Chapter 73

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Chapter 73: Archmage

"It’s the Blue Night," Victor said, "It escaped from a wizard as a young dragon at the cost of one eye, and as an adult, it disrupted that wizard’s lich transformation ritual, embedding the transformation gems into its own eyes."

They stood in front of the Blue Dragon, seeing the huge head missing its left eye – there was no sign of embedded jewels. The dragon’s left eye socket was empty and sunken, like every magic wand emptied of spells along the way, void of any substance.

Tasha remembered where she had heard this name before.

"There is a Primordial Dragon commonly known as the Blue Night, a master of spells, massive as mountains, undoubtedly the strongest among the remaining dragons," Oak Elder once said, "It has not reached the age to return to the Dragon Graveyard, and I have not heard of any news of its demise, perhaps it still slumbers somewhere."

The mountain-sized dragon in front of them, its once vibrant body now as lifeless and cold as stone. Its eyes were tightly shut, dull scales clinging tightly to the massive skeleton, like a skeleton covered in armor. The ancient Primordial Dragon in Aryan ultimately did not survive, turned into this state by the still-operating magic circle around it, or had it been in this form before its death?

Tasha looked away from Blue Dragon and saw endless crystal coffins around her. The ceiling was shining with bright lights, reflecting between the lamps and crystals, making the cemetery shine like a theater. The crystal coffins stood on the walls of the underground chamber, with skeletons standing inside them. Despite only having bones left, they stood proudly in their coffins, dressed in robes, their empty eye sockets gazing endlessly into the chamber, watching Blue Dragon and Tasha as they entered.

The ceiling was embedded with the remains of dungeons, surrounded by deceased wizards guarding the skeleton of Blue Dragon. This surreal and solemn scene shimmered with both sacredness and evil, the frozen deaths striking the heart.

"Is that Ice Crystal?" Victor whispered, "Quite luxurious, they used to be materials for royal tombs… But Ice Crystal should ensure the flesh does not decay."

A glint passed in the corner of the eye.

Should light describe it? Perhaps "unexplained attraction" would be more appropriate. Under the dazzling crystal light, the red oval stone in Blue Dragon’s claw was not dazzling. It looked like a solid and liquid at the same time, with a rounded stone shell that seemed to contain a tide of blood.

Victor said, with a strange tone, "That thing is almost a replica of the Dungeon Core."

An artificial Dungeon Core.

Invisible threads of magic connected the artificial core with this human-made dungeon, like veins connecting to a heart. Tasha could feel their operation, somewhat identical to the Dungeon Core: magic circles extracting the magic from the crystal coffins and Blue Dragon to form the Magic Pool of the artificial dungeon. Small streams of magic gathered in the artificial core, concentrated, flowing to every corner of the dungeon with each beat. The railroads were like passages leading to distant places, extending the influence of this underground palace halfway across the empire, reaching southeast Tasmanian.

If it were destroyed, the entire system would fall apart.

"Is it okay to just go in like this?" Tasha asked.

"…I don’t know."

"You don’t know?"

Victor usually insists on not giving up easily, so it’s rare to see him admit he doesn’t know. It means he really has no idea, not even a possibility to pretend.

"I’ve never seen anything like this before," Victor said, looking very puzzled, "this is not right, nothing seems right…"

After waiting for a while without an explanation, Tasha said, "Is the imitation Dungeon Core in the dragon’s claw the core of this dungeon?"

"Yes," Victor answered firmly this time.

"Destroying it can destroy the whole magic system, right?" she asked again.

"In theory, yes," Victor said.

"Can you see any traps, spells, or other dangerous things around here that could lead to bad results when triggered?"

"There’s nothing here, which is strange. From what I know, this kind of place should definitely have something…"

"Just tell me what you’re sure about," Tasha said. "Do you have any way to check for possible threats or make sure I can safely destroy the core over there?"

"No," Victor honestly replied. "You could try flying over there, it might be a bit safer than walking."

"Then let’s do it," Tasha said. "Since we have no choice but to destroy it, there’s no need to waste more time."

Is it necessary to destroy the human energy core? Yes. Can we eliminate the risks of destroying the core or find a way to detect threats? No. Let’s get on with it, this body can be expendable.

During the conversation, Tasha opened her wings, lifted her feet, and flew into the dungeon ahead. The light from the ceiling shone upon her, the magical circle on the ground was dust-free, enveloping her, and nothing happened.

Magic flowed underground and above, as comfortable as soaking in a Magic Pool. In a short time, moving from a city with almost no magic to a place like a magical hub, Tasha could clearly feel her body becoming more agile, and flying becoming smoother. It was as if she entered a sea with greater buoyancy, feeling relieved of burdens, like a fish in water.

This situation continued until she reached within ten meters of the artificial core.

