Raze wasted no time leaving the special private room they were in and heading back outside to the busy, bustling streets filled with people and warriors.
They were currently heading to the marketplace first to see if they could get a list of the items; some of them they knew would be impossible, such as level 3 power stones, but Raze said not to worry about that. He would simply get them at the auction house, or worst case, if they didn’t have any, he would just ask Fixteen, since the Crimson Crane was most likely to have left the city already.
“Other than needing three level 3 power stones, it looks like we also need certain types of herbs and plants as well as a special type of urn; there are instructions as to what the urn needs to look like,” Graft explained, looking at a sheet of paper.
“Don’t you think it would have been easier if Shing were just brought along with us, rather than to have you two come along?” Raze asked as they finally entered the busy market area.
It was a square with rows of market stalls that would go up and down. Some of them were selling grilled food as well as a number of other items.
The amount of times Raze had been here, in this area in the city, was several, but he had only been here a few times.
“Shing tends to stand out,” Barlan explained. “Due to his large size, we get unwanted attention. He is extremely helpful on tasks and in dimensions, but most of the time he stays out of sight, and it’s pretty hard to hide him.”
After checking the first few stalls, it didn’t appear they had what they were looking for, but after asking some of the stall workers, they had pointed them in the right direction to get the herbs and plants needed at least.
That was when Barlan decided to ask questions that had been on his mind for a while.
“So you really are a mage from Alterian?” Barlan asked. “With the sword by your side and your skills, I thought you might have been a Pagna warrior.”
“But then that blazer you’re wearing has a strong enchantment as well.”
“Yes, I am a mage,” Raze replied. “I went to the central Academy; as for the blazer, it was a gift.”
“Ah, I see,” Barlus nodded. “I guess you came from quite a noble family then, to receive a gift as great as that. You did seem quite young, so it would make sense for you to be at the academy.”
“I feel quite bad for you; it’s rare that we get young ones that happen to come over to the other side.”
Barlan continued to talk as Raze looked for the items through the market, and Graft double-checked that they were the right ones.
“I myself was an up-and-coming mage; I was part of The Glory Guild.”
Raze was just about to reach out to grab one of the plants that was confirmed to be the right one, but then his hand hesitated for a moment after he heard the guild’s name.
Soon after, it moved again as he grabbed the plant.
“How much?” Raze asked.
“Oh, that there is quite a popular plant with the alchemists; it’s at least two silvers,” the woman stated.
Graft was ready to try and barter, or check whether that was the true price or not. He tended to go from one stall to the other to confirm and get the best price, but before he could, Raze had already handed over two silver coins and handed the plant over to Graft.
“No discount…” Graft was quite disappointed. He usually prided himself on getting the cheapest price possible for his squad, and he wanted to show off his skills.
He never realized until now that he actually got joy from getting the price down from the original.
This continued onwards as they got the items from each area one after the other, and Raze didn’t waste time bargaining. He had accumulated a great amount of wealth already from selling the pills marked with DM, so none of this mattered to him.
He also had no way to spend his money because he was at the market. Rather than wasting time, or having someone else snap up the things he needed, he would just pay whatever they asked for in this situation.
After searching the whole of the marketplace, they were unable to find the level 3 power stones, so it was time for them to head to the auction.
While on their way there, Raze decided to bring up a conversation, a word that had been bothering him for a while now.
“You said that you were from the Glory Guild, right? Isn’t that the Guild that belonged to Enaxx?” Raze asked.
“I thought you would recognize it,” Barlan replied, his nose held up high in the air and his chest puffed out slightly more. “The guild belongs to one of the Grand Magus.”
“Grand Magus?” Graft asked, as he knew about the mages but didn’t know about this particular group of people.
“They are the strongest and most admired by all of the mages in Alterian,” Barlan continued. “Which is why me being in their guild is a big achievement. These mages have greater strength than any middle-stage warrior.”
“They are most likely even greater than those that are at the Divine level, although it’s hard for me to say since I’ve never met a Divine level being, at least not at their full power.”
For a second, Graft noticed the expression on Raze’s face when Barlan was talking; it certainly wasn’t one of admiration by any means.
“You are quite a young mage at the academy; I was wondering what star level are you at?” Barlan asked.
It was rare for him to meet another mage. He hung around too many that didn’t understand his greatness or what he had achieved, so he was happy to finally speak to someone for once.
