Chapter 124: Clues
"Let's start with the spearmanship." It had been more than five years since he stopped focusing on spearmanship. All this time, he had been stuck by a massive wall in the strange, illusionary world.
At first, he couldn't even follow the speed of the yellowish aura-coated arrow. But his thought process gradually increased after he ranked up and increased his spirit power. Still, his physical body wasn't strong enough to evade the arrow. Even though he could see the arrow moving towards him slowly, his body always moved like a sloth.
"Now that I have the strength of Advanced Radiant Walker, I will be able to move my body easily." He took the Frozen Ender from the inventory and gripped it in his hand.
Then, he moved towards the bed and quietly lay on it.
A moment later, a pulling sensation emerged as he focused on the spear and pulled his consciousness into the Illusionary World.
Within a second, Raven stood in the middle of a dark, gloomy street.
Although darkness clouded his vision, he got accustomed to the dark in seconds and gripped the silver spear.
Simultaneously, a pale yellowish aura enveloped the spear's edges and radiated dimly.
At that moment, frightened cries and distant screams came from ahead, causing him to turn solemn.
"Here it comes." Raven knew the pattern, having experienced the same situation hundreds of times.
Instead of moving forward, he stood in the same spot and looked up at the dark sky filled with gloomy clouds.
A sharp whistle cut through the distant screams, and soon, a sunshine arrow flew from the sky.
Raven's sense heightened to maximum as he activated the 'Mind Eye' spell, causing the arrow to descend towards him in slow motion.
A smile crept onto his face.
He then calmly made a sweeping stance and accurately slashed at the incoming arrow.
The silver spear's tip clashed with the yellowish arrow, causing a sharp metallic clang to echo through the air. Sparks scattered, illuminating Raven's face.
A numbing sensation appeared as he managed to deflect the arrow towards the side.
"Damn! Even a single arrow has this much strength."
Before he could even breathe, two more arrows flew from the sky at an incredible speed.
Raven's grip on the Frozen Ender tightened as he adjusted his stance. The arrows whistled through the air, their yellowish glow casting fleeting streaks of light in the darkened world.
Without hesitation, he twisted his body, stepping forward with precise footwork. His spear moved in a blur, meeting the first arrow head-on. A loud clang rang out as the impact sent a sharp vibration up his arms. But before he could steady himself, the second arrow swerved midair, curving unnaturally toward his blind spot.
Instead of forcefully blocking it, he shifted his weight and let the arrow graze past him. The aura-infused projectile singed his sleeve, but he remained unfazed.
'Where is the archer?' His eyes darted towards the arrow's origin, but he couldn't find anyone.
As he was about to advance, a horse's neigh came from the front.
Before long, Raven saw a horse run in his direction at an incredible speed.
A familiar blue-skinned humanoid being sat on the horse and held a similar silver spear in his hand as he rode the horse.
Although he looked like the same humanoid being who practiced spearmanship in the first illusion world, Raven knew it was a completely different person.
Raven was about to face off the blue-skinned being, but suddenly noticed a change.
At that moment, the blue-skinned humanoid turned illusionary and disappeared, leaving only the horse running in his direction.
Raven's Mind Eye instantly sensed a movement behind him and alerted him.
'No good!'
But before he could turn around, a sharp pain came from his behind, followed by a flesh-piercing noise.
Raven slowly lowered his gaze to his chest and saw a bloody hole appear on his chest, along with the spear.
He turned in disbelief and saw the same humanoid standing a few feet away with a smirk.
"Hotep di Neter."
As soon as the being spoke, Raven's consciousness slowly faded.
…
"Damn it!" Raven cursed as he woke up and took a deep breath.
"I didn't even notice when he appeared behind me." Although his mind-eye spell managed to perceive the being's presence at the last second, it was still too late.
'When I sensed the presence, I should've used Shadow Teleport or Shadow Shift to move away.' Raven muttered solemnly and took the Phantom Compass from the inventory.
'It's been a while since I went to the Ruler's Throne Room. But before that, it's time to find the rest of the fragments.' He muttered solemnly and took a notebook from the inventory. He then moved to the table, sat on the wooden chair, and picked up a silver pen before opening the page.
"Cast the 'The Words of Eternity' spell." He ordered.
"Please write down information about the object or person you seek, Master," Solis said as the illusionary owl emerged from his amulet.
