Chapter 278: The City of a Thousand Stars, and Guiding Leo

Celia followed Elder Barnes back to the temporary command post, with Vera trailing closely behind.

On the long table, stacks of old documents were spread out. Several elders sat around the table, their expressions solemn.

“Cult Leader.”

Elder Matthew looked up and pushed a document toward her.

“This Gulzan... it likely isn't his real name. We suspect he is the necromancer who escaped from the City of a Thousand Stars and once fought with our people. His real name is Gustav.”

“Oh?” Celia raised an eyebrow.

“The City of a Thousand Stars?” Vera’s eyes sparkled with curiosity upon hearing the unfamiliar name.

“City of a Thousand Stars: Radial. We usually call it the Radial Magic Academy,” Celia turned and explained to Vera with rare patience.

“It was an academic organization established by the Norn Empire among the human magic kingdoms during the Second Era. Located in the rugged mountains at the center of the continent, it was once a hall of learning that all mages aspired to enter.”

When Ansu was learning magic, he was very fond of using a type of Academy Magic, such as 【Academy Magic: Radial Greatsword】 and 【Academy Magic: Radial Pierce】, which originated from there.

And the Norn Empire... that name also made her involuntarily think of Ansu.

A while ago, when she and Ansu found 《Hoffman's Alchemy Notes》 at home and returned to the past, the country where Master Hoffman resided was the Norn Empire.

It was once the most powerful nation among the human magic kingdoms, far stronger than the fragmented empire they were currently in.

Thinking of this, Celia’s eyes flickered slightly.

She realized that no matter what she thought about, bits and pieces related to Ansu would always surface in her mind.

Browsing ancient texts and researching magic together, laughing together, traveling through time and space to see the past together...

But he wasn't by her side right now.

Moreover, if things continued like this and the situation worsened, whether he could return to her side at all was becoming a question...

No! Celia took a deep breath, trying her best to suppress the surging emotions.

Don't think such wild thoughts.

Ansu will return; he will return to her side...

Her gaze grew increasingly dark.

This time, she would never let him leave again...

Inside the room, the air seemed to freeze for a moment. Vera, standing not far from Celia, subconsciously hunched her shoulders.

She suddenly felt very cold...

She whispered, “Oh... so it’s an ancient magic academy. I see.”

Celia suppressed her emotions and returned to her normal expression, looking at Barnes and Matthew.

“Regarding magic academies, you two know more than I do.”

Elder Barnes nodded and took over the conversation, outlining the historical context of the City of a Thousand Stars for everyone:

“In the late Second Era, the magic academy was besieged by the Norn Empire for unknown reasons, and internal divisions occurred simultaneously. Under internal and external pressures, many mages fled the academy, making it virtually extinct.”

“One of the powerful mages among them later founded the Echoes of Truth cult—our first cult leader.”

He paused and continued, “As for the academy itself, to block external attacks, they hid themselves within a space rift, disappearing from the world's sight ever since.”

“But they also gained a blessing in disguise because of it,” Elder Matthew added. “At the end of the Second Era, the demon Enus Empire launched the Demon Calamity War that nearly destroyed the world. Because the magic academy was already hidden, it managed to survive until now.”

“That’s right.” Barnes nodded. “In the Third Era, the academy opened rifts several times to communicate with the outside world. They even had contact with the early cult, and both sides tried to collaborate on researching magic pollution, but it eventually fell through. Since then, there has been little news.”

“There are many rumors about it. Some say the academy has overcome the problem of magic pollution and is secretly interfering in world affairs; others say the academy has fallen into collective madness and become a place of unspeakable horror.”

The topic returned to the present.

“In the information sent by the Hermit, the Saint Tier is the most prominent,” Elder Barnes pointed to the intelligence on the table. “In this era, mages of this level are few and far between, all of whom are master figures who have founded their own sects. Logically, the search range should be narrow, but we’ve never heard of anyone named Gulzan.”

“Considering that many of the opponent’s abilities are of unknown origin, we expanded the search range, thinking perhaps the opponent was only a high tier. As it turns out...”

He looked at the other elders nearby.

“Three years ago, someone escaped from the City of a Thousand Stars. A crazed fellow... who called himself Magic Professor Gustav.”

Elder Matthew sneered.

“That fellow was an arrogant man. As soon as he came out, he claimed he would take over the Echoes of Truth cult and put the world back on the right track.”

“He underestimated us! After so many years, our magic system has already formed its own school. That fellow was beaten up by Elder Kurt and me, and then he fled.”

“At the time, he was a high tier necromancy mage, but his characteristics and combat style match what Ansu described very closely.”

The other elders suddenly understood.

“Oh, so it was him...”

But then, new questions emerged.

“How did he manage to advance to the Saint Tier in just three years?” Matthew frowned. “And create this so called divine realm... a powerful domain that even all of us together cannot break.”

Celia’s eyes flashed, keenly catching something.

“No.”

She stood up.

“This might be two separate things.”

Everyone looked at her.

“The so called divine realm is space magic, while his absorption of the power of faith must rely on a divine spark... these are two different sources of power.”

In her mind, clues were rapidly connecting.

A high tier necromancer who escaped from the City of a Thousand Stars three years ago suddenly possessed powerful strength he couldn't possibly have mastered, even advancing to the Saint Tier...

He couldn't have done this himself.

Something was helping him.

...

After three days, the camp where Ansu was located had taken on a new look.

By mobilizing the strength of the entire tribe overnight, the simple wooden walls were basically completed. On the high ground, the militia patrolled day and night, and figures holding weapons could be seen everywhere in the rugged snow mountains.

