Gunmage
Chapter 194: The Jade tower

Chapter 194: Chapter 194: The Jade tower

"Let’s go mage hunting!"

"Mage hunting?"

Lugh stilled.

She nodded expectantly.

"And how long will that take?"

Lugh questioned.

Selaphiel blinked.

"Ah, well, it should take a few years. Or decades. We’d be going after criminals—really dangerous ones from the magic civilizations—so it would be dangerous. When you become really strong, we’ll attempt our first dragon hunt."

She began to lay out a detailed plan.

Lugh stopped her.

"I can’t go now. I have things to do here. And Ophris might not exist by the time we come back."

Selaphiel pursed her lips.

He quickly added,

"But don’t worry. Once I’m done, we can probably go on the journey you’re speaking of. You can wait another decade, can’t you?"

Although he couldn’t tell if he’d be able to complete Xhi’s task in a decade. Either way, it was nice to have the offer still up and running.

If things got really bad, he could leave with Selaphiel for a year or two and come back supercharged with magic abilities to resolve any lingering issues with brute force.

"Hmm... I guess I can."

Selaphiel replied, though with great reluctance.

She sat back down in the chair, too agitated now to recline in peace.

Sela and Mirelle just stared—bewildered.

A strange silence settled over the room. Taking advantage of the moment, Sela walked over to Lugh, curious about what he was working on.

What met her eyes was a much more refined design of the strange contraption she had seen him creating in his previous room.

"What happened to the other drawings?"

"They burnt down in the explosion."

"Oh. And you’re making a new one?"

"Pretty much."

Mirelle also approached, although her footsteps were cautious. She spoke.

"Hey, uh, Lugh... you wouldn’t snuff out my soul or anything like that, would you?"

He glanced at her. Then spoke.

"You don’t have anything to offer me."

"Ouch."

His words stung. Mirelle should have been relieved, but instead, she found herself growing angry.

Just then, Selaphiel’s voice drifted over again.

"While not as impressive as my offer, if you eventually become an enforcer, you’ll get to deal with delinquent mages."

She added,

"Although most of them are low-quality goods."

"Low quality?"

Lugh asked again, unnerved by her strange habit of referring to living beings as objects.

"Humans."

She clarified.

"Ah, gotcha."

Compared to her previous promise of hunting down a dragon, humans were indeed "low quality."

Selaphiel continued.

"Although occasionally, a wandering elven warlock, or perhaps an emperor beast, might wander into Ophris believing they can do whatever they want. Those are prime material for you to grow stronger."

Lugh stared at her for a while before speaking.

"I don’t think I can take on a powerful elf as I am now."

"You don’t need to."

She responded.

"If I get help, then I wouldn’t be able to use my ability under the watchful gazes of so many."

"Like I said—you don’t need to."

"Huh?"

Lugh was confused.

"How am I supposed to cover up such an event?"

Selaphiel spoke.

"I’ll help you."

"Oh, and how would you do that?"

She replied,

"Well, you’re looking at a Diamond-ranked enforcer. If I can’t help you, then no one can."

Lugh turned to her, stunned. Both girls did the same, although their expressions were more neutral. They had witnessed and heard so many shocking events today—what was one more?

"You’re an enforcer?"

Lugh questioned.

"Yes."

She replied.

"But how?"

He asked again.

"Aren’t the enforcers supposed to be loyal to the Jade Tower alone?"

She hummed before asking,

"What do you think the Jade Tower is?"

Lugh shrugged.

"I don’t know? Some really strong organization?"

He glanced at Mirelle, who shook her head.

Selaphiel spoke again.

"The Jade Tower is not a conventional organization. It represents the entire secret magic society of Ophris—a regulatory body made up of a council of ancient, high-ranking members in noble houses, as well as enforcers to carry out their will."

"Being the leader of a family doesn’t stop you from being an enforcer. In fact, it can be said that every single member of the Jade Tower is an enforcer—just of different kinds."

"I see,"

Lugh responded, filing the information neatly into the recesses of his mind.

The Jade Tower being the culmination of all recognized magic families and organizations must definitely be privy to intense secrets and have access to a wealth of manpower and magical resources.

The kind of things he was after. Being the leader of such an organization couldn’t even be compared to being the leader of the Von Heim House.

This was another avenue—but not an easy one. Selaphiel was an elf, centuries old, and even she wasn’t the leader.

Huh?

Who’s to say she wasn’t—or has never been—the leader?

"Are you, or have you ever been the leader of the Jade Tower?"

"What? No."

She responded hastily.

That wasn’t good,

Lugh thought as he listened to her explanation.

"There’s only one person qualified to be the leader of the Jade Tower."

After a while, she kept silent, intentionally leaving them in suspense.

After several seconds, Lugh couldn’t take it anymore.

"And that person is...?"

"That person is the King of Ophris,"

Selaphiel clarified.

"Oh."

He, Sela, and Mirelle all showed expressions of interest.

"Well that bites,"

Lugh muttered to himself.

There was no way he could become the leader of the Jade Tower unless he wanted to start a revolution and become king.

Lugh remembered the veiled face of the Queen—a woman dressed in pitch black, as if in eternal mourning—and suddenly felt that a revolution was completely unrealistic and borderline impossible with someone like her around.

...

Some time had passed and Lugh’s puppets—or other bodies—had stopped working.

Already having already finished all the details of the Rhywing and even adding the corresponding notes describing various components.

It was comprehensive, almost a full working blueprint.

He compiled all the pages into a folder.

Now that Prince Lovainne was awake, he would have to give him this.