Moon Pincer Peninsula.
The Lanque no longer concealed its tracks, having returned from the sea and approached the land again, it turned to fly over the Flash Vortex Bay, heading towards the southern part of the peninsula, aiming for the ‘Shadow Lake’ in the south.
Ivan had not long ago become a Level 2 Sorcerer when Doug invited him to help subdue the Shadow Tigon. In the end, they used a substitution tactic to suppress a spatial crack leading to the Shadow World there.
Recently, there had been a little problem there.
Before long, the Lanque reached the designated location. Where there used to be a small island, it had already sunk.
“Swamp ant, is this the place that produces fragments of Crystal Stone?”
“This is it. I had sent a team of ant sentinels to guard it, but since Sorcerer Ivan no longer needed Crystal Stones, I recalled the ant sentinels last time.”
Swamp ant had visited this place before and familiarly opened a passage in the void, which was pitch black inside.
Without fearing danger, the group jumped up from the deck and entered in a single file.
On the other side of the passage was a strange space with a lake made of dark water, and in the middle of the lake floated a Small Bronze Square where several figures stood.
“Who?” Their arrival startled those inside, totaling three sorcerers whose attire revealed they were from Star Moon Academy.
“Tsk, tsk, there are people here. You wouldn’t have messed with the arrangements here and expect us to clean up the mess, would you?” Locke stepped forward, speaking to the three in a hostile tone.
Hearing this, the faces of the three named Gunter slightly changed.
When they saw another familiar figure, their expressions completely collapsed.
“Lord Marichadon, we are sorcerers from Star Moon Academy, Gunter, Dorley, and Beale extend their high respect to you.”
“I remember agreeing with Doug that people from your academy could come here to collect resources, but were not to tamper with any of the arrangements here.”
Ivan glanced at the surging Black Water Lake, the clinking Small Bronze Square, and the occasionally trembling spatial barriers, showing a slightly displeased expression.
The setup here was laid out under his command, and it was disturbed by a few Level 1 Sorcerers, upsetting the balance and stability. Fortunately, he had arrived in time.
“Your Grace, we have a clear passage token from Dean Boydun to act upon; look—” Gunter clenched his teeth secretly, raising a blue token, indeed a clear passage token for Shadow Lake.
“So, you mean to say you were acting on Doug’s instructions?” Ivan’s gaze deepened.
“Yes, the Dean said that we have a share of the resources here, and we ask that you do not make it difficult for us.” With that, Gunter had no choice but to continue despite the tension.
With these words, they saw the other party’s expression also darken, and their hearts silently cursed.
They then heard a ‘swoosh’ as three peculiar roots streaked through the air, penetrated the newly emerged defensive shield, and then pierced the bodies of the three.
Jenny made her move resulting in one death and two injuries.
Gunter’s heart was crushed, and the other two were injured in the thigh, wincing painfully as they knelt on the ground.
“Why are you still so quick to strike? What a pity.” Locke also noticed his boss’s displeasure but was not as quick as Jenny.
“Insolence!” Jenny indifferently withdrew the Pan Iron Root, as if the killing was not her doing.
Dorley and Beale were practically scared witless, not daring to say more, only pleadingly looking at Ivan.
“Your Dean Boydun doesn’t get to dictate over me, nor would he instruct you to tamper with the arrangements here. Tell me the real situation,” Ivan said coldly.
He estimated that the three had been here for quite some time; otherwise, they should have heard the news of his return to Moon Pincer Peninsula.
“I’m sorry, Gunter is-“
“Do you not understand human speech?”
“Gunter said there were things here that could boost our strength, and even opportunities to advance to a Level 2 Sorcerer. We took it upon ourselves to research this place, we’re very sorry, Lord Marichadon.”
The two tried to find more excuses but, seeing his tone growing stern, they finally spilled everything.
They had indeed decided on their own to tamper with the arrangements here.
“So, do you know what’s beneath the lake?” Ivan asked again.