Men, women, young, and old of the Staya Tribe were all mobilized. Those who could fight fought, those who could work worked, and even the older children were helping to sharpen weapons.

The entire Staya Tribe seemed to be united as one.

In the center of the camp, Ansu had set up a simple alchemy table.

Steam rose from a large pot as he carefully mixed magic elements according to a specific formula.

Although he wasn't as skilled as the young witch or Professor Duncan, after being influenced by them for so long, he was at least qualified to be an alchemist.

Moreover, he had his “Ding.”

【Fire Element Extraction】 Progress: 78%

【Enchantment: Corrosive Acid】 Progress: 52%

Freya stayed by his side, helping him as an assistant.

“Lord Ansu, you’ve already produced a pot of potion so quickly?”

Her eyes widened in surprise as she looked at the pungent, bubbling liquid in the pot, sensing a certain scorching power gradually condensing.

Ansu nodded. “Alchemy actually isn't hard. First you do this and that... then you do that and this... and it's done.”

In reality, the higher the proficiency, the faster the progress bar moved.

Time for a little cheat.

Freya blinked. Although she didn't quite understand, she still thought it was amazing.

As expected of Lord Ansu~

What Ansu was doing now was extracting several magic elements to apply corresponding enchantment effects.

Time was short, and he didn't have time to make complex alchemical bullets, so he decided to mass produce several simple enchanted potions.

Although the final damage caused certainly wouldn't be as terrifying as his Mage Killer, it would be sufficient to concentrate fire and suppress the enemy's wolf cavalry and giant wolves. Those beasts were very afraid of fire.

He looked toward the distant target range.

Among the militia, a musket squad had been hastily trained. The firearms from his own warehouse and those that could be found throughout the tribe were all gathered and distributed to the selected young adults.

The precious enchanted potions would be allocated to them.

On the other side of the camp, Bishop Paul wasn't idle either; he was teaching the various militia captains common knowledge on how to combat undead creatures.

Skeleton warriors were the most numerous but had stiff movements and were weak against heavy strikes.

Underworld Bone Puppets were countered by Holy Light.

Bishop Paul organized all the existing clergy. Besides him and his attendant, there were Freya, the clergy from the hero party, and several missionaries found in the Talin region. As soon as those elite undead monsters appeared, the clergy would immediately step up.

Of course, even if all this sounded well prepared, Ansu knew in his heart that the chances of winning were still insufficient.

But it didn't matter; they would win this time.

Because that was how Gulzan's script was written.

Ansu was putting in so much effort mainly because he wanted Freya’s tribespeople to suffer fewer casualties.

After finishing these two pots of enchanted potions, Ansu heard the sound of hoofbeats.

He looked up and saw Leo and the others about to leave the camp.

Every time they went out for reconnaissance, Leo would lead the team personally, and Ansu kept his previous promise, putting down his alchemy work to accompany them as a protector.

“You don't need to go every time,” Leo advised when he saw Ansu approaching. “The camp needs you more.”

Ansu shook his head. “Your safety is most important. Even if I don't rest, I can't let you face any danger.”

Leo looked at his sincere gaze, his voice carrying a hint of emotion. “Alright then, sorry to trouble you... Ansu.”

Ansu intentionally befriended Leo as a good brother, and their relationship had grown better over the past few days.

Through these interactions, a certain genuine rapport had developed between them.

On the scouting path, the team encountered a small group of Wolfgar wolf cavalry scouts.

The hero party handled the battle with ease. Ansu drew his gun, wanting to test the newly made enchanted potions.

With a gunshot, a bullet coated with the potion hit a warg. The magic elements instantly made a sizzling burning sound, and the beast shrieked as it rolled on the ground, its fur crackling as it burned.

The effect was quite good.

After dealing with this scout squad, Leo frowned at the corpses on the ground.

“They are testing our strength, and it’s becoming more frequent... The time for the attack might be soon.”

“Indeed.” Ansu looked into the distance, his gaze deep.

After a long scouting mission, on the way back, the two walked side by side at the back of the team.

During their casual conversation, Ansu casually brought up a topic:

“Leo, have you ever heard of a type of black magic?”

Leo turned his head. “What black magic?”

“Some powerful casters can bewitch people’s hearts,” Ansu looked at the distant snow mountains, his tone casual. “They make people mistakenly believe that certain deliberately guided thoughts originate from their own hearts, but in reality... those were forced in by the caster.”

Leo frowned. “That’s so sinister? Wouldn't that mean they can control whoever they want?”

Ansu originally intended to continue guiding the other's thoughts, but as he spoke, he suddenly remembered Celia...

Recalling his previous battles of wits with the young witch, he gave a helpless smile and continued, “Any kind of ability is possible. Never underestimate the mysterious and unpredictable magic world.”

Leo nodded, seemingly not very afraid. He smiled and patted Ansu’s shoulder.

“Then you must protect me well. You are the only mage in our team. Don't let me be bewitched by the enemy's black mages.”

“Don't worry, leave it to me.” Ansu smiled, then suddenly changed the subject. “But Leo... perhaps I’m overthinking it, but I don't think you need to worry.”

“Why?”

“Because you have conviction,” Ansu looked at him, his gaze serious. “For a person who truly has justice in his heart and truly wants to protect others, his conviction is the strongest shield. That kind of bewitchment is useless against you.”

Leo was stunned for a moment.

After a moment of silence, he nodded heavily.

“Yes... don't worry, I will always hold fast to my conviction.”

...