stjorthotic Chapter 191 The Prisoners of the Dungeon
Chapter 191 The Prisoners of the Dungeon
Chapter 191 The Prisoners of the Dungeon (Thanks for the multiple donations)
Logan Susas stared intently at Kane.
Obsidian targets are tools specifically designed for testing Evocation spells and are resistant to high temperatures and other Evocation spells.
Its only weakness is its relatively low physical resistance, making it prone to shattering under impact.
But she absolutely did not believe that Kane would be so idle as to simply use a knife to chop at the obsidian; that would be a complete waste.
The obvious scorch marks on the surface of the stone target, in particular, undoubtedly indicate the damage caused by the spell.
"Since you possess third-circle magic, why didn't you use it in the first place—are you looking down on me?"
Kane took a step back and shook his head.
"Master Logan, you're mistaken—I haven't mastered it."
Logan looked at Kane's calm demeanor and felt a mix of emotions.
She used the dean's third-tier corpse servant to fight him.
Although many in the college despised them for bullying the weak, the biggest problem was that they still lost.
If the other party truly possesses third-circle magic, it means that she herself is the weaker party.
No, I must make him duel me again to salvage my reputation and that of the branch.
"Whether you've mastered third-circle spells or not, come with me to the arena one more time. You can name your terms."
Kane looked at her stubborn expression and wondered if he should take advantage of her motives.
Just then, footsteps were heard.
It was the same middle-aged monk who had previously been in charge of registering and borrowing the training room.
He saw the shattered obsidian in the distance, paused for a moment, and hesitated before speaking to Kane.
Kane spoke first: "I apologize, I accidentally caused physical damage to the obsidian while experimenting with magic. How would you like to compensate me?"
He lied without batting an eye.
The middle-aged mage hesitated for a moment, then said, "Lord Kane, obsidian is a magical item worth over three hundred gold coins. According to regulations, damage to it requires double compensation."
Kane feigned difficulty: "What if I don't go yet?"
"Then they will be locked in the branch's solitary confinement room by the on-duty monks, or forced to perform tasks as compensation."
But you are not a monk of this academy, so perhaps—”
"What could it be?"
"He will be locked in the academy's dungeon."
"A dungeon?"
Kane continued to wear a helpless expression.
"I see. Then please register. I will go to the dungeon to go to jail on my own later."
The middle-aged mage hesitated again, then said, "No, I will communicate with the Illusion Department. You just need to go there—"
Kane interrupted him: "No need, this is my problem, please don't trouble the Illusion Department."
He turned to look at Logan.
"Master Logan, if I remember correctly, you are the on-duty master of the academy."
Please send me to the dungeon.
"What are you doing?"
Logan said.
"You wanted to avoid me, so you deliberately went to the dungeon?"
Kane shook his head, his tone sarcastic: "So, as the mage on duty, you're going to turn a blind eye to a violation of the academy's rules?"
Or are you going to protect criminals to satisfy your own desires?
Logan gave Kane a deep look, a hint of annoyance in his eyes.
"Since you've asked for trouble, then come with me. I hope you won't regret it."
"Of course," Kane smiled.
Before long, the two arrived at the dungeon.
This is the very place where Kane was imprisoned when he first entered the academy.
Two other red-robed monks on duty quickly came over to register and search the individuals.
Just as Kane was about to step into the cell, a series of hurried footsteps sounded.
-
"Wait a moment!"
Arundel rushed over and said to Kane, "Lord Kane, your damage to the academy's props can be recorded in the Illusion Department's account; there's no need to go inside."
Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Logan, who frowned slightly.
Kane, naturally, couldn't let Arundel ruin his plans, so he lowered his voice and said with a wry smile, "Arundel, let me go inside and hide."
"Hide?" Arundel asked, puzzled.
Kane glanced at Logan, seemingly casually: "She keeps pestering me to have another duel, and I've refused many times."
"It's a good opportunity to hide away for a while while I'm in the dungeon."
"What's this?" Arundel smiled wryly.
Kane's reasoning, though seemingly reasonable, was far too simplistic.
He looked at Kane and said, "The academy is currently preparing a delegation that will soon travel to the royal court."
I am proposing to my mentor that you also join the delegation. At that time, the arrest warrants for you and the Finafenne family will be lifted.
Entering the dungeon at this crucial moment is pointless; you could simply stay inside the Illusion Division.
After all, you came from the Illusion Department. Even if Mage Logan has royal connections, she's still just from the Necromancer Department. We don't need to worry about her retaliating.
Logan snorted and said nothing more.
Kane shook his head and said, "Just let me in for a moment, don't say any more."
Arundel was completely bewildered, but seeing Kane's resolute attitude, he had no choice but to accept it.
