Round 31: The Triangular Relationship (Part 2)

“You’re joking. How could I compare to Moriel?” Kani’s expression turned cold for a moment, but she quickly switched to a cheerful one and sat down across from Jali. “Since our apprenticeship days, Moriel has always stood out among us. Back then, all of us apprentices regarded her as our leader…”
Moriel also sat down, sipping the black tea brought by her invisible servant, completely unfazed by or concerned about Kani’s subtle attempts to show Jali that their relationship was special—this was just how the Red Robe Mages communicated; the only thing they ever discussed openly was profit.
Jali’s kind smile didn’t waver in the slightest. Although he seemed to have lost a move in his bid to win over Moriel, he showed no sign of frustration. Compared to the somewhat neurotic Kani, he was much more cunning. “Heh, how could that be? Your performance in Deep Flow City has always been excellent. In fact, I’ve even been considering recommending you as the head of my business base here after I leave…”
Leave? Moriel glanced at Jali. His bald head shone under the light, as if the patterns on it were glowing. What was Jali thinking? Was he not planning to ask her about the secrets of Agus’s disguise technology?
Kani was also stunned. She hadn’t expected Jali, who had held power in Deep Flow City for so many years, to mention leaving. Before she could ask further, Jali made things clear.
“See, normally, Red Robe Mages in charge of business bases should be rotated regularly. I’ve been in Deep Flow City long enough. But first, some things still need to be sorted out. Second, the mentors need to decide who’s more suitable to take charge of Deep Flow City and ensure our business network continues to thrive steadily…”
At this point, Jali seemed quite pleased, clearly satisfied with his years of management in Deep Flow City. “So, things have just been delayed. To be honest, I’ve long wanted to return to the beautiful City of Sel to rest for a while.”
“Oh? Then I wonder which mentor will come to Deep Flow City to take over your role?” Moriel was tired of Jali’s insincere lies. There was only one reason a Red Robe Mage would leave his carefully cultivated territory: the outcome of a power struggle.
“Oh, no one will come,” Jali said as he stood up and performed a standard Red Robe Mage greeting toward Moriel. “The mentors have decided to appoint you, Miss Moriel, as the interim leader of the base, in charge of all affairs of the Red Robe Mage Order in Deep Flow City, starting now. If there’s anything you don’t understand, I think Mage Kani will be happy to assist you.”
Me? Moriel’s first reaction was to refuse. Reconnecting with the Red Robe Mages was only to use their intelligence network to find Kaylo and strike at the Church of Xirik—she had no intention of returning to the Red Robe Mage Order! But Moriel opened her mouth and then shut it again—she quickly realized that no matter what she thought, from the moment she reconnected with the Red Robe Mages, she had already fallen into their web.

“Congratulations, Moriel!” Kani also stood up quickly, offering her sincere congratulations with a genuine smile.
Jiali clapped his hands in satisfaction. “Well, let’s skip the handover ceremony—it’s a waste of time and money. I’m heading back to Sel City right now. My mentor seems to have some important matters for me. Miss Moriel, you can move into the main building right away, or you can ask the servants to tidy it up first. After all, I, this wretched man, once lived there… haha… It’s your choice. I’ll take my leave then. Kani, I hope your cooperation with Miss Moriel goes smoothly!”
After Jiali left, there was a brief silence in the living room. Under Moriel’s gaze, even the invisible servants who had been silent in the corner trembled slightly—once again, that absurd yet real illusion arose in the female mage’s mind: Had she truly never escaped her fate as a Red Robe Mage?
“Old fox,” Kani said disdainfully, sitting down heavily. “He really ran off fast. Thinking the situation is out of his control, so he just abandons it? Then let’s sort it out between the two of us!”
She became excited again. “Moriel, this is the perfect chance to seize power! Controlling Deepflow City means controlling half of the Northlands… How about it? We’ll soon rise another rank in the Red Robe Mage Order! Especially you, Moriel—so young yet already possessing such great power. Who knows, you might even become the next mentor!”
It’s not that simple, Moriel thought. Although she had dealt a heavy blow to the Shirek Church, it was an exaggeration to think Jiali would back down because of that. In terms of strength, the Red Robe Mage Order was even comparable to any nation on the continent. Yet he was rushing to hand over Deepflow City to her. Without direct orders from the mentors, that would be impossible. So…
“Don’t talk nonsense,” Moriel said, a faint smile appearing on her lips. “The mentorship is a lifetime position.”
Just as Kani was about to return to the secret room to count her wealth or simply admire it, the door was knocked again. Forty-seven? Moriel dismissed that idea immediately—that guy wouldn’t even bother knocking. Logically, he should have returned by now. But with someone like the Storm Queen appearing on her side, and him causing such a stir in the port area… Moriel began to worry about Forty-seven.
It was Nancy, who still appeared very weak, who entered. Kani grew annoyed, unsure whether it was because Nancy had performed poorly these past few days or because the dwarf woman had long been dissatisfied with her. “What now? Can’t you leave me in peace for a while—”
Moriel stopped Kani from using magic to punish Nancy. “Calm down, Kani. The cause of your disturbance is always bad news, not messengers. What happened?”
“The Dawn Knight Order and Deepflow City’s guard forces have surrounded us…” Nancy paused to catch her breath. “They demand to enter the stronghold for a search, claiming they suspect us of dealing in black-market magic drugs with people from the Shirek Church…”

