The First Magic World War

"Unfortunately, initiating the fourth Bloody Vortex and practicing Angel's Thorn completely drained Addison and Winterburn's life essence—the runes for the Quickness Technique will require about ten more days of effort."

"However, there is indeed a better choice than the Quickness Technique, the Spirit Spider Technique!"

The first page of the Vampire Secret Scrolls records the Adonis Clan Blood Clan's foundational Blood Flame Qi!

The second page then discusses—Bloodflame Transformation Art.

As the name implies, the Bloodflame Transformation Art cannot transform, it can only turn into a mass of Blood Flame!

Charles didn't care whether he could transform into various animals or assume the appearances of different people, but if he could transform into a mass of Blood Flame, he would be able to float in the air, which, although slightly inferior to flying, would suffice for travel.

During a noon break, Charles was summoned by Lord Leo, whose first words sent chills through his body: "Our Byron and the Black Phoenix Dynasty have already signed an alliance, so this time we intend to lure the restorer from South Serif and assassinate Archduke Ferdinand!"

"Thus igniting the flame of war!"

Charles looked directly at the Evil God, his soul shattered and then regathered, activating all memories from his two lifetimes. Charles Mecklen, who had studied extensively in his early years, remembered clearly and was of course aware of the historic feud between South Serif and the Behemoth Duchy.

To put it simply, South Serif was resisting the invasion of the Fars Empire and was on the verge of victory, but was betrayed by the Behemoth Duchy, leading to its downfall.

Nearly two hundred years after its destruction, the people of South Serif were still relatively obedient to the Empire and acknowledged its rule, yet they harbored deep-seated hatred for the Behemoth Duchy.

There was a rumor that someone who had drunk too much in a tavern shouted, "I am from the Behemoth Duchy…" and was beaten to death by a group of South Serif people.

The hatred between the two nations was evident.

If the restorer from South Serif assassinated Archduke Ferdinand, the Royal Family of the Fars Empire would have no choice but to seek revenge. The restorer of South Serif couldn't withstand a full strike from the imperial army and would inevitably seek external help...

The mere flapping of a butterfly's wings might well unleash a catastrophic storm.

However, sometimes the storm is manipulated by others.

Although Charles was a transmigrator and had no affection for the Fars Empire, the thought of a war erupting and the countless innocents who would die senselessly still made him shiver with dread.

Before he crossed over, he had lived in a country that had been at peace for decades. It was precisely because he had enjoyed prolonged peace that he understood the value of peace and the horrors of war.

He said in a low voice, "I have not received these orders."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Lord Leo said, "Your position is too low to be aware of the full details of this plan, that's not surprising."

"However, you must fully cooperate with my actions."

"Upon completion of this mission, you can be assigned under my command, and I assure you at least one promotion."

Charles respectfully expressed his gratitude, but internally, he was thinking: "I must find a way to thwart the People of Byron's plans."

"It's ridiculous, a fugitive like me, still thinking about helping the Fars Empire maintain peace."

Lord Leo was very pleased with Charles's attitude, gave a few more instructions, waved him away, and prepared to set off again.

The team had moved extremely quickly, covering the distance to Machu Picchu in just over two days.

This ancient fortress of the Ancient Beastman Kingdom, though breached and set ablaze by the Sherlock Dynasty, still presented a majestic aura even in ruins.

The architecture of the Beastman Kingdom favored grandeur, with each building standing tens of meters tall, especially the fortress gates, which were imposing. Even though the city had been destroyed for hundreds of years, it still intimidated all who beheld it.

Charles was too weary to be excited, but he volunteered eagerly to inspect the situation himself.

Both the adventurers under his command and Lord Leo found him to be very reliable.

The adventurers thought their "leader" was brave to take on tasks personally, while Lord Leo saw this future subordinate as courageous and hardworking, an excellent candidate for close attendance.

Only Charles knew that his solo venture into Machu Picchu was to verify the results of his recent research into the first page of Agmilas Labyrinth.

Charles entered Machu Picchu, magic alchemy staff in one hand and the old Magnum Hand Shuttle in the other, striding majestically. As he stepped through the collapsed fortress gate and the ruins blocked the view from outside, he promptly stowed both weapons, pulled out his journal, and flipped to the page on "Agmilas's Labyrinth."

He opened the first page, laid the journal on the ground, and murmured softly for a while. When nothing happened, he was slightly disappointed, thinking that there was a flaw in his research. Then, a consciousness emerged: "Charles Meklen has discovered the ruins of the Ancient Beastman Kingdom, Machu Picchu, fulfilling the requirement to establish the first labyrinth. Machu Picchu will now undergo maze-ification."

Charles watched as the first page of "Agmilas's Labyrinth" disappeared, and immediately felt something intangible emanating from the journal beneath his palm, spreading inch by inch, eroding the ruins of the Ancient Beastman Kingdom's fortress.

The first to be eroded was the fortress entrance behind him, from which it spread into the depths of Machu Picchu. The consciousness surfaced again: "Machu Picchu's maze-ification will be completed in eighteen days, during which time you must not leave this place."

Charles took a deep breath, put away his journal, turned, and walked to the fortress gate. Positioning himself inside, he called out, "There's no problem inside. I also found a clean area where we can set up camp and wait for Archduke Ferdinand to pass through."

Lord Leo smiled slightly and said, "Good!"

Though he had heard some legends about Machu Picchu, as a High-Level Transcendent, he was not the least bit afraid. He entered the ruined fortress with two servants.

Charles then sensed a thought: "Labyrinth NPC increased by three people, erosion progress increased by 1.5%."

He was both shocked and pleased — could there really be such good luck?

The adventurers also entered the ruined fortress following him, and the thought continued to announce: "Labyrinth NPC increased by fifteen people, erosion progress increased by 0.8%..."

"Labyrinth NPC increased by twenty-one people, erosion progress increased by 1.3%..."

"Labyrinth NPC increased by thirty-four people, erosion progress increased by 3.3%..."

"Total Labyrinth NPCs one hundred thirty-six people, total erosion progress increased by 16.5%."

Charles took a long breath, finally certain that there was no error in his research direction.

This fortress of the Ancient Beastman Kingdom was immensely vast, having once stationed up to two hundred seventy thousand soldiers. Although only less than twenty percent had been maze-ified, it was already enough to ensure that anyone who entered would never come out again.

Although Lord Leo was a High-Level Transcendent with heightened alertness, after glancing around, he failed to notice anything amiss.

Indeed, he would never have considered that it wasn't something dangerous lurking, but that they had already "entered" the "danger."