City of Sin

Book 5, 97

The Definition Of Property

Some of the saints started to panic as Hasting continued to cough out blood. If anything were to happen to the legendary mage in the current time, it would be a huge blow to the City of the Unsetting Sun. The grand mage rushed to support him as he almost fell to the ground, but he waved his hand and pushed the fellow away, “I’m... fine. I was just too happy; with this demon as a basis for research, I’ll be able to find the weaknesses of Daxdian royals. Then... I’ll have my vengeance...”

Hasting’s voice turned sombre as he reached the end of that sentence, and he turned silent for a while before sighing, “I wanted more than twenty years for this day. After all this while... Forbidden Eye should be alive, no? What am I saying, he was already legendary then, why would he die? The only question is whether he’s still at the Land of Dusk. I hope... he hasn’t left...” The last words were almost inaudible.

Hasting’s past was a mystery. Most of the warriors in the city only knew that he had come here more than twenty years ago, basing all his activities around the capital of the Unsetting Sun. Nobody knew of his status or accolades in Norland, and with his temperamental and merciless personality, no one wished to find out.

“We couldn’t be happier for you,” the grand mage said respectfully, “We will return for now, there are still some procedures to complete for the requisition.”

Hasting waved his hand impatiently and said, “Leave it here.”

However, the two warriors who held Blacklight didn’t release him immediately, “Your Excellency, you do not seem to be in the best of conditions. Should we add a few more restraints?”

Hasting’s mouth curved down, his tone turning icy, “It’s just a demon, even without much mana I can still deal with it. Let it go and get lost!”

The two warriors looked at each other before releasing their grip at the same time. However, they didn’t let their guard down, prepared to pounce on the demon if they sensed anything amiss.

This was the first time Blacklight wasn’t constrained since he had been knocked unconscious, and his expression immediately turned cold as he made a mad dash towards Hasting. His instincts were screaming that this was a great threat, and he would rather die than be used.

However, a condescending look appeared on Hasting’s face. A heavy grunt immediately stopped Blacklight in his tracks, his eyes rolling back as he fainted. The other two warriors also felt a bit of pain in their heads, causing their faces to turn deathly pale as they hurried out of the shrine.

As the three members of the Marshal’s guard headed out of the shrine, they brushed past a young man along the way. The grand mage immediately recognised him and bowed with reverence, “Master Richard.”

Although both were mages and the grand mage was a full two levels higher, he knew better than most how difficult it was to suppress one’s mana growth for more than a year. Less than ten Norlanders throughout the Land of Dusk were in Richard’s position.

However, Richard ignored the grand mage and waved him off in the midst of his own worries, giving the mage no chance to break the news about the demon’s requisition. He headed straight towards the inner halls of the shrine, “Your Excellency Hasting, it’s Richard.”

“Ah, Richard. Is there something you need me for?” a sinister voice rang out from within, “If it isn’t important, I do not have the time right now. I have some very important business that requires my attention.”

This was a rather rude thing to say, but anyone familiar with Hasting would know that he was actually being very polite. The only reason Hasting explained himself and didn’t chase Richard away immediately was because of his contributions to the battle just now. Beye had dealt a heavy blow to an opposing legend, but Richard had completely annihilated hundreds of Daxdians in recovery. His strength had startled both sides, and he wasn’t even a grand mage yet! He had already been earmarked to be the best candidate in his generation to enter the legendary realm.

In fact, the splendour of that battle even qualified Richard to have a voice in the city council.

Just as Richard was about to reply, his wandering gaze fell upon the young lady laid on the magical stage. His eyes went wide as he immediately bounded forward, “Waterflower!”

However, he only made it two steps before Hasting blocked his path. Richard’s expression turned stern as he froze in place, not knowing whether to push through or retreat as he just awaited the legendary mage’s explanation.

The strenuous motion had caused Hasting to start coughing violently, something that took a bit of effort to fix, “This kid’s your soulguard? Heh, you’re quite lucky, but if you want her to be able to stand up again it’s best you don’t touch the spell formation. I’m only a third of the way through healing, she needs two more sessions to recover her soul.”

Richard was stunned for a moment before he snapped back, bowing in apology, “Pardon my impulsiveness.”

“If you really feel sorry, there’s something you can do. I’ll be blunt, runemasters like you are moneybags. Two top tier offerings or a custom grade 3 rune set and we’ll be even.”

“No problem,” Richard replied immediately, “But I’ll need some time.”

Hasting nodded, “Just be as quick as you can. I came upon an important task recently, and it needs a lot of money. It’s experimental facilities for that thing there, I’ll need some gnomish supplies.”

Richard looked at where Hasting was pointing and cried out in shock, “Blacklight? Why is he here?”

“Blacklight? That is his name? How would you know this? EVERYONE, COME IN AT ONCE!”

As the Marshal’s three guards returned to the shrine, the grand mage at the lead quickly recognised the situation and spoke up, “Master Richard, we received news that there was a demon in your dwelling, and a royal at that, so the Marshal has decided to requisition it for His Excellency’s research.”

Richard’s expression turned from confused to cold as death, “I was the one who captured and tamed this demon. You’re taking him from me without even asking?”

The grand mage shuddered at Richard’s gaze, but he still put on a brave front, “This was the Marshal’s decision. He has the right to seize any private property in the City during wartime. No need to worry, you will be adequately compensated for this. You should be aware that such requisitions do not require your permission.”

Richard squinted, “This demon is still alive. You’re telling me you can enter my house and take whatever you want at your pleasure, including my women?”

The grand mage raised his voice in response, “Any requisition that aids the City shall be carried out! The Marshal has no selfish ambitions! If you really want an answer to that question, then yes. Your possessions, your demons, and even your—”

“Even my women,” Richard finished the sentence for him.

“Yes, even your women, so long as they are classified as property. I mentioned before, you would be compensated adequa—”

*BANG!* Sword light pierced through the shadows of the shrine, Hasting’s expression suddenly changing as he quickly formed a barrier to block Extinction. However, the legendary mage found that the sword merely bounced off without an owner to guide it; he’d been conned!

The two saint warriors tried to rush forward as well, but retreated even quicker than they came. Two swords had landed right in their paths, and the power behind these forced respect. In the meanwhile, the grand mage saw Richard pull out the Twin of Destiny and instinctively started to cast a spell barrier.

However, the staff disappeared just as quickly as it had arrived. Richard had already turned into an afterimage as he shot towards the grand mage, grabbing him by the neck and lifting him off the ground.

“Khh...” The grand mage started to strain, his eyes going wide at Richard’s blood-red hands. The skin on his neck started to sizzle as it was charred, starting to flake off.