Legacy of the Dark Sage

Exploring the Chaos Palace was part of Kyran's to-do list.

His reason was apparent. Since it was his predecessor's stronghold from the Chaos Reign era, then as his successor, he had to go and see the place. Mostly to learn more about his predecessor's past and find if he had a magic weapon he left behind.

Kyran came up with three options to cover for his lack of a magic weapon. The first option he came up with was to mold his magic into a weapon. The second was to craft a weapon himself. And last was to go to Chaos Palace and find his predecessor's weapon.

Others might find it strange that Kyran had listed finding the Dark Sage's weapon as his last option. Would it not be easier to find an already crafted weapon than create one?

While this reasoning was correct, it would only apply if there was concrete proof that the Dark Sage did leave a weapon in the Chaos Palace. Unfortunately, there was no information about his weapon's whereabouts after he fell. Even from the worn-out records that Stella showed him on his first day in her study, there were only a few mentions about the Dark Sage.

This was the reason why, for Kyran, his first option was the easier choice. All he had to do was gain mastery in the molding technique. But it would not be a long-term arrangement. He knew that molding a weapon for himself could only take him so far. As for his second option, this was his practical choice. That was the reason why he wanted to learn array creation.

Still, if he were presented a chance to venture the Chaos Palace, even within its periphery only, then he would not complain. Of course, he only had to get there for now. Exploring had to wait for another time. As long as he found a safe place near the palace and remembered it, he could visit any time.

Right now, he needed to finish dealing with matters within The Conclave first.

Kyran looked at Vaness with a thoughtful expression. He noticed something from how Vaness mentioned the bark of the Duali tree. He asked, "Is the important thing the tree or the age of the bark?"

Vaness smiled, "You noticed it. Yes, the Duali tree itself is not rare. We also have grow them. Growing them for a thousand year, however, is hard. Because of its many uses, the Duali tree are being cut down before it really matures. Only in the periphery of the Chaos Palace can these trees grow freely, because of its special environment. Unfortunately, going there at this time of the year would be dangerous."

This information further moved Kyran's interest.

He did not find any helpful information about the Chaos Palace from Stella's study, but that did not mean there was none. Knowing that he could gather more information about the palace would save him a lot of time.

"I read the surroundings of the Chaos Palace is not that dangerous compared inside. Is there some kind of 'event' at this time that makes it dangerous?" Kyran asked.

"It is the miasma around the palace," Vaness replied.

'Miasma?' Kyran wondered. There was no mention of that in all the books he read.

Vaness nodded and explained, "The Miasma in the Chaos Palace are thicker at this time of the year. Normally, a high quality detoxification potion can make people immune to the miasma for a few hours and they can explore the surroundings. But during this time of the year, it will not have any effect."

"What exactly is this miasma? How dangerous is it?" Kyran asked further.

That moment, some of the council members discreetly looked in Hugh's direction.

Kyran narrowed his eyes. Their reaction made him think that they might have suffered a loss in the past because of the miasma.

Feeling the edgy looks from his colleagues, Hugh smiled bitterly.

Kyran's intuition was correct.

The Conclave did suffer a loss a few years ago because of the miasma.

Back then, the Mercenary Hall received a request for materials only found around the Chaos Palace. It was a relatively easy mission. There were a few mercenaries who teamed up and went to gather these materials. Typically, it would only take a few weeks to complete the task. Who would have thought that at that time, a few mages from the Arcadia were also there?

At first, the mercenaries managed to stay away from their detection. But when a rare forest beast appeared that the Arcadian mages were looking for, things went downhill. The Arcadian mages ignored the forest beast and attacked the mercenaries. In that battle, a few mercenaries died. This proved how hostile every Arcadian was to the Yflaen Empire. It didn't matter whether a person was part of the Royal Army or just an ordinary mercenary. As long as he came from the empire, they would abandon everything and kill that person.

After that, the few mercenaries who survived had to hide. But because they decided to hide, they lost track of time, and soon the miasma around the palace grew thicker.

When the Mercenary Hall did not hear from these mercenaries for a long time, they started an investigation. They found out from other independent exploration factions that there had been a skirmish around the palace a few months earlier. The Mercenary Hall confirmed the date coincided with the time their mercenaries went to the Chaos Palace. When Hugh found out, he ventured in to save them personally. Unfortunately, all of the mercenaries died before Hugh arrived. And he also ended up getting infected by the miasma.

Now, his life force had weakened, and if it were not for Malia's help, he probably would have died already.

Hugh looked at Kyran and replied, "The miasma can corrode a person's magic reserves, making it hard for them to recover. If a person was infected by a small dose of the normal miasma, it is still curable. However, if he was infected by the concentrated miasma, even a small dose will not only corrode his magic reserves but will slowly whittle away his life force."

There was a sudden heaviness in the atmosphere at the mention of this.

Kyran was surprised. Though he suspected that the miasma might be deadly, he did not expect it to be cruel. In his opinion, being poisoned to death was better than experiencing your life force being whittled away slowly.

"You seemed to know a lot about it. Are there many cases like that in the past?" Kyran asked, looking at Hugh directly.

With a bitter smile, Hugh shook his head and answered, "I know about it because I am a living proof of the miasma's terrible effect."

Kyran's expression turned solemn. He remembered Hugh was one of the first to respond during the time he attacked the Tower. However, he also remembered that Hugh's presence was not as terrible as Malek's, that time. After hearing that Hugh was also a Magus, Kyran thought maybe Hugh's presence had weakened because he entered his sphere. After hearing what the miasma could do, and Hugh's admission on his condition, Kyran realized that it was because of this.

Kyran crossed his arms and pondered for a moment.

If they could not get the bark at this time, they would have to either search for another merchant faction that might have it in-store. But it would rouse their curiosity as to why The Conclave needed it. Even if they used a faux faction to buy it, it was not certain that they would not investigate either.

'No. You're getting ahead,' Kyran told himself. 'There is no guarantee that others have it. Besides, how long will it take to find one? The Tower's array need to be completed as soon as possible, so I can leave soon.'

He only planned to stay in The Tower until he dealt with their matter. After that, he had to put his plan into action.

His brows creased as he tried to come up with a solution.

At this time, everyone inside remained silent as they waited for Kyran to continue.

Even Malek was looking at him with a thoughtful expression.

The truth, Malek did not remain silent because he was resentful toward Kyran or that he had no interest in what he had to say. He remained silent because he observed how he planned to win over the other members of The Conclave. The others might not have noticed it yet, but the moment Kyran started talking about how he planned on 'providing' what The Conclave needed, it turned into a discussion of their next step, instead of them deciding whether they should accept his proposal or not.

Even Vaness, whom Malek thought would be the first to object to Kyran's plans, was quickly won over. He knew Vaness rarely replied to anyone, but today he openly discussed many things with Kyran.

Well, Malek had to admit that Kyran already won him over, the moment he suggested using his bounty to fill the Conclave's need of spirit stones. He would not admit it directly to Kyran though. He would never be able to live through the humiliation.

After a moment's pause, Kyran finally straightened and asked Vaness, "You mentioned a detoxification potion. I am guessing that means you know what the miasma is made of?"