Chapter 217: Investigation
It was night, near a deserted island about 50 nautical miles southeast of the Pontos Coast, east of Des Town. Ace stood atop the main mast of the Magic Brig, activating the Soul Spell Ultrasound Retrieval Perception.
The perceptual precision of this spell was not as refined as Insight Perception, but it excelled in coverage area and casting range.
In his black-and-white perception field, Ace’s mental power swept across the island, the nearby sea area, and the coast of Des Town. The coast and the island were calm in the dead of night, showing no anomalies or dangers.
After confirming repeatedly, Ace commanded the other five brigs via the Grimoire to follow the Seeker to the island.
Soon, the fleet of six brigs sailed into the island’s harbor.
The dilapidated wooden lighthouse still stood beside the harbor, weathered by wind and rain. Having sailed for nearly half a month, the crew of the ordinary sailing ships yearned for land. As the fleet docked, they disembarked in an orderly manner under the leadership of their respective captains, with musketeers acting as the vanguard.
Life on the Seeker was relatively comfortable for the apprentices, but they hadn’t been ashore for many days either, and many wanted to explore the island.
Betty, Donna, and Polina went ashore, chatting and laughing, which surprised Caruso, who was following behind. He couldn’t help but ask Lucilu beside him: “When did Polina become such good friends with the Mechanical Girl?”
Lucilu smiled mysteriously and whispered: “Because of the charm of knowledge.”
As the apprentices landed one after another and the sailors cleaned up the dilapidated pirate stronghold, the group settled there temporarily.
Ace found Daina and handed her a translucent round pearl, saying:
“I am going to Des Town to gather information. This is the Level 1 Authority Covenant Pearl for the Magic Ship. When you hold it, you can communicate with the Magic Ship telepathically and command the Seeker. Stay hidden. Contact me through the Grimoire if anything changes. I will also contact you through the Grimoire once I investigate the current situation.”
Daina nodded solemnly at first, then hesitated and said: “Teacher Ace, please be safe. If possible, I would like to take my family with us. I want them to live under the brilliance of Magic too.”
Ace was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said: “If the situation permits, I will bring your family to reunite with you.”
With that, Ace activated Flash Teleportation from his Soul Sanctuary. Opening his geometric Mana Crystal wings in mid-air, he glided toward Des Town.
Daina watched Ace quickly shrink into a dot in the sky, looking on with a mix of anticipation and worry for a while. She then turned to gather the Wizard Apprentices. Conditions on shore were worse than on the Magic Ship, so apart from a few apprentices staying on guard, most returned to the Magic Ship to rest.
In Polina’s room on Sub-Level 4 of the Magic Ship, she sat on the edge of her bed in loose pajamas, her delicate face focused.
“Lesser Mana #5 + Auxiliary Six Runes + Lesser Earth Element #2 + Lesser Hardness #6 + Lesser Composition Conversion #3 + Lesser Shaping #2.” As Polina murmured, translucent Lesser Runes appeared before her. Frowning, she attempted to combine the runes.
Bang!
The combination failed. The incomplete Spell Model in front of Polina caused a Mana disturbance, triggering a small explosion.
Polina jumped quickly, narrowly avoiding the blast.
She looked at the scorched wooden floor, her face showing frustration. The wooden floor pulsed with Mana, then squirmed and proliferated, quickly restoring itself to new.
“When will I be able to create such a gigantic, intricate magical creature like Lord Ace? I can’t even construct a Lesser Earth Elemental right now. This won’t do!”
Gritting her teeth, she began the Spell Model construction experiment again.
In the room diagonally opposite hers, Betty was casting her modified activation spell, Lesser Iron Element Activation, on a Mana-contaminated iron block the size of a human face.
Transformed by Mana, a rune core formed inside the iron block, and its entire body began to deform like liquid.
Soon, a square iron cube appeared. Click, clack. Arms and legs extended.
Betty tested the Iron Elemental’s state and found that although it had limbs, it lacked the intelligence and flexible reactions of the Magic Ship’s wooden figures.
Looking at the dull Lesser Iron Elemental, Betty couldn’t resist kicking it. Clang!
The Iron Elemental, augmented with Lesser Fortification Runes, was incredibly hard. Betty rolled on the bed clutching her painful foot, while the Lesser Iron Elemental憨ly rubbed the spot where it was kicked.
“Argh! Why did I create such an idiotic activated life form? It’s practically activated mental retardation!”
While Betty was rolling around, Ace had already arrived in the sky above Des Town. The night here was silent. He circled a few times in the air, then chose a familiar direction and flew off.
In the backyard of Hicks’s clinic, the famous physician of Des Town, Hicks, was fast asleep in bed. A handwritten copy of New Medicine lay by his pillow.
Ace transformed into a thin sheet, slowly passing through the crack in the door, then transformed back into his own appearance. He walked to Hicks’s bedside. Rune structures flashed in his eyes, and the Soul Spell Charm Human activated.
In the darkness, the charm rune structure gradually crawled onto the back of Hicks’s head. He opened his eyes blankly, looking at Ace dressed in a black robe in the dark.
After a long while, Ace struck Hicks three times with a modified Hammer of Oblivion. This power was enough to make him forget the memories of the past day, with side effects of occasional nausea, dizziness, and memory decline for a year.
Comparatively speaking, Ace didn’t kill him to keep the secret. A few side effects were considered quite merciful.
Next, Ace visited the homes of several Citizens and one Divine Descendant in Des Town, confirming the recent changes in the city-state.
“Athena was possessed by a god, and together with the Son of the Sea, they killed the projection of the Abyssal Archon. The Cimali region also gained the Goddess’s permission to become completely independent, establishing a city-state of Merfolk and Half-Merfolk.
No wonder we collectively felt the Abyssal Whispering when we fled to the Larr Mountains. It turns out we were affected by the aftershocks of the battle between the Abyssal Archon and two Deities. Is this the mighty power of divine-level existences?
Even the aftershocks nearly drove the Wizard Apprentices collectively insane. If the mirror image had delayed even a little in dealing with it, the entire army might have been wiped out.”
Ace muttered to himself in a low voice while quietly evading the sentries of Des Town and leaving the area.
“Athena was severely wounded and is unconscious. This outcome is reasonable. Using a Great Hero’s body to wield divine power—how could there be no cost? However, this will likely cause a drastic change in the upper echelons of the city-state. I wonder if it will affect my family and the estate.”
Thinking this, Ace flew toward the Ace Estate in Buku Town. He wanted to scout the current situation of the estate first.
Meanwhile, in the master bedroom of the Ace Estate’s master residence, Dean Medea had taken over with his men and was sleeping soundly.
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