A Wizard’s Secret

In the Candora Empire, especially the palace, the King was fuming in his heart. The Candora Magic Mirror had been snatched out of their hands yet they were completely helpless about it. They did not even dare to tell anyone about what had happened to it.

Now that they had lost the Candora Magic Mirror, the superiority held by the Candora Empire over the other empires and factions was greatly reduced.

Fortunately, other than the Candora Magic Mirror, the Candora Empire would not suffer any further damage. The Candora Empire was the true foundation of the royal family. As long as they maintained control over the empire, losing the Candora Magic Mirror was not a big deal.

“Swish.”

Merlin’s figure appeared once again in the empty palace. This time, he came silently and surreptitiously, so no one was alerted.

“Perhaps, by tracing the history of the Candora Magic Mirror, I can find some clues about other places which might contain the sacred beasts’ will!”

Merlin murmured. This was his plan. He wanted to find the sacred beasts’ will, so he would start with the Candora Magic Mirror.

Therefore, Merlin came directly to the palace. He did not alert anyone but walked toward the king’s location.

The King of the Candora Empire was currently discussing the loss of the Candora Magic Mirror and its effect on the empire with the Candora Trio-Lords. Although they knew that the practical utility of the Candora Magic Mirror was not very substantial, there was still the issue of the undeniable threat posed by Merlin on the empire.

Merlin appeared in the palace. He did not hide his aura so the Candora Trio-Lords and the king noticed him at once.

“Leon, we’ve already given you the Candora Magic Mirror. What more do you want?”

Seeing Merlin reappearing in the palace, the king was immediately on the edge as if facing a great enemy.

Merlin grinned and opened said, “The Candora Magic Mirror? Don’t try to bluff me because other than you, I’m sure others know about it. If I get different answers, the Candora Empire might remain standing but the royal family will certainly disappear.”

Amid his placid tone, there was a hint of cruelty that caused the king and the Candora Trio-Lords to flinch.

“You… You’d better not overstep your boundaries!”

The king glared at Merlin with loathing. The royal family had lost its dignity before Merlin.

Merlin did not say anything. He simply stared at the Candora Trio-Lords and the king. An invisible pressure caused the Candora Trio-Lords’ expression to pale.

“Your Majesty, it’s probably better to just tell him.”

After a moment, the Candora Trio-Lords finally spoke up. They dared not challenge Merlin’s ability. At Merlin’s current level, no force on the mainland could defy him.

The king’s face was sullen but he knew that there was nothing the Candora Empire could do to Merlin. All they could do was fulfill Merlin’s requests as best as they could, even though these requests were a humiliation to the royal family. The royal family had no dignity left.

“Very well, I can tell you the history of the Candora Magic Mirror. It was handed to us by the most ancient existence of the royal family. Only this ancestor knows about the origin of the Magic Mirror.”

“Where’s this ancestor?”

Merlin asked evenly.

The Candora Trio-Lords looked at the king and said in a low voice, “Your Majesty, why don’t you allow the three of us to bring Leon to the ancestor?”

If even the Candora Trio-Lords referred to this ancient existence as an “ancestor”, the person’s age must be almost prehistoric. At least, the Candora Trio-Lords did not know how long the ancestor had lived.

The king nodded his consent and waved his hand. Thus, the Candora Trio-Lords led Merlin toward the deeper part of the palace. While the Candora Empire’s history was not as established as the Holy Dragon Empire, its foundation was still impressive.

Merlin followed behind the Candora Trio-Lords languidly. He believed that the Candora Empire would not dare to act rashly against him. At Merlin’s current achievements, other than the Almighty Beast World’s will, almost nothing could pose a threat to him.

Soon, the Candora Trio-Lords had led Merlin to the deepest bowels of the palace. They turned into a small courtyard. The fact that such a small courtyard existed in the palace was quite peculiar.

The Candora Trio-Lords cast a look at Merlin and stated calmly, “Ancestor Damon is in there.”

A strange expression flashed across Merlin’s eyes. Even the Candora Trio-Lords seemed to treat this ancestor with great reverence. It did not seem like this ancestor was an ultimate contender. This was because while there were some disparities between ultimate contenders, the differences would not be too pronounced. There would not be a qualitative gap.

Therefore, all the ultimate contenders stood at the apex. The fact that the Candora Trio-Lords bestowed the ancestor with such reverence proved that he was not what he seemed to be.

Nonetheless, Merlin did not feel threatened. If this ancestor was a worthy foe to him, then the Candora Empire would not have handed over the Candora Magic Mirror so easily.

Upon entering the courtyard, Merlin immediately spotted a lounge chair underneath a few big trees. There was an old man currently lounging on the chair.

“Ancestor Damon!”

The Candora Trio-Lords greeted respectfully. “This is Leon. He wants to know the origins of the Candora Magic Mirror. We’re unacquainted, so we can only bring him to see you.”

“Leon? Is that the person who snatched away the Candora Magic Mirror?”

The snoozing Ancestor Damon opened his eyes. His narrowed eyes seemed capable of seeing through Merlin.

Merlin’s was slightly surprised. He almost felt that all his secrets were bared, including the Illusory World in his body was openly exposed. However, the feeling also seemed to be a delusion because when he peered at this Ancestor Damon closely, everything returned to normal.

“Was it a delusion?”

Merlin shook his head. At this juncture, who could pose a threat to him?

“Yes, the Candora Magic Mirror is very important to me. Ancestor Damon, can you tell me where you’ve obtained it?”

Merlin immediately stepped forward and stared at Ancestor Damon.

Ancestor Damon looked quite ordinary but judging from the aura on his body, he was probably around the level of an ultimate contender. However, to Merlin, there were no real differences between the ultimate contenders and ordinary full-shifter contenders anymore.

“I obtained the Candora Magic Mirror by coincidence. I got it from a merchant. As for where the merchant found the Magic Mirror, I don’t know.”

Ancestor Damon’s reply disappointed Merlin. A merchant from goodness-knew how long ago. A merchant was not an ultimate contender, so he would not have lived for such a long time.

The clues reached a dead-end. The origins of the Candora Magic Mirror appeared to be unknown.

Thereafter, Ancestor Damon shut his eyes again, seemingly unbothered about Merlin.

The Candora Trio-Lords smiled bitterly. “Leon, we’ve already brought you to see the ancestor but even he doesn’t know about the Candora Magic Mirror’s origins.”

Merlin nodded and was about to leave. Suddenly, his steps faltered and he turned around abruptly.

“Ancestor Damon, the reason I want to know about the Candora Magic Mirror’s origins isn’t because I need the mirror. My interest lies in the sacred beasts’ will in the mirror! I believe you probably know many other things that I’m interested in. Would you tell me about it?”

Merlin’s eyes were twinkling yet they became sterner as he stared at Ancestor Damon.

Ancestor Damon’s entire body shuddered. He slowly opened his eyes. Although his facial expression remained unflustered, there was a slight change in his gaze.