The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 462: Volume 9: Phantom of the Ancient Castle - 12: Entering the Path

Though he was not as adept at detecting magic power and spiritual sense as his two companions, he had many intricate props and instruments to compensate for this deficiency. This creature now seemed to have felt the formidable strength of the castle residents and was maybe worried about being captured and refined by the powerful beings there. So long as everyone had still been in Damarlinsk Castle, this cold presence remained dormant, and even Rebry and Mihailovich found it difficult to sense its existence. However, Newman, with the Exploration Soul Needle he had developed, could sense this creature lurking in the cold, dark depths below.

According to Newman’s assessment, this creature should be hiding as deep as the Underground Fifth Level of the underground palace.

This creature’s perception abilities were not bad either. Two days after Komer and his party had left the castle, this creature seemed to become restless. It apparently could sense that its own magic power was far inferior to those who had departed, which Newman found quite amusing.

This creature, that normally bullied the weak and feared the strong, actually possessed such a capability; Newman couldn’t help but take a strong interest in it.

The cold aura quickly rose to the deeper parts of the Underground Second Level but never dared to ascend to the first level of the underground palace. It was evident that the creature was very cautious, or perhaps cowardly, probably fearing ambushes or mechanical traps in the first level where people used to descend frequently. It preferred to roam around within the Underground Second Level.

To scout and understand this elusive creature, Newman mobilized all the detection tools he could use. The All-knowing Compass, always treasured by Newman, was placed on the lower level of the underground palace, and it had captured the whereabouts of this creature several times.

However, the creature seemed very sensitive to being tracked by any magic prop and would quickly retreat deeper, making it impossible for Newman to understand its specifics in detail.

Still, Newman made some significant findings. The creature’s yin aura was particularly intense, and it wasn’t entirely because of the Eye of Darkness beneath the castle. It seemed to relate to its inherent nature. To quote Newman, the creature seemed to have been a female in life and also an Magic Practitioner.

As for why it had transformed into an undead creature, Newman had no knowledge. Was it suppressed beneath the Eye of Darkness by the castle’s builders? Then why was it now able to wander freely within the castle?

In pursuit of this elusive creature, Newman brought out all his possessions, including the All-knowing Compass, Door of Capture, Heavenly Heart Needle, Spiderweb Instrument, and other advanced magic tools that Newman rarely showed in public. However, fearful for his own safety and without the assistance of others, the timid mage did not dare venture alone to the second level of the underground palace and below; thus, the effectiveness of these tools was greatly reduced.

Even so, through the detection of the Heavenly Heart Needle, Newman discovered that the architecture below the surface of the Ancient Castle was unusually vast and complex. The intricate passages, multi-tiered structures, and various undetectable magic black holes constantly surprised Newman, who grew even more interested as he researched.

And the presence captured by the All-knowing Compass and the Spider Web Instrument were not limited to that one patch of cold air; many other undead creatures were lurking in concealment.

Newman even found evidence of non-undead creatures dwelling within the Underground Palace, which exhilarated him for several nights. But due to the limitations of where the tactile props were placed, Newman didn’t acquire more precise and detailed information on this discovery. He maintained relentless surveillance in the hope of unveiling a greater surprise.

In his free time, Newman also began to delve into the "Pavaro Star Arithmetic" obtained from the treasure room. This ancient tome, which recorded the Ancient Starry Sky Magic Array, provided substantial discussions on the research of Star Magic in the design of magic tools and the arrangement of magic arrays.

Although the book did not detail the exact design of magic tools and arrays, the principles it outlined alone benefited Newman enormously, playing an irreplaceable role in broadening his horizons and pointing the way forward, especially in deciphering the Magic Array at the center of Archangel Square.

One month may seem insignificant to the long history of the Continent, but for the entire Homer region, it undoubtedly marked a period of earth-shattering change. For the first time, the Leon Region was completely free from Homer’s control. The land route from Bruce through Leon to Caucasus was also cut off, essentially isolating Caucasus from the Homer region by land; the only alternative was sea travel.

Slave uprisings were nothing new, but such a wide-scale revolt was unprecedented on the Continent.

The rebellion dealt a huge blow to both the Homer region and its rulers, and the kingdom displayed an interesting ambiguity towards the situation. There was neither condemnation nor calls for martial reconquest, nor, of course, sympathy for the rebelling slaves.

But it was this strange silence that made everyone feel that the kingdom was increasingly dissatisfied with the rulers of Homer, a mood that was suffocatingly palpable to the upper echelons of Homer’s society.