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nSpells are a highly precise system; any interference might lead to unforeseen outcomes.

nAlthough teleportation spells are relatively stable and pose less risk, any disturbance could potentially alter the destination.

nA mere two-meter shift, and Howard could be spending the rest of his life with a wall. .

nHoward carefully took note of Nula’s instructions, gesturing reassurance, “Don’t worry, I’ve got a sense of proportion.”

nNula took a deep breath and directly infused mana into the matrix to activate it.

nShe was unaware of the situation at the matrix’s other end, whether the clown mask’s disappearance had caused any changes, or if the stronghold remained as she had left it.

nThese unknown risks unnerved Nula.

nBut there was no turning back now.

nWith a flicker of white light, Nula vanished into the brightness.

nWatching Nula’s figure gradually dissolve, Howard’s gaze remained calm.

nHoward suddenly had a vague sensation, a sort of intuition on how to operate the matrix, how to pinpoint the destination.

nFilled with a touch of surprise, he followed this intuition to activate the matrix.

nThe white light flickered.

nA lattice of light arose, bringing with it a strong sense of dizziness.

n“Why does every teleportation make me so dizzy? I never had this issue before.” Howard muttered to himself in annoyance, the white light dissipating with his breath.

nHe found himself in a completely enclosed small compartment, facing a large desk with bookshelves on one side and a slightly ajar door on the other.

nHe spun around, scanning the surroundings, but found no windows.

nPushing open the door to look into the inner room, he saw a setup as simple as a prison cell.

nWho would choose to live in such a confined space?

nExiting the inner room, Howard saw Nula enter from outside.

n“I sensed a faint mana fluctuation and figured you must have arrived, so I came in to check.” Nula lifted her hand, holding a palm-sized signage, its light color marked with awkwardly carved runes in ink, enveloping it in a sense of distortion.

n“This is our target. The Eternal Flame cult is meddling with these things, and it’s these items that are attracting the beast horde.”

n“What is this?” Howard asked curiously.

nApart from the unsettling distortion, the small signage seemed unremarkable.

n“It’s a foundational material for a ritual.” Nula handed the rune signage to Howard, instructing, “Take a good look, then close your eyes and sense it with your mana.”

nHoward glanced at Nula and did as instructed.

nThe closer he got, the stronger the sense of distortion from the rune signage became.

nAfter just a few glances, Howard felt discomfort in his eyes.

nRubbing them, he saw nothing unusual.

nThen, he closed his eyes, extending his mana sensing to perceive the signage in his hand.

nThis time, he made a discovery.

nIn his mana sensing, the rune signage in his hand changed form, becoming translucent.

nAt its center, a faint golden light pulsed with his breathing, resembling a tiny heart.

n“What is that!” Howard opened his eyes, looking at Nula.

nHis intuition told him that what he had sensed with his mana was far from ordinary.

nThough it was merely the aura of mana, he had never seen mana in such a state before.

nIf it could change autonomously, could it possibly give birth to something else?

nWhat could be birthed entirely from mana in a world where gods, supernatural beings, exist?

n“It’s a foundational material. The Eternal Flame cult intends to use it to construct a massive ritual to create a god exclusive to them. But their plan is doomed to fail, because that’s not how gods come into existence. Their actions will only lead to Rodel’s destruction in a mana explosion.”

n“How many people are here?” Howard skipped the details.

nWhether Rodel falls to the beast horde or is destroyed in a mana explosion was irrelevant; he was only concerned with how to resolve the issue, “What should we do?”

n“There are many people here; a frontal assault is not advisable.” Nula unfolded a piece of paper, a simplified map of the stronghold.

nThis was intelligence scavenged from the clown mask’s soul, which she then sketched out by hand.

n“Look here.” Nula pointed at an area on the map, conspicuously circled in red.

nSeveral winding passages led to this region.

n“This is the heart of the stronghold, where they produce the rune signage. It concentrates over ninety percent of the personnel, including almost all the mana sensitives and nearly a hundred magi!”

