Chapter 397: Associate

Chapter 397: Associate

After storing the mermaid back into the crystal necklace and gathering all the loot on the deck, the black-robed man retrieved a dark yellow crystal ball.

As an expert in alchemy, he had crafted this crystal ball himself. It included special features beyond the standard functions.

The crystal ball emitted a faint, eerie glow and displayed a semi-transparent magic map. At the center of this map was the black-robed man’s current location.

Two points of light were visible nearby. However, he disregarded the numerous distant lights, as they lay deep within the territories of the major divine towers and orders of the knights on the southern coast.

“Two huh? Let’s see... I think it’s that talkative knight, and Rank One mage wearing a special mask,” he mused.

The lights on the map were moving westward and northward simultaneously.

They were not far away from the black-robed man, but that could change with time.

The black-robed man could probably still fit one more job in his schedule.

Over the past six months, he had made several dealings, with the most recent being his grandest since departing the Blackhaven.

Although the killings had occurred in a remote area, he knew his actions could not remain secret for long.

Wanted notices from the major divine towers and orders of the knights were bound to spread throughout the southern coast and its environs soon, especially given the influential backing of the Imperial Pearl Auction.

To the black-robed mage, knights and mages of Rank One or Two were hardly threats. He could swiftly dispatch them if they dared to pursue him.

However, if it were a Rank Three knight or mage... Even the self-assured black-robed mage would have to exercise caution.

His best course of action now would be to return to the Blackhaven to lay low.

“One last job...that little mage it is. His mask intrigues me. The pyro elemental mysteries it contains seem unfamiliar to me,” the black-robed man mumbled to himself, then dissolved into a black mist and surged westward.

***

“I have no intention of joining any chamber of commerce right now. Should that change, I’ll be sure to get in touch with you, Master Thatch.” Sein politely declined.

Both of them had not even exchanged crystal ball contacts, so Thatch knew that Sein had no intention of future communication.

Understanding that Sein had already made up his mind, Thatch sighed and withdrew.

Unlike Sein, Thatch the Rank One mage appeared somewhat swayed by monetary gains.

However, the true strength of mages came from knowledge and truths, not the cold, hard magicoins.

It was clear that getting Sein to join the Guilleman Chamber of Commerce would have benefited Thatch greatly, but Sein was not one to be swayed by mere financial incentives.

Sein recalled how he had once generously spent magicoins to skip the mandatory quests of the divine tower academy, all to delve deeper into the mysteries of the Solar Eye spell.

How could he now waste his time and energy on the pursuit of mundane resources or magicoins?

Thatch might not have realized it himself, but he was gradually losing sight of the mage’s true purpose to unravel the mysteries of truths.

Meanwhile, a crystal ball had materialized in Sein’s hand and he appeared to be in deep thought.

Focus: 162.8

Mana: 176.7

Consitution: 113.2

These figures were markedly higher than they had been after his return from the Viridian Venom Flame World.

Sein speculated that his rapid improvement in such a short time was due to his experiences on the battlefield in the Viridian Venom Flame World gradually translating into measurable increases in his stats.

Remarkably, this rate of growth showed no signs of abating anytime soon. Sein anticipated that the surge in his focus would likely continue until it reached 200 points before plateauing.