Chapter 585: Anomaly

Chapter 585: Anomaly

The survivors of the Ice and Snow City inadvertently gave the North Dark Guards a taste of their prowess.

It wasn’t until Rota emerged with a group of people, his face beaming with smiles as he said, “All mages of the Mage Tower welcome His Majesty the King,” that the tense standoff was finally broken.

The commander of the North Dark Guards, upon hearing orders from within the carriage behind him, instructed his men to remain stationed at the entrance.

He dismounted and walked toward the carriage.

Otz also stepped out from inside.

Accompanied solely by the commander of the North Dark Guards, Otz entered the courtyard of the Mage Tower.

Seeing nearly a thousand practitioners gathered in the yard, although Otz showed no outward reaction, inwardly he was astounded.

Though he had already known about this place last night, seeing it firsthand still left him deeply shocked.

Especially by their aura and bearing—

They seemed even more ferocious than the military professionals under his command who had survived countless battles.

Truly like malevolent ghosts crawling out from the depths of hell.

Every inch of their being radiated an ominous and murderous energy.

Calling the post-demon disaster Ice and Snow City a hell on earth would not have been an exaggeration.

And these survivors were indeed akin to demons risen from the underworld.

Anyone who managed to survive must possess unique skills or secret techniques.

There were no weaklings here.

Those too feeble had long since perished.

Fortunately, surrounding them stood a ring of robed mages whose presence somewhat diluted the oppressive atmosphere.

Otherwise, even Otz might not dare enter.

Even though he had now become a sixth-rank Swordmaster,

he harbored doubts whether he could escape if surrounded by nearly a thousand practitioners.

Led by Rota, Otz entered the Mage Tower.

Once the walls blocked the gaze of those thousand ghost-like practitioners outside, both Otz and the commander of the North Dark Guards felt visibly relieved.

Walking through that crowd earlier had been unbearably stressful—

Their nerves taut, they dared not relax for even a moment.

Similarly, the mages and apprentices within the tower were also under immense pressure.

However, after spending time together the previous evening, their anxiety was slightly less than when they first encountered the survivors of the Ice and Snow City.

They realized that while these people looked fierce, they weren't entirely unreasonable.

At the very least, someone among them could keep things under control.

Guthvie could hold her ground—and she herself was a legendary mage, one of their own kind.

Although there were complaints among the mages of the tower, most could reluctantly accept the situation.

Looking around briefly, Otz got straight to the point: “Where is the legendary mage? I wish to meet with her.”

Upon hearing this, Rota hesitated before replying awkwardly, “Well… Your Majesty, the legendary mage isn’t currently here. Whether we can see her—I’m uncertain…”

As he spoke, Rota feared that Otz might take offense.

Otz replied calmly, “Then may I trouble Master Rota to help me arrange such an opportunity?”

Rota found himself in a difficult position, unsure how to proceed.

He had anticipated that Otz’s visit was likely aimed at meeting either Guthvie or Levi.

So early that morning, he went looking for both Levi and Guthvie.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t find either of them.

Not even the magical steward knew where they were.

Rota had gone up to the sixth floor of the Mage Tower but saw no sign of them.

Completely unreachable.

Rota didn’t know what else to do.

Just as he felt utterly helpless, Guze appeared.

Guze bowed politely and said without humility or arrogance, “Your Majesty, my sister is temporarily away. If you have anything you’d like to convey to her, please tell me—I will pass along your message.”

Hearing this, Otz looked at Guze in surprise.

“My sister?”

Quickly understanding, he realized Guze referred to the legendary mage he sought.

Studying Guze’s features, Otz suddenly felt a vague sense of familiarity.

Curious, he asked, “Have we met somewhere before?”

Guze smiled gently and said, “Your Majesty, great figures often forget easily. Over twenty years ago, I too was once a mage of the Maple Leaf City Mage Tower. My name is Guze.”

Hearing the name, Otz instantly recognized him.

“Guze—it’s really you! The teacher of Levi!”

Inside, Guze gave a quiet, resigned smile.

Whenever anyone mentioned him, inevitably they connected him with Levi.

It seemed only by mentioning Levi did others remember his name.

But perhaps soon another name would join that association.

In the future, he would also be known as Guze, elder brother of the legendary mage Guthvie.

To Guze, this mattered little—but occasionally, he couldn’t help feeling somewhat dejected.

Noticing the subtle shift in Guze’s expression, Otz quickly added, “Forgive me—I should’ve recognized Master Guze sooner. Twenty years apart, I truly didn’t recognize you.”

