Surviving The Fourth Calamity

Hill rejected the invitation from the Mage Lord of Deepwater City, citing lack of time as his reason. He only wanted to explore the mysteries of magic and was not interested in venturing out. Moreover, the purification of the Undead Swamp was a massive project, and he could not leave for an extended period.

Even though everyone understood that the main force behind the swamp's purification was surely the Goddess of the Sea, when Hill said he must stay by the project, no one could object.

Conquering the lost city was crucial for the region, but purifying the swamp held even greater significance for Deepwater City. As its Mage Lord, always cautious, Black Staff would definitely not say too much about it.

So, even though he was very keen to visit Mistral, the ancient elf city with its puzzle locks, Hill felt he had no choice but to refuse.

Yet Hill did not know how to respond to this group of enthusiastic elves.

Compared to the cunning and shrewd nature of Kelben, the letter from the Elf Crusade was filled with a passion for returning home.

Hesitant for a moment, Hill picked up his pen and wrote a letter to Lynn. He needed to know if these elves had chosen only him or had invited every somewhat famous elf and half-elf from the Northern Continent.

That would determine the attitude with which Hill would respond.

After all, this Elf Crusade was collaborating with fey demons, though these fairies were only named such because they had demon-like bat wings; their alignments were generally absolute neutral or lawful neutral.

But their love for mischief made it not inappropriate to describe them as little demons.

However, the number of fey demons was astonishing! Were they hoping to have a city of their own?

This was not something that could be achieved by mere bravery in battle, as wars led to deaths.

At the very least, the fey demons believed they could afford this kind of sacrifice and thus had joined the war as an entire race.

Although cooperation with the elves was necessary, fairies and elves were traditionally companions of the forest.

Living together in one city afterward would be quite normal.

If the Elf Crusade led the call for help, Hill thought they would not give up on writing to Lynn and the others. If it was only Hill himself, he would need to consider if there was an underlying issue.

He asked List to send an express mail downstairs as Hill looked down at the remaining letters.

These were the invitations from various city auction houses sent to Hill.

Upon opening the invitations, one by one, they revealed the exciting items they were preparing for the grand spring auction.

Hill glanced through them with interest, eventually noting that only the auction at Deepwater City seemed worth attending.

They had brought precious goods from the Shulong Kingdom in Kalartu Continent, including silk, tea, and exotic jewelry and weapons filled with local flair.

It appeared that a magic ship had just arrived in Deepwater City.

Hill lowered his head, his mind tumultuous.

He was well aware that the ancient Eastern nations of this world had no connection to his homeland, but he still wanted to make contact and see.

However, if he did not want to be caught in Black Staff Kelben's schemes, Hill should not go to Deepwater City anytime soon.

Despite his calm demeanor, he knew his weakness; in the eyes of someone like Kelben, who had lived for 960 years, his flaws were surely apparent.

But he truly wanted to go.

From the start, Hill had hoped to visit the Shulong Empire, to see those humans with yellow skin and black hair, dressed in silk and sipping tea—even if it was a different world.

Even if it was only to the legendary magic ship port, he really wanted to see it.

The legendary warlock's memory was excellent, with every memory in his mental sea vividly alive; though opening them hurt every time, each review allowed Hill to continue on his journey with renewed happiness.

His personality and his style of doing things, were forever marked by those times.

Hill clenched his fists tightly, his chest heaving as he breathed deeply before calming down.

He spread his hands, the four rings shining with interlocking lights.

On his right hand, beside the plain Mystery Rein Ring was the beautifully delicate Crystal Flower Ring, and on the other, next to the ice-rimmed Ring of Winter made of gold was a space ring embedded with large green gemstones.

The Crystal Fan bracelet and the Magic Book pendant also sparkled on his wrists.

Why should he fear a Chosen of the Goddess of Magic?

Hill slammed his hand heavily on the invitation to the Deepwater City auction, confirming his decision to attend the event.

After making this decision, Hill suddenly felt much more relaxed in his mental sea.

Being in Ferun for a year had made him overly tense.

His past experiences had helped him a lot, but they also bound him.

The legendary stories of Elaströ and Kelben placed them too high, creating unnecessary pressure on himself.

But if it really came down to a fight, even if both teamed up, Hill didn't necessarily see himself losing!

If the Goddess of Magic did not cheat using her Silverfire, Hill didn't think he would be unable to defeat them, not to mention the divine artifacts— he still had Elemental Spirits!

How could he forget? These invitations and letters had all arrived after he'd easily defeated Ambori's incarnation in Agleya.

