, all underground auctions and similar activities have been temporarily suspended, so I bought it in advance."
She glanced hesitantly at the antique hammer, as if trying to glean some memory of the dwarven race, but after staring at it for a while, she shook her head and gave up, taking a box to store it away.
"As expected, having lived in Lundia since childhood, I've long lost any feelings for the dwarves. I can't even feel that so-called excitement anymore. I'll just treat it as an ordinary collectible..."
Lingling put away the antique hammer and turned the topic back to the high-quality materials on the counter, saying:
"In short, it's a material that can make your weapon two to three times stronger. But as a mage, do you have any use for weapons? Also, where did you find this?"
“It’s in a place that’s not too far away. I can bring you some more when I get back,” Latis said generously. Then, after thinking for a moment, he took out the Black Swamp Hammer from the dimensional rift and asked:
"Could you help me upgrade the quality of this hammer? It still works very well, but some of the functions are no longer needed."
"Of course." Lingling took the Black Swamp Hammer, her expression suddenly turning strange. She couldn't help but ask:
"Is this... really that useful?"
Latis shuddered painfully and nodded quickly.
“Okay…” Lingling put away the Black Swamp Hammer, picked up the book from the table, and after a long pause, murmured:
"A gold-devouring dog... I'm actually getting a little curious... Is there anything else? If not, I'll get to work."
Latis scratched his head, then suddenly had a flash of inspiration. He took out the necklace that Silvershur had left in the dwarven ruins from the dimensional rift and asked:
"Take a look at this necklace, is there anything special about it?"
……
"Dwarven bargains..."
Latis stopped on the street, examining the necklace in the sunlight.
He turned the necklace over and over. The gemstones on it were covered in dust and scratches, making it impossible to tell whether it had once been bright and shiny or was just an unremarkable old object like it is now.
"Hey, I was just about to look for you, Latis!"
A carefree voice rang out from across the street. Latis looked up in surprise and saw Zerris wearing a magic cloak, holding his large sunglasses, waving his hand with the air of a vibrant old man.
"No, don't you have to go to work?" Latis couldn't help but directly attack the leisurely old man.
"Damn it, it's none of your business!"
Just as Zerris was about to say something, he suddenly noticed the necklace in Latis's hand. His throat tightened, and his gaze froze.
Chapter 196 Taking a Glance at Sasha Amidst Her Busy Schedule
"Miss Milut, what did you buy this time? Uh, isn't this the necklace made of scrap ore sold in the dwarf tower we just passed? How can you sell this for double the price through trade? What do you mean by shaking your head? Is it more than double the price?"
"What for? Should I stuff it into the dimensional rift for you? No? Then wait a few days, I'll make the pockets of the spell cloak bigger... Why are you leaving?"
……
"Oh, Miss Milut, thank you. This looks delicious. Did you make it? Haha, I knew it! With the devilish teeth of elves who can only eat potatoes raw, how could they possibly make such a delicate dish... Why are you spinning around like that? Are you imitating a magic tornado?"
"Ouch, that woman's hit hurts! My head... Hey, when did she get this necklace? It's actually quite pretty."
……
"Hey, here you go, Miss Milut. No, there's nothing inside, just a blank notebook. I noticed you were interested in other cultures, so I'm giving it to you to take notes whenever you want."
"What was that eye-rolling gesture of yours?! Hey, is this gift really that bad? You jerk... Speaking of which, I've always wanted to ask, did you buy this necklace at the dwarf's stall? And you actually wore it? Hey, don't be angry, I just wanted to say, it actually looks pretty good on you!"
boom!
"...Ah, where am I...I'm still alive? Holy crap, that body punch almost brought me to my grandma's grave..."
……
……
jingle!
The Queen's Academy's dismissal bell suddenly brought Zerris back to his senses. He touched his slightly aching abdomen, grinned again, put on his sunglasses, and walked up to Latis.
