Dark Stream casually flicked his hand, sending the remaining tissue fluid in his palm, along with those gray threads, splashing toward the array.
The moment the threads struck the surface of the array, they melted right into it.
The runic patterns of the first layer of the array dimmed for a split second after the threads seeped in, followed immediately by the second layer, then the third.
All thirteen layers of the array rippled in sequence from the outside in, with each ripple lasting less than half a second.
The array did not shatter or collapse; it continued to operate normally.
However, those gray threads had already woven an extremely fine web inside the array, with every node of the web precisely embedded within the array's runic circuits.
“There. It's done,” Dark Stream said as he pulled his hand back. Strands of flesh inside his right eye socket began to intertwine and knit back together.
Blood Fury looked down at the gray threads that were still vibrating slightly.
The scene inside the array began to manifest on the web woven by the threads.
First came blurry outlines, followed by a clear, distinct picture.
An altar, stone pillars, shattered crystal fragments and corpses scattered across the floor, and two figures sitting on either side of a low table, drinking.
Wine swirled inside the coral cups, with deep blue specks of light drifting along their inner walls.
The image inside the array grew clearer and clearer on the gray threads.
Four bottles of Coral Brew and two coral cups sat on the low table. Ethan sat on the left, holding half a cup of the deep blue liquid, his expression incredibly relaxed.
Opposite him sat a round-faced Sea Race youth with a pair of pale gold baby horns on either side of his forehead. He was currently throwing his head back to gulp down his wine. His laughter drifted out through the gray threads, his smugness clear even across the array.
Blood Fury frowned. “Why does it look to me like this kid has managed to completely hoodwink this Sea Race guy?”
Dark Stream said nothing.
Because he couldn't make heads or tails of it either.
What the hell was going on here?
Could someone please explain this?
...
Boulder unscrewed the cap of the fifth bottle of Coral Brew and poured another half-cup into Ethan's glass.
“Genos, I have officially decided that you are my friend,” Boulder said, his voice half-drunk. “To be honest, I've recruited plenty of people in the deep sea, but not a single one has your kind of guts. When those guys see me, they either kowtow or flatter. It's annoying.”
Ethan raised his coral cup and took a sip.
The moment the liquid slid down his throat, his consciousness rippled slightly.
The grass he had laid out as a ward outside Horn Mountain had been stepped on and crushed.
Someone was coming.
Two people.
He just didn't know which two they were.
However, according to the rules of Blood Bone Tower, the ones who came would definitely be two of the five Second-Tier Wizards left behind to guard the area.
In that case...
The corners of Ethan's mouth curled up a fraction more.
“Your Highness,” Ethan leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice. “I have a question.”
“Ask,” Boulder said, taking another swig.
“You are a Sea Dragon prince. Did you really sneak onto the land just to stir up trouble like you said?”
“Stirring up trouble?” Boulder set down his cup and grinned. “I call this a strategic layout. You land-dwelling wizards always think you're the masters of the world, and that the Sea Race should obediently stay in the deep sea as your vassals. Why should we?”
Ethan's eyes widened, putting on a thoroughly startled expression.
Boulder was highly satisfied with Ethan's reaction. He gulped down another mouthful of wine. “I won't bore you with the messy details of my previous layouts, since you already know about them anyway. Do you want to know what I plan to do once the array is successfully established?”
“W-What do you plan to do?”
“Step one: take down the Thorn Empire first.”
Ethan's hand holding the coral cup paused.
The startled expression remained on his face, his eyes widening even further. “The Thorn Empire? That is an empire directly under the jurisdiction of Blood Bone Tower. Aren't you afraid of...”
“Afraid of what?” Boulder interrupted him, taking another swig. “Within the coverage area of the Spirit-Deceiving Array, the consciousness monitoring of all wizards will be replaced with illusions. How big is the Thorn Empire? Less than three million square kilometers. Once the array is completely stabilized, I will carve this region right out of Blood Bone Tower's monitoring. What they see will still be a peaceful Thorn Empire, but in reality? In reality, it will already be an outpost for my Sea Race.”
Ethan fell silent for two seconds, then raised his coral cup and took a sip.
Boulder took his silence as pure shock, the grin on his face widening even more.
“Genos, did you think I only had my eyes on a tiny speck of land like the Thorn Empire? Heh, your vision is too narrow. The Thorn Empire is just the starting point. Blood Bone Tower governs twenty-six empires and hundreds of landmasses, with a total population of over forty billion. All of these places are covered by Blood Bone Tower's monitoring arrays. Once the Spirit-Deceiving Array is successfully tested in the Thorn Empire, the next step is to copy and spread the array's template.”
“Copy and spread?” Ethan leaned forward.
“Hmph, when the time comes, every wizard we capture will be dealt with in the exact same manner. From the Thorn Empire to the three surrounding empires, and from those three empires to the entire sphere of influence of Blood Bone Tower... it should take about fifty years.”
Ethan raised his coral cup and took another gulp.
The moment the liquid slid down his throat, he used the rim of the cup to hide the twitching of his lips.
Fifty years.
This Sea Dragon prince actually planned to spend fifty years secretly expanding an array right under the nose of Blood Bone Tower.
Was he arrogant, or just plain ignorant?
Did he really think the Three Rings Academy was made of clay?
That they would just let him run wild like this?
The Sea Race might be stronger than Blood Bone Tower.
But with the way this young prince was acting, was he really not afraid of provoking the human powerhouses?
Ethan looked at Boulder's smug expression, the smile on his own face deepening.
“As expected of His Highness the Sea Dragon prince.” Ethan raised his coral cup toward Boulder. “Such a layout, such boldness... those old geezers in Blood Bone Tower wouldn't be able to come up with this even in their dreams.”
Boulder felt completely gratified by this flattery.
Leaning back in his seat, he swung his crossed leg. “The Thorn Empire is just the starting point, and Blood Bone Tower is merely under the Three Rings Academy. My goal is far greater than that. Genos, take a guess. What do you think my goal is?”
Ethan set down his cup, putting on a look of deep contemplation.
After a moment, he looked up. “Around Blood Bone Tower, there are dozens of wizard factions, both large and small. Could Your Highness be planning to... swallow the entirety of District 77?”
“Ha!” Boulder threw his head back and drained half his cup of Coral Brew. “Keep guessing.”
Ethan's brow furrowed.
He remained silent for several seconds, his lips twitching slightly as he lowered his voice. “District 77 is only in the lower-middle tier among the one hundred and eight districts of the Wizard Council. If Your Highness is only targeting District 77, your vision would be far too narrow.”
Boulder slammed his coral cup heavily onto the low table.
The deep blue liquid splashed out, dragging several thin streaks across the tabletop.
“Genos,” Boulder said, his voice carrying an irrepressible excitement. “You truly are my soulmate. What does District 77 even matter? My goal is the entire Wizard World!”
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