Chapter 195 The Scarlet Citadel
A month had passed since the battle against the Necromancer ended.
After getting rid of the greatest threat in the Lands of Alastor, a formal alliance between the Three Great Tribes, the Allied Tribes, the Nomad Tribe, and the Kobold Clan was formed.
This alliance was made possible due to the Tide Bringer’s initiative. As the Deity who had been protecting the land for hundreds of years, their belief in him was unwavering, and they treated all of his word as law.
After so much death and suffering, an uneasy peace settled within the land. Everyone took this time to heal and mourn for the losses of their loved ones who had died due to the Necromancer’s schemes.
Ethan and Lily had just arrived at the gates of the Scarlet Citadel after being brought there by an Elite group of Warriors and Shamans from the Three Great Tribes and the Kobold Clan.
Truth be told, they wanted to see for themselves that the Necromancer wasn’t hiding any other surprises that he might have failed to use during the war after his death.
They were afraid that if they overlooked this matter, it would bite them in the back once things settled down.
“Open the door,” Ethan ordered.
Immediately, the Warriors pushed the gates open.
As if waiting for that moment, two Bone Golems, both three meters tall, charged in their direction.
But before they could even reach the group of Warriors, Ethan and Lily simultaneously made a move to intercept them.
Soon, the sound of bones cracking echoed inside the Citadel as the two Bone Golem’s bodies shattered.
Ethan’s trident and Lily’s kick were more than enough to obliterate the two Guards that were prearranged to automatically attack any intruder that entered their Master’s Abode.
Before the Warriors and Shamans could breathe a sigh of relief, they heard countless clinking sounds that were coming from the stairs.
“I guess he didn’t bring all of his subordinates with him,” Lily said with a smile.
Ethan nodded. “Fortunately, they are all small fries.”
Without another word, the two charged at the Skeleton Soldiers who were left to defend the Scarlet Citadel.
The battle lasted for nearly half an hour before every Undead Monster was finally cleared out.
After double-checking that there were really no other monsters that might launch a sneak attack on them, the group split up to explore the tower.
Ethan and Lily continued to climb the stairs until they reached the highest point of the tower, while their escort spread out on the different floors to check every room.
When they arrived at the top-most floor, Ethan and Lily found themselves in front of a steel door, which radiated with magical power.
The two glanced at each other before nodding their heads at the same time.
“Aqua Pila!
“Glacies Spiculum!”
A Water Ball and an Ice Spike flew from the tip of Ethan’s Trident and Lily’s wand, hitting the door at the same time.
The Magical Door had a trap imbued in it. If someone aside from the Necromancer were to touch it, they would be paralyzed on the spot.
Although the two teenagers didn’t know about this, they were aware that touching the door was a bad move. With this train of thought, they decided to just blow it apart to be on the safe side.
The steel door fell to the floor as if it were hit by a truck that forced it off its hinges.
Ethan entered the room first, followed by Lily.
When they were finally inside, they noticed countless scrolls arranged neatly on several shelves and an obsidian water bowl sitting in the center of a golden table.
Ethan walked up to one of the shelves and unfurled one of the scrolls on it.
After skimming through its contents, Ethan understood that the scroll was actually a magical scroll that explained how to strengthen a Necromancer’s Magic and Soul Power by bathing in the blood of hundreds of chaste maidens.
Ethan didn’t hesitate and unfurled another scroll, and this one depicted a way to kill a person and absorb their soul to increase a person’s lifespan.
All of the scrolls were Unholy Spells that taught people how to become Necromancers.
“Ethan…” Lily called out as he looked at the young man whose face had turned grim. “This mustn’t fall in the hands of other people. Although this might not affect us when we return to the future, it's possible for these to give birth to another Necromancer. We can't let that happen.”
“You’re right,” Ethan replied. “We should burn this all.”
But, before Ethan could do what he said, a voice inside his head spoke up.
“I have a better idea,” Ethan’s other half stated. “Let me handle it.”
Ethan reluctantly agreed to allow his other half to take over his body for a while.
The handsome young man’s eyes turned purple as he gazed at the dozens of ancient scrolls that were left inside the Necromancer’s workshop.
Raising his hand, the other Ethan snapped his fingers, and all the scrolls were burned with purple flames.
However, instead of turning into ashes, the scrolls turned into purple lights and flew towards Ethan’s forehead.
When the deed was done, Ethan’s eye color returned to normal, which made Lily sigh in relief.
Although she didn’t know much about Ethan’s other half, she could tell that he was a very dangerous existence.
Fortunately, she also knew that the danger that he posed wasn’t directed at her or any of the handsome young man’s family members, friends, and acquaintances.
This danger was to the enemies that would dare to harm him and, perhaps, her as well.
After making sure that no other scrolls survived the purge, Ethan walked towards the center of the room where the Golden Table and the Obsidian Bowl were.
“This is a Scrying Bowl,” Lily explained. “This must be what he used to spy on everyone within the Lands of Alastor.”
Ethan nodded his head in agreement before lightly tapping the surface of the water with his fingertip.
A ripple broke the calm of the water, and an image appeared on its surface.
He saw the warriors exploring one of the rooms and opening a crate filled with Iron Ores.
The scene changed, and it then showed the Kobold Shaman flipping the pages of a leather journal, which served as the Necromancer’s Diary.
After getting an understanding of how the Scrying Bowl worked, Ethan stored it inside Fortis Dud’s magical ring, which also served as a Storage Ring.
An hour later, everyone met at the base of the citadel.
Dozens of chests filled with treasures, ores, precious metals, and unpolished gemstones were piled up at the main entrance.
Simply put, they had ransacked everything of value from the Scarlet Citadel, leaving nothing precious behind.
“Let’s go back and divide these treasures with everyone,” Ethan stated.
The Warriors and the Shamans nodded before they carried all the chests back to the wagons that they had brought on their journey.
Ethan and Lily would be stuck within the Lands of Alastor until Sebastian had gathered enough magical power to send them back home.
According to the Guardian, it would take him a little more than a year to do this. Although a year was a long time, Ethan and Lily were fine with it.
If Sebastian hadn’t used his stored Magical Power to help Ethan endure the power of the Tide Bringer’s Blood Essences, the young man would have died, which would have also indirectly killed Lily.
For them, waiting for a year was better than dying, so they took things in stride. They helped the Tribes within the Lands of Alastor deal with the aftermath of the battle while waiting for their return trip back to the present.
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