One-Eyed Monster

Wizard Reed had expended considerable effort to understand these matters. He could no longer recall how many twists and turns he had taken on his path to this realization.

Fortunately, he had finally grasped the key; all he needed to do was give a gentle push.

Wizard Reed gazed into the distance. He had never believed in Divination or the Scholars’ calculations; all plans could change, the future was unpredictable.

Under the leadership of Chieftain Willem, he had fully plunged into chaos.

Chaos is the source of all actions, born in chaos, and perishing in chaos. Everything in chaos is like those dogs chasing after running vehicles; whoever gives them bones, they will halt their steps.

These bones are the conditions that govern all things.

Wizard Reed touched his Obsidian Staff. The staff had just been forged and still felt slightly hot to the touch. The searing Power of the Soul always brings an intense heat; only Obsidian can contain such potent energy, and only Obsidian can bear such a heavy burden.

Once darkness arrived, he would need to quicken his pace. Although he knew that matters were not entirely under his control, all he could do was find the direction.

There were too many irrational things in this world, and too many principles to expound, but none of it suited Reed. He was alone and never cared about these complexities. He always did what he believed he should, in his own way, never dwelling excessively on problems.

Right and wrong, to him, were not issues. In his eyes, there was only doing or not doing, without regard for right or wrong.

Right and wrong were merely shields raised by the weak in a futile attempt to persuade the strong to lay down their weapons. When the strong ignored these placating words, the shield would shatter without a blow, proving utterly fragile.

Wizard Reed’s thoughts had drifted somewhat. He normally wouldn’t dwell on such things, but the encroaching darkness forced him to consider them.

Reflecting on it, the time and effort he had spent establishing a connection with Kuyi Tulan had been considerable, although it hadn’t demanded much of his own strength.

To find the ’bone’—the leverage—that influenced the actions of the Alchemy Workshop’s chief, Wizard Reed had moved back and forth among a network of informants many times, not even hesitating to use a Necromantic art he had successfully developed over many years.

To him, death was as natural as breathing; every one of his spells required a dance with death.

If others accumulated Spirit Power, Wizard Reed accumulated Death Qi.

His Necromancy was based on the Power of Death; the life energy that erupted at the moment of death was one of the things he collected.

His Necromancy could render living things lifeless, and he could even control a person’s actions.

Wizard Reed gave his proficient Mantra to the Spider in the Dark Night Market. This Spider spun him a vast web, and by following its strands, he had discovered many unknown things.

At that moment, he finally understood what the Chieftain meant by ’chaos.’

His Mantra was a lure, attracting countless fish to feed. These fish fought to the death for this bait, gradually exposing more secrets in the process.

In the world of the Crows, secrets held no value in being protected; each secret was a shining gold coin, all of them exchangeable resources. And the Black Crow—there were too many Crows among the Puppets they controlled; they were the very foundation of the entire Black Crow. The Black Crow was purely an organization that trafficked in secrets.

They were indeed Gravediggers. In a way, the Black Crow had gathered ancient Gravediggers together, slowly unearthing certain unknown things.

Wizard Reed realized that one of his Mantras had been like a stone thrown into a calm lake, instantly creating endless ripples.

Wizard Reed also discovered that among the group interested in his Mantra was the Alchemy Workshop...

He had known Kuyi Tulan for a long time. But back then, Kuyi Tulan had already been recognized as a genius, while he himself had been, at best, an obscure mediocrity.

He shared many stories with Kuyi Tulan, but this was not the time for reminiscing.

The Alchemy Workshop had come to Guru Mountain entirely because of Wizard Reed.

He hadn’t invested much direct effort, although he had spent considerable time dealing with the Alchemy Workshop.

He had merely given the Alchemy Workshop a piece of information they desired.

To him, this information was worthless, but to the Alchemy Workshop, it was invaluable.

He had to admit, the returns from his Mantra had been so great that he himself could scarcely believe it.

It was only then that he had learned of Chieftain Willem’s ultimate goal.

That goal was Guru Mountain. Behind Guru Mountain lay hidden secrets concerning life and death.

It was just as he had told Kuyi Tulan: You get what you desire, and I take what I require. Equivalent Exchange, mutually non-interfering.

He knew the Alchemy Workshop would not heed his advice, and he knew those arrogant Alchemists would not easily help him achieve his objective.

He needed a catalyst, one that would entangle the interests of all parties.

So, he chose Mayor Babasha and ended his life. For someone who had bought his position as a Politician with money, Mayor Babasha had almost no defenses and, buoyed by alcohol, no fear. His pet successfully took the Mayor’s life, and that warm Power of the Soul was temporarily sealed within his Obsidian Staff. The resulting death energy not only satisfied his pet but also provided him with new reserves. He needed this death energy for the mountain ascent, as some traps there required it for activation.

He was a Dark Wizard, all too familiar with death and the aura of death.

He chose the mayor, firstly, because the man possessed no Spirit Sensing Ability, making him an easy target. Secondly, the mayor’s status was neither too high nor too low; his death would inevitably cause chaos. This chaos might not be apparent on the surface, but within their Administrative Office, it would certainly create ripples.

And indeed, events proved his prediction correct; the chaos had provided him with an excellent opportunity.

He had collected death energy, acquired Power of the Soul, and harvested the life energy released at the moment of death.

Although Kuyi Tulan was highly suspicious of him, perhaps even aware of his actions, Kuyi Tulan was powerless. Even if Kuyi Tulan knew he was the perpetrator, there was no way to apprehend him. He was a Dark Wizard, and what Dark Wizards did best was conceal their own darkness.

By then, no one would believe the Chief Alchemist’s words. The one truly locked in the Incarceration Cage might not be me.

Chaos can accelerate events that are meant to happen, and chaos can also bring order to what was once muddled...

What he wanted was this very chaos.

He wanted the entire Luona Capital to fall into chaos, he wanted the whole Empire to fall into chaos, he wanted this entire world to descend into chaos...

The mayor’s death was just the beginning. His goal, the entire Black Crow’s goal—this was merely the start.

Next, it would be time for those folk from the Alchemy Workshop to play their part, and he himself could finally be rid of those troublesome, arrogant individuals.

Wizard Reed took a deep breath. He knew he was going to miss the prelude to this chaos.

He had his own destination; leaving his pet here would suffice.

Wizard Reed stood halfway up the hill. He glanced at the mountaintop, caressed his Obsidian Staff once more, then turned and walked in a different direction...