Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 468 - 430: The Charlatan and the Prince

Before the mutation began.

William followed the Arcanist ahead, donning a bright silver robe as required, then proceeded to move through the remote alleys to avoid attracting attention.

Dressed to stand out yet required to stay inconspicuous.

William thought this Arcanist must be an idiot.

As it turned out, he wasn’t stupid; he was mad.

Another exchange of fireballs erupted, the shattered fragments kicking up dust. William created moving stone spikes on the wall to climb upward, having been lured to this abandoned area of the Light and Shadow Zone under the guise of official business, only to be ambushed the next instant.

Someone wanted to kill him. William fell back, the sharp Ice Cone piercing through the fog first.

It grazed the Arcanist’s face and penetrated the ground.

"Taking ’Mana Sensing’ as a required course, that’s a good habit for academy mages, isn’t it? Quite troublesome. Hey, sir, can’t you be a little kinder and tell me your purpose? At least let me die with some understanding,"

With a frivolous smile on his face, William’s casual demeanor contrasted sharply with the Arcanist’s silence.

No response, no change in expression.

A professional assassin, or perhaps an animated corpse. Either scenario was bad news for William.

Releasing his hands, he placed them at his sides and regulated his breathing, fully controlling the mana flowing through his body.

The caster opposite him was a Teleportation Mage, a spellcaster who had abandoned the elements to comprehend space. That was why William couldn’t escape—the magic of teleportation was always faster than running on foot, not to mention the distortion of space that could reflect one’s own magic spells. A disgusting profession.

But William had a plan in place.

Mud and rock accumulated beside William in the narrow alley, rising into a wall.

A Teleportation Mage wouldn’t reflect area spells, and this eerie fellow had never hidden in space; these were the results of William’s several probes. Powerful area spells were his only option—and such spells often required a lot of preparation time.

Incanting before the fastest Teleportation Stone was practically a death wish.

But William was different.

With a Third Ring Talent, Chaos Creation.

The inherent Stone Elemental Spell had a mana model of the Thunder Series; William would complete the cast much faster than the opponent expected.

The rising earthen wall, like a lofty dam, became increasingly unstable as the contained mana stirred restlessly—it wouldn’t be long before a landslide of mud and rock buried its victims.

The enemy moved precisely as William had guessed, charging in with a blink. Apart from reflecting William’s spells, this strange Arcanist, at other times, behaved more like a cunning beast that would attempt to close in on William for melee combat.

The time was enough. With the enemy two meters from William, the spell model’s charging was complete.

But just then, sudden, intense pain flared in William’s side, causing his Mana Shield to instantly redirect mana and expel the attacker from his body.

"My gold coins?" The source of William’s agony was none other than a coin from the Dolgette family. It had completely transformed, the gold material now resembling greasy fat layers, with several deep blue tentacles wriggling out from the broken cracks and a protruding eyeball replacing the image of a human head—it was a disguised flesh construct.

An attack that wasn’t serious in itself had disrupted William’s casting at this critical moment.

William could only watch as the Arcanist’s hood was lifted by the wind, his mouth opening wide and serpent-like, revealing a non-human interior bristling with spike-like teeth.

Then, a giant rock burst through the makeshift mud wall prepared by William, grazing his scalp and crushing both the spellcaster and his gaping maw.

Behind the broken mud wall, an indifferent man peered out.

"So, destiny guided me to this place... where not even a dog would stay... Hello, sir," Nameless lifted his palm, greeting the turned and defensive William. "I presume there’s no rule against destroying buildings in the abandoned area, Mr. Arcanist, so you need not officiously watch over me."

"Who are you?"

"Andrei Academy, Nameless, a Lich."

"A Lich, Nameless. Why have you come here?"

"Because of destiny."

"Destiny? The moment after I’m nearly assassinated, you show up, what a delightful destiny."

"You don’t need to be so tense, Mr. Arcanist; I have absolutely no intention of harming you. As a Lich of Andrei, if I intended to harm you, sir, you wouldn’t have had the chance to speak with me face to face."

"..." William relaxed his guard, bowed apologetically, "I am William Dolgette. Please forgive me, Mr. Lich, I should really be thanking you. You saved my life with your attack just now."

Nameless’s eyes widened momentarily, then returned to calm.

"No need to thank me, sir, as long as you don’t hold me accountable for manslaughter," Nameless manipulated a hovering boulder, observing the crushed remains, "Mind control, bodily decay, the style of the Evil God."

"The Evil God? How did I provoke the Evil God?"

"Not sure, that’s your own problem."

"My gold coins were switched; that’s related to my identity."

"Oh, then your identity must be noble enough to attract the Evil God. If I recall correctly, the City of Wandering seems to be about to announce an heir at the central square, Prince Dolgette, you might have been replaced."

William removed his silver-white robe stained with dust; the emblem of the arcane eye began to merge with his memory. "So, it really is..."

Traversing the muddy ravines, William turned his head.

"Thank you once again for your help, Mr. Nameless, I’m now off to the central square."

"I shall come too; destiny has intertwined us. If we wish to pursue a proper resolution, then I will cling to it tightly."

"Very well, Mr. Lich who prattles on about gods."

Nameless and William returned to the Light and Shadow Zone together. Just then, a roar reverberated through the City of Wandering, shaking and collapsing, transforming the beautiful city before William’s eyes.

The bewildered citizens became twisted monsters, their bloodthirsty eyes fixed on the last two men standing.

"What is this!" William dodged the lunging monster.

"Obviously, the corruption of the Evil God, unstoppable." The spinning simulacrum flung the remnants of flesh aside, Nameless stood still, his gaze piercing the void as if watching something.

"Then why haven’t you changed?"

"Because I have something I belong to?" Nameless reopened his eyes, looking at his pale skin, "Or perhaps it’s the disguise of new flesh. Did the Plague Doctor foresee all of this? What a monster."

"Then why haven’t I turned into a monster?"

"Prince, why are you asking me?" Nameless looked at William being chased by the flesh creatures, chin in hand, "I’ve heard that noble blood isn’t tainted by filth; perhaps there’s some truth to it."

Their chatter continued.

A swelling light engulfed everything.

And they vanished into the void.