Chapter 2718 Mirror Prison <TOC> Chapter 2720 Test Before the Battle
Translator: SumTLMan
“As for the strongest Gray Merchant…“ Daus paused, lifting his chin like a rooster; his hand was already resting on the hilt at his waist: “Naturally we shall leave him to your Lord Red Sword!“
“…”
Vai watched Daus laugh up at the heavens, his face speechless: “In truth you just want to fight the Gray Merchant, don’t you?“
Daus answered solemnly: “This is not about wanting or not wanting; this is a battle decreed by destiny.“
“A destined battle?“ Kael, standing to the side, lifted his head in confusion toward Daus, had Lord Red Sword met the Gray Merchant before? Otherwise where would the destiny come from?
Daus nodded deeply: “Precisely, we are destined to cross blades.“
Kael grew more bewildered with every word.
At this moment Vai prompted: “The Meadow Manifesto.“
Kael was startled, as though something had occurred to him: “Is Lord Red Sword a supporter of the Meadow Manifesto?“
Vai curled his lips and, with a trace of distaste, nodded.
Only then did comprehension dawn on Kael: “I see. No wonder Lord Red Sword calls this a battle of destiny…”
Vai ridiculed without hesitation: “Right now he’s surging on hot blood; if he senses in a bit that the Gray Merchant is stronger, he’ll probably chicken out immediately.“
While Vai and Kael conversed, Angel listened in a daze, for he too could not fathom why Daus called it a destined duel. He had thought Vai would explain, yet after a single phrase, Meadow Manifesto, Kael suddenly understood.
Angel still failed to grasp the connection.
Nor was Angel someone who clung to face; when knowledge was required, he would ask without shame.
Just as Angel opened his mouth, the Sovereign of Wisdom beside him also looked over curiously: “The Meadow Manifesto, some kind of covenant?“
Hearing the two questions, the Black Count glanced over and sighed in his heart: this one old and one young…
Angel was too young; his store of knowledge insufficient, so he knew nothing of the Meadow Manifesto. The Sovereign of Wisdom was too old, and rarely left the underground sewers, so likewise he knew nothing of it.
The Black Count grumbled inwardly but did not explain; such matters hardly required his lecture. Besides, since Angel had asked, someone was bound to quickly answer.
Indeed, the one to quickly answer had already stepped forward in a blur.
Vai: “The Meadow Manifesto is essentially the declaration made upon Meadow Square…“
With Vai’s popular-science, Angel and the Sovereign of Wisdom also came to understand that episode, a manifesto of very little real significance——
When it comes to the outside world most closely intertwined with the Wizarding World of the Southern Region, the answer is unquestionably the Abyss.
Yet if one asks which outside world interacts most closely with bloodline wizards, it is not the Abyss but rather the Barbaric World teeming with barbarian tribes.
Within that Barbaric World there even stands an extraordinarily prosperous extraordinary city built by wizards——the Floating Capital.
Of course, the Floating Capital was not constructed solely by bloodline wizards; every major wizard organization poured its full strength into erecting this inter-world metropolis.
Wizards of all three great paradigms can be found in the Floating Capital, yet bloodline wizards hold absolute advantage: seven out of every ten wizards there walk the bloodline path.
The main reason, according to Vai’s personal aside, is that bloodline wizards relish the thrill of close-quarters combat, while the Barbaric World’s barbarians and primitive gods are consummate melee fighters. By Daus’ supplementary explanation, the true cause is that the Barbaric World contains a great many tributary bloodlines well suited to the bloodline path. Who is right, Angel cannot judge.
Setting the dispute aside, the existence of the Floating Capital indeed provides bloodline wizards with a secure post-battle base.
The Floating Capital possesses four famously celebrated plazas, known collectively as the Four Season Squares, Dawn, Midsummer, Meadow, and Deerwood.
The Meadow Manifesto was a public pronouncement made by a bloodline wizard upon Meadow Square.
Called a manifesto, most wizards in fact treated it as a “joke“ or “anecdote“ ; no magazine of even modest professionalism would publish it, and so Angel had never heard of the affair.
Specifically, a Pure Blood wizard named Nagil stood in Meadow Square and voiced disparaging and discriminatory remarks toward all Blood Source wizards.
The gist of his speech was that Blood Source wizards were the shame of the bloodline path, could never seek the truth, could never become mainstream, and that apprentice bloodliners absolutely should not choose the Blood Source branch… and so on.
Such statements are patently false; if Blood Source wizards were a false trail they would never have become one of the three mainstream branches of the bloodline path.
To become a mainstream branch means a complete road exists that leads straight to Miracle.
It is a road patched and perfected by countless predecessors; if you wish to question it you must at least achieve Miracle yourself. Otherwise, for an ordinary junior wizard to start discoursing on “truth“ is truly laughable.
Moreover, in Angel’s own view among the major mainstream subdivisions of the bloodline path he also finds the route of the Blood Source branch the more admirable.
The three mainstreams of the bloodline path are Blood Source, Pure Blood, and Modification.
