Witch, Fireball and the Evil God of Steam

The father spoke highly of the wealthy merchant.

Moreover, the merchant spent a significant amount of money to hire a well-trained summoner guard for his caravan. Besides ensuring security during trade routes, the merchant often led the guard to investigate large magical creature nests whenever they passed by.

Yet such an experienced summoner team was completely annihilated by Modos.

At the victory banquet in the royal palace, Modos's subordinates laughed and talked about the foolishness of the merchant and the guards. In face of such a scenario, they still adhered to tradition, planning to defeat their opponent with fair means. They set their formation against the merchant and his guards, and the merchant himself even challenged Modos to a duel.

According to the kingdom's tradition, if the merchant won the duel, Modos would have to take his men and leave the haven, never to harass them again.

If the Crimson Queen hadn't fallen, the merchant would have won the duel, subsequently expelling these unseemly poachers as the victor.

However, in reality, when the merchant stepped forward thinking it was a one-on-one match, the wolves pounced on him and overwhelmed him almost instantly. Even the guard members were stunned, hearing the merchant's screams, unable to give any effective command from start to finish.

When the wolves dispersed, only a mangled corpse remained on the ground.

This scene greatly shocked the guards, and when Modos headed to the haven, he already had a plan in place.

Once war broke out, attacking the opponent's summoner was the top priority. Their goal was never an honorable battle but a one-sided massacre.

Charlotte felt that Ethan was in danger at this moment too.

She donned an invisible cloak, observing the movements of Modos's followers. Some silently blocked Ethan's path, and magical creatures gathered around. They seemed to have tacitly decided on a strategy.

If the conversation didn't reach a satisfactory result, they would use a small group of magical creatures to pin down Ethan's companions, while the main forces would attack with the aim of killing Ethan.

"Boss Sakaki, I think your silence is disrespectful to me."

Modos's sidelong glance swept over the subordinates gathered behind Ethan, his tone carrying more weight. "And I have shown you the utmost respect, after all, Team Rocket is an organization you founded. We are also willing to maintain you as the leader of the organization... Respect should be mutual!"

It might have been an illusion, but Modos felt the royal palace was getting colder. After speaking, he even saw his breath turn into frost.

"I'm listening."

Ethan said, "You wish to eliminate the remnants of the Crimson Queen and achieve unification."

This plan seemed very challenging to Ethan since the gap between high-level summoners and low-level ones could be described as huge. If Modos's trick was exposed, and the city lords started fighting with the intent to "kill the summoner," these poachers and their not-so-high-level magical creatures had but one end: extermination.

He observed Modos's creature, a gray wolf marked at level 42, over 30 levels lower than a top-tier summoner like Lady Fengweidie.

The physical frailty of summoners is relative, and Modos didn't appear to be much stronger than others.

If looked at from a historical perspective, Ethan felt that Modos's behavior was doomed. This organization centered around poachers was bound not to last long. They were destined to be just supporting players at the start of chaos, exiting hastily after a brief moment in the spotlight. Those city lords and the Northern dragon-taming tribe would replace them, becoming the main characters of an era.

The fragmented situation would last for decades until one side won, and by then, this realm would see a return to unity.

But Ethan never intended to linger for decades; a two-week business trip was his maximum tolerance for work time.

"Before coming to the royal capital, I visited Lady Fengweidie in the Misty Forest. If she used the 'Mist Sky' tactic for assassination, how would you respond?"

In Ethan's view, Lady Fengweidie showed great potential as a super-assassin. Once entering the mist's range, it was tantamount to having her blade at your throat.

Modos seemed to sneer at the rules set by the Crimson Queen, mocking those haven residents who died by following them. But in reality, they were always beneficiaries of these rules. Otherwise, without the city lords' intervention, they would have long since died during one of their magical egg thefts.

The royal palace was deathly silent; faced with Ethan's sharp questioning, Modos couldn't respond immediately.

Eliminating remnants, achieving unification, in reality, seemed more like a slogan. He hadn't even pondered the details.

"Then let me give you a hand."

Since Modos believed he had poured his efforts into Team Rocket, as the nominal head of the organization, he should reward these diligent people properly.

It appeared Modos and his followers faced difficulties, unable to resolve the issue of the summoners' physical frailty. Thankfully, Ethan had made many friends, fortunate to meet a master in the field of physical modification.

Evolution and the art of eternal life.

This was what He taught in courses at the academy.

Modos exhaled again, feeling an increasingly intense cold, a chill from the depths of his soul, dispelling the remaining drunkenness. Only when his blurred vision cleared did he belatedly notice the anomalies within the royal palace.

He saw a blood-red ice layer had unknowingly frozen the ground beneath them, and when he looked down, the reflection within the ice wasn't his silhouette but a distorted, tumor-covered monster's shape. He couldn't even describe it as a magical creature, for it seemed like a mass of flesh chaotically piled together.

The confusion didn't last long in Modos's mind because his attention was quickly drawn to his calf.

His calf was bleeding, or more accurately, he saw his flesh melting along with his bones, yet the entire process lacked any pain, as if the changes weren't happening to his body.

His vision was also rising.

This resulted from his body gradually expanding, reaching two meters, three meters, even higher, beyond the scope of humanity, transforming into an indescribable species.

Modos heard panicked screams.

The poachers lost their courage to surround and kill Ethan. At this moment, only one thought dominated their minds—escape!

This was the instinct of creatures when confronting fear, and the magical creatures fled in all directions ahead of them.

Wait a moment...

Why are you running away?

What's happening to me?

Modos wanted to grab the nearest subordinate for an explanation, but what he uttered was a vague and muffled low voice. The arm he meant to extend turned into a wriggling tentacle, stretching over tens of meters, pulling the fleeing subordinate into itself.

He immediately witnessed the subordinate's transformation.

Their body was melting too, yet they didn't die from it. The vibrating mass of flesh fell to the ground, piling together, forming an indescribable object.

This scene didn't last long. When Modos regained his senses, the transformation of the entire royal palace was complete.

The carpet made of flesh and blood; even the grand structures had decayed.

The walls turned into a writhing nest, growing countless eyes, and his subordinates were still there, alive but now entirely unrecognizable from their former selves.

"Congratulations, the evolution is complete."

Amidst the void, Modos heard Ethan's voice.

The other party still maintained an unchanged expression. "This way, you'll no longer need to worry about anyone attacking your main body directly."