Chapter 136: When Efficiency Hits its Limits, Change the Method
Chapter 136: When Efficiency Hits its Limits, Change the Method
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Academic dissection would reveal Harlek’s Incantation of Incineration as a lackluster spell for all the might it displayed. Its damage output was not that impressive for a fire spell (which was famed for their raw destruction), and the time it took to unleashed it completely was too long.
The biggest flaw however, was that the spell had a distinct sign to mark its arrival. Anyone with a modicum of vigilance could easily evade the spell just by catching the telltale sign before it was launched.
Its boon was the fact that it was a ranged spell and the range was very, very large, practically any place the sorcerer could locate using any of their senses. As such, using means such as psychic energy or remote-viewing, like how Baiyi had borrowed Cuckoo’s vision, would dramatically increase the range of the attack.
It had its strengths in an actual battle, no doubt about it. It was perfect for any static target or edifices with little protection. It also featured spectacular, summer-blockbuster-level visuals, perfect for a dramatic display of miracles by a pseudo-deity to the gullible barbarians.
"Just as fabled, a Forbidden Spell that had outlived its times of yore indeed eclipses normal spells in terms of power," The Scholar concluded after her brief observation of the spell. "The difficulty of employment is laxed, the needs of tedious supplements forsaken; and after your alteration, the requirement of mana is greatly reduced. An impressice spell to swiftly grant demise unto others."
Come on, a spell that requires you to set aside some time for the chanting… as a finishing move? Damn, you think everyone would show that courtesy in a real battle? Baiyi rolled his eyes internally, gaining a bit more insight on the fighting experience the bookworms from the Door of Conundrum possessed.
Personally, Baiyi would only consider offensive spells that combined elements, such as Gelum Immolanti (which combines ice and fire) for critical finish.
Meanwhile, the other Voidwalkers were already engaged in another discussion on the feasibility of using Forbidden Spells. Watching them discuss the unusually proper topic, Baiyi turned his awareness outwards to reality.
He looked back at a crowd with faces filled with suspicion and confusion.
After all, the spell was launched in a distance too far away for them to see, so to them, it was as if all that build-up had amounted to nothing.
Tisdale broke the silence first with her naturally curious disposition. "Sir? What was that?"
"A punishment for those evildoers," Baiyi replied, eyeing Attie at the corner. He added flippantly, "You know, reminding them that me leaving doesn’t mean they’re no longer being watched."
His sudden shift in attention almost gave Attie a cardiac arrest.
The reason why he had chosen that spell, which he directed to the remaining few of the Sprinting Wolf Clan instead of their actual home-base was ultimately a little flashy reminder to the barbarians to not discard their own rules just because of their lust for the throne. Of course, he was also doing it as a payback on Mia’s behalf. 1
"Let’s talk about the details, shall we?" Baiyi pointed at the ashes of their last night’s campfire.
Most of the party took their seats, except for the Divine Warriors, who were always disinterested in boring discussion that didn’t exercise anything other than mouth muscles. They went to the side and started a wrestling match.
Little Mia was curled up next to Baiyi, huddling close to him as if to make up for their brief time of separation. Meanwhile, Attie was sitting on her toes, slightly farther away from the party, taking up her role as Baiyi’s servant.
Even so, she continued to be the center of everyone’s attention, especially Undine.
The Butterfly Saint of Swords was hardly sitting either. Instead, she assumed a half-kneeling position that would no doubt allow her a quick jump to choke the breath out of Attie whenever possible. Her malice was obviously caused by the fact that the former King of the Steppe had hung her in an uncomfortable position and painful state for at least ten days. If it wasn’t for Baiyi standing in their way…
"Calm down, Undine," He said to her. "She’s no longer King of any barbarians now. She’s my servant."
He then launched into his long-prepared lie about the event that happened, carefully avoiding any perspective that only Sven would had in the story.
"That night, we were watched by around 100 people, so we didn’t have any chance to save you," Baiyi explained to Undine. "If we made a wrong move, we could have endangered you. So we planned to save you through their agreed means— the Warrior Gala, that is. But someone else had gotten to you first that night, while the Steppe people themselves were suffering from their own internal discord."
Undine was perplexed, to say the least. Yet, after knowing that Baiyi had trampled on the barbarians so harshly, as well as disgracing them by catching their King to become his subservient servant, part of her anger subsided.
