The Righteous Player(s)

A mirror spawned in the sewers of the Frostwind Territory, Lahti Province.

It looked like a wealthy lady’s vanity mirror.

It had a design resembling a folding fan… Its lower end was a slender wooden handle, much cleaner than the surroundings. It seemed like it was originally meant to be inserted somewhere but had been taken out separately.

If someone visited this place, they would immediately notice the incongruence here.

In this sewer full of filth, that mirror was as clean as new.

Without warning, light burst out from the mirror.

Like an uncoiling fishing net slowly unfurling from underwater.

A brilliant golden, interwoven light burst forth from the mirror, casting itself onto the ritual formation inscribed overhead.

As the brilliant golden light swept across the ritual formation overhead in a rhythmic pattern, the formation activated in sequence. A dazzling rainbow-colored radiance descended from above, flooding the underground sewer with an instant burst of light.

The next moment, seven people emerged from the light.

They arrived at Frostwind Territory with perfect precision.

It was the sole county in the Northern Territories—home to Count Yuri Frostwind.

If there was one and only drawback, they didn’t reach the “safe house” but instead entered the sewer system.

When Zoya heard they were about to infiltrate through the sewer, Zoya almost hit Jacob — how could the Grand Duke be brought into the sewer?

Of course, Jacob remained righteous and confident.

After all, he wasn’t a local native, so it was very difficult to find a truly trustworthy safehouse. Putting him in a remote place carried the risk of being discovered while placing him in someone’s home also had the possibility of betrayal.

In other words, sewers were the safest.

Spacious, solid, accessible, and no one would come in.

There was the smell but it could be removed through rituals.

In the end, Annan stopped Zoya and decided that they would sneak in through the sewer…

There was no need for respectability or anything like that.

Practicality was more important.

“…To perform the interdimensional propulsion teleportation ritual, one must undergo the ‘light compensation,’ commonly known as the ‘light infusion’ supplementary ritual, adding a significant amount of enchanted light to the ritual. Types of light like ‘dawn’ or ‘dusk glow’ can be used, but if interdimensional teleportation is required, the necessary amount of light is almost impossible to collect during a single ‘sunrise’ or ‘sunset’.”

“On this basis, the more objects, the heavier the weight and the larger the volume, the more ‘extra light’ is required.”

Jacob’s voice gradually became clearer in the light, “Considering the weight and preservation, I couldn’t possibly carry a large quantity of [light-concealing ice cubes] with me. So, I can only use the relatively more expensive and less preservable [luminous oil]… Your Majesty may have heard of it. It is a vital component of the Alteration School’s masterpiece, [Universal Solvent – Azoth].”

He carefully sealed the container, looking quite distressed.

The container was roughly the size of a sauce jar, and it was flat.

It was just like a small round container typically for holding traditional cooling ointment.

To transport all seven of them from the southwestern corner of the Frangell Province to the northeastern direction in the Lahti Province, they had consumed approximately one-third of its content.

Annan didn’t know the exact amount.

He looked at Jacob, who had a pained expression on his face. He could only smile helplessly, “I’ll reimburse you later, don’t worry.”

“That’s not necessary. I heard that His Excellency Salvatore is Your Majesty’s friend. Why don’t you just sell him this box of [luminous oil]? He will definitely need it in making Azoth.”

Jacob made a strange request.

However, it made sense after giving it careful thought.

After all, for a ritualist, many things could be substituted with lower-grade alternatives, and even those lower-grade alternatives could be substituted further down the line… it was like a scavenger in the dumpster, they could put together a computer for just a few hundred bucks.

Getting them to buy top-of-the-line graphics cards with a large budget was unlikely because the motherboard couldn’t handle it, and the power supply was inadequate.

The same applied to ritualists. Once they used materials like [luminous oil] with intense magical properties, they couldn’t opt for lower-grade materials for the rest of the components. Although it would enhance the ritual’s effect, they typically didn’t need exceptionally good ritual effects… After all, they only needed to use it once.

After all, they were not followers using rituals of their own deities but rather ritualists who stole divine powers… known as “free believers”.

True believers might choose better offerings out of faith, but ritualists would certainly consider cost-effectiveness. Having such high-quality materials in their hands, they wouldn’t be willing to use them readily. They might even keep them until they expire.

It would be better to sell it to the Alteration Wizards.

“Azoth” was the highest-level pre-transmutation agent for alchemists and could be used as a substitute for any material in advanced transmutations. It could be considered a universal synthetic material.

The Alteration Wizards wouldn’t be using Azoth until Silver Rank. There would be no strict demand for Azoth until they reach the Gold Rank.

However, it seemed Salvatore was about to inherit Swamp’s Black Tower.

When Salvatore becomes the tower master, he will truly attain the Gold Rank. Why not buy it and give it to Salvatore as a reunion gift? It would be both precious and practical, and the senior should appreciate it.

…Speaking of it.

When I get to see Kafni again, what gift should I give her?

Annan thought for a moment and ignored this question for now.

“After we return, you can sell the remaining portion to me, alright? I’ll buy it at market price. Any other high-grade magical materials you’re reluctant to use, you can also sell to me.”

Annan nodded and said in a deep voice, “Do you wish to buy cursed materials or mystic books? You can also go through the official purchase channels. I will ask Zoya to prepare a Winter’s Hand reserve status for you.”

Seeing as how useful Jacob is…

Since it’s a small problem that can be solved easily, I might as well help him out.

He was the best among the ritualists that Annan knew when it came to teleportation rituals. He claimed that he was also skilled in breaking barriers and delving into nightmares… These were all abilities that would come in handy occasionally.

Knowing that I am short of people, did Count Crow send me some talents?

Uncle Crow, thank you.

To be on the safe side, Annan ordered in a low voice.

“Zoya? Scan the area.”

“Got it.” Zoya responded. A faint, clock-like illusion appeared in her eyes, tinted with a yellowish hue. Then, she brought both of her hands together in front of her, with her fingertips touching, creating a pyramid-shaped formation.

The deep blue halo once again rippled outward, like water waves, spreading around.

[Urgent Intoxication] was not chanted this time, so the range was much smaller, with a radius of only three hundred meters.

However, this time she activated the Instant Spell [Prophet Vision]. For the next few minutes, whenever she closed her eyes, she could see the scene five seconds ahead – combined with the Guided Spell [Panoramic Perception], it ensured she wouldn’t be caught off guard by anyone.

Not long after Zoya cast [Panoramic Perception], she let out a soft exclamation.

She opened her eyes suddenly, and her expression became serious.

“Wait a moment, Your Majesty… We need to move away immediately.”

As she finished speaking, a crimson ray of light passed over them — as it passed Annan, it deflected away on its own.

Only then did Zoya finish her sentence, “A Prophet Wizard detected us.”

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