A Wizard’s Secret

“Since this is the battlefield with the Vestigial Tribe, maybe we can obtain some benefits!”

Merlin was immediately reminded of the might of the Vestigial Tribe in the past. They had conquered the entire Void Zone. Even the Thirty-six Emperors were not confident that they would be able to control the Vestigial Tribe.

Moreover, looking at the condition of the battlefield, surely there was more than one Titan Giant. The degree of destruction unleashed in this place was incomparably terrifying. So, it would not be surprising to find some items left behind by the Vestigial Tribe.

“Items belonging to the Vestigial Tribe… If we obtain those, it would indeed be beneficial! Back then, Sir Flare Emperor also wished to obtain some items belonging to the Vestigial Tribe but it wasn’t easy.”

Flarite’s eyes also gleamed. He was well-aware about how powerful the Vestigial Tribe was. Therefore, he did not believe that the Atlan civilization currently opposing the Spell Caster civilization was the Vestigial Tribe.

If it was the real Vestigial Tribe, then they would have conquered the entire Void Zone a long time ago. They would not have been stumped by merely the Spell Caster civilization.

Thus, as Merlin steered the Slothful Beast forward, he searched their surroundings cautiously. However, his luck was not as stellar as before. They did not encounter anything like the mutilated puppet from before.

Although they did not come across any more mutilated Vestigial Tribe puppets, the further they went, the more serious the damage they saw. Some fear-inspiring footprint indentations proved that this was where the most ferocious battle had transpired. At the same time, the stench of death deeply permeated the air.

Continuing, Merlin and the others finally spotted a huge palace, just as described by Chronos. That must be the palace where the Titan Giants had left behind their heritage blood. True enough, it was very striking.

Here, death was prevalent in the air and pierced every heart relentlessly. He wondered how did Chronos manage to escape from the palace and the dimension safe and sound.

If it were any other Giant, they might not be as fortunate.

The closer they got to the palace, the more Merlin could sense a dominating authority radiating from inside the palace. This authority was relatively similar to Chronos’ aura.

“Could it be the heritage blood?”

Seeing the palace and sensing the authoritative aura similar to Chronos, it had sealed their belief that a Titan Giant heritage blood was inside. As long as they retrieved the heritage blood and carried it outside using the Slothful Beast, they would earn the Giant Tribe’s support.

“Stop.”

Merlin steered the Slothful Beast without encountering any obstacles. Soon, they arrived before the palace.

The palace appeared to be in a derelict state. Even the pillars had cracks. Craters of various sizes testified the horrible battle that had transpired in this place yet it did not destroy the palace. It was uncertain whether the palace remained standing due to the Titan Giants’ protection or it simply escaped the effects of war by sheer chance.

The Slothful Beast came to a stop. Although the palace was huge, it still could not fit the Slothful Beast. Therefore, the Slothful Beast could only wait outside.

Merlin used his Hallucinating spell to lull the Slothful Beast into slumber once again. It crouched outside the palace and waited quietly. Merlin, Setoh, and the others jumped down from the Slothful Beast, and stood in front of the palace door.

This palace looked exceptionally derelict, and the door was shut tight so they did not know what was hidden inside.

“Everyone be careful. We no longer have the Slothful Beast with us. If we encounter another puppet like that mutilated puppet earlier, don’t hold back. Use your strongest abilities to destroy it!”

Merlin’s expression was austere. He knew that this ancestral land should not be taken for granted. If they had encountered a puppet like the one from before without the Slothful Beast by their side, and did not destroy it in time, they would be in a treacherous position.

Once they were ready, Setoh took a step forward. His Maxim pushed the palace main door open.

“Creak.”

The door swung open slowly. Wizard Setoh took one step forward. After all, he was only an avatar. If there was any danger and he died as a result, it was not a big deal.

The moment the palace door was opened, a stale aura wafted into their faces. The entire palace was extremely spacious, and there were some traces of pandemonium inside.

