Experimental Log of the Crazy Lich - The Successor
The Successor
Most of their members are of the spellcasters, inclusive of Priests, Druids, Mage, Incantationers, Witches and Witch Doctors in the mix. Regardless of race or tribe, spellcasters are always a sorely lacking precious asset.
A thousand years of accumulation and inheritances has given these spellcasters sufficient power and connections and in this very world, power and connections can be easily traded for authority, not to mention the fact that they are assisted by their ability to divine.
The most dangerous part about the Celestial Tower is that its members are often hidden in the midst of the upper echelons of the Human and the Elf society. Even between fellow members, they often use nicknames to address one another. No one would be able to identify the hidden spy until that member goes on a rampage, making them an adversary hard to guard against.
A bunch of poisonous snakes that hides in your midst, capable of biting you at any moment. It is a thought that sends shiver down one’s spine.
After realizing that the Celestial Tower has set their eyes on me, despite the world being already plunged in darkness, I rushed out of the mansion without any hesitation.
I understand how they operate. Assuming the many spies that we encountered recently were their scouts, judging by how that troublesome group doesn’t know the meaning of restraint, their failure in their reconnaissance mission will only motivate them to take bigger risks to accomplish their goals. If so, instead of waiting for them to knock on our door, I might as well make the first move.
But the moment I stepped out of the door, I realized a little problem…
“Harloys, to whom does this Celestial Tower Ring belong to? Smell it and find him!”
“Smell… Smell your sister! I am a cat, not a dog. That’s not right, I am not a cat as well! Damn it, you bastard unfilial disciple!”
Alright, looking at this dumb cat who bites relentlessly on my finger, I decided against reminding her that her claws and fangs were unable to break through my defenses due to my Titan Body.
“Heh, how can you underestimate yourself so much. The potential of Meow Aliens is limitless. They can conquer the entire world. Alright, stop biting me. I wasn’t joking. I will just tell you directly now, I added a new function to you the last time.”
“A new function? No wonder I felt something wrong with my body these past 2 days. I’m going to kill you!”
“Sit down! Hand!”
Harloys immediately gets into a squatting position, one that was striking similar to that of a dog. Then, she sticks out her tongue and stretches out her cat paw. This is one of the new functions that I implemented, specially prepared for the Queen of Banshees who was getting more and more disobedient.
“Wuuuu, you are really going too far. I already agreed to work together with you and you even landed me into such a state. How can you treat me like this? No matter what, I am still your mentor!”
The teardrops that drips down from the Meow Alien makes her look exceptionally pitiful. The onlookers, Diana and Krose, are full of sympathy towards her and even started to glare angrily at me, the cat abuser.
“Drop the act. Did you forget our Magic Pet Contract? Your feelings can be transmitted over to me. Do you think I can’t tell whether your tears are real or not?”
Alright, the next moment, the tears stopped. A musing look appears on the black cat and after a short moment, she sends me a short message.
“You should know that even if I am in such a state, I still have cards under my sleeves that can make your life hell. As long as you agree to help me seek vengeance against 2 people, no, 2 Gods and make them fall, I will remain as your pet obediently and devote all of my strength and knowledge to you. I would accept it even if I have to serve you in bed. Even though I have never come into contact with men, my techniques are definitely in no way inferior to the Dark Elves.”
Even though those words had a hint of intimacy to it, even though she was assuming the form of such a cute kitten, her endless resentment towards the Gods formed a tangible dark fog around her, her hatred could be clearly felt in her tone and her gaze still remains as fearsome.
Despite being unable to hear anything, Krose and Diana instinctively raise their weapons and went on guard. Perhaps, the form of the cursed black cat who brings about misfortune is the true face of the Undead Queen of Banshees.
Time will bring endless power and knowledge to one. Even if she has fallen under my hands and has yet to find an opportunity to flip the tables on me, I never dared to underestimate Harloys. It is exactly because of the fact that I do not dare to underestimate her that I used the once in a lifetime Magic Pet Contract without any hesitation to tie her forcefully by my side. I have absolute trust that in my absence, she can single-handedly flip the entire Underground World around.
“Forget about the serving at night, I am not Beifeng and I am unlike the other fools who get blinded by illusions. 2 Gods, right? Tell me which 2 Gods is it first, so that I can consider about it. After all, if you were to ask me to slay Ayer and Karolan, there’s no way I would be able to settle them and naturally, I won’t be able to agree to your conditions.”
Harloys spits out 2 names telepathically and looks at me expectantly.
As I expected, they were both true Gods of the Elf Faction. One of them were in my long-term target list while I would probably be unable to avoid the other old acquaintance. Since it is aligned with my goals, this deal is one that I could strike.
“To think that it would be the ex-Guardian God of the Elves. I guess traitors are even more loathed than the mastermind. Fine.”
“Great. It’s a deal then.”
“Un? You don’t want to make a contract?”
