Round Four: Victor’s Task

Victor’s red robe trailed long behind him, swirling like waves on the spiral staircase. Moriel had no idea where the Lich intended to take them. This tower, heavily guarded and filled with skeletons, ghosts, vampires, and other undead creatures, had always been a forbidden zone for outsiders. Even the mentors from other factions of the Red Robe Mage Order rarely had the chance to meet Victor in person here—in fact, during her time in Sel City, she had only seen one or two of the Lich’s indistinguishable magical illusions.

Only forty-seven loud footsteps echoed around them, dispelling the eerie mist within the mausoleum-like tower. Forty-seven followed Victor, separating the Lich from Moriel and Kayro. He examined the strangely shaped walls around him with interest. The metal cast into the bricks and stones remained in its molten state from when it was poured, forming uneven, twisted shapes of varying thicknesses. Thick stone columns with distinct arthropod-like structures protruded from the walls, providing an unbreakable support for the curved structures. Coupled with the black-gray paint filling the gaps, its composition indiscernible, the style of the entire building grew increasingly familiar.

It resembled human ribs, magnified many times over.

The staircase continued to spiral downward, seemingly leading to the deepest layers of hell. A cold, damp breeze blew from the darkness, carrying the scent of graves opened on a winter morning, causing Kayro to sneeze.

This place resembled the esophagus of some giant beast. Forty-seven stared at Victor’s back. He had used all his visual modes to observe him, but all he saw was an old wizard who looked like a scholar—present in front of him yet seemingly just an illusion. Damn it, he had never been good at magic.

After completing their dizzying descent in circles, they passed through tall arches also decorated with molten metal. This was the path to Victor’s private alchemy laboratory.

On an Aetherstone surrounding the Lich’s head, tiny lights began to flicker regularly. The magical barriers scattered throughout the corridor were lifted, and the deformed limbs that had been stirring on the walls, floor, and ceiling due to the intrusion went quiet again, hiding within the reliefs. The bone golems guarding the door of pure gold recognized their supreme master and did not react.

The chemical scent of a hundred different drugs stimulated Moriel’s nostrils, reminding her of her days spent in beakers and test tubes. She had always been uninterested in this and hadn’t done very well at it. So, aside from a few spells that required specific ingredients, Moriel preferred to spend more mental energy communicating with the magic network to draw magical energy directly from the void and shape it for use.

Victor stepped through the half-open door, while Forty-Seven pushed it fully open, forcing the reliefs on the doorframe to conjure more translucent magical arms to close it.

The secret laboratory was filled with a dazzling array of items, arranged like a market. In transparent containers of various sizes, various unknown species of creatures and organs were submerged, each one uniquely remarkable. Moriel glanced over them briefly and could only tell that most of them seemed to be strange beings from the outer realms, but she was unable to identify them more precisely.

“Huh?” Siqi Shi’s gaze swept past the numerous materials and tools to a secluded corner.

A glint flashed in Victor’s dark eyes.

“You’re very perceptive, Steel Warrior.” He raised his finger slightly, and two silver-edged granite workbenches slid silently aside, clearing a path deeper into the laboratory.

Moriel had to admire Victor’s skills. Within the intricate magical barriers woven by the lich, powerful detection, protection, countermeasures, and killing spells were intertwined, forming a web of deadly venom-like magic throughout the laboratory, waiting to catch unauthorized intruders. Perhaps this wasn’t that remarkable—after all, with enough strength and patience, even the most complex barriers could be broken—but she was truly astonished when Victor unhesitatingly suspended another hidden protective barrier in front of her, one she hadn’t even noticed.

The magical devices and carefully arranged furnishings in the laboratory together formed this barrier through numerous seemingly unrelated minor spells. Powered by their own magical energy, they hid in the gaps between the overt spells, using them to strengthen themselves. Even if the other spells were dispelled, they wouldn’t be affected. And if detected, only the chaotic magical glow emitted by the laboratory itself would be noticed.

Was Victor taking us to show off his life chest? The somewhat ridiculous thought crossed Moriel’s mind before she dismissed it immediately. Making jokes about a lich’s life chest wasn’t funny… It was dangerous even just to think about it.

Siqi Shi wasn’t interested in such craftsmanship at all. He strode into the central area surrounded by the barrier, staring intently at the object floating silently half a foot above the workbench under the force of the energy field. It was an irregular metal object the size of a breastplate. Time had worn away its luster, but it hadn’t completely erased the mysterious primal energy still remaining on it. Moreover, its cross-section revealed an extremely complex structure.

A fragment of “Divine Armor.”

Victor also regarded the metal fragment as if it were a treasure.

“Amazing… Outstanding art. Though it’s just a small piece, compared to this, the constructs we create are nothing but children’s toys.” The lich walked to the side of the workbench. The glow of aeonite cast shadows on the energy field shield, resembling swaying fish. “You can imagine how surprised I was when I guessed you were actually a complete artifact.”

“Life itself is a miracle.” Siqi Shi’s gaze remained fixed on the metal fragment. “You, me, even an insignificant caterpillar—what’s the difference, from the perspective of nature itself?”

