Chapter 20: The Abandoned Pawn
The gaunt old man’s already deeply wrinkled forehead furrowed even further.
“Farn of the Wargod Sect, and Linley?” A faint green light flickered in the old man’s eyes. Clearly, he was pondering something.
Those nine silver-robed men were all brought by him from the Gebados Planar Prison, each at the Saint-level limit. Without Linley’s help, Farn alone would have had to go all out to kill a single silver-robed man.
The stronger a soul was, the more troublesome it was to control.
Lord Beirut had destroyed one silver-robed man, and he dared not show the slightest displeasure. But Linley and Farn had also killed two of his important subordinates, which irritated him.
“Hmph, if I weren’t busy with a major matter right now, I would personally act to control you two brats, making you serve me for a thousand or ten thousand years!” The gaunt old man’s voice was low and hoarse. Then, a cold light flashed in his eyes. “Since that’s the case…”
“Yale. Come to me immediately.” The gaunt old man’s voice transmitted directly into Yale’s mind.
“Yes, Grand Warlock.” Yale dared not disobey in the slightest.
Yale was currently residing in a branch of the Dawson Conglomerate, located in a large canyon in the southwestern region of the Baruch Empire. The main reason was that this place was very close to the three great empires—the Yulan Empire, the O’Brien Empire, and the Baruch Empire—allowing slaves transported from them to be quickly sent into the canyon.
As for the Grand Warlock…
He was living in a secret chamber deep beneath the canyon’s core.
Before long, Yale arrived at this dark underground chamber.
“Grand Warlock.” Yale knelt respectfully on one knee before the Grand Warlock, displaying absolute loyalty in his presence.
The Grand Warlock nodded calmly. With a flip of his hand, a transparent bottle the size of a thumb flew out, containing a small amount of liquid. The bottle flew directly to Yale, who respectfully accepted it.
“Yale. Mix the liquid in this bottle into a bottle of fine wine, then take that wine to Linley and invite him to drink… Remember, at all costs, you must make him drink it.” The Grand Warlock commanded calmly.
“Yes, Grand Warlock.” Yale’s voice showed no hesitation.
The Grand Warlock, hidden in the shadows, nodded indifferently. “Alright, you may set off now.”
Watching Yale leave, the Grand Warlock sighed inwardly. “After drinking this Soul-Silk Venom, Linley will surely die. It’s a pity, though—his relatives and friends will certainly not let Yale, the ‘murderer,’ go. With Yale dead, I suppose I’ll need to find another person in the Dawson Conglomerate to control.”
The sky was pitch black, but Yale sat on a Windshadow Eagle, rushing toward Dragonblood Castle. Behind him were two guards riding flying magical beasts, both somewhat puzzled.
“Why is the President in such a hurry? It’s still the dead of night.”
“Who knows? In these past few years, the President hasn’t been as cheerful as before. He’s become much more serious.”
The two guards whispered behind him, but Yale remained cold-faced, expressionlessly staring northeast.
By the afternoon of the next day.
Yale and his group finally arrived at Dragonblood Castle. The flying beasts descended.
“We’re here.” Yale’s gaze fell on Dragonblood Castle before him, a trace of emotionless coldness flashing in his eyes.
Inside Dragonblood Castle.
Today, Gates, Wharton, and Sesslar in Dragonblood Castle felt somewhat restless and uneasy. When Linley had returned, he had detailed the matter of the Dead City, revealing that the direct culprits were the silver-robed men.
But the silver-robed men were controlled by a Deity-level expert!
Deity-level expert!
Just those two words weighed like a mountain on the hearts of Gates, Sesslar, and the others. They all felt the pressure.
After lunch, Linley, Wharton, Gates, Sesslar, and others sat in the back garden, discussing.
“Don’t worry too much. Harry said that the Deity-level expert has no time to deal with this now,” Linley said, seeing the others’ concern, and smiled to reassure them. “By the time that expert finishes his business, I’ll probably have reached the Deity-level myself.”
“Big brother,” Wharton said urgently. “First, will that Deity-level expert pause what he’s doing to come after you? That’s one thing. But most importantly… even if you reach the Deity-level, can you definitely defeat that expert?”
Wharton was deeply worried.
Linley entering the Deity realm would only be at the initial stage of the Demigod level.
And the enemy?
Who knew if it was a Demigod or a Deity of the Middle Plane? If the opponent was a Middle Plane Deity, Linley would have no hope of turning things around. Even if it were a Demigod, the gap between Demigods could be enormous. Was an initial-stage Demigod the same as a peak-stage Demigod?
After all, someone like Linley, even at the Saint level, could easily kill ordinary Saint-level peaks.
Some peak-stage Demigods could kill an initial-stage Deity-level expert in one or two moves—it wasn’t impossible.
“Have a little faith in me.” Linley felt touched seeing Wharton’s worried expression. He understood what his younger brother was thinking.
Sesslar also chimed in, “Wharton, don’t worry too much. In a little over four years, the Wargod and the others will return. The situation will be different then. And has your big brother ever let you down? Have faith in Lord Linley.”
Wharton nodded.
He looked at his elder brother. Killing King Clay, making a name in the O’Brien Empire’s capital, fighting evenly with the then-Hederson, and now… relying on his own strength to become a god independently.
“Big brother, I believe in you.” Wharton also hoped Linley could defeat the enemy.
Linley, however, was much more confident than Wharton.
