Chapter 154: Langpu's New Pendant
The dragonblood ogre mage Langpu had been waiting, and now he slowly flew in from the city, landing with a thunderous crash.
It was clear his flying spell had greatly improved, allowing him full control.
Langpu's greedy eyes fixed on the unconscious mages, his hideous grin almost drooling with excitement. For him and the entire Embe Kingdom, every mage was a precious, reusable resource.
Yes, a resource—mages' abundant spell knowledge, their brilliant minds, were immensely valuable to Langpu.
Langpu approached the Red Dragon, his face alight with joy, and respectfully said:
"Congratulations, Master. Your wisdom humbles me, managing to capture all these rats in one fell swoop."
Cassius nodded slightly.
"These mages are yours to handle. Extract every ounce of value from them and make them assets to the Ember Nest."
"As you command, Master."
Langpu's grotesque face twisted into a wide grin he could barely contain.
Cassius noticed Langpu's unusual excitement, which piqued his curiosity.
Had Langpu devoured these mages?
Cassius casually asked, "Langpu, what happened to Bennett and those mage apprentices you captured earlier?"
Hearing this, Langpu realized the Red Dragon suspected him of cannibalism—after all, he had a history.
He quickly replied:
"Master, please rest assured. The 'Tower of the Great Sage' follows a strict process; there is no room for such indulgences."
Langpu launched into an enthusiastic explanation.
"First, we strip them of all magical items. These are added to the Ember Kingdom's treasury—your treasure hoard, of course.
"Next, we subject them to rigorous interrogation and use truth spells to extract their spell knowledge and secrets.
"Finally, when they're mentally and physically exhausted, we cast enchantment spells to break their will, ensuring complete control over them."
Cassius, who typically spent his time sleeping or researching spells, left most kingdom affairs to trusted subordinates.
Hearing Langpu's explanation, he gained some insight into his operations.
"And where do they end up?"
"The mage apprentices usually become tower laborers. Their lives and even thoughts are under my control, so any disobedience can be swiftly eliminated, ensuring no issues arise."
"As for the advanced mage Bennett from Victoria Harbor…"
Langpu hesitated, bowing his head slightly before continuing.
"His casting abilities were too powerful to subdue safely, and keeping him posed a risk of instability to the kingdom."
"So, I took it upon myself to kill him… and turned him into a magical artifact. Master, please forgive me. This item is newly completed, and I haven't yet reported it to you."
Langpu revealed his new pendant, hidden beneath his cloak.
—It was a human skull, complete with a fresh, wet brain preserved in stasis by spatial magic. Connected by a mithril chain, it hung around the ogre's thick neck.
On Langpu's massive frame, the skull appeared no larger than a small trinket.
"…"
Listening to Langpu's sheepish confession and watching his awkward expression, even Cassius was momentarily at a loss for words.
[Bennett's Wisdom]
Quality: Rare
Creator: Langpu
Description: Langpu, the ogre mage, greatly admired the intelligence of Bennett, a noble mage from Victoria Harbor, and saw him as a kindred spirit. Bennett, feeling fortunate, thought his "friend" would grant him freedom. Instead, he met Langpu's blade—though Langpu avoided his usual club, fearing damage to the precious brain.
Through meticulous experimentation, Langpu immortalized his "friend's" wisdom as a pendant. When wind passes through the skull's hollows, one might still hear Bennett's final cries: "Langpu—why did you kill me?"
Effects: Intelligence +3
Skill Bonuses: Arcana +4, Knowledge +4, Research +3
Grants the ability to store and cast spells known to Bennett in life, including [Wall of Force][Hold Monster][Energy Resistance], up to four stored spells. Requires one day to inscribe.
After reviewing the artifact, Cassius's expression grew peculiar—this ogre clearly had the makings of a demented boss character.
"An intelligence boost and spell storage."
"If you ignore its appearance, it's practically a god-tier item for mages."
Cassius mused internally.
However, the artifact was of little use to him, as his casting didn't rely on intelligence.
For Langpu, though, equipping his self-crafted [Bennett's Wisdom] boosted his intelligence to a terrifying 20 points—reaching the pinnacle of mortal intellect, comparable to legendary archmages who could shape the world.
This leap in power explained Langpu's elation.
Feeling the ogre's genuine guilt and unease under his bloodline pressure, Cassius calmly said, "For experiments of this caliber, you must seek my approval in advance. Let this be the last time."
"Yes, Master."
Langpu knelt, answering fervently.
"These mages are yours to handle. Drain every ounce of value from them."
"I will fulfill your command!"
Realizing Cassius wasn't angry and with a fresh batch of mages for experimentation, Langpu was ecstatic.
Especially with "Gray Eagle" Shroud among them—Langpu had coveted his powerful spells, like [Ice Storm], since the Arcane Hermitage meeting.
After bidding farewell to Cassius, Langpu eagerly left with the captured mages.
Even Cassius felt some pity for them; they were destined for inhuman torment under Langpu's hundreds of concurrent experiments.
The incomplete [Wagner's Dragon-Binding Array], now devoid of its primary caster, remained on-site, suppressed by the [Kingdom Domain] and awaiting its next activation.
"The Bosk family's Lionheart Knights should be arriving soon."
"Shroud, I must thank you for helping me lure such a bountiful catch."
Cassius thought to himself.
The Lionheart Knights, the Bosk family's elite force, were formidable even for dragonblooded kin. During the Battle of Treel, just seven of them had posed a significant challenge to Dolo, earning them a high threat rating within the Embe Kingdom.