Tasha’s body suddenly felt heavy as a rock, she flapped her wings but couldn’t maintain flying, only able to glide down like a flying squirrel. Her chest felt tight, the air around her suddenly became very thin, and taking big breaths couldn’t satisfy her lungs.

After a few seconds, Tasha realized it was just an illusion, the air hadn’t disappeared, what had disappeared was the magic. A few steps away was still a magic rainforest, a few steps forward was a magic desert, more intolerable than the outside world that Victor jokingly called the zero magic zone. This was why she was falling – dragon wings didn’t actually follow the principles of flight, if following normal physics, wings big enough to lift an adult would need a huge amount of muscle to operate. Just as birds rely on air currents, dragons, these fantasy creatures, rely on the subtle magic flow in the air.

The dragon instinctively controlled the magic in the air, requiring very little magic content, this dependency was barely noticeable. It wasn’t until Tasha truly felt what an environment without magic was like that she realized this need.

"What in the world?" Victor said irritably, just the perceptions coming through Tasha’s link made it restless, "Hurry up and finish it, it’s worse than the Holy Light."

Tasha looked up, the Crimson Egg just a few steps away. In this area of about a dozen meters, all magic was tightly locked inside that thing, not leaking out at all.

She didn’t move forward, only drew out her dagger, and threw it towards the object. At this close distance, the throw would definitely hit, but when the blade hit the Crimson Egg, it smoothly went through.

Tasha frowned and asked, "Are you sure this isn’t an illusion?"

"I’m pretty sure, can’t you feel it too?" Victor said, "Looks like physical attacks are ineffective."

"I don’t know any magic at all," Tasha pointed out.

"Your body is magical by nature, and your attacks have a hint of magic in them." Victor urged, "Try using your fist? If that doesn’t work, bring out some blood to try."

"From what I know, I don’t think it’s a good idea to mix blood with something unknown," Tasha said.

"Do you have any other ideas?" Victor asked back.

She didn’t.

So Tasha took another step closer to the unsettling yet beautiful stone. The smooth red stone reflected her face, stretching her image to a comical extent, almost as if it was smiling at her.

A sudden warning in her heart, Tasha abruptly flapped her wings to retreat, bumping into something with her back and bouncing off.

The magic that had disappeared just moments ago returned all at once, even more abundant than the circle of magic rainforest. As she turned around, she nearly collided with a face devoid of flesh.

The walls suddenly moved forward, the Blue Dragon underground vanished, and the crystal coffin swiftly approached in the blink of an eye, occupying her entire field of vision. Behind Tasha was a crystal coffin pressed tightly against her, beneath her feet too, above her head as well. There were no more floors covered in runes, no more bright, expansive arched ceilings, only countless transparent coffins filling every corner, every crevice, every space. The vast underground palace that had moments ago seemed ten times larger suddenly shrunk, clearly still not small, clearly crystal clear, yet it felt oppressively close, making one uneasy for no clear reason.

It felt as if she was locked inside a huge crystal coffin.

The blood-red egg was still in front of her, revealing the semi-transparent shadow of a big-bearded wizard.

He was dressed in a white robe, had a long beard, and wore a pointed hat – quite typical. Tasha could think of a few jokes about Gandalf and Dumbledore just from the description. But now, standing in front of this wizard, locking eyes with his ice-blue gaze, all her playful thoughts vanished.

The word "wizard" appeared in her mind as soon as she saw him. He was not a side character in any game, not a kind old man in any story, not a funny actor livening up a movie. Looking into his eyes was like gazing into an endless sea, filled with knowledge, wisdom, secrets… to a degree so vast that it ceased to spark curiosity and instead instilled fear. The shadow seemed calm, indifferent, fearless, as he gazed at Tasha, making her uncertain if his gaze passed right through her.

"Derek, Chief of the White Tower, a Legendary Wizard, a tough old guy who’s most likely dead now," Victor said dryly. "You might have been swept into a subspace overlapping with the dungeon."

"Generous visitor," the archmage said solemnly, "Regardless of your race, whether you wish to listen, or if you can understand, I wish to tell you some things."

"I really have no other choice," Tasha thought to herself mockingly. She looked around at the coffins, each one looking identical, not a single flaw to be found.

The wizard’s voice echoed in the subspace.

"A hundred years after the ‘Expedition,’ countless monsters and the Celestial Clan were completely wiped out, but the disaster did not end," the wizard narrated, without explaining what the ‘Expedition’ was. "Magic Stones became scarce, and the dwarves and human civilizations that rose with magic technology after the Battle of the Heaven and Earth suffered a deadly blow."

Unexpectedly, this secret bluntly confronted Tasha.

