Chapter 372: Chapter 338: Martin Is No More

Given Raylo’s and the Thunder Dragon Duchy’s position, the Light Holy See would become their greatest enemy in the future.

For a moment, Raylo couldn’t make up his mind.

"Alex."

Raylo spoke, breaking the silence.

"Here, my lord."

"Take him down and lock him in the deepest part of the dungeon."

Raylo ordered.

"Keep him under strict watch, and don’t let anyone get near him. Get him a change of clean clothes, then send in some food and water."

Alex was a little surprised, but he didn’t ask any questions and responded at once.

"Yes, my lord!"

Two Personal Guards stepped forward and escorted Martin toward the dungeon.

Martin’s lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he only gave Raylo a deep look before being led away by the guards.

Only Raylo and Alex remained in the great hall.

"My lord, are we..."

Alex started to speak but trailed off.

"Let no one know of this matter."

Raylo’s gaze was profound as he watched the direction in which Martin had disappeared.

"This Martin, and this Secret Scripture, are both hot potatoes. I need time to think about how to handle them."

Alex accepted the order.

Raylo walked to the table, scooped the drowsy Coal Ball into his arms, and stroked Moonlight’s smooth fur.

’A bounty of Three Hundred Thousand Gold Coins, the wrath of the Light Holy See, and a Great Mage’s blood feud.’

Making this decision was giving him a headache.

The night was as black as ink. Moonlight streamed through the castle’s high windows, casting a cold, silvery glow on the floor.

The Light Holy See and all nations founded on the power of Giant Dragons were fundamentally opposed to one another.

This opposition wouldn’t vanish over Three Hundred Thousand Gold Coins, nor would it change because of the life of a single, insignificant Great Mage.

The clouds of war had never dispersed.

The last war with the Fiery Sun Kingdom was nothing more than a probing attack from the Holy See—a way to test the waters.

They were using a proxy war to test the limits and strength of the Dragon Realms.

He knew full well that neither Black Stone Territory nor the entire Thunder Dragon Duchy was a priority target for the Holy See in the grand scheme of the Continent.

On this Continent, there was the behemoth Giant Dragon Empire, along with dozens of large and small Giant Dragon Kingdoms and Duchies. The Thunder Dragon Duchy was just one of the more inconspicuous among them.

The nail that sticks out gets hammered down.

Jumping out now for Martin’s sake and pushing himself and Black Stone Territory into the eye of the storm would undoubtedly be foolish.

He needed time, and Black Stone Territory needed time.

Therefore, for the time being, Martin had to "disappear" from the world.

Raylo stood up, gently placed the soundly sleeping Coal Ball onto a chair, and took the Life Secret Scripture in his hand.

「The Alchemy Workshop.」

As soon as he pushed open the heavy oak door, a strange smell—a mixture of sulfur, dried herbs, and some kind of burnt meat—assaulted his nostrils.

Master Barnaby was hunched over a huge workbench, his hair so messy it looked like a Griffin had just stomped on it.

He was holding a Crystal Mirror, meticulously observing a flask of bubbling, deep-red liquid while muttering to himself.

"...No, the proportion of Dragon Blood is still too high..."

"Master."

Raylo spoke up.

"Don’t bother me!"

Barnaby didn’t even look up.

"Can’t you see I’m in the middle of a great experiment that could change the world? If I succeed, the Knights of Black Stone Castle will all sprout wings and become powerful Flying Dragon Knights!"

Raylo placed the Life Secret Scripture on the workbench with a soft THWAP, his expression unchanging.

"An interesting little thing from the Light Holy See."

Master Barnaby glanced at it impatiently, but his eyes were immediately drawn to the ancient-looking cover, which emanated a strange, vital aura.

He casually tossed the Crystal Mirror aside and snatched the Secret Scripture.

The moment his fingers touched the pages, his whole body trembled as if struck by Lightning.

"This... this texture..."

His eyes, perennially bloodshot from research, widened in an instant as he cradled the book carefully.

He even took out a pair of white silk gloves from his Storage Ring and put them on before daring to gently turn a page.

「Half an hour passed.」

Master Barnaby’s expression shifted—one moment his brow was furrowed in concentration, the next he was slapping his thigh in excitement, constantly muttering exclamations like, "So that’s how it is," "Absolutely genius," and "Divine Technique, my ass! This is clearly the embodiment of the laws of life!"

Finally, he let out a long breath and looked up at Raylo.

"Raylo, my boy, where did you get this treasure?"

"From a down-on-his-luck Mage."

Raylo’s reply was concise.

"A down-on-his-luck Mage?"

Master Barnaby scoffed.

"Someone who possessed this could hardly be a simple character. The Life Divine Techniques recorded inside are truly exquisite. The application and understanding of Life Force far exceed that of mainstream Life Magic."

He paused, then his tone shifted.

"But that’s not even the most important part!"

Master Barnaby’s fingers gently brushed across the yellowed pages with their peculiar texture.

"The most precious thing is the book itself! Its material! If I’m not mistaken, this is... this is the bark of the Ancient Tree of Life!"

Raylo’s pupils contracted slightly. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"The Ancient Tree of Life?"

"That’s right!"

Master Barnaby explained.

"The legendary Ancient Tree of Life that gave birth to the Elf Race! This thing itself contains an unparalleled, pure Life Magic Power! It’s a super-amplifier for Life Magic!"

He waved his arms excitedly, nearly knocking over a row of test tubes beside him.

"Using it as a medium to cast any Life Divine Technique or Magic will more than double the effect! Depending on the Caster’s skill, the effect could be amplified several times over—under certain conditions, even ten times is possible! This is no longer a Magic Artifact. This is a Divine Artifact! No, a Holy Artifact!"