The Soul, a Thing That Changes

In every respect, Grand Duke Moore was a highly competent ruler. He always cared for his people and considered their interests at all times. In the eyes of his subjects, Grand Duke Moore, like his legendary ancestors, possessed a kind and compassionate heart. He enjoyed high prestige domestically, being a benevolent monarch who understood and cared for his subjects. He also enjoyed international renown, largely due to his occasional tough stance. After all, Grand Duke Moore would not harm his country to gain undeserved benefits, and he maintained a firm attitude and style towards what he deserved, which greatly troubled his enemies and delighted his supporters.

Therefore, the fall of Grand Duke Moore is an immeasurable loss for the entire country. If he does not recover, the country is very likely to erupt into civil war. Although the Grand Duke currently has a son and a daughter, they are both too young to inherit the throne. And no one can predict what kind of turmoil will occur in the entire kingdom during the period when they are growing up to be able to inherit the position.

Under the arrangement of the black-clad swordsman, Li Lin, Nia, and Angela met the Grand Duchess in a secret reception room. She was a beautiful and elegant woman, but the weariness and worry of the past few days had made her look somewhat haggard.

"I sincerely welcome you, esteemed sir."

The Grand Duchess lifted her skirt and gave a slight curtsy. Her voice was tinged with emotion, and her eyes were slightly red. However, the beautiful lady quickly took out a handkerchief, gently wiped away the tears in her eyes, and smiled apologetically.

"Please forgive my rudeness, sir. You can't imagine how excited I was when I heard about you from Dick. My husband... my love has suffered so much. If I hadn't seen you, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to go on... Please forgive me for losing my composure."

"Torture?"

Li Lin's expression shifted slightly.

"Are you sleeping for longer periods of time and starting to have nightmares more often?"

"Dear Sir..."

The lady stared wide-eyed in surprise at Li Lin, then looked at Dick and let out a long sigh.

"You're right. Now, I truly believe you can save my beloved. You see, ever since Dick went hunting with the children, my husband has been having nightmares every night, the screams of which chill me to the bone. Although we've invited the priests of the Temple and the archmage of the Mages' Association to help, even they couldn't help my husband regain a peaceful and restful sleep. If this continues, I'm afraid he might..."

As she continued, Madam Moore could no longer suppress her grief and began to sob softly. Dick immediately stepped forward and gently comforted the grieving woman. Then he turned to Li Lin with a somber expression and said...

"Then, please follow me... to these two ladies..."

"I need their help."

Li Lin interrupted the black-clad swordsman and spoke up.

"Without their help, it would have been very difficult for me to cure the Grand Duke on my own."

"Okay, I understand."

The black-clad swordsman carefully observed Li Lin, and upon confirming that he was serious, immediately abandoned his protest. After all, as long as the Grand Duke's illness could be cured, these were all minor matters and not worth mentioning. So he stopped insisting on his demands, and after comforting the deeply grieving Grand Duchess, the black-clad swordsman led Li Lin towards the place where the Grand Duke was resting.

Grand Duke Moore's current location is not ideal for an ailing man, and his bedroom is not particularly guarded. All of this was ordered by the Grand Duke during a lucid moment; he fears his political enemies and spies hidden within the country will glean from these unusual changes what is happening to him. Therefore, the Grand Duke prefers a show of force rather than taking concrete measures to ensure his safety. After all, he is protected by several highly skilled swordsmen, and ordinary assassins would be unable to harm him. In fact, under the Grand Duke's strict orders, even the governor of Blackwater City is unaware of his illness; therefore, any unusual behavior would only arouse suspicion.

Pushing open the ornately decorated, heavy wooden door, Li Lin quickly saw the Grand Duke lying on the bed, fast asleep. His face was gaunt from the torment of the past few days, pale and tinged with ashen. After all, the Caseli Magic Core was used to seduce dragons, who possessed extremely high Magic Power resistance, and therefore it itself possessed immense power—power that even dragons had fallen for, let alone humans with their extremely low Magic Power resistance.

Li Lin slowly walked to the sleeping Grand Duke, gazing at the face so similar to his ancestor's, then extended a finger. He struggled to suppress the urge to strangle him, instead pretending to diagnose the pitiful patient before him. Angela stood beside Nia, clutching Nia robe, her eyes fixed on Li Lin's actions. Dick, too, was wary, observing the man before him uneasily, his hand instinctively resting on his waist. Although he didn't believe the man harbored any ill intentions towards the Grand Duke, caution was always preferable.

Finally, Li Lin withdrew his right hand, took two steps back, and stared intently at the patient in front of him.

Fortunately, the symptoms haven't completely worsened.

His words made Dick feel a huge weight lifted off his shoulders.

"That's right, it's still within our control, Mr. Swordsman. If you give us some time, we are confident that we can extract the Caseli Magic Core from his body."

"But... what should we do?"

Although the black-clad swordsman received the good news he hoped for, he still had some questions about the details. After all, the methods Li Lin used to extract Caseli Magic Core were far too cruel to forget. Did he intend to do the same to the Grand Duke? Pull out a piece of bone?

