Chapter 250: Fighting Poison with Poison

  Inside the Tower Master's room at the top of the Tower of Earth in the Tower of Fangs, Luya was healing Tower Master Graden, who sat stiffly in a chair.

  The Leaves of the World Tree rested on Master Graden's head. As Luya continuously chanted incantations, green magic fluctuations, brimming with life force, flowed from the leaf like a stream, slowly washing over Tower Master Graden's body and gradually seeping in. The two massive wounds on Tower Master Graden's body from the "elven assassination" were already healing at an astonishing, visible speed.

  To avoid any disturbance, the only other people in the room besides Luya were Master Adelaide and Ethan. Luya's spell had been going on for quite some time.

  "Why don't you come a little closer?" Adelaide, who had been watching Luya's treatment with a frown, suddenly turned her head to look at Ethan and said, perhaps because she was getting a little anxious from waiting and wanted to start a conversation.

  "This distance is enough to appreciate your beauty and grace." Ethan smiled. From the moment he came to the Tower of Fangs with Luya and saw Master Adelaide, he seemed to have intentionally or unintentionally maintained a distance of three to five steps from her.

  "Wouldn't you see more clearly if you were closer?" The female mage also smiled, the faint crow's feet at the corners of her eyes wrinkling. On a woman like her, such crow's feet were not unsightly; they were, in fact, a sign of her charm.

  "I'm afraid my vision would be dazzled, and I wouldn't be able to see anything else clearly." Ethan said with a wry smile and a shrug. Within five steps, he had enough confidence to subdue any mage. Of course, a monster like Sandro was not on this list; even if he were to hug him, it would be meaningless.

  It wasn't that he was overly nervous; it was just that he had subconsciously developed this faint, ever-present sense of vigilance, like a habit. It was a habit cultivated from countless battles, betrayals, and conspiracies.

  Finally, Luya let out a long sigh and took the Leaves of the World Tree from Master Graden's head. But her brow was furrowed. Although the two wounds on his chest had healed to the point where not a single trace remained, Tower Master Graden was still just as stiff, without the slightest change.

  "It's no use. I've already done my best." Luya wiped the fine beads of sweat from her forehead. The several minutes of casting had left her looking weary.

  "How could this be?" Master Adelaide was first surprised, then shook her head with a bitter, disappointed expression. "I thought that nature magic would surely be able to dispel these curses and toxins."

  Luya shook her head, a bit embarrassed. "The toxins in his body are just too strange. What's even stranger are the curses; they seem to be alive. The curses and the toxins are combined with each other, and they have also merged with the life force within Master Graden's body. I forcefully healed one spot, but the moment I shifted my power to another place, the other curses and toxins would surge back over."

  "It's not that it's ineffective, it's just that there's no way to completely remove it." Master Adelaide thought for a moment and said, "Perhaps it's because your control over magic is not strong enough, Elder Luya..."

  "I'm truly sorry." Luya looked very embarrassed.

  "It's alright. Perhaps Tower Master Graden has already been summoned by the Elemental Gods; this isn't necessarily a bad thing." Master Adelaide smiled faintly. Her face, which had originally been full of life and rich expressions, suddenly became exceptionally calm, as if she had truly seen through everything. "Why don't I arrange for the two of you to rest? We can leave tomorrow."

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  "Would you like me to give it a try?" Ethan, who had been standing to the side, suddenly spoke up.

  "But you don't know nature magic. You can't use the Leaves of the World Tree." Luya said.

  "We'll know if we try. Otherwise, we'll just have to give this Leaves of the World Tree to Master Adelaide." Ethan suddenly stepped forward, took the Leaves of the World Tree from Luya's hand, and glanced at Master Adelaide.

  Master Adelaide didn't speak, but looked back at Ethan, her gaze very strange.

  Before Luya could ask a question, Ethan had already placed the Leaves of the World Tree back on Tower Master Graden's head, then placed both of his hands on top of his head. A surge of immense magic fluctuations suddenly burst forth.

  Unlike Luya's slow chanting of incantations and gentle method of casting, this time the magic fluctuations didn't slowly seep out; they completely erupted, exploded. Luya and Adelaide could almost hear the sound of the explosive burst of magical energy. Like a torrential flood, the magical aura instantly engulfed Tower Master Graden's body completely.

  It wasn't just the green life force overflowing from the Leaves of the World Tree. There was also a black aura emanating from Ethan's body, mixed in with it, and occasionally the light of white magic flickered within. These chaotic magic fluctuations intertwined, entering Tower Master Graden's body in a nearly violent manner, rampaging and colliding.