She expressed it outwardly by finally sitting down, stacking one of her lean legs on the other. She was still a little dubious, and continued to voice out her suspicion. "Why would that stinky... I mean, that man in black robe who had rescued me, duel with someone like you, and risked getting the War God’s Sword taken?"
"Maybe he wanted a piece of my equipment, like my staff?" Baiyi replied suggestively, producing the Saint Quartz staff once more.
Undine’s eyes lit up at the sight of the sword, but her misgivings still did not fade. Why would someone who already had their hands on something as priceless as the War God’s Sword still be interested in something like a Saint Quartz Staff? That doesn’t seem right.
But Baiyi provided an alibi. He was with the Divine Warriors.
Taking up another guise, maybe?... No way. She did not pursue that line of thought, and was instead convinced that the two must have known each other or had some connection, one way or another.
She held her tongue from asking, seeing that Baiyi had a pretty big role in her rescue. I’ll just hold off the questioning till we get back, she said, forcing her distrust to rest. After all, she wasn’t looking for a case closed 2 .
She turned her attention to Attie. "Master Hope, let’s change the subject. That woman behind you... Please allow me to take care of her. The Dole family would reward you handsomely for it."
Attie visibly shrunk at the words. She did protect Undine— in the sense that she prevented her from being deflowered, but it was through a mean that was just as cruel. If Baiyi really handed her over, she would basically be dead.
On that end, Attie stared helplessly at the back of Baiyi’s head, willing her pleas to drill into his brain somehow.
Baiyi did not even turn to look at her when he shook his head and replied, "Nope. I can’t possibly do that."
Undine’s mouth opened, but he shot her down with a wave. "Instead of rewarding me right now, I’m looking forward to the rewards your family would give me once a trading route is established here."
"T-trading route?!"
"I can help establish that route for your family, but she would be the key to that. Do you still want her to yourself, Lady Undine?"
"T-that’s not possible," She replied, her face full of disbelief.
She was not the only one interested. The others were just as curious about what Baiyi was about to say. Even Attie’s ears seemed to have perked up as she bent slightly closer to him.
At first, she had thought that Baiyi’s command to move her people to the west side of the Steppe was a personal retribution towards her. The west was close to the ever-dangerous Eol Mountains, where their nemesis, the Alpine barbarians, lived. Up north from there would be a thick, undisturbed woods where all kinds of beasts resided in. That would be completely unsuitable for humans to inhabit.
However…
If one was to open up a trading route, a shortcut would have to be made through the woods. So if the merchants from the South were to travel past her people’s new home, it would bring prosperity as well. Her people might actually live better.
Her heart warmed a little at her newfound gratitude towards Baiyi, until she shook them off as hard as she could. Don’t be naïve! This demon is just trying to lull you into a false sense of security. He could be using this to manipulate your people!
Hmph, almost had me fooled, you demon! Looks like this is going to get hard, huh?!
Blissfully unaware of his new servant’s new conspiracy theory regarding his intention, Baiyi continued telling Undine, "We’ll need her clan’s new home to act as one of the rendezvous point in that route."
To properly illustrate his point, Baiyi drew a map in midair using mana. On it, two marks were made distinctly apart.
"We’re here, on the west. Move a little bit to the east would be her clan’s new home. I have already used my power as a transitional King to command the barbarians to leave that area alone. So our new trading route would be here, where you will only have to interact with one lone clan."
"But… This is not an easy route to travel at all," Undine pointed out hesitantly. She hadn’t chosen the route because a typical merchant group had many people and horses. They could not possibly enter the Steppe through the rocky mountains, nor would they dare to travel past the Alpine warriors’ territory. The only way they could travel was through the east, where the road was paved.
The only problem with that was that way would cut into the Steppe royals’ territory, which had caused the trouble between them and Attie in the first place.
"That is why even your mode of transporting goods need to change. Horse carriages and people are a thing of the past," Baiyi stated clearly as he wiped the map clean from the air. He drew another map again, but this time it looked more like a computer-aided draft map from Earth.
On the map was an unidentified flying object that was easily recognizable to an Earthling, it looked like an airplane, or more accurately, a glider.
It was designed by the Engineer, based on the planes on Earth, before he had any contact with Mia. The glider was to be powered by magic…
Baiyi looked at the crowd. "It’s high time we ditched land-based transportations and explore the possibility of aerial transportation."