Advent of the Archmage

In fact, the sound of the footsteps was extremely soft. If not for Nana’s warning, Link would have overlooked this sound.

Tap. Tap.

The footsteps were getting closer. It was moving at a regular pace, and around three minutes later, a black figure appeared outside of the cave.

This black figure was around 5’7’’ and was of a normal build. He was agile, though it could be seen that he had not undergone any special training.

There was a huge pile of rocks in front of the cave. There were even many irritating vines in the cracks between these rocks. It was a difficult path to maneuver in. This person jumped from one stone to another carefully.

In this process, his body seemed extremely light, as though he could summon the wind upon leaping with little force. Link could also feel a subtle wave of magic energy. This made Link realize that this was a Magician who had used a levitation spell.

At that moment, Felina also woke up. She sat up carefully and after a moment of observation, whispered, "That is strange. This is a human race Magician. Why would he appear here?"

The Golden Plains was the territory of the Beastman. They were not known for their friendliness to humans. Except for a few businessmen who had connections with them over the past generations, they had trouble trusting other humans.

Furthermore, the Colorado Mountain Range was either filled with barren land or dangerous forests. Visitors to this area were few and in between. Even the Beastman themselves would not wish to travel to this desolate land. The appearance of a human race Magician was thus baffling.

"He is coming over. We can take this chance to interrogate him," Link said. "Nana, pin him down after he comes in."

Nana nodded and prepared herself.

The figure was getting closer. As this figure walked, he muttered, "Dumb Beastman, do you really think you can catch me with your idiotic minds? Hmph."

"I will really be rich this time. Hehe, the treasure of the elves, how exciting."

"We are going to be rich, aren’t we, little guy."

Tch! It was the squeal of a little rodent.

As he got closer, Link saw the small animal clearly. It looked almost like a squirrel. It was lying on the shoulders of this black figure, clawing his hair with its little paws while holding an acorn in the other. It seemed extremely focused on its task.

"Heh, it is a cave. Seems like a perfect place to rest."

This black figure leaped with more force. Using the help of his levitation spell, he got onto the 12-foot- tall cave with ease. The moment he stabilized himself, he saw a figure charging straight towards him. A dagger was then placed at the side of his neck even before he could react. The black figure immediately lifted his hands. The little animal on his shoulders squealed in shock before burrowing into his clothes.

"Misunderstanding! It is a misunderstanding! I didn’t know that there were people here. I will leave now. Is that okay?" The black figure sounded depressed.

He was just being proud of himself for escaping the pursuits of the Beastman. The next moment, he had landed himself in danger again. After all, could a person hiding in a cave of such a desolate land be kind?

It might be his end this time around.

Link then released an illumination spell and lit up the entire cave. Strangely, when the illumination spell appeared, a layer of transparent veil could be seen at the entrance of the cave.

This was a spatial distortion veil. It could reflect the light from the illumination spell back into the cave. Anyone viewing the cave from outside would not see any peculiarities within.

Link could see the features of this figure clearly. He was instantly surprised by the sight and said, "Morrigan? King of Adventures, Morrigan?"

The person in front of him had blue hair and a strong physique. He had a weathered face that showed the vicissitudes of his life. Link saw him during his time at the Blue Hermit Inn. Morrigan left the moment he saw Eleanor, claiming that she was dangerous.

His sensitivity to danger impressed Link at that point in time.

Morrigan was slightly confused. He glanced between Link, Felina, and Nana with a puzzled expression.

The three of them were weird.

One of them was a black-eyed Magician. His pair of eyes seemed to be all-seeing, piercing into the very depths of his heart. He was wearing a robe enveloped in a permanent crimson hue. It was definitely a high-quality robe. The spell that he used previously was peculiar as well. As a Magician himself, Morrigan actually had no idea what type of spell that was.

There was also a pure and lovely young lady. She looks ordinary enough, though she possessed incredible strength. There was also a crimson-haired woman with a voluptuous figure and immense presence. She was actually a lot taller than him and had broader shoulders as well. She also emitted a terrifying aura.

It was indeed peculiar to see such a strange mix of people in a desolate land at midnight.

"Please forgive me, you are?" Morrigan had been going on adventures this whole time. He could not remember where he had seen this black-haired young man.

"Last winter, Hot Springs City, Blue Hermit Inn. There was a peculiar brunette, and you left immediately after seeing her. I should have followed you out of the Inn. Do you remember now?" Link gave Morrigan a hint.

Morrigan finally remembered the scene as he patted his head and said, "I remember now. You are the black-haired young man from East Cove Higher Magic Academy!"

He then observed Link again and seemed to be reminded of something before his eyes widened. He then said, "You are... Link?"

The Flame Controller’s robe that Link was wearing was too recognizable. The title of the Demon Slayer had spread throughout the Magician’s world. Even a wandering Magician like Morrigan had also heard of his great achievements. He only needed a bit of time before he recognized the revered figure in front of him.

Link nodded to confirm his identity, as he motioned for Nana to put the dagger away.

Morrigan then bowed respectfully to Link before saying, "It is an honor to meet you again."

He then looked at Felina and greeted her with the same bow before saying, "If I am not wrong, you are Felina, the Red Dragon Warrior?"

