CHAPTER 72: CHAPTER72-[PROPHECY] UPGRADED AGAIN

"Oh? Now you’ve piqued my curiosity."

Given that the Laine Kingdom is the strongest among human realms, its profound heritage is unquestionable.

It’s completely within reason that they would possess some hidden treasures.

Just like the Eternal Nirvana Flame of Mythoflare, the fact that the Laine Kingdom had such an item had indeed surprised Owen.

The king’s eyes shimmered with a light of excitement as he began to speak, "I know the location of a Void Black Dragon’s relic."

Owen stood up, unable to conceal his astonishment: "Void Black Dragon?"

He was genuinely shocked, unable to suppress the tumultuous emotions within him.

He had come across mere snippets about black dragons in ancient texts.

It was said that black dragons were direct descendants of the God of Dragons, boasting a lineage even more noble than the Gold Divine Dragon bloodline coursing through his own veins.

According to these records, a black dragon’s body was immensely large, spanning dozens of meters, covered in black scales that shimmered like shadows in the night.

These scales were incredibly tough, capable of withstanding any attack.

The eyes of a black dragon were like two glinting black diamonds, so piercing that no creature could look directly into them.

Its wings were broad and powerful, capable of stirring storms with a single flap.

The strength of a black dragon stemmed from its mastery of space magic.

The might of space magic in battle was virtually unrivaled, making the black dragon nearly invincible.

Conversely, the white dragon, also a descendant of the God of Dragons, contrasted the black dragon.

While the black dragon was shrouded in mystery and regal aura, the white dragon embodied a different kind of divine and noble essence.

Its body was similarly massive, but covered in immaculate white scales, reminiscent of the glaciers atop snowy mountains.

While the black dragon wielded the power of space, the white dragon was the embodiment of the power of time.

When the God of Dragons still reigned, these two dragons were renowned as formidable warriors across the heavens.

How they eventually vanished, Owen was not aware.

Now the Laine Kingdom was in possession of information about a Void Black Dragon.

"Indeed, an offer I cannot refuse," Owen murmured to himself.

The king’s lips curled into a smile. "So, what do you say? Agree to become Finn’s mentor, and I will give you this information."

"Alright, I agree," Owen replied promptly.

"Decisive," the king commented.

With that, the king walked over to a corner of the secret chamber, gently touching a protruding part of the wall.

As he pressed it lightly with his finger, the wall emitted a dull sound and slowly moved to one side, revealing a hidden compartment.

From this concealed space, the king carefully reached in and pulled out an ancient map.

The map looked extremely old, with tattered edges and a deep red hue.

Most chilling was the strong scent of blood emanating from it, as if it had been dredged from a sea of blood.

It seemed the Laine Kingdom had gone to great lengths to acquire this map.

"This is the map to the site of the Void Black Dragon’s remains. Take a good look," the king said.

He didn’t keep Owen in suspense, handing over the map directly to him.

Just as Owen was about to open the map, the king held his hand back.

"Don’t look at it now. Wait until you’ve reached the grandmaster-tier in strength," he advised.

"Why?" Owen asked.

"Do you know what my personal guard is called?" the king queried.

"I don’t," Owen admitted.

The king was momentarily speechless, having expected to impress Owen with this fact, only to find him unaware.

"My personal guard is known as the Gold Guardian, comprising three thousand warriors. They are divided into groups of thirty, each containing three master-tier magi, with the rest being master-tier warrior guards. All three thousand are trained in war arrays. Once formed, these arrays are capable of slaying grandmaster-tier beings, and can even hold their own against those of sage-tier."

Owen listened intently as the king continued his story.

"This map was seized from other races when I was younger. I led the 3000 Gold Guardians against a siege of seven masters and an almost sage-tier being. We lost 2490 guards just to bring this map back to the Laine Kingdom."

The king gazed at the map in Owen’s hands, his expression filled with reminiscence.

"The map was originally a shade of yellow. Unfortunately, after that battle, it turned deep red, stained with the blood of my guards."

Owen was visibly moved, not expecting the map to have such a difficult history.

"I’m not telling you this to make you feel guilty or grateful," the king explained.

"I just want to convey that something contested even by near-sage beings isn’t going to be simple. If you haven’t surpassed the master-tier or reached the grandmaster-tier, it’s better not to think about opening this map. A moment of excitement could cost you your life."

"Understood," Owen nodded gravely, "Thank you, Your Majesty. This is a great favor."

