103 - Nos

After finalizing the details of the hunt for the 'Eye of Death,' the meeting was officially concluded.

Separated consciousness returned to Lynn, and he extended his hand, bringing five ethereal coins with him.

Recalling the earlier prompt from the AI, Lynn began to speculate that these coins were somehow related to souls.

Perhaps one coin represented a human life?

The AI's prompt rang out again. Lynn hesitated for a moment but chose to convert the coins into energy. Those who had already passed away couldn't be brought back.

In the next moment, the five ethereal coins instantly disappeared, replaced by a substantial increase of five percent in energy.

That's quite high, isn't it?

Lynn was somewhat surprised. It seemed that if he had spoken up more during the meeting, he could have replenished the AI's energy reserves with these ethereal coins. However, considering that these coins might be related to souls and using them might be unsettling, Lynn quickly adjusted his mindset.

Next, he turned his attention to the bubbling alchemical table in front of him, where the concoction of magic potions was nearing completion.

However, with a more perfect goal in mind, Lynn didn't want to rely on the spiritual essence of fire lions, petrifying lizards, or gryphons to advance as a mage, as it might cause some hindrance when breaking through to become a grand wizard.

***

Two days later, inside the Iyeta Academy, Lynn addressed a group of apprentices below him.

"Let's conclude today's class here. For the next week, I'll be working on research and improving a spell. So, classes will be suspended for a while. During these days, you can take the opportunity to review the knowledge you've acquired."

Even though tomorrow was a holiday, Lynn felt that the time might not be enough, so he decided to extend their break.

"That's fantastic."

As soon as Lynn's voice fell, the classroom erupted with enthusiastic cheers.

There was no denying that over the past month, they had been mentally drained from daily calculations and numerology.

However, their mental growth had been rapid as well. Jenny, in particular, felt that her magical power was close to reaching its peak, and she could soon apply for graduation after completing one more course.

Watching the excited wizard apprentices, Lynn couldn't help but shake his head. Their happiness was a little premature.

"So... It's time to assign some homework."

Lynn's voice turned into a devilish whisper, and the apprentices' moods plummeted, feeling like they were on a rollercoaster ride, descending from heaven to the abyss in an instant.

"Don't worry, it's just a few hundred questions in total... Nothing difficult at all..."

Five minutes later, Lynn left the classroom under the resentful gazes of Elok and others, returning to his room with the potions and liquid explosives he had prepared over the past few days.

After changing into the appearance of Radak, Lynn stepped outside the mansion and found a luxurious carriage waiting at the door.

"Radak, Lord Nos is already waiting for you," a robust servant said respectfully, pulling open the carriage curtain.

Lynn glanced at the servant, nodded, and lifted the curtain to step into the carriage. The camel-beast pulling the carriage quickly started trotting forward.

The road to Iyeta Harbor was exceptionally smooth. Lynn, sitting inside the carriage, hardly felt any bumps. However, he quickly realized that the carriage was heading straight out of the city.

But it made sense. The airship was no small contraption, and if they had built it within Iyeta Harbor, it would have been discovered long ago.

Lynn remained composed and allowed the carriage to proceed.

As the carriage delved deeper into the outskirts of the city, the road gradually became rough and challenging. However, the carriage's speed increased instead of slowing down. Eventually, the carriage stopped beneath a cliff by the sea.

"Wizard, please follow this way," a sturdy servant opened the carriage door and made a welcoming gesture.

Lynn nodded and hopped out of the carriage. Following the servant's lead, he entered an abandoned cave on the cliff. After passing through a long tunnel, the view suddenly opened up before him.

The interior of the mountain was an incredibly vast space. Lynn immediately spotted the massive airship placed in the center. Its design and size were identical to the one Lydia had built earlier.

However, these wizards had made some magical modifications to it. The inner walls of the cabin were embedded with metal plates, adorned with numerous strange runes. Below, a menacing magic crystal cannon was mounted, with a barrel nearly half a meter thick, sending shivers down anyone's spine.

"Radak, look. This is our airship, a magnificent creation." An elderly, thin-faced male wizard, brimming with excitement, walked over. He was none other than the initiator of this operation, Nos.

That should be my airship, Lynn thought, but he didn't immediately confront Nos. Instead, he inquired, "So, have you discovered the secret to making this thing fly?"

Ralph only had the blueprints for the airship's frame, lacking the most crucial components.

"Of course, I figured out the secret after dozens of attempts," Nos nodded but gave no hint of what it was.

Although this contraption was destined never to see the light of day, Nos had spent several days researching it. Not to mention that it was related to one of the airship's vulnerabilities, which he naturally didn't want to reveal.

Lynn didn't press further and turned his gaze to the three people standing in front of the aerial airship.

Hank, Eva, and Barbara...

A few days ago, during a secret meeting with this small group, Lynn had gathered information about their names and identities. All three of them were third-tier wizards and high-ranking members of the Blood-Red Thorns.

If there was a common trait among them, it was their age. Even Eva, who appeared the youngest, looked to be in her forties or fifties.

"When do we start the operation?" Barbara, who had an impatient disposition, asked as the team was fully assembled.

"Not now. The airship is too conspicuous. Taking it out during the day might attract the attention of patrolling vessels. It's better to wait until evening," Nos shook his head.

In reality, he was the most eager, but all he could do now was wait and urge the apprentices to load barrels filled with pungent liquid onto the airship.