Advent of the Archmage
chapter-281

Three days later, in a valley within the Ferde Wilderness

The valley was extremely spacious. The two mountains surrounding it was more than 300 feet in height, making it impossible for anyone outside to notice what was going on in the valley.

There were 14 people standing in the middle of the valley: Link, Milda, Romilson, Nana, eight Holy Knights, and two archbishops. They were all members of this assassination mission.

It was right in the heat of summer. The sunlight shone mercilessly on their faces. Although there were spells that could lower the temperature around them, it was still uncomfortable to stand under the sun. Everyone had a look of restlessness on their faces.

"Why are they still not here?" Romilson said impatiently.

Link then took his watch and said, "We are still five minutes away from the agreed timing. The Yabba race is pretty punctual. They should be here anytime soon."　

"I've heard that the battle airship of the Yabba race is not that reliable. It could fall from the sky just due to a slight navigation error. Is that true?" a Holy Knight wiped the perspiration from his forehead as he said. He was wearing an entire set of Sacred Silver imbued armor. It was extremely stuffy and warm. 　　

Romilson laughed as he said, "There is truly more to be desired for its reliability. However, it is indeed extremely fast. Furthermore, even if it truly falls, we still have some levitation spells. We will be fine."　　　

"Alright. Stop spouting nonsense." Milda stared at Romilson sternly. Romilson then shrugged his shoulders and stopped talking.

Four minutes later, the whirling sound of machinery could be heard from the sky. In a few moments, a huge black shadow appeared on the sky above the Ferde Wilderness.

Everyone glanced towards that direction.　

This was an extremely huge airship. It was 50 feet long and 20 feet wide. The exterior of the airship was made from a pure black metallic substance. There were a huge number of magic circles drawn on top of the metal. The air right below the airship also showed signs of distortion, with huge fluctuations in the wind elements around the airship. On the sides of the airship was one black cannon each. They were the Yabba race's prided magic cannons. It was rumored to have an extremely fast firing frequency, up to a maximum of 30 shots per minute. The firepower of each shot was no weaker than a Level-6 spell. It possessed extremely terrifying offensive power on the battlefield.　　

This humongous object slowly descended. By the time it reached the ground, the magic circle at the bottom of the airship had made contact with the valley.

Whoosh! A huge amount of dust and gravel were blown up from the ground, coupled with a strong gust of wind.

Link immediately released a Level-2 defensive spell, enveloping everyone in a light glow, preventing them from being hit by the wind.　　

Milda then glanced at Link before asking, "You seem to have achieved another breakthrough in your spellcasting techniques?"　　

Link nodded before saying, "I have to thank Alloa for this. She helped me perfect many of my spellcasting techniques these few days. I have also progressed greatly in the area of Spatial Magic.

"That mixed-blood Dark Elf? I am curious. Why did you choose to believe her right away and even shared Nana's information with her? What if…"

Milda did not complete her sentence. Link naturally understood what she was getting at. He could not mention that he had information from the game. Furthermore, history was changing in this world. If he continued using his in-game knowledge to judge a person's character, there was bound to be problems. One example would be Wavier. He was not an interesting figure in the game. However, he had turned into a huge boss in this timeline.

More often than not, the final state of a person was determined not by their character or personality, but by their fate.　　

Therefore, although Link had pretended to give Alloa great trust on the surface, he had planned many things in the shadows. He then said, "I did not believe her entirely. I have placed many spies around the Mage Tower. This was also the reason why I did not bring Celine with me this time around as well."　

With Alloa's wisdom, these spies would not be able to fool her. However, Link believed that if she harbored no harm, she would not be affected by time as well."　

At that moment, the airship had landed, and the door on its left open. A staircase was then lowered, and a small, green-haired Yabba stood at the door. He waved at them as his sharp, child-like voice echoed through the area, "Hey, big guys! Come on in!"

Link and the rest then walked over.

Fortunately, the airship that the Yabba race created was not as small as their build. In fact, their airship was really spacious. Furthermore, it was extremely luxurious. It was filled with many magic circles meant for increasing the comfort of the ride.

"Come, sit here." The previous Yabba led the way and only stopped when they reached the front of the airship.　

The front of the airship was in the shape of a semicircle. There were large transparent windows around and provided a good view of the surrounding area. Everyone also got to know the name of the Yabba along the way. He was called Merlin, the captain of this ship named USS Owl. 　　

"Hey big guys, sit down. I have heard about your encounters. Killing a Necromancer…That is truly an exciting adventure. It should be fun!" Merlin found a chair for himself and lifted his head to look at everyone enthusiastically.

Everyone exchanged glances in confusion. From their perspective, this mission was extremely dangerous, and they had a high chance of dying. However, this little guy actually mentioned that it would be fun. That was unimaginable.　

The name of the commander of the Holy Knights was Joseph Hannibal. He was a level-7 Holy Knight from the church and was extremely powerful. He was 38 years old and once single-handedly defeated an evil, thousand-eyed demon from another dimension. He had a prestigious reputation in the church and was one of the six　Knights of Judgement. The success of this mission depended largely on him.

