Surviving The Fourth Calamity

Although Hill really wants to make this Magic Tower completely his own, it’s not entirely impossible.

It’s just that it doesn’t hold that kind of value yet.

To completely deceive Asmodeus, the resources needed are somewhat daunting even for Hill... If it’s about value, it might not be that significant, but there are some things that Hill won’t actively seek out.

The Natural Will has never demanded that Hill avoid using anything from magical creatures.

However, for Hill, who can perceive the lingering resentment in creatures, his heightened sensitivity prevents him from touching animal parts tainted with resentment.

Common animals, no matter how intelligent they appear, if they haven’t been brutally killed, their almost weightless souls vanish the moment they die... leaving behind nothing in the meat and bones.

Only brutal killings can cause a soul on the verge of dissipating to merge with resentment, creating monsters like ghosts, but that’s mainly due to the lingering obsessions from before the animal’s death.

But, intelligent magical creatures are different.

Their souls may not be as heavy as humans’, but they still have weight.

Thus, their hatred will always remain within their bodies, even if it’s just a piece of their nail.

Feeling such pain and struggle, how could Hill possibly keep those things by his side?

Therefore, the items in his possession mostly come from magical creatures that, before dying naturally, sold themselves for the sake of their descendants.

Feeling no pain after death, they decided to sacrifice for their useless offspring.

Although Hill doesn’t deliberately collect such items, if he encounters them, he won’t refuse to purchase them.

No matter what, such biological materials are sometimes indispensable in certain situations or places. He may not need them, but it’s better to be prepared.

Just like now, only biological materials can shield the land’s perception... Of course, some materials from Hell and Abyss innately filled with malice could work too, but Hill would rather not trouble himself.

Is this some significant event?

Many decisions depend on whether he wants to or not.

So, continuing to use Gilbert’s soul as a marker for this Magic Tower is the best solution... Energy crystals and the like are the least of Hill’s worries.

Even if one day, this world returns to the control of the Styx, and Gilbert, already powerful enough, wishes for his information to be no longer under Hill’s control, seeking to exchange back... As long as Gilbert is not foolish, he’ll understand that equivalent exchange is the only option, and Hill would not have any regrets.

He wouldn’t let Russell remain on this planet either... Even with all the entanglements that prevent Russell from leaving this world, he’d have to find a satellite outside to live on.

Hill doesn’t care what happens to Gilbert in the future and wholeheartedly hopes that guy becomes stronger... A world’s fate is finite.

Once a presence occupies most of the fate, the lesser fate naturally flows towards him, especially within those of the same lineage.

If Russell has rarely spent his fate during those times, then eventually, this solidified fate will naturally flow to Gilbert.

Hill actually hopes to see such a future.

For many, such a flow is a cruel thing... A life originally smooth suddenly takes a downturn due to the emergence of a so-called destiny protagonist.

Thus, sometimes, seemingly irrational and frenzied targeting is not due to reduced intelligence... It’s because they sensed their destiny’s direction and couldn’t fully accept it.

But Hill believes Russell wouldn’t be that foolish.

He’s a child who believes more in his own efforts and struggles, not relying solely on fate.

Hill increasingly values him after understanding his character... Ruth was right, people tend to favor students who resemble themselves slightly.

Standing before a thick steel plate, Hill slowly constructed the Array of the Four Elemental Pools.

Russell looked a bit confused... During his time in the Tower of Dark Enigma, he had entered the Elemental Chamber in the Side Tower but only sensed Fire and Water elements, along with a faint hint of Wind, and virtually no Earth.

So, he really didn’t expect his teacher to choose to build an Elemental Pool with all four elements when constructing a Magic Tower... He had read many Magic Books, and a Magic Tower doesn’t need to have all four Elemental Pools.

Especially underground, usually, only a Water Element Pool is placed... If one wants to live normally in a Mage Tower, regardless of the expensive value of Water-element Gems, no one will go without it.

Generally, Wind goes above, Water below, Fire in the middle.

Those with capability may add a mixed pool of Fire and Wind in the middle.

But in essence, everyone favors a certain element, with the other two mainly for living or aiding purposes.

A Magic Tower requires the energy converted from the Elemental Pools, not the actual Elemental Power.

Yet at this moment, what his teacher was constructing was clearly a balanced four-element pool.

Russell couldn’t help but touch the two rings on his hand: ”Teacher, Elemental Gems...”

Hill straightened up and glanced at him: Russell indeed likes to observe.

Many wouldn’t notice seemingly insignificant differences before being prompted.

Nor would they care about things everyone else ignores.

Such as his Four Elemental Pools at this moment.

In this world where Elemental Power is severely imbalanced, many ambitious mages are unwilling to waste too many resources on thankless tasks.

Even constructing an Earth System Elemental Pool usually only gathers free Elemental Power, offering very minimal if any, enhancement to the Magic Tower itself.

The Tower of Dark Enigma showcases this clearly, whether it’s the Main Tower or some thousand-year-old mage towers, the four Elemental Pools are mostly intact.

However, any Magic Tower constructed in the past millennium, except those of the Ruth Faction, has chosen to forgo the Earth Elemental Pool.

Many considered Ruth’s insistence on building Magic Towers according to old rules as an inability to accept the decline of the Tower of Dark Enigma... Only those who fall into poverty abandon rules to save costs.

But Hill understands Ruth’s steadfastness.

So he just smiled at Russell: ”It’s great that you noticed, but I hope, one day, you can tell me on your own why I build the Magic Tower this way.

For now, you need to learn my method of constructing Elemental Pools.

Carpenter as well, what you two need now is memory and observation.”

”Teacher, it’s like you’re combining Standard Runes with the old ones?” Carpenter looked up earnestly and asked, ”So both types of runes have their own benefits.”

Hill nodded: ”Exactly.”

”But teacher, in what circumstances, and where, is it more appropriate to use which type of rune, and how to choose?” Carpenter asked worriedly, ”You seem to always ask Russell and me to use Standard Runes to create arrays.”

”So this isn’t something you two need to worry about yet.” Hill smiled slightly, ”Only when you can effortlessly create a Standard Array should you consider how to incorporate the old Transformative Runes.”

Carpenter slightly widened her mouth: Their teacher seems to have quite high expectations for the two of them.

Russell somewhat understood why their teacher had so many demands and felt reassured.

If Russell and Carpenter were only considered a fleeting glimpse in this world, their teacher wouldn’t think so much and so far ahead.

He wouldn’t emphasize foundational training when teaching them. Once he leaves this world, the foundation would be useless.

Only strength can save lives.