Chapter 580 - 545: The Duke’s Threat of Stealing Love?
The Duke’s library guest room burst into hearty laughter as Makar reappeared in the guise of Santa Claus.
Makar chuckled, "My student, your campaign at the Pool of Radiance has astounded the Alliance. You’ve struck back hard against the Hell Race’s invasion and also against those who doubted you. I’m proud to have a student like you!"
Da Fei quickly bowed, "As a human Lord in the Elf Kingdom, I surely wouldn’t have been granted such high Merit. The victory in the battle is inseparable from the teacher’s behind-the-scenes support!"
Damn it, I’m really speaking from the heart here! Considering how sincere and capable I am, you must nurture me well, master. Those inconvenient matters for you to handle, just leave them all to me, wahahaha!
Makar stroked his beard with a satisfied smile, "So, what’s your next move? Are you planning to clear out all the Demon Camps marked on the map?"
Da Fei nodded, "Yes, teacher. I will definitely eliminate these lingering threats. But I have found two even more serious concerns that the Elf Kingdom cannot address, so I can only continue to ask for the teacher’s assistance."
Makar frowned, "Let’s hear them."
Da Fei said hurriedly, "First, the defeated Spider Demon Army from the battle has invaded the Blood Sea Space where the gem mine is located and is digging tunnels on the islands of the Blood Sea, seemingly intent on taking over the Blood Sea Space. Second, I found a giant Eight-Headed Snake in a passageway of the World Tree Space absorbing the Divine Power of the World Tree. I am tasked to kill it, as the collapse of the World Tree would be disastrous, but I simply do not have the strength to defeat it alone. To ask for reinforcements from the Elf Kingdom would mean passing through the Blood Sea where the gem mine is, which would reveal the location of the mine. Therefore, I had no choice but to report the current situation to the teacher."
After listening to Da Fei’s report, Makar frowned, "Spider Demons invading the Blood Sea Space?"
Then shaking his head, he said heavily, "While it is indeed an invasion, the situation may be a bit puzzling. The news from the Demon Race indicates that the whereabouts of that troop are unclear after the battle. I would like to hear your opinion on these Spider Demons."
Their whereabouts are unclear? Old Ma truly lives up to his name as the Death Lord, getting information from both sides so easily!
Da Fei’s brows twitched, "Teacher, when I arrived at the Blood Sea Space, I found the Spider Demons in extreme disarray, with a large number drowned in the water or killed by Water Monsters. Now fewer than 5,000 remain, which hardly seems like a pre-planned strategic relocation operation."
Makar clapped his hands and laughed loudly, "I see! This is the last ditch effort of the defeated. Of course, it can also be interpreted as fleeing out of guilt! After all, the Demon Eye Governor died in his battlezone, and he bears some responsibility. But the Demon King has need of soldiers; if he had won, the Demon King would have no complaints, but since he failed, he must realize what punishment he’s facing."
Fleeing out of guilt? Da Fei suddenly exclaimed with excitement, "Teacher, if he is fleeing out of guilt, doesn’t it mean he might betray the Demon Race and serve us? If we can recruit him, with their digging skills, we can start mining without alarming the Demigod!"
Makar’s brow tensed, and after stroking his beard and pondering for a moment, he spoke solemnly, "The premise for recruiting is that he must be finding it very difficult to get by. Give me some time to consider this issue."
At this point, Makar’s tone changed, "Now, about your Eight-Headed Snake. Although I am not obligated to monitor everything in the Elf Kingdom, looking at their current troubles, their arrogance and stupidity seem to be directly proportional. Having such allies is truly sorrowful for our Bright Alliance."
Crap! It sounds like he’s really reluctant to help fight the Eight-Headed Snake. But there’s no choice; it’s related to the gem mine. You have to help whether you like it or not.
Da Fei then took out an Eight-Headed Snake information card obtained through the Intelligence Collection Skill. The only line of text on this card was the special skill "Corrosive Poison Domain," "Ice Head Weakness," and all other attack, health, and defense information were question marks.
Da Fei handed the card to Makar and then pointed to Deirdre, "Teacher, this is the slumbering Eight-Headed Snake, about to advance to its ninth head. Once it achieves its ninth head and becomes divine, it will be unmatched within the World Tree Space. That’s why my plan is to have my Deputy Officer control its Ice Head with Puppet Master Magic the moment it tries to advance to the ninth head, then have the Ice Head turn and deliver a fatal blow to the ninth head. But, I can’t guarantee a high success rate, so please think of a solution, teacher."
Makar looked at the card Da Fei gave him, his eyelids twitching wildly. Shaking his head, he sighed, "For you right now, to face such a being is indeed too much of a stretch. However, you are not without opportunity, the biggest weakness of this Eight-Headed Snake is actually its slumber. A fully awake Eight-Headed Snake, even if I personally dealt with it, there would be no assurance!"
With that, Makar waved his hand, and a Space Gate appeared beside him. He reached into the Space Gate and took out a shimmering glass bottle and handed it to Da Fei, "I’m lending this to you, but the price for using it is also extremely great!"
