Surviving The Fourth Calamity

For Hill, whose spiritual power far surpassed that of mages of the same level, Elminster's spell was actually quite useful.

Controlling these light orbs was easy for him, and with Hill's high perception, he could mobilize the light orbs to intercept danger before it occurred.

But he had always been hesitant.

After all, the representative figure for this spell, Elminster had made countless enemies across the Ferun Great Land; using this spell against foes was akin to attracting hatred.

The university in Silvermoon City made this ninth-level spell available for purchase to help share some of the hatred directed at Elminster's students.

Otherwise, walking out with a halo of orbs might attract all manner of weapons or Divine Arts from the sky.

Although the spell had spread, the rarity of a ninth-ring spell also created another situation.

For many in the Evil Faction, the spell now meant either a perpetual enemy's student or a fat target ripe for robbing.

Both were worth a try; people and money could be unexpected delights.

Hill was not afraid, but he had always disliked such troubles.

However, now it didn't matter. Hill's strength was enough to keep the riff-raff at bay.

And for those powerful enough to cause trouble for Hill, he figured they wouldn't have the time, at least not for the next ten years.

In ten years, Toril would explode.

So Hill had been working hard to draw Lynn's attention, hoping to bring him to his own territory sooner.

Even if Ferun shattered to pieces, Hill could ensure the lives of those within his lordship.

At the very least, he wouldn't have to trek through mountains and rivers just to see a friend on the other side of the world.

Hill sighed, not blaming William for desperately flattering Shaer. After all, a big shot is a big shot; they seldom make a move, but when they do, it's a deadly one.

The Magic Book sat squarely on the desk, and Hill began to write solemnly.

For the last spell, Hill chose the Magic Absorption Technique: a spell the mages of Teraxil were particularly adept at. It was also a spell Hill liked to use, especially on the Arrays of the Magic Tower. The capacity for absorbing the Thunder Element was so strong that mages from Toril couldn't comprehend it.

Hill hoped to use this spell to create a defense system that could be supported without using his own mana.

He had ample resources to cover some of the vulnerabilities. That way, he could dedicate more willpower to attack and healing.

The Magic Book slowly transformed, its brilliance filling the entire study room.

Perhaps because the Divine Artifact itself didn't add any new features, the Magic Book did not cause any earth-shaking disturbances this time.

The pages turned quietly.

The traits had emerged on the first page.

Hill's conception was successful; he had created a new Puzzle Lock: Hill's Wall of Radiance.

It could only be used once every seven days, and once activated, it could not be moved—a singular Puzzle Lock.

It could establish a Light Space ten meters in length, width, and height, where all foreign objects entering the space needed to pass a spell check to remove magic, and only the host of the Puzzle Lock could enchant people or objects within the space.

The user positioned inside would automatically gain Reinforced Bones and all listed Beneficial Spells.

At the same time, the user could also bestow Beneficial Spells on all marked individuals within the same area.

Light Orbs, ten times the user's level, would appear within the Puzzle Lock, capable of defending against attacks automatically, or can be commanded by the user.

When faced with magical attacks from outside, the Puzzle Lock would absorb Magical Power to replenish the lost orbs.

Hill was somewhat baffled.

He had indeed hoped for this outcome, but this was almost too good.

He shook his head vigorously, reviewing the information once more.

After scrutinizing it word by word, Hill realized that when using this Radiant Puzzle Lock, the previous Maze Formation and Mist Puzzle Lock could not be utilized.

If he didn't use the orbs within the Puzzle Lock, he could only rely on his own mana and weapons.

Moreover, the Puzzle Lock seemed more suited for positional warfare.

Hill blinked. Could it be because he was thinking about the Undead Tribe? This was perfect for a command post, guaranteed to ensure the safety of the Commander.

For the Undead Tribe, how many times they died was irrelevant; at most, it was a slight annoyance.

But if the native Commander leading the battle perished, then it was as if the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys were all doomed. Fiercest struggles would be in vain.

Hill touched his Magic Book, hesitating for a moment: he did not believe that the Undead Tribe could easily change what was written on the Tablets of Fate about Toril; they lacked such power.

At least not in the next few years.

Even a butterfly's wings would have to flutter for hundreds of years to potentially alter the fates of thousands or even millions.

The heroic tales on the Tablets of Fate would not weave that far into the future; by then, fate would naturally take a new direction.

Hill shook his head gently, at least not this year. Coron was still eyeing Mystra!

He turned his head and glanced again at the Crystal Ball floating in the air, revealing a gentle smile.

Kelben wasn't afraid of Hill, which was normal.