“I’m a 4-star mage,” Raze answered. “I was a 3-star mage when I got here but managed to upgrade to a 4-star.”
Barlan’s hand was shaking slightly as he was surprised to hear the answer. Someone so young reaching such a high-level stage, was that possible?
“How long has it been since you jumped to this world?” Raze asked while Barlan was still startled by this fact.
“About a year now,” Barlan answered.
This meant that there was a particular fact that Barlan didn’t know, that the Dark Magus according to the world was no more.
“Then, I’m sure with you being in the Demonic Faction for a while you have heard of a particular name that has spread around these parts right?”
In an instant, Barlan knew what he was talking about.
“Right, how could I not, the Alchemist who has been calling himself the Dark Magus. It’s unlikely to be anything but a coincidence, but I can’t help but think, what if the Dark Magus had jumped to this world, what would happen then?” Barlan asked.
“Right, I wonder what would happen.”
Chapter 462 Thing’s Don’t Add Up
Arriving at the auction hall, Raze knew the right person to go to, as he had been here before with Reno. When he was with Reno, though, he still had the specially made hoodie that covered his face, so he doubted the auction man would recognize him.
As he was walking ahead, though, and went to enter the auction house, there was a man at the gate, a guard meant to check everyone’s credentials. After all, they didn’t want a bunch of people to waste their time. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
“Stop, do you have an appointment inside? If not, then you must make an appointment before you enter. If you wish to get your items assessed and in the auction house, there are plenty of assessors based outside,” the large man said.
“I hate these types,” Graft replied. “But I guess we have no choice.”
Or so he thought. Just as the two of them were about to turn away, they could see Raze continue to walk forward. Barlan was watching, wondering what he was going to do.
“Don’t tell me, is that kid going to… attack him, but using magic is forbidden when we’re not in a dimension!” Barlan said, although it was more of a general rule. Most mages in Alter knew how much magic they could use before it would attract attention, and what people didn’t see didn’t hurt them.
When Raze approached the man, he moved his hand rather quickly, holding the back of his head, and pulled it close to Raze’s face. The man was too slow to even react to his hand.
“I don’t have an appointment, but I wish to see the Auctioneer. Is that okay?” Raze asked.
The man was a Pagna warrior himself, a 3rd stage warrior given the task of guard duty, so he could tell instantly that he was no match for this person. So he could do nothing but smile as he answered.
“Please, go ahead.”
The three of them carried on forward, and Graft looked at the man, who was covered in sweat. It was quite clear that he had received a fright.
“Right, I almost forgot that you also knew how to use Pagna warrior skills,” Barlan commented, now that they were inside the auction house. “Although, I’m not so sure if us agents of Alter should be just brazenly going into places like this.”
“I wasn’t meant to be an agent that was in this place anyway,” Raze answered. “So I am just acting like any Pagna warrior would.”
Graft knew Raze was right about that. In a world where strength meant everything, one’s stage level was their status, which allowed them to get more access to whatever they wanted in this world.
Still, there were things that both Graft and Barlan were realizing that didn’t make quite any sense to them, but they kept their thoughts to themselves for now.
When Raze met the man he was looking for, a frail man with rounded glasses, he called out to the Auctioneer.
“I wish to do some business with you. Do you have three level 3 power stones at hand by any chance?” Raze asked.
The auctioneer was startled for a bit, but he quickly regained his composure. It was more often than one would think that a powerful warrior or rich merchant would force their way into a meeting with him.
“I do, but I’m afraid that they have already been listed. If you want those items, you will have to wait until the auction.”
This wasn’t the answer Raze wanted. He needed to get out of the Demonic Faction, so the quicker he dealt with this other issue, the quicker he could leave. Reaching into his special pouch, he then pulled out three gold coins and chucked them over to the Auctioneer.
Treating them like the most precious gems in the world, the auctioneer quickly grabbed them, careful not to drop them. Held in his hands, they were reflecting off the glasses he was wearing.
“This should be over anything you would get for those crystals if they were listed. That should cover it, no?” Raze asked.
“Certainly, sir!” The auctioneer nodded. It was his lucky day. It didn’t make sense; those who were wealthy enough to overpay for level 3 crystals by such an amount would easily be able to get their hands on it through other means.
This type of thing would never happen, but it was all because of the circumstances being right. Raze needed them, and he didn’t have time to go hunting in a dimension or patiently waiting for them.