Not far away, Logan gritted his teeth inwardly.
Kane's words sounded as if she had used her power to coerce him into hiding in the dungeon to avoid trouble.
However, this time she not only offered to settle the matter privately, but also promised a hefty reward.
If he accepts the offer, the compensation for Obsidian's losses is nothing.
However, Kane preferred to go to the dungeon rather than leave her, which made her feel extremely frustrated.
She said to Kane with a cold look, "Let's go."
Kane left with the attending mage who had come to "respectfully invite" him.
Arundel had no choice but to say from afar, "Well then, until the matter of the delegation is settled, Your Excellency Kane, please stay in the dungeon for now."
Of course, if you don't feel comfortable here, you can always have someone contact me to leave.
Upon hearing this, Logan snorted again and said nothing more.
Meanwhile, Kane followed Logan deeper and arrived at the upper dungeon.
In the cells on both sides, many of the prisoners dressed in tattered mage robes or scholar's attire looked up.
They gazed at this special "prisoner" who had left earlier but had now returned, with looks of doubt and curiosity.
Among these people, there is a high probability that the person who relayed the message to him before is one of them.
Kane pondered, his gaze sweeping over the many faces before turning to Logan, who was leading the way, and asked, "Mage Logan, are these prisoners mainly enemies of the academy, or convicts from within Susas?"
Logan sneered, "Nord, are you trying to spy on the Mage Academy?"
Kane smiled: "Since you're worried about leaks, then forget it."
Logan let out another cold laugh and stopped in his tracks.
She pointed to a bald, middle-aged man reading a book in the second cell on the left: "This man is a first-order Transformation School mage."
He once experimented with magic on his wife and children, attempting to transplant the body of the withered branch monster into a human body.
After both of them died tragically, he even took the remains—
Kane frowned and looked at the gentle-looking man.
The other person seemed to sense something, raised their head and smiled gently, showing no signs of being a madman who would use family members for magical experiments.
Logan chuckled and pointed to a dazed young man in the third cell on the right: "That man is a necromancer apprentice."
He slaughtered the entire village and performed an evil ritual, attempting to offer power to the legendary devil in exchange for favors.
Kane looked at the other person and noticed that their ether concentration was not at the level of a formal spellcaster, and looked puzzled.
Logan said, "You're right, he failed."
The ritual book he found was fake; some guy must have made it up.
Upon hearing this, the young man looked up listlessly, then lowered his head again.
Perhaps because Kane wasn't a prisoner in the true sense, or perhaps because he believed Kane wouldn't use his abilities to cause trouble, Logan began to identify and introduce them one by one.
Kane frowned.
With the exception of a few whose circumstances remain unclear, most of the prisoners were clearly notorious and had committed horrific crimes.
"Since they have committed such heinous crimes, why not execute them outright?"
Logan cast a disdainful glance at them: "Nords, these prisoners are also qualified spellcasting materials, and can also be used to test the power of spells."
Kane's lips twitched.
The relative peace he enjoyed during this period within Susas almost made him forget about the troubles of the material plane.
Clearly, spellcasters are not so merciful; their moral bottom line is usually terrifyingly low.
Even though the moral standards of the Susas Mage Academy are slightly higher than those of the Nord Mage Tower.
The two continued their journey, with Logan providing further explanations while Kane listened and observed.
From her introduction, Kane roughly identified several people who were most likely to pass on intelligence to him.
He would try to test the waters whenever he found an opportunity.
As Kane walked, a question suddenly occurred to him: "Does the academy arrest all mages who commit crimes? Aren't some expelled?"
Logan understood Kane's unspoken meaning: "You know the banished mage?"
"Yes, a mage named Lucas."
Lucas, the teacher of the body Risa is currently inhabiting, is serving the duke.
Logan narrowed his eyes, staring at Kane.
Kane shrugged: "If it's inconvenient to say, then forget it."
Logan said, "Lucas was one of the candidates for the Dean's position in the Department of Confusion and Control."
Kane raised an eyebrow; this was the first time he had heard of this information.
This means the other party is a third-tier mage.
Logan continued, "You're a Nord, so perhaps you don't know."
The eight divisions of the Mage Academy each have their own lineage, with spellbooks being just the foundation.
Most importantly, within the Mage Tower, one can obtain ether concentration more quickly through meditation and have more direct contact with the magic network.
Therefore, no monk would give up the opportunity to become the head of a branch academy, given the chance.
That means having your own mage tower, and the financial support of the entire Sussas.
Kane was not surprised.
Susas Academy has a long history, but the number of third-tier mages is definitely greater than the number of deans.
After all, there are only eight mage towers, which means there are only eight slots —
The unspoken implication is that Lucas failed in his bid for dean and was forced out of the running.
"Then what was the reason he was expelled? Was it because of—an even more evil experiment?"
"It's because of the devil."
Kane's eyes sharpened upon hearing that word.
Logan continued, "He attempted to summon a third-order demon directly in the material plane through a sacrificial ritual."
Then, he used bewitching magic to change its mind, making it believe that it was human, thus proving his supreme mastery of bewitching magic.
Of course, his plot was discovered by the current Dean of Ling Shu, who reported it directly to the Grand Dean of the Academy.
So Lucas was expelled.
Hearing this, Kane began to ponder.
Given that the material plane was once a world inhabited by gods, it is not surprising that other rituals for contacting demons exist.
Aside from the stigmata ritual of the demon cult, the sacrificial and conversion ritual of the drow, the astrological ritual of the prophetic school, and the rune ritual he himself uses, all of these belong to the category of "rituals".
The essence of rituals is often a means for the practitioner to achieve dialogue, communication, or even transactions with certain higher beings by fulfilling specific conditions.
In fact, the magic network itself is also a kind of grand ritual in disguise.
Considering the many Wax Demons in the Duke's merchant guild, many of them displayed restraint and order, rather than sheer chaos and brutality—
Kane frowned slightly.
Could it be that Lucas—successfully?
He suppressed his suspicions.
Seeing his silence, Logan also stopped chatting.
The two continued downwards.
Kane looked at the increasingly dark passageway beside him, the stench in the foul air assaulting his nostrils, and tentatively asked, "Shall we go to the next level?"
Kane's lips twitched: "Mage Logan, I am, after all, a spellcaster."
Shouldn't he be locked up in the upper dungeon by convention?
A slight smile finally appeared on Logan's usually cold face: "Is that so? I'm sorry, there are no suitable empty cells in the upper dungeon."
Of course, if you don't want to go to jail, you can leave now.
"If you accept my duel challenge, I will compensate you for the damage you caused to Obsidian."
She looked at Kane and smiled calmly.
She made up her mind.
This Nord has damaged her reputation, and now she's resorting to the dungeon to escape.
She planned to lock him up with that group of filthy mercenaries, and he would naturally submit and accept her offer.
Kane looked at Logan's cool, smiling face and smiled back: "Thank you, but it's not necessary."
He turned around and walked straight down the stairs.
Logan's face turned pale as he watched Kane's retreating figure as he walked down the steps.
boom.
The second basement level is the dungeon.
The place where Kane used to live.
The mercenaries continued to joke around and boast.
As a despised group, they are imprisoned in this dark and gloomy place, where even the prisons are shared by many people.
Several mercenaries were joking around when they handed the food to the tall mercenary.
The latter laughed.
During this period, through a series of events, he re-established his position as the leader.
"Boss, how much longer are we going to be locked up? We only robbed a scholar and stole some spell materials, is it really necessary to lock us up for half a year?"
Someone asked.
The tall mercenary's lips twitched.
"What's the rush? We have food and drink here, and those monks haven't mistreated us."
"That's what the other person next to me said."
"But what if—they use us as experimental subjects?"
"No—no way—" the tall mercenary said.
"Boss, how can you be so sure?"
The tall mercenary munched on his bread, licking the butter off his hands: "That Nord guy before, wasn't he locked up for a while before being released? That means we won't be locked up for too long either."
The others looked at each other in bewilderment.
That outsider from Nord beat them all up from head to toe, and he specifically targeted their weak points. They still shudder when they talk about it.
The man who had just asked the question looked at the tall mercenary and said cautiously, "Boss, what if—he gets locked up again?"
The tall mercenary glared at his underling: "What nonsense are you spouting!"
However, he crossed his legs, found a comfortable position on the haystack, and boasted, "If he really dares to be locked up again, I'll show him what the Susas mercenaries are all about! This time, don't bother with me, let me take him on one-on-one!"
The others smiled knowingly; everyone knew the boss was just bragging.
How can someone who has already been released be locked up again?
However, just as everyone was laughing, clear footsteps could be heard.
boom.
The iron gate opened.
A familiar figure walked in.
All the mercenaries, including the tall one, looked astonished.
In the flickering torchlight, Kane revealed his gleaming white teeth.
"It seems like someone was talking about me just now, wanting to play one-on-one with me? I can grant him that wish."
The mercenaries, seeing this menacing figure, instinctively made way for him.
In the large cell, the tall mercenary looked up at Kane's smile and then at the "encouraging" looks in his men's eyes.
He looked up, his face full of astonishment, then cried out with a mournful expression, "Boss! I was wrong! Could you hit me less hard—don't hit my face!"
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