“We don’t know.”
“Space rifts, restrained by the joint efforts of three Level 2 Sorcerers. Should they lose control, even the Flash Vortex Alliance would suffer, potentially impacting the entire Moon Pincer Peninsula.”
Upon hearing his words, Dorley and Beale’s faces turned alternately pale and red, silently cursing Gante for leading them into such perilous research, likely not fearing for his own life.
The two men promptly begged Ivan for forgiveness.
In reality, both were enchanters and, seeing that they were unaware of the situation, Ivan waved his hand and spared their lives.
They hastily left the Small Bronze Square and rode a flying beast to the side.
“Boss is merciful, otherwise, for the disrespect you showed a Level 3 Sorcerer, even your ashes would be scattered,” Locke whispered ominously.
“Level—Level 3 Sorcerer!” Dorley and Beale turned green.
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At that moment, they wished they could drag Gante over and flog his corpse—the man was too good at leading them into traps.
Ignoring them, Ivan personally took care of the repairs and restraining the rifts was a piece of cake for him; he adjusted the runes sorcery array and implemented an additional defensive layer outside the Small Bronze Square to prevent further reckless behavior.
Finally, he reinforced the perimeter passageway, modified the clear passage token so that from now on, it would only allow one person to pass through unless their strength was comparable to his.
The resource point remained unchanged and would serve as a shared secret realm for both the Star Moon Academy and Mongna Ant Land Cottage.
…
After leaving Shadow Lake, the Lanque returned to Mongna Ant Land Cottage.
Ivan silently left the airship and shortly arrived at another lake—Danicles Lake. Through an underground river beneath the lake, he entered an underground cave bathed in soft light.
Accompanied by an ethereal song, he appeared before a divine statue deep within the cave.
“Lady Mavis Margaret, Ivan Marichardon pays his respects.”
“You have come.”
Under the flickering light, the divine statue came to life, and a melodious female voice emerged from it.
Seeing that the goddess Mavis Margaret had no intention to reveal herself, Ivan didn’t mind. He had rushed here in response to Mavis’s summons, unsure what instructions she had for him.
He had a century-long agreement with Mavis, and it had only been just over a decade.
“Why don’t you speak?”
“Lady, may I know the reason you summoned me?”
“I just wanted to see how far you have come; not bad, becoming a Level 3 Sorcerer. You indeed have the makings of a powerful being.”
Hearing this unexpected response, Ivan couldn’t help but twitch the corners of his eyes.
Could there really be a god so idle?
“Lady, is there some troubling news? Please feel free to tell me, I can handle it,” he asked after a moment’s thought.
“You could guess that much, I indeed did not misjudge you,” Mavis praised.
Ivan took a deep breath; he knew this stingy goddess who wouldn’t even fully materialize would not be merely checking on his progress.
“To be honest, I somewhat regret shielding you from the curse; the one targeting you is absolutely insane. He is already struggling himself, yet he’s gone to great lengths to trouble me, even destroying one of my secret temples, and he’s not prepared to stop,” Mavis continued.
“Is his strength greater than yours, my lady?” After a few seconds of silence, Ivan ventured.
“Cough cough, my injuries are worse than his,” Mavis choked out, then added, “You should see that I am a goddess who loves peace; combat is truly not my strong suit.”
Hearing this, Ivan was dumbfounded. They were both deities above Level 4, yet here was one claiming to be ill-suited for battle.
“Does our agreement need to be brought forward?”
“We have not reached that stage yet. I am very good at preserving my life, but I’m just reminding you—you need to hasten your growth. Sadly, with less than one ten-thousandth of my strength here, I’m unable to offer you any direct help.”
“Could he possibly send someone into Danaila World to trouble you or me?”
“It’s not that easy—or so I believe.”
Facing the Spring Goddess, Ivan found himself speechless several times, doubting if the long years of her sealing had slightly clouded her will and wisdom.