End of the Magic Era

“Sir Barok, if you have any requests, don’t hesitate, I’ll write them down.”

Barok couldn’t help proudly smiling as he knew that the cowards of the Merlin Family wouldn’t dare to resist.

“It’s very simple. Your Merlin Family shouldn’t feel desirous of the Horn of Fertility’s harvest, and furthermore, those three ore veins near the Horn of Fertility have to be given to our Black Tower as compensation.”

A trace of anger flashed in Thorne’s eyes, but he knew that he couldn’t afford to offend that arrogant guy right now, so he could only go along with his whims for the time being.

“Sir Barok, to tell you the truth, this matter is too important and I don’t have the right to decide. Since Commander Mafa Merlin returned, only he is able to make this decision.”

Barok was a bit stunned, but he then waved his arm. “That Mafa Merlin, eh? Have him come meet me.”

With an apologetic expression, Thorne answered, “Sir Barok, I’m really sorry… Sir Mafa is in the middle of a very important alchemy experiment and already instructed us to not disturb him unless the Raging Flame Plane was on the verge of destruction. If nothing unexpected happens, Sir Mafa should come out tomorrow. How about you come back tomorrow?”

Barok frowned and said with dissatisfaction, “Have him hurry up and come out! What alchemy experiment can be more important than me? I came here personally, yet he is still doing some random experiment?”

Thorne kept his expression neutral as he continued, “Sir Barok, Sir Mafa is a formidable alchemist, and even I don’t dare to approach his laboratory. I almost died the last time I did. Tomorrow… Sir Mafa should come out tomorrow. Sir Barok, how about you wait for a while or come back tomorrow?”

Barok looked to be in a bad mood, but before he could say anything, Thorne continued, “Sir Barok, only Sir Mafa has the right to make decisions regarding the things you want. No one else in the Flame Demon Fort has that authority.”

Hearing this, Barok coldly snorted as his mana rose up like a tidal wave and forced Thorne to take quite a few steps back.

“Hmpf, I changed my mind! The number of veins has increased to six! When that Mafa Merlin comes out, let him know that not one less will do! If he is unwilling, I’ll let you know why a prestigious 9th Rank Archmage can’t be offended!”

With these words, he quickly rushed out of the reception room.

Outside, no one dared to provoke Barok, who swaggered his way out of the Flame Demon Fort.

Thorne wiped the cold sweat off his forehead and bitterly smiled. ‘Fortunately, this Barok still knew not to break into the laboratory of an alchemist that wasn’t a mortal enemy…’

He sent Barok away and wouldn’t need to deal with this matter from now on. ‘Since Sir Mafa is here, I only have to leave it to him…’

The next day, in Lin Yun’s alchemy laboratory, the Draconic Staff calmly floated in midair, and there was a purple liquid continuously rotating around the staff.

The Purple Dragon Incarnation was floating at the tip of the staff, constantly cheering. The purple liquid transformed into a very thin stream that kept being swallowed by the young Purple Dragon.

As time passed, the amount of liquid rotating around the Draconic Staff kept decreasing, and the young Purple Dragon’s body underwent huge changes.

That phantom-like body kept congealing and becoming more and more tangible, and the originally palm-sized Purple Dragon slowly grew to half a meter in length.

It no longer looked like a young, unweaned Dragon. It had grown quite a bit, particularly its wings.

A smile appeared on Lin Yun’s face as all the purple liquid was absorbed by the Purple Dragon.

‘Finally complete…’

Although the Draconic Staff didn’t rank up, the improvement of the Purple Dragon Incarnation was most important!

The Incarnation was the most precious part of a True Spirit Magic Tool. Some True Spirit Magic Tools had special effects, and their power was completely embodied by their Incarnation.

Shawn was a great example. All the power of the Magic Tool lay in Shawn, and absorbing mana crystals was only to strengthen Shawn.

Although the Draconic Staff could increase casting speed and spell power, the difference between it and the support of the Purple Dragon was like the difference between heaven and earth.

But strengthening a True Spirit Magic Tool’s Incarnation was very challenging. He’d had a hard time getting these precious materials in order to strengthen the Incarnation, so how could he dare to be careless?

Lin Yun was already an Artisan and had very cautiously created a solvent from the materials. Everything had been done with strict standards, as he was afraid of failure.

Because he wouldn’t find a second set of materials if he failed.

The result was very successful. The Draconic Staff was priceless, and the power of the Purple Dragon increased by more than half, which would increase Lin Yun’s fighting power by at least half when supporting him!

