In the wilderness, which belonged neither to the sorcerer’s territory nor to the Thunder Tribe, but was a paradise for magicalized creatures. Here, a plethora of beast races dwelt, far less tranquil than within the bounds of Chanay Continent.
Ivan and his party flew at a remarkable speed, and even if something sought to trouble them along the way, it could not catch up.
Throughout the journey, they encountered neither surprise nor peril.
The next day, Ivan rode a swamp ant and arrived alone at Seal Thunder Pass, only to be stopped outside the Black Thunder Ring.
“Seal Thunder Pass is a critical pass. No one whose identity is unclear may enter without permission.” After a while, a humanoid metal magic puppet passed through the Black Thunder Ring and approached to make inquiries.
“I am an elder of the East Capital Enchantment Guild. Here is my elder identity plaque.” Ivan took out his elder identity plaque, which bore a series of marks that were difficult for outsiders to forge.
“Sorry, but I have checked carefully, and Seal Thunder Pass does not have a record of you leaving the pass.” The puppet scanned it and pondered for a moment before speaking.
“Leave record?” Ivan slightly frowned.
“Yes, Seal Thunder Pass has regulations—every sorcerer leaving the pass must undergo strict registration for comparison upon entry to effectively prevent malicious individuals from infiltrating Chanay Continent,” the puppet explained.
“A week ago, the Belizi family’s ‘Ice Gremlin’ airship flew over Seal Thunder Pass. I was on the airship at the time,” Ivan stated truthfully.
It was unknown whether it was Solomon’s oversight or forgetfulness, but there was no prior notice of registration, and the guards at Seal Thunder Pass had not boarded the airship for checks.
He himself had not noticed anything improper at the time, and who would have thought that the grand Belizi family would be so negligent?
“The ‘Ice Gremlin’ returned two days ago,” the puppet said.
“I know, I missed it,” Ivan’s expression darkened.
“Sorry, but without a leave record, no sorcerer, no matter from where, can pass through Seal Thunder Pass.” The puppet stated matter-of-factly and then turned to leave.
“Wait!” Ivan naturally would not let the puppet depart and tried to contact Solomon, but the Secret Method Seal showed no response, likely because Solomon was occupied in some secret chamber dealing with Frost Flame Flowers.
“Rules are rules, shouting won’t help,” the puppet halted and emphasized.
“Is this the only rule? No other way to verify? Must I detour back to Chanay Continent?” Ivan’s tone began to chill, slowly realizing that someone was setting him up.
It was probably someone from the Belizi family, though which one of Solomon’s three competitors was uncertain.
Detouring was hardly an option. If bypassing were easy, the existence of the southwestern pass would be pointless.
“Rules are rules,” the puppet emphasized again, its voice sounding somewhat less confident this time.
“I am Ivan Marichadon, an elder of the East Capital Enchantment Guild, the creator of the Black Magic Wind Fire Array, a somewhat renowned individual on Chanay Continent with some influence within the Enchantment Guild.
By obstructing my passage through Seal Thunder Pass, I swear by the name of ‘Marichadon’ that once I return to Chanay Continent, I will report this incident to the Enchantment Guild and pursue it thoroughly.”
Ivan paid no further attention to the puppet or the person behind it, raising his voice to shout towards the Seal Thunder Pass.
In the sorcerer world, due to the widespread use of magicalized items and runes sorcery array, the influence of the Enchantment Guild permeated every aspect, making the guild a behemoth.
In front of the Enchantment Guild, Enkate City was insignificant.
Although he might not be the darling of the Guild, he was no nameless novice; he still held a certain status.
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In his conversation with Vice President Angus, this was hinted at, encouraging him to invoke the guild’s name should he encounter issues while abroad, as the guild would support him.
In fact, Angus did not have the authority in this respect, but it was unavoidable since certain higher-ups in the guild valued Ivan.
“Y-you—”
The moment these words were spoken, the metal puppet choked up.
It had never seen a sorcerer boldly proclaim such statements at Seal Thunder Pass. Had it known earlier it would not have caused this fuss, or at least it would have investigated beforehand, regretting its actions deeply now.
Before it could respond further, someone swiftly slapped the puppet away above Seal Thunder Pass, taking over control of the metal puppet.
“Cough, cough, Elder Marichadon, this has been a misunderstanding,” the voice of the metal puppet was noticeably different now.
“I don’t care if it’s a misunderstanding, or if someone instigated this deliberately. Right now, I have only one demand, as you know,” Ivan retorted.
“Understood, understood. Could I please have another look at your guild plaque, and I will open the pass immediately for you?” the person hurriedly said.
