Chapter 127: Chapter 127: Clues to the Tower of Stars
At the end of the Month of Frostfall, the joint forces of Shimmer Territory and White Tower Province finally completed their preparations for war.
However, just as Ke Yi and Marquis White Tower were about to launch the final assault, an unexpected guest arrived.
"Evans?"
In the council chamber, Sunan was taken aback upon hearing Ke Yi's words.
"That's right."
Ke Yi and Marquis White Tower exchanged a glance, their expressions somewhat peculiar.
"When we first received the letter, we suspected it might be some kind of plot, but the people we sent have confirmed that the person there is indeed Evans, the legendary figure of the royal family."
Marquis White Tower nodded in agreement: "I've seen the portrait sent up from below, and it is indeed Lord Evans. His appearance hasn't changed at all from fifty years ago."
Sunan wondered aloud, "This is strange. What is he doing coming here alone, specifically asking to see me?"
Even as a third-circle legendary knight, he would be hard-pressed to face an army alone.
In the territory of the allied forces, Ke Yi could easily deploy the Golem Army and Blackrock Cavalry to surround Evans. With enough manpower, they could overwhelm him!
After all, legendary knights aren't wizard apprentices; they are strong in battle but lack the myriad tricks. Once surrounded, they can die just like anyone else.
Not to mention, Sunan was here as well.
"We're not sure of his intentions, but I've already surrounded the tavern where Evans is with the Golem Army," Ke Yi said solemnly, looking at Sunan.
"What do you think? Should you meet him, or should we take this chance to eliminate Evans?"
Removing Evans would eliminate the greatest uncertainty in the war, making victory inevitable.
Sunan thought for a moment and shook his head, "No, I'll go meet him."
He had originally planned to meet Evans to understand how he had extended his lifespan.
Moreover, he was curious why Evans wanted to see him.
Seeing Sunan's decision, Ke Yi and Marquis White Tower said no more.
After all, it was on their turf, so even if Evans had any schemes, there was no need to worry.
Arriving at the tavern where Evans was, Sunan found it surrounded by layers of stone golems and Blackrock Cavalry, even steel golems.
Evans was essentially trapped, with no chance of escape.
Sunan's curiosity about Evans' purpose grew. Surely this legendary figure hadn't come to court death?
Pushing open the tavern door, Sunan found it cold and deserted, save for a plain-looking man in his forties seated at the central table.
As Sunan's gaze fell on the man, a hint of surprise flickered in his eyes.
Under his perception, the man's life force was vigorous and powerful, in his prime, making it hard to believe he was an 'elderly' man over 130 years old.
Clearly, Evans was far from the end of his lifespan.
"I've heard much about you, Lord Sunan. Thank you for agreeing to meet me," Evans rose with a slight smile, gesturing to the seat opposite him.
"Care to join me for a drink?"
Sunan nodded, sitting across from Evans at a table set with two mugs of ale.
Judging by the color, it was just the tavern's most ordinary ale.
Sunan had no intention of drinking and got straight to the point: "What do you want with me, Lord Evans?"
Evans didn't mind, smiling as he said, "I want to make a deal with you."
"What kind of deal?"
"I know the royal family is destined to lose this war, so I'm here to ask you to spare a branch of the Kessler family. In return, I can provide clues to the Tower of Stars."
The Tower of Stars?
Sunan's heart skipped a beat, genuinely surprised.
He hadn't expected Evans to seek him out for this, nor that Evans had clues about the Tower of Stars.
Considering Evans' royal lineage, Sunan began to understand.
"So the Tower of Stars is indeed connected to the royal family."
Evans nodded with a slight smile, "You could say that."
"In fact, the wizard who established the