  Luya watched Ethan, her mouth agape in stunned silence. The chaotic magic fluctuations filling the room had no connection whatsoever to the concept of healing; it was more like injuring or killing someone. The magic fluctuations rampaged and crashed violently across Master Graden's body. If someone who didn't know what was happening walked in, they would never think the person in the chair was a critically ill patient, but rather a prisoner being tortured.

  Master Adelaide's eyes were also full of surprise, but she did not step forward to interfere, just watching with a face full of astonishment.

  The magic fluctuations had no physical substance, but both Luya and Adelaide had the illusion of being in a stormy sea. The waves of magic in the room swept and collided with each other, yet there was no sound at all.

  It didn't take long. Ethan let out a long breath and removed the Leaves of the World Tree from Tower Master Graden's head. The magic fluctuations filling the room stopped abruptly. Besides Ethan's sigh, there was another, very soft groan. Tower Master Graden's body also moved.

  Surprise appeared on both Luya's and Adelaide's faces, but Ethan seemed to have no reaction. He was squatting down, carefully looking at Master Graden's fingers. On a finger that originally had no wounds, there was a dot of red blood, which was emitting a strange smell.

  "The poison from a Dragonfly's tail in Tatalia, the leaves of the Black Fog Shroud from the Lizard Marsh, the Sunset Flower from the Diya Valley, the poison from a Manticore's tail in Nighon, all mixed together with a curse added by dark magic, and on top of that, the corpse poison from Necromancy... Even the strongest Behemoth beast couldn't take it." Ethan looked at Tower Master Graden's finger and gave a wry smile. He could probably guess what was going on. "So it was him..."

  "I once used water magic to examine it. If I wasn't looking for it specifically, even I wouldn't have been able to detect such a potent toxin lurking inside Tower Master Graden's body. And theoretically, my water-based dispelling and purification should be able to handle any toxin, but the curse contained within this toxin not only hid the effects of the poison, it also rendered my magic completely ineffective. Although Necromancy itself is already profound and exquisite, a curse so seamlessly integrated with the toxin is a bit too formidable."

  In a dish on the table was the small drop of blood taken from Tower Master Graden's finger. Under the light, it flowed about like a cluster of red gemstones. Although Tower Master Graden had been saved from the toxin and the curse, his body was still extremely weak, and he couldn't even speak. He was now resting and receiving treatment. Only Master Adelaide was currently here with Ethan and Luya.

  "The curse isn't the most formidable part; the most formidable part is the method of the one who did this. Tower Master Graden was ambushed while completely off guard, perhaps it was just a handshake." At this point, Ethan couldn't help but clench his own hand, because he had almost been shaken by such a hand once before.

  Master Adelaide nodded and said, "Hmm, if it were a face-to-face battle, no one could easily subdue Master Graden. I heard that Aiden's accomplice is a very handsome middle-aged man..."

  "Inham·Erney Marquis." Ethan said flatly. "I was just wondering how that old man knew that the Whispering Woods was just migrating and the Sunwell's anti-magic barrier had just failed. Judging from the words of that knight who likes to backstab people, Lord Marquis has probably gone to Celeste. It's a pity that the old man died without even knowing he was someone else's tool."

  "It's good that he's dead. The Tower of Fangs can now be completely quiet, saving me the trouble of finding an opportunity to act myself. With Graden Master awake and the two of us in charge, neither Diya Valley nor Celeste will even think of touching my place." Adelaide sneered, then looked at Ethan, the smile on her face returning to that somewhat ambiguously gentle and charming expression. "This time, it's really all thanks to you. I wonder if there is anything I can do to thank you?"

  Ethan smiled faintly and said, "There's no need for thanks. I just didn't want you to actually make a move to snatch the Leaves of the World Tree to save someone directly. I don't really like to fight with women, especially a woman like you."

  Luya, who was standing to the side, frowned at Ethan and said, "What nonsense are you talking about?"

  The female mage let out a charming laugh. Her voice wasn't crisp, but it was full of the magnetism and charm of a mature woman. "Elder Luya, if you don't mind, I'd like to give you a piece of advice. In the future, no matter who it is, for whatever reason, you must not bring the Leaves of the World Tree out. Do you understand?"

  "I understand." Luya nodded, but her expression didn't seem to be one of complete comprehension.

  Adelaide smiled lightly, then looked back at Ethan and asked again, "Are you sure you don't need me to thank you? You should know, there are many ways to show gratitude... In fact, Elder Luya can go back first, and the two of us can discuss it slowly."

  "Since you insist on thanking me, it would be rude for me to refuse. Actually, there are some things I find hard to say..." Ethan sighed, frowned and thought for a moment, seeming a bit hesitant, then said, "But my appetite is very big."