Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

Chapter 650: Unexpected Messenger

After the meeting was over, everyone returned to their homes in secret. They had much to prepare as the following day would be the day they would be one step closer to taking down the Cult of Bones.

Needless to say, the Brotherhoodʼs actions the following day were immensely crucial to their grand plan. Brigham, who found himself in an alliance with this ancient organization, also couldnʼt help but look forward to it.

He wasnʼt bothered much about the Red Fists or the Duskfall Family. Their fall, however, would eventually lead to the fall of his archenemy, Kissinger of the Umbra Thieves. Thatʼs what he truly cared about.

With how thorough the Brotherhood is in their planning, Iʼm sure the matter with the Red Fists will be resolved tomorrow, thought the old patriarch of the Flynn Family as he entered his manor through the back entrance.

Immediately, the maids and servants inside the building noticed him and deferentially bowed, ”We greet the Patriarch.”

Brigham hummed and made his way toward his study on the second floor. ”Call Rakis to my study,” he ordered one of the servants near him.

”As you command, my lord.” The servant bowed and deftly went to summon the Rank 2 - Mana Liquefaction Magus who was considered Brighamʼs right-hand man.

Rakis was the Magus who succeeded Alvertosʼ position. Unlike Alvertos, however, this man was a Flynn and was someone who Brigham could rely on.

The Flynn patriarch walked through the dimly lit corridor on the second floor, deep in thought. Once the Red Fists are dealt with, my words will have more weight in the council. The other councilors will have no other option but to take my warnings more seriously in the future.

He couldnʼt help but sneer when he thought about how his proposal for dealing with the Red Fists and the Umbra Thieves had been denied over and over again in the past.

Now that youʼll realize that I had been right all along, I wonder what expressions youʼll have on your faces? Especially Ives and Taron, you two have always opposed me whenever Iʼve tried to fix the mess in Corvid Quarter and deal with the Red Fists, hmph!

He arrived before his study room and opened the door, absentmindedly walking in as he continued his train of thought. He could already see his glory within the council once the Red Fists were caught the following day.

Then I can finally urge the council to deploy more manpower towards eradicating the Umbra Thieves.

At that point, it would no longer be about my personal vendetta with the Umbra Thieves, but about the safety of Ravenfell!

Brigham sat down in his chair as he envisioned a positive outcome in the days to come. With the Red Fists eradicated and the Umbra Thieves eventually taken care of, he would finally have some time to expand the Flynn family business.

In his old age, he had already lost all hopes of advancing to the Mana Core Rank. The next best thing he could do was to make sure that his successor, Elysande, had all the resources and capital required to become a Mana Core Magus and take the Flynn Family to greater heights.

The smile on his face suddenly started to crumble and a solemn expression gradually replaced it.

But the Twilight Brotherhood… I have been indebted to them for far too long. Has this always been their goal? He thought to himself in slight dismay.

From the beginning, I have always been the one to receive favors from them. They have asked very little of me compared to the things that theyʼve helped me with.

Are they really that altruistic? Or is there a hidden motive? And then thereʼs the boy…

His thoughts suddenly came to a halt when he sensed mana fluctuation inside his study. His pupils constricted and he hurriedly got up in alarm, thinking someone had broken into his house.

But who would dare?

Overcome by anger, the old patriarch instantly weaved a few hand seals and pointed his hand in the corner of his study where a shadowy blanket was squirming on the ground.

Sparks of terrifying lightning materialized from his hand and the patriarch was about to channel the bolt toward the intruder when suddenly he stopped.

The lightning forming on his hand gradually died down as he gazed at the corner of his room in suspicion. Regardless, he hadnʼt let his guard down yet.

From the shadowy carpet on the ground, a skeleton holding a white scroll slowly emerged. It turned out that the black carpet was, in fact, a portal.

It was a portal that led to a place ruled by death, decay, and eternal darkness!

After the skeleton emerged from the ground, the black portal closed itself up, vanishing as if it had never existed in the first place.

The reason why Brigham had canceled his spell was because he could sense that the skeletonʼs strength was no greater than a Rank 1 Magus. Moreover, it seemed more like a messenger than anything.

The skeleton was over two meters tall. It slowly walked toward the study table where Brigham sat, carrying an off-white scroll in his bony hands. Two green orbs of light flickered inside its sockets, radiating an eerie aura.

”Who sent you?” Brigham asked, his tone chilly and hostile. He already had an idea as to who this skeletal messenger belonged to. Working with the Twilight Brotherhood for so many years, he naturally knew about the real enemy they were dealing with.