Before Nancy could finish speaking, Kani started shouting, “Never! No other force has ever dared to trample on the land of the Red Robe Mages like this! Never! Where’s Jiali? Go find him—he better not try to stay out of this. This is a challenge to the Red Robe Mage Order! Trying to dump all the trouble on me alone? There’s no such thing as getting benefits without any work!”
A barely noticeable disturbance occurred in the magic network. Ever since escaping from Xinbu’s grasp, Moriel had become increasingly sensitive to the flow of magic—a change she hadn’t even realized herself at first. It must be the effect of a “long-distance teleportation” spell.
“There’s no need to look for Teacher Jiali,” Moriel said, waving her hand. “I think he’s already left the base and returned to Sel City.”
Moriel’s assertion made Kani look at her as if she were a monster. After a moment, she forced out through gritted teeth, “Great, great, really great!”
Jiali moved fast indeed, and the Dawnlight Knights arrived just in time. Even if the holy knights were all foolish girls who acted before thinking, and even if the armies of Deepstream City joined forces, the fact that nothing had leaked through Jiali’s network was worth pondering—perhaps he simply didn’t want anything to leak.
Was this a test of her own strength?
“Gather all the mages and soldiers!” Kani shouted at Nancy. “I can’t stand those bitchy women anymore! If they want war, then let’s have war!”
“Wait a moment,” Moriel stood up. “They suspect us of dealing in drugs with the Hicrik Church?”
Nancy was confused, not understanding why Moriel asked that.
Moriel seemed calm and unhurried.
“That suspicion is completely unfounded. Come on, I want to see what evidence they have to accuse and slander us so openly.”
“…”
To declare one’s innocence so firmly even in front of one’s own people showed she had truly mastered the ways of the Red Robe Mages.
Moriel walked ahead effortlessly. Since Jiali had let her turn things into a mess and even gone so far as to kick it further, what was there for her to worry about? Although she had tattoos on her face and many habits in her body and mind wouldn’t disappear—or would be hard to change—hadn’t she already decided she wasn’t one of the Red Robe Mages? In this regard, she really should learn from that bastard Forty-Seven—since the day Moriel met him, he never treated her as an ordinary construct. Terms like “King of Beasts,” “Heaven-Shattering,” and “Invincible Iron Knight” were always his catchphrases. And surprisingly, the mental strength of this idiotic construct was so great that it even suppressed and absorbed the “Divine Armors.” Who knows what he’ll become next?
Often, fools are much harder to deal with than smart people, especially fools as powerful as Forty-Seven.

The gates of the Red Robe stronghold were tightly closed, but even before approaching, one could sense the formidable presence of the troops outside. The mercenaries and tattooed warriors stationed on both sides of the gates wore solemn expressions. The armor on the sentries in the watchtowers glowed under the light of torches outside, and even a small patch of sky above seemed to be tinted red—clear evidence of the large number of enemies.

When Moriel and Kani approached, everyone immediately turned their attention to the two highest-ranking Red Robe mages. Since Jiali was not there, it was only natural for the most senior Red Robe mages to take charge—a simple and obvious rule.

“What’s the situation?” Kani asked on Moriel’s behalf, sensing that she had no intention of speaking first. Standing among people who were much taller and more muscular than her, the female dwarf resembled a lost little girl in the crowd, yet her presence suggested she was the one in control.

“Mage Kani… where is Teacher Jiali?” An impertinent question from an impertinent person.

The female dwarf glared at the source of the voice, who was also a Red Robe mage and an important figure in Jiali’s faction at Deep Flow City’s stronghold.

“I asked what the situation is!” Kani raised her voice. She wasn’t about to lose her authority in front of this dog abandoned by its master.

“To speak frankly, I think it would be better if Teacher Jiali were here to take charge. His connections with Deep Flow City’s leadership…” The Red Robe mage hesitated but still insisted on his opinion.

