“Forgive me, Lord Grandfather. I’m only doing this for the sake of work…” Eric replied feebly.
“Let me make this clear first: the Lady of Hope holds power equivalent to mine, she isn’t someone you can covet. Now moving on… Have you been clamping down on the Neon Merchant Group as of late?”
Eric’s body trembled as he tried to reply, his back being drenched in cold sweat, “You know, Grandfather… They’re fugitives from New Silverymoon, I’m only performing my duty—”
“No matter what it is, stop now!” the duke interjected.
“But why?” Eric felt somewhat repressed. Although he had his own plans when dealing with the Neon Merchant Group, he’d also kept the expansion of the family in mind.
“The Neon Merchant Family is backed by the Giant Serpent Church. One should always show respect when dealing with a god!” Had the old duke known of Eric’s lust for Barbara, his words would not have been this calm. Right now, he only felt extreme weariness. His work in the consulate took up too much of his time, and he’d remained stagnant without advancing.
“I’ve expanded the family enough. We don’t need to grow further, we should focus on stabilising ourselves.” The duke rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Think carefully about what I said… Do not try to provoke a faction that has the backing of a god! The results will not be pretty…”
“Yes, Lord Grandfather.” Eric bowed and retreated from the study room…
The youth only started howling after he’d returned to his own room. “WHY?” he roared like a beast, “When I’m just about to succeed…”
“My Lord!” the maidservant Eric doted on the most ran in, her face filled with worry, “What happened?”
“Who let you in?”
It was then that the maid saw a pair of bestial eyes staring at her, icy and filled with murderous intent. An ear-piercing scream sounded out, but it quickly faded as everything returned to normal…
A hidden passage opened up some time later, and the Shadow Hound Gloff walked out.
“Master…” The owner of the Blackmoon Merchant Group took off his black robes, revealing animal hide and a body laced with fat as he greeted Eric with respect. The corpse on the floor did not faze him at all.
“Hurry and dispose of it, do not let it taint my room any further…” Eric kicked the maid’s corpse away, her once soft and supple body already growing brittle.
“As you wish, Master!’ Gloff moved to obey. However, he stopped for a moment in hesitation, “Also, Master, do we continue suppressing the Neon Merchant Group?”
“Hmm?” Eric frowned, before throwing a flower vase at Gloff’s head. A loud shattering noise sounded, and blood spilled to the floor. “So you got the news too. Well, aren’t you quite loyal? Don’t forget who it is that reared a dog like you!”
Fear entered Gloff’s expression as Eric bellowed in rage. However, the halfblood was instead feeling more misery than fear in his heart. No matter how powerful he seemed in the darkness, Gloff knew he was only a lackey that Eric could dispose of anytime. If Eric grew annoyed with him, he’d end up like the maid in a matter of seconds.
“Of course not, Master, how could I have the guts?! You’re the greatest power in my eyes!” Gloff bowed his head and put on a fawning expression. He was almost licking Eric’s boots.
“Listen up…” Eric’s breathing resumed a regular pace. He viewed Gloff with a higher importance than the maidservant earlier.
“Our plans must go on… Only now, it should be kept secret from the others. Continue with our actions until the Neon Merchant Group yields. Is that understood?” There was no way Gloff did not understand Eric’s intentions. However, if he did not obey he would die. The Shadow Hound valued his own life over the duke’s commands, so he immediately agreed.
“I understand!”
Chapter 1145 – Curse
Curse
If that legendary duke working in Silverymoon’s consulate found out what his grandson was up to, he would probably jail and hang the youth as soon as possible. He might even have blasted him to smithereens with a disjunction spell. Unfortunately, he’d been swamped with work as they prepared for battle, leaving such a huge disaster to go unnoticed.
That was until that day, that is. Warm sunlight was shining down on the north, and a few pure white clouds dotted the azure sky to make it look like velvet that was changing patterns.
Eric was in a very good mood that morning. The pressure he’d consistently put on the Neon Merchant Group had let those fools know to compromise. They’d sent him an envelope through hidden channels, which indicated their resolve was weakening.
