Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

Chapter 571: Valuable Ally

A forbidding silence descended upon the room.

For some reason, Elysande felt a cold chill run down her spine when she heard the name of this secret society. She couldnʼt quite put a finger on it.

”The Cult of Bones,” she began. ”I donʼt think Iʼve ever heard of them.”

”They wouldnʼt have been a secret society if you did,” Daneli said with a slight scoff.

Elysande was silent for a long time, thinking of the right words to say. She looked at Adam and asked, ”This cult you speak of, why do you think itʼs backing the Umbra Thieves?”

Adam answered after some thought, ”To be honest, we donʼt know for sure if the Cult of Bones is really backing the Umbra Thieves. At this point, itʼs just mere speculation.”

”But this speculation must have a basis, yes?” She asked.

”We believe that the cult is secretly backing the Red Fists,” Daneli said.

”The Red Fists?” Elysandeʼs eyes narrowed. ”Isnʼt that the organization that now lords over the Corvid Quarter?”

It was widely known that the Corvid Quarter had now fallen under the hands of this criminal organization.

But strangely enough, there hadnʼt been any reactions by the cityʼs management.

Most believed it was due to the fact that there was a strange disease pervading the Corvid Quarter. Moreover, people from the other quarters never really cared about this district, to begin with.

However, few believed that there was more than met the eye.

No matter how discriminated the people of Corvid Quarter were, Ravenfellʼs management should have lent a helping hand and prevented the Red Fists from gaining control.

The fact that they didnʼt, meant that either the city management secretly wanted this outcome, or the Red Fists had someone very powerful that they didnʼt wish to go up against.

Or both!

”Yes.” Daneli nodded. ”Around eight years ago, the Red Fists was just a motley crew of thugs and thieves. But theyʼve risen up the ranks very quickly.”

”And we believe this is because of the involvement of the Cult of Bones,” Adam chimed in.

”How did you reach that conclusion?” Elysande asked with furrowed eyebrows.

She needed to understand everything first and only then could she come to a decision. Adam and Daneli also didnʼt mind patiently explaining everything to her.

”The Cult of Bones consists of members who are necromancers or other practitioners of dark magic,” said Daneli in a solemn tone.

”There has been a steady increase of such Magi practicing the dark arts within the Red Fists. What does that tell you?”

”What if it is just a coincidence?” Elysande countered.

”The Cult of Bones is also infamous for spreading diseases,” Adam added.

Elysandeʼs pupils constricted.

”Disease…” she muttered. ”Just like the one in Corvid Quarter!”

”If the Cult of Bones can manage to increase the force of the Red Fists in just a few years, donʼt you think they can do so with the other criminal enterprises already existing within Ravenfell?” Adam asked.

”Whatʼs more, the Umbra Thieves was already a powerful organization to begin with,” said Daneli. ”So itʼs safe to assume that they have some form of connection with the Cult of Bones.”

”And even if they donʼt,” Adam added. ”It doesnʼt hurt to be cautious.”

Elysande remained silent for a long time, a deeply thoughtful expression enveloping her face.

She then looked at the two young men before her and asked, ”But this is only possible if the Cult of Bones is a criminal organization far more powerful than anything in Ravenfell.”

She paused for a moment before adding, ”Otherwise, it would be impossible for them to gather and support so many criminal enterprises under them.”

Adam deeply looked at the lady and stated, ”The Cult of Bones is a very powerful organization, its influence likely rivaling the Four Pillars of Acadia.”

”What?!” Elysande was stunned. ”If there was really such an organization in these lands, no matter how clandestine they were, Iʼm sure I would have heard of them!”

”Youʼre right,” said Daneli. ”But that would only be the case for an organization that had their roots in Acadia.”

”You mean to say…” Elysandeʼs pupils constricted in shock.

”The Cult of Bones is a secret society originating from across the Galestine Ocean,” said Adam.

He paused for a moment before solemnly adding, ”From the Europa Continent!”

Elysande gasped in astonishment. ”From… Europa Continent! But what do they want in Acadia?”

”Thatʼs what weʼre trying to find out,” said Daneli as he reached out for a new goblet and poured himself some drink.

Right at that moment, Adamʼs voice echoed inside his mind through the spell Mind Whisper.

ʼWe should divulge a little more to her. Otherwise, she wonʼt believe us.ʼ

Daneli glanced at him with a questioning look. ʼSurely, you donʼt want to tell her that weʼre from the Brotherhood.ʼ

ʼNo we donʼt need to disclose the name, but that weʼre from an organization that is on equal grounds with the Cult of Bones.ʼ

Daneli was hesitant about it. He replied with a mental transmission, ʼIʼm not sure about this.ʼ

However, Adam persuaded him. ʼFrom what Iʼve learned from Elrick, the Brotherhood doesnʼt have a solid contact among the nobility in Ravenfell. If we play our cards right, the Brotherhood will have gained a valuable ally in the Flynn Family.ʼ

Daneliʼs eyes lit up. He felt that with the friendly relationship that Adam and Elysande shared, it wouldnʼt be so difficult to form an alliance with the latterʼs family.