Master Xi Er's Mage Level was only at 22.

Even without considering his advancement to a Third-Level Great Mage, Black Staff's pure Mage Level was at 24.

If it weren't for advancing further into another profession, he could have reached Level 28, almost equivalent to a Demigod.

Of course, he wouldn't be afraid of a newcomer like Xi Er.

Actually, the levels of these powerful lords weren't much different from each other.

If Agleya hadn't taken out Ambori so easily, God knows how many would have had designs on Xi Er.

They weren't fools, of course; they knew that Level 22 was only a Mage Level and didn't represent Xi Er's true strength.

Just as a Level 7 Giant Dragon and a Level 7 Human are never the same.

But such a Xi Er only made them wary, not without scheming.

After all, this is a world where even strong Divine Power can get caught up in plots and conspiracies; what's Xi Er compared to that?

This is a world where being calculated into a conspiracy is considered a form of respect.

Those who dare claim to join no Faction and meddle in nothing must demonstrate the ability to solve any trouble from anyone.

"List." Xi Er said with a smile, "How many production lines do I still have in the Alchemy Workshop?

That Orosanta in Deepwater City belonging to Kelben, I remember they sell a lot of Magical Items."

He was flipping through the items he had bought from those Magic Shops in Deepwater City, having purchased 4 or 5 Spell Storage Rings; Lynn had even thought he was crazy at the time.

Xi Er looked at the tiny Moonstars mark on the ring and smiled warmly, "List, such items, that most precise Alchemy Workshop should be able to make them, right?"

"Of course, those are Master Fran's masterpieces," List replied with a smile, "As long as we have enough energy and materials, we could easily make a hundred rings a day."

And Xi Er had enough of both to keep this production line running forever.

"No need to be so rushed." Xi Er answered slowly, "First make about 5,000 rings. Then open a dedicated shop for Magic Supplies.

As for the price, I remember these rings sell for about 50 gold each? Let's just set it at half price.

Let's start selling like that. If there's any movement from their side, you can decide what to do.

It would be best if only our Spell Storage Rings could sell out in the North of Ferun!"

Kelben's group 'Moonstars' played a role in many of Kelben's major achievements.

This Mage Lord, who had become the spider at the center of a vast web spun from information, conspiracies, plans, and counter-plans, owed it all to the intelligence provided by the 'Moonstars.'

Such a sophisticated team, of course, required substantial financial investment.

Spell Storage Rings, neither high nor low-end Magical Items, became one of the economic pillars of the 'Moonstars.'

Kelben had put a lot of thought into making his Spell Storage Rings the only option on the Northern Continent.

Xi Er fiddled with the plain Silver Alloy ring inside the small box: the real trouble with these rings was the combination of materials; the engraving of Alchemy Runes on them wasn't difficult, and a High-Level Alchemy Workshop could easily handle it.

And what sort of metal materials could possibly stump Xi Er?

He hadn't acted before simply because Xi Er was a man with principles.

But since Kelben made the first move, Xi Er naturally had to retaliate.

In preparation for the upcoming Purification trip to the Supreme Wastes, Kelben was now rallied friends and inviting many high-level mages.

He also wanted to restore the lost city of Mayrita, Faltermeer.

To get so many mages to help, he naturally had to offer sufficient rewards.

And yet in Deepwater City, so many Magic Shops could always sell these formerly quite rare Spell Storage Rings on demand.

Xi Er tested the waters and, although it seemed like there were only one or two on the surface, as long as he wanted, these Magic Shops could always have stock ready.

Interesting.

Kelben must be out of money, having produced so many.

What's the point in slow sales? It's way more satisfying to beat others with their own game!

Xi Er had seen plenty of exciting stories about how to drive diligent, hardworking artisans out of the market!

All he had to do was follow through.

After all, he didn't have much cost to consider.

Xi Er, of course, wouldn't easily get entangled in the vortex connected to the entire Toril, but he would also collect the interest he deserved.

List was efficient. The very next morning, Xi Er saw queues outside the Magic Shops.

Many caravans were dumping their goods cheaply to Xi Er's general store, desperately crowding outside the shop, hoping to buy the rings as quickly as possible, then head to Deepwater City to catch a ship and resell them in the central and southern parts of the Ferun Great Land.

Both Deepwater City and Neverwinter would soon get wind of it.

In the North during spring, Light Rain kept falling non-stop, blurring the view.

Xi Er stood on the terrace, looking coldly toward Deepwater City to the south: his revenge had already begun, how would Kelben respond?

Thunder boomed overhead, Xi Er looked up at the sky as clouds began to build up; another thunderstorm seemed on its way.