Badge in Azure

“So, that’s to say that you, the emperor, only has your own palace under control?” Saleen knew everyone had a line that cannot be crossed, and he was searching for Agares’ line.

“What’s there to control? They’re just a bunch of toadies and bootlickers. Your Highness Saleen, just tell me, what do you plan on talking to me about?” Agares asked indifferently.

“Well, I don’t actually know what there is to talk about.” Saleen answered exasperatedly.

“Let’s talk about forming an alliance then.”

“With the Cloudflow people?”

Agares’ illusion laughed. “Your Highness Saleen, you’re a Sikeqinyan, but you have the air of superiority of the Qin. Isn’t that ironic?”

“How do you manage to get here?” Saleen asked out of nowhere, not expecting Agares to answer him seriously.

“It’s like this. The Cloudflow Empire are descendants of the Fourth Dynasty after all, so the amount of information to be found in the palace is more than what I’d bother keeping count. Only mages would be capable of remembering all of that. Much of the information I read as little more than stories when I was little, until one day, I got my hands on this thing here.”

Agares’ illusion lifted his hand. There was a Ring of Gifts on one of his fingers.

“So, Your Highness Saleen, how did you manage to get here?” Agares asked.

“I rather not talk about it.” Saleen smiled.

“Well, fine. After I entered the last temple, I managed to advance to level ten without any glitches. I presume that you owe your achievements to the temples one way or another. The Goddess of Myers was truly intriguing. More so than the Lord of Glory, I’d say.”

Saleen went silent. Agares simply blurted without thinking, but what he said was almost the entire truth of Saleen’s rise.

“I think that the Goddess of Myers should have left 24 temples behind, with different types of wealth in each one. I’m looking for the one that has something for assassins. As for you, Your Highness Saleen, I assumed that you’ve found the temple that has something for mages, no?”

Saleen was on guard. Saleen was unable to place what he was feeling , but he knew that it was not anger.

“Your Highness Saleen. Work with me and open up all the temples. If you refuse, I’ll sell all that I know to the Holy See. I’m after the lineage of assassins after all. I care for nothing else.”

It was clearly a threat and sounded almost like it was made by a rascal. Saleen would find the threat normal if the one saying it was not the emperor of Cloudflow. However, it seemed that Agares did not care about the interests of the Cloudflow Empire.

Seeing Saleen saying nothing in response, Agares continued, “you’re a mage. It’d be safe if you’d simply sign a contract with me. And relax, I’m not going to ambush you.”

“Any profession would grow just as strong in the end. Your Highness Agares, do you wish to have a fair showdown with me at the end?”

“Oh no, Your Highness Saleen. You’re getting the wrong idea here. I’ve no interest in showdowns or whatever. I’m simply interested in moving towards the highest plane, becoming like ancient humans. The strongest assassin in the First Dynasty had a godly item that was crafted from a god’s divine persona. That would be my dream.”

Saleen did not buy into Agares’ ridiculous ramble, but he was aware that Agares might not want to make him an enemy. However, Saleen was a mage, and Agares was the best specimen to test his skills against at the moment.

Even if Agares did not have any intention of killing Saleen, he would be looking for opportunities to test his skills on Saleen.

It would be far more dangerous to work with Agares than to work with Jalin.

However, Saleen instead asked, “how do you propose we work together then?”

According to Saleen’s calculations, there were at least three more temples in Cloudflow Empire territory. If Agares had mastered the locations of all the temples and was simply unable to open them, it would be feasible for him to talk to the Holy See about it.

If the Holy See got involved, it would be near impossible to carry out Saleen’s plan of taking down every single temple.

The materials and equipment that he acquired from that one temple was more than enough for him to arm his temple guards when he returned. Furthermore, what he found would be enough to arm every single one of his soldiers.

The plans he had for a 300,000 person army, all equipped with magic armor, all mages armed with scrolls and magic nuclei, and the feasibility of creating huge amounts of large scale equipment, magic power furnaces, and much more. The wealth in that one temple was beyond his imagination.

Saleen decided to not leave any temple unsearched, as one temple held more wealth than what he bothered calculating.

The 300,000 temple guards consisted mostly of elite demons, which meant that material expenditure was ten times what it cost to arm normal humans. It also meant that what he found in that temple was enough to arm over a million humans. It seemed that the temple they were in was left behind for human generals.

“We would sign two contracts. The first one is the agreement to search and excavate all temples together. I’d only require the equipment and materials related to assassins. Regardless of the level of materials involved, you’d not be allowed to turn your back on your word. I have two lieutenants and 12 servants; you’re not allowed to harm any of them. You’re free to choose 14 of your own, and I will not lift a finger against any of them.”

Saleen knew that Agares knew more than he let on. The equipment of the assassin was probably unusually powerful. Saleen might have had the Magical Element Tower, but he still felt that there was something out there more powerful than it.