"It is one of the Fragments of Ruler's Throne called Fragment of Ice, created by Paragon Wizard Merlin and his friends…" As soon as Raven wrote the information, the amulet he wore shone in a bright light.
Simultaneously, Raven's mind moved to an enlightened state.
On the other hand, his hand moved independently and started writing on the blank paper on the other side.
He remained in the strange position for over a minute and soon woke up.
"What happened?" He blinked his eyes and slowly looked at the notebook. His eyes widened as he saw prophetic words written on the other side.
"In the shroud of a forgotten age,
frost stirs where winter never fades.
The slumbering shard drinks deep,
turning tides to dust and rivers to bone.
When the cold moon wails and the glass sea shatters,
the throne's shadow shall beckon the lost heir of ice.
Seek where the first snow never melts,
beneath the sky untouched by the sun."
Raven read out the prophetic lines and furrowed.
'Ha, I must look into the places where the winter is extremely cold.' What worried him most was the second verse of the prophecy.
'The slumbering shard drinks deep, turning tides to dust and rivers to bone…' At that moment, the second calamity from the information he gathered from the dream world appeared in his mind.
'After the great war, a massive famine and drought will take place, which will even cause the rivers to go dry. Could the calamity be because of this artifact's awakening?' An absurd thought appeared in his mind.
'Ha, I hope it's a coincidence.' He sighed heavily and turned his gaze towards the notebook again.
"Let's try finding one more fragment." He muttered solemnly and started writing.
"Fragment of Death…"
Once he wrote down the information, he again entered a similar enlightened state.
At the same time, his hand moved on its own and started to write.
"In the halls of the silent domain,
where death is but a doorway, the past stirs.
Beneath the blood-stained sigil of an ancient house,
a hunger long sealed being bare its fangs.
When its true name is spoken and the veil thins,
the dead shall answer—not with voices, but with steps."
'Hmm, ancient house, huh? Some ancient houses, including the Viser Kingdom's Royal Household, practice necromancy. Which one is among those? Well, at least I got a lead now.' He muttered inwardly.
After that, he linked his mind with the phantom compass, entered the Ruler's Throne Room, and sat on the iron throne.
Solis appeared on his shoulder in her owl form the next second and made a strange hoot noise.
Raven gazed at the twelve seats and noticed that only three of them were glowing.
In truth, he expected Jovie to find the Fragment of Death long ago, but there was still no progression.
'And I don't even know her current location.' In truth, he feared her most and didn't want to involve himself with her.
'She is not someone I can control with my measly power.' But he felt that she was a necessary member of this group.
Casting those useless thoughts away, Raven activated the Ruler's Domination skill and informed Elizabeth and Noel about the meeting through the fragment link engraved on the chairs.
A few minutes later, two illusionary figures appeared in the Throne Hall, along with their fragments.
Both of them wore black masks and quietly sat on the chairs. Unlike a few years ago, Noel had grown tall enough to be considered a teenage boy, though he looked leaner.
"It's been a while, Shadow and Whisperer," Raven said calmly.
"Greetings, Prince." Both of them greeted him in unison.
"It's almost a year. Why not make a fixed date for the meeting?" Whis said in annoyance.
"True. Waiting almost killed me." Levinthar also added while nodding its head.
Raven also thought the same and agreed.
"Let's hold a meeting on 18th August every year."
"Oh? Isn't that your birthday?" Elizabeth asked with a chuckle.
"I didn't expect you to remember my birthday still, Miss Shadow," Raven said with a smile, soon noticing a change in her aura. Not only that, but he also saw her skin appear smoother.
"How is your progression?"
A smile appeared on her face.
"As you can see, I became a Radiant Wizard. But the only thing missing is that I've no spell models. If I ask for help from the Merlino Family, it will surely raise suspicion of sudden progression." Elizabeth said with a sigh.
"I can help you with that." Raven nodded and then asked.
"What about the request I made last time?"
"You mean about the Azmar Town and Crest Merchandise?" Elizabeth placed her hand on the table and continued.
"Although I couldn't find any information about the current status of Azmar town, I found out that the Crest Merchandise had invited a Wizard from Viser Kingdom almost a decade ago. Thanks to a friend working at the immigration office in the Royal Capital, I found out he entered the Zenith Empire legally. And his purpose of the visit is to help the Crest Merchandise's archeological team."