“I’ll fetch them for you right away.” The auctioneer was only gone for a couple of moments as he handed the crystals over in a container to Raze. After taking the crystals out, Raze handed the container back.
It was clear by the way he handled them that these weren’t precious power stones to him. He had handled things like these all the time, which led the auctioneer to wanting to ask a question.
“Sir, may I please know your name? If I do, I can place you on our VIP list; you won’t have trouble getting into the establishment, and if you ever need something, we can reserve it for you. We can even send a list of items that we receive.”
Raze thought this might come in handy, but it couldn’t be him. He would need Fixteen to become a member of the auction to get things, and that was if he wasn’t already.
“My name, the money I gave you, part of it, is payment for me not to give my name. I was never here, and I never bought these items,” Raze answered and turned around to walk away.
The auctioneer knew when to keep his mouth shut, so he gave a polite bow and walked away. Now Raze had all the items needed to help Shing use his powers; it was time for them to head back.
While walking back, Raze was walking at a fairly fast pace in front of the other two, and Graft and Barlan couldn’t help but look at each other as they wondered what they had just seen.
“Hey, have you ever seen a kid act like that before? I mean, just walk in and be so demanding?” Barlan whispered.
“Actually, I have. Many Pagna warriors, due to being raised by high clans and their family status, get this young master syndrome. They believe they can walk in and have anything they want in this world,” Graft answered. “Although, the way he did it was completely different.
“He was forceful and got straight to the point; he didn’t ponder nor use a name. Instead, he was direct with what he wanted and just got out. It wasn’t like a young master but more like a master himself.”
“Right,” Barlan nodded.
“Not just that, but I am curious. How can he just use three golden coins like that? Sure, the payment from Alter is good, but not that good, and he hasn’t been in Alter for long.”
“And that’s what I wanted to say as well,” Barlan commented. “How has he become such a good Pagna warrior and learned their skills in such a short amount of time? How long did he say he was here? Two, maybe three months? Things aren’t adding up.”
Chapter 463 You Might Die, If We Do This, Raze’s Warning
The Alter group that belonged to Marcus were accustomed to constant movement. Tensions were high within these groups, and for good reason; they were here secretly, after all.
There was a large, lacking presence of Alter in the Demonic Faction. One wrong move, and they would disappear with next to no support to help them. So, they needed to lay low for the entirety of the time they were here, which also meant moving a lot.
Graft headed to the job board, and on it, he could see a particular request that he was looking for. Pulling it off the board, he tore it down, ripping it up after. Now he knew where they needed to go.
There wasn’t a lack of inns in the large city. Repton had a number of visitors that would come from all over and needed a place to stay, so it wasn’t a surprise that their next meeting place was another inn.
When entering this one, it wasn’t particularly empty like the last. They headed up to their rooms, and all three of them entered, seeing them all huddled up in a relatively small room.
There was a single double bed, one desk, and that was it. The whole group was standing about, and not much light was coming into the room due to Shing standing next to the window and his body blocking most of it.
“It looks like you made it; that was far quicker than I thought,” Marcus stated. “I thought Shing said the items were rare and expensive. I thought you might even have to do a few favors to get what you needed.”
“Anyhow, enough with that. I managed to get in contact with Himmy, which is good news.”
Hearing this, Barlan and Graft were ready to act. All of the strange thoughts that were circling in their heads, they were starting to think that maybe this person wasn’t from Alter after all.
It was quite possible that he had just killed an Alter member and stolen his emblem. It would explain a lot, with his story not adding up.
“All is good. Himmy confirmed that you are indeed part of his squad,” Marcus said. “And he is happy to help bring you into the Dark Faction. So, after you’re done with whatever it is you need to do with Shing, we can head off.”
The news came as a surprise to both Barlan and Graft. Everything was fine, which meant that Raze had been telling the truth this entire time. They were sure that Marcus would have given a description of Raze to confirm.
“Is it okay if I pay for another room so me and Shing can have a bit more privacy, as I am unsure of what is going to happen?” Raze suggested. He didn’t want something occurring like the last few times he had met the bloody woman.
Whenever they would meet, there would tend to be deaths that would occur.
“Sure, I don’t mind that, but I’m not sure you are aware of this, but our funds are a little low, you see. We spent quite a bit at the Inn to clear the place out,” Marcus explained with a nervous smile.
Tanya slapped the back of Marcus’s head right then and there.
