chsdbacks Chapter 717 Reflections and Last Resorts
Chapter 717 Reflections and Last Resorts
As he plummeted down the stairs, another question lingered in Jemin's mind: Why would the Broadleaf Wizard outsource this task? Realizing that the Broadleaf Wizard must have had other motives, this question remained in his thoughts.
Now, the answer is gradually becoming clear.
The first, obvious purpose is that the Broadleaf Wizard needs help.
Although the dimensional portal technology mastered by the rebels was immature, it possessed extremely strong single-point killing capabilities.
If we rely solely on conventional legions to encircle and suppress them, the losses will be substantial.
Hiring wizards skilled in the Reflection Dimension can reduce casualties without paying them extra.
Because technology itself is a form of reward.
This is one reason.
But what's really important is something else.
That is, Broadleaf Wizard wanted to reinforce the concept of "wizard" in the minds of these rebel dragons.
If the only force hunting them down is that of the Broadleaf Wizard.
Therefore, in the eyes of the dragon people, the other party was merely a powerful conqueror.
No matter how terrifying their strength or how vast their influence, their ultimate goal is always the same: an enemy.
No matter how powerful a single enemy may be, there are always many ways to deal with it.
For example, waiting for him to leave, or waiting for him to weaken, or waiting for a chance to turn the tide.
But when other wizards are on stage, the situation is completely different.
Harta's fear wasn't of being captured, but rather the phrase, "Another new wizard has arrived."
To the dragon people, the Broadleaf Wizard was almost a god.
But now they've discovered that there's more than one such entity.
The Broadleaf Wizards, powerful as gods and possessing personal influence large enough to capture their entire civilization, were merely members of the "Wizard" civilization. This meant that even if they did overthrow the Broadleaf Wizards' rule, they would face an even more terrifying enemy.
That sense of oppression was enough to destroy the psychological defenses of all living beings in a civilization.
In this desperate situation, the so-called resistance fighters had only two choices.
Either give up resisting.
Either... or they need to find a power stronger than the Dragonman civilization.
But what the Broadleaf Wizard really wanted to see was the latter.
Whether it's forcing out a possible mastermind, a hidden force, or even secrets that even the dragon people themselves dare not easily touch, it's all an acceptable outcome for Broadleaf Wizard.
Even if it turns out that there are no real results, he won't lose out, since the wizards he invited don't require him to pay any substantial compensation.
In addition, if the other party actually summons an enemy that is beyond his capabilities, he can directly entrust these wizards to help him fight.
Therefore, hiring other wizards not only allows them to get free labor, but also helps them achieve their own goals, and can even provide a safety net.
Moreover, given the wizard's intelligence, they could locate these lurking creatures much faster...
With so many advantages, Broadleaf Wizard naturally wouldn't let such a good opportunity pass him by.
Thinking of this, Jemin couldn't help but smile.
"Truly worthy of being a wizard, he seems to want to earn three times the profit from one thing."
He was no longer surprised by the wizard's greed for multiple uses.
Anyway, I didn't lose anything.
The task was simple, the reward was good, and it didn't harm his own interests, so Jemin didn't bother to care whether the Broadleaf Wizard's true objective had been achieved. Besides... there might be an extra surprise coming.
Soon the cave reappeared before our eyes.
A dark red light illuminated the rock wall, and countless runes slowly crawled like living things.
The air was filled with the smells of ozone, sulfur, and a faint stench of blood.
In the center of the magic circle, the old dragonman had already stood up.
Clearly, Jemin's undisguised actions could not have escaped his notice.
The gaunt figure stood in the center of the crimson magic circle, its gray-brown scales resembling thousand-year-old scabs under the red light.
When his gaze fell on the iron-gray dragonman in Jemin's hand, he froze.
Not long ago, he had personally sent this young man out of here, but now he had been brought back like prey.
The implication behind this sent chills down the spine of the old dragon man.
The next second, shock turned into rage.
boom!
The dragon's wings suddenly spread open, and a violent aura swept through the entire cave.
"Let him go!!"
The roar shook the stalactites, causing them to shed dust.
Jemin simply looked at him indifferently, even deliberately raising the iron-gray dragonman in his hand a little higher.
The old dragon man stared intently at him.
