Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

Chapter 1240: Through Words Alone

To the Kitsune, the mention of such an island was deeply enticing.

It had spent centuries—perhaps millennia—in isolation, surrounded by only ice and snow. The idea of a place overflowing with life, where mana was abundant and beasts roamed without restraint, stirred its curiosity greatly.

A land like that meant excitement, challenge, and discovery... all the things missing from the stillness of Mount Hoshigane. For a creature of power like the two-tailed fox, such a place promised freedom beyond the confines of her frozen domain.

But no matter how beautiful and alluring this magical land full of beasts sounded to the Kitsune, she also knew how sly and deceitful humans could truly be. She had lived a long life to know much about the humanoid species.

In a matter of moments, the spark of wonder in her cold, blue eyes was replaced by dark hostility once again.

”And what if you’re lying?” She asked, her words oozing with killing intent.

Adam felt the urge to laugh out loud, but instead, he bit on his tongue and grimaced in pain. He then placed a hand over his heart and solemnly proclaimed:

”Oh, great one, I have already sworn on the mana flowing through my veins. If you still do not believe me, then we can... take a proper mana oath. Surely, you don’t believe a Magus won’t respect something as sacred as a mana oath, yes?”

The Kitsune blinked, the hostility in her eyes slowly dissipating. She remained silent for a long time. At last, she asked, ”A mana oath is no one-sided pact. Tell me, human, what is it that you want from me?”

Adam once again resisted the urge to laugh. Forget laughing, he did his best to prevent himself from displaying a smile even.

He inhaled deeply, then said, ”I only ask that you do not harm me directly or indirectly. Safety... that is all I want. In return, I will guide you to the land of magical beasts, Mabi.”

”And what if you’re lying? What if all of this is a trap?” The Kitsune asked coldly, her eyes narrowing once again.

This time, Adam offered a genuine smile, which ended up looking utterly hideous, considering his burned face.

He said matter-of-factly, ”Then you can kill me.”

The Kitsune deeply gazed at Adam, remaining silent for a long time. The more time passed, the more nervous the youth became.

So, he added, ”Oh, I forgot to add... once we reach Mabi and exit the building that houses the portal, we might encounter one or two beasts at the Mana Core Rank. I, uh... just a heads-up, okay?”

The Kitsune’s eyes narrowed. ”Anything else you wish to add?”

Adam gulped. ”No, that’s about it... I think. I mean, there could be more than two Mana Core-level beasts. Initially, there were five, and when I left that place, there were only two left. There might be a slim possibility more might have come.”

”So you were leading me into a trap!” the Kitsune hissed.

”No! No! Of course, not!” Adam blurted out. ”Just... please, hear me out!”

He then went on to truthfully tell her about what went down in the ancient ruins of Feypore. He explained how it was jointly ruled by three great wolves, and how he lured the griffin king and the great bear and orchestrated a battle between them.

By the end of his explanation, the Kitsune stared at him with cold eyes. ”Despicable human!”

”Despicable?” Adam protested. ”I only did what I had to survive. Don’t tell me you wouldn’t have done the same thing if you were in my shoes. I know how great the allure of a mana-rich region is for beings like us who wield magic!”

The blue-eyed fox remained silent. Still, she couldn’t help but gaze at Adam with utter contempt. A few moments later, she asked:

”Now only the grey wolf alpha and the griffin king remain?”

Adam shrugged. ”If they haven’t killed each other already.”

He paused for a moment, then added, ”More Mana Core-level beasts might have come to Feypore, considering the previous rulers are now dead. Anyway, these are just my speculations. Until we go there and see for ourselves, we won’t truly know.”

”Tell me more about Mabi,” said the Kitsune.

Adam nodded, then went on to explain about this island-continent. He even told the beast a little bit of history about the Feypore civilization. Needless to say, once he had finished explaining, there was a flicker of yearning in the Kitsune’s eyes.

At last, the blue-eyed beast asked about the one thing that sounded the most ludicrous to her. ”What are these... portals? I have never heard of them.”

Adam remained silent. He then said in a shaky voice, ”I can’t really explain it. I can show it to you, but first... first you need to take the mana oath.”

The Kitsune’s eyes narrowed. If there was a way to get what she wanted without giving Adam what he wanted, then she would have surely done that. She was crafty by nature, after all.

But the existence of a mana oath made things difficult for her. Still, the allure of Mabi was too great for a creature like her. If this place truly existed and she could travel there, it would be like returning home.

And if she found out that she was being played by this ugly human, then she would not hesitate to snuff his puny life. She would make sure to add this stipulation in the mana oath.

Thus, after a few moments of deliberation, she agreed. ”Very well. State your conditions of agreement, and I will state mine.”

Adam subconsciously clenched his fists. Then, he took a deep breath in... and laughed!

If this negotiation had gone any other way, he would have probably never been able to leave this pagoda. Even if he wanted to scheme against the kitsune, he needed to borrow someone else’s power, like he had done in Feypore.

But who else was on this mountain’s peak except for him and the two-tailed fox?

No one.

And so, he had ended up surprisingly overcoming this situation through words alone.

A day later, Adam had deactivated all the traps and other defense mechanisms and finally pushed open the giant arched door on the first floor.

Moments later, the two-tailed fox, who had now transformed to a much smaller form of herself, stepped inside the pagoda!