Chapter 112: Master and Slave
The Slave Mark Scroll—Wade had never thought of this method before.
Applying the slave mark to these three soldiers to control their actions…
Igna’s suggestion actually had real feasibility.
Taking these three soldiers along would only be a burden. They were not like Igna. To Igna, Wade was her benefactor who freed her. But to these three soldiers, Wade was the enemy who had killed their commander and comrades.
They had witnessed with their own eyes their commander and companions fall under the undead’s sword.
Even if fear prevented them from resisting, they would constantly think about escaping and might do things beyond control.
If they weren’t taken along, it felt like the only option was to kill them.
Letting them return to their own squad and report what they saw would lead to unpredictable consequences.
Wade vividly remembered the terrifying entity summoned by the Demon Mother’s sacrifice when Quasimodo died.
The Icelanders had already tangled with demons at the level of Duke Em. That was a monster from the divine and demonic realm. Just the phantom of its arrival was enough to make Wade burn inside.
That burning sensation felt like it ignited from his soul’s depths. He suspected that without the elf’s aid, if the burning continued—though only an avatar had come to the outside world—his soul would also be destroyed under Em’s gaze.
That power was completely different from a mere explosion; it belonged to another realm.
Duke Em, the Flame Demon that had existed since ancient times, might have taken note of him.
From the elf’s fragmentary words, it was clear the Flame Demon held grudges deeply.
Although it was Saint Victor who severely wounded the Flame Demon, years later it still wouldn’t let Saint Victor’s descendants go, attempting to humiliate a dead man by desecrating his bloodline.
That Flame Demon was obviously a petty-minded creature. If you glanced at it on the street, it would angrily confront you and demand, “What are you looking at?”
A demon entirely made of fire getting angry was only natural.
However, the Killing Mark originally placed on the elf might have been meant for Wade. After all, Wade was the one who killed the Flame Demon’s contractor, Quasimodo Vic.
Wade felt that if one day he again appeared before the Flame Demon, that demon would definitely find a way to kill him.
The darkness behind the Icelanders was too powerful.
Wade had to treat every risk with caution.
But he was indeed hesitating whether to kill the three new soldiers who had lost all will to resist.
The dragonkin’s suggestion was a compromise.
With the slave mark applied, these three could no longer return to the Icelanders’ squad or resist.
They would have no choice but to join Wade’s team. If they even thought of running, they would suffer unbearable pain.
That kind of pain was enough to make these cowards obedient, turning them into “one of us.”
They could be made to reveal everything they knew, providing intelligence from their mouths.
Afterwards, they could be tasked with chores. Wade didn’t expect them to fight on the battlefield—just not to cause trouble. If they indeed hadn’t done anything wrong and behaved well, once the war ended, Wade could find a way to remove their slave marks and send them home.
As long as the master agreed, the slave mark could be lifted.
After considering Igna’s suggestion, Wade nodded in agreement.
“There isn’t a single real mage among those slave merchants. They’re just low-level members of the Lizardmen Faction. The Lizardmen Faction is an underground group spread across the continent, mainly operating in the East Tia region, dealing in shady business.” Igna said, “Those scrolls are very valuable to them and must be hidden in places hard to find.”
While speaking, Igna tapped on the cave wall and pressed her ear to listen.
Wade could also perceive the vibrations of those sounds. He detected hollow echoes but did not take action. He wanted to see if Igna could sense the movement.
He silently watched Igna pacing around. Soon, she stopped in front of an inconspicuous cave wall.
That place was in a dark corner, seeming like where the slave merchants slept. The ground was covered with warm woolen fabric, and there was a charcoal brazier.
She lifted a piece of wool fabric, and indeed, under it was an iron box embedded in the stone. The iron box was locked—a specially made safe.
“The magic scrolls should be hidden here,” Igna said. “Please, Lord Wade, use the method you just used to open me to open this box. If you break it open violently with the sword, the magical circuits on the scrolls might be damaged.”
The dragonkin stepped aside, and Wade nodded, letting Mia open the lock the same way.
These locks were all wafer locks, with several differently shaped and protruding metal plates or strips inside the lock shell—the wafers.
The wafers blocked the lock. If the key’s bumps and grooves were incorrect, it couldn’t enter deeply. Only when the key reached the bottom could it release the cam and lever.
Wafer locks were sturdy and durable but not very secure. Sometimes multiple trial keys could open them.
This safe’s lock was obviously customized, with a complex wafer layout inside the keyhole. But to Mia, who could control frost molding, it was just a toy.
Mia could, like casting a mold, let frost reach the bottom of the lockhole, letting ice fully fit the wafers and press the springs.
After Wade told her how to open it, as long as it was a wafer lock, she could open it without trouble.
Soon, Wade twisted and opened the lid of the iron box, roughly a meter long and wide. Inside were many boxes of various sizes, made of dry pine wood, lined with moisture-absorbing pine resin.
Wade and the skeleton carefully took out and opened those wooden boxes. In one, they finally found the slave merchants’ account book, along with quills and ink for writing.
Igna opened a large wooden box and took out a thick stack of parchment.
“This is the magic scroll for the slave mark,” Igna identified the scrolls. “They used this kind of scroll on me. I remember what it looks like. Each set of molten imprint scrolls is divided into the slave scroll and the master scroll. The slave scroll is used to apply the slave mark, and the master scroll is given to the master to release, controlling the slave.”
Igna took out a set of scrolls—the larger one was the slave scroll, the smaller was the master scroll.
About twenty sets of scrolls were preserved in that box. Such a set could sell for dozens of silver coins outside. Apparently, the Lizardmen Faction had dedicated mages making slave mark scrolls.