However, he couldn’t finish speaking. Suddenly, he stopped talking, his eyes bulging, his mouth half-open as he struggled like a fish out of water. He tried to grab his own neck as if trying to break something free, but his weak strength was nowhere near enough to escape the invisible hands choking him. Unable to speak or cast spells to counteract or free himself, his face grew increasingly purple, and the marks on his neck became more apparent… Forty-seven would surely be shocked if he saw this.

“I’m not a dictatorial person,” Moriel said, scanning each person’s face. She knew most of them were close to Jiali and likely wouldn’t resent Kani for the troubles caused by drug trafficking. Relying solely on her former status as a Red Robe mage and Jiali’s empty promises wouldn’t be enough to make them obey. “I won’t claim every decision of mine is correct. I won’t get angry at reasonable doubts, and I hope you’ll share your opinions with me. Only then can we build true friendship and trust, and only then can the cause of the Red Robe mages in Deep Flow City thrive…”

Moriel released the invisible magical hands. The mage collapsed to the ground, coughing violently, tears and snot streaming from his face. “But I expect you to carry out my orders quickly and effectively, and answer my questions… and those of Mage Kani. So, what’s the situation?”

“The Dawn Knight Order and Deep Flow City’s regular army have surrounded the entire stronghold. There are many of them, and there are also mages,” reported a very muscular bald tattooed warrior after observing the signals from the sentries in the watchtowers.

“Pretty impressive, huh? You want to come in and search, right?” Kani sneered. “Is that that easy? Anything else?”
“Well…” The warrior hesitated, but after being glared at by Kani, he spoke more smoothly: “They also demand that you and Mage Moriel go with them to face trial by the Knights’ Order…”
“Nonsense!” Kani snapped angrily, looking up at Moriel beside her. The female mage had already established clear authority through her swift and decisive actions, but she was now calmly staring at the iron-reinforced gates, seemingly unwilling to make a decision.
“What should we do, Moriel? Should we go out?” Kani asked. Since this deal with the Shirek Church was entirely under Moriel’s control, and she herself was practically forced to participate, it was up to Moriel to decide. If she was fine, then so would the dwarf—right now, they had no choice but to rely on this enigmatic former Red Robe mage.
Moriel remained silent for a moment.
“Of course we should go out.”
The female mage raised her hands, and powerful words came out of her mouth. Most people didn’t understand what was happening and thought Moriel had decided to turn against them—until they saw the gates of the trading post changing.
Magic shattered the original structure of steel, stone, and wood, endowing them with an unnatural strength. The entire gate structure shook, emitting a rumbling sound, as if some sleeping monster had just awakened. The sentries hurriedly retreated in fear at this supernatural power.
Even Kani and the other mages were astonished as the gates came to life under Moriel’s magic. Now they truly understood the strength of the female mage—such effects were beyond even Jali, who specialized in transformation spells! The thick door panels cracked to form jagged, terrifying “teeth” that creaked open, while bricks and stones moved, stretching to form several powerful stone arms.
The neighing of horses outside grew louder, indicating that Moriel’s initial display of power was quite effective.
The ground beneath Moriel’s feet began to move. Along with her, an entire area of land shifted—like a tongue emerging from a monster’s mouth. The moving ground carried the two of them, appearing visually striking before the allied forces in the streets below.
The enemy army had already brought a few panicked horses under control, with their formation remaining intact, showing they were well-trained. Their shiny armor and sharp weapons glowed in the torchlight, adding to their fierce aura—it seemed less like a robbery in the city and more like they were about to charge into battle. Every street entrance was blocked, with archers stationed on rooftops as well. Yet Moriel could see from the way the soldiers stared at the activated gates that most of them felt fear.

The effect is good. Strength is the foundation for equal negotiation; often, a sword sheathed in its scabbard is more intimidating than one slashing into an opponent’s body—that iron-headed fool never understood that. Moriel shook off these foolish thoughts and regained composure, her feet firmly planted on the ground. Behind her, the activated gatehouse breathed heavily, ready to crush any who dared enter without permission.

Two riders also stepped out from among the cavalry. The horse ahead was fiery red, its entire body like a blazing cloud, while the one behind was pure white as snow, much quieter than the red one. Both knights wore silver helmets and armor, shining with a pure, sacred light.

“Evil red-robed mage, what do you have to say this time?” The knight on the red horse pushed up his mask, revealing Fiona’s gem-like blue eyes, filled with anger and a cold expression.

Moriel stared at the ruby at the tip of her staff, seemingly fascinated by the colorful reflections on it. Only at the last moment, before Fiona’s limited patience ran out, did she laugh clearly: “What do I have to say? You’ve surrounded us innocent merchants, causing severe harm… What I want to say is that the League of Lords of Deepstream must take full responsibility for this and compensate us for our losses, both spiritually and materially… Well, can you make a decision on this?”