Badge in Azure

Everyone was accounted for other than Myers the Water Fox. It was hard work to get used to synchronizing her body with that of the statue, and they were afraid of causing a space collapse if anything were to happen.

Saleen was bold enough to ask it to take Myers’ statue, but it did not mean that the Water Fox was equally daring.

Saleen did not rush it, as it was, after all, of high enough level. When it finally had complete control of its powers, Saleen would earn yet another powerful helper.

Saleen took out a magic map and pointed at Daliang City. “This city is in quite a predicament now. Most of the fossilized gods at the outer layers are hardly revivable. I think that the Holy See is now amassing power and is ready to venture inside the cemetery. With the pope having gathered three godly items, as well as Daliang City and Holy Rock City losing support from Alchemy City, it will be difficult for us to get much out of this. Consequently, I intend to put the Holy See in their place, and I’ll need a target.”

“Master, whom do you intend to kill?” Nailisi got excited immediately.

“Who? Someone relatively important, of course.” Saleen pointed at a mark on the magic map and said, “The number of powerful professionals fielded by both the Tribunal and the Pivotal Council is the same, but Theisio is not around, and that means that the Tribunal is hiding someone of even greater importance. That person is probably the great head inquisitor. I’ve almost died at his hands previously. This time, I intend to kill him.”

The great head inquisitor possessed the Armageddon Codex. Nicholas had told Saleen that much. However, he should be far less threatening after losing the Divine Skull.

The success of the Divine Tablet spell might have enhanced his level, but the fact that he had lost a godly item would save Saleen a lot of trouble.

His family badge was capable of breaking godly items. The Armageddon Codex would not be able to keep Saleen from killing his target.

Saleen’s confidence had grown considerably after the successful creation of the magic amplifier, and he set his sights on the great head inquisitor.

If the great head inquisitor were to end up dead, and Theisio remained as headstrong as he had always been, then the Tribunal might not help out the Pivotal Council that much. This was because the eventual distribution of wealth would have become imbalanced.

“Of course, before we go about doing that, I have a batch of equipment for all of you. First of all, Jola and Sul. Here’s my question: who wants a powerful sword spirit?” Saleen said as he took out two longswords and handed them to Jola and Sul, respectively.

Both of them shook their heads and said, at almost the same time, “My liege, we’re hoping to develop our own sword spirits.”

They’re developing sword spirits on one’s own?

Saleen had acquired one quite a long time ago, but no one who was around Saleen back then had been able to use sword spirits.

At the moment, Sul was about to break into level ten, and Jola was already a True Might. If they were to incorporate a sword spirit into their weapons and go on to connect with the powerful sword will within, it would enhance their combat capacity quickly and directly.

Saleen did not expect both of them to refuse his offer.

“My liege, give it to me, then,” said Isabella all of a sudden.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. My ultimate goal lies on the path of magic, so I won’t be putting that much time into sword training. With the help of a sword spirit, I’ll be able to advance quickly, and it wouldn’t hurt my combat capacity much. Hence, I’ll be able to spend more time on magic training,” Isabella elaborated in a matter-of-fact manner.

She knew that what Saleen was giving them on that occasion exceeded the level of the boons that mages usually gave their followers. This sword spirit was probably an unusually precious one.

She still liked magic better and did not like spending too much time on sword training. However, without both her magic and sword skills intact, she would not be of much importance as a follower of Saleen.

“Alright, then.” Saleen took out a longsword, which was a little over two meters long. The hilt was about twice as long as that of regular longswords. The blade was broad and thin, and it looked almost transparent.

A whiff of Water Flame jumped from Saleen’s hand, containing the sword spirit that he had been holding onto for a long time. He forcefully channeled it into the longsword by Saleen, and then sealed it within.

“The sword’s name is ‘Soullocker.’ I’ve sealed the sword spirit so that none of the sword will within is lost. Isabella, you may prefer to see yourself as a mage, but remember to respect the sword and the spirit within. It shall bring you power and enable to go further on your journey as a mage.”

“Yes, my liege!” Isabella took Soullocker with glee; she sheathed it and wore it at her waist.

It was not that she did not have space equipment; rather, she needed to keep the sword spirit of the weapon by her side and to communicate with at all times before she could subjugate it. The sword spirit would have simply gone dormant if she were to keep it in space equipment.

“Jola, here’s your weapon,” Saleen said as he took out a Qin Eight-Sided Sword. Its appearance was antique and simple, devoid of any flare. It looked fierce and unyielding—the complete opposite of Jola’s Tears.

Jola looked at the sword and felt rather touched. Saleen knew Jola’s weakness very well. The attributes of Tears were more on the soft, feminine side. It had not affected Jola adversely below level 12, but, like magic, swordsmanship was ultimately about balance. After level 12, Jola was going to need new breakthroughs.

The sword was fierce and tough, striking a perfect contrast with Jola’s Tears.