Besides scrolls and the account book, the box also contained other merchant property—jewelry inlaid with gems, jars of honey and incense.
A whole jar of pepper was sealed in a glass jar, all high-quality large peppercorns.
Spices were worth more than gold anywhere, usually sold by the grain. These merchants were truly wealthy.
But Wade wasn’t interested in the jewels or spices. He found something more interesting—a sea chart.
It must be a sea chart. The parchment had the ocean painted with blue mineral pigment, with color blocks dividing various regions.
This was a complete and detailed sea chart and map, encompassing the continent. It was longer than his arm and had to be spread on the ground to lay flat.
Wade saw the detailed and complete shape of the continent for the first time. The main body was large, with small islands and the Mediterranean along the edges. But the writing marked on it was indecipherable—not in the common language. The drawings and various small symbols were also beyond his understanding.
Igna saw Wade deliberately unfold the sea chart. She thought the Spirits of Valor would certainly want to know what the world was like now and whether their homeland still existed.
She came to Wade’s side and said, “I can read this map. The writing is a minor language from Solmanhill Island. The Lizardmen Faction uses this less common script as their secret code. They favor recruiting people from fringe countries as low-level members. I also know some of their secret symbols. When they transported me by ship, I secretly learned a lot.”
“If you want to know what is written on this map, I can interpret it for you. But please allow me to express my opinion. I believe we should first apply the slave marks to those three soldiers. This place is too unsafe. Staying here risks another accident at any moment.”
Wade agreed with Igna’s view. The dragonkin’s thinking was mature and lively. Wade felt she was well-suited as an advisor.
He folded the map and put it back into the box.
They had to leave quickly; there was plenty of time to study the map later.
He ordered the skeletons to carry all the boxes outside and load them onto the pirates’ small sledge.
Igna counted three scrolls and said, “These scrolls are blood-triggered blood contracts. Dropping the marked person’s blood on the center area of the slave scroll will activate the spell. If successfully released, a symbol appears in the center of the scroll. If it fails, the rune color dims, indicating invalidation.”
She suddenly paused as she said this, thinking of a question… Did the Spirits of Valor really have blood to use these scrolls?
Wade thought of the same question but didn’t mind.
The time for this operation had already passed halfway. In five more days, he would have to return to the wasteland. He wouldn’t come back out until ten days later.
During this gap, he couldn’t control the Icelandic soldiers.
When the dragonkin suggested this, he had decided to let her use the scrolls.
That way, during his absence, she could have three soldiers to help her.
He pointed at the scrolls, then at the dragonkin.
Igna was stunned for a moment and understood his meaning, but she didn’t accept immediately.
She looked at Wade with a more determined gaze.
“Thank you for your trust.”
She took out a slave scroll herself, extended her hand, and tore off a piece of her own scale with her claw.
The bloodied scale was pressed onto the slave scroll. Light appeared. Igna wholeheartedly accepted the mark this time. A goat-like symbol appeared in the center of the slave scroll, indicating the slave mark was successfully applied.
She handed Wade the paired master scroll. “I have voluntarily accepted the slave mark. Please keep my master scroll. If one day you think I have betrayed you or done harmful things, you may give this master scroll to anyone to make me their slave.”
Wade silently looked at her and took the master scroll.
But he did not put it into his arms. He looked at a nearby oil lamp, reached out, and threw the palm-sized parchment into the fire.
Starfire controlled the flames to grow. The small master scroll was burned to ashes. Without the master scroll, the slave mark had no effect. Because their connection was broken, the slave mark on Igna disappeared.
The dragonkin stared blankly at the ash burning in the fierce fire and lowered her head involuntarily.
She felt ashamed. How could the noble Spirits of Valor recognize a thing like a slave?
They sacrificed their lives for justice, willing to forsake even death and endure restless souls after death.
How could she judge those noble souls with her petty thoughts?
She deeply bowed her head and knelt on one knee before Wade again.
“I, Igna Flamescale, hereby swear by my deceased sister and in the name of the Dragon Goddess Olivia Starfall: If one day I betray my oath, betray the souls before me, I shall never return to my homeland. My soul will wander forever without peace.”
The dragonkin swore the oath. At the same time, Wade suddenly felt a familiar sensation.
Like when Lucas did so, the dragonkin’s oath forged a certain bond between her and Wade.
If the last kneeling was just gratitude,
This kneeling was an unconditional offering of respect.
The dragonkin raised her head, somewhat confused, but when Wade nodded to her, she understood.
This bond meant only one thing: Wade’s and Igna’s souls mutually recognized each other. They had become true companions.
In this world, oaths held power, especially those sworn in the name of a god.
Wade acknowledged Igna’s faith, and Igna was moved by Wade’s trust and nobility.
Wade took another scroll and handed it to Igna. She nodded and, accompanied by the skeleton, approached the three soldiers.
When the skeletons applied force, they trembled violently, but their whole bodies were bound, their mouths gagged. They struggled helplessly as knives sliced their skin.
When the skeletons cut their fingers, they trembled sharply. Blood dripped onto the slave scrolls, and goat symbols appeared on all three scrolls.
Igna also dripped her own blood on the three master scrolls. The slave mark cycle was established. The spiritual lock allowed Igna to control these three’s will at any time.
She removed the cloth from the soldiers’ mouths, towering over them with a frosty expression.
“From today on, you three must obey my orders. Report your names!”
The soldiers were terrified, but the terrible pain instantly filled their heads. The command echoed constantly in their minds.
They resisted for half a second but couldn’t hold out and surrendered. Like reporting in an army, they all gave their names one after another.
“Silin Beir!”
“Saide Evans!”
“Jonah Shaw!”