"Archeological team? Don't tell me they are using archaeology as an excuse to occupy the Azmar town legally?" Raven asked.
Elizabeth nodded her head and then added.
"Count Andres Spade also approved of this excavation after your disappearance. However, it is illegal for any archeological team to excavate land with ownership. That must be the reason why they tried to kidnap Thomas Holmes."
'That still doesn't explain why they kidnap him instead of killing him.' A frown appeared on his face.
"But why is a Wizard from the Viser Kingdom helping a merchant rooted in the Zenith Empire?" He couldn't help but ask.
"That's where things get more confusing. Crest Merchandise is not an individual guild but a branch of the famous Sparrow Guild. Even though the Sparrow Guild is considered one of the Empire's five major guilds, nobody knows its origin or owner. The guild has been in the Empire for more than 500 years."
"A merchant guild running in the Empire for over 500 years, huh?" At that moment, Raven realized the enemies were not random bandits.
'I need Franco's help to look into the current situation personally.'
He sighed deeply and spoke.
"Thanks for the information, Miss Shadow. This information is far more valuable for me." Saying so, he turned his gaze towards Noel and asked.
"How are things going in Nyaxra Domain?"
"No major incident happened, Prince," Noel said without showing any emotions.
Raven nodded his head and fell into deep thought.
"Isn't it almost time for Noel to learn survival skills?" Whis interjected.
"But learning magic is prohibited in the Acaria City's Lower Land. Only the people from Upper Land and some privileged people from Middle Land are allowed to use magic spells." Levinthar answered.
"Is there a way to become a people of the Middle Land?" Elizabeth asked.
"Unlike the Lower Land, all the people staying in the Middle and Upper Land have no sign of tumor or deformity. Among tens of thousands in the Lower Land, only a few were born with no deformities like Noel. But even they get strange tumors after eating the polluted food over the years. Alas, quite a few kids managed to enter the Middle Land with the help of the Slum Leaders." Levinthar answered.
"I don't want to leave my grandma behind," Noel interjected in their conversation.
"She is already on the deathbed, kid. I don't even think she will last this winter." Levinthar said while slithering around Noel's neck.
"Let's not force him, Levinthar," Raven decided to wait. Then, he turned his gaze towards Elizabeth and added.
"I'll send the spell books in a few days. Please wait until then." Saying so, he waved his hand.
A second later, Elizabeth, Noel, and two fragments also turned into streaks of light and disappeared.
Raven also left the Ruler's Throne Hall and woke up in his bedroom.
He then went to the training hall and checked the young knights' progression.
He also sparred against Lorelai and felt she had already surpassed him in spearmanship skills!
Of course, his physical stats were much higher than hers, giving him an overwhelming advantage.
He trained with them until evening and returned to the mansion to rest.
Afterward, he woke up early, exercised for two hours, and entered the illusory world.
But unlike before, Raven managed to evade getting stabbed from behind and faced off against the blue-skinned humanoid being.
The humanoid warrior stood before Raven with a cold gaze. Unlike before, its presence no longer felt like an overwhelming force. Raven's grip on the Frozen Ender tightened as he adjusted his stance.
The warrior struck first, lunging forward with an explosive burst of speed. The air around its spear distorted, indicating its sheer force. Raven was startled as the spear attack appeared at an incredible speed. He sidestepped at the last moment, twisting his body just enough to let the attack pass by, his spear moving fluidly in response.
Their weapons clashed, sending a powerful shockwave through the air. Sparks flew, illuminating the darkened street. The blue-skinned warrior didn't pause—it followed up with a sweeping horizontal strike, aiming for Raven's midsection.
Raven reacted instinctively, lowering his stance and parrying the attack. The impact sent a numbing sensation through his hands.
No, he was pushed back.
Before he could regain his stance, the humanoid warrior attacked him and closed the distance between the two.
Although it lasted for more than ten seconds, Raven was soon defeated.
He then tried to replicate all the moves of the blue-skinned warrior during daytime training and focused on improving his spearmanship.
While Raven was training, Emanuel went to the best furniture shops in Giaris and started purchasing the necessary items. He also employed a few carpenters, painters, decorators, glazers, plasterers, and even polishers to renovate the mansion.
…
Within the next few days, Emanuel sent banquet invitation letters to all major households, companies, merchants, and even a few government officials.
At the same time, a rumor started spreading in the city about the arrival of a member of the Ravenshield Family.