After a moment, the anger subsided.
He retracted his dragon wings and forced his breathing to return to normal, but his dark red vertical pupils became even more profound.
"You... are you a wizard?"
Jemin nodded calmly, all three eyes simultaneously fixed on him and the surrounding magic circle:
"Judging from the energy structure of these magic arrays, you were actually prepared a long time ago, and you had already gathered enough energy crystals for the arrays, but you haven't made a move yet."
"You only made up your mind after everyone had disappeared..."
Jemin's voice trailed off, causing the old dragon man's muscles to tense up involuntarily.
"Having the ultimate weapon but delaying its use can only mean one thing: that thing will kill you."
"So you've been hesitating. You're not waiting for the right opportunity; you just don't have the courage to die."
The air suddenly became quiet.
The old dragon man remained silent for a long time before finally speaking slowly:
"You're right, the activation condition for this magic circle is that an elder must sacrifice themselves. But an old man like me, the older I get, the more afraid of death I become, so I've hesitated to take the next step. I didn't expect you to discover it. So..."
The old dragon looked at Jemin warily: "Are you here to stop me?"
"No." Jemin shook his head, his tone as casual as if he were discussing the weather.
"On the contrary, I won't stop you. I just want to remind you that if you're going to use this trick, you'd better do it now." The entire cavern fell silent, and the old dragon's eyes changed: "What exactly do you want to do?"
Jemin didn't answer, he just shook the iron-gray dragonman in his hand.
"If you cooperate, I can save his wife and children."
Upon hearing this, the old dragon's expression instantly twisted: "Those two low-level bloodlines?"
"If you're dead, you're dead!"
"I am the Tenth Elder! A pure-blooded heir of the Kobo family! My bloodline comes from the original True Dragon of this world! And you... you actually want to threaten me with that mixed-blood descendant?!"
Hearing this, Jemin blinked and couldn't help but click his tongue: "Bloodline is everything... I overlooked that issue."
Then he waved his hand: "Fine. I don't care what you say, but anyway, are you going to die or not?"
silence.
Dead silence.
Even the well-informed Tenth Elder couldn't understand Jemin's completely unreasonable behavior.
At first, he thought it was some kind of sordid feud between wizards, that this wizard and Broadleaf Wizard were at odds and that he was trying to sabotage Broadleaf's plans. But now, he couldn't understand the situation anymore.
But after a long silence, the old dragon man sadly realized that he still had no choice and could only slowly raise his arms.
Then, the magic circle lit up.
Countless dark red patterns awakened simultaneously, and energy fluctuations began to rise wildly.
The immense energy caused the cave walls to tremble, stalactites to crack, and the air to be compressed, producing a sharp, explosive sound.
The old dragon's body was being drained of light by the magic circle, but his eyes remained fixed on Jemin, filled with a resolute determination to die: "You will pay the price for your arrogance, wizard!"
"Ah, right, right, right..."
While giving a perfunctory answer, Jemin used his all-powerful eye to lock onto the magic array, recording its operation and various data.
The working principle of this magic circle does indeed involve elements related to the reflection dimension, but there are many more new things involved.
Jemin wasn't quite sure what any of this was, and could only wait and see how it went, but anyway...
"As expected, there were some unexpected gains."
Only after the old dragon was completely drained, the entire magic array was functioning normally, and it was confirmed that there would be no further changes, did Jemin end the data collection. Then, his figure suddenly disappeared.
When it reappeared, it was already hovering above the town.
The night was deep.
The whole town was still fast asleep.
Only sparse lights and the echoing footsteps of patrolling soldiers reverberated on the cobblestone streets.
Deep beneath their feet, a catastrophe capable of destroying the entire region was brewing.
"Hmm... it wouldn't be appropriate if it caused too many casualties."
Thinking of this, Jemin raised his hand, and his mental energy spread out like a tsunami.
hum...
A surge of spiritual energy descended from the night sky like an invisible giant net, covering the entire town.
Jemin's mental power quickly located each sleeping dragonman and then enveloped them.
The next second, spatial magic was activated simultaneously, and countless silver-white lights lit up all over the town.
The residents in their beds, the patrolling soldiers, the merchants on night duty, the newborn dragon... all vanished in the light, and the entire town instantly became a ghost town.