Truthfully, he hadn’t seen Guze many times.

If not for Levi, Otz wouldn’t even recall the name Guze,

let alone remember the man himself.

Now, Guze’s image was freshly redefined in his mind.

Once, Guze had been merely the nominal mentor of prodigy Levi.

Now, Guze had a legendary mage for a sister.

His status had suddenly grown immensely noble.

Smiling warmly, Otz continued, “Since it’s Master Guze, then naturally, it works just as well. This visit mainly concerns the sudden appearance of numerous unfamiliar practitioners within the city…”

Seeing that he had intentions to discuss matters,

Guze also invited him into the reception hall within the mage tower to sit and converse.

Otz’s visit was not merely to meet the legendary mage but also stemmed from concern over the origins and destinations of nearly a thousand professionals.

The sudden appearance of so many unfamiliar experts in Mapleleaf City could cause tremendous damage if not properly managed—

even affecting the entire Northern Mystery Kingdom.

It was something that could not be taken lightly.

Otz and Guze spoke for quite some time before finally learning their detailed background.

After a moment of contemplation with his head lowered, Otz raised his eyes toward Guze and asked, “So what do you plan to do next?”

“So many practitioners gathered here in Mapleleaf City is an enormous destabilizing factor. Moreover, as you yourself said, these people survived hellish conditions—I fear they might disrupt the normal order and stability of our city.”

Guze replied, “We intend first to help the survivors adapt to life here. Afterward, where they go will be up to them—we won’t impose too many restrictions.”

A flicker passed through Otz’s gaze as he said, “If even you don’t know how best to handle these individuals, perhaps it would be better to entrust them to me.”

Guze shook his head. “Not at this time.”

“Of course,” he added, “if His Majesty can win them over willingly, I shall not interfere.”

Being ordered versus choosing freely to serve under Otz were two very different things.

Right now, everyone had just arrived in Mapleleaf City; nerves were still raw.

Forcing them directly into Otz’s army might provoke suspicion and resentment among the survivors, possibly leading to undesirable consequences.

But should they choose voluntarily to join Otz’s ranks, then that would no longer concern Guze.

Guze had already discussed this matter thoroughly with both Gusevi and Levi.

They agreed not to constrain the movements or decisions of the survivors.

Gusevi herself did not need these people for show or status.

She no longer desired power—what she truly wanted was to devote herself wholeheartedly to cultivation, striving to catch up with Levi’s strength.

Authority had become more of a burden than anything else to her.

Every day spent managing affairs beneath her consumed precious time better used in training.

As for Guze, he held no ambitions for leadership either.

Otherwise, given his relationship with Gusevi, assuming command over all would have been effortless.

All he wished now was to live peacefully in Mapleleaf City with his wife and child.

Levi cared even less about such matters.

Hearing this, Otz smiled and said, “That sounds wonderful indeed.”

“But may I ask, what does the legendary mage think of this arrangement?”

He remained somewhat uncertain.

After all, although Guze was the brother of the legendary mage Gusevi,

he could not make decisions on her behalf.

Just then, the door opened and a branch creaked softly.

Gusevi walked in and said, “There’s no problem. My thoughts align exactly with his.”

Seeing her enter, Otz quickly rose and bowed respectfully. “Greetings, Honorable Legendary Mage. We meet for the first time—I am Otz, King of the Northern Mystery Kingdom.”

Gusevi returned the greeting politely. “Hello, my name is Gusevi.”

Guze stood and offered his seat to Gusevi,

but she chose not to sit.

Lota brought forward a new chair from nearby and placed it before the two men.

Looking directly at Otz, Gusevi said, “Li Wei told me that Your Majesty has ways to assist us in handling the aftermath for the survivors.”

Upon hearing this, Otz felt a slight surprise stir within him.

From Gusevi’s tone, it seemed Li Wei shared a close rapport with her—

an equal standing between them.

Smiling warmly, Otz responded, “Then allow me to express my gratitude for Master Li Wei’s trust in me. Rest assured, I will manage everything appropriately.”

“My main purpose in visiting the Mage Tower today was to pay respects to the Honorable Legendary Mage…”

Otz went on with several diplomatic pleasantries, mainly probing into Gusevi’s future plans and whether she might consider becoming the kingdom’s Grand Sage.

Gusevi gracefully declined Otz’s invitation, stating clearly that she intended to remain within the Mage Tower, dedicating herself to secluded cultivation, without taking up any official position.

Likewise, she expressed no interest in getting involved in internal affairs of the Northern Mystery Kingdom.