He then whispered to Link who was beside him, "Master, I feel that this little guy is not very reliable."

Link the smiled and said, "Don't worry; they are usually like this—careful but adventurous. The moment the battle begins, you will realize that they are extremely reliable partners."

Link was not exactly soft when he said those words. Merlin could hear them clearly and smiled cheerfully at those words. He then said, "Master Link is right! You can leave it up to us the moment the battle begins!"　

Milda also started to converse with the Yabba. She said, "Three years ago, I met Lady Fortuna Elin. Is she alright?"　

Upon mentioning about Elin, Merlin did not smile. His face sunk as he frowned and sighed, "Not good. Not good at all. Elin seemed to have seen a terrifying future. She kept saying that the Dark Elves would infiltrate our Scientific City of Lariel. She has been persuading the king to move northwards. However, all of us thought that the Dark Elves had no such power."

Link was startled when he heard those words. He then asked, "Do you guys not trust her?"

Merlin shrugged his shoulders and said, "Elin has great talent in the field of magic. That is something no one doubted. However, something like seeing the future is only possible if you are a god. This thing is way too intangible. Furthermore, the Yabba race has already lived in Lariel for 3000 years. You cannot possibly ask an entire race to move just because of a vague prophecy. Am I right?"

He was right as well. Prophecy spells were often vague and mysterious. After all, no one knew what the future held.

Merlin then laid his hands out helplessly and sighed before saying, "Actually, I do believe Elin on this. The Dark Elves are too insane. Who knows what they are capable of? However, the faith of one person is not enough."

This was the internal politics of the Yabba race. No one dared to continue this conversation. Milda then broke the silence by saying courteously, "May the God of Light be with us."

Everyone then echoed her words, "May the God of Light be with us."

The atmosphere was slightly tense, and after a few minutes, Merlin broke the silence as he brought a letter to Link. He said, "Duke Abel wanted you to have this when we passed by the Orida Fortress. From his looks, it does not seem to be something good."

Link was startled and tore it open upon receiving it. After reading the letter, Link's face sunk. 　　

"What happened?" Milda asked.　

Link then handed over the letter.　

After Milda saw the letter, she pursed her lips in silence. Seeing that Joseph was interested as well, she handed the letter over. 　　

After Joseph read the letter, he patted his thighs in exasperation and gasped, "The Dark Elves truly are nothing but trouble!"　

This letter was not some top-secret. Soon, everyone in the airship had taken a look at it, though their faces were now ridden with worry. 　　

There were a total of three information on the letter. Firstly, it informed that Aymons had been saved by the Dark Elves while Dark Prince Walter was killed on the spot. Secondly, it mentioned that Aymons had fused with the Dark Serpent, making him the wielder of the Divine Gear. Thirdly, MI3 had found the presence of high-level demons heading southwards. Currently, they were still keeping tabs on them, though their destination was unclear.

The first two pieces of information did not have much impact on the people here. However, the last one was strange no matter how one looked at it. high-level demons were creatures summoned by the Dark Elves, and they listened solely to the Dark Elves' command. Why would they head south?

Romilson asked, "Do you think they are here to support Wavier?"

Lin sighed as he said, "Without the first two pieces of information, I would not be sure. However, now that Aymons has fused with the Divine Gear, I can confirm that we will be meeting a large number of demons at Wavier's Necropolis.

Aymons took part in the battle that day as well. With his intellect, he could definitely guess their follow-up plans. Sending high-level demons to stop them now could prevent unnecessary trouble. Even if they did not make an attempt to kill Wavier, Aymons would suffer no loss as well.　　

High-level demons were extremely strong creatures that came in different varieties. Each of them had a specific battle style that was unique and powerful.

In essence, it was bad news.　

Everyone fell silent. Even Merlin, who loved adventures stopped joking around. Adventuring was one thing, but if the opponent was so strong that they did not stand a chance, it would not be fun.　　

Nana immediately asked, "Master, do I have to prioritize demons in battle?"　

She was not afraid at all. Her voice was as crisp and clear as ever. Under such circumstances, it even sounded as if she was slightly excited.　

Merlin looked at Nana as he patted his head and said with a bitter smile on his face, "Master, you magic puppet is so interesting. I think I have fallen in love."

...

South, Necropolis.

A group comprised of 13 high-level demons arrived at the entrance of the Necropolis. The leader of the group had curly horns, a glamorous human face, two purple wings, huge breasts, long legs, and a curvy butt. She had two purple scales covering her important body parts and sheep hooves. She even possessed a sharp thorn whip as a weapon. She belonged to a highly-regarded race of high-level demons called Fine-Scaled Succubus.

She stared at the Necropolis and cracked her whip with great force, making a loud snapping sound. She then smiled sinisterly and said, "Frankly speaking, I don't really like these bunch of skeletons. They don't know how to have fun."