The Cult of Bones!

Naturally, the skeleton didnʼt utter a word. It was unknown whether it could even form a word. It arrived before the study table and then put the scroll on it. Then, without waiting for another moment, it broke down into bones before falling to the floor and vanishing completely.

Brigham deeply looked at the place where the skeleton had fallen. The chill that had earlier pervaded the room was also now no more. All that remained was the scroll.

The old patriarch vigilantly grabbed the scroll, making sure there were no traps or anything of the sort. After scrutinizing it for a few moments, he finally unfurled it and started reading the contents inside.

His expression first turned to shock, then terror, and then finally anger. He destroyed the scroll into ashes and roared in absolute fury.

”How dare you?!!”

…

At the same time that Brigham Flynn received the ominous message, Adam stepped out of the secret underground tunnels and emerged in one of the secluded alleyways in the Uptown Quarter.

He slowly made his way towards his house in the darkness of the night, his mind occupied by countless thoughts.

Tomorrow is the day it all comes down, he pondered. All scenarios have been taken care of. Whether it be the Red Fists, the Cult of Bones, or the Umbra Thieves, everything is accounted for.

Liriel and Kael have done a great job at finding the Red Fistsʼ human trafficking ring. They were far more efficient than Iʼd imagined. Looks like the Brotherhood has really done its best in sending its finest Agents to Ravenfell.

He trodded down the cobblestone streets of this gothic city and finally arrived at the entrance of his manor. He nodded towards all the maids and servants that greeted him and made his way to his study.

Although there are several contingency plans in place, it is important for me to make a contingency plan of the contingency plan, he thought to himself solemnly.

Not for once did he believe that he was a lucky person. If life had taught him anything, it is that things rarely proceeded according to oneʼs plans.

There are several ʼwhat ifsʼ in tomorrowʼs plan that I must account for on my own, he thought to himself as he pushed open the door and entered his study.

Immediately, his eyes narrowed as he found something that was out of place inside the room. He gathered the mana from his deep reserves and got ready to fight.

He concentrated his Sphere of Resonance around the entire manor, looking for any intruder. But a few moments later, he found that everything was normal. Even the people working in his manor showed no signs of abnormality.

Still, he didnʼt let his guard down as he slowly walked toward his table. A white envelope sealed with red wax was kept on the table.

The envelope was never there when he left! Moreover, none of the people working in the manor would enter his study without his permission or when he wasnʼt at home. This was something he had instructed everyone to follow. It was a place out of bounds for them.

So then where did this envelope come from? Who left it inside his study?

Whoever it was, they were able to bypass the defensive runic formation that Iʼve placed around the manor. Perhaps, they used the Spirit World? He thought to himself in alarm.

He concentrated his Sphere of Resonance towards the envelope, trying to find if there were any curse magic or other traps placed on it. However, he found that there was no trace of mana around it at all.

Adam grabbed the envelope and observed it intently. There was no symbol engraved on the red wax, making it impossible to ascertain just where the letter had come from.

He then opened the envelope and began reading the letter inside. There was only one line written on the letter, but it caused Adam to be astonished. His eyebrows creased together into a frown and tumultuous waves rose within his heart.

Adam remained silent for a long time, wondering if the contents of the letter were true, or who it was that sent him the letter. A moment later, he resolved himself and came to a decision.

He held the letter in one hand and conjured an Acadian gold coin from his earrings in the other hand. Without an ounce of hesitation, he closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, a pair of white lotus had bloomed in his dark pupils!

”The contents of this letter are true,” he coldly stated and flicked the coin in the air.

As the coin flew into the air, the youthʼs eyes reddened and one could see small branch-like veins forming within them. By the time the coin was falling into his hand, his eyes had already begun bleeding. But he didnʼt care.

As soon as Adam grabbed the coin, he deactivated the white lotus, returning his eyes to normal. Yet, the strain from having performed a potent division still remained. By the sheer difficulty of the divination, he learned that it involved someone more powerful than him!

He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. When he opened them again, he gazed at the result of his decision. In his hand lay the standard Acadian gold coin, its surface gleaming with the image of the founding emperor facing up.

Adam put away the gold piece and burned the letter in his hand with pure mana. He walked towards the tall arched window and glanced at the snow falling outside, his gaze piercing through the distance and surveying the general direction of the Corvid Quarter.

A killing intent far chillier than the weather outside started to radiate from him. His lips parted and he coldly muttered, ”Well played.”