Naturally, however, she extended a gesture of goodwill:

should the kingdom ever face grave peril, she would offer timely assistance when possible.

Though unable to secure Gusevi as the Grand Sage of the Northern Mystery Kingdom,

Otz was nonetheless delighted by her promise.

Before departing, Otz announced that a welcoming banquet would be prepared three days hence for those arriving from Furleid City,

to formally welcome Gusevi’s arrival with great ceremony.

“I hope, Honorable Legendary Mage, that you will grace us with your presence at the feast three days from now,” Otz said earnestly.

Gusevi nodded and replied, “Provided nothing unforeseen arises, I shall certainly attend.”

With a smile, Otz said, “Then I eagerly await your attendance.”

As he prepared to leave, he added one final remark:

“If there is anything needed, feel free to request it anytime. The Northern Mystery Kingdom will spare no effort in resolving any issues.”

And so, Otz departed.

Stepping out of the Mage Tower once again, passing through the crowd,

he observed the warriors around him brimming with fierce energy—not only unafraid, but inwardly exhilarated.

These individuals would soon become his most trusted subordinates.

Naturally, the fiercer and stronger they were, the better suited they’d be.

Now that Gusevi had granted permission for him to recruit freely from the survivors of Furleid City,

Otz was confident that he could bring every last one of them under his banner.

His eyes swept across the gathering, noting among them various races intermingled—

Beastkin, Dwarves, Goblins…

This posed no major issue.

The Northern Mystery Kingdom had once maintained a unit composed entirely of Beastkin soldiers.

Otz had experience in recruiting professionals from different races.

He also harbored no prejudice based on race or origin.

To him, whether human or alien, as long as they acknowledged his authority and served him well, they were good subordinates.

After Otz left, he quickly arranged for people to go to the Mage Tower to recruit professionals.

However, most people were unfamiliar with Maple Leaf City and remained highly vigilant toward outsiders.

Even though Otz offered generous terms, it was still difficult to recruit professionals in such a short time.

But he wasn’t anxious.

He knew that after three days, at the welcoming banquet, things would change dramatically.

In the blink of an eye, three days passed.

Gusewei had already been confirmed as the acting tower master of the Mage Tower.

Rossi and Luo Hua, seeing this, had nothing more to say.

The gap in strength was simply too vast; not even a trace of defiance stirred in their hearts.

Moreover, having a legendary mage stationed at the Mage Tower benefited them even more.

Even the Mages Association sent congratulations upon learning of Gusewei’s appointment.

They also mentioned that with a legendary mage stationed there, the Maple Leaf City Mage Tower could apply to become a High-Level Mage Tower.

Once promoted, it would receive far greater resources from the Mages Association.

Besides having a legendary mage, many other conditions needed to be met to qualify as a High-Level Mage Tower—the most important being the overall strength of the tower itself.

Unfortunately, the collective power of the Maple Leaf City Mage Tower was far too weak, not even reaching the threshold required for application.

However, once news spread about Gusewei becoming the acting tower master,

people began arriving one after another to pledge allegiance to the Mage Tower,

hoping to join the Maple Leaf City Mage Tower.

The last time such enthusiasm was seen was when Otz founded his kingdom.

Gusewei looked at Levi and asked, “Aren’t you going to attend the banquet? Otz specially sent an invitation for you.”

After learning of the relationship between Gusewei and Levi,

Otz dared not underestimate Levi and promptly sent someone with an invitation for him to attend the banquet together.

Levi shook his head and said, “You go ahead. It seems rather restless outside the city lately—I’ll check what’s happening.”

Seeing this, Gusewei could only nod and reply, “Alright then, take care of yourself.”

Levi smiled lightly. “What danger could possibly befall me? Don’t worry.”

Today, the interior of the Mage Tower felt unusually empty; few figures could be seen in the courtyard.

Most of the professionals from Velred City had been invited to the banquet.

This was a special banquet prepared by the Northern Mystery Kingdom specifically for them—they were naturally expected to all attend as the main guests.

Levi watched Gusewei depart for the palace banquet.

Then, he teleported to the location outside Maple Leaf City where he sensed something unusual.

“The Dragonfall Slope—has something changed within its secret realm?”

Arriving at the source of the strange energy,

he discovered it came from the Dragonfall Slope.

Last night, he had detected an abnormal aura beyond the city walls.

He hadn't expected the source to be the Dragonfall Slope.

Spending divine power to open the secret passage to the Dragonfall Slope,

Levi stepped into its hidden domain—and was stunned by what he saw inside.

(End of Chapter)