Subsequently, the two re-validated the identity plaque, and the portal in the Black Thunder Ring opened, allowing Ivan and his swamp ant to pass through toward the pass above Seal Thunder Pass.
As he drew near, a middle-aged sorcerer dressed in enchanter’s robes approached him.
“Elder Marichadon, I’m Marlo, an elder of the South Capital Enchantment Guild. I’m pleased to meet you,” Marlo greeted with a genial smile.
“Hello, Elder Marlo, are you serving at the Thunder Seal Pass?” Ivan didn’t expect to find a guild acquaintance at the pass, no wonder the previous conversation had been so effective.
“Yes, you may not be aware of it in East Capital, the Enchanters Guild of South Capital has always had people stationed at the southwest pass, mainly tasked with maintaining and repairing the runes here to prevent any flaws in the formations that could be exploited by the Alien Race.” Marlo didn’t conceal the fact.
“I see.” Ivan nodded slightly, his gaze settling on a figure leaning against the wall, an injured Level 1 Sorcerer.
“Elder Marichadon, I apologize, I was not vigilant, and this person caused quite a mockery. I have already given him a lesson, and I hope you can forgive us.”
Speaking, Marlo casually slapped the man twice, banging his head against the city wall with two thuds.
The other party had given enough face, so Ivan didn’t want to fuss further.
Before long, after exchanging Secret Method Seals with this elder, he descended from Thunder Seal Pass and entered Enkate City.
“Was that really necessary, Sorcerer Marlo?”
“You don’t understand.”
Watching his departing figure, other sorcerers whispered their inquiries, and Marlo just shook his head without explaining.
In fact, Marlo had a substantial understanding of Ivan.
From the intelligence he had gathered, it wasn’t hard to see that with Ivan’s talent and capabilities, there was a chance he could inadvertently become his superior, or a high-level figure in the Enchanters Guild.
For such a marked man, how could he not try to ingratiate himself?
Meanwhile, Ivan returned to the three-story tower where he had been living.
“Dira, that woman has such a small capacity for tolerance, truly vexing.”
At the pass, Marlo had casually revealed the identity of the person behind the mischief, Dira from the Belizi family, whom Solomon regarded as his biggest competitor.
This was somewhat unexpected for Ivan.
However, since Enkate City was the Belizi family’s turf, he knew he couldn’t do much to Dira at the moment and decided to bide his time.
Speak of the devil, not long after returning to the tower, someone came to visit.
“Sorcerer Marichadon, it’s been a while. How have you been these days?” The visitor greeted with a slight smile.
“Not very well. I was ambushed at Thunder Seal Pass. Would Sorcerer Dira like to know who the culprit was?” Ivan responded coldly.
“It was just a joke.” Dira looked a bit uneasy.
“Sorcerer Dira, if you’re here to apologize, perhaps you should demonstrate some sincerity. If not, you can go back the way you came. I unlike to joke with people I’m not familiar with,” Ivan replied, his gaze still unfriendly.
The atmosphere in the living room stiffened for a moment.
“Fine, I apologize.” After a dozen seconds, Dira softened her stance.
“I do not accept verbal apologies,” Ivan remained unmoved.
“What exactly do you want?” Dira’s eyes flashed with irritation.
She was doted on by the Belizi family, and it was not often that she had to humble herself before others; this man was simply ungrateful.
“You should ask yourself what your intentions are. Are you simply jealous that Solomon obtained the Frost Flame Flower, and you took out your anger on me?” Ivan’s attitude was still firm.
“Sorcerer Marichadon, I heard from someone that you acquired that Molten Lake Lord’s severed palm, I think we can make a deal. Name your terms, and you will see my sincerity,” Dira took a deep breath before revealing her intention.
She had been keeping an eye on the situation ever since she heard about the Molten Lake Lord’s severed palm from Kedaf.
Her plan was to suppress Ivan’s rising influence, extend an olive branch using some tactics, then smoothly propose a deal. However, things had developed in another direction.
Now, she had no choice but to visit him personally.
“You should leave,” Ivan waved his hand impatiently.
“Are you rejecting the friendship from the Belizi family?” Seeing that he was unwilling to discuss her offer, she changed her strategy from temptation to coercion.
“You do not represent the Belizi family, just as I do not represent the Enchanters Guild,” Ivan said disdainfully, everyone has their own background to leverage.
Before long, Dira left the tower in a huff.
To this, Ivan turned a deaf ear.
After spending two days recuperating in the tower, he sent a message to Solomon, then left Enkate City with Randall, heading back to East Capital East Blade City.