Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe - Chapter 524

Chapter 524: Intentions
Gore had been fighting for several hours earlier, killing hundreds of weeping trees. Yet, he wasn’t able to make it far through the dark forest.

However, Mayor Hobbs, with the help of the strange black orb, was able to somehow control the weeping trees and effortlessly traverse through the forest.

Thinking of how much pain and suffering he had to go through in the woods, Gore couldn’t help but smile bitterly.

If only the mayor had appeared earlier, Jora would still be alive, he thought.

He looked at the trees on either side of him. They were no longer howling, their faces no longer contorting in pain and agony.

If anything, the faces looked at peace. They had shut their eyes and were allowing passage to the group.

Gore could deduce that whatever the black orb in Mayor Hobbs’s possession was, it was deeply connected to the Howlett Manor.

After all, he had already confirmed that the trees were protecting that place. So it wasn’t that difficult to connect the dots.

His eyes narrowed and he asked coldly, “Where did you find that orb?”

Mayor Hobbs, who was walking right in front of him, shuddered upon hearing the man’s words. He turned around and forced a smile.

“Isn’t it obvious, Lord Darkmore? I found it inside the manor.”

“What else did you find?” Gore pressed further. “Did you go to the basement? Did you go past the red door?”

A strange light passed through the mayor’s murky eyes as he thought to himself in alarm, Could it be that he and that Herbalist made it past the red door?!

“M-My Lord…” the mayor nervously gulped. “It wasn’t me who found this orb, it was another Magus who happened to find this in the fireplace.”

“Where are they?” Gore growled.

“Unfortunately, he has died.” Mayor Hobbs shook his head in sorrow. “As did many other Magi that we hired from the Consortium.”

Gore’s eyes narrowed further, a deep suspicion gnawing at him from within. He looked around him and saw that excluding him, there were half a dozen Magi.

And all of them were residents of Stratford!

“So everyone else died? But you and your townsfolk made it out alive?” Gore asked with a sneer.

The old mayor sighed. He then glanced at the man and asked seemingly out of curiosity. “My Lord, what is this red door that you speak of? We didn’t find anything like that in the manor.

“Although, we only spent a few minutes on the first floor before we got our hands on the orb and made it out of that clearing.”

Gore deeply looked at the old man, causing the latter to shrink back in fear. He looked at the black orb and then at Mayor Hobbs, his gaze shifting several times.

The old mayor could understand the man’s intentions based on the sheer hostility spewing out from his eyes. However, the words that came out of Gore next weren’t what he was expecting.

“There is a red door in the basement of Howlett Manor,” Gore began. “I believe that is where the evil entity that your ancestor, Magus Stratford, has sealed.”

“Im-Impossible!”

“T-That place is actually underneath the Howlett Manor?!”

The Magi of Stratford were shocked by what Gore had just said. The old mayor, however, was very skeptical about it.

“My Lord, how do you know that Morven the Malevolent is sealed beyond that red door?” He asked.

Gore glared at him. “Old fool, so now you’re questioning me just because you have that orb in your possession.”

“I-I apologize, my lord!” Mayor Hobbs hurriedly asked for forgiveness.

If it wasn’t for Gore being unaware of how the orb exactly functioned, he would have already killed the mayor and taken the artifact for himself.

However, he feared that the orb could only be used by the mayor. Or that the orb needed a certain key that only the mayor had.

What the key was, Gore did not know. Hence, he stayed his hand. First, he needed to get out of the Weeping Woods before he could try anything.

“The sinister aura that came from beyond the red door was very similar to the ones that those werewolves radiated,” Gore explained.

His expression turned solemn and he added, “Furthermore, that aura was countless times more evil and powerful than the werewolves’.”

Gore deeply observed the mayor’s expression. A few moments later, he asked, “What do you plan to do after reaching Stratford? And what did you mean when you said that if we don’t reach the town by sunset, we’d die?”

The old mayor’s eyes flashed with a cunning glint and he replied with a question of his own, “My Lord, do you know the Herbalist’s whereabouts?”

Gore frowned. “The Herbalist? You mean Magus Constantine?”

“Yes, him.” The mayor nodded.

“No, I don’t know,” said Gore. “I was the first one to leave the clearing, so I don’t know where he went.”

Mayor Hobbs took a deep breath and began, “After the Herbalist bagged all the treasures and our ancestor’s notes on the arcane arts, as well as the mana extraction method, he summoned his—”

Gore’s eyes blazed with fury as he viciously grabbed the old mayor by the collar and lifted him off the ground.

“What the hell did you just say?” He asked in a chilly voice. “Adam took away all the treasures? And even the mana extraction methods of your ancestor?”

“Kuackk!” The mayor struggled to breathe. “My Lord…ackk! I speak the truth! I saw it with my own eyes!”

“Truth, is it?” Gore scoffed in disdain. “Why would Adam blatantly display his loot? Do you think I’m stupid? Or do you think you’re too smart?”

He raised his other hand, planning to kill the old mayor. “I’ve had enough of you. Die!”

“If you kill me, you won’t be able to control the trees with the orb!” The mayor blurted out in horror.

Gore froze in his action, releasing his grip on the mayor’s collar. “Tsk.”

The mayor gasped for air, however, he still managed to explain himself, “The Herbalist was wearing a ring that had the insignia of our ancestor’s family. That’s how I know that he took away the treasures that our ancestor stored for us, his descendants.”

“How do you know that that ring contains your ancestor’s treasures?” Gore asked coldly.

“It’s written in our ancestor’s will!” Said the old mayor. “All my predecessors knew about this. I can show you proof once we reach Stratford! The ancestor’s will is safely stored in my office!”

Gore deeply looked at the old man for a few moments before asking again, “Now tell me why we need to reach the town before sunset. Why would we die if we don’t?”

“My Lord, the trees around us… they contain the souls of thousands of humans who were once part of Morven the Malevolent’s army,” Mayor Hobbs began.

He paused for a moment, his lips curling up into a sinister smirk, “The Herbalist plans to use the power of the blood moons and detonate the entire Weeping Woods. This is why we need to hurry!

“He wants to take all the souls in these trees and use them to advance his Magus Rank!”

A strange light flashed in Gore’s eyes, making it difficult for others to make out what he was thinking. Soon, his lips curled up into a smirk and he nodded.

“I understand.”