“You idiot, you said you convinced them, not paid them!”
“I convinced them with money, isn’t that the same thing?” Marcus replied back. “Either way, I’m happy for you to go ahead and do your personal business, but you will need to pay for it yourself.”
“That is not a problem,” Raze said as he looked at Shing, who leaned off the wall and followed along with Raze.
As soon as the door shut behind them, Barlan couldn’t help but make a comment.
“Yeah, he really wouldn’t have a problem; that guy’s a walking money bag.”
“What do you mean?” Ponyo asked. “Did something happen while you were out?”
Both Graft and Barlan looked at each other as they went ahead and explained everything they had seen. Not only did they explain everything that had happened, but they even went on to talk about their suspicions.
They went on to say why they had these thoughts as well.
“That is strange, but I heard that mages that learn Pagna arts tend to learn them faster,” Ponyo commented. “Because if they have a large amount of mana, they can essentially be the same as higher stage warriors. He would still have to learn the skills though.”
“I suppose you are right,” Barlan replied. “I also heard the same as well. Mana and Qi are quite similar in how they are used, so a mage can even learn skills faster. But then what about the money? He’s so young, how can he have so much money?”
“Well, maybe he robbed someone,” Tanya replied.
Graft didn’t think that was out of the question, thinking about what he saw in the dimension that time, and there was also the times and connection to the Crimson Crane. Perhaps those were the reasons why, but he needed to keep his mouth shut.
“It’s not our problem to deal with,” Marcus replied. “It’s Himmy’s, and besides, we have been asked to step out of the Demonic Faction, so all of us will be traveling with him when he’s done.”
After paying for the room next to him, Raze and Shing had entered. Shing sat down about a meter away from Raze and started to mix the items up, including crushing the level 3 power stones.
He continued to do this, and eventually everything became a paste that he had put in a bowl. The paste itself was glowing, and Raze could feel the power, but he thought it was strange to be consumed this way.
It looked quite similar to the potions that the mages would make but was slightly different.
“This here, after I consume it, will temporarily increase my powers. It allows me to connect with the world we cannot see even more so. It is only a temporary measure, though,” Shing explained. “I might be able to see this person attached to you; I might be able to speak to them, but my real body will be here, and I will be talking to you so you can hear.”
Listening to it, what Shing was about to do sounded similar to the astral projection technique that he knew.
“When I connect with these people as well, sometimes it is harder for me to connect the next time, so this will be a one-
time thing, and this is very dangerous depending on who I connect with.”
Raze understood and gave a nod.
“If all goes well, I promise I will reward you for this.”
“Alright, before we start, I want to ask, is there anything you can do to increase your connection with this person? Think, how did you know this person existed; what did you first do?”
This wasn’t hard for Raze. Whenever he performed the Demonic Cultivation Technique, especially in the Demonic Faction, his connection was the strongest.
“There is; I will start that now… Thank you for doing this… And I promise you, I will do whatever I can to protect you.”
Those words caused Shing to hesitate for a moment as he lifted the bowl to his mouth, but a smile appeared; this was exciting for him. Now he was curious as to what this would be.
Chapter 464 A Meeting With The Blooded Woman
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Dark Magus 464
If there was one thing that Raze hadn’t done much of, it was cultivating through the normal means. Usually, cultivating a specific type of energy into one’s dantian was the normal way for one to progress.
Bit by bit, one was trying to increase the amount of Qi they had in their bodies. Expanding it so it would break and allow them to go to the next stage. But due to the number of experiences Raze had, he was able to increase his Qi using rare power stones that one wouldn’t acquire at their level, and there was also the Extraction technique.
However, it wasn’t as if there were no benefits to Raze cultivating. Whenever he did do such a thing, he was able to be more in tune with his energy, allowing him to sense flow better not just from himself, but from others that used it as well.
Still, despite this, he had steered away from using the standard Demonic cultivation technique that was known as the cycle of life and death because of what could appear, that was until now.
‘You always tried to come out before, to connect with me when I didn’t want it, but now I’m trying to connect to you, so you better come out, and I have some questions for you!’ Raze thought, closing his eyes.
He took in a deep breath through his nose, his hands were shaped in front of his stomach as he gathered the energy into a ball-like shape. When he took a breath in, his hands expanded slightly drawing more energy into him, and when breathing out, his hands moved closer together, then it was time for the imagery in his head.