—System Prompt: You have obtained the Divine Artifact "Time Hourglass" on loan from Duke Makar!
—Time Hourglass: Loaned Divine Artifact, upon use, generates a Time Domain around the user that slows down time. The user is not affected by the time slowdown, but the user must pay with their own time for the use of the Time Domain’s duration. (Loan items are bound and cannot be dropped or traded.)
Da Fei’s eyelids twitched in surprise! A Divine Artifact! Old Ma sure knew how to make a statement, lending a Divine Artifact just like that! Does the Time Domain mean it’s like the Divine Skill ’Time Freeze’ that the dinosaur-themed Super K-77 used to obliterate monsters back in the day? Holy cow, this is a Super Divine Artifact, so high-end it’s exploding!
Da Fei excitedly said, "Thank you, teacher, but what does it mean by ’the cost of the time domain’?"
Makar spoke indifferently, "It’s a price to pay, simply put, as long as she uses it once, her level will not be able to rise for a very long time. Also, when the golden light inside the artifact dims and vanishes, the artifact will become ineffective, so you must use it sparingly."
Da Fei was suddenly stunned! Unable to level up for a long time! How long is a long time? Given the system’s usual behavior, it’s probably not going to be short, right? Holy cow, it was already difficult for her to reach level 50, and if she can’t level up for an extended period, how am I supposed to sleep at night?
Seeing Da Fei’s astonished expression, Makar couldn’t help but shake his head and sigh, "There’s no other way, for you at this moment, facing such a formidable being, perhaps any tactics might be meaningless. Hence, the only effective tactic is to control time, but this already involves the Divine Domain, of course, this is also the price you must face. By the way, your Deputy Officer is a Banshee, isn’t she?"
Deirdre hurriedly stepped forward and respectfully curtsied, "Greetings, Duke."
Makar laughed heartily, "A Banshee Hero is exceedingly rare. Besides a small number of naturally born Banshee Heroes, most banshees die of envy and scheming by their own kind during their growth. It’s not easy to see an acquired Banshee Hero, and banshees are naturally adept at Spirit Magic, making them the most likely race to master Master-level Dark Magic through practice. I’ll gift you a ’Master-level Dark Magic Advanced Insights,’ go back and practice diligently, strive to reach Grandmaster level before the battle!"
— System Prompt: Duke Makar gifts your Vice Hero Deirdre "Master-level Dark Magic Advanced Insights."
— "Master-level Dark Magic Advanced Insights": After using, the hero will gain information on Master-level Dark Magic.
Da Fei’s brows twitched again! Holy cow, first a Divine Artifact, now Skill Insights! He’s giving everything I wanted; Makar is way too generous, isn’t he? But no matter how generous Makar is, he’s still a system character, right? Could the system really be that generous? Especially since there’s been no trigger for a related quest right now?
At this moment, Deirdre responded with an enchanting smile and a sweetly sickening voice, "Thank you for your gracious gift, Duke!"
Damn it! That charm, that voice, it seems she only used it on that cheap tutor called Siriel! This is the sycophancy of a minion toward the powerful, and even though she’s gentle to me, I’ve never enjoyed this level of treatment. Is this a privilege only the powerful enjoy?
In that instant, Da Fei shattered to pieces! The Banshees’ nature is to cling to the strong, and in hell, banshees are equivalent to currency in the hands of the powerful. Having high-level banshees is a matter of pride for the strong in hell, and the reason Siriel was so fond of the mysterious apprentice banshee Deirdre was, after all, because he wanted her as his own forbidden fruit.
And especially since Deirdre, like Anlicia, doesn’t have an attribute of loyalty, that’s a painfully big problem! Does it mean that Makar, possibly harboring ulterior desires, is trying to steal my thunder? Right, he’s giving things directly to Deirdre, not through me, the player; this definitely isn’t normal at all, damn it!
Now, seeing Deirdre’s thanks, Da Fei could only hold back his pain and say, "Thank you, teacher, for your strong support!"
Makar stroked his beard and smiled faintly, "Consider it a test of your combat prowess. If you can slay the Eight-Headed Snake, I will have more important duties and missions for you. Work hard."
Damn it! Believe it or not, my effort in the end will be to help my wife, Little Nun, overturn you!
Da Fei could only chuckle and say, "Thank you for your trust, teacher. I will give it my all and certainly will not disappoint you."
The Duke nodded, "Very well, you may leave now."
The Vampire Butler stepped forward with a smile, "Sir, madam, please!"
Damn it! The last time I brought Catherine along, they didn’t say "madam, please"!
This damn thing, with the Duke undermining me, I feel so pressured! Anyway, I’ll equip Deirdre with the Divine Artifact first; once I make it big later on, I’ll equip her with a full set of Divine Artifacts and see who can take my love from my hands? Not a chance.
Da Fei prepared to leave the Duke Mansion with Deirdre, and at this moment, outside the doors of the Duke Mansion, hundreds of players had already gathered... (To be continued. If you like this work, please support it with recommendation votes and monthly tickets on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)