As the war between the Phaelin Moekui and the arcanists erupted completely, Ioulem followed their tunnels to the surface and infiltrated the main base of the Phaelin Moekui without their knowledge. He had not just arrived; Ioulem, disguised as a Phaelin Moekui, had lived among them for over four years, since the time Garon found Karsus, never leaving their realm.
Here, Ioulem ate what the Phaelin Moekui ate, communicated the way they did—gradually, the King of Arcanists blended into the Phaelin Moekui society, gaining a deep understanding of their culture, habits, characteristics, and abilities.
No Phaelin Moekui noticed anything amiss. There were many legendary individuals in this society, but none as powerful as a demi-god like Ioulem. Thus, faced with a supremely powerful being who chose stealth, they had no effective countermeasures.
"Arlen Elder, Phil greets you."
A passing Phaelin Moekui stopped, controlling the wind to create a specific frequency, speaking to Ioulem.
This was a language among the Phaelin Moekui, who communicated using wind. Mind-link was used for interacting with other species, rarely within their own kind.
Ioulem nodded, responding in the language of wind frequencies, inquiring about the ongoing conflict between the surface dwellers and the floating city empire.
"Those evil arcanists are no match for our Magic Drain Technique."
"Sooner or later, their cities will fall from the sky."
"However, it is said they have a very powerful leader, lived for over a thousand years, known as the King of Arcanists."
"The King of Arcanists has yet to show himself; he is a threat, but there's nothing else to worry about."
Respectfully, the Phaelin Moekui answered Ioulem's inquiry.
There were also distinct social strata within the Phaelin Moekui society. Strength was revered everywhere.
Ioulem's charisma was not to be underestimated either.
Disguised as Arlen, having joined the Phaelin Moekui society for years, Ioulem had risen step by step and had become an elder of the Sacred Moekui Hall, followed by thousands of Phaelin Moekui. The Sacred Moekui Hall was the upper echelon of their society, composed entirely of legendary Phaelin Moekui.
As one of its elders, Ioulem had effectively infiltrated the enemy's highest leadership. Had his goal been to seize power, he might have replaced the current Moekui King in a few more years.
Even now, as 'Elder Arlen,' he could rally a considerable number of Phaelin Moekui with a single call to arms.
"The King of Arcanists?"
"No need to worry about him. Should he dare to show himself, I will personally deal with him, and he will know our power."
A Phaelin Moekui, resembling a large caterpillar, shook its head calmly and spoke.
Hearing Ioulem's words, the younger Moekui nearby showed admiration, utterly unaware that their greatest enemy was right before them.
Ioulem moved through the Moekui domain. Soon, he arrived at a pool bubbling with tar-like bubbles.
Beneath the black viscous surface, if one could see through it, there were countless thumb-sized larvae.
Countless little larvae wriggled in it, mostly lifeless as if lacking energy.
"Phaelin Moekui larvae," Ioulem stared at the pool.
This was where the Phaelin Moekui nurtured their young. Once the larvae stabilized and grew healthy, they would crawl out and become true Phaelin Moekui.
However, in recent years, a significant number of Phaelin Moekui larvae had died prematurely, the birth rate more than halved.
Now, Ioulem understood why the Phaelin Moekui, having lived quietly underground for untold years, attacked the Netheril Empire with such vengeance.
The death of the larvae was the reason.
Within the Phaelin Moekui, from the Moekui King and the elders down to the ordinary Moekui, there was a unanimous belief: the mass death of their young was tied to the Netheril arcanists' abuse of magic.
Unless the arcanists ceased using magic, their young would continue to die.
But to ask arcanists to forsake magic? Impossible.
Thus, war erupted.
One side fought for the survival of their species, the other to protect the glory of arcana—a war destined to be relentless.
"Magic abuse, leading to the death of Moekui larvae."
Ioulem took a deep breath.
"Nonsense!" The King of Arcanists internally cursed, a rarity for him.
Arcanists lived in sky cities, increasingly avoiding the ground, while the Phaelin Moekui dwelled deep underground, far from the surface.
The distance between these two civilized species was vast.
Then how could the arcanists' magic affect the Phaelin Moekui, a species that fed on magic? Ioulem knew the Phaelin Moekui larvae were vulnerable to magic, but in his view as a demi-god arcanist, their dying had nothing to do with the arcanists.
Yet, the Phaelin Moekui firmly believed it.
"Esberg. The most revered elder of the Sacred Moekui Hall."
"This one first proposed the theory that magic abuse led to the death of Moekui larvae."
"After investigations, one elder after another agreed with this theory."
Ioulem narrowed his eyes.
Having infiltrated and spent years within the Sacred Moekui Hall, Ioulem knew much about the Phaelin Moekui's internal affairs and naturally knew the instigator of the war between the two powers.
