Chapter 392 - 7: Who Are the Real Evil People?

Most of the exchange between Su Zhou and the gray-eyed youth happened via their souls. The only physical actions were the boy repeatedly handing various sums of money and Magic Books to Su Zhou, so not much time had actually passed.

After establishing their partnership, the youth began a brief self-introduction.

Elias Naisel. That was the name of the blue-haired, gray-eyed youth in the black, hooded robe. His true features were quite handsome and delicate. Although he was a bit short for his age, it was clear he had a good foundation and a promising future.

He was the third son of the current Duke of the Naisel family, the rulers of this region. Since birth, almost all records of his existence had been erased. He was a secret asset, deliberately hidden away in other Shelter Cities, to be activated only in a time of dire crisis.

"His eyes and Magic Power fluctuations... they’re exactly the same as the Duke’s!"

"That’s right! I’ve seen the Duke’s eldest son, and he looks just like him!"

A clamor of voices echoed around the tavern. His identity was confirmed by the shocked reactions and chatter of the surrounding adventurers—the Duke family was known for their hereditary blue hair and gray eyes. In addition, his unique Magic Power fluctuations, which resonated with the frequency of the surrounding Elemental Array, were undeniable proof that could not be faked. This was the very foundation of the Naisel family’s long-standing rule over the city.

This so-called secret asset was part of a hidden bloodline, cultivated in secret to deal with any potential catastrophes and maximize the chances of the family’s survival. Theoretically, now that the Naisel family had met with disaster, Elias should have assumed a new identity, changed his appearance, and continued living in another city with his family’s legacy—or even fled far, far away.

"That was indeed my original plan," Elias said. "But the last order I received was to return to the main Naisel City as fast as possible, at any cost. If I could, I was to inherit control of the Elemental Array and drive out the enemy. But if that proved impossible, then I was to destroy all of my family’s legacy so the enemy wouldn’t get their hands on a single thing."

So Elias explained. By this point, the two had already set out. He was guiding Su Zhou, and they were moving quickly through the streets toward the Duke’s Mansion, which was now the headquarters of the mysterious faction. "Besides, it was my family’s last request... Although I never lived with them, I never wanted for anything, and I received an education and legacy that ordinary people could never hope for."

Move fast. That was Su Zhou’s demand. Elias himself wanted to plan things out more carefully; as strong as Su Zhou was, their enemies were not weak. But Su Zhou was the one in charge of the operation, so Elias could only follow.

The youth’s expression was a bit resigned, but not resentful. He comforted himself with the thought, ’Speed has its advantages, after all. At the very least, it’ll be hard for the enemy to react in time.’

Neither Elias nor the Naisel family before him knew anything about this mysterious enemy that had suddenly appeared. With the world on the brink of destruction, every major Shelter City was focused on finding a way to avert the apocalypse. None of them had the time or inclination for infighting. The nearest large, surface-level Shelter City was over 1,300 kilometers away from Naisel City; there was absolutely no reason for any factions to be fighting amongst themselves. In fact, their leaders often shared information and resources, hoping to build sturdier shelters capable of withstanding the end of the world.

’Everyone is going to die anyway, so why bother with infighting during the world’s last few decades?’ It was precisely because of this mindset that the Naisel family had reacted so slowly.

"To be honest, I don’t really care why they came after your family."

Su Zhou’s reply to Elias’s confusion was brutally honest, his expression sincere. Of course, his words were a bit hurtful, but it was just his nature. "Instead of that, just tell me how many enemies there are, where they are, and if there’s anything I should watch out for."

He didn’t ask "how many to kill" because Su Zhou’s policy had always been to "kill them all."

"...From what I’ve seen, there are about three Elite Tier enemies in Naisel City. One is a Ranger, currently outside the city walls working with some hired bandits to track me down. Inside the city, there’s a Knight and a Mage."

Su Zhou was moving so fast that Elias had to cast Gale Step on himself just to barely keep up.

He fell silent for a moment at Su Zhou’s directness before adding a warning. "The Delron Mage is about Elite Middle Tier in strength. He’s proficient in both Mind Magic and Water Magic, and he wields a mysterious High-tier Divine Object. He’s an extremely tricky opponent."

"As for the Knight, I never saw him in action while I was hiding in the city. But he seems to be very powerful—even the Delron Mage takes orders from him."

As he said this, Elias’s gaze drifted to the black Divine Blade at Su Zhou’s waist. "Sir, you seem to specialize in Fire Combat Skills? In that case, we don’t need to charge in directly. We could look for an opportunity to launch a surprise attack and kill him in a single strike!"

So-called Divine Objects were this world’s general term for all kinds of Extraordinary Creations. Some were Magic Equipment crafted by Casters, while others were ancient relics excavated from the Underground Maze.

Since the Demon Tide receded over a thousand years ago, many powerful forging Techniques have been lost to time. As a result, the Extraordinary equipment still in use today is either inherited from ancient times or consists of ancient relics. High Tier corresponds to the Elite Tier. Considering the elemental counters and the fact that he’d be outnumbered, no matter how powerful Su Zhou was, it would be difficult for him to gain an advantage.