Chapter 62

For the city of Qianfan, the Poison Mist Canyon to the north is a true no-go zone of death. Not only is it perpetually shrouded in lethal poison mist, but it is also the base of Qianfan's largest underground force, the Viper's Nest.

Even the Mengqi family, who had nurtured the Viper's Nest, did not know why this largest underground force of Qianfan would occupy such a barren land, with only a few barren mines, some spots where poisons grow, and various dangerous magical beasts hidden in the poison mist. The Poison Mist Canyon is all there is.

Among the territories of all the major forces in Qianfan, the Viper's Nest's Poison Mist Canyon, even if not the worst, is definitely one of the worst. It provides almost no income, and to resist the invasion of magical beasts, the Viper's Nest has to invest a large amount of manpower and resources every year.

But after so many years, the Viper's Nest has never given up on this territory. As for the real reason, perhaps only Sos himself knows...

After ten years of the Viper's Nest's management, the Poison Mist Canyon has indeed changed. A large number of fortifications have been built, and one after another watchtowers have made the Poison Mist Canyon as solid as a fortress. Even Sas, the leader of the Silver Moon Mercenary Group and the most powerful Great Swordsman in Qianfan, who had already reached the peak of martial arts three years ago, just one step away from becoming a supreme master, couldn't help but laugh bitterly when he saw the Poison Mist Canyon: "Sos, this bastard is really a coward."

Who is Sas...

He is the leader of the Silver Moon Mercenary Group, the most powerful Great Swordsman in Qianfan, who had already reached the peak of martial arts three years ago, just one step away from becoming a supreme master. Even he couldn't help but laugh bitterly when he saw the Poison Mist Canyon, which shows how terrifying the Viper's Nest has managed the Poison Mist Canyon.

At this moment, deep in the Poison Mist Canyon, in a temporary wooden house...

"Are you saying that Mafa Merlin is a Great Mage?" The speaker was Sos, a middle-aged man with a somewhat short stature and a pale complexion. Those who saw Sos for the first time found it hard to believe that such an ordinary-looking middle-aged man actually controlled the largest underground force in Qianfan.

"Yes, yes..." Next to Sos was a sickbed, on which lay Lios, who had suffered a significant loss at the Gilded Rose. At this moment, the Great Swordsman had completely lost the arrogance he had when he first arrived at the Gilded Rose, lying weakly on the bed, wrapped in thick bandages, looking like a ridiculous mummy.

"Actually a Great Mage..." Looking at his injured subordinate, Sos couldn't help but feel a headache. Mafa Merlin had hidden his identity so deeply. At just over twenty years old, how could he have such a patient character?

After all, even if it were himself, if he could become a Great Mage at twenty, he would definitely want to show off, preferably making the whole city of Qianfan know that he was already a powerful Great Mage.

But Mafa Merlin...

He quietly became a Great Mage, and no one knew about it from start to finish. If it weren't for Lios's loss at the Gilded Rose, he would still be in the dark, thinking the Gilded Rose was a piece of fat meat that could be easily contested.

A Great Mage in his twenties, this is really too much...

If he had known the Gilded Rose had such a powerful figure, he wouldn't have foolishly seized their goods and sent Lios with Larry to negotiate. This was like sending meat buns to the dogs, and even two meat buns...

Damn, how can this be resolved now?

For a moment, Sos was as headache-ridden as he could be.

If he had known this, he shouldn't have coveted the formula for the Hope Potion. Now, he had inadvertently offended a Great Mage in his twenties.

Actually, a regular Great Mage would be fine.

Although the Viper's Nest is not a top-tier force in Qianfan and does not have a supreme master like Saruman, Sos's twenty years of hard work are not for nothing. He can gather four or five Great Mages and Great Swordsmen. If it came to a desperate fight, it's uncertain who would win.

But a Great Mage in his twenties is different...

Think about it, before Mafa Merlin, who was the youngest Great Mage in Qianfan? The eldest son of the Mengqi family, Ryan, who was almost thirty. Even this almost thirty-year-old Ryan was still a genius praised by Saruman. When Ryan returned, the whole city of Qianfan was in an uproar, and countless forces wanted to ally with the Mengqi family.

Was it because they saw Ryan's current strength?

Of course not...

Those who can become top-tier forces in Qianfan all have several Great Mages and Great Swordsmen. What they truly valued was Ryan's potential for future development. A Great Mage who can complete his advancement before thirty is almost destined to become an Archmage. In other words, whoever allies with the Mengqi family now will gain the support of an Archmage in the future.

If Ryan is like this, then Mafa Merlin is even more so...

