“Ivan, are you okay?”
The bizarre scene before his eyes blinked away as if it had never appeared, and when Ivan collected his thoughts, he saw Justine looking at him with concern.
“I’m fine, just pondering a question.”
Ivan knew clearly that what he had just seen and heard wasn’t an illusion; it must have been from the person who had transmitted the curse power to them. No wonder Toyennes said it was a powerful being from an alien world.
The immense pressure that being could exert from an unknowable distance, along with such strange methods, must indeed be a high-level creature beyond imagination.
It seemed that he had caught the attention of that creature.
The next five years probably wouldn’t pass so easily, but there was no need to worry Justine with these thoughts; it would only scare her.
“That’s good to hear. I don’t want the curse power in me to affect you.” Seeing his normal demeanor, Justine breathed a sigh of relief.
“Have you mastered making Ginger Summer Water yet?” Ivan asked.
“No problem.”
“Handle the remaining curse power as you see fit.”
Being apprentices under Randall together, Justine had also learned Blackbeard Crown, and Ivan had not been stingy; he had given her a wood silkworm mother and even taught her the Insect Breathing Method.
As for whether she could grow and prosper, that was up to how Justine nurtured them in the future; Ivan wouldn’t interfere too much in this matter.
Ivan himself had raised the number of his rapid wood silkworms to over twelve hundred, and he even had five silkworm mothers, with the Silkworm Queen splitting to create a new mother every half a year or so.
Just like the Silkworm Queen, the silkworm mothers had the ability to split off young silkworms, although those offspring were comparatively less potent.
Several days later, Pearney came to Windy Bay City and arranged to meet with Ivan.
Ivan didn’t hide this from Justine, whether on Tidal Island or the Moon Pincer Peninsula, it was very normal for a capable man to have several lovers.
“I am Mrs. Marichadon.” Hearing his words, Justine’s first reaction was to emphasize her status as the legitimate wife.
“Pearney isn’t planning to follow me,” Ivan explained.
“Ivan, I don’t care how many women you find, whether she is some Earl’s niece, some kingdom’s princess, or another status. I only have one requirement; your wife can only be me,” Justine emphasized again.
“Okay,”
Ivan agreed.
Without further explanation, actually, his focus was more on strength; other things were merely distractions along the path of cultivation, even with Justine.
Before long, Ivan met Pearney in Windy Bay City.
Pearney had come seeking help; she had already been told by Ivan before she left last time that if she couldn’t handle the curse power, she could come to him, which is why she had hurried over.
To Pearney, what seemed like an insurmountable problem was easily handled by Ivan; all of it was transferred to him and would eventually end up in the wood silkworm colony, serving as their sustenance for growth.
“Are you sure you won’t come with me to Mongna Ant Land Cottage?”
“I’m not going; I don’t want to have to look at someone else’s face.”
“Justine wouldn’t mind.”
“I mind, besides, I’ll begin advancing to become a sorcerer soon. Otherwise, why would I be in such a hurry to rid myself of these bothersome curse powers.”
Pearney’s visit was fleeting; she only stayed in Windy Bay City for three days and declined Ivan’s offer to help, only asking about some points of attention for advancing to sorcerer.
Unlike Justine, Pearney was a woman with ambitions and pride, not wishing to become an appendage to him as Justine seemed content to be; Ivan completely understood that.
After bidding farewell to Pearney, Ivan did not stay long in Windy Bay City and returned directly to the Twin Towers.
“Ivan, you’re back.”
Justine approached, her eyes darting past him.
“She’s gone.”
“Is she? That’s too bad. I bought a lot of things, planning to host her,” Justine said.
Wisely choosing not to call out her insincerity, Ivan turned and went to the enchantment chamber in another tower.
Soon after Ivan left, a stealthy Wind Moth came to find Justine.
“Madam Justine, shall we still give that person a setback?”
“Forget it, I am a magnanimous person. Since she didn’t dare to meet me, I can’t be bothered to lower myself to her level,” Justine waved her hand dismissively and cheerfully hummed a tune on her way to the apothecary lab.
Leaving a somewhat confused Wind Moth behind, not knowing who had earlier sworn to suppress the audacity of the other to ensure one’s status as the legitimate wife was recognized.
In the Twin Towers, since Justine had moved in, the space inside the towers had already been divided, part of it becoming her private quarters.
In the enchantment chamber.
One side of the room was now filled with more than a dozen array daises for the Black Magic Wind Bundle Array, carelessly stacked together. Most of these daises were to be delivered to the academy, with a small part being custom orders from people within the academy itself.
It’s undeniable that the academy served like a sieve in some aspects, as the news of the Black Magic Wind Bundle Array that could increase the success rate of advancing spread to others ears soon, and people started approaching.
Others saw a business opportunity, but, regrettably, that path was blocked by the people from the Three Great Families, much to everyone’s chagrin.