He believed the letter would be full of flattering words, leaving a small request at the end and an indication that they were willing to offer something in exchange. Compromises between nobles always went along these lines. Thus, at the headquarters of the Blackmoon Merchant Group, he was reclining on his couch with his eyes closed, full of the pride of a victor.
Gloff was stood at his side like a humble servant, and there was another black-robed person in front of him, “All checks have been performed, there’s no problem,” he said as he handed the envelope over.
Naturally, Eric wasn’t a careless person. The black letter had undergone countless tests before it entered his grasp. This man in front was his most trusted subordinate.
The man had a pair of arms so shrivelled one could see pale bone underneath the skin. His eyes had sunk deep, and there seemed to be no muscle on his face. It was like his entire body had been formed of skin and bone, and he stank so badly of decay that even Gloff seemed slightly disgusted. The man’s robes were huge for his build, and a necklace of bone and black pearl flickered with a dull glow as the aura of death and evil spirits emanated from it. This man was obviously a necromancer.
Necromancers liked to play around with bodies and souls, being rejected by the remaining wizards on the continent. Alustriel, in particular, had set numerous bans on them in Silverymoon, making her rule the most severe in history.
“Since Mentor Adas has spoken, it must be true!” Eric said. With everyone else eager to beat them down, it was enormously difficult for any necromancer to develop. Still, as a result, every single high-ranked necromancer was earth-shatteringly powerful. Even if Adas wasn’t a skeleton lich yet, he was almost at the legendary realm and his proficiency in curses and spirits left no fear of threat behind.
Eric chuckled as he took the envelope from his mentor, tearing it open. This was the moment he was waiting for; the pleas of the defeated always gave him immeasurable delight.
“This…” However, his expression soon changed. The paper inside the envelope was completely blank, with nothing on it. Eric turned it over a few times to confirm, and a feeling of humiliation surged up within him that caused his face to flush red.
“This isn’t even a prank… It’s a challenge! A despicable and weak family like that dares challenge me, the grandson of a legendary wizard and the star of Silverymoon? They will pay in blood!” Eric yelled, and viciously slammed the paper onto the table.
“Ma-Master!” At this moment, Gloff suddenly found something strange. A dark green flame had erupted the moment Eric touched the paper, greedily devouring everything around it.
“Hm? This…” Adas quickly made his move, many magic items on his hands flickering as the spells he’d prepared were launched.
Detect Curse, Holy Defence, Armour of Thorns! Numerous layers of light shrouded Eric, and a teleportation light quickly swallowed the mentor and pupil. The spatial transfer took them straight to their residence at the core of Silverymoon.
“We got the right coordinates. Even legendary beings wouldn’t dare charge into Silverymoon without caution…” Adas glanced at Eric, “Not discovering this new type of curse was my fault..”
“Please don’t say that, Mentor Adas…” Eric was still lenient in front of those with real might. “Without you here, who knows what kind of trouble I would be in now.”
At that point, Eric’s expression changed, “The damned Neon Merchant Group… They actually dare to use such underhanded means. I won’t let them off!”
“I’m actually rather interested in that new curse,” Adas caressed his necklace, “It could actually escape my detections… I hope to return and observe the reactions…”
“That’s not a problem at all. Isn’t Gloff there? He’s the best test subject you could have. With how close he was, he must have been affected by the curse as well…” Eric answered without any hesitation, the only emotion in his eyes exasperation, not pity.
“That stupid dog, I’ll need to find someone to replace it.” Eric waved his arm, and a bit of green light flashed in his eyes.
Warlock of the Magus World (Chapter 1051-Chapter 1200)
Wen Chao Gong's books
- Warlock of the Magus World (Chapter 1-Chapter 150)
- Warlock of the Magus World (Chapter 151-Chapter 300)
- Warlock of the Magus World (Chapter 301-Chapter 450)
- Warlock of the Magus World (Chapter 451-Chapter 600)
- Warlock of the Magus World (Chapter 601-Chapter 750)
- Warlock of the Magus World (Chapter 751-Chapter 900)
- Warlock of the Magus World (Chapter 901-Chapter 1050)