Shing, who was sitting opposite him, had drunk the solution but knew it would take some time to work, but already he was seeing a large difference with his eyes. The whole area was almost changing to him.
The other world was brought forward, and the room felt like it was being filled with a mystic deep fog. Voices began to whisper into his ear; he couldn’t quite make out the words.
The energy was rising inside of Shing, and his eyes were starting to glow with a slight white. Almost instantly the room had changed for him; when looking at the floor it felt a bit rough.
Moving his hands slightly down, he could feel something rough to the touch, and a foul stench entered his nose.
‘This world… is it really the same one that I usually see… or is it a world that’s brought by her,’ Shing thought.
Right now, in the room of mist, the ground was littered with the dead. Bodies looked to have been piled on top of one another on the floor. Even the floor underneath Shing… he was sitting on the pile of the dead.
When he moved his hand, everything felt so real to him, even though he should be in the same place as at home.
‘I have taken this solution before, and my powers have increased, but it has never done this. It feels like the reality around me has changed. This can’t just be because of my powers; it has to be because of hers as well.’
When looking ahead, Shing could see it; opposite him, Raze was sitting down, but hanging over his body were two long thin hands. They were wrapped by the side of his neck but continued downward until they were touching the floor.
Soaked in blood, only pale skin could be seen on the other side. When trying to look at where the hands led to, there was a large amount of black hair, and finally, when it led to the woman’s face, there was nothing.
As if scratched out on a piece of paper, Shing was unable to see what it was, or who it was.
“Is she there?” Raze asked. He was focusing on continuing the technique, but he had gotten to the point where he could speak at the same time. “She is, isn’t she? Ask her why is she attached to me, what is her purpose, and what does she want?”
Shing was getting ready to repeat what Raze had said; he opened his mouth but then she had spoken already.
“I’m not death!” The voice said, it was deep, but feminine while still sounding like a whisper, but one thing, it was clear for both of them to hear. “What is this? Is this because of your power he can clearly hear me? You have an interesting power.”
The bloody woman’s hand was raised, and a finger pointed out toward Shing, it was stretching and moving toward him but stopped midway in the room as Raze was beginning to be a little unstable.
“Don’t touch him.” Raze said.
“Oh, you can’t see me, but it seems you can feel my intentions. I knew the two of us were so similar. This pile of dead bodies that you see, you must have killed the same amount right?” The woman began to laugh.
“Just answer my question, what do you want from me?” Raze asked.
“What do I want from you, what do I want from you, what do I want from you?” the woman repeated and started to laugh once again. “I am stuck with you… so you have to live… stop doing such dangerous things and tiring me out…”
Based on the information she gave, Raze could only tell a couple of things; she needed him alive, and she was with him for one reason or another. It didn’t seem like she would elaborate, and in those cases when people did that, it was usually because they didn’t want the other person to find out why.
“Alright fine, then tell me, how did you come into possession of me, how did the two of us meet?” Raze asked.
The woman’s voice sounded like she was in the middle of a thought as she was humming and erring. While this was happening, something was occurring with Shing as well. The solution he had taken, its power was already taking effect, but it was growing inside him.
He was able to see more, and as he looked at the woman in front of him, the scratched-out face, it was starting to fade away slightly, disappearing bit by bit, allowing him to see more and more.
He continued to look, and that’s when it stared right back at him, and the body of the bloody woman stayed stiff.
“Can you see me?” The woman asked.
Shing said nothing, as his powers continued, and he felt like he was frozen.
“Can you see me… me… me… my face…” The woman asked again.
To which Shing looked away, and right there and then it was as if the woman had gotten her answer.
“ARGHH!” A mighty scream echoed in the room, and her arms had unlatched from Raze as she went forward, but at the same time, Raze had drawn his sword from his sheath and covered it with his Dark Magic. freёReadNovelFull.com
‘I don’t know what works against this thing, magic or Qi, so I will just have to use both!’
He swung it forward, and it felt like it connected with something in the air, a clash of power. As it expanded out, the entire scene in front of them disappeared, and Raze no longer felt resistance against his sword.
He swung down, and it hit the Inn’s floor. The Qi attack caused a large explosion, destroying it and creating a large hole underneath.
Immediately, the others from the other room rushed inside as they went through the door, breaking the side of the wall.
‘What is going on!” Marcus shouted, and all of their weapons were on Raze.
“No wait!” Shing shouted, getting up from the floor. “He just… saved my life.”