“What about the second contract?”

“I’d like to bet with you, Your Highness Saleen.”

“A gambling contract?” Saleen was intrigued. He wanted to know what Agares intended to place his bet with.

“We’ll take a bet against each other, and see who gets to kill Theisio.” Agares proposed his terms, which intrigued Saleen further. He deemed it necessary for him to kill Theisio. If he had help from Agares, the possibility of killing Theisio rose considerably.

“The stakes?”

“The one who loses shall kill a target designated by the one who wins.” Agares was an assassin, which meant he had tremendous bloodlust. Furthermore, his skills were best honed in battle, which differed from mages.

“What if the one in question failed to honor the deed?” Saleen asked, as he was very interested in the gamble.

“I’m thinking of betting on this with my life, but you wouldn’t bother with that. How about this? The gamble is to be fulfilled within a hundred years. The one who loses will serve the one wins.”

“Be of service?”

“A slavery contract,” Agares’ illusion said with a smirk.

Saleen laughed., “Your Highness, what if we both fail to kill Theisio then?”

“If we still can’t kill him in ten years, we might as well go kill ourselves.” Agares’ words were incredibly arrogant, but Saleen did not find it irritating. If a level ten assassin spent ten years in planning to get rid of a specific target, they would have a considerable chance of succeeding.

On Saleen’s side, the number of level ten professionals had grown as well. Within another three to five years, Sul might advanced as well.

“But if I become a slave for a hundred years, I need you to prove that you’re worthy of having me do that. Come out, Agares. Let’s duke it out and find out if you’re worth having me doing that.”

“I’m an assassin. There’s no way I’d fight you face to face. Your Highness Saleen, are all mages so boring?”

Saleen was unable to retort. He was not afraid of clashing with Agares. Crystal Finger, Eye of Lightning, Thundering Sound, and many other skills at his disposal were all very powerful close combat skills.

Saleen’s Crystal Finger was more terrifying than a full-power strike of any assassin.

“Wait, are you telling me you’re afraid, Your Highness Saleen?” Agares’ tone was rather condescending.

Saleen woke up suddenly. He was enticed by Agares. Agares knew that he and the pope were mortal enemies and there was no room for reconciliation between them. As such, he laid out a trap, waiting to ensnare Saleen.

It would be a lot easier for Agares to kill Theisio. At the very least, Agares would be able to meet the pope personally due to his status. It would be incredibly difficult for Saleen to even get near the pope.

It wasn’t a fair gamble to begin with. It would be pointless for him to wrack his brains, trying to make the stakes fair for both sides.

“Agares, one shall pay an equivalent price for whatever they intend to get their hands on. Go look for someone else to gamble with you.”

Agares did not expect for Saleen to see through his game. He had failed to tempt Saleen using Theisio as bait. It looked like he had underestimated Saleen, and it was a pity that such a good prey had slipped through his fingers.

A slave for a hundred years!

“As for the temples, we’ll do what we each can.” Saleen’s tone grew determined. “I’ve had the magic bugs blocking the portal. If you don’t run now, then prepare to stay here for the rest of your life.”

The 12th hall’s floors were all taken apart by the time Saleen finished. Saleen took his people and walked down the steps. The assassin’s illusion disappeared without a trace.

Agares had no intention of wasting the assassin’s illusion. It took him half a month just to make one. Furthermore, the illusion was not a magic skill. Agares was only able to make one. Until that illusion disappeared, there was no way for him to make another one.

The negotiations had soured and Saleen became aware that Agares intended to take on the Holy See. Furthermore, that assassin probably had means to null the contract. If Saleen bet against him, it would only end in failure. Saleen’s faith in contracts wavered after seeing the angel of fear’s linked soul.

If there were two souls residing in Agares’ body, it would be easy for him to cheat.

Regardless, none of it affected Saleen’s will. He was too much of a pushover in the past, and it did nothing for his growth. Jason had showed him the way, and there was no need for petty tricks, especially when it came to working with someone like Agares.

If Saleen signed that contract, Lex would probably not be pleased. Once Saleen could see through it, he realized how perilous Agares was. An assassin would use any weakness to attack their enemies.

Saleen recalled reading something like that in his notes, and many mages said the same thing. It made him shudder. If Agares lost and became his slave, but was unrestrained by contracts, the possibility of him getting assassinated would be about 90%.

It was an interconnected trap! if I laid one step on it, that would be the end of me!

“Keep taking the place apart!” Saleen commanded the figures and began working his way into the 11th hall. Agares was not in that hall. No one knew where he was hiding, but Saleen felt at ease. It was precisely due to the fact that Agares had no certainty of being able to kill Saleen that he had tried something else.

He would come at me if he was so sure about it.

If had located Agares, he would kill him without a second thought. Agares knew too much about the temples.