For the Ferun Great Land, Hill and Agleya were already very powerful forces, so respect had to be shown.

Hill stood up and walked onto the terrace, observing everything below.

The harshness of winter had been completely shattered by thunder, and spring was also rushing forward with her cheerful steps.

He took out his magic book.

The thunder a few days ago had helped Agleya purify a clean sea route that reached to the distant oceans.

The diligent Agleya was now in her temple, striving to extend the results. She hoped to purify at least the southern side far from the Baal Temple.

Many creatures above the swamp had regained a somewhat normal appearance, but many spectres seemed unwilling to be purified and chose to seek refuge in the Baal Temple.

Not many souls that woke up were willing to return to eternal rest. The Baal Temple gave them support, and even knowing they might meet a more miserable fate, these spectres were reluctant to leave the mortal world.

Hill and Agleya didn't do much as the Baal Temple was not within this domain.

The paladins of Tyr didn't act on the spectres appearing in Hill's Domain because they sensed Agleya's efforts in purification.

They couldn't possibly steal the credit from a deity.

But those in the Baal Temple, they would definitely not let them go.

The harpists had given up on their pointless search, but there were still some passing travelers who, relying on the anti-phantom potions sold by Hill, went underwater to find those scattered treasures.

There had been many conflicts because of this in the last few days.

Perhaps after so many years, the gold and silver washed from the destroyed Baal Temple into the swamp didn't interest the harpists, but it was different for these passing adventurers.

Trading between Neverwinter and Deepwater was very tough, and both cities had expensive commercial taxes — many trips might not match the profit from finding a piece of gold underwater.

But some people's luck consistently seemed negative. It was possible that a mere passerby might casually find a piece of gold, while they had nothing but a few copper coins after days under water.

These days, Hill's domain had become somewhat chaotic.

But they didn't break the law, so even the paladins of Tyr couldn't just arrest them for fighting in the swamp.

Hill flipped through his magic book, using the first chapter he had never used before.

Water Element, Wind Series, and Earth System elemental spirits joyfully responded to Hill's summoning and appeared on this land.

The powerful elemental wave startled everyone, and the paladins of Tyr also appeared at the temple gates.

Terry from the Sword Mountain Range, who hadn't been seen for a few days, poked his head below the clouds, and Hill's floating castle was not far from him.

"Hill?" he asked in a ponderous voice, "Are you looking for a fight? These elemental spirits are very strong!"

Hill smiled, "The elements are just staying in my domain. Unless someone troubles them, they won't act rashly. I don't like being endlessly on guard; this is a bit safer."

"Are you going out?" Terry sharply asked, "Or is someone targeting my egg?"

"I'll be visiting Deepwater soon. I'm somewhat interested in some merchandise from other continents that arrived recently," Hill answered lightly, "Also, you do indeed need some guards here.

No one else nearby has probably found a dragon egg. Thieves might target you.

Terry suddenly chuckled, "Let them come if they dare!"

Hill glanced at the little golden dragon chuckling as he withdrew his head, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.

Had Terry forgotten that his Sword Mountain Range was also within the range of Hill's puzzle lock?

Hill looked at the elemental lords who blended with the large group of elemental spirits, heads unbowed, and shook his head helplessly.

These lords seemed not new to the Prime Material Plane and were very familiar with this world. Their first reaction was to cloak themselves with a layer of disguise, looking nearly identical to their 17th or 18th-level counterparts.

Hill had used a mass summoning, and had not limited the summoned element level to match his own; he had hoped for a larger number.

If it were all high-lord elementals, probably not only Terry would think he wanted a fight.

Hill didn't need anyone's protection.

He appreciated Tyr's goodwill, but didn't want anyone to think that without Tyr, he would be crushed by Talos.

This was not a world suited for hiding one's abilities—people always judged by outward appearances.

Hill watched the elemental spirits scurrying below, observing the environment, and a slight smile formed on his lips.

Even if their patterns were a bit intricate, the dozen or so elemental lords blending into the large troop were hard to distinguish without close observation.

Hill couldn't help but sigh. That earth element lord, who led a large group and rushed toward Sword Mountain to add earth to himself, had a problem.

Of course, it wasn't that he was an enemy, just his level was a bit too high.

If it was a 23rd-level elemental lord, Hill wouldn't have felt much, but this one, he must be at least 25th level, even though he had suppressed some of his power.

Unfortunately, if it were any other element, Hill might have been deceived by that hidden fluctuation, but with earth, that was his special expertise.