First, if that mysterious Deity-level expert came after more than four years, Dylin and the others would have returned. Linley had given Dylin a divine spark, so Dylin owed him a big favor. Linley believed Dylin wouldn’t stand idly by.
Of course, that was external help.
Linley’s greatest reliance was… the Violet Blood Soft Sword! The Coiling Dragon Ring!
Divine artifacts also varied in quality.
For example, on the sixth level of the Necropolis of the Gods, the Flame Sovereign’s divine battle-axe allowed even Saint-level experts to use its special abilities. That artifact was undoubtedly the lowest grade.
The harder it was to use and the more stringent the conditions, the more powerful the divine artifact.
As for his Violet Blood Soft Sword, Linley, even now, could only rely on its tough material to kill enemies. He couldn’t use any of the special abilities it contained. For instance, he couldn’t freely change the sword’s size.
The ability to change size was a basic feature of divine artifacts.
Not even being able to do that clearly indicated the Violet Blood Soft Sword was no ordinary divine artifact. In fact, when Linley’s spiritual energy touched the baleful aura inside, the terrifying scenes he sensed also hinted at the sword’s extraordinary nature.
The Violet Blood Soft Sword was one thing, and there was also the Coiling Dragon Ring!
To this day, Linley was still completely in the dark about the Coiling Dragon Ring. But he was certain that, with his current strength, he couldn’t even grasp a hint of its power. The Coiling Dragon Ring’s might was likely no less than the Violet Blood Soft Sword’s, perhaps even greater.
“Once I reach the Deity-level, I’ll naturally be able to use divine artifacts.” Linley looked forward to it eagerly.
The true power of the Violet Blood Soft Sword and the Coiling Dragon Ring!
“My lord, President Yale of the Dawson Conglomerate has arrived.” A guard from Dragonblood Castle ran to the back garden and reported respectfully to Linley, casting a glance of admiration at him.
“Yale?” Linley’s eyes lit up.
“Quick, invite him over.” Linley’s mood immediately improved. The three brothers from his youth held a place in his heart no different from his own blood brother, Wharton.
“Yale?” Wharton frowned and said to Linley, “Big brother, I forgot to tell you. Over five years ago, when the continental war started, Yale asked us for the right to purchase all the prisoners of war. Of course, Sini was troubled, but he eventually agreed.”
“Oh?” Linley, though not very knowledgeable about governing a country, understood that buying all prisoners of war wasn’t something money alone could accomplish.
“It’s not a big deal, don’t worry about it. I’ll just talk to Yale.” Linley didn’t think much of it and said casually.
Hearing this, Wharton said no more. Just then, they heard footsteps. Linley immediately walked toward the garden gate to greet him. Sure enough, Yale entered with a beaming smile. Seeing Linley, his eyes lit up, and he laughed loudly, “Third brother, it’s really not easy to see you!”
“I’ve been busy with important matters too. Come, don’t just stand there. Sit down and we’ll talk.” Linley warmly invited him.
Linley said to Wharton, Sesslar, and the others, “Wharton, you all go rest. Yale and I haven’t seen each other in a long time, so we’ll catch up. Oh, and arrange a lavish dinner tonight. Yale will be staying for dinner.”
Linley had originally planned to go into seclusion again after dinner that day.
“Yes, big brother.” Wharton nodded, then left with Gates and the others. Sesslar frowned at Yale for a moment but said nothing and left.
The castle’s maids soon brought fine wine and glasses.
“Yale, what do you need the right to buy all the prisoners of war for?” Linley asked curiously. He wasn’t interrogating, just puzzled.
Yale acted mysteriously. “Trade secret!”
“You rascal, telling me trade secrets?” Linley laughed. He didn’t press further.
“You came at just the right time. If you’d been a day late, I probably wouldn’t have had time for you.” Linley sighed. He had only come out of seclusion the previous night and planned to go back after dinner. Yale had coincidentally shown up in that brief window.
It was quite a coincidence.
“I was passing by on business, saw Dragonblood Castle, and decided to drop in. I was just taking a chance, and I didn’t expect you to actually be here.” Yale smiled as well.
“Hey, what kind of wine is this?” Yale frowned, looking at the wine in his glass.
Linley glanced at the bottle and shook his head with a laugh. “How should I know? I don’t know as much about wine as you do, but I think the wine prepared in my Dragonblood Castle shouldn’t be too bad.”
Yale laughed too. “I know, you big genius, all your time goes to training. You don’t waste it on wine. But this wine, while decent, isn’t top-notch. Oh, I have a good bottle in my spatial ring. Third brother, let’s try it together.”
With that, Yale flipped his hand and took out a small bottle holding about two ounces of wine.
“That small?” Linley was surprised.
“This is from a winery under the Dawson Conglomerate that just developed it. A single drop is thousands of times more precious than an equal volume of gold. Come, try it.” Yale poured a glass for Linley, then one for himself.
Yale raised his glass, frowned, and pretended to be displeased. “Third brother, what are you hesitating for? Are you not giving me face?”
“Haha, Yale, would I, your third brother, dare not give you, my big brother, face?” Linley laughed and raised his glass. “Cheers.” Without hesitation, Linley downed it in one gulp. But after drinking, he noticed Yale hadn’t touched his.
“Yale, why aren’t you drinking?” Linley scolded with a smile. “That’s going too far.”
Yale didn’t answer. He simply placed his glass back on the table, his smile fading, and stared coldly at Linley.