He is a Great Mage in his twenties, something Qianfan has never seen, and probably not even the entire eastern kingdom has many of. The future achievements of such a genius, Sos dare not even imagine.

He really can't afford to offend him...

Moreover, Sos doesn't have the energy now...

In the past ten years, the Viper's Nest has been continuously expanding deeper into the Poison Mist Canyon. The reason for this, only Sos knows. It is a secret that could shock the entire kingdom. However, this expansion has also tied up more than half of the Viper's Nest's strength. Before finding that temple, Sos can't spare much energy, which is the real reason the Viper's Nest has remained low-profile in Qianfan for the past ten years.

If Mafa Merlin were just a regular mage, Sos would not have been polite. He would have found an excuse to either steal or trick the formula for the Hope Potion, and he wouldn't stop until he got it.

But now Sos knows that Mafa Merlin is not just a regular mage; he is not even a regular Great Mage.

How could someone who can easily severely injure a Great Swordsman be a regular Great Mage?

At this moment, Sos has to consider the consequences.

"Bel, what do you think?"

"A Great Mage of level five or higher." The speaker was the old man who had been sitting behind Sos, who had not spoken a word from start to finish.

The old man was wearing a black robe with a fine silver pattern around the cuffs. There was no doubt that he was a true Great Mage. Unlike the Great Swordsman lying in bed, the old man did not have a noticeable magical aura, unlike Lios, whose every movement brought up a surge of martial arts energy.

If Lin Yun were here, he would likely see at a glance that the old man's strength far exceeded that of the Great Swordsman lying in bed. Lios had just advanced to Great Swordsman and could not fully control his martial arts energy, which is a sign of a novice in the eyes of true masters.

The old man behind Sos, however, had completely concealed his magical aura, something only very experienced Great Mages could do.

This was indeed the case. Many people knew that the Viper's Nest had a mysterious Great Mage who had firmly stood behind Sos since his rise. He rarely spoke and rarely acted, but every word he said, Sos had to listen to, and every time he acted, he would solve a troublesome enemy for the Viper's Nest.

Almost no one knew the true strength of this Great Mage, but people knew he was very, very powerful...

Even the owner of the Sage Tower, Saruman, once jokingly asked Sos if he would be willing to let the Great Mage Bel join the Sage Tower, offering three Great Mages in exchange.

Of course, this was just a joke.

Sos would never let Bel join the Sage Tower, and the Sage Tower would never offer three Great Mages in exchange.

However, not long after, Saruman's joke spread throughout Qianfan, once again proving the power of the Great Mage Bel.

Bel's position in the Viper's Nest was very unique, more like an advisor than a subordinate. Most of the time, before Sos made a decision, he would first consult Bel's opinion.

Just like now, when Bel said "a level five Great Mage," Sos only sucked in a cold breath...

Sos didn't even doubt how a young man in his twenties could become a level five Great Mage.

If Bel said he was a level five Great Mage, then he must be a level five Great Mage.

"Alright, release those five alchemy apprentices and the goods. Find someone to deliver them outside the Razor's Cleft before nightfall." Sos, who could sit in his current position, was definitely not a hesitant person. Since he already knew the Gilded Rose was not as simple as he thought, he almost immediately made a decision.

Despite the fact that this decision was somewhat embarrassing...

However, for Sos, being embarrassed was not a big deal. The most important thing was to avoid making a powerful enemy. Compared to offending a Great Mage in his twenties, Sos would rather be embarrassed.

Being embarrassed is just a matter of being laughed at, but offending a Great Mage in his twenties is not something that can be solved by laughter. To put it bluntly, in ten or twenty years, who knows what level he will reach? What if he becomes an Archmage, or even a High Archmage?

At that time, would you wait for him to come back and crush you with a finger...

"Quick, quick, get someone to do it right away."

"That... that Mafa Merlin also said..." At this moment, Lios, lying on the sickbed, spoke with great effort.

"Also said?"

"Also said... each alchemy apprentice costs 200,000 gold coins, and... and the things I broke at the Gilded Rose also need to be compensated with one million gold coins."

"Two million gold coins!" Sos almost jumped up on the spot, slapping the table heavily: "What does he think the Viper's Nest is!"

"Oh no, oh no..." At this moment, a Viper's Nest mage ran in, his black robe torn and a large blackened area on his shoulder, seemingly from a fire magic attack.

"Panicking, what does that look like!" Sos, who had just been startled by the two million gold coins, was already in a bad mood. Seeing the mage's disheveled appearance, he immediately became furious.

"It's not... Boss, Mafa... Mafa Merlin, he... he's attacking!"

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That's it, another update! Apologies first, then votes! The recommendation ranking is as low as it was at the beginning of last week. Do you all really have acrophobia?

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