“Considering the current situation, this deal probably won’t last long,”
Ivan knew very well what Teresa and the others were thinking, which was nothing more than breaking the Black Magic Wind Array using the array dais. He didn’t expect to keep trading for resources by using the Black Magic Wind Array indefinitely.
It took only a moment for another Black Magic Wind Bundle Array dais to take shape under the strokes of his rune brush, so swift that if others had seen it, they would have been astounded.
With a gentle wave of his hand, the array dais neatly landed on top of the pile.
The second one.
The third one.
The fourth one.
All the array dais needed for this trade were completed.
After meditating in the lotus position for a while, Ivan created a new, larger, and sturdier stone platform on the ground that was more than three times larger than the first one, and obviously of higher quality than the one stacked to the side.
When he lifted his rune brush again, his expression turned serious.
Under the fluent motion of his brush, lines representing the meaning of runes emerged, and after most of the day, a new runes array formed.
This was clearly a complete runes sorcery array, made up of exactly 12 strands of 3D runes bundles.
“Wind, come.”
Along with his voice, gusts of wind surged up on the runes sorcery array, soon turning into a black whirlwind that slowly rotated within a small area, without affecting the surroundings in the least.
“Fire, come.”
In an instant, the wind ceased and fire arose. Black flames blazed wildly, covering the entire runes sorcery array. These were undoubtedly Black Magic Flames that even an official sorcerer would find heart-stopping.
As soon as the black flames appeared, the stone platform bearing the runes sorcery array started making fine sounds, which became more intense over time, even beginning to incorporate the noise of breaking. Ivan waved his hand forcefully, and the runes sorcery array ceased its operation.
After the flames extinguished, the stone platform clearly became smoother, and the carved lines had also faded.
In Ivan’s perception, the stone platform had actually undergone subtle deformation, with its interior also damaged, which clearly indicated that the original materials for constructing the runes sorcery array were insufficient.
“Materials for making high-level magicalized items are too rare. Continuing like this is not conducive to further research on the Black Magic Wind Fire Array. Perhaps I could find a suitable environment to set it up.” Read exclusive chapters at empire
In the past two and a half years, he hadn’t spent much time creating Black Magic Wind Bundle Arrays for the academy, devoting the rest of his time to his own research.
Through in-depth study, he had already extrapolated the Black Magic Wind Bundle Array into a complete runes sorcery array and developed the Black Magic Fire Array. He then went on to derive the ‘Black Magic Wind Fire Array.’
This Black Magic Flame was no ordinary flame. Not to mention its deeper purification of mental energy transformed from magic stones, its burning capability was also admirable. The function of the black wind was mental restraint, while the function of the black fire was mental incineration.
For sorcerers who relied on mental power, Black Magic Fire was undeniably a feared element.
Ivan had not yet used it publicly; once he did, it would surely establish his great reputation.
“Finding the right environment is not easy either, unless it’s a place like the Kanda magic stone mine.”
“This magic formation exploration is not enough. What I want is not just the alternation of wind and fire, but wind complementing fire, strengthening the fire with wind. If I can figure it out, it will certainly be a new prospect.”
The more Ivan researched the Black Magic Wind Array, the more he felt its deep potential, which also increased his desire and ambition for exploration.
It was this ambition that led him to spend a great deal of time and effort on the research of the Black Magic Wind Array, and also consume several Lights of Wisdom. Compared to the gains, such expenses were of course worthwhile.
“Sorcerer Ivan.”
“Clear away this discarded array dais.”
Ivan summoned a few Shadow Ant servants to clean up the discarded materials in the enchantment chamber.
After they cleaned the floor, Ivan had the Shadow Ant servants carry the Black Magic Wind Bundle Array dais with him to the enchantment workshop.
Every sorcerer could have a team of ten Shadow Ant servants. After accumulating enough credits, Ivan gradually summoned them. The Shadow Ant servants were excellent workers, alleviating the staffing shortage at the Twin Towers.
A few minutes later, he arrived at the enchantment workshop with the Shadow Ant servants, and there was someone waiting there.
“Sorcerer Ivan,” Cody greeted him as he approached.
“Have you been waiting long?” Ivan nodded in acknowledgment.
“You mustn’t say that, I only just arrived a moment ago.” Cody was always cautious in his treatment of sorcerers, even those with whom he once had good relations. “The credits are all sorted. Just look—”
“Of course, your share is included.”
Ivan spoke, and an array dais floated over from the hands of a Shadow Ant servant, landing beside him.
Cody glanced at it and happily paid the 400 credits. This was the price Ivan gave to the academy, he neither overcharged nor offered a discount.
“Cody, I wish you all the best.”
“Thank you for your auspicious words. I will take my leave now.”
After obtaining what he wanted, Cody left eagerly. He was preparing