“Being committed to your promises is one of your few good points. Your consent is much more effective than any other contracts… If I were to really sign a contract and take advantage of you, I still have to be worried over you finding a loophole to go against your words.”
Looks like she understands me quite well. It is just what like she said in the latter part of her words. Perhaps it is the obsession of one who walks with law, I have quite an intense level of obsession to recognize and fulfill the promises I make to others personally. However, if I was forced to make the promise or if an obviously unfair contract was presented to me, I would most probably try my best to go back on my words. (In the current civil law of the modern world, agreements that are unfair or forced upon can be cancelled. However, in this world, the terms of the contract that were established cannot be cancelled)
“Fine, I will write it down in my diary. You don’t have to worry about it anymore. Now, quickly fulfill your role as a pet dog.”
This time, Harloys didn’t retort and instead, she performs a somersault excitedly before obediently coming over to sniff the ring in my hands. After a few seconds, the dumb cat falls into deep thoughts.
“How is it? With your current specially-made magic smelling organs, your ability to detect scents should be at least twice as strong as normal police dogs. Are there no clues yet?”
After a long moment, Harloys lifts up her head hesitatingly.
“…It is all the smell of charred flesh. I couldn’t smell anything else.”
Now, it is our turn to look at one another at a loss of what to do. Recalling the fact that I retrieved the ring from a charred body, not being able to smell anything from it is natural. However, Harloys suddenly ran towards the backyard.
“I remember that he has a cloak with him.”
Alright, the efficiency of one who is forced to work and one who works voluntary is totally different. After 2 minutes, another companion joins us. Casio, who was almost bored to death, requested for us to bring him along. Considering the fact that a Centaur Archer would be equipped with tracking abilities, I didn’t reject him.
“Wait a moment. If Casio goes, then I am going as well.”
A certain someone requests to join in as well but we tried our best to ignore his presence.
“In terms of tracking abilities, a Beast Tamer is definitely much better than a pure Archer. There isn’t a single person that I cannot find in this city.”
“What do you want?” That fellow may seem honest but in actuality, he is very crafty. He is the typical kind of person who doesn’t move if there is no profit for him involved. It is impossible for him to do voluntary work.
Beifeng nods his head.
“That cloak which can turn one into a mouse. It should the legendary Sewage Cloak, right?”
Alright, I really don’t feel like pursuing the matter any further. I don’t even want to think about what he would want to do with that cloak. If it wasn’t for the fact that we were short on time, I might have already got physical with him.
However, considering the fact that what the Beast Tamer is the truth, that he is indeed skilled in the art of tracking, I can only suppress the urge to beat him up and treat him courteously.
Just when I was about to accept his request, he seems to have sensed the decision I have made through the look on my face. With an excited look on his face, Beifeng does a silent whistle and in a short moment, a few dogs come running here, a few rats appear from the underground sewage and even an eagle comes landing down from the sky.
“You bastard, taking opportunity of one’s weakness, you’ve won this time. It is a deal… Wait, I don’t need it anymore.”
Not too far away, 2 broken carriages were stopped by the alley. A few people dressed in black were secretly moving haystacks from the carriage and there was already a small pile of haystack by the wall of the Church. They were trying to start a fire but perhaps due to the night gale, they failed a couple of times, causing them to throw the matchsticks on the ground and stomp on it in a fit of rage.
There is a spellcaster who is obviously trying to maintain an Anti-Detection Spell. However, even if he had successfully prevented them from getting noticed from detection spells, I could still see him clearly from my current position.
Looking at those unlucky fellows, I couldn’t help but recall a rumor. It is said that due to the fact that they had really thoroughly offended the God of Fate Catio who rules over Fortune and Misfortune, a God Punishment, a Curse of Misfortune, was delivered upon this cockroach-like organization. The moment one joins this organization, the system of karma will immediately be activated, causing them to be stuck in the valley of misfortune for the rest of their life.
In normal circumstances, a person plagued with misfortune will find himself failing easily on the task he is working on. While crossing the road, he would step on dog poop and get bitten by cats. It isn’t really that big of a deal as long as the person remains careful. However, when stacked with my Aura of Plague, un, it should be called Star of Misfortune Aura now, those whose luck is worse than mine will trigger a series of accidents, causing their misfortune to turn into something deadly. All of their misfortunes will eventually turn into an opportunity for them to meet with tragedy.
“What are you all waiting for? Get rid of this bunch of unfortunate fellows.”
Alright, other than the spellcaster, the bunch of unfortunate fellows who came to burn down the Church of true God were only the lowest-class pawns. They were subdued in an instant. Then, under the wrathful interrogation of Beifeng whose ploy was upset, our destination became clear.
“Their temporary meeting point is the Astrology Platform of the royal family? Such a fitting location for their identity. However, since they are able to make use of the facilities of the royal family, then there probably is a certain Emperor who was upset from losing face backing them.”
