Golden Curse

The seemingly thick ice crystal shield was as fragile as paper under the crushing force of the two forces, and it shattered almost instantly.

Crimson and gold collided, transforming into rolling amber-colored magma, accompanied by heat waves that distorted the air, splashing and flowing in all directions.

"Whoosh—"

A silvery-white figure emerged from a location hundreds of meters away. The thin layer of silvery metal attached to its body melted, revealing Ronan's figure.

The short-range spatial teleportation effect of [[Space Silvering]] is especially useful in this kind of "cage" situation where you are attacked from both sides.

There's a saying in the Wizard World: "When time is out of the question, space reigns supreme." Whether space magic can reign supreme in other aspects is another matter, but in terms of evasion and escape, it certainly has a huge advantage that no other type of magic can match.

When the Ancient Mirror Garden Secret Realm opened, the Dawn Rank artifact staff that Ronan left behind a seed of spatial energy was only slightly imbued with spirituality, yet it was able to escape from the hands of four Dawn Wizards from the six major powers.

The six major powers unearthed a considerable number of Dawn Rank magical artifacts in the Mirror Garden, but they actually obtained less than one-fifth of them.

Ronan spread his mental energy, summoning a curtain of ice and snow to block the scalding golden liquid flowing everywhere.

Amidst the rising steam, he saw the Giant Magic Box Monster, now with only one leg remaining, locked in battle with the Ash Witch.

He escaped from the gap between the two's combined attack, but the Red Lotus Scepter of the Ash Witch struck the Box Monster's leg, and the terrifying high temperature flames melted one of the Giant Magic Box Monster's legs.

The latter's target wasn't entirely herself to begin with, and after suffering such a "severe blow," she naturally began to relentlessly pursue the Ash Witch. Who could have imagined that?

"Wouldn't this be considered a case of shooting oneself in the foot?"

Ronan gazed at the faintly visible figure of the Ash Witch in the distance, sighing inwardly. But in the occasional fleeting glance, he noticed that the witch girl holding the staff did not seem to have any annoyance or displeasure.

She's incredibly strong.

The Red Lotus Fire incinerate everything. Even the terrifying giant golden magic box monster cannot gain any advantage under the high temperature of the magical flames. It cannot cause any effective damage to the Ash Witch at all. On the contrary, its huge body tends to melt under the scorching of the crimson flames.

The crimson flames engulfed the Giant Magic Box Monster, making it resemble an enormous golden torch.

Ronan retreated again and again.

"Her methods are more than ten times more powerful than when she fought me before. Is this her true strength?"

Watching from afar as the two combatants, whose sizes differed greatly yet presented a one-sided battle, Ronan's face showed a hint of emotion.

For the first time, he deeply felt the meaning of "unparalleled dominance" from a wizard, and a female wizard no less.

A figure suddenly appeared beside him. Ronan turned his head and saw that it was the Silver-Haired Witch had been following Grace.

"Let's go now!"

The Silver-Haired Witch urged him quickly and solemnly, "We have the tools to break through the secret realm. Moriel is currently tied up and unable to free up her hands, making this the best time to leave."

Ronan's eyes flickered, and he glanced in a certain direction without saying a word.

The Silver-Haired Witch followed his gaze, as if she understood what he meant. Her slender eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she quickly took out several items from her Space Ring and handed them to Ronan.

"If you want to leave a message, I won't force you."

"I will inform Princess of Grace two acts of kindness when I return to report this to Her Princess Serena. The royal court will surely reward you. This Communication Stone was given to you privately by Princess Grace; she hopes you will contact her frequently when you have time..."

The Silver-Haired Witch gave Ronan a deep look and said, "Good luck."

After saying that, he turned and left.

Ronan looked at the things left behind by the Silver-Haired Witch: two Communication Stones and several exquisitely crafted white scrolls, from which faint energy fluctuations emanated.

He had seen the young wizard Donny use such spell scrolls before. They could be torn open to instantly cast powerful spells, eliminating the need for mental guidance. They were more convenient than magical artifacts. The only drawback was that they were disposable and quite expensive to make.

The Silver-Haired Witch deliberately left him two spell scrolls, which may have been a way of showing Ronan the strength of the Life Royal Court and indicating that she wouldn't break her promise to him.

Ronan glanced in Grace's direction and saw that Grace was also staring at him expectantly, her mouth open as if she wanted to say something, but she was quickly swept away by the Silver-Haired Witch and the others.

Ronan gazed in the direction Grace and her group had left, his expression unchanged, and casually put away the things the Silver-Haired Witch had given him.

His attention returned to the fierce battle between the Ash Witch and the Giant Magic Box Monster in the distance.

Encountering Grace inside the Mechanical Heart, and the Ash Witch who suddenly appeared out of nowhere, were all accidents. Ronan hadn't forgotten his true purpose in entering the Mechanical Heart —he was after a powerful legacy and treasures.

Streaks of white light gathered between Ronan's eyebrows, weaving into the shape of the "Eye of Truth".

Ronan's gaze [Penetration] the layers of flames and amber nectar, locking onto a touch of luxurious gold that lurked atop the Giant Magic Box Monster.

That golden magic box! Ronan stared at the location of the Golden Magic Box, his azure eyes flashing continuously.

Although the Ash Witch is powerful, she still has many trump cards up her sleeve. The results of her three years of hard training are far from being so bad that she has no choice but to retreat.

On the contrary, it was actually a good thing for him that the Ash Witch was fighting against the Giant Magic Box Monster.

Regardless of which of these two loses, it will give him an opportunity to take advantage.

The only problem is timing your attack perfectly. "Buzz—"

As Ronan was thinking, a dark shadow suddenly flashed past his eyes.

It was a black magic box with wings. It had flown out from underground along with the Golden Magic Box, forming a dense swarm like Ash Witch. It was later dispersed by Moriel's Crimson Red Lotus Scepter, and he had almost forgotten about the existence of these magic boxes.

Ronan blinked. With the blessing of the [Winter Homeland] magic item set, large swathes of frost rose from his body, blocking the heavy heat waves sweeping through the void.

The aura of the Extraordinary Magic Domain surged out from Ronan's side, quickly condensing into a pure white Ice Blade.

The Ice Blade appeared and then quickly disappeared, leaving only a dark slash in the void.

"Clang!"

A crisp sound of metal being struck rang out.

The trajectory of a magic box with gray wings was abruptly cut off, pinned down by a Pure White Ice Blade, and then quickly fell into a fair and slender hand.

"Snap—"

Ronan gripped the magic box and gently applied force, shattering the black magic box that had been pierced from both sides by Ice Blade.

The broken black magic box was empty, except for some metal fragments that were almost frozen into ice shards, with traces of Rune Array circles remaining on them.

"Fake?"

Ronan frowned.

"Whoosh—"

Under his control, the Pure White Ice Blade vanished as a blurry shadow, and then struck down several black magic boxes with long wings. Without exception, they were all fake magic boxes that were "all show and no substance".

"It's all fake."

The shattered pieces of the magic box turned into cold white metallic powder in Ronan's hand and fell from his fingers. Ronan's eyes flickered, and he began to question the authenticity of the Golden Magic Box that had flown out along with countless black magic boxes.

If you go through all that trouble only to find out that the magic box you finally get is a fake, then it's a huge loss.

"Schubert and the dwarven artisans of the Mechanical Heart wouldn't be so inhuman, would they?"

Ronan's unwavering resolve began to waver at this moment; he didn't want to end up with nothing.

Just as Ronan was hesitating, the Giant Magic Box Monster, engulfed in raging crimson flames, finally reached its limit and exploded with a deafening roar.

Amidst countless splashes and Molten Slurry molten metal, Moriel's figure, wielding the Red Lotus Scepter, came into view.

Beneath a sky full of golden and red fire rain, Moriel, dressed in a tight-fitting long robe, moved languidly. With every move, she killed the Giant Magic Box Monster, which even Third Level Wizard would hesitate to approach. To her, it was as if she had done an extremely insignificant thing. She even yawned with a bored expression.

Moriel was surrounded by a huge and powerful magical field. Within the field, countless crimson flames flickered and shone, like red lotus flowers that were constantly withering and blooming. Each cluster of flames was like a drifting red petal.

At this moment, Moriel displayed an absolutely stunning beauty, so much so that even Ronan was somewhat mesmerized.

But soon, Ronan's gaze was drawn to a rich golden color.

The Giant Magic Box Monster is gone, and the shadow of the Golden Magic Box is fully revealed.

At this moment, the two pairs of wings on the back of the Golden Magic Box vibrated almost completely, and a fist-sized piece of black metal with a mysterious luster was attached to its body. It was like a bird whose nest had been destroyed, and it was fleeing in panic away from Moriel.

"Now!"

Ronan's eyes flashed with a sharp light. With the silver metal coating, he flickered several times, his figure transforming into a silver phantom that appeared and disappeared intermittently.

Meanwhile, in the distance, Moriel stretched out her arms and then exploded into a shower of sparks with a "bang".

Ronan and Moriel, one after the other, from opposite directions, reached out almost simultaneously, grabbing at the fleeing Golden Magic Box.

Just as the Golden Magic Box was about to fall into their hands, with no escape possible, "Buzz—"

A strange fluctuation suddenly emanated from the Golden Magic Box.

At this moment, the entire space seemed to fall into absolute stillness, and even time stopped flowing.

A huge golden halo emanated from the Golden Magic Box, quickly passing by Ronan and Moriel, who were standing one in front of the other.

Starting from their fingertips, their motionless bodies gradually turned golden. In the blink of an eye, every strand of their hair, and even every pore, radiated a golden luster, making them appear like two human-shaped statues made entirely of gold.

The golden halo continued to spread outwards, and wherever it passed, the abandoned city-state of the Mechanical Heart beneath it, all the earth, stone, and metal, including the wandering puppets and the rampaging metal Elemental Lifeform, all turned golden. The entire world seemed to be transforming towards the color of gold.

Luxurious and splendid, yet cold and devoid of any vitality.

"Click-click-click—"

Amidst this spectacular and eerie transformation into gold, a lifelike statue of a beautiful sorceress girl, suspended in mid-air, suddenly emitted a crisp cracking sound, and her golden eyes regained their liveliness and sparkle.

Thin pieces of gold peeled off her body, and her eyelashes and robes were also peeled away inch by inch as the gold fragments fell off.

As most of the gold on the girl's body fell off, her fair and perfect body was almost completely revealed.

"Boom!"

A ball of crimson flame rose from under the girl's skirt, quickly engulfing her entire body.

A moment later, a pair of delicate, white feet gently emerged from the flames.

The crimson flames faded, and a young girl, now dressed in a magnificent fire-patterned dress, strolled out, staff in hand.

"The Golden Curse."

The girl blinked, and her sparse eyelashes grew back. She looked around and saw that the golden phenomenon was still spreading, threatening to cover the entire secret city-state.

Looking down at her fingernails, she saw that there were now tiny golden spots growing on her khaki-colored nails.

Annoyance crept onto the girl's face.

"How annoying."

She took two steps forward expressionlessly, but as she approached the Golden Magic Box, she noticed that her hair had regained some of its golden luster. She stopped, her eyes flickered, and then she retreated again.

The girl raised the Red Lotus Scepter in her hand and casually slashed a long gash in the air beside her.

One foot had just stepped in when it was quickly pulled back in the next second.

"I almost forgot."

The girl turned around, muttering to herself, and then abruptly disappeared.

The next second, amidst a dazzling explosion of countless sparks, it suddenly appeared opposite the Golden Magic Box, in front of another golden statue.

This is a statue of a man.

Very young.

The golden armor, reminiscent of that of an ancient court knight, almost perfectly outlined his tall and strong physique.

He has handsome and heroic features, and a firm gaze.

Even if it were just a golden statue, if placed in a secular kingdom or city-state, it would probably arouse the admiration and infatuation of countless young girls in love.

Yet this statue, which seemed like a masterpiece sculpted by the heavens, appeared to the young girl as the most detestable and hateful thing in the world.

The girl raised her hands, gripped the Short Staff in her hands, and struck the statue's head hard.

"Bang!"

The staff, burning with crimson lotus flames, hovered less than three centimeters in front of the statue's eyes. The thick, golden eyelashes seemed to melt and fall like water droplets, unable to advance an inch.

The girl was stunned for a moment, then looked down and saw that the staff was being tightly gripped by a hand wrapped in countless dense, mysterious black runes.

The flames on the cane scorched the skin of the palm, making a slight sizzling sound, but the hand was clenched tightly and refused to loosen its grip.

"Huh?!"

Upon seeing this, the girl's beautiful face displayed the most astonished expression she had ever seen.

"You actually managed to break free from this curse?"

As if in response to her question, the handsome man's golden statue emitted a series of soft, clicking sounds.

The girl kept a straight face and tugged hard on her cane, her forehead almost sweating, but she still couldn't pull the cane out of the large hand wrapped in black runes.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!!"

The girl, somewhat frantically shaking her unmoving cane, stomped her feet forcefully.

Her eyes suddenly turned the color of flames, and a rune pattern resembling a red lotus flower quietly appeared between her brows. Terrifying power was brewing between her white fingers, but she stopped abruptly just as she was about to strike the statue's head.

"Killing you like this is too easy for you."

The girl's eyes were fixed on the male statue in front of her, her pupils darting around before suddenly landing on the Golden Magic Box not far away.

"You really want this magic box!"

The girl, who was gritting her teeth in anger just a second ago, suddenly broke into an incredibly bright smile.

The unparalleled radiance that bloomed in an instant almost illuminated the surrounding void.

"Then... take it!"

The girl reached out and made a gesture, Golden Magic Box that had been motionless not far away flew over quickly and landed right in the arms of the man statue.

Before the terrifying power of the curse could fully erupt, the girl had already pulled her beloved cane from the hand that had once again turned completely golden, and then quickly retreated far away.

The man statue, completely enveloped by the power of the curse, could no longer move. It lost all trace of life and, like a heavy stone, plummeted downwards.

"Rest here forever, holding your beloved box."

The girl stood with her hands on her hips, smiling as she watched the male statue, enveloped in a rich golden light, fall continuously until it was completely hidden in a dazzling golden hue below. Only then did she feel a great sense of satisfaction.

"It's a pity we couldn't gouge out those eyes..."

The girl muttered something, casually slashed open a hole in the void, and quickly stepped inside.

Once the rift in the void disappeared, the vast Mechanical Heart Secret Realm finally fell into complete silence.

There was no further movement.

Only a tide of golden color remained, spreading continuously, coldly, and silently.

"Whoosh—"

In the desolate wilderness, at the center of a complex Rune Array emitting a faint silver light, the void quietly broke open, and a petite figure gracefully stepped out from the center of the array.

The old woman in black robes, who had been waiting by the magic circle for a long time, immediately stood up, bowed, and quickly went to greet her.

Welcome back, dear Moriel.

Was your trip pleasant?

The old woman's voice was hoarse, and she spoke the most humble and respectful words. The aura and radiance emanating from her seemed to outshine the sun in the sky.

If any other wizards were present, they would surely find the scene before them unbelievable.

Dawn Rank wizard, powerful enough to have seen through the fog and capable of supporting a medium-sized wizarding force, actually acted like a butler or even an old servant in front of a mere Level Third Level Wizard.

It's simply unbelievable.

"It wasn't pleasant."

Moriel lazily raised her arm, yawned, and said, "Serena's new toy is so boring it's practically a piece of wood, and the most ordinary kind at that. I can't see anything unusual about it."

Serena's tastes are as dull and utterly boring as her deadpan face, which makes people want to hate her.

"Didn't you do anything about her toys?"

I've heard the Alba Family values this girl highly. With such a good opportunity, if you could do something... it should be easy to provoke her."

"I'm not that kind of person."

The girl's face showed disdain, and she put on a "fierce" yet charmingly naive look, grinding her silver teeth as she said, "One day, I will crush Serena under my feet in front of countless people, and utterly shatter her hypocritical, pretentious, and disgustingly arrogant attitude."

That's truly regrettable.

The old woman in black robes sighed, "Actually, you don't need to kill her. You just need to leave an indelible mark on that girl's face... For example, that Serena will always have to kneel and lick Lady Moriel's toes. That way, every time the Alba Family sees that girl, they will remember the humiliation you inflicted on her."

The girl was stunned for a moment, and then let out a regretful scream, "Damn it, Vivian, why didn't you say this idea sooner?"

Why didn't you tell me this before I went in?!