Chapter 44: Preparations

Felipe struggled to raise his left hand, which had only four fingers. A gloomy smile crept across his deathly pale face. "You submit the paper on synthetic urea first. Since it won't be complete or conclusive enough, it will inevitably spark a major debate on the Theory of Human Vitality. By the time those stubborn old fools have grown even more entrenched through the argument, I'll then reveal the conclusive results. They won't truly be living synthetic constructs like human cells, so they might not blow their minds—but just the fact that the Theory of Human Vitality has been overturned will certainly stall their progress for a very long time. Perhaps forever."

"This debate will bring you a huge number of Arcane Points in a short time and make the Will of Elements value you even more. Isn't that a benefit? Besides, Traquair was planning to kill you. Don't you want revenge?"

"Why would I submit a paper on synthetic urea? With the Periodic Table in hand, I don't have to worry about Arcane Points at all before the fifth level. And the attention I already receive from the Will of Elements is more than sufficient. To bear the hatred of the Church and a multitude of necromancers for such a petty gain—having to worry about being ambushed every time I step outside—do you really think I'm that foolish?" Lucian moved his aching lips with contempt. "Felipe, do you honestly take me for someone that greedy and that stupid?"

Felipe's gloomy smile didn't change. He slowly curled the fingers of his raised left hand, one by one. "Professor, do you really think you can escape by refusing to cooperate? I'll open the paper with an acknowledgment: 'I thank Lucian Evans... X... for the inspiration, for his pioneering, outstanding contribution to the overthrow of the Theory of Human Vitality.'"

Lucian didn't answer. He studied Felipe intently, beginning to consider the feasibility of eliminating him.

Of course, the prerequisite was that he could recover faster than Felipe—and on that front, the "Element" ring was performing nicely.

"Professor, haven't you noticed? My body can disintegrate at any time, and my soul and flesh will be reborn elsewhere. Even if you recover right now, you won't be able to kill me—unless you have several high-level unique methods at your disposal." Having gained the upper hand in his second confrontation with the Professor, Felipe was in quite a good mood, though he was careful not to reveal what trump cards he actually held.

Without this spell's effect, Traquair would have killed him long ago. And if Traquair knew what spell it was, he might even find a way to counter it.

Lucian smiled without any warmth. "Felipe, are you so certain I don't have a way?"

Never concede the battle of presence—he couldn't afford to lose in sheer momentum. If he could unseal two more layers of his "Solar Crown," he might very well have a way!

Felipe's heart skipped a beat. The Professor was utterly enigmatic; it was entirely possible he had some hidden method. But outwardly he remained confident and calm as he said, "I'm merely helping you, Professor, consider the possibilities in advance, so we can together explore a solution that benefits us both."

"For instance, this research project—I skimmed the briefing and gathered that the soil is lacking nutrients, and urea would be a beneficial supplement. The difficulty lies in mass production. Your synthetic urea experiment, Professor, is quite inspiring. You could submit it as the outcome of this research project, without mentioning a single word about the Theory of Human Vitality. Once the debate ignites, you can plead ignorance of necromancy—claim you don't understand that area and refrain from commenting altogether. Then I'll release the decisive experiment and draw all the hatred onto myself. Whether it's the Church or the necromancers, they'll certainly stop caring about a minor catalyst like you."

"Besides, in the Arcane Council, I'm the only one who has met the Professor in person. I'll keep your identity secret. I imagine you wouldn't want the Church and the other members of the Arcane Council to know that the Professor is the great musician Lucian Evans? That would make your future meetings with that princess of yours rather difficult."

"You'd gain a huge number of Arcane Points, get revenge for the assassination attempt just now, and keep your secret safe from envy—isn't that enough? As for Mr. Rogelio and the others, they'll direct the hatred sparked by the debate toward 'the Professor,' not Lucian Evans. And if that still isn't enough, I'll add one more promise: when you or your friends need life extension or soul strengthening, I can perform a ritual for you. Though only once."

Felipe was deeply dissatisfied about being targeted for assassination by someone within his own organization. Moreover, Traquair had self-destructed, and without direct evidence, any superior would shield those old fogeys—after all, they were high-ranking. To get his revenge, he would ultimately have to rely on himself.

Lucian listened quietly until Felipe finished, then struggled to move his neck. "Then here's to a pleasant cooperation, Mr. Felipe."

"Talking with someone of your caliber, Professor, is refreshingly straightforward." Even Felipe's pleased smile looked grim. "Let's find an opportunity to sign a Devil's Contract in the next couple of days."

With that, he released control over his body. His flesh began to disintegrate, chunks of meat separating and rotting away.

Before vanishing, Felipe spoke as though his soul itself were vibrating: "Professor, this cooperation doesn't mean we've become friends. You're still one of the people I despise most. If the chance comes, I won't let you off. But until then, I hope you'll grow stronger quickly. Otherwise, defeating or killing a mere second-circle mage would give me no satisfaction at all."

"Same here. I hope your Arcane level won't be overtaken by mine, Mr. Felipe." Lucian replied with a calm smile, and at the same time watched as milky white light erupted from the spot where Felipe's left hand was missing a finger, enveloped him, and then he vanished into thin air. Only the Immortal Throne talisman made of white bone and another ring-type magic item fell to the ground—they did not disappear with him.

"A ninth-circle spell, Life Concealment?" A unique necromancy spell from the Book of Necromancy surfaced in Lucian's mind. "But the effect doesn't seem right. Life Concealment works by isolating the vast majority of one's vitality into a specific part of the body, detaching it, and hiding it somewhere. That way, when venturing out, one can't be killed by ordinary magic or knightly attacks, and one never reaches the verge of death. That doesn't match what just happened with Felipe—body disintegrating, soul vanishing. Could it be a unique spell of the Pale Hand? And did some archmage help him perform the ritual? Hmm... I've never heard who Felipe's teacher is."

As he slowly recovered his vitality and mental energy, Lucian gazed at the "Immortal Throne" talisman on the ground and thought: "Threatening me? Perhaps I should give you a 'surprise' in return."

At that moment, the archmages and high-ranking mages who had been focused on defending against the Church's external attacks finally realized something was happening inside. They teleported over one after another in short-range jumps—Ravendie and Gaston from the Will of Elements, Pesol and Tinademus from the Pale Hand, and others.

"What is the Pale Hand trying to do?" Seeing the ground littered with undead remains and Lucian standing there with difficulty, Ravendie spun around and roared at Pesol and the others from the Pale Hand. The air instantly grew scorching hot, as if the surroundings were about to melt into lava.

This was the telltale sign of his signature ninth-circle spell, "Ravendie's Inferno," about to be unleashed.