“Why don’t we reconsider it?”
Due to the fact that the Emperor is backing them, Diana, who has been getting closer with Reyne recently, starts to hesitate. If we were to enrage the Auland Emperor once again, given the fact that we were still in the territory of the Auland Empire, even if our group would be able to simply escape, we would implicate the East Mist Communal Country’s ambassador party.
“He is probably testing us out. If we were to show weakness, he would just strike at us more and more callously. Since he is playing the game by the rules of the shadows, we must make sure to keep up with his pace. If he stretches his hand, we will chop off the hand. If he stretches his claw, we will rip off his claws. At the very least, we must make him feel pain. Not to mention, the Mist Bloodline…”
“The Mist Bloodline don’t fear challenges. Since they are coming directly at us, how can we back down? Yielding will only make the tyrants more arrogant.”
It seems that the brawl by the wall has caught the attention of the people in the Church. Kelly and Reyne come out escorted by the Royal Knights. Reyne’s words made me nod my head in agreement.
However, the words that followed it made the face of Kelly and the Knights lose their colors.
“I also want to go, Big Brother Roland. Didn’t you say that the battlefield is the best classroom? You often tell me that I am in dire need of real battle experience.”
“Stop messing around, you are bringing trouble to everyone. You are just courting your own death.” Kelly immediately reprimands her in hope that it would dispel her thoughts of plunging straight into danger.
She is indeed messing around. I couldn’t help but chuckle. In a battlefield of Legends and Gold pinnacles, what is an Iron-rank rookie like you joining in for? A grenade could easily annihilate you. Raking experience from a battlefield doesn’t work in such a way. (Someone totally forgot that he is only Bronze-rank)
“I am already 14 years old. In the legends, Prince Roland got on the battlefield when he was 12. I already had enough putting on the facade of a Princess Knight. I want to turn this glorious title into reality. If I can’t even handle such a small situation, what will I do in the future battles?”
Even when shouted at by her kin, the young lady bites her lips firmly. Despite not saying a single word, the resolution on her face clearly shows that she would not give up on this.
I gaze at her. Reyne’s legs were trembling but the Roland Sacred Sword by her waist is radiating bright silver light, as though showing its approval of her decision.
“‘Roland Sacred Sword is the personal sword of the legendary Holy Knight Prince Roland. Only the descendants and the successors of his will is able to gain the recognition of this sacred sword.’ Successors of my will huh?”
At this moment, I somehow recalled the prerequisites for the usage of the Roland Sacred Sword. Recalling how the death of my father caused Karwenz and I to step on the battlefield 300 years ago and looking at the striking resemblance between the previous me and the girl in front of me, I smiled.
“Successor of my will? Fine, follow us then. Don’t fall behind. Kelly, just like back then, some people are fated to be unable to bloom in a greenhouse. But, Beifeng! Protect her well. If something were to happen to her, your cloak will be gone.”
Ignoring the Beast Tamer who rejoiced at my words, I whispered an apology in the depths of my heart to Kelly, whose face was marked with worry. Then, I started leading the way.
“Darned remnants, let’s settle the interest of the debt you owe me in the past.”
At this point, the System came jumping out once again to brush up on its existence.
[Special Quest: The Will of the Legendary Holy Knight Roland has been triggered. Before the completion of the Epic Quest: The Revival of the Mist, a third of the Fate Points that you obtain from slaying enemies will be transferred to the wielder of the sacred sword, Reyne. Using the Fate Points transferred, you can strengthen her. System Notice: The Special Quest is directly related to the progress of your Epic Quest. Also, if Reyne were to die in battle or if she were to permanently lose the Roland Sacred Sword, both quests will be marked with an instantaneous failure… But after turning into a woman, you can consider becoming a true princess. You would definitely do a much better job than Reyne.]
“I definitely will not fail! Before I die, Reyne definitely will not die!”
Alright, my decisive furious roar and the oath to protect her heightens the morale of the Knights, as well as to cause a certain princess to blush bright red.
TL: Alright, I think I’ve already changed it in the previous chapters but
Cat Alien -> Meow Alien
I can’t remember what I used to describe the death of God’s before, but anyway, the word is (陨落) which means falling, normally used to describe one who fell from grace or died. Because the concept of falling is there (after all, the Heavenly Realm sounds like it is in the sky and the Chaos Abyss is termed as the Lower Realm as well, so I will just use the word fall)
I know some places are not very grammatically correct (Like using even though twice in a sentence etc.), but somehow the effect of the sentence feels like it is spoiled if you use ‘and’ or something else to replace it :X
Also, I know I keep using envoy and ambassador interchangeably. They have the same meaning, except ambassadors are normally one representative of the head of their state whereas an envoy might not hold equal authority. So, the appropriate one to use should be ambassador here (lazy to change the past ones but I will stick with ambassador from now on)