Chapter 484 485-The Purpose of Existence

Chapter 484 Chapter485-The Purpose of Existence

Thinking it over, Howard noticed an issue in Nula's explanation, or rather, something that hadn't been clarified yet.

"How do you plan to deal with that cause? What exactly is the cause of the monster tide? A person? A ritual?" Howard had seen his fair share of troubles.

Usually, such scenarios hid some conspiracy or scheme.

Whether it's a cult conducting secretive experiments, a mad scientist creating artificial beasts, or the moment for an ambitious person to emerge, aiming to overthrow Rodel for independence or something along those lines.

He had experienced too many such troublesome events.

"It's sort of a ritual," Nula spoke vaguely, concerned that Howard might refuse to accompany her if he knew the details.

"Anyway, you'll understand once you come with me. I need your help."

"But I'm like this, big sister!" Howard gestured towards his blood-stained clothes.

Though his injuries were superficial, they weren't the kind that could be fixed with a simple plaster.

"But you're the only one I can trust here," Nula looked into Howard's eyes, paused, and then looked away.

"If you don't want to come, it's fine. I'll go alone."

"Is it dangerous?" Howard hesitated for a few seconds before asking.

"It's somewhat dangerous, but I can handle it myself. Worst case scenario, I get injured... or you could just head to Sorona, it's not a big deal."

Hey!

What do you mean by that last part?

What does 'just head to Sorona' suppose to mean?

Howard sighed.

"If I go with you, will it lessen your burden?"

"If it's really dangerous, I guess I could help out."

Nula opened her mouth to say something but ultimately remained silent, only nodding in response.

"Alright then, go change your clothes. Your current outfit is too conspicuous!"

Howard turned and headed back to his room.

...

Watching Howard's not particularly broad back and shoulders, Nula silently sighed.

This was the first time she felt like she was truly deceiving someone.

Was the key stronghold of the Eternal Flame cult dangerous?

The word "dangerous" hardly sufficed to describe it.

Reagan was essentially a dragon's den, a tiger's lair, where entering without sufficient strength meant facing almost certain death, if not outright annihilation.

If Howard's situation wasn't so unique, Nula would never consider involving him.

After all, she, who was several times stronger than Howard, had nearly fallen at the hands of the clown mask.

Now, how would Howard, with his mere level 3 magus strength, fare? n0ve(l)bi(n.)co/m

But Howard's inability to make a significant impact didn't mean the entity within him couldn't.

Since Lorinda's departure, Nula and Dorek hadn't immediately sought out Howard to deal with another piece of intelligence – true, but that task wouldn't have taken much time.

In reality, they were verifying Howard's condition.

...

Approximately a few minutes later, Howard reappeared at Nula's door, having bandaged his wounds and changed into clean, simple clothes.

He wore no leather armor nor carried a chest protector, going into this lightly equipped.

Seeing Howard's somewhat pale complexion made Nula hesitate.

"Are you sure you're up for this?"

Even if the wounds weren't fatal, going back into another battle after such rudimentary first aid might result in bleeding mid-

fight.

Nula didn't want Howard to end up collapsing, unable to get back up; that would be worse than abandoning Rodel city altogether.

"Don't worry, I'm more than capable," Howard confidently patted his chest.

He had been through too many similar situations before.

Sighing, Nula gave one last piece of advice: "If anything feels off, leave immediately! Don't worry about me, not at all! I have more ways to save my own life than you might think!"

Howard nodded on the surface, but inwardly he didn't pay much heed.

You might have many ways to save your life, but I might have an unkillable body.

It seems I'm on the sturdier side.

"Let's go, where to?"

Reaching behind him for his knife and finding nothing, Howard paused momentarily.

"Where exactly is this ritual you mentioned? Inside Rodel?"

"No, it's in a place quite far from here, and we can't get there by ordinary means."

Nula waved her hand, pulling out a pouch of shiny silver powder from her waist bag.

"Step back, make some room; I need to cast a spell."

Hearing Nula mention casting a spell, Howard's eyes widened with curiosity as he quickly stepped back to the door.

Though he was also a magus, the magi here were quite different from what he had imagined.

While he knew a few spells, they were basic to the point of being elementary, making him the least proficient among the magi here.

A true magus, even one specialized in close combat enhancements, usually combines spells with fighting, unlike him, who simply charges in with a blade.

With enough space made, Nula began to chant in the complex elvish language.

Though spell construction could also be accomplished through spellcasting, using the elvish language was more reliable and offered greater resistance to interference.

If attacked mid-chant, one could dodge; but if you're halfway through drawing a matrix on the ground and someone approaches, what then?

Surely you can't just don a high-level energy shield and withstand the attack.

While chanting, Nula's hands never ceased moving, evenly scattering a handful of silvery powder to form a circle over a meter in diameter—just enough space for two to stand within.

This was the rudiment of a matrix.

If using spells to create the foundation of a matrix, it would necessitate detailed rune inscriptions, but if one chants in the elf language, most of these steps can be skipped, provided you have enough mana.

Indeed, drawing a circle that could encase a city in living flames is a matter of seconds with the elf language.

Yes, the greatest drawback of using the elf language is its excessive mana consumption.

After all, this ancient language can directly communicate with the mana ocean, and merely using it requires a significant amount of mana.