In this world, there are no time travel or chaotic timelines, and magic technology is just a part of the progress. After the industrial revolution, humans on Earth created a technological civilization, while the residents of Aryan always had scholars, inventors, and skilled craftsmen. The Magic Civilization thrived in this world, with different races clashing, creating conflicts but also a more vibrant world where similarities could be found even in different paths.

Magic technology advanced rapidly in the Battle of the Heaven and Earth, as war required weapons. The alliance of races promoted cooperation and development, harvesting Dungeon Cores and Magic Stones from destroyed dungeons, which were important energy sources, while Magic Stones were naturally found underground. It was the golden age of magic technology, where dwarfs and humans rose to the top. However, the rise and fall of the Magic Civilization was swift. When resources became scarce and the demand for Magic Stones high, a resource war erupted between dwarfs and humans.

What was the cause? What was the trigger? Regardless of the excuses used by both sides at the beginning, they no longer mattered. This was a war unrelated to good or evil, where both humans and dwarfs only sought to survive.

Humans emerged as the victors.

"The war lasted for thirty years," sighed the archmage. "Both sides wanted a quick resolution, but with evenly matched forces, the situation spiraled out of control, turning from a local conflict into a full-scale war. They consumed more resources than what they had fought for at the start, and the casualties were countless. The human empire regressed at least fifty years, and to make up for their losses, they completely annexed the dwarf kingdom’s legacy."

After the war, the human empire fully absorbed the dwarfs’ magic technological products and energy, mistakenly choosing to eliminate the gnomes who supported the dwarfs. They gained more weapons, a surplus of Magic Stones, and the gnomes’ gold than before the war. This victory was celebrated, temporarily overshadowing the crisis.

Both sides suffered heavy losses, but if one side was completely wiped out, and all property was transferred to one side, then perhaps this could be considered a war worth fighting for.

Wizards and scholars started to become cautious.

At this time, the prophetic dragon made a mysterious prophecy, leading most dragons to leave the plane. Regardless of the attempts of the prophecy wizards, only vague and irrelevant information could be deduced. The legendary prophecy became a forbidden area for divination.

"Margarita, the best fortune teller alive and my friend, had the Eye of Foresight. After seven days of predicting the future, she did not open the door in her room," said the Chief wizard of White Tower. "When her followers finally opened the door, they found Margarita had blinded her own eyes and taken her own life."

Victor comforted himself, "The mental instability of prediction wizards does not necessarily mean anything."

There were no more wizards searching for the prophecy of the dragon, but the ominous shadow did not fade away.

That was just the beginning.

"In the following fifty years, things got worse and worse. The children who were eligible to become apprentices and the apprentices who successfully became wizards became fewer and fewer, while us old folks grew weaker – though this fact was well hidden," the old wizard said calmly. "Everyone wanted to know what was happening, and I knew very well that I wouldn’t live to see the day the truth was revealed, I am too old. The fifteen Legendary Wizards in White Tower knew they were approaching death, so we began hunting dragons."

The lifespan of other legendary professionals was about a third longer than that of ordinary people, only the Legendary Wizards could use various tricks to escape death. They were harder to promote than other professions, but also harder to kill, age gave them more experience and greater power. If all these Legendary Wizards were to die, who else could stand up against the incredibly powerful dragons favored by the planes? The legendary figures of other professions, though seemingly healthy now, would also be powerless to fight after a hundred years. By then, the eruption of a Primordial Dragon could easily destroy the human empire that had just been built on this ruin, humans could no longer afford it.

After the departure of the elves, the number of human wizards far outnumbered the wizards of other races. The dying wizards began dragon hunting across the continent.

They moved back and forth between other wizard powers, pushing for the unity of wizards. The Wizard Alliance sought out dragons, removing troublesome old dragons and dragon eggs together, turning them into resources on the dragon’s body. They used the highest human slogan to cover up the real reason for this event: it was never about ideals, never about resources, just that the old lions wanted to leave a safe place for their descendants who would lack lackeys. After the dragons came the naga, all beings considered lingering threats were killed, and in this tragic and brutal expedition, many populations disappeared without a trace.

"This is insane. White Tower is supposed to be a neutral academic Wizard Academy," Victor laughed unbelievably. "When they accuse the radical black-robed wizards, did they ever think they would one day participate in the extinction of a race?"

The White Tower used to be a place for wizards who loved studying more than fighting. They had never been in a war before except for the Battle of the Heaven and Earth, where they provided theoretical support from the back. But when their advanced research showed that they would die soon, their seemingly calm madness started spreading. An old wizard regretted the wars between dwarfs and humans that caused serious injuries, realizing he had done similar things. But he seemed unaware of it, believing that death, whether of others or himself, was a necessary and meaningful part of life.

"After that, young wizards tried to delay the mysterious decline of magic. And I, along with some old friends, created a magic formation to restore the depletion of Magic Stones."