Especially considering the Flynn Family was one of the seven families that made up Ravenfellʼs city council!

Thus, he glanced at Adam and nodded ever so slightly.

Elysande had, of course, already figured out that the two were conversing mentally, so she didnʼt disturb them. She simply glanced at Adam with a questioning look.

Adam took a deep breath and began, ”The reason why we even know so much about the Cult of Bones is because, Daneli and I, belong to a secret order that is comparable to this evil cult.”

”Whatʼs it called?” Elysande asked flatly, not all that surprised by this revelation.

Adam shook his head. ”Forgive me, I cannot tell you that. Not yet, at least.”

He paused for a moment, thinking of the right words to say. Then, he continued, ”The Cult of Bones and the organization that Iʼm part of have gone toe-to-toe against one another for several decades now.”

”However, their battles have mostly been restricted to Europa and Indus Continents. Only recently, did the cult set its attention toward Uriel Continent, specifically the Acadian Empire.”

”The local members of our organization have been tasked to root out the enemy and find their objective. Daneli and I have been tasked with everything that happens within Ravenfell.”

In the past years, having had several dealings with the people from the Brotherhood, Adam had naturally gotten to know more about his mission.

He didnʼt mind revealing this to Elysande if it meant getting the Flynn Family as an ally.

Elysande was visibly taken aback. ”You mean to say that this secret order that youʼre a part of spans several continents?!”

Adam and Daneli nodded in reply.

Not for a moment did Elysande think that Adam was lying. Sheʼd closely worked with him in the last seven years, dealing with the Umbra Thieves.

So she had an idea about what type of person Adam really was. Furthermore, if what he said was true, then a lot of things would begin to make sense to her.

For example, the skilled Rank 1 Magi he recruited while dealing with the Umbra Thieves in their past missions.

Then, there was also the existence of his communication network that utilized Spirit World creatures. Such things could only be possible for extremely large organizations that had vast resources.

Keeping all these things in mind, Elysande thought for a few moments before asking, ”So what are you suggesting?”

”That you become our ally,” said Daneli. ”With your familyʼs help, we can take down the Umbra Thieves as well as the Red Fists.”

”But whatʼs in it for my Flynn Family?” Elysande asked, a calculative light flashing in her eyes.

Daneli chuckled. ”Lady Flynn, if a person such as myself is a member of this secret order, you can surely imagine just how grand the organizationʼs influence is, no?”

Thatʼs right! Elysande thought to herself.

If the successor to one of the Four Great Clans of Baja High Forest is a part of this organization, then…

She couldnʼt even begin to imagine!

”Rest assured, this alliance will be mutually beneficial to both parties,” Adam stated. ”If you can arrange a meeting with your father, we can hammer out the rest of the details. What say you?”

Elysande didnʼt have to think for a moment before agreeing. ”Understood!”

The Twilight Brotherhood sent one person to do the job where an army couldnʼt go. They liked to operate behind the scenes, acting as political manipulators or information brokers.

But one well-known method of their operations was they closely worked with commoners, merchants, and nobilties to aid their cause.

Thus, having the Flynn Family become a potential ally of the Twilight Brotherhood was certainly a great deal for Adam and Daneli.

”Now that thatʼs out of the way,” said Adam as he poured his friends some more wine.

”How did your mission at Silverhorde go?”

Elysande shook her head with slight disappointment. ”Although we managed to bring back some live prisoners, nothing substantive was found.”

”Donʼt worry about it,” said Adam with a smile.

Elysande found this strange. ”Why do you seem so happy about it?”

Adam chuckled. ”Before coming here, I cast a little divination spell. I believe itʼs time we make our move.”

Daneli was slightly taken aback. ”Youʼre adept in the School of Divination?”

The School of Divination was different from the other Schools of Magic in that it required the Magus to have a natural talent for it.

One couldnʼt just simply study diligently and expect to get better at it. That is why Daneli was surprised.

Adam shrugged with a slight smirk. ”A little.”

”What did you divine?” Elysande asked curiously.

”You know, divination results are more often than not very vague. It is up to the Magus to decipher it,” said the raven-haired youth.

”So what did you see?” Elysande asked eagerly.

Adamʼs lips curled up into a cold smile.

”A snake getting caught in a trap!”