One of his goals was to figure out why Esberg targeted Netheril.
Was it his own idea, or was he influenced by some other being?
Time quietly passed.
Ioulem left the black pool, staying in his damp, dark lair for a while before resuming action, quietly approaching another lair.
This was Esberg's lair.
Phaelin Moekui had a strong territorial sense; except for mates, they did not allow others into their lairs.
Taking advantage of Esberg's attendance at a council of the Sacred Moekui Hall, Ioulem stealthily entered the lair of this Moekui elder.
Phaelin Moekui were powerful magical creatures with many spell-like abilities and could also learn spells. Esberg's lair was filled with various magical alarms and traps. Even legendary creatures would struggle to enter unnoticed.
But Ioulem was not legendary.
He was a demi-god, a demi-god arcanist.
Layers of protection were as nothing before him.
Phaelin Moekui, though they seemed grotesquely twisted, were also intelligent beings, capable of becoming spellcasters.
Inside the dark lair, rows of bookshelves filled with countless books gave the air a scent of knowledge, making this place look more like a bizarre library than a den of subterranean creatures.
The great Mo
ekui's sesame-sized eyes glinted, sweeping over the shelves.
Subtle ripples stirred in the Time Stream.
In Ioulem's eyes, time began to flow backward.
This was a time magic spell he had learned under Garon's guidance during their communications.
Time Reversal.
Light and shadow reflected in Ioulem's pupils, evolving backward.
Decades flew by in minutes, and in the reversed temporal scene, he saw Esberg frequently taking a book from the third row of shelves to study, his demeanor reverent.
Like a believer.
Ioulem then halted the Time Reversal.
He approached, finding the book Esberg often read.
This book, placed among those detailing legends of deities, was inconspicuous here.
The gray-black book felt cool and smooth, its surface flawless.
The cover design was eerie.
It depicted a skull pierced by a vertical quill on a rolled, horizontal parchment.
Parchment, quill, skull. Ioulem's breathing grew heavier, his expression darkening.
He flipped through the book, read a few lines, then closed it, replacing it, his mood growing heavier.
"Unknowingly, Nether has provoked such a terrifying being."
Ioulem took several deep breaths, calming himself.
The design on the book's cover was a holy symbol of a deity.
He was a powerful divine being, known as the Ancient God of Death, the Master of All Endings, the King of Bones, Lord Yegor.
Even among powerful divine forces, this one was particularly fearsome.
Lawful good, neutral good, lawful neutral, true neutral, lawful evil, neutral evil—followers of the Master of All Endings existed across almost all alignments.
Mortals worshiped this death god out of fear of death.
Likewise, the Magic Goddess had always disdained him, considering him an extremely evil deity.
"Why would he target the Netheril Empire?"
It was highly likely that the deity wishing to destroy Nether was this one.
Ioulem left Esberg's lair, returning to his own secluded, spacious lair, silently pondering.
He closed his eyes, recalling Netheril's journey from weakness to splendor, pondering how his realm had attracted the enmity of the Master of All Endings.
For several days.
Ioulem opened his eyes.
"Every creature is destined for an eternal resting place from the moment of birth; life is the process of seeking this place to achieve eternal rest."
"Compared to the eternity of death, power, success, joy, weakness, failure, and sorrow are all equally fleeting and impermanent; all activities of life are but transient anomalies."
"Only death is the everlasting absolute, the inevitable endpoint."
"."
"Death is the endpoint of everything, the inevitable conclusion; only those who serve death should have their lifespans extended."
Ioulem murmured softly.
Above are the doctrines of the Master of All Endings.
Here, Ioulem found the reason this deity wanted to destroy the Netheril Empire.
A model of magical energy took shape in Ioulem's hand.
His expression grave, he sighed deeply.
"Probably because of the eternal life spell."
The Master of All Endings, the embodiment of death, oversaw all beings, leading them to their ultimate fate of death.
But the great arcanists of Nether, with their eternal life spells, had evaded this fate.
Before the advent of the eternal life spell.
Great arcanists wishing to extend their lives relied mainly on transforming into liches, which offered a false immortality. Most liches either went mad and committed suicide or were killed due to their bloodthirsty madness.
But the eternal life spell was different.
This spell allowed countless great arcanists to continue living eternally with sound human minds and bodies. As time passed, the number of great arcanists in Nether would only increase.
Without external interference, the eternal life spell could make any user an immortal being.
This spell, like the God Ascension Technique, was a forbidden spell.
Because its casting cost was too low, and it even used the lives of other beings as the price, only requiring the caster to have a certain level of magical proficiency—not even very high.