Seeing Owen’s rare seriousness, the king spoke candidly, "My all-out effort to obtain this map was actually because of its underlying value. The importance of the Void Black Dragon to dragons is self-evident. By holding this map, I intended to secure the help of dragons at a crucial moment."

"Now that crucial moment has arrived. Whether it’s given to the dragons or to you, it’s all the same."

Owen exhaled deeply and bowed, "Your Majesty, I will not let down your expectations."

At this moment, the king finally showed signs of fatigue.

Looking at Owen, his expression softened with a hint of affection, "The future belongs to you young people now. There’s not much time left, really not much..."

The king mentioned again the scarcity of time.

Owen furrowed his brows, about to ask, but the king had already started to leave, waving at Owen faintly, "I am weary. You may go now."

Owen watched as the king’s figure disappeared into the vastness of the study.

Leaving the palace with questions lingering in his mind, he couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

...

As night fell, the Grand Magus Academy was enveloped in a gentle moonlight.

The buildings of the academy appeared even more majestic and solemn in the night.

Towering spires and grand lecture halls emitted a faint magical aura, as if mysterious spells were constantly weaving through them.

The windows of these structures glowed softly, reflecting the silhouettes of students immersed in their studies.

The campus gardens, too, were captivated by the charm of the night.

Various exotic plants shimmered under the moonlight, exuding enchanting fragrances.

The flowers seemed to bloom even more brilliantly at night, attracting butterflies and bees to forage.

Suddenly, a startled cry came from the dormitory building: "Who’s there?"

Erin’s dagger slid into her hand from her sleeve, her eyes wary as she looked towards the door.

"It’s me," came the reply.

The tension on Erin’s face melted away instantly, and she ran to open the door with all her might.

Owen stood outside. Erin embraced him tightly, "Master, you’re finally back. I thought you didn’t want me anymore."

Tears brimmed in Erin’s eyes as she expressed her longing for Owen.

Owen stroked her smooth back, "Silly girl, what are you talking about? How could I ever leave someone as adorable as you?"

They hugged each other tightly, as if time had stopped at that moment, basking in each other’s warmth and comfort.

Owen sat on the sofa, sharing his experiences from the past days.

Erin sat quietly beside him, her gaze filled with love and concern.

She gently caressed his arm, occasionally responding to Owen’s stories.

"Really?"

"That’s amazing."

"You’re so incredible, Master."

They talked late into the night, and only then did they part ways to sleep.

Owen sat cross-legged on his bed, gazing at his status panel.

[Host: Owen]

[Age: 17]

[Race: Dragon]

[Bloodline: Divine Gold Dragon]

[Realm: Diamond-tier Peak]

[Weapons: Sunforged Tree (Epic), Heart of Honor (Legendary)]

[Strength: 9950, Constitution: 9999, Speed: 3898, HP: 12341]

[Skills: Emerald Eye, Thunder Resonance (Forbidden Technique)]

(Only key skills are displayed in subsequent skill columns.)

[Special Ability: Prophecy]

[Fate Points: 5401]

[Prophecy: Level 2. The host can foresee events within the next 7 seconds from the moment this skill is activated. This skill can be upgraded, the next level requires 5000 fate points. Cooldown: Three days.]

Owen pondered over his panel, considering the significant gains from his venture into the Dreamscape Valley.

First, there was the advancement in his realm. He had reached the peak of the diamond-tier without any doubt.

With the right opportunity, he could break through to the master-tier.

His training had not even spanned two years, and such progress was something many could not achieve.

His stats had also improved noticeably, but it seemed he had hit a bottleneck, likely related to the master-tier realm.

The most crucial gain was the accumulation of fate points.

In the Dreamscape Valley, he had earned a considerable amount, firstly by helping the emerald sprite tribe retrieve the Emerald Heart, which awarded him a large batch of fate points.

Then, with the help of [Prophecy], he successfully delayed Aegis’s time.

Although he didn’t personally defeat Aegis, his [Prophecy] led to a change in Aegis’s fate, earning him another substantial batch of fate points.

Now, [Prophecy] could be upgraded again.

"Hopefully, this upgrade of [Prophecy] reduces the cooldown time," Owen thought, his eyes shining. "[Prophecy] upgrade."

[[Prophecy] has been upgraded, please check, host.]

[Prophecy: Level 3. The host can foresee events occurring within the next 7 seconds from the moment this skill is activated, and can alter certain outcomes. This skill can be upgraded, the next level requires 10000 fate points. Cooldown: Three days.]