chsdbacks Page 16
Page 16
The demon servant's laughter caught in his throat, and he screamed in disbelief:
"How can it be?!"
"Could it be?! Legend has it that once a Titan reaches the Legendary level, they gain a great deal of magic immunity..." Uroda's mind went blank for a moment, various guesses flashing through his mind. He screamed inwardly, "Legendary? How is that possible!"
【Demon Samurai (Aceby) #Offline】
Latis glanced at the symbol above the demon servant's head and couldn't help but say:
"Aceby, you really are an Aisby!"
Chapter 27 Sworn Brotherhood (Part 2)
"Uh-huh!"
"No no no!"
The muffled shouts drew Ateliers' attention. She turned to look at the bound and gagged Dragonhorn Lord and his entourage, a cold smile creeping across her face.
"Wow, golden legend!"
Latis pulled a handful of gold coins from a treasure chest under the bookshelf and muttered to himself:
"How much money must be in here...?"
A glint flashed in the silver-haired half-elf's eyes, and he said with a slight pursing of his lips:
"Two thousand gold whites is not much, less than a quarter's tax revenue of Dragonhorn Territory."
"What? A mere lord can earn two thousand gold coins in a quarter??" Latis's expression changed drastically.
“Hmm… if this lord is so stingy that there’s practically no public spending,” Artemis nodded. “But for a mage, it’s just a small amount of money. Crafting even the most basic spell scroll costs three or four hundred gold whites, not counting labor costs. And for mages, scrolls are considered daily consumables; enchanting equipment staves is even more expensive…”
Latis thought to himself, his expression shifting between light and shadow:
"I've been a veteran in the simulator for ten years and all I have is 800 gold whites. Poverty really limits my imagination!"
“These pages are usable.” As she spoke, Ateliers tore six or seven pages from the old grimoire in her hand, then used cotton thread to assemble them into a new cover. “First-circle Healing Mantra; Second-circle Shapeshifter and Shrink/Gigantify; Third-circle Blink, Flight, Speed Boost, and Beacon.”
Latis watched the half-elf string together the grimoire with his slender fingers and asked curiously:
"Coach, I also want to use a magic book. Can you teach me?"
Ateliers' fingers paused for a moment, then continued winding the cotton rope, but a subtle, almost imperceptible sadness crept into her voice:
“You can use the magic network, there’s no need to go down this path. It’s not only incredibly expensive, but you also need to find the recipes for spells. And if you lose your magic book, you’ll have to start all over again, just like me… I only chose this path because I’m a Herod.”
"It's alright!" Latis gave a thumbs up. "Although casting with the magic network is convenient, casting with the magic book is so cool! Whether it's powerful or not is a matter of one version, but whether it's cool or not is a matter of a lifetime!"
Artemis's lips curled up slightly. Although she didn't understand words like "version," she felt a sense of comfort deep inside after losing all her people and suddenly learning that there were still people who shared her path.
"Ahem... Since you put it that way, alright then." Artemis regained her calm tone, but couldn't help reveal a hint of joy:
"Actually, becoming an old-school mage isn't all bad... You don't have to worry about the stability of the magic network connection to cast spells at any time; there are no restrictions on spell slots, all spells can be cast using spell slots of the current level; you can cast spells indefinitely until your mana runs out; because the materials were already used when writing the pages, there's no need to prepare additional materials as casting mediums; your control over spells improves much faster; when modifying or creating magic, you can visually observe whether it works on paper, and also..."
Hearing a half-elf speak so much for the first time, Latis was taken aback. He looked closely at the half-elf's face and suddenly said:
"Ate, you can't hold back your smile any longer."
Artemis suddenly stopped talking. She looked at Latis, who was staring at her with curiosity, and a faint blush crept onto her cheeks.
Just as Latis braced herself for getting a beating for being a jerk, Ateliers raised her hands, slapped her own face, and nodded seriously:
"I am indeed very happy."
She smiled without any attempt to hide it, then subconsciously suppressed it: "Because the thought of living alone in this world from now on, struggling to find revenge or the truth, must be a very difficult thing! But I will do it anyway. However, before that, knowing that there is someone like you... brother, a fellow traveler with me, suddenly made my heart leap with joy."
"Why are you getting all sentimental? But it's true, I've never experienced a thrilling prison escape with anyone... No, it would be strange if I had..." Latis scratched his head vigorously, raised a finger, and said with a heroic expression:
"I……"
He suddenly stopped, hesitated for a moment, and asked in a low voice:
"Bro, you're so good-looking, you wouldn't happen to be a gigolo, would you?"
"Huh?" Artemis looked at Latis in confusion.
“That’s right, that kind,” Latis said hesitantly, “being a man but liking men.”
Artemis stared wide-eyed at the meaningful smile on Latis's face, shaking her head repeatedly:
"I'm absolutely not!"
"That's good……"
Latis nodded, whether with relief or regret, then raised the finger he had just used, his youthful exuberance surging, and shouted passionately:
"I, La, have always been a man of my word, speaking my mind freely and in a colorful and chaotic way! Since you, Ate, are my first brother in this world, I will not let you face the storms alone! From now on, we will share happiness and hardship together!"
He looked at the open treasure chest, picked up a handful of gold coins, and said righteously:
"There's no time like the present, and no better time than now! Ate! Before the God of Gold, let us become sworn brothers!"
