Bain took the crystal sphere, holding it in one hand while drawing a Magic Circle in the air with the other.
Under Bain's skilled hands, intricate lines and patterns fused seamlessly together, forming an exquisitely detailed Magic Circle that then disappeared into the crystal sphere.
"Try it," Bain said, handing the sphere back to Lana.
"What function did you add to Oksd's eyeball?" Lana asked, her curiosity piqued.
"You'll see. It should be quite useful for you," Bain replied enigmatically.
Without pressing further, Lana channeled her mana into the sphere for an experimental run.
Instead of opening a vortex, an internal projection materialized within the sphere.
"This is... the view inside the cave," she exclaimed, her eyes alight with wonder.
"Exactly," Bain nodded. "Oksd's eyeball is an extension of Oksd itself, connected to the cave it has transformed.
This should allow you to monitor any changes within the cavern much more closely."
Thrilled by this revelation, Lana was about to thank Bain once more when she suddenly paused, staring at the projection inside the crystal sphere.
"So that's where Alaric hid the black dragon," she said, a smile spreading across her face.
Intrigued, Bain also took a closer look.
While dragons were not exactly a novelty to him, they were still worth a glance or two.
"Wait! Lana, zoom in on that area!" Bain abruptly commanded.
Puzzled but obedient, Lana did as instructed.
As she poured more mana into the sphere, the image of that particular cave chamber enlarged, revealing its details within the translucent orb.
"Is there something wrong here, Master?" Lana inquired, her curiosity piqued.
"It's not the place that's problematic; it's the person," Bain clarified, his gaze sharpening. "Yes, that young man right there—"
Deep within a mountain cavern, perched on the precipice of a cliff, Ethan and his crew busied themselves with preparing food.
In the midst of this, Ethan suddenly froze, his features tight as if carved from stone.
"Ethan, what's the matter?" Sherry and Eluna chimed in, their words tinged with concern.
"I'm alright," Ethan exhaled, a forced calmness washing over him.
Casting a comforting look at those who encircled him, he continued, "I just had this unsettling feeling that someone was watching me, that's all."
"Someone watching? That can't be," Mia murmured, scanning their surroundings but discerning no other presence.
Ethan began to doubt himself, attributing the strange sensation to mere figments of his imagination.
"But was it truly just my imagination?" He shook his head slightly.
The intense sensation of being observed was too powerful to be dismissed— as if someone had aimed a gun straight at his temple.
This couldn't possibly be a delusion.
Though Ethan was convinced of this, he remained in a state of uncertainty, not knowing who was lurking in the shadows, eyeing him.
Back at Lana's residence, the air was thick with unspoken implications.
Watching Ethan's actions through the crystal orb, Lana was equally astounded.
She turned incredulously towards her master Bain and asked, "Master, did he realize we were watching him?"
"Yes, he did. Quite an extraordinary young man, isn't he?" Bain confirmed, unable to conceal his admiration for Ethan.
That single statement sent a jolt of astonishment coursing through Lana, leaving her taken aback.
As a member of the Azure Empire's royal family, Lana had always been considered the most gifted in generations of royals.
Yet, since becoming a disciple of Bain, she had seldom heard words of praise from him.
Now, such laudations were being heaped upon a stranger.
Lana felt a pang of jealousy, but even more so, she was consumed by curiosity.
"Master, what have you discovered?" she couldn't help but ask.
Bain, not one to withhold his thoughts from his disciple, spoke forthrightly: "Lana, I believe I now understand the source of your unease."
"If you intend to claim the heart of Oksd, this young man will be your greatest adversary."
"Adversary?" Lana glanced at the crystal ball, puzzled.
"Lana, let me make it unequivocally clear: that young man has progressed further than you on the path to godhood."
"One could even go as far as to say he's practically a Demi-god."
"Demi-god! How is that even possible!" Lana exclaimed, incredulity painting her voice.
Two years ago, Lana had already reached Rank S, the pinnacle of power for ordinary people.
But she never considered that to be her limit.
Hence, she sought guidance from her master Bain, who told her the tale of the artificially created Devil Oksd.