"I'm sorry... that's not something you need to know."

Li Lin turned around and stared at the black-clad swordsman.

"The only guarantee I can give is to restore the Grand Duke to his health and awaken him from his current state. As for what means or methods we will use... I'm sorry, that's impossible to tell you."

"... But..."

"Furthermore, I request that you remove those guards."

Li Lin casually observed the shadows in the corner.

"You're a smart person; you should understand what I mean."

"..."

Looking into Li Lin's eyes, Dick hesitated only for a moment before nodding. Then, he casually waved his hand, making a whistling motion that no one could hear, and the air in the room seemed to change immediately. The black-clad swordsman then bowed slightly to Li Lin, followed by a look of helplessness, sorrow, and expectation as he gazed at the Grand Duke lying on the bed. Finally, without turning around, the black-clad swordsman walked out of the room without hesitation and closed the door behind him.

He would never know that this was the last time he would see his familiar master.

After the black-clad swordsman left, Li Lin stared at the Grand Duke lying on the bed, taking several deep breaths to suppress his anger with the cold air. Now that the black-clad swordsman was gone, he had countless ways to kill the Grand Duke, even to directly obliterate his soul and turn him into his puppet. Although creating artificial souls was not easy, using low-level souls as familiars and controlling corpses was a part of necromancy that Li Lin was very skilled at.

But that's not possible now.

He told himself this over and over again.

Now is not the time; their descendants are not entitled to a painless death.

Only through patience can one savor the finest revenge brew.

He repeated these words to himself over and over, trying to soothe the flames of revenge and suppress them. Only when Li Lin felt Nia's soft, icy hand pressing on his shoulder did he come back to his senses.

"Nothing unusual is happening around here, Li Lin."

Nia gazed at Li Lin calmly, without the slightest panic, surprise, or anger. She was a weapon; regardless of her personality or emotions, Nia was ultimately just a weapon called "The Eternal Library." All she could do was one thing: support her master and eliminate her enemies.

I believe in you; you can do it.

"Certainly..."

Li Lin took a deep breath and finally calmed down completely. He looked at the man in front of him, no longer as if he were looking at an enemy, but as if he were a complete stranger.

"Let's begin."

"Yes, Master."

Angela chuckled and nimbly leaped to the other side, her eyes gleaming with a bright red light, almost impatient.

Soon, Li Lin began chanting incantations, and the magical runes on the back of his hand began to arrange themselves in a specific way. Although the Caseli Magic Core was indeed not created by Li Lin, as Angela had said, its overall style was very similar to Li Lin's way of doing things, and he had also offered suggestions and opinions during its creation. Naturally, he was also very familiar with the characteristics and usage of this magical item. And what he was doing now was not simply taking the Caseli Magic Core out of Grand Duke Moore's body.

As Li Lin chanted, the Grand Duke's body began to emit multicolored light, and Nia was not idle either. She raised her staff, aimed it at the Grand Duke's body, and chanted incantations.

Soon, bathed in light, the multicolored stone reappeared before the three of them, floating slowly, seemingly completely unaware of what was about to happen.

Li Lin gradually stopped chanting. He glanced at Angela, who quickly nodded. Then, she extended her right hand and gently traced the edge of her fan. A drop of bright red blood fell from her finger and floated in the air. Li Lin then extended his finger, and a pure black light entered Angela's blood, which was floating in the air. Soon, the drop of blood turned as black as night. Nia had been watching their progress closely. Only then did she slowly move her staff, guiding the drop of black blood to come into contact with and merge with the multicolored magic core.

The instant the Caseli Magic Core fused with the drop of blood, the shimmering light vanished, and the entire room was enveloped in an evil, gloomy aura. However, as Li Lin once again activated his magic, the colorless, gradually blackening crystal aura began to slowly recede. He took control of the crystal from Nia, watching it slowly descend and re-enter the Grand Duke's body. Just now, he had finally altered the nature of the entire magic core, removing most of its harmful energy and modifying it. Angela's Vampire Species blood would subtly and slowly seep evil into the Grand Duke's body, soul, and mind. Of course, he didn't become a vampire, but as long as Angela's blood remained fused within the Grand Duke's body, her commands were irresistible. Moreover, Angela could use the connection between their bloodlines to tempt him and corrupt him.

And no one will notice any of this. The Grand Duke, who has undergone a transformation of his magic core, will become stronger, healthier, and more charismatic than before... until he utterly falls into depravity and dies in agony.

Li Lin finished chanting the incantation, and the black crystal once again seeped into the Grand Duke's body and disappeared. The evil aura surrounding the room slowly dissipated, and the Grand Duke's pale face began to regain its rosy hue; his breathing became long and slow.

"Whew... It worked, Master."

Angela opened her fan, half-covering her face, and chuckled smugly as she peered at the man before her.

"That's right."

Li Lin withdrew his hands and stared at the man in front of him.

"From this moment forward, I will lead this family to utter destruction and annihilation."

This is a fact, and also a declaration.