The Blood Source branch leans toward pursuing the purity of a single category of bloodline, ascending through continual strengthening of that “one kind“ of blood; therefore, in choosing which kind of bloodline they are exceedingly prudent.
The Pure Blood branch does not confine itself to a single class of bloodline, but in different stages chooses whichever bloodline suits it best. It is called Pure Blood because with every replacement of bloodline they perform an exhaustive refinement, ideally until not a speck of impurity remains, that is the very meaning of Pure Blood.
The Modification Path, as the name implies, focuses on pursuing extraordinary organs while maintaining multiple bloodlines within the body and using special methods to keep those bloodlines in a delicate equilibrium. It offers the most numerous and bizarre abilities, yet it is extremely difficult to preserve that balance indefinitely, so its lower limit is rather high while its upper limit is comparatively narrow. Even so, among wizards who do not specialize in bloodlines, this is the first choice when they embark on cross-branch cultivation: Sanders’ transplanted scythe-arm of a Phantom Mantis, Angel’s grafted Softworm skin… Strictly speaking, they all fall under the Modification Path.
These are the three mainstream branches on the bloodline branch. Judging solely by bloodline doctrine, Angel actually favors the Blood Source path, for his Projection Bloodline is very similar to it… Yet Projection Bloodline does not belong to a “single-class” bloodline, and therefore it could in fact become a separate sub-branch of the bloodline system, merely unknown at present.
From the various bloodline sub-branches it is clear that they each advance toward completely opposite extremes.
Consequently, theoretical infighting among bloodline branch wizards has never diminished.
As for the so-called “Meadow Square Manifesto,” it is nothing more than a Pure Blood wizard venting dissatisfaction at Blood Source wizards.
No sane wizard would give it a second glance.
Why, then, did this Meadow Manifesto stir up such a storm and even travel from the Barbaric World back to the Wizarding World? Because the Pure Blood wizard named Nagil is, in one respect, different, he is a wandering wizard.
Among wandering wizards who choose the bloodline path, more than ninety percent belong to either the Pure Blood or Modification branches; scarcely any choose the Blood Source Path.
The reason is simple: it is not that they do not wish to choose it, but that they cannot afford to.
In selecting a bloodline, the Blood Source Path is extremely solemn: it must be a “single-class” bloodline with growth potential, preferably one that has produced a legendary creature. It demands vast resources, and not merely once, but continuously and over the long term, to yield the best feedback.
Most wandering wizards are strapped for resources; embarking on the Blood Source Path would only make their already meager lives even worse.
Plainly put, they are poor!
By contrast, while not all Blood Source adherents are wealthy, the wealthy certainly make up the overwhelming majority.
Thus, although Nagil’s Meadow Manifesto is worthless and destined to become a joke, many wandering wizards nevertheless resonate with it.
Daus is one who was inspired by the Meadow Manifesto.
The so-called internal struggle between Pure Blood and Blood Source is, in mundane terms, a classic hatred-of-the-rich mentality.
“So don’t try to stop me, I must personally settle things with the Gray Merchant. This is a duel of destiny, a battle between men!” After Vai finished copying out the Meadow Manifesto, Daus began ranting again.
“He might not want to fight you at all; you could be the only one eager.” Vai retorted with his usual sarcasm in the face of Daus’s fervor.
At this moment the Sovereign of Wisdom wore a look of sudden realization: “So that’s how it is… In the past, Blood Source and Pure Blood stood together against Modification, yet now Blood Source and Pure Blood are at odds as well.”
Vai replied: “Lord Sovereign misunderstands, this is one-sided resentment from Pure Blood wandering wizards. Blood Source wizards hold no particular grudge against them.”
Though Blood Source wizards deem their path superior, such pride is normal. In alchemy, the Blending branch considers itself better than Enchantment, while Enchantment claims Blending lacks flexibility and is harder. It is pure subjective bias, “my discipline must be the best.”
Despite that sense of superiority, Blood Source wizards also acknowledge certain Pure Blood doctrines, especially Refinement Spell and Bloodline Washing Spell, which are compulsory for Blood Source apprentices. Moreover, the most vital skill for any bloodline wizard, Blood Purification, was created by predecessors of the Pure Blood Path.
Therefore, Blood Source wizards actually accept most Pure Blood principles.
Rather, as the Sovereign of Wisdom said, Blood Source wizards despise Modification apprentices far more, for the Modification creed is diametrically opposed to theirs. Whenever ideological disputes arise, Blood Source and Modification are irreconcilable, wherever they meet.
Such is roughly the internal landscape of the bloodline branch: seemingly chaotic yet in truth the norm in the Wizarding World. Not only bloodline doctrine but also the Mysterious branch and the Elemental branch suffer from conflicting philosophies.
“Whether the Gray Merchant dislikes the Pure Blood Path or not, it’s a duel of destiny because I say so!” Daus was determined to “reason” with the Gray Merchant by force.
Angel did not mind; with only two enemy wizards, he could face either.
Still, Angel asked: “What bloodline has the Gray Merchant chosen?”
After pondering a moment, the Sovereign of Wisdom replied: “I cannot identify the exact bloodline; it may be one developed only within the last ten millennia. However, I can show you his appearance after bloodline activation.”