Lin Yun’s base power was already terrifying to begin with, but a 50% increase was crazy. Enderfa would be terrified if he learnt about that.

If Zeuss and some others learnt about this fact, they would unconditionally soil their pants.

A 50% strength increase on someone with the strength of ten people wasn’t much, but Lin Yun’s base power was over ten thousand, that 50% was just too frightening.

The difference in power between every Archmage Rank was huge. With a 50% increase in power, he could kill two of himself!

Lin Yun put away the Draconic Staff and was in a very good mood. It was because in the future Noscent, when the mage civilization reached its peak, those God-like powerful mages never managed to collect materials that could strengthen Magic Tool Incarnations like these.

Directly increasing the power of a Magic Tool Incarnation like this… Even planar conquerors would want to forcibly steal them out of greed.

As Lin Yun left the laboratory, someone immediately came up to him.

“Commander Mafa, Sir Barok of the Black Tower left you a message for you. He said that you have to go meet him at the Griffin Fort.”

Lin Yun looked distracted. ‘Barok? Who is that? The Black Tower? Is that guy an idiot?’

He waved the messenger away and took his fifty High Mages to leave the Flame Demon Fort. As for Barok? He forgot about it, not taking it seriously at all.

‘Does that guy think he is the Patriarch of the Merlin Family? Even the Patriarch of the Merlin Family doesn’t dare to anger me.’

On the other side, in the Griffin Fort.

Barok didn’t do anything all day long. In the morning, he sent people to the Flame Demon Fort to deliver a message, and then he just waited.

‘Hmpf, Merlin Family Commander? Wait until you come to the Griffin Fort! I’ll make you spit out the harvest that the Merlin Family has gotten here in the past few years. Letting you have those resources and veins is simply a waste. They’d be better in my possession. Only I, Barok, am qualified to have these resources.

‘Dare to not agree? Haha, that would be good, the Merlin Family would have to change Commanders. The price for offending a 9th Rank Archmage is death.’

Barok was waiting in the reception room of the Griffin Fort with a complacent smile. He kept wondering how to ruthlessly put down the Merlin Family.

‘I’ll make him feel the power of a 9th Rank Archmage first, no… That’s too rough, that little kid might soil his pants if I scare him off with my power.

‘But that’s also good, if that happens, he won’t disagree with what I say.

‘Forget it, let’s try another method and make him hatefully give up on the benefits. It’s better if he has hard feelings. Then, I can go to the Merlin Family and find an opportunity to plunder the fort they control.

‘The general attack on the Raging Flame Plane is about to start, and the more forts and forces one has, the more resources they’ll get. As long as we do well this time, the position of Chairman of the Black Tower will quickly become mine. That Harren would have to abdicate, as he hasn’t brought much profit to the Black Tower for a long time. I’ll be the master of the Black Tower…’

Barok waited calmly in the reception room for a long time, constantly looking at the entrance of the room.

Time slowly passed, but Barok didn’t care… until he woke up from his trance and discovered that it was already night.

‘That damn Mafa Merlin, he didn’t even come at all!’

“B*stard! Wretch! Damned guy, you actually dare to make me wait here for an entire day! How could you dare! This is looking down on the prestige of the Black Tower, this is looking down on the prestige of a 9th Rank Archmage! I must make you pay the price!

“Mafa Merlin, f*cking Mafa Merlin, I must make you pay the price of looking down on a 9th Rank Archmage… I’ll kill you, I must kill you!”

Barok was furious. The mana within the reception room was frantically fluctuating like a storm, which tore apart all the tables and chairs within.

Barok’s cursing voice could be heard a few hundred meters outside the reception room.

At that time, the exhausted Weiss had just come back from outside with a tired expression. He had barely gotten back to the fort when he heard Barok’s fierce cursing and the reception room being torn apart. Everyone outside was hiding, and no one dared to approach.

Hearing someone cursing Mafa Merlin immediately alarmed Weiss. He pulled someone close and learnt that this person was Barok, the new 2nd Seat of the Black Tower.

Weiss had left after following Lin Yun back from the Raging Flame Plane. At that time, Barok had already advanced to the 9th Rank of the Archmage realm and was bitterly consolidating his power, so although the two of them were both stationed at the Griffin Fort, Weiss had yet to meet Barok.

He had been planning to meet this new Commander after returning. After all, everyone knew that once Harren entered the Black Tower’s Holy Land, Barok would be the next Chairman.

But now, cold sweat trickled down the pale-faced Weiss…