Leveling up the World

Chapter 939: Magic Piggybank

AQUILEQUIA has assimilated the MAGIC cluster, increasing her level to 7.

Without anything to fight or evade, the dragon was doing a rather good job of increasing her level. It would be a while before she got to a point to rival Aurun, but every bit helped. Besides, it wasn’t like Dallion was hurrying.

Beneath the ground, rocks hardened, destroying the hidden golems one at a time. The constructs were sturdy enough to withstand any standard attack, but with enough illusion spells, anything could be changed.

“So,” Dallion turned to Alien, “where are you from?”

The old mage stared at him, confusion flickering through the pain and fear.

“Back on Earth, I mean.”

Only now did he realize that otherworlders hardly ever asked that question. Even now, he did it more as a means to pass time than out of any real interest. Given the number of such interactions he himself had held so far, the only conclusion was that the Moons discouraged the conversation in some fashion.

“Centennial,” the archmage spat out. “Centennial, Colorado.”

“Know nothing about it.”

“You won’t gain anything by torturing me. The emperor is a lot stronger than you’ll ever be.”

“That’s debatable. Though, interesting that you haven’t made a Moon vow. I thought that was the way things went.”

“Moon vows limit people. Didn’t my old teacher tell you that?” A smile formed on Alien’s face. “Even in this world, you can’t have everything. It’s either skill or loyalty.”

“Don’t know about loyalty, but you definitely don’t have the skills. I guess that’s why they put you in charge of the circle.”

“I improved the rockets!” the man shouted. “They were nothing before. Firecrackers that carried spells.”

“History begs to differ.”

“You think that the addict came up with the idea?” Clearly, the archbishop wasn’t viewed in high regard among anyone in Jeremy’s camp. “He stole that from me! He’s been alive for millennia and all he could do was the crap you’re using now.”

“Sure, he stole your idea centuries before—”

Dallion stopped. Strangely enough, it was possible. What was more, it was well within Simon’s means. The ability to see into the future made time irrelevant. True, the echoes were distorted and there was never a guarantee that things would end up as they were originally planned, but if he had focused on the emperor’s design, it was possible for him to have recreated an event centuries before it had happened. No wonder he was constantly on the lookout for Moonstones.

“I can help you too,” Alien pleaded. “Just don’t kill me and let me go.”

So much for loyalty, Dallion thought.

“I can give you something you need.”

Surprisingly, truth resonated within the man’s words.

“You aren’t afraid of what the emperor would do to you?”

“There are four powers in the world. Making you stronger will also weaken the other two opposing him.”

The logic was sound, though Dallion strongly suspected that Alien was begging for his life in a calculated way. No doubt what he was offering was of marginal significance at best, so the emperor didn’t care.

“Moonstones!” the mage said, noticing Dallion’s hesitation. “I’ll give you Moonstones.”

That definitely got Dallion’s attention. Standing up, he floated up to Alien.

“You’ve felt the power they contain. With them you could restore your legs, you’d be able to understand spells no one else can.”

“If that’s true, why haven’t you used them yourself? You could have defeated me easily.”

“What does he do if there are no countries left,” Dallion said.

“Precisely. He was so confident in his prophecies and his copyettes that he never thought that the situation could spiral out of control. The emperor was the one who spotted the weakness and slowly exploited it without anyone noticing. You and others like you were nothing but bright distractions in the global game of chess.”

A total of eight Moonstones had amassed in Alien’s hand, most of them red.

“Your task was to keep him from getting Moonstones,” Dallion noted.

“One of them.” Alien walked up to Dallion, offering the stones.

Rarely had Dallion seen so much power in one spot. They were a lot smaller than the dragon heart, but size didn’t always matter when it came to power. With just half of them, Aquilequia could level up to forty, maybe more. As Alien had suggested, Dallion could use one to restore his legs in seconds, not to mention boost his spell power for up to an hour. At the right moment, that could change the result of a battle, maybe even the entire war.

“The Azures should have gone after you.” Dallion resisted the temptation and merely placed them in his own domain.

“They too were a distraction that went out of hand.” Alien slid off the Vermillion ring. “Just like you. The deal is done. Now, I can leave.”

“Go ahead.” Dallion took his ring. “Remember, can’t harm me.”

“Do I look like someone who could fight Moon candidates?” The archmage let out a bitter laugh. “I’d wish you good luck, but I would be lying.” He cast a flight spell, then flew out of the window.

Feeling somewhat generous, Dallion expanded the size of the opening, allowing the man to leave more comfortably.

I must say, I didn’t expect that, Adzorg said. I always felt potential coming from him, but was annoyed that he never chose to meet it. Now, I know why.

AQUILEQUIA has assimilated the MAGIC cluster, increasing her level to 7.

“Do you think he had them in him back when he was your apprentice?”

Who knows? It’s possible. For all we know, it's possible that he never was a mage to begin with. With enough energy flowing within his realm, he might have been able to borrow the magic trait even without using the Moonstones themselves.

“Have there been such cases?”

No, but there haven’t been cases like Diroh, either. There’s no telling what might happen if something divine is placed within a person’s realm.

Dallion himself was a product of divine magic. He didn’t have the magic trait upon awakening. It was only thanks to the phoenix gem that he had become what he was. More than once, it had been mentioned that his magic threads were different from everyone else’s due to precisely that. Having to spend his entire life with more and more Moonstones within his realm and be forbidden to use them must have been beyond terrifying.

I know it sounds bad, but it’s a logical course of action, Adzorg said. As long as there’s enough protection to prevent invasions and foreign echoes, it’s the perfect place. No one could peek into the personal realm of others.

Such a mage’s thing to say, Dallion thought. The old mage probably didn’t even see how wrong it was, merely commenting on efficiency and a swell found exception.

“I’m glad I never awakened a mage,” Dallion muttered.

AQUILEQUIA has assimilated the MAGIC cluster, increasing her level to 9.

There are a few valuable items you could take from here, if you want, Adzorg suggested.

“I think I’ve taken enough.”

The walls of the building detached floor by floor, falling to the ground where they were instantly swallowed up. The roof moved to the side, revealing a clear blue sky before it, too, was gone. In less than a minute, all that was left was Dallion, standing on an empty field.

REALM INVASION

ARCHDUCHESS PRISCORD has invaded ACADEMY.

“Here you are,” Dallion said, summoning both his blades. “You’re right on time.”