Among the five tall towers of the Archmage Tower, the East Tower is the heaviest one. The red stone walls are topped by a lead-gray spire that looks like it has been blackened by smoke, and is often derided as "the blacksmith's furnace". This nickname is also due to the fire spells that Wakefield Toombs, the Lord of the East Tower, excels at, and his irascible and recalcitrant personality - but no one dares to say it in front of him.

At this moment, Tumus rubbed his fingers impatiently, and he had the urge to burn the waste in front of him.

"So," he interrupted, "you're saying you gave up on who you were supposed to be watching, and ran to stalk and intimidate a trickster who didn't really know anything...... Why didn't you just kill that guy so you don't expose yourself?"

The disciple who couldn't tell whether he was sarcastic or reproachful could only bow his head tremblingly and mutter, "It's not that I don't know anything...... He didn't know who I was...... It's too late to kill him......"

The dragon was so sensitive and vigilant, and after being stared at from afar by that cold gaze for a moment, he really felt that there was nothing wrong with taking a detour approach, not to mention that he still gained a little bit, didn't he?

“...... Idiot!" Toombs grabbed the inkwell on the table and smashed it, "Get out!"

The unlucky disciple breathed a sigh of relief, and did not forget to bow respectfully before turning to leave, secretly glad that at least it was not a fireball that was thrown - it was not something that did not happen.

The heavy wooden door closes quickly and silently on its own. The power of magic still works within the range of the Archmage's Tower, but outside the tower......

Tumus looked down at his fingers, his face gloomy. He didn't want to admit that he didn't really burn down this disciple who wouldn't be cared about even if he disappeared, because of the uneasiness in his own heart. In fact, the disciple whose name he often got wrong was not as stupid as he had reprimanded - even if it was just a gut feeling, he had found exactly what really mattered.

But he couldn't admit it.

The power of magic is waning. And the "Sage", who he thought was useless and was just pushed out by Sean Fletcher to hide from others, has mastered and understood much more than he imagined.

Sooner or later, the strangeness felt by the "tricky" young man will no longer be used as a prevarication to cover up his incompetence...... Sooner or later, mages will realize that the source of magic is not as inexhaustible as the sea—no, the sea is also inexhaustible.

That causes indescribable panic...... And panic can lead to uncontrollable disasters.

The founders of the Archmage Tower had foreseen this day – and he had to pay homage to it. But the measures they have taken to this end are far from sufficient in his opinion.

"Balance" is indeed important, but what is the point of balance without the support of strength?

He pondered for a moment, then got up and walked to the door on the other side, drew a secret rune with the tip of his cane, pushed the door open, and was already in another tower.

The five towers seem to be independent of each other, but in fact they are closely connected in another form. It's just that only those who climb to a certain position can grasp this secret.

The old mage standing in front of the bookshelf, Laszló Carmack, the Lord of Sita, glanced back at the uninvited guest who suddenly appeared, frowning slightly, his bare head showing patches of dark traces in the dim light, like a birthmark, and like some kind of rune.

He didn't like Tumus coming uninvited like this, but Tumus never cared about his dislike, so he silently endured it.

"Can't wait any longer. ”

The mage, much younger than him, declared, "Carmack...... You have to make a decision now. ”

The overly domineering attitude of the Lord of the East Tower did not stir up much in the eyes of the old mage. He slowly pulled out the book he was looking for, returned to his place, and sat down.

"It's never me that you need to convince. He said.

.

On another rainy afternoon, Nick Stormel visits Ed, who is still buried in the runes.

The mage, who had just returned from the sea, looked serious and worried. They found the remains of the massive temple at the bottom of the sea—it had collapsed to the point where it was almost unrecognizable, but the power that remained there was still astonishing.

When Ed talked about the Dragonbone, which he didn't know what had become or where it had gone, the mage wasn't so shocked.

"The keel," he said, "has always been a better place to bear the power of magic than any gem. Nine Toes is a smart guy...... At least much smarter than Telina Bofford, and even though he had a near-immortal body, he wasn't arrogant enough to think he could become a god through an ancient sacrifice...... or a god-like being. ”

Ed was inexplicably embarrassed - to be a god or something...... Although the purpose is different, he seems to have had such an idea.

"I don't know if you realize......" Stormbell hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Scott Christos is actually doing the same thing as Nine Toes?"

Ed was dumbfounded. The mage, who was not trusted at first, had helped him a lot, but there were many things that he still had to keep secret. As Iss says, "He's a mage after all" – once he knows that he might lose all his power, who knows what choice he'll make?

And Stobel didn't seem to need his answer.

"I used to think he had the same ambitions as the 'Mage King' Doron...... "The mage lowered his eyes to hide the glimmer of regret that flashed in them, "If you want to become an immortal, powerful being like a god, even if you have to use dark and dangerous spells and pay a huge price, you will not hesitate to do so. ”

"He's not ......," Ed couldn't help but say, "He's not like that. ”

"Yes. Stobel nodded, "He may be arrogant...... But it's not greedy, and it's not cruel enough. So I had another guess, maybe he wanted the god he served to be the only god, or the greater one above the gods...... He needed strength for that, but he didn't care if he would be the only spokesperson or the victim who would always be remembered. He may have genuinely thought that it was the true way of salvation, especially in people...... Even the elves are gradually losing their faith. ”

Ed stopped talking.

“...... Close, but not a fact. Stobel laughed, "At least not what you think it is—lo and behold, Ed, your mind is easy to guess when you're less vigilant." I think I should feel honored, obviously, in your opinion...... I'm not so untrustworthy anymore. ”