Chapter 82: Are Hermetic Society (Part One)

  "Pyers have now started to expand outward."

  "Not only in Dragon Valley and Northwind Fortress, but traces of pyers have also appeared in southern cities like Kartis City and Kri Fortress."

  "That's really impressive..."

  Cassius browsed the pyer forums and Langpu's magic mirror, sighing inwardly.

  Indeed, besides Langli Baitiao, some pyers have left Baator City aured into unknowories.

  This is not simple; first, they have to break through the heavy obstru of monsters oskirts of Storm Highnds. Besides the Ember , there are scattered resistaribes like Frost Giants, Hill Giants, Orcs, etc. Although they have been pushed to the edge of the highnds, they still retain some strength.

  Moreover, these traveling pyers ot die easily; if they die, all their previous efforts will be wasted, and they'll return to Baator City.

  "Hmm? What's that sound?"

  Cassius's frilled, lively dragon ears twitched and rotated as they tracked the sound—the hearing of a red dragon is much keehan that of humans, possessing the ability tnize important sounds, filter out background noise, and focus on sounds worth paying attention to.

  "Ding—"

  A sound came from somewhere in the er of the cave.

  He saw that the "Are Hermetic Society Medallion" was fshing with magical light, and a magical image appeared.

  "The Aa Chapter cordially invites you to join!"

  "Gathering Time: Three days ter"

  "Location: Stratholme"

  "Teleport Coordinates: 1345.8375.527"

  The Are Hermetic Society, a famous mage anization in ter geions, was founded by the renowned legendary archmage Trafa Lano.

  Members would hur gatherings to share spell knowledge, exge research results, and sometimes take the opportunity to seek help in eradig evil. This seems to be the first gathering of the Are Hermetic Society's Aa Chapter.

  "Many famous figures in Aa will attend this chapter meeting."

  "I should go join the fun—"

  Thinking of this, Cassius summohe magic mirror.

  "Langpu, e over immediately."

  Langpu's ugly face appeared on the image, but at this moment, he seemed to be obsessively ting his gold s. It seems that the greed from the red dragon bloodline has deeply affected him.

  "One hundred and one, one hundred and two, one hundred and three..."

  Gold s scattered one by one, making crisp jingling sounds.

  It wasn't until he heard Cassius's impatient sed call that he came to his senses and said hastily:

  "Ah, sorry, Master, I'll be right there."

  Shortly after, Langpu wobbled and crashed down from the sky, arriving in front of Cassius.

  This ogre mage muttered: "Master, these 'Fallen Stars' you've brought are too easy to fool. I sell magic scrolls at three or four times the market price, and they still scramble to buy from me. It's a pity these guys are so poor, with hardly any gold s in their pockets. If everyohis foolish, I wouldn't o rob those adventurers."

  "Master, do you think I should raise the prices even more to earn you mold s?"

  Cassius snorted a puff of white smoke from his nose: "Langpu, you o uand the cept of 'casting a long lio catch big fish'; you 't kill the goose that ys the golden eggs."

  "The prices of oods should ge with their purchasing power. Have your people regurly check their assets, and each time keep the prices just high enough that they have no money left but not so high that they 't survive. Isn't that fine?"

  Langpu thought for a moment, cpped his hands, and excimed: "Master, your wisdom impresses me. I'll have my subordinates prepare immediately."

  Cassius nodded in satisfa.

  This Langpu is getting more adept at squeezing the pyers; it's truly gratifying.

  "But this time, I didn't call you to talk about the Fallen Stars."

  "e, look at this—"

  Langpu looked toward the er of the cave and saw the semi-transparent magical image.

  "The Are Hermetic Society?"

  "That's right. Want to go and see?" Cassius smiled.

  A hint of nostalgia and gratitude appeared on Langpu's ugly and ferocious face.

  "Of course, Master..."

  Previously, he was ignorant and didn't uand what had happened, only feeling that he inexplicably became smarter.

  Now, as the chief steward of the Ember , holding a high position for years, and after years of dedicated spell research, owning his own mage tower, Langpu had long uood what happened back then. He could even further modify the 【Ring of Wisdom and Research】.

  Everything seemed like a deliberate arra by the god of fate.

  If that young and impulsive mage apprentice hadn't go on a trip, and if Langpu hadn't knocked him out aen him, the current Langpu might still be an unremarkable, muddle-headed, medire.

  —Just like all res, only thinking about eating and sleeping, and such a Langpu would have no qualification to be part of the red dragon's "great blueprint."

  And it was this experiehat ged his life—or rather, his monster life.

  "Polymorph!"

  The enormous red dragon once again transformed into a bck-haired, golden-eyed, noble young aristocrat, only this time without dispying any draic features.

  "Still somewhat strained."

  Feeling the vast power within him being fined by human form, Cassius flexed his wrists.

  He looked at Langpu's massive body and frowned slightly: "The Are Hermetic Society should be a gathering of the good-aligned fa. In your current form, I'm afraid you 't appear..."

  "Yes, Master."

  Langpu hurriedly waved his staff, eg to the Weave to struct a spell model, transf into a human.

  "Polymorph!"

  But the human before him was over two meters tall, fat and stout, full of excess flesh, his face bloated and swollen, utterly unsightly—he looked like an ogre wearing human skin, which was ihe case.

  "Master, is this acceptable?"

  Cassius looked at Langpu speechlessly:

  " you modify it... This form doesn't look like a normal human at all."

  "It might be better t an ogre directly."

  But Cassius fot that ogres are not 'artists' sorcerers who cast spells based on intuition and sciousness but mages who need precise stru.

  Langpu scratched his head embarrassedly: "Sorry, Master, my spell model parameters aren't adjusted properly. It might take, um... seven ht days to gradually perfect it."

  "Seven ht days?"

  "The Are Hermetic Society gathering will be over by then."

  "Well then..."

  Cassius pondered for a moment.

  "You transform into an Iron Golem; that would look somewhat more normal. It's quite normal for a noble spellcaster to have a struct guardian, right?"

  "Yes, Master."

  Langpu cast Polymorph again. This time, there were no mistakes; he easily transformed into a three-meter-tall giant made entirely of steel.

  Although still ugly in appeara least no one would suspect him of being some chaotic evil creature.

  "Get me a cloak."

  Langpu took out a long cloak with 'Anti-Deteagi his colle and draped it over Cassius.

  Cassius pyed with the mithril neck his hand, stroking the door-shaped pendant on it.

  "Dimension Door."

  As the coordinates were firmed, space gradually distorted, and a crafolded before Cassius.

  FAL