Ethan's hand, holding the coral cup, froze in midair.
He looked at Boulder's slightly flushed face, which was red with excitement, and only one thought crossed his mind.
This guy is a complete fucking lunatic.
A Second-Tier lifeform, the Three-Thousandth Prince of the Sea Dragon tribe, actually wanted to swallow the entire Wizard World?
Just how many Sixth-Tier Bright Sun Wizards were there in the Wizard World?
How many Seventh-Tier True Spirit Wizards?
You're just a Second-Tier Sea Race member—what do you have to swallow them with?
Boulder obviously didn't notice the fleeting look of absurdity deep in Ethan's eyes.
He continued talking to himself, “Once the Spirit-Deceiving Array is successfully tested in the Thorn Empire, the next step is to copy and spread it. There are tens of thousands of Three Rings-affiliated academies like Blood Bone Tower in District 77. I'll swallow them one by one, eating away at them step by step. Starting with Blood Bone Tower, I'll replace all the wizard factions in the entirety of District 77 with my own people.”
He held up a single finger.
“Ten thousand years. Within ten thousand years, District 77 will be the territory of my Sea Race.”
Then, he held up a second finger.
“Fifty thousand years. Within fifty thousand years, I will have infiltrated half of the Wizard World.”
He held up a third finger.
“One hundred and twenty thousand to two hundred and fifty thousand years. The human factions of the entire Wizard World will be completely uprooted by me. By then, the Wizard World will belong to my Sea Race. My father, the clan leader, spends all day acting like a dog for the Wizard Council. I'll show him what the true way forward for the Sea Race really is.”
Having finished speaking, Boulder picked up his coral cup, threw his head back, and took a huge gulp.
Ethan held his cup, remaining silent for a long moment.
One hundred and twenty thousand years.
Two hundred and fifty thousand years.
Such a massive time span was something that not even a Tier 3 Wizard would dare to contemplate, let alone a newly promoted First-Tier Wizard like him.
Yet Boulder, a mere Second-Tier Sea Race member, casually spoke of a plan spanning over two hundred thousand years.
This was no longer just confidence.
This was living in a dream.
With the quality of the Spirit-Deceiving Array, deceiving a few First-Tier Wizards was barely passable. But deceiving a Tier 3 Wizard? Deceiving a wizard's War Fortress? Deceiving those headmaster-level old monsters who had lived for god knows how many years?
Even dreams shouldn't be this detached from reality.
Ethan brought the coral cup to his lips, using the rim to hide the twitching of his mouth.
He finally understood.
This Three-Thousandth Prince of the Sea Dragon tribe had lived his entire life in the Dragon Palace, surrounded by yes-men and sycophants. He would occasionally sneak out to cause some trouble, bullying a few weaklings using his power as a Second-Tier lifeform, and now he truly believed he was some kind of chosen one.
His plan had so many loopholes that Ethan felt embarrassed to even count them.
But he couldn't say a word.
Not only could he not say anything, but he also had to continue playing along.
“Your Highness,” Ethan set down his cup, his expression turning respectful once more. “One hundred and twenty thousand years, two hundred and fifty thousand years... I am truly in awe of your patience and your grand vision.”
Boulder's grin stretched from ear to ear.
“Genos, what exactly are you in awe of?”
“In awe of your boldness,” Ethan said. “I've been in Blood Bone Tower for decades, and I know at least eighty to a hundred First-Tier Wizards. Everyone is fighting over a year or two of cultivation resources, a bottle or two of potion, or a magic stone or two. No one thinks about what will happen ten years from now, let alone a hundred thousand years.”
He paused, raising his coral cup toward Boulder.
“You are different. You don't think about the gains and losses of a year or two, but the future of the entire Wizard World. This level of vision is something I, Genos Bezos, have never seen in anyone else in my entire life.”
Boulder threw his head back and laughed heartily.
His laughter echoed through the empty altar, shaking the few remaining crystals on the dome so much that they trembled slightly.
“Good!” He slammed his hand onto the low table. “Genos, well said! This prince has stayed in the deep sea for decades, and those guys around me do nothing but kowtow and flatter. Not a single one of them can comprehend my plan. Yet today, upon coming to land, I've actually run into a soulmate!”
“Genos,” Boulder slammed his coral cup heavily onto the low table again, splashing the deep blue liquid and leaving several thin streaks across the tabletop. The faint glow radiating from the two pale gold baby horns on either side of his forehead flickered through the alcohol fumes, and his light blue pupils were filled with excitement. “Those words truly touched this prince's heart! Vision! What is vision? Those guys who stare at a few magic stones and bottles of potion all day are destined to be nothing but errand boys for the rest of their lives!”
He fished a handful of knowledge crystals out of his storage device.
Seven or eight thumb-sized knowledge crystals were casually held in his palm. The clear, transparent crystals shimmered with various colors under the residual watery light of the altar. There was emerald green, deep blue-green, dark green, and two that emitted a dark red glow. Inside each crystal, intricate runic patterns flowed—the brand formed by a complete wizardry model compressed to its absolute limit.
Boulder pushed the handful of knowledge crystals toward Ethan.
“Here,” he said, his voice half-drunk and half-excited. “A thousand cups of wine are too few when drinking with a soulmate. You, little wizard, really suit this prince's taste. Take these Second-Tier wizardry models.”
Ethan's hand, holding the coral cup, froze in midair.
His gaze fell upon the handful of knowledge crystals.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven.
Seven.
Every single one was a Second-Tier wizardry model.
If this fortune were released, it would be enough to drive all the First-Tier Wizards in Blood Bone Tower absolutely mad.
The startled look on Ethan's face grew even more exaggerated than before. Setting down his coral cup, he waved his hands in front of him. “T-This, Your Highness... this is far too precious.”
“Precious?” Boulder's eyebrows shot up, and he threw his head back in laughter. His laughter echoed through the empty altar, shaking the few remaining crystals on the dome so much that they trembled slightly. “Ha! What's so precious about them? These things are gathering dust in my Sea Race treasury. Keeping them does this prince no good, but they'll actually be of use to you.”
He pushed the knowledge crystals another half-inch forward.
“Take them. If you don't, it means you look down on this prince.”
Ethan stared at the knowledge crystals, his lips trembling slightly. His Adam's apple bobbed as his expression shifted from shock to hesitation, then from hesitation to deep emotion, finally settling on a perfectly calibrated state of excitement.
“Alright,” Ethan reached out and grabbed all seven knowledge crystals in one fell swoop. “Then I shall humbly thank you, Your Highness.”
He stored the knowledge crystals into his storage ring one by one.
His movements were neither too fast nor too slow, pausing after storing each one as if to confirm he wasn't dreaming.
Boulder leaned back in his seat, swinging his crossed leg.
As he watched Ethan accept the knowledge crystals, the curve of his lips rose a bit higher.
“That's more like it,” Boulder picked up his coral cup and gulped down a mouthful. “This prince detests those who are overly polite and hesitant. If it's given to you, just take it. What is all that back-and-forth push and pull about?”
Ethan put away the final knowledge crystal and picked up his own cup of Coral Brew.
The liquid rippled in several concentric circles within the cup.
He took a deep breath, the excitement on his face not yet fully faded, and his voice carried a hint of trembling that he tried his best to suppress but still leaked out.
“Your Highness,” Ethan raised his coral cup to eye level. “I, Genos Bezos, will forever remember this generous gift. A toast to you.”
Rate on N.U.