Merlin’s entire body was encased in a Maxim as he regarded the palace interior coolly. The first thing that caught his eye was a broken pillar.

This broken pillar looked like it was sliced through cleanly with a sharp blade. It was cut into several chunks which had tumbled onto the floor. There was also a black armor covered by a thick layer of dust.

“A Vestigial Tribe puppet?”

Merlin’s eyes widened slightly. He immediately gazed at the black armor watchfully. Although there was no responsive aura, the Vestigial Tribe’s items did not have any living aura to begin with. Hence, Merlin had to be guarded.

Besides the black armor, there was a skeleton of what looked like an arm. This skeleton was incomparably large. Even with just a single glance, they could tell that this arm did not belong to an average Giant. At the very least, this was the arm of a Titan Giant like Chronos.

“It’s indeed the Vestigial Tribe’s aura. It’s even more concentrated here. This is the real Vestigial Tribe!”

Flarite said in a serious tone as he stared directly at the black armor which was covered in dust.

“The real Vestigial Tribe… What do you mean?”

Merlin did not understand. Did Flarite mean that the mutilated puppet earlier did not belong to the real Vestigial Tribe?

Flarite slowly approached the black armor, and explained softly, “Wizard Merlin and Wizard Setoh, you’ve never met the Vestigial Tribe before so naturally, you don’t know their fearsomeness. The Vestigial Tribe’s true power rests not on the puppets they create but their bodies with the help of external power such as armors. With this, they would quickly exceed the powerful existences.

“I recognize this black armor. This is the slightly more powerful Black Star Armor, which belongs to the second tier. This type of armor could only be worn by a true Vestigial Creature. When the Vestigial Creatures puts on this armor, they slowly fuse with the armor and become one body. Consequently, they’re much more powerful than the puppets.

“The Black Star Armor is formidable to fight against the ultimate existences. The Vestigial Creatures would fuse with the armors. Once the fusion is successful, their abilities would be enhanced many folds. By the looks of things, this Blackstar Armor fought a Titan Giant in this palace. In the end, the Vestigial Creature in the Black Star Armor died while the Titan Giant lost an arm and was probably grievously injured.”

Flarite’s understanding of the Vestigial Tribe was far beyond Merlin’s and Setoh’s. After all, when he followed the Flare Emperor, he had seen the Vestigial Tribe personally.

“Fuse with an armor? This armor is more powerful than the puppets?”

Merlin did not know to what extent did the Vestigial Tribe developed back in the days. Nevertheless, fusing with an armor to receive powers comparable to an ultimate existence sounded completely ludicrous to him.

Merlin was not alone. Even Setoh was reeling in disbelief. An ultimate existence was someone who could mobilize the powers of the natural order. Only by enduring countless hardships, one could be lucky enough to become an ultimate existence.

If a mere armor could create a powerful contender comparable to an ultimate existence, then it would be truly fearsome.

Flarite glanced at Merlin and Setoh, seemingly understanding their disbeliefs. He continued, “It’s very difficult for you to imagine the Vestigial Tribe’s horror now but they were truly a nightmare. Otherwise, why would the Thirty-six Emperors regard them as a major enemy? The Vestigial Tribe has three kinds of armors. The first tier is the Golden Ray Armor, the second tier is the Black Star Armor, and the third tier is the Gray Light Armor. All three types of armors can only be worn by the strongest contenders in the Vestigial Tribe, so it’s not as easy as you may think.

“The Golden Ray Armor is almost comparable to supreme existences like the Thirty-six Emperors. I’ve witnessed a Golden Ray contender attack before. Although he didn’t possess the powers of the natural order, the resulting force was still suffocating!”

Upon hearing Flarite’s explanation, Merlin’s heart was ignited as he looked at the Black Star Armor on the ground. This represented a strong contender from the Vestigial Tribe who was comparable to an ultimate existence.

“Be careful. The Vestigial Tribe is extremely strange. No one can determine for sure that this Black Star Armor is harmless!”

Flarite saw the eagerness in the eyes of Merlin and the others, so he reminded them softly.