The archmage opened his arms, as if showcasing the space filled with crystal coffins behind him.

"If you see me, kind guest, it means we have failed, and Aryan’s Magic Stone and magic still haven’t recovered, so this magic formation must continue to operate," he said. "But if you see me, it also means we have succeeded. We, the forsaken by magic, with our deceased bodies, have kept Aryan’s last Source of Magic running till now."

The body of a dragon was placed here, and the bones of wizards from past generations, willingly or unwillingly, were nailed to crystal coffins – the Legendary Wizards of the White Tower, who sacrificed themselves for humanity, probably never imagined they would become accomplices in the massacre of spellcasters a hundred years later. The sacrifices and tragedies of these individuals became pools of magic, forming a low-consumption magic cycle, preventing the human empire, slowly losing its energy source, from regressing to its agricultural age.

Tasha felt like she was listening to an epic from the past.

The archmage recounted the rise and fall of the Magic Civilization, explained the dragon-slaying craze, and revealed many reasons for Aryan’s current state. Various forces acted for their own reasons, there was no chosen one for destiny, and great heroes were just insignificant stones under the wheel of history. No one could control the future, and many unconscious groups and seemingly insignificant events shaped today’s Aryan… Hearing such stories made people feel the wonders of the world, how mystical and yet logical this world was.

But there are still many questions.

Why?

"Journey" probably refers to the departure of the elves and the Great Druid, the wizard just mentioned it briefly, as if it was not a problem – maybe back in their time, it was not a secret. Why did they leave? What did Mavis’s grandfather, a wood elf, encounter?

Why did the Magic Stone disappear? The wizard killed the dragon only for the safety of future generations, without mentioning the consumption of magic power at all. Is the theory of "mages consuming plane magic power" passed down inaccurately by later scholars? Or is it a new discovery? Did someone lie for their own benefit? Who could that person be?

When small questions are answered but the answer remains elusive after multiple verifications, the issue concerning the survival of the entire plane becomes more prominent. Tasha began to doubt whether she could really find the answer to this huge question, whether she could truly find a way to save it.

For Aryan’s magical creatures and spellcasters, solving this problem is as significant as saving the world.

But for the current dungeon Tasha, saving herself is still a problem.

The wizard took a deep breath, folded his arms, tiredly rubbed his forehead, revealing a hint of fatigue that belonged to an elderly person at that moment.

"That’s all." He nodded at Tasha, "I am about to face death and do not have time for further discussions. I just want to tell you: in this system with enough magical circuits and magic pools, there still needs a driving force to ensure the continuous flow of magical power. Dear guest, it’s your turn to make a contribution next."

The translucent shadow disappeared, the space formed by the crystal coffin slightly vibrated, the blood-red egg-shaped stone began to melt, and a blood-like liquid gushed out from it.

How can so much blood-like liquid flow out from a skull-sized egg stone? For a moment, Tasha thought it would keep gushing out, but the liquid was converging, as if colored liquid was splashed onto something invisible. The wriggling blood gradually formed a skeleton, covered with muscles, eventually forming a giant… monster.

There are no other words to describe it.

The thing kept wriggling and screaming, emitting various tones from every crevice. Its body was unstable, with human limbs, animal fur, snake scales, fish scales, cephalopod tentacles… A bunch of indescribable things condensed into one, as if a creator hastily molded leftover materials and threw them into the world. Its appearance showed a reddish color, like dried blood, and after a few seconds, the skin wriggled and turned a decaying green.

Tasha felt like vomiting.

It was unbelievable, even on Earth, she would only frown at bugs or decay, let alone now becoming calmer. But just looking at the monster in front of her made her extremely nauseous, as if she had been spiritually contaminated.

It finally completely emerged from the Crimson Egg, the red stone now embedded on its forehead – if that thing could be called a head.

"What the heck is this?" Tasha swore.

"Some kind of… deteriorated magical creature hybrid." Victor hesitated for a moment, as if unsure how to explain, then added urgently, "Don’t get hurt! Try not to get hurt!"

What will happen if you get hurt?

It was too late, the thing had pounced. It looked like an unbalanced ball of flesh, but its movements were terrifyingly fast. Tasha managed to dodge a claw swipe, but a large mouth suddenly split open on its thick arm, and a sharp tongue shot out, licking a bloody gash on Tasha’s shoulder.

She didn’t feel any pain, only a tingling in her shoulder. The wound didn’t bleed but decayed rapidly. A large chunk of flesh fell off and wriggled towards the monster.

Like clay, it easily merged into the monster’s body.

"Generous guests" need a driving force to prevent injuries.

Now Tasha knew where the previous guests had gone.

The magic device requires a small white mouse running continuously in a cage. The subspace is the cage, the monster is the mouse, and Tasha is the fresh ingredient.