novelReturning to the Chaotic Marshes (1)
| ← Ch.0321 | Ch.0323 → |
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
"What can you give me?" Judikaka could not help but ask. He was different from Diyabannersa. If he had known of something like this, he would definitely find Aini directly. However, Judikaka did not want to ruin things. Humans were hard to control and even if they did not have the powers they had before, they could not be tamed easily.
"You haven't said what you are looking for." Saleen was not willing to step back, he wanted Judikaka to say first.
"This, I cannot tell you, but it does have something to do with magic." Judikaka did not dare tell Saleen that they were impeded by the scepter and they could not progress further.
"Something to do with magic? Then I am here for the right reason. My friend knows of a ruin of from the Second Dynasty."
"What is that?" Judikaka was not familiar with the history of the Myers Mainland. Hearing Saleen mentioned a ruin, he had already lost much interest.
"The Second Dynasty was a period where magic was prevalent, a mage like me would be a commoner back then. If you are looking for something related to magic, you would probably find leads in that ruin."
"Really?" Judikaka stood up. At his full height Saleen only reached his knees and he had to raise his head even higher to speak to him.
"Of course, why would I lie to you? The Second Dynasty is also known as the Magic Dynasty. The mages in this dimension all crave to enter this ruin."
"Haha, your friend is afraid that we would snatch his benefit, but wants to gain the objects in the ruins with our help too, is that it?" Judikaka thought his analysis was spot on. Saleen had not mentioned all this, but it was what he wanted to achieve.
"I want to have a share of what's inside too, " Saleen chuckled, "To be safe, we should sign a contract."
"Where are the ruins?" Judikaka asked.
"I cannot say unless you ensure our safety." Saleen was not confused. If he had said the general location the three kings could go search for it themselves. Just like how Nailisi steered the alchemical boat to look for the sunken ship of the Williams family. As long as one knew the distance and the original location, the follow-up questions would not be too complicated.
"Let me discuss with the others." Judikaka did not immediately reply, however Saleen knew he was interested.
"Okay, I will wait with Aini outside. Hopefully it won't take too long. If you aren't willing to, I will leave here temporarily." Saleen said as he exited Judikaka's room.
Aini was waiting outside. As he saw Saleen exiting, he smacked away the snowflakes on his body and asked patiently, "How did it go?"
"We should be leaving today, " Saleen answered murkily. He did not dare mention the plan with the three kings around. Any conversations could be overheard.
"Will they ensure our safety?" Aini followed the lines that Saleen had prepared for him.
Judikaka had Diyabannersa and Banchajanna gathered in the room with him. In between them was a green space with Aini's and Saleen's image inside. Their conversation appeared clearly within the room. Saleen was right to be cautious, the three kings were indeed listening to their conversation.
Aini and Saleen continued their act outside the three king's room as Aini said, "Saleen, even my family does not know about this secret, I am telling you because I trust you."
"I know, the thing that the three kings are looking for is important to them too. So long as they can find a lead, you won't lose anything that belongs to you. At most I will give them a portion of my share too."
"They will need to sign the magic contract, if not I won't tell them where the ruins are even if I die. I am a death mage, their tricks won't do much to me, so they cannot force anything out." Aini said seriously.
"I wouldn't let something like that happen. Don't worry Aini, if the three kings come after you, I will look for my teacher for help. Even though they are strong, they need to gain help if they want to continue staying in this dimension. If my teacher were to appear, they would need to return to the demon dimension and would be barred from coming back to the Myers Mainland again."
"I do not care about that, I just want the magic equipment within the ruins."
Within the green death flames, their conversation could be heard word for word. Judikaka asked, "What do you all think?"
"It is worth a trip." Diyabannersa was the first to respond.
Banchajanna said, "This death mage is hard to deal with. If it weren't for him, Saleen wouldn't be like this, would he?"
"But the information is his, Saleen wants to benefit from it too."
"I understand, at most we will sign another magic contract with him. What's the problem? When we go back to the death dimension, the contract will be annulled."
"Yes, it is only a temporary contract." Diyabannersa said. He had the worst temper among them and he had long found the restraints of the scepter unbearable.
