Chapter 328: 328 THE SHADOW CONJURERS
328 THE SHADOW CONJURERS
The Shadow Conjurers, masters of arcane arts had dwelled in the shadows for ages, dedicating themselves to perfecting their skills in isolation and secrecy. Their methods were as dubious as they were formidable, delving into forbidden realms of magic to fulfill their ambitions.
Their objectives were unmistakable: to unravel the mysteries of the Conjurer Inheritance and, perhaps, to usurp the power and rule of the revered Conjurer Court.
Wherever the shadowy figures of the Shadow Conjurers emerged, turmoil and suffering followed in their wake, staining the land with bloodshed and despair.
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"What do you fear about the Shadow Conjurers, aren't they conjurers like you?" I asked Conjurer Iras as the servants poured tea into our cups in the VIP guest room of Heaven's Diner.
"You may not know about the Shadow Conjurer's history. They used to be from the Shadow sect of the Conjurer Court but in time they were banned and became our enemies", Conjurer Iras told us.
"Why are they your enemies? What have they done?" I asked them.
"The founders of the Shadow sect were some of the original Supreme Conjurers. They had disagreements with the reigning Supremes about fundamental approach to magic. Eventually both the Shadow and ruling factions competed for supremacy in the Conjurer Court and eventually, the conservative ruling faction won", Conjurer Iras explained to us.
"What is the fundamental difference between the two factions?" Rinna asked them.
"The ruling faction believes in the natural evolution of magic while the Shadow faction sought short-cuts in magic, delving into curses and dark magic and whatever that could make the conjurer strong", Eless told us.
"Frankly, I personally do not disagree completely with the approach of the Shadow Conjurers provided they kept a bottom line at things", I told them.
"That precisely is the problem- there is no bottom line or decency in the Shadow Conjurer's approach to magic", Conjurer Iras explained.
"Obviously such a faction will not be favored by the Church", Ratatouille commented.
"Precisely, eventually with the help of the Church, the Conjurer Court banned the Shadow faction and exiled them from the Court", Anitor added.
"Why are the Shadow faction back now?" I asked.
"With the decline of the Church of All-Seeing's influence in the Southern Empire, and the recent destruction of the church in Tarah city, the Shadow Sect probably thought they could return. It so happened the once in a hundred-year Conjurer Inheritance competition will be held soon", Conjurer Iras told us.
"Didn't you already ban the Shadow Sect? How can they return to reclaim the Conjurer Court?" Rinna asked them.
"The original Supremes banned the Shadow Sect from the Conjurer Court for a thousand years. That time is up, and they returned to reclaim the Inheritance and possibly also the rule of the Conjurer Court", Illiwyn explained to us.
"Maybe you worry too much, the Shadow Sect might have changed after a thousand years in exile", I said to them before I added, "The threat of the Shadow Conjurers could be an exaggeration".
"Crocodiles don't change their color", Epius told us about his opinion.
"Bang…"
Suddenly, we heard disturbances in the next VIP room. So, curiously, we went over to check and peek at our neighbors. But the customers were gone when we reached there.
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"How dare you pour your damn tea on my esteemed guests", a conjurer shouted to a waitress of the diner.
"I am so sorry", the waitress apologized immediately to the customer that she poured tea wrongly on.
"Send this girl to my room. I'll punish her later", the customer grinned wickedly before telling the manageress to her shock and horror.
"I am sorry, we can compensate you for our poor service, but our waitresses are workers and not slaves. We cannot offer them to you", the manageress told the customer.
"How dare you treat your customers in this way. Do you know that I am a conjurer of the Conjurer court", the conjurer told the manageress as she bowed to the offended customer to apologize again.
"Yes, we know who you are Conjurer Ivior, but our policy remains the same for all customers", the manageress told the disgruntled customer, Conjurer Ivior.
"I've lost all mood. Let's go to the Pleasures Court to continue our dining", the customer told Ivior as they stood up to leave.
"You will regret this", Conjurer Ivior told the manageress as they left the room.
As the customer and Conjurer Ivior left the room, the manageress and the waitresses fell to the floor as their faces turned dark green while they coughed badly and continuously.
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"What happened to these people?" Eless asked as we reached the next room.
We came here as soon as we heard the commotion in our neighboring room but when we reached here, we found people lying on the floor, apparently sick of poisoning.
"Let me check their condition", Illiwyn told us as she checked the condition of the waitresses and staff of the restaurant.
"They are poisoned by a strange magic. I can stabilize their health with my magic, but we need to clear the poison from their body", Illiwyn told us as she cast her magic on the poisoned staff.
"How did they get poisoned?" I asked.
Then a staff came inside to tell me.
"This room was serving a conjurer and his guests. The guest was rude to one of our waitresses and the manageress spoke to them. Then they left and our staff fell sick after that", the staff informed me.
"Who was the bloody conjurer?" I asked the staff.
"He is Conjurer Ivior of the Conjurer Court", he replied to me.
"That damn Ivior? What in hell is he doing here and poisoning people", Iviar asked.
"It is that bloody Ivior again. Who the hell are his guests?" I asked the staff.
"We don't know them. There are three of them and they seem to be from out of town. They have reservations for another, they are waiting for another guest", the staff informed us.
"I've heard that Ivior is getting quite close to some independent conjurers. Perhaps he is trying to get them to join his sect who lost many members", Eless told us.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone