Chương 178

Elara spat.

"Pagma saw our alchemy. He knew that if we ever produced a legendary weapon-maker of our own, we would rival him. So he purposely created a male anomaly and installed a biological bottleneck in the child. The 'Cursed Hands.' He made sure Alex would be a genius with basic iron, but biologically incapable of ever forging high-tier magical materials. He cursed my son to a lifetime of failure just to protect his own legacy." Rudra sat in silence. The lore was incredibly heavy.

Pagma wasn't giving out the good of an impression.

"Well," Rudra finally said, breaking the silence.

"Pagma is dead. And his curse didn't work. Alex doesn't need magic materials. He's going to be the Blacksmith Saint." Elara smiled faintly.

"Yes. Thanks to you. That is why I am letting him go." Rudra leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table.

"You should all go." Elara blinked.

"What?"

"Pack up the island," Rudra said casually.

"All of you. Come to Stormbreak. I have a massive territory. We just built a state-of-the-art Alchemy Tower. Elysia is running it, but she could use a whole coven of expert alchemists to help her mass-produce potions." Elara stared at him. She looked completely shocked.

"Move the coven to Stormbreak," Rudra pitched.

"We just built a state-of-the-art Alchemy Tower. Elysia, my knight, runs it. She's an alchemy genius and should have already reached Craftsman Level by now. And with access to an Alchemy Tower your progress in Alchemy should double and the other field of alchemy that just potion brewing should be accessible. You'll have infinite oceanic ingredients from my Siren trade route." Elara looked down at her hands. She looked incredibly tempted. A safe home, infinite resources, and a real laboratory.

It was everything her dying coven needed.

"I want to say yes, Lord Rudra," Elara whispered sadly.

"More than anything. But we cannot leave this island."

"Why not?" Rudra asked.

"I have a guy who can mass-teleport you all today."

"It is not a matter of transport," Elara said. She unbuttoned the collar of her purple robe, pulling the fabric aside to show him her collarbone. Burned deep into her pale skin was a glowing, jagged black rune. It looked like a lock.

"Centuries ago, our ancestors made a grave mistake," Elara explained, unbuttoning the collar of her purple robe. Burned deep into her pale skin was a glowing, jagged black rune.

"They accidentally aided a Great Demon. To stop it, Sword Saint Muller came to this island. He fought it right here, reducing half our home to rubble." Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

"Did he seal it?" Rudra asked, his interest peaking.

"Muller was a swordsman. He knew nothing about sealing magic," Elara said bitterly.

"He could beat the demon to the brink of death, but he couldn't finish it off for good. My ancestor, the Witch Leader of that time, was consumed by absolute guilt for the coven's mistake. So, she burned here life essence to help Muller become able to seal other being using his sword energy." Elara buttoned her robe back up, looking completely defeated.

"In order to atone for our mistakes, the Leader declared that we are to guard this demon so that It never harms other beings ever again." Rudra leaned back in his chair.

"What kind of demon was it that they sealed?"

"The 26th Great Demon, Kurson," Elara said, her voice dropping into a terrified whisper.

"He is the Lord of Agony. Even sealed, his dark mana constantly leaks into the soil, corrupting our crops and making our lives miserable. We are nothing but jailers for a monster we cannot kill." Elara looked down, completely defeated.

"So you see, Duke Rudra. We cannot accept your offer. We are prisoners." Rudra didn't look sad. He didn't look defeated. A wide, absolutely thrilled grin spread across his face. A Great Demon sitting right under his boots? And sealed Great Demons periodically respawned as long as the dark mana gathered. That meant infinite Great Demon loot. Infinite experience. Infinite premium meat. Not to mention.. He looked at his Class Quest [Class Quest: The Footsteps of the Pioneer] Difficulty: Class Quest.

You have learned the truth of the world. You have grasped the true essence of production. You are beginning to walk the same path as the original Pioneer Staff Saint. But a Saint is not just a scholar or a cook. A Saint is a force of nature that can defy the gods and the demons alike. The original Pioneer Staff Saint proved his absolute strength by hunting down the greatest evils in the world alone. To prove you are worthy of fully inheriting his ultimate techniques, you must do the same.

Clear Conditions: - Locate a Great Demon. - Defeat the Great Demon entirely solo, without the help of any party members, summons, or pets. Reward: The ultimate Staff Saint exclusive combat skill.] He thought he was going to have to travel to find Morax to hunt him again but now, there was a Great Demon sitting right under his boots. and he could finally try the plan he had to see if he could get some extra achievements. Rudra stood up so fast his wooden chair scraped loudly against the stone floor.

He grabbed his black gloves and pulled them on tight, cracking his knuckles. He reached over his shoulder and grabbed the heavy, crackling shaft of his Extortion staff.

"Elara," Rudra said, his red eyes glowing with pure, unadulterated battle hunger.

"Where is the basement door?" Elara stared at him, her silver eyes wide with confusion.

"You... you want to go down there? It is a Great Demon! It will kill you!"

"It seems I have a date with a Great Demon now," Rudra laughed, walking toward the exit.

"Pack your bags, Elara. You guys are moving to Stormbreak today."