nA hundred magi, even if they were all at preparatory-level, could easily overpower a level 2 magi.

nNot to mention, the number of level 3 magi would undoubtedly not be small, and there might even be level 2 magi present.

n“I did a quick tally; there are eleven level 3 magi, all stationed as sentries, not much of a threat. But there are also two level 2 magi who are mobile patrols that we need to be cautious of.”

n“We need to pass through this temple, then enter this passage to infiltrate where they store the rune signage, and take away all the signage!”

n“Although these signages are dangerous, they are essentially containers of mana, which can be harnessed and transformed into our own strength.” Nula’s finger moved across the map, outlining the entire operation process.

nThe plan was straightforward, with the main difficulties focusing on sneaking into the rune signage storage and figuring out how to leave with the signage.

n“How do we exit at the end? They are bound to have set up surveillance measures on the rune signage. The moment we take the signage, they will surely react, and that will be the most perilous moment!”

nNula nodded.

n“Exactly, I’ve considered that.”

n“We don’t need to leave!”

n“We will annihilate all these cultists right here!” Howard fell silent.

nAfter a long pause, he finally asked, “How do you plan to wipe them all out? There are only two of us.”

n“With those rune signages!” Nula pointed to the area on the map labeled “Warehouse,”

n“Those little things make excellent bombs!”

n“Just a slight provocation can trigger a chain reaction, mana transforming into mana, then erupting freely! Even a single signage, upon detonation, can unleash a force equivalent to a level 3 magus’s attack!”

n“We’ll grab the signage, then set traps in the corridors at top speed to collapse the passageways!”

n“Then use a teleportation spell to return here, continue to collapse the passageways!”

n“This stronghold only has two teleportation exits. If we destroy both exits, unless the people inside risk embedding themselves into stone by teleporting freely without knowing the exact coordinates, they simply cannot get out because they don’t even know where here is, let alone how they got in.”

n“This is very peculiar because they clearly come from elsewhere, yet they also do not know their precise location, nor do they understand how they entered.”

nNula folded and put away the map, looking at Howard.

n“That’s my plan.”

n“Madman!”

nThe corner of Howard’s eye twitched; every step of Nula’s plan was fraught with danger, yet it efficiently maximized benefits.

nThis meant they couldn’t afford a single mistake; it was a plan with virtually no room for error.

nEven knowing it’s utterly reckless, Howard couldn’t suppress his excitement.

nWhy did he forsake a king’s throne to become an adventurer?

nWasn’t it for this heart-pounding thrill?

n“Indeed, it is a mad plan,” Nula nodded, then asked, “So, what’s your answer?”

n“Do I even have another choice?” Howard shrugged.

n“Guess I’ll join you in madness this time.”

n“Relax, the plan is dangerous, but I have contingencies in place, don’t worry.”

nNula neatly folded the map, then playfully punched Howard in the shoulder.

n“Follow my lead, and stay calm.”

nHoward nodded, and then… watched as Nula applied buffs on him for almost ten minutes.

nIs she that afraid of dying?

nHoward’s jaw nearly dropped, grateful he hadn’t crossed spells with a spell magus before.

nIf every spell magus prepared with buffs before combat, there’d hardly be a role for melee magi.

nIn the end, both Nula and Howard, when they left the small compartment, were wrapped in no less than ten layers of buffs.

n…

nWalking under the cover of invisibility through the sealed corridors, Howard looked around and furrowed his brow.

n“There isn’t a single vent in sight. How does the air stay fresh?”

n“Mana,” Nula answered nonchalantly to Howard’s question.

n“By mixing mana with the air and controlling it with a matrix, the air can be kept circulating slowly to prevent stagnation.”

n“That matrix acts like a teleportation spell and is also one of our targets for destruction, but it’s last on the list.”

nNula finished speaking and raised a hand to signal silence, then pressed herself against the wall.

nHoward, startled, followed suit.

nFootsteps approached from afar.

n𝑖𝘦.𝑐𝘰𝘮

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