463 Cracks Part 1 (1/2)
The interior of the magic war chariot was spacious, it was much more comfortable than the tents. As the torrential downpour continued, Lex and her entourage did not get down, they remained in the chariots. The drivers were the war puppets, so they did not need to hide from the rain.
”Viscountess, the small duke is here,” a swordmaster standing outside the chariot announced. A radius of ten meters around the chariots were dry despite rain. The depletion of such a spell was only grade-1 magic nuclei, and this was also an advantage of a magic war chariot. It was not affected by any weather changes.
Lex frowned and glanced at Saleen. Saleen laughed and said, ”Let him in.”
Saleen thought to himself, ”Come up here and let me study you, it will be easier for me to kill you in the future. Bifano doesn't know what's good for him, he still wants to pester Lex. After the Pink Army's secret base is located, I should just kill Bifano and seize the temple.”
When the chariot's doors opened, Narnia cast a spell, alarming Bifano. He was on the verge of wielding his sword already. Following that, the water on his body evaporated, drying his drenched armor.
Originally, the chariot contained six people, and it still felt spacious. As Bifano scanned the chariot, he noticed two beautiful women sitting on either side of Saleen, while Saleen was seated across from Lex, causing his mood to brighten up.
Lex pointed to a horizontal bench to her right, then said, ”Small duke, please take a seat.”
The astonishment in Bifano's heart was not exposed. It was only after coming onboard that he realized that this chariot had been transformed into a magic war chariot. Which meant that the other chariot had to be a magic war chariot too. ”The Qin people are really wealthy. In the aspect of magic, the Titan Duchy can't even compare to Lex's county.”
Bifano was thinking too much. This magic war chariot was crafted by the allied states in the eastern sea, it was just that Saleen had pillaged a group of them. Lex also did not have any spare money to craft such items. Daily maintenance was already an issue, and the speed of the magic nucleus depletion was quicker than ten mages combined.
Shamelessly, Bifano said, ”Lex, this chariot is warmer than a tent.”
With a partial smile, Saleen said, ”Bifano, I guess you are already a grand swordmaster.” As he spoke, an Ice Bomb had appeared on his finger, twirling around the tip of it. Only a sorcerer possessed the ability to control the elements in this manner, but some talented grade-6 mages could also barely accomplish it. Currently, Saleen could control water magic at will. At the very least, he could control spells he was familiar with at the standard of a sorcerer already.
”Mage Saleen, you have such good judgment,” Bifano complimented.
”My judgment isn't great, but all mages are very sensitive. When a grand swordmaster gets too close, they will get uneasy.”
No matter how shameless Bifano was, he could no longer hold it in. He was going to blow his top already, but then Lex said, ”Saleen is right, this chariot was prepared for mages only, even my men aren't allowed in here.”
Saleen sneered. In a single action, he grabbed hold of the Ice Bomb on his fingertip and pinched it, causing it to disperse into thin air.
Even though Nailisi and Sika were beside him, Saleen was still very vigilant. There was little leeway in the chariot, and he was indeed uncomfortable in the presence of a grand swordmaster. Saleen also did not need anything from Bifano, so he was not afraid of offending him. Bifano was the one begging him to resolve the Pink Army issue.
Saleen was no longer an insignificant mage, he did not have to treat himself unjustly.
The moment Lex opened her mouth, Bifano lost all courage to unleash his rage. Suppressing his fury, he said, ”Mage Saleen, I need to speak to Lex.”
”Then say it. This chariot is mine, you won't be able to make me leave.” Saleen leaned backwards, he did not even bother looking at Bifano's face.
Bifano had lost once. Previously when he tried to spite Saleen, he lost five-hundred warhorses. This time around, he could only tolerate it, pretending not to hear Saleen.
”Lex, if this rain gets too heavy, it will affect our journey.”
”In this season, it won't rain for consecutive days, right?”
”Actually it won't, but Titan has been experiencing terrible weather for the past two years. The rain is unpredictable, even the mages can do nothing about it. The crops are frequently destroyed.”
”Do you want to alter the route?”
”Yes, we will go to the Stone Statue Castle. There is a metal bridge there which will not be affected by the heavy rain.”
”You can make the decisions alone, why discuss it with me?” Lex asked in bewilderment. She had a crystal clear memory of the map. If the route was changed, they would go to one less town, which meant one less treasury. This held no significance for Lex.
”The earl of the Stone Statue Castle is an ally of the Cloudflow emperor. I want to kill him along the way.”
”If there is an earl, then there will be five emblem groups alongside another few hundred private soldiers. You don't have sufficient manpower,” Lex said slowly.
”That's why I wish to borrow your mages,” Bifano said with no change in expression. He was trying to kill the earl using Lex as a medium. By conquering the Stone Statue Castle, Lex would suffer a loss in power. By then, Bifano would not need to worry about Lex falling out with him at the pink army's base. This time around, he felt that he had lapsed. He thought that he could control the entire situation by inviting Lex over. Unexpectedly, Lex had two magic war chariots, and another six subordinates who were all grand mages.
”What for? You have decided to give up anyway, and that was your father's intention too. Did you just think of this plan?” Lex did not accede immediately. It was too difficult invading an earl's castle, it would be good if she had brought along the swordsmen's camp from Bitter Water Prefecture. She did not feel confident now that she had to rely on Bifano's soldiers.