Judikaka sighed inwardly, his two friends did not use to be like this. When they had gotten the Shanglan scepter, their behaviours had been affected by it. As time passed it had changed them irreversibly. The three scepters represented lies, reality, and absurdness individually. As the three death spirits became kings, they were completely assimilated by the scepter and became unable to break away from it.
For some reason, Judikaka was still unsettled. This feeling was just like when Shanglan had given them the scepter. However, he could not figure out what problems there would be when it came to exploring a ruin. For them this was not even considered an expedition. It was as dangerous as cleaning up a room.
"What if the ruins do not have what they want? Would the three kings get angry?" Aini saw that the three kings were still watching as he continued.
"If there isn't anything they want, I will give them twice the number of magic books. This can be written into the contract, it can also be me repaying my debt to you." Saleen replied seamless, adding another chip. If he gave them too many magic books, the three kings might miss out something when they were searching. However, they could use their death magic to remember it again.
"Judikaka, promise them." Banchajanna felt there was something amiss too, but he was even more determined to go the ruins to check it out.
"Judikaka if you're not going, I will go." Diyabannersa rushed him.
Judikaka nodded and settled the death flames before he called them softly, "Saleen, bring your friend in."
His voice projected outside clearly as Saleen and Aini changed expressions. Pretending to be calm, they walked into the enormous room of the three kings.
"Respected kings, it is an honor to meet you all." Aini put a respectful look on his face, giving a mage bow to the three kings. In his heart however, he was thinking what he would do once he had tamed them.
No matter how strong the three kings were, they could not read a person's mind. The human soul was too complicated and it would be hard even for a god to find out one's thoughts.
"Mage Aini, I have heard that you have the location of a ruin that could be of help to us?"
"That is true, however..."
"Saleen has already told us. You want to sign a magic contract to protect your interest, is that right?"
"Respected kings, please forgive the thoughts of a small human. To you these things might mean nothing, but for me, it is my entire future." Aini replied in a determined voice.
"Alright, what do you want to sign on?" Judikaka was not angry. The three of them had already discussed and would not sign the contract that this mage had prepared directly. The general content had to be vetted through by them.
"I hope, before I leave the ruins, you will ensure the safety of Saleen and I..." Aini listed down all the things he had prepared in his speech. Judikaka listened carefully, waiting to find a problem within.
Aini was not going overboard with his requests, the timing of the contract was short. So long as they returned safely to this city base, the contract would no longer be in effect.
"I don't think that is very good." Judikaka said slowly.
"What isn't good?" Saleen interrupted. He could speak much more freely with Judikaka. Although Aini had a tough character, he was a death mage. When it came to facing the death kings, he could only do his best to hold back the emotions within him.
"If you all do not leave the ruins and train there, wouldn't the three of us have to protect you forever?" Judikaka finally found a loophole.
Technically, this was indeed a huge problem in the contract. If Saleen and Aini wanted to find a place to train, they would need to find a safe place. The city base definitely was not too safe. The people from the Holy See could make their way there and Judikaka knew that. If Saleen really wanted to find a place to hide, having the three of them as their bodyguards was indeed a decent choice.
"Then what do you suggest?" Saleen was relieved upon seeing Judikaka thinking in the wrong direction.
"There must be a time limit. We cannot wait for you to die before the contract is annulled, right?" Judikaka was not very careful with his words. Saleen, however, did not care. The fish had taken the bait and the three of them would become their slaves soon. They could only make a comeback when Saleen and Aini had died.
"That won't do, searching the ruins is a very troublesome affair. There is a chance we might encounter powerful magic beasts. We don't intend to let you guys fight along the way, we would be bringing one-hundred men with us. A team like this would move very slowly. If the contract is too short, it would be the same as not signing it at all."
"How about three years? Three years is definitely enough time to search a ruin." Judikaka negotiated. Saleen was overjoyed, three years was perfect for him.
He had already been there for three months. In three years, his teacher would definitely have made his way there with the mages from Sregl Island. By that time, he would have his magic towers and thirty sorcerers. Even if they did not trick the three kings this time, three years later, he could use brute force to make them submit to him.
This was an additional layer of insurance for him. Even if the people from the Holy See had not left anyone important in the Second Dynasty ruins, he would gain three years of precious time.
| ← Ch. 0321 | Ch. 0323 → |