"Hmm, although they look similar, there are still differences... The necklace Mirut wore had a purer, brighter color, and the facets of the mineral were cleaner and sharper. This kid's necklace is too worn and old; it's not as dazzling as the one Mirut wore. Heh, my apprentice really does have a better eye..."
He gathered his scattered thoughts, adjusted his sunglasses, and asked:
"Many students have left Lundia to do their annual missions. When are you leaving, kid?"
Latis squinted at Zerris, who was behaving very naturally, and couldn't help but think to himself:
"Uncle, you were practically glued to your necklace just now. Did you think wearing sunglasses would hide what you were looking at? And what's with that tone of urging someone to get to work? You're the one who's a social idler... a social idle middle-aged person, aren't you?"
“I’m leaving tomorrow.” Latis placed the necklace into a jewelry box, then asked, “Is there anything I can help you with? If not, I’ll be going now.”
"Wait." Zerris's gaze lingered on the jewelry box in Latis's hand. He instinctively called out to him, hesitated for a moment, and then continued to ask:
"Where did you get that necklace? I used to have a similar one, but I lost it. I'd like to buy another one to keep as a keepsake."
Latis scratched his head, recalling the simulated scenario. It seemed Silverhull no longer needed these items. He pondered for a moment, thinking he could always take another one from the tower later. So he grinned, handed the jewelry box to Zerris, and said:
"It's nothing valuable, you can take it if you want! Just let me sit here afterwards, haha!"
Zerris hurriedly caught the jewelry box that Latis casually tossed to him, quickly opened it to check that the necklace inside was intact, and then cast several protective spells before finally letting out a sigh of relief. He looked up at Latis's rapidly disappearing figure and couldn't help but mutter:
"You reckless kid, you want to be a principal? Wait until you're a reliable middle-aged man like me before you think about it!"
He shook his head, picked up the jewelry box to examine the necklace, then took off his sunglasses, held the necklace up, and twirled it a few times in the sunlight.
“Milut…”
Suddenly, the image of that blurred face appeared in Zerris's mind. He tried to recall Milut's appearance, but he failed.
He put away the necklace and decided to ask someone again after twenty years where his apprentice, whose fate was unknown, had gone.
……
……
"The preparations should be almost complete..."
In the afternoon, Latis returned to the mage tower and, seeing that the half-elves had not yet returned home, began to ponder what new discoveries he had yet to explore.
"Demon Gathering Tower..."
He took out the two Demon Towers he had previously obtained from the simulation and compared their differences.
Musk's Condensation Tower looks like a solid Eiffel Tower sold in a small market. Although it looks quite convincing, it seems like a toy compared to Runetic II's superior Condensation Tower.
hum...
Under Latis's manipulation, the high-level magic tower's fence-like outer shell began to roll, slowly revealing the central triangular pyramid-shaped main body.
The moment the main body was fully revealed, he suddenly felt the surrounding air vibrate. At the same time, a sense of being stirred came over him, and the concentration of magic energy in the surrounding area began to rise slowly.
"If it can increase the concentration by about 30% in a place as rich in magic energy as Lundia, then it should be able to increase it by at least 70% or 80% outside of Lundia..."
Latis examined the Guiding Tower for a while, and after confirming that there were no problems, he placed it next to the Lich's Life Box on the table so that he could observe it together.
"Anything else you've gained..."
After inspecting the clutter in the interdimensional space, he flipped through his magic book and suddenly noticed a noteworthy new spell in the densely packed list of spells.
"A succubus summoning circle? I actually inscribed this spell in the simulation? No, with the simulation being so busy, how did I manage to gather the materials for a succubus summoning circle while surrounded by so many wives?"
Latis scratched his head and muttered to himself.
"Brother Niu's fresh milk... No matter how many times I look at it, I still find the ingredients too abstract! Luckily, the simulation has already taken care of it; spellcasting with a magic book doesn't require any extra materials..."
Anyway, let's give it a try.
