Chapter 111: The Third Method (Part Two)

Upon hearing the name "High-tier Artifact," Zhao Xu suddenly felt that the items on the table had lost their luster.

"Mentor, isn't that a bit much?" Logically speaking, Antinoya was not the type to be stingy.

After spending these days with her, he had vaguely sensed that Antinoya had no interest in artifacts, let alone positions of supreme power like the President of the Mage Association, which commanded countless resources.

"I cannot give you this one, not because I am unwilling, but because I believe it is best if you do not touch it. However, if you insist on playing with it, I suppose I could let you experience it."

As she spoke, Antinoya’s bright eyes beneath her hood fixed on Zhao Xu as she leaned forward slightly. "However, are you mentally prepared?"

"For example?" Zhao Xu shifted his seat back slightly.

"The wrath of a dragon," Antinoya said, enunciating every word.

"The Dragon Orb can enslave dragons, so anyone who has possessed it will be viewed as an enemy by the dragon race. There is a lineage of gold dragons near the Heaven-Severing Mountain Range, and they happen to match the attributes of this orb perfectly. Who knows? You might end up appearing in Mystra as a Dragon Knight. That doesn't sound too bad, does it?"

Hearing this, Zhao Xu decided it was safer to just feast his eyes on it.

He had managed to return to Mystra safely once; if he took this orb now, he might truly never make it back.

However, he immediately realized—if Antinoya was holding it, wouldn't she have to bear the consequences?

"Mentor, if you hold this Dragon Orb, are you not afraid of the dragon race’s hatred?"

Antinoya had by then sat back on the sofa, facing Zhao Xu. "I once slew an avatar of Tiamat on this continent. My reputation among the metallic dragons should be maxed out. As for the chromatic dragons, you should be the one worrying about them."

Hearing this, Zhao Xu finally gained a clear concept of his mentor’s combat prowess.

Tiamat, the Evil Dragon Queen.

Even an avatar was among the peak combat entities in Aether.

"Then, Mentor, why don't you introduce to me which of these things is suitable for me?" Zhao Xu looked at the items on the table—scepters, weapons, shields, and even a mirror measuring one meter by one point three meters, which would be difficult to carry.

Had the mirror not been covered by a cloth, Zhao Xu would have wanted to lift it to take a look.

"Hmm, then tell me, what kind of means do you want to protect yourself?" Antinoya asked directly.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xu fell into a long period of contemplation.

Antinoya did not grow impatient; she simply sat there, watching him quietly.

It was not until the incense had burned through half its coil that Zhao Xu slowly spoke: "Mentor, is there something that, once produced, can turn the tables and sweep away all enemies?"

"And something that can ideally handle all sorts of complex situations?" Antinoya added.

"Yes, yes, exactly!" Zhao Xu replied happily.

"Oh." Antinoya tilted her head slightly, thought for a moment, then reached into her dimensional bag and pulled out an item to hand to him. "Here, for you."

A second "Candle of Invocation" lay in Antinoya’s palm.

Zhao Xu fell into an awkward silence.

This item could summon different beings, which certainly satisfied the requirement of handling complex situations and sweeping away all enemies.

The main problem was, he already had one...

If an enemy were capable of countering his candle and preventing him from using it, then having another box of them wouldn't help.

"Mentor, stop joking," Zhao Xu said, knowing Antinoya was intentionally teasing him with a feigned air of innocence.

"Very well then." Antinoya stood up, walked to a bookshelf, pulled out a thick reference book, and handed it to Zhao Xu. "First, memorize the final sections for me."

"Mentor, didn't you already give me the list with the Candle of Invocation?" Zhao Xu asked in surprise after flipping to the final pages.

"That was a list; this contains the details. Otherwise, you won't be able to execute the third method," Antinoya said with a light laugh.

In the time that followed, until Zhao Xu had mastered the third method, he felt as if he were living in a dream.

He wasn't even overly surprised when Antinoya cast a legendary spell to accelerate time.

After Zhao Xu left, Antinoya finally removed her hood, a look of distress appearing on her face.

Through that legendary divination spell, the final image she had seen was of Zhao Xu, drenched from head to toe, appearing in the reception hall of the Arcane Gate.

***

Looking at the middle-aged blonde man in front of him and listening to his retort, Zhao Xu suddenly understood.

He finally realized the price of the Dragon Orb he had foolishly picked up back then.

Given the identity of the man before him and the gold dragon that had soared through the sky at that time, the answer was self-evident.

Zhao Xu could not help but lower his head to look at his right hand, wondering if simply picking it up counted as having "possessed" it.

Recalling the stats of a gold dragon, Zhao Xu felt his scalp tingle.

The dragon race was one whose strength automatically increased with age; after surviving for 1,200 years, a hatchling would evolve into an Ancient Dragon.

An Ancient Gold Dragon had a Challenge Rating as high as 27. Setting aside its astronomical stats, it could cast spells equivalent to a 19th-level Sorcerer and possessed the ability to cast divine spells on top of that.

This was a "Sorcerer-Lord" who could fight better, endure more, and wielded divine magic.

The middle-aged man had fully turned his head to look directly at Zhao Xu.

Even through the torrential rain, Zhao Xu could see that the man’s pupils had faded, turning into the color of molten gold.

"It seems you have recognized my identity?" The middle-aged man had a light beard on his chin, looking much like a polite and erudite professor.

"A low-level mage like you shouldn't be capable of dragon-slaying, should you?" The man said with a soft chuckle.

"I wouldn't dare," Zhao Xu replied, his expression awkward. Internally, however, he began to calculate the effectiveness of his Candle of Invocation—would it be extinguished by this torrential rain?

"The effect of your 'Floating Disk' is quite good. Does it have autonomous movement now? I recall that in the past, it could only follow the caster." The middle-aged man stood perfectly still, even as the heavy rain lashed against his entire body.

One might even think that he was just as comfortable in the water as he was on land.

"After the Association researched the 4th-level flight spell 'Greater Floating Disk,' this spell was upgraded along with it," Zhao Xu explained.

"The fact that mages can continuously study spells and push magical civilization to its absolute limit—no wonder you are able to rule this world from behind the scenes," the middle-aged man sighed, as if recalling something.

"However, since we have met in this rain, shall we introduce ourselves?" The man smiled.

Zhao Xu nodded calmly. At this point, it was just a matter of resurrection; at the very least, he couldn't lose face.

"Zhongxia, Mystra, 2nd-level Mage of the Mage Association."

"Campas, Heaven-Severing Mountain Range. According to your human terminology, I suppose I would be an Ancient Gold Dragon."