Having said this, the Sovereign of Wisdom intended to pluck a few illusion nodes at random to create a illusion. He discovered, to his surprise, that although the area brimmed with illusion nodes, he could not manipulate a single one.
He had once confronted a True Knowledge-level illusionist; even when trapped inside that opponent’s illusion, some nodes remained tenuously within his control. Yet here, inside Angel’s lavish castle-hall illusion, he could not access any node at all.
Was Angel’s mental power so immense that he commanded every illusion node?
While the Sovereign of Wisdom puzzled over this, Angel cleared his throat and tapped the tabletop lightly. A structured array of illusion nodes appeared before the Sovereign of Wisdom.
Without need of explanation, the Sovereign of Wisdom saw at a glance that merely brushing them with mental power would weave any illusion he desired.
Convenient it may be… but the Sovereign of Wisdom still felt puzzled, why did Angel’s illusion realm lack even a single weak illusion node?
The Sovereign of Wisdom fixed a deep gaze on Angel, refraining from inquiry. After all, they had signed a contract, and now stood on the same side. Probing too deeply into the other’s capabilities might sow distrust.
Since there was a ready-made illusion structure available, the Sovereign of Wisdom did not decline. He extended his finger and stirred the air.
An illusory image appeared before the crowd.
Had the Sovereign of Wisdom not given prior warning, none of them would have recognized the figure within the illusion as Gray Merchant. In fact, they would have struggled to even associate it with anything human.
Though vaguely humanoid in form, his entire body was encrusted in crystal. Massive amounts of amber-yellow crystal formed an armor of jagged edges. Even his head was fully encased, leaving only a pair of blood-red, rage-filled eyes exposed. Upon his forehead, two blood-red horns jutted, also crystalline in composition.
And that was just the upper half. From the waist down, the transformation was even more outrageous. His build was already mountainous, but now his two legs resembled elephant limbs, thick, massive, and utterly imposing. The thickness referred to the diameter, the mass to the density of crystal coverage, and the sheer size to the underlying muscle that the crystal couldn’t even fully conceal.
Behind him extended a tail, earthen yellow in hue, also composed entirely of crystalline structure, exuding raw power.
Overall, calling it “human” would be a misnomer, this was a crystalline monstrosity.
The Sovereign of Wisdom said: “This is Gray Merchant’s form after activating his bloodline. I don’t know what bloodline it is. Have any of you seen it before?”
A brief silence followed. Then Daus swallowed and asked: “Just how many bloodlines has he activated?”
The Sovereign of Wisdom pondered briefly: “This should be the initial form.”
Daus: “…”
He turned to Angel, hesitated, and finally turned to the Black Count: “My talent hasn’t recovered yet. I’d be at a disadvantage in a fight. Maybe… you go?”
The Black Count snorted coldly and said nothing.
Vai, on the other hand, immediately covered his mouth and burst into laughter.
The Sovereign of Wisdom glanced at Daus in confusion. Weren’t you supposed to have a destined battle with him? Why back off now?
As the Sovereign of Wisdom remained puzzled, the Black Count supplied the answer.
“The initial bloodline Gray Merchant selected comes from the Barbaric World, specifically, the renowned Crystal Earth Basilisk, a bloodline refined and developed several millennia ago. As soon as this type of bloodline emerged, it leapt into the upper echelon on the Source World’s bloodline hierarchy.”
“The Crystal Earth Basilisk isn’t inherently strong, but its bloodline type has been developed thoroughly. Reportedly, Blood Source wizards in the Source World have advanced it to the sixth phase.”
The so-called development involved tracing and acquiring bloodlines of the same type as the Crystal Earth Basilisk. This represented a lineage extension of similar bloodlines, increasing both the success rate and the resulting power.
Reaching the sixth phase meant that they had located a sixth realm evolution of the Crystal Earth Basilisk’s kin bloodline.
While different bloodlines varied in strength, and thus their phases varied as well, typically, a fourth-phase bloodline was already sufficient to reach the realm of legendary wizard. The sixth phase… was simply beyond imagination.
“Gray Merchant has now entered the second phase: the Gemstone Earth Dragon bloodline. From here, his future bloodline options could branch into the Abyssal Dragon or the Primordial Dragon which is strong among Primitive Gods. By the fourth phase, he could select the Void Rainbow Dragon. Beyond that, I do not know.” Said the Black Count, revealing the advancement path of the Crystal Earth Basilisk bloodline.
The Sovereign of Wisdom was not well-acquainted with the Gemstone Earth Dragon, but he was intimately familiar with both the Abyssal Dragon and the Void Rainbow Dragon. The former possessed great potential to ascend to the legendary realm, and had a rather high success rate. As for the latter, the Void Rainbow Dragon, it was a mature species of dragon, unmistakably of legendary realm.
With this, the Sovereign of Wisdom could roughly assess the ferocity of this bloodline category.
So then, was that why Daus suddenly backed down, because his opponent’s bloodline was too overwhelming?
Chapter 2718 Mirror Prison <TOC> Chapter 2720 Test Before the Battle