"Unfortunately, opening the fourth Bloody Vortex and cultivating Angel's Thorn used up all of Addison and Winterburn's life essence. I'll probably need another ten-odd days of hard work for the Agility Technique rune."
"Still, there's actually a better choice than the Agility Technique or Spirit Spider Technique!"
The first page of the "Vampire Secret Scroll" recorded the foundational secret art of House of Adonis vampires: Blood Flame Qi!
The second page recorded—the Blood Flame Transformation Technique.
As its name implied, the Blood Flame Transformation Technique could not transform one into anything; it could only turn one into a mass of blood flame!
Charlotte did not care whether he could become various animals or take on other people's appearances. But if he could turn into a mass of blood flame, he could float through the air. It was a little worse than flying, but more than sufficient for traveling.
During the noon break, Lord Leo summoned Charlotte over. His very first words sent a chill through Charlotte's entire body. "Byron and the Black Phoenix Dynasty have already signed an alliance. This time, we are to lure out South Seraph's restorationists and assassinate Grand Duke Ferdinand!"
"And thus ignite a war!"
Charlotte had stared directly at the evil god, his soul shattering before reassembling, awakening all the memories of both his lives. He still remembered clearly the knowledge Charlotte Mecklen had learned in his early years, so naturally, he knew the historical grievances between South Seraph and the Duchy of Behemoth.
Simply put, South Seraph had resisted the Empire of Fars's invasion and had been on the verge of victory, only to be stabbed in the back by the Duchy of Behemoth, leading to the fall of the nation.
South Seraph had fallen nearly two hundred years ago. The South Seraph people were fairly obedient toward the Empire and had accepted its rule, but they had always hated the Duchy of Behemoth to the bone.
There was once a rumor that someone got drunk in a tavern and shouted, "I'm from the Duchy of Behemoth..." only to be beaten to death by a group of South Seraph people.
The hatred between the two nations was evident.
If South Seraph's restorationists assassinated Grand Duke Ferdinand, the imperial family of the Empire of Fars would have to avenge him no matter what. South Seraph's restorationists could not possibly withstand the full force of the imperial army and would inevitably seek aid from abroad...
The faint flutter of a little butterfly's wings could bring about a devastating storm.
Only, sometimes storms were controlled by people.
Although Charlotte was a transmigrator and held no feelings for the Empire of Fars, the thought of war breaking out and countless innocent people dying still made him shudder.
Before his transmigration, he had lived in a nation that had known peace for decades. Precisely because he had enjoyed such prolonged peace did he understand its value and the terror of war.
He said softly, "I didn't receive this order."
Lord Leo said, "Your rank is too low. It is hardly strange that you do not know all the details of this plan."
"However, you must fully cooperate with my actions."
"Once this mission is completed, you can be transferred under my command. I guarantee that you will be promoted by at least one rank."
Charlotte expressed his gratitude respectfully, but inwardly, he thought, I should find a way to sabotage the Byronians' plan.
How ridiculous. I'm a fugitive, yet I'm still thinking about helping the Empire of Fars preserve peace.
Lord Leo was very satisfied with Charlotte's attitude. After giving him a few more instructions, he waved Charlotte away and prepared to set off again.
This party moved extremely quickly along the way. After traveling for more than two days, they arrived at Machu Picchu.
Although this fortress of the ancient Orc Kingdom had been breached and burned down by the Sherlock Dynasty, even as ruins, it remained imposing and magnificent.
The Orc Kingdom's architecture prized enormity. Every building stood dozens of meters high, especially the fortress gates, which towered majestically. Even though the city had been destroyed for centuries, it still awed the heart.
Charlotte was exhausted, but he still volunteered to personally scout the area.
Whether it was the adventurers under his command or Lord Leo, they all felt that he was dependable.
The adventurers thought this "leader" bravely took the lead whenever something happened. Lord Leo thought this future subordinate was willing to take on responsibility and endure hardship, making him excellent material for a personal retainer.
Only Charlotte knew that he was entering Machu Picchu alone to verify the results of his recent research into the first page of the Labyrinth of Agmiras.
Charlotte strode into Machu Picchu with the Magic Alchemy Staff in one hand and an old Magnum Hand Shuttle in the other. Once he passed through the collapsed fortress gate and the ruins blocked the view from outside, he immediately put away both weapons, took out his diary, and turned to the page titled "Labyrinth of Agmiras."
He opened the first page, pressed the diary against the ground, and murmured softly for a while. Nothing happened. Just as he was slightly disappointed and thought there had been a flaw in his research, an awareness surfaced: Charlotte Mecklen has discovered Machu Picchu, the ruins of the ancient Orc Kingdom. The requirements for establishing the first labyrinth have been met. Machu Picchu will soon undergo Labyrinthization.
Charlotte watched with his own eyes as the first page of "Labyrinth of Agmiras" vanished. Then he sensed something invisible spreading out from the diary beneath his palm, inch by inch encroaching upon the fortress ruins of this ancient Orc Kingdom.
The fortress entrance behind him was the first to be encroached upon, and from there it spread toward the depths of Machu Picchu. That awareness surfaced again: "Machu Picchu will require eighteen days to complete Labyrinthization. During this period, you must not leave this place."
Charlotte took a deep breath, put away the diary, and turned toward the fortress gate. Standing inside the gate, he called out, "There's no problem inside. I also found a clean place where we can set up camp and wait for Grand Duke Ferdinand to pass by."
Lord Leo smiled faintly. "Good!"
He had heard some legends about Machu Picchu as well, but as a High-Order Transcendent, he had no fear at all. Taking two servants with him, he entered the ruined fortress.
Charlotte immediately sensed a message: "Labyrinth NPCs increased by three. Encroachment progress increased by 1.5%."
He was both shocked and delighted. He had not expected such a benefit.
The adventurers also entered the ruined fortress one after another, while that awareness continuously issued notifications: "Labyrinth NPCs increased by fifteen. Encroachment progress increased by 0.8%..."
"Labyrinth NPCs increased by twenty-one. Encroachment progress increased by 1.3%..."
"Labyrinth NPCs increased by thirty-four. Encroachment progress increased by 3.3%..."
"Total Labyrinth NPCs: one hundred and thirty-six. Total encroachment progress increased by 16.5%."
Charlotte let out a long breath. He had finally confirmed that his research direction was correct!
This fortress of the ancient Orc Kingdom was enormous. At its peak, it had once housed an army of two hundred and seventy thousand. Though less than twenty percent had undergone Labyrinthization, it was already enough to ensure that anyone who entered would never be able to leave again.
Lord Leo was, after all, a High-Order Transcendent. His spirituality gave rise to caution, and he looked around several times, yet discovered no clue.
He could never have imagined that it was not some danger lurking and watching them, but that they had already "entered" the "danger."
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