SUSPICIOUS DEVELOPMENT PROJECT
"The Realm of Armageddon is a magic realm sealed deep beneath the continent of the Ten-Kingdoms which witnessed the battle between Angels and Demons many years ago. Many treasures that belong to once great heroes of the battle of Armageddon can be found in the realm.
The Apostles will hold a special competition to allow talented individuals who win the competition to travel into the realm of Armageddon when the realm reopens to explore and search for treasures.
Tickets for the competition are auctioned at the starting price of 100,000 Aurs. Get your tickets early for the chance to witness the remnants of the glory of the ancient battles and pick up some rare and unique artifacts and treasures…", the auctioneer introduced the tickets being auctioned.
"What the hell, the Apostles are auctioning more tickets for another magic realm opening", I said to my friends.
"The Apostles are running out of budget to fund their war with the Demon army. Most of the kingdoms in the Ten-kingdoms are now under the control of demons, so they wouldn't pay extortion to them. Even the tithe from Drachia kingdom is meagre due to the famine", Meera explained to me.
The Apostles were running out of war funds, and they were organizing funny events to raise money.
"300,000 Aurs", I raised a bid.
"Are you going to sponsor the Apostles again?" Cassandra asked me.
"You never know, the ticket might become useful. The money is courtesy from Kolgane anyway", I replied to them.
Suddenly, a wind blew across us in a flash.
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"I am Ashgar, the mother asked me to see you, Lord Oriese", Ashgar said to me as he appeared before us from nowhere.
Ashgar was an assassin of the Temple of Solomon, and he could move like the shadow and wind.
"What did you find out for me?" I asked Ashgar.
"Your suspicion is correct. The demon colluders are in Tarah city", Ashgar told me.
"What? The demons are back again?" Cassandra asked us.
"What else did you find out?" I asked Ashgar.
"They are secretly meeting in a new development in the city. There are many conjurers and spies there, so we didn't go near to check", Ashgar told me.
"What new development?" I asked.
"The Sunset Gardens", Ashgar replied to me.
"I've never heard about such a place before in the city", Chash told us.
"The development is new, started only after you left Tarah city for Delirium. Initially, it was the burial ground for all the unnamed soldiers and collateral victims in the apostles' war with the demons. But lately, the land was auctioned off to some investors and they are reconstructing the place into a residential", Asterix told us.
"How can they build a residential over a mass grave?" Ratatouille asked us.
"The Governor is short of cash for the city's administration. Everyone is affected by the frost, and we need any investment that comes to the city", Ashgar explained to us.
"What are they doing in Sunset Gardens?" I asked.
"I'll send drones over to check", Asterix replied to me.
"It seems our trip back to Istiopolis city will be delayed again", I said to them.
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"Why are we attacking a residential development?" Ratatouille asked us.
"This is not a simple residential development, they are connected to the demon army and the demons are casting a powerful magic here", Cassandra explained to him.
"What magic are they casting this time? A magic portal to invade Tarah city?" Chash asked us.
"That is not possible. The Conjurer Court has marked every street in the city and countered any space corridors or gates into Tarah city. Any such attempts will alert the Church or the Conjurer Court before such portal can be completed", Meera told us.
"Why would they do that, cast a portal into the city?" Ratatouille asked.
"Because that is the easiest way to invade the city if they have a magic portal into the city", I replied to him.
"Then what are they casting here if not a magic portal?" Cassandra asked us.
"That is what we need to find out", I replied to her.
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We sneaked into Sunset Garden in the cover of the dark, making sure nobody here would discover us.
"It is difficult to spy on the enemy without my invisibility magic", I told them.
After I lost my bone magic in Delirium, even my Invisibility skill was lost to me. My Invisibility evolved from absorbing the bones of invisible wyrms, so without my bone magic, I couldn't turn invisible.
"But you still can fly without your bone magic", Chash asked me curiously.
"I am flying now not because of the enhancements from my bone magic. The Black Heart enhanced my body too, flying is natural to me now", I replied to them.
"Over there, there is much activity", Chash told us pointing to a direction in the center of the development.
Many conjurers gathered in the central court of the development, gathering to prepare or cast some kind of magic.
"They are not building residential houses here. They are casting an arraye spell that involves hundreds of conjurers", Meera told us her observation.
"What are they casting?" I asked but nobody knew the answer to that but we noticed someone familiar here.
Kolgane was here too, standing in the middle of the conjured circle. He was either directing the casting of the magic arraye or he was the subject of the casting.
"They are casting something on your challenger, the guy who fell from the arena?" Ratatouille told me.
"The magic is surprisingly familiar too", I replied to them as I asked Asterix to check.
I've seen this magic being cast here before in Uchalis city when I killed Kolgane last time.
Kolgane was reinforcing himself with the magic of the skeletons and bones in Uchalis city. He was probably doing the same thing again here.
"Did someone say this place used to be a mass graveyard?" I asked rhetorically without expecting an answer.