Ateliers, sitting on the ground, looked up at the suddenly agitated Latis and said weakly:
"It seems that Atlantis doesn't have a God of Coins..."
"It's alright! Just give the order, and I'll immediately accord you as the new God of Gold!" Latis laughed heartily. "From now on, you'll call me Big Brother, and I'll call you Second Brother. Oh, by the way, Second Brother, how old are you?"
Artemis pursed her lips and said with a slight smile, "Big brother, I'm already twenty-nine years old this year."
"Uh." Latis suddenly froze; his original self was only twenty-one years old...
He looked at Arterifus, whose face resembled that of a young boy, and asked, "How long do elves live?"
“Hmm…” Arterifus looked thoughtful. “Because after the Mother Goddess left, the living environment of the Herod people changed very quickly, so there are very few elderly people who die of natural causes. It is said that when the Mother Goddess was still alive, ordinary Herod people could live to be two or three hundred years old, and after their strength increased, their bloodline concentration increased, and some could even live to be over a thousand years old.”
“My brother is definitely top-tier, over a thousand years old…”
Latis scratched his head:
"That's like you're only two years old! You shouldn't call me brother, you should call me uncle!"
Artemis looked suspicious and gave a soft snort: "Don't try to fool me!"
"Hehe." Latis grinned, then continued, "By the God of Gold, my brother Arte and I do not ask to be born on the same day, month, and year, but we ask to die on the same day, month, and year!"
Having said that, he suddenly remembered the short lifespan of humans, and couldn't help but glance at the obedient Atelier, muttering guiltily:
"I have a feeling of cursing my half-elf brother..."
Artemis lowered her head and touched her chest, only to find that she had already given her necklace to Latis. After thinking for a moment, she took off a ring from her thumb, stood up, and handed it to Latis.
“Athena is willing to share joys and sorrows with you, brother, and walk hand in hand through life and death.” Atelius said solemnly in Elvish, then switched to Common, “Brother, this ring has been imbued with a shield that can be charged three times, and it will automatically activate in the event of a sudden attack. Hmm… consider it my gift to you!”
Latis, who couldn't understand Elvish at all, could only gape and stammer, "Me too!"
Artemis placed the ring into Latis's hand and nodded vigorously.
Latis fiddled with the ring. The ring on the elf's thumb was a few sizes too small for him, and it was too big on his little finger. So he had no choice but to wear it on his ring finger.
"I wonder if there are similar customs in this other world... Never mind, it'll save me from always being surrounded by some nonsensical women!"
The fluctuations of his soul flowed into the ring, bringing the synchronized attributes to life before his eyes.
[Autumn Leaves' Whisper (Already in tune): A ring personally forged by the half-elf Atelier when she was thirteen. Inscribed on the inside of the band is a line of small Elven text: To the most important person. Solidified spells: Shield (3/3), Chain of Protection]
[Spell Solidification - Shield: Conjures an invisible magical shield around you, increasing your defense; or it will automatically activate when you are targeted by an attack. (Charge: 3/3)]
[Spell Solidification - Chain of Protection: For a period of time, establishes a life bond with the target, increasing spell immunity and resistance, and sharing damage. Note: This ring is linked to "Autumn Leaves' Whisper".]
"The Chain of Protection?" Latis couldn't help but ask.
"Ah, you actually recognized this spell!" Ateliers exclaimed in surprise, then added somewhat embarrassedly, "I wanted to improve your safety the moment we encounter any danger during our future adventures. Your strength is still shallow, and this spell will allow me to better protect you..."
"I know, I know!" Latis waved his hand, chuckling to himself, "Brother, we're not sure who'll protect whom yet!"
Now that the sworn brotherhood had ended, Latis turned to look at the lord and demon servant who had been lying on the ground for some distance, and said hesitantly:
"What should we do with these two..."
Uroda's face showed terror, and he shook his head frantically:
"No no no!"
Seeing that the demon servant was lifeless and unresponsive, he bumped the demon servant with his butt.
The demon servant was then jolted awake from his shock at being unable to connect to the magic network:
"No no no!"
"Don't worry, I won't feed you two to the red dragon." Latis frowned, starting to think about how to squeeze the last bit of value out of them, whether to use them to practice his Mage Hand technique or something...
“Oh, right…” He raised his hand, about to say something, when he saw the ceiling above them suddenly shatter, and then a huge red dragon descended and casually pressed her twelve-ton body onto the two of them.
Latis's eyes widened, and he raised his hand and shouted:
"Caesar!..."
……
"Huh? I'm not Caesar!"
Serfal shook his head, pointed his dragon claw at himself, and shouted:
"Kono Serfda!"
"It's alright now." Latis sighed and asked, "Serfar, why haven't you left yet?"
"I don't remember how I got home," Serfal said matter-of-factly.
"Where is your child?" Latis asked, covering her face.
"I don't know where it flew off to, and I'm too lazy to look for it."
"Uh, where's your husband?"
“I just saw him. He said he went back to water the eggs first and told me to find my way home myself.”
"Pouring eggs?" Latis asked, puzzled. "What do you mean?"
“It’s just…” A clear look of confusion appeared on Serfar’s dragon face. She opened her mouth wide and said blankly, “It’s just…”
“I’ve heard that adult female dragons lay eggs naturally every so often,” Ateliers whispered. “But these eggs don’t hatch into baby dragons, so dragons usually use contracts or force to enslave and force a male to…”
"Go?" Latis looked completely bewildered.