“The sword is named ‘Face.’ When you become capable of using it and bringing out the full extent of its power, it will be a sign that you are becoming a forcemaster.”

“I shall work on it, my liege.” Jola took Face and smiled. Saleen had his way of naming the weapons.

“Sul, this is yours.” Saleen took out a blue short sword. The short sword was only half a foot shorter than regular longswords, which made it far longer than was conventional for short swords.

The short sword’s color was similar to that of Saleen’s eyes. It was a blue that was so clear that one could see all its details. The short sword felt like water and hardly showed any sign of aggressiveness or ferocity; it looked nothing like a tool made to kill.

The short sword looked more like the decorative items of nobles. It was so beautiful that it did not seem to be meant for actual combat.

“The short sword’s name is ‘Spring Lake.’ Sul, your way with the sword is too fierce and strong. There is a saying among mages: ‘The harder something is, the easier it breaks.’ That saying has a truth to it. Magic nuclei are harder than metals, but why does no one make blades out of them, then? It’s because blades made of magic nuclei break too easily. Metals might be hard, but they’re still flexible.”

Saleen’s words to Sul made things far easier to understand. This was because Sul lacked any complicated experiences, and so had a lot of trouble comprehending the deeper aspects of swordsmanship.

He was not able to advance to become a true might, despite being over a hundred times more hardworking then Jola in other respects.

Sul took Spring Lake and fell deep into thought. He understood what Saleen meant and thought back to his journey so far.

He could not return to where he came from, and, while he was appreciated at Saleen’s side, he felt pressured and had always wanted to surpass Jola—yet the latter had always eclipsed him in level.

This all had led him to acquire an aggressive, fierce, and robust way with the sword when he was at level nine. However, that had hindered his progress into true might. If Saleen had not awakened him in this manner, he would not have understood, even if Jola were simply to lay out the fact for him directly.

Spring Lake was like the water of a lake in early spring—soft and harmless.

“Eleanor,” Saleen called to the elf, who had taken his surname as their relationship had gotten closer. He took out a bracelet and handed it to her, saying, “I took something like a magic amplifier from you a long time ago. Now, I’m giving you something similar.”

“Right, got it.” Eleanor took the bracelet and put it on her wrist. The bracelet had been the Withering Dance, a possession of the goddess, which he had re-acquired after taking apart the Elemental Envoy and swapping out its core.

However, the bracelet’s attributes had all been wiped clean. It did resemble a magic amplifier after Saleen re-crafted it, but its effects were all due to the properties of its material alone. It was a piece of space equipment was a dimension stone in it. Furthermore, the goddess’ bracelet was highly compatible with the elf’s abilities.

The Elemental Envoy’s power dropped somewhat after he removed the bracelet. It was lucky that Truman was only a level nine mage and could still use the Elemental Envoy until he reached level 12. If he were to advance to a higher level, the power of the Elemental Envoy would have no longer been able to keep up.

“The bracelet is still called ‘Withering Dance.’ You can create your own territory in the future and merge it with the bracelet.”

“Yes,” Eleanor replied in a low voice, feeling very happy about it. The bracelet was a very suitable piece of equipment for an elf. Nothing on Myers Mainland other than the goddess’ instruments would have been so compatible with Eleanor.

“Daniel, here’s your necro scepter, the Heart of Nekros,” Saleen said as he pulled out a magic staff. The staff was one of those of the three kings, with a Blood Soul Tower crafted onto it.

The scepter’s material was too well-made for even Saleen to replicate. He had given one to Nicholas and had left this one for Daniel. Saleen intended to give the last one to Aini.

Daniel took the Heart of Nekros with mixed feelings. He had been short-sighted back then, trading away the Winged Skull, a bonded creature with an unlimited potential to advance, for a level-eight spirit.

By that time, Pikoosi had become something that Daniel could have easily done without, and the regret still lingered in his mind. That necro scepter from Saleen served as a reminder for him to always cherish his thoughts and mind, and to refrain from changing them at a whim.

“My liege, I shall keep this equipment with me until the day I die,” Daniel swore; it was a mage’s oath.

“Right, your turn now,” Saleen said, looking at Nicholas.

“I already have this, my liege,” Nicholas said, tapping the Scepter of the Fallen in his hand and waving the Codex of the Fallen.

Saleen smiled and said, “Nicholas, this will be very important for you.”

Nicholas’ beard stood on end immediately as he looked at what was Saleen’s hand. He had always known Saleen to be generous to his subordinates.

If Saleen said that the item equipment would be important to him, then there was no way that it was something common. In this context, it wouldn’t even be something that was powerful only in the conventional sense.

There was a metal ball in Saleen’s hand. It looked rusted, but it was something that he had gotten from the dragon’s lair. The amount of power contained within it surprised Nicholas like he had never been surprised before.

He just took the ball from Saleen’s hand without saying anything. This was not just being rude; it was the first time in Nicholas’ life that he had lost himself like that.