Chapter 378: Bunian & Helix
Helix stood atop a crystalline shield, flying rapidly through the sky. He was heading to the Bakar City-State, west of Milne. King Yves’ words flashed through his mind.
“Helix, I have already sent someone ahead to inform Bunian about the situation with the ‘Dark Raven Devil’. According to recent intelligence, the ‘Dark Raven Devil’s most evil power is the ability to traverse space!
“Unless we use a Quasi-Noble Phantasm like the ‘City of Protection’, we cannot seal space at all. But Karim was careless; not only did he die, but he also lost the ‘City of Protection’!
“Bunian once deconstructed the ‘City of Protection’. I have commissioned him to forge a replica of the ‘City of Protection’. It will only possess the ability to seal space. As long as we seal the space and gather eight Great Heroes, we can definitely kill the ‘Dark Raven Devil’.”
On the other side, Ace had already left the High Tower Territory. He was using the 3-Ring Spell “Portal” to make rapid leaps. After traveling about halfway, his Mana was largely depleted, so he began to meditate atop a mountain peak.
A brilliant starry sky appeared in broad daylight. Dreamlike mist lingered, and stars circled within his Mental Imagery World. Ace’s True Spirit floated quietly in mid-air. The Glazed Heart Fire above his head was burning the Star Mana, refining it bit by bit.
Ace divided his attention, refining the Star Mana while conversing with Aleias.
“Your suggestion is to hunt down the Great Hero of Bakar City-State, Bunian Bakar, first?”
Aleias’s beautiful face wore a serious expression. “Lord Ace, Bunian poses the greatest threat. Although his combat power isn’t strong, he is a Great Divine Artisan recognized by the Ancestor God. He can use the ability of a Great Hero to forge Pseudo-Noble Phantasms that surpass gold.”
Ace’s True Spirit furrowed its brows and asked with some interest, “What is a Pseudo-Noble Phantasm?”
Aleias replied, “A so-called Pseudo-Noble Phantasm can be simply understood as a disposable Quasi-Noble Phantasm. By using the Quasi-Noble Phantasm ‘Hammer of the Pseudo-Vassal’ and supplementing it with the authority of the Artisan Bloodline, a forged Wonder is created. It has the same power as a Noble Phantasm but can only be used once.”
Ace’s True Spirit, bearing the Glazed Heart Fire, swallowed a mouthful of brilliant Star Mana and whispered, “To be able to create a disposable item with power equivalent to Level 3 using an item with Level 3 Mystery—that is very interesting.”
His eyes flickered with desire. This ability was simply too suitable for his Mental Imagery World. If he could analyze the secrets within, perhaps he could use powerful forces comparable to Legends while still at the Golden Wizard stage!
Time passed slowly. The sun gradually set. The Lake of Mana in the Mental Imagery World was overflowing with brilliant Star Mana. The brilliance was intoxicating. Aleias placed the sealed Life-Hunting Arrow in the lakeside villa, then jumped into the Lake of Mana with a splash, bathing in the brilliant Star Mana.
Ace’s Star Mana was incredibly pure. Having been cleansed by the Heart Fire, it carried a trace of the Glazed Heart Fire’s characteristics.
Ace wanted to extract Aleias’s bloodline by reversing it. Directly roasting her with Heart Fire would certainly achieve the effect, but Aleias would lose her life. Therefore, he let Aleias bathe in the brilliant Star Mana, borrowing it to slowly refine and reverse Aleias’s body.
Aleias’s perfect body swam freely in Ace’s Lake of Mana. Her complexion gradually flushed. Her bronzed skin slowly turned red, and wisps of Artisan Bloodline flowed out from her pores, causing her aura to become somewhat weak.
Guided by Ace’s will, those wisps of Artisan Bloodline condensed into a crystal-clear blood drop, floating above the Lake of Mana.
Aleias was extremely exhausted, as if she had gone through a great battle. She returned to the villa and fell into a deep sleep.
Ace’s True Spirit observed Aleias’s condition with the Eye of Truth. “Her life level is still Level 1, but her overall strength has degraded significantly. Extracting the bloodline is like peeling silk from a cocoon. If I stripped it all away, it would definitely kill Aleias. But stripping it to a thin level allows her to switch to cultivating as a Warlock.”
He no longer paid attention to the sleeping Aleias. He put away the brilliant starry sky manifested by his Mental Imagery and flew toward Bakar City-State at a speed of one-quarter the speed of sound.
The reason he didn’t use the 3-Ring Spell “Portal” was that the mana consumption was simply too great. Ordinary flight spells consumed very little mana, which could be replenished quickly, making the cost nearly negligible.
Boom! Rumble!
Rapid flight caused intense sonic booms. Ace’s lips trembled slightly. Accompanied by the rhythm of magic power, the 4-Ring Derivative Spell “Law of Command” was activated.
“Command: Silence.”
The sonic boom noise vanished without a trace. Ace streaked across the sky like a meteor. He activated the 3-Ring Spell “Invisibility and Concealment,” disappearing completely from the sky.
Helix had already arrived at this City of Craftsmen. Night had fallen. The entire Bakar City was brightly lit. The sound of hammering echoed for ten miles, and the aroma of strong wine and roasted meat drifted with the wind.
Helix sniffed vigorously with his nose, his stomach rumbling a few times. “Still the familiar smell. First, I’ll buy fifty pounds of roast leg of lamb and ten pounds of rum.”
He swallowed his saliva, feeling even hungrier.
The night within the city was very lively, with figures moving about. Following the scent, Helix found the most authentic lamb shop.
In a purely stone mansion in the south of the city, the clanging sound continued.
Bunian, who was extremely strong and over two meters tall, held an ancient, worn iron hammer and struck heavily on a fragment of Ta Stone. Boom!
Runes seemed to dance. The ancient iron hammer suddenly erupted with astonishing brilliance. The entire hammer changed from ancient and worn to colorful and dazzling.
Bunian took a deep breath. His bronzed skin instantly turned red, and his entire aura rose continuously, with faint thunder rumbling.
He gave a loud shout, activating his Artisan Authority. A phantom of the “City of Protection” appeared above the Ta Stone fragment. The colorful iron hammer pounded it continuously with bang, bang, bang. Extremely high-temperature flames erupted from the iron hammer, melting the Ta Stone into a liquid state, which slowly filled the phantom of the “City of Protection”.
Bunian stared intently at the stone billet of the “City of Protection”. His bronzed skin had turned bruised and purple. He let out a long breath. The breath was like a white ribbon, rushing straight into the stone billet of the “City of Protection”.
Invaded by the breath Bunian exhaled, the stone billet showed signs of solidifying.
Bunian’s face was pale, and his steps were somewhat unsteady; it seemed the consumption was enormous. He looked at the solidifying Pseudo-City of Protection and panted slowly.
“It’s about done. I just have to wait until dawn. If Ta Stone fragments weren’t so hard to get, it would have been finished long ago.”
Gurgle, gurgle. Bunian’s stomach issued a solemn protest. Just then, hearty laughter and the aroma of lamb and strong wine came from the door.
“Brother Bunian, I heard your stomach crowing from far away. I brought roast meat and fine wine. We won’t go home until we’re drunk tonight!”
Helix walked up to Bunian in a few strides, handed him most of a roast leg of lamb, took a satisfying swig of rum, and clicked his tongue, saying, “This wine still has such a kick!”
Bunian took a fierce bite of the roast leg of lamb and said loudly, “Good brother, you came just in time!”
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