To unravel this mystery, Lana spent an exorbitant amount of time and resources gathering intelligence, eventually pinpointing the location where Oksd had fallen.
In her quest to dismantle the barrier protecting Oksd's slumbering cavern, she had spent a small fortune purchasing Oksd's eyeball from a formidable adventurer.
That eye had served as the key to unlocking the barrier.
As a result, the Red Jade Valley had become a rallying point for adventurers far and wide.
Next on the agenda was planning, all ultimately pointing toward one grand objective: ascension to godhood. In the presence of a deity, even the most formidable mortals were but insects.
Yet how to attain this exalted state, how to step into the divine realm—these were questions that neither Lana nor her teacher Bain had concrete answers to.
Thus, Lana was left with no choice but to embark on her own exploratory journey.
Eventually, she discerned a viable path.
The first step into the divine realm was to elevate her own Bloodline to a certain threshold.
Next came the need to shatter the limitations of both her physical form and spiritual power.
With these targets in mind, Lana commenced her rigorous training, although progress was agonizingly slow.
Therefore, she decided to expedite her advancement through external stimuli, with Oksd's heart as the most accessible resource.
However, sometimes things defy expectations—like how she could never have anticipated that the seemingly languid young man in the crystal ball would be labeled a Demi-god by her master Bain.
"His physical form is extraordinarily powerful, suggesting a remarkable Bloodline," Bain elaborated.
"Furthermore, there's his spiritual power."
"The Magic Circle I embedded in Oksd's eyeball should have shielded our observations, making it impossible for the observed to detect our scrutiny."
"Yet, he sensed it."
"His spiritual power is truly his strongest asset. He's nearing the precipice of the divine."
Bain's analysis left Lana with a complex expression on her face.
She couldn't help but ask, "Master, can you discern how he's been training?"
Bain looked at Lana, shaking his head.
"Lana, my knowledge comes from reading more books, nothing more. How that young man managed to cultivate spiritual power to the level of a Demi-god, I have no idea."
"But if it's Scholar Victor you're asking, he might know."
"Scholar Victor?" Lana couldn't help but snort. "Why do you hold him in such high esteem?"
Frustrated by not having learned the methodology of honing spiritual power, Lana was further nettled when Bain shifted the focus onto someone else.
Every time she encountered something unknown, her master would mention this enigmatic Scholar Victor.
Yet when she scoured the Azure Empire's archives, there was no trace of any such scholar.
"Perhaps he's deliberately misleading me," Lana couldn't help but speculate, a recurring topic between them.
But this time, Bain's tone was unusually serious. "Lana, had this been before, I might have told you it was merely a joke. But now, I think it's time you reassess who Scholar Victor truly is. He's a great seer."
The gravity in Bain's voice left Lana momentarily off-balance, but she quickly collected herself and sat upright.
Bain nodded, continuing, "In my younger years, Lord Victor was already a world-renowned scholar."
"No, a Sage would be the more appropriate title."
"He was an expert on the histories of various nations, familiar with the mysteries of many ancient kingdoms."
"Like your quest for information on Oksd—that was Victor's doing."
Lana was surprised and asked, "Master, you said Lord Victor is a seer?"
"That's another story," Bain exhaled, embarking on a tale.
"Victor was not only erudite but also highly skilled in magic, combat techniques, alchemy, and pharmacology."
"Prepared as he was, he aimed to scale the loftiest summit, the realm of deities... but he failed."
"He left behind only a prophecy: 'On the day when justice and evil descend, the doors to the divine realm will open.'"
"That doesn't explain anything," Lana insisted.
Bain stood up, smiling as he asked, "Lana, haven't you realized something?"
"What?" She was puzzled.
"The times have changed. You've mostly lived within the royal palace and rarely ventured outside."
"You seem to be unaware that this world has grown crowded with new figures. Legions of Heroes and Dark Lords ruling over mountains and lakes—these are the justice and evil foretold in the prophecy."
"And that young man we observed? If I'm not mistaken, he too is a Dark Lord!"
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