He thought for a moment, stepped out of the room and glanced around. Seeing no one around, he returned to the room, quietly locked the door, and revealed an evil smile.
Intense magical fluctuations flickered on the grimoire at Latis's waist. He pointed his sword finger at his forehead, struck a pose for a few seconds, then waved his hand and shouted in a very childish and dramatic way:
"O succubus summoning circle concealing dark power, reveal your true strength before me!"
……
……
"My lord, what are you thinking about?"
The succubus's voice snapped Sasha out of her daze. She turned around and glanced at the mature, composed succubus with an impressively large bust who had appeared behind her without her noticing. Her hair stood on end, and she yelled:
"Sasha isn't thinking about anything! Didn't I say Sasha wanted to be alone? What are you all doing here? Go back and stop bothering Sasha!"
“That won’t do.” A cold glint flashed in the succubus’s eyes, then she said in an even more suggestive voice:
"His Majesty Sedus specifically instructed me to 'keep a close watch' on the Lord's condition at all times! My Lord, you have risen three ranks in a short period of time after just one summons, and in Bologna, you are already considered a hot candidate to become the future Queen!"
"At this time, I must keep a close watch on you to prevent any other audacious succubi from secretly abducting you and using you as a tool for dual cultivation!"
"So annoying!" Sasha took a deep breath, placed her bare feet on the chair she had just been sitting on, and yelled at the succubus servant who was still taller than her, hands on her hips:
"Then let Sasha learn some skills! Sasha is already level three, she should be able to learn some self-defense skills! Once she can protect herself, Sasha can go out!"
The succubus servant shook her head, reached out and lifted Sasha by her armpits, taking her off the chair, and continued:
"My lord, your level has increased too quickly. His Majesty is worried that if you were to learn some overly crude skills at this time, it would affect your foundation. Even worse, if you were to haphazardly guide the power within your body, your current level three strength might vanish into nothingness."
The succubus servant placed Sasha on the ground, smiled, leaned close to Sasha's ear, and whispered:
"At that time, my lord, you won't be able to keep your current position. You'll only be able to go to the most evil and darkest chaotic Red Valley in the entire evil spirit realm and become the lowest succubus barmaid, huh? Heh... Being dragged away by all sorts of strange monsters and tortured all night long, only to obtain a trace of evil spirit power to survive, do you want to experience that?"
The succubus servant straightened up, looked down at Sasha, who was trembling with fear and unable to speak, and patted her cheek with satisfaction.
"Alright, my lord, today's suppressive meal is ready. In order to prevent that mysterious source of power within you from continuing to arbitrarily increase your strength, please be sure to take the suppressive meal in time to reduce the activity of that source of power!"
She put away the chair Sasha had been sitting on, and waddled back into the house, wagging her heart-shaped tail.
As soon as the succubus servant closed the door, Sasha's expression instantly calmed down. She made a face at the door, spat while cursing, and muttered:
"I've killed more people with my master than you've ever seen, so what are you pretending to be so arrogant about?"
Despite her outbursts, Sasha was helpless in the face of the situation. As a level three succubus, she should have had her own servants, but all of them were taken up by royal servants sent by the succubus queen. These servants did not obey her orders, did not sign servant contracts with her, and even possessed royal combat skills, making them purely there to imprison her.
Sasha sat cross-legged in distress, flapping her little wings as she sat on the edge of the small balcony atop the tower, gazing into the distance.
In the birthplace of succubi in the realm of evil spirits, there are scattered, strangely shaped, crooked spires, a special reward for little succubi who can level up upon their first summoning.
Apart from these exceptionally talented succubi, the other "defective products," even those who later reached the high-level of level five or six in missions, could only live in bungalows in the succubus capital city of "Bologna."
The dim pink sandstorm obscured Sasha's view of the distance. In this place where the horizon and sky merged into one in the sandstorm, she couldn't see what the area outside the succubus territory looked like, let alone how to escape from here.