Victor burst into another fit of hoarse laughter at those words: “That phrase doesn’t suit me. To be honest, I no longer have a life.” His magical disguise briefly lifted, revealing his teeth gleaming without any lips covering them, causing Kayro to exclaim in surprise. “Everyone has lived at one time, but not everyone truly dies.” Forty-Seven finally turned to look at Victor: “What do you plan to do, Archmage Victor? Surely you’re not asking me to forge it into ‘Sorrow of Frost’?” “Master Victor,” Moriel decided to voice her opinion, “if you intend to… to conduct further research on this thing, I’m sorry, but we likely can’t be of much help. However, if you need the spellbooks of the Archmages of the High Council of Agus, I’d be happy to provide them…” The sorceress didn’t offer this bribe, as the lich’s next words weren’t exactly what she had expected. “Don’t worry, Moriel. Even as an apprentice, I knew that if you wanted to study demons, it’s better to start with minor monsters rather than recklessly provoking a Balor Fire Demon.” Victor altered the magical field surrounding the wreckage, making it appear to be held by hands, resting steadily on the workbench. “Steel Warrior, what’s your opinion?” “If you encounter an antique dealer, sell this thing,” Forty-Seven said, tapping the wreckage with his finger, producing a loud, resonant metallic tremor. “You’re right,” Victor agreed surprisingly. “Although I’ve only had it for a short time, at least one thing is certain… despite being a magical creation, the magic system used to create it is completely different from what we know now. If we can find enough samples and muster the full strength of the Red Robe Mage Society to restore and utilize it, it might not be entirely impossible—after all, Agus has already done it. But—” The lich changed his tone. “I think it’s a foolish act that doesn’t outweigh the costs. And even if we could eventually bring back this long-lost magical creation, I’m still not confident about it… Someone else’s spellbooks can only serve as references; they can’t replace one’s own. If I can’t fully master it, how can I dare to use it? If I spend all my energy trying to uncover its secrets like Agus’s mages and end up with nothing, how many other things that are more worthwhile will I have to give up?” “Of course, to ordinary people, I seem to have endless time,” the lich said, staring at Forty-Seven with a barely audible sigh. “Perhaps one day, when I’m tired of everything else, I might regain interest in it—and in you… But not now, nor in the foreseeable future.” “So, what do you mean?” Moriel asked. “Just because I won’t do it doesn’t mean others won’t,” Victor said, his words like the sound of a cold wind blowing through a wall crack. “In fact, several faction masters have already joined forces to search for these ancient metal remnants… And as far as I know, they’ve already found a few. Moriel, your mentor Isabella is also involved.”

Isabella, along with the other Red Robe Masters, is searching for the Divine Armaments? Moriel processed this information while glancing at Forty-Seven.
“That’s not something they should have,” Forty-Seven declared. “Perhaps a small attack might wake them up a bit.”
“No, Steel Warrior, don’t do that,” Victor warned, raising a finger. “Such an action would mean going to war with the Red Robe Mages… If you engage in open conflict with them, you’ll also become my enemy, though I hate to see that happen.”
“Why?” Forty-Seven spread his hands in confusion. “Grand Mage Victor, are you telling me about your foolish colleagues just because your curiosity is burning?”
Moriel cleared her throat. Though she didn’t know what “curiosity” meant, it was clearly not a polite term. “There’s endless deception, betrayal, and murder among the Red Robe Mages… but it must all happen in secret. On the surface, they must maintain harmony, even if the person sitting at your table poisoned your drink yesterday. Any open conflict must be stopped, let alone attacks from outsiders.”
“That’s right. Though I’m losing patience with them, I still don’t want to give up on this organization,” Victor said, unoffended by Moriel’s direct mention of the Red Robe Mages’ vile habits. “I believe the best path for them is to follow me and unite around me. I’m not surprised that some question this, but I’ll prove it to them in my own way. Moriel, if you become a Prophesy Master in the future, you won’t challenge this old man’s pride like your teacher did, will you?”
“How could I?… But I really don’t think I’m fit for that position,” Moriel reiterated her stance, and the Lich once again brushed off this seemingly joking remark.
“Steel Warrior, you don’t need to worry too much about their actions. The scraps they currently have aren’t enough to do anything, so whether you want your kind to awaken or not, there’s no need to worry for now.”
“I’m not worried,” Forty-Seven said after thinking for a moment. He didn’t think “Kerry” was someone the few mages could easily capture.
“But what they’re planning goes beyond my limits,” Victor said coldly. “According to recent intelligence, those Red Robe Masters have mobilized most of their forces to form a team and search the Outer Realms.”
The Outer Realms? Princess Olydra of the Water Elementals had mentioned them too.
“That’s foolish. Moriel, I hope you and the Steel Warrior can stop them,” the Lich finally made his request. “Isabella used her magic to predict several realms where there might be large amounts of scraps. I think they’ll set off soon. I’ll provide you with these clues later. I believe you can put an end to these people’s unrealistic delusions… I have only one request: teach them a lesson, but stop at a reasonable point. Act like a true Red Robe Mage, Moriel. You can do it, right?”

Standing in front of the luxurious floor-to-ceiling window with a great view from Victor’s fortress room, Moriel fiddled with the small bag in her hand. The morning sunlight fell on the bag, creating a strange distorted effect without casting any shadow—as if the bag didn’t fully belong to that space.
In fact, that was indeed the case. It was a dimensional pocket that could fold space; inside, there existed a stable, small semi-plane. Though not large enough to build a city within, its capacity was equivalent to several large warehouses combined. Moriel had long desired such a dimensional pocket, just as she had always wanted to learn the luxurious spell of a “Mage’s Mansion,” which functioned like a high-end hotel built into magic.
Forty-seven examined another magical item Victor had given them—a rolled-up parchment map. He turned it over and over, but it seemed to contain only meaningless lines and patterns.
“Stop fiddling with it. This map of the plane is useless in the main material world,” Moriel said, putting away the dimensional pocket, which now contained one artifact—remnants of the Divine Armaments from Victor’s laboratory.
Forty-seven accepted Victor’s task without hesitation, seemingly very eager to find those remnants. Whatever the lich planned and why he had chosen her, a traitor, for this task would have to wait.
Just as Moriel was about to leave the window, she sensed something. She turned back and looked down through the large window—only to meet the gaze of a noblewoman who had just stepped out of a carriage and was looking up.
Isabella.