"But even for the Master of All Endings, destroying the nation I've poured my heart into won't be easy!"
Ioulem's gaze became resolute.
He relayed the information he had learned to Garon, then renewed his extraordinary invisibility spell—a spell that could reduce his presence in the prime material plane and evade the notice of deities.
In the days that followed, Ioulem didn't leave; he continued living underground as a Phaelin Moekui.
Year after year, he even participated in wars, leading the Phaelin Moekui to their first victory that brought a floating city crashing down. Thereafter, any battle he led easily crushed the arcanists' lines.
Thus, this 'Elder Arlen' rose in prestige among the Phaelin Moekui, reaching new heights.
Many Phaelin Moekui regarded 'Elder Arlen' as the most charismatic Moekui elder in millennia, fervently following him.
Now that he understood the enemy, Ioulem had a new goal.
"The puppet master is indeed one of the deities Garon speculated."
On a frost-covered winter day, the silver dragon in the valley looked up at the sky.
Floating cities in the view no longer appeared as stable as before; due to insufficient energy from the magic core, they occasionally trembled and shook, like during an earthquake.
"But what does Ioulem want to do?"
"Besides being the King of Arcanists, does he also want to be the King of Phaelin Moekui?"
Garon silently pondered, thinking about Ioulem's recent actions.
If he really could become the King of Moekui, it would indeed buy the Netheril Empire much time.
"Teacher, what are you thinking about?"
At that moment, the now twelve-year-old Karsus spoke to Garon.
Six more years had passed, and Karsus had already become a mid-level caster, mastering sixth-circle spells, not far from becoming a high-level caster.
With such a rate of growth, Garon estimated he wouldn't even need to reach adulthood to step into the legendary tier.
What terrifying magical talent Garon looked at Karsus, whose appearance was gradually maturing from a chubby-cheeked child to a more refined youth, feeling inwardly moved.
"Karsus, if you were a great arcanist, how would you deal with the Phaelin Moekui?"
Hearing Garon's question, Karsus paused, then thought for a moment before responding, "I would try to develop a form of magic that isn't affected by the Magic Drain Technique. That way, their strongest weapon would be rendered ineffective."
As a member of the arcanists, although Karsus was focused on studying spells with Garon, he was also aware of the situation in the Netheril Empire.
After all, it was his country.
Karsus could feel the increasingly tense atmosphere in the floating city, all brought on by the Phaelin Moekui. If possible, he wanted to kill all the Phaelin Moekui.
Garon shook his head, telling Karsus, "That's the
most straightforward idea."
"Do you think no other great arcanist has thought of this? But they haven't succeeded; no matter how much the form of magic changes, its essence doesn't change. Even if you succeed, the Phaelin Moekui could still refine the Magic Drain Technique to counter the new form of magic."
Karsus looked up at the majestic dragon and said, "Please teach me, Teacher."
Garon smiled slightly, "In the multiverse, the most powerful forces are in the hands of the gods."
"If you could gain divine power, the Phaelin Moekui wouldn't be a big problem."
"You once vowed confidently that you could become a deity, so strive for it and give it a try."
Karsus shrugged, "Of course, I want to become a god, Teacher, but gaining followers, igniting the divine spark, and amassing divinity are all incredibly difficult steps."
The silver dragon lowered his gaze, his eyes calm, "Is that so? In my eyes, Karsus is not an arcanist who simply follows the rules."
Pausing, he subtly suggested, "You are an arcanist, why not be bolder and try to create a spell that can elevate you to godhood in one step?"
"Magic is the will of the caster, and it should be omnipotent."
Listening to Garon, Karsus's eyes flickered, appearing thoughtful.
"A step to godhood."
He murmured softly, his eyes filled with longing.
"Alright, today I'll teach you new sixth-circle spells, Magic Nullification Barrier, and Disjunction."
After a bit of guidance, Garon resumed teaching Karsus spells.
To help Karsus successfully create the God Ascension Technique, Garon had been doing such things for years.
In any case, under Garon's continued guidance, Karsus's heart was filled with a longing for divine power, hoping to become a deity through the ways of an arcanist, resolve the crisis brought by the Phaelin Moekui, and become the new guardian god of Netheril.
After finishing the spell instruction, Garon took Karsus back to the floating city.
He didn't leave but went to the Church of the Magic Goddess again.
Garon had no delusions of personal heroism; he wanted to avert the downfall of the Netheril Empire but never thought to do it alone, or he wouldn't have actively contacted Ioulem.
Ignoring other potential allies while aware of their existence would be the height of folly.
In Garon's view, the strongest ally the Netheril Empire could seek was far yet near.
Looking at the seven swirling stars of the holy symbol, Garon stepped onto the stairs leading into the Church of the Magic Goddess.
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