Chapter 16: The Magic Plant

Xu Luo observed this Dark Legacy bearer with curiosity. He had to admit that Dark Emperor Kenifer III had indeed a special connection in choosing this man of noble birth. Not only was he unique in dark magic, but more importantly, his plans and guidance for the future development of the Dark lineage showed great foresight. The tremendous changes he brought to the southern region in just these past couple of months alone were sufficient proof of his vision.

The court mage group of the Kingdom of Iberia had already taken shape, while the mage group in Piraeus was also actively preparing. Both the Trojans and Carthaginians showed keen interest in the Dark lineage, eagerly inviting the Great Secret Sect and other dark factions to develop in their territories. The Corinthians and Spartans felt immense pressure and frequently came into contact with the Dark lineage. After so many years, the Dark lineage finally saw a time of glory.

Komer’s performance also made other dark factions, which had never truly recognized him as a dark ruler, gradually acknowledge his special status. They could not deny the significant changes he had brought to the Dark lineage in just a few months. His policy of “rooting among the people and working hand in hand with the mainstream” made these factions, which had previously focused solely on spreading their teachings at the grassroots level, realize the importance of changing their mindset.

What impressed Xu Luo the most was Komer’s tactics in the Flanders region. He not only successfully stirred up conflicts among the barbarians but also pleased the upper nobles of the Kingdom of Iberia. This laid a solid foundation for the Caucasus forces to expand into the southern Mediterranean region. Looking at the group of officials brought by the administrator Neptune, almost all were Komer’s direct followers from the Caucasus and Leon. They quickly took control of the situation in Flanders and successfully won over the hearts of the Flanders residents who were gradually returning home. Count Clement’s good impression among women stood in sharp contrast to how his people viewed him in his own territory. For a lord who held such a wealthy land yet failed to bring any benefits or even ensure safety for his people, the populace soon abandoned him.

Ignoring Xu Luo and the others around him, Komer chanted a series of spells, his gaze fixed on the ground ahead.

Suddenly, a strange phenomenon occurred on the plain ground—countless green vines sprouted from the earth, resembling the roots of countless tree spirits exposed before people’s eyes. They even rose into the air, reaching out as if to devour the air itself. Several unprepared bulls were stunned by this sudden attack; after a brief moment of panic, they began to struggle frantically.

Within seconds, the green vines swelled from finger thickness to arm size and continued to grow rapidly, acting like intelligent creatures that quickly enveloped the bulls. Their needle-thin roots clung tightly to the bulls’ skin and rapidly penetrated into their bodies. The bulls’ agonized cries echoed across the wilderness, and soon those needle-like roots firmly anchored themselves in thebullhide, swiftly covering the bulls’ bodies.

As the green vines became shiny and vibrant, the strong bulls’ bodies withered at an astonishing rate. Their cries turned into painful groans, growing weaker and weaker. One by one, the bones-only carcasses rolled out from the vines, eventually falling silent—a sight that was truly horrifying.

Having absorbed the essence of the bulls, the vines slowly intertwined, taking on a green hue with faint traces of blood. The thick roots swayed in the wind, leaving everyone present in shock. Even those from the Great Secret Sect had never seen such a bizarre scene. Mihaijevic and Newman appeared relatively calmer, but fear was still evident on their faces.

“Lord, is this the mysterious vine plant you’ve studied so thoroughly?” Taking a deep breath, Mihaijevic stepped forward and examined closely the vines still writhing on the ground. This went beyond the realm of blended magic. Though exotic spells like the Hand of the Demon or Earth Spirits were diverse and terrifying to outsiders, to experts, though blended magic was intricate, it still left traces—magicians skilled in this field knew its origins.

And the thing before us goes beyond what ordinary people’s minds and imaginations can grasp. It’s obvious that this entity, named the Vines of Malice, is by no means solely the result of magic. It can absorb the life force of several cows and become even more vigorous, which proves it is a living being. Whether it’s necromancy or puppetry, in essence, they neither possess life nor true intelligence. Even with the use of wisdom crystals, they only endow the undead or puppets with some basic intelligence that the crystals originally provided. It’s impossible for them to develop the kind of intelligent judgment needed to respond to various external threats. Yet this variant of magic and life seems to have surpassed such limitations.

“Hmm, sort of. But you need to adjust your wording. It can’t be called ‘studied in depth’—‘carefully cultivated’ might be more accurate,” Cohmer said with a slight smile. He performed a series of magical gestures, channeling magic energy. The vines, now saturated with nutrients, seemed to receive some command and quickly gathered together on the ground, their dense roots still fluttering in the air. From a distance, they resembled swarms of sandworms magnified countless times, a sight that was truly eerie.

“Cultivated? My lord, do you mean it already has life? It can live on its own, even without your magical support?” Mihajevic’s face showed even greater surprise and excitement, his eyes brimming with curiosity.

“Hmm, you could say that. Its original form is the Uvine, the most resilient vine species. I’ve nourished it with dark magic over time and used mental magic to enhance its absorption capabilities and stimulate its intelligence. Gradually, the Uvine has absorbed the corrosive properties of dark magic. Hmph, its devouring power is quite strong—it took me two wisdom crystals just to give it sufficient reaction speed and intelligent judgment. At the same time, I used wood magic to accelerate its growth, allowing it to multiply in size. This way, it can adjust its state on the fly during battles.”

With just a few simple words, Mihajic and Newman knew there was countless magical mysteries hidden within it, as well as the immense effort this lord had put into creating such a strange entity—one that was almost like a summoned magic, only one that took the form of a special sentient being with considerable intelligence and the ability to think and judge! It was more terrifying than those magical beasts trained to serve their masters, for it could keep growing, continuously improving and enhancing its abilities, drawing on the opponent’s strength during battles to strengthen itself. Just thinking about it was frightening.

“Lord, I admire your creative abilities. May I ask boldly—what method do you use to control it?” Newman couldn’t suppress his curiosity. This was probably the question on everyone’s mind, as such an intelligent being had been created by humans, so how to control it was indeed very interesting.

“Mental power, psychic energy, or magic. From the moment it was created, it was deeply marked by my mental power. Like plants, they have centers for thought and judgment, but compared to animals, their neural centers are much simpler. We can achieve control by infiltrating and influencing those neural centers with psychic energy from the very beginning of cultivation,” Kommer said with a confident and proud expression, which made everyone’s respect for him rise even further.

“To be honest, I wasn’t very sure when I started this experiment. I was worried I might create something I couldn’t control, so I would have to destroy it. But it seems my approach was correct. It does possess a certain level of intelligence, but compared to true intelligent beings like beasts or humans, it still has a long way to go. However, in some special abilities, it surpasses both magical beasts and humans, after all, its base is a plant, and many plant traits are beyond the reach of animals. When we need those abilities, they can play a unique role—this was my original intention in conducting this experiment.”

“Lord, I have one more question: Will the abilities of this Vinespiremagic tree change over time as it experiences more and grows?” Mihaijevic was more concerned about this aspect. As a master of puppet magic, he was accustomed to comparing such things with the magic puppets he had painstakingly studied, analyzing their advantages and disadvantages.

“Hmm, Mr. Mihaijevic, your question is quite crucial. Hehe, it can be said that due to its certain level of intelligence, it can imitate and learn some abilities it has encountered. Of course, this is limited. But with my deliberate guidance, I believe its abilities will improve significantly. I’m also very curious to see what kind of entity it will develop into. Let’s wait and see.”

Komer stared intently at the vines that were still thrashing on the ground. Seeming to sense its master’s sharp gaze, the vines contracted significantly, becoming even tighter.