Felina stopped being wary upon knowing that he was Link’s acquaintance. She became curious after hearing Morrigan’s words and said, "You have heard my name?"

"I was in the North a month ago. Many people have told me about your exploits in the Dark Forest against the Divine Gear. Furthermore, you are of the Dragon Clan. It is rare for a member of your species to leave the canyon. Many people talk about your presence as though it was the stuff of the legends."

Link and Felina exchanged glances. They did not expect so many people to know of that incident.

Link was exceptionally curious about Morrigan’s appearance in this barren land. He then asked, "This place is at least 10000 miles away from the Norton Kingdom. You were in the North just a month ago. Why did you come all the way here?"

"Haha," Morrigan laughed proudly as he asked, "Can I take a seat?"

"Sure." Link also sat down.

Morrigan then took out a carpet made from beast hide and sat cross-legged on it. He then chuckled. "I heard that the Divine Gear had appeared in the North and left that dangerous place without hesitation. Fortunately, I discovered some information about a High Elf historical relic. I then rented a Griffin and flew all the way to the border of the Norton Kingdom, before riding a horse across the Golden Plains. What an adventure! It took me a lot of effort to get here. In fact, I am still on the run from a huge group of Beastman."

Felina captured one key word in his speech and asked, "High Elf historical relic? In the Colorado Mountain Range? Aren’t the High Elves situated on the Isle of Dawn? Are you sure this information is real?"

Morrigan nodded with confidence as he continued, "It’s true! I did not believe it at first as well. I then began to validate the source and eventually, I believe that this historical relic is a grave of a High Elf noble 300 years before the year of the Mana Disaster. You have to know that before the year of the Mana Disaster, the High Elves are the lords of the entire World of Firuman. The Golden Plains is exactly the territory of this High Elf noble. Look at this."

Morrigan was not wary of Link at all. He revealed all that he knew without concealing any of his knowledge. He then unscrolled an ancient script and said, "This is something I copied from an ancient book. Look, 2600 years ago, the Golden Plains was termed as Lebreslyn. In the language of the High Elves, this means the Land of Gold. The first name of the lord of this land was Lebreslynan, also known as the Golden Family. This historical relic is the exact grave of the last lord of the Lebreslynan Family, Derrac Lebreslynan. Did you know? The Golden Family is extremely rich, especially Derrac. He was widely known as a miser and kept many of his treasures with him even to his deathbed. There are long-lost magic books, powerful magic equipment, extremely rare materials and so on in his grave..."

At that moment, Felina’s face sunk as she said, "You are planning to rob a grave?"

The dragon race had many historical sites and graves that possessed much cultural value. They thus hated these grave robbers. In essence, they usually destroy those robbers with a blast of their powerful dragon breath before they could harm any part of their important history. If not for the fact that Morrigan knew Link, Felina would definitely take action immediately!

Felina was only being friendly to Link because Link had won her respect through his strength. Throughout history, the dragon race was not known to be kind towards other races.

Cold sweat then dripped down from Morrigan’s forehead. He realized that he must have been too excited. Although it would be fine to discuss these issues with Link, it was taboo to speak of such things in front of someone from the dragon race. They would most likely be infuriated. He was simply too excited and forgot about it!

After a while, Morrigan muttered, "Actually, I am just planning to take a look to satisfy my curiosity. I will not take anything, I promise."

"Do you think I’m a fool? Who was the one thinking of getting rich outside the cave?" Felina squinted her eyes as she cracked the joints in her body.

Morrigan perspired profusely as he turned to Link for help. He begged, "Master, I give up. I am not going there anymore; please let me go?"

Felina stared at Link as well, "Link, I hate grave robbers the most. These people have no honor for their ancestors. They live to destroy sites filled with cultural importance!"

Link did not reply to Felina. He knew that this was the dragon races’ hatred towards grave robbers and did not wish to be involved in it. Of course, he also did not wish for Morrigan to be killed. He then changed the topic and said, "Morrigan, you said that you are on the run from the Beastman. However, there should not be any Beastman here...Felina, don’t you think this is weird?"

Beastman rarely stepped into the Colorado Mountain Range. This was the case in-game as well. There was only one exception, which was in the case of Isendilan. This dragon attempted to expand his power and enslaved many Beastman as his Warriors in order to achieve his goals.

Link successfully diverted Felina’s attention with these words. She immediately let go of the trivial grave robbing issue and frowned as she said, "That is strange. Graverobber, tell me, what did the Beastman look like?"

Morrigan heaved a sigh of relief. He knew that Link had helped him get out of the predicament. Needless to say, he was grateful. He stopped harping on the grave robbing plans and reported honestly, "This group of Beastman was different from normal Beastman. Their skin was greyish-black in color, and they had bloodshot eyes. They are a lot bigger in build compared to normal Beastman. They are also extremely fast and ferocious, not listening to any form of reason. In essence, they are completely different from the Beastman on the Golden Plains. At least those on the Golden Plains were friendly enough."

Felina thought for a moment before saying, "This incident probably has something to do with Isendilan. I have to get to the bottom of this, Link..."

Link immediately said, "I will help. However, this person managed to escape from those Beastman. He might be a good guide."

"Thank you." Felina thanked Link in a respectful tone. She then turned to face Morrigan and stared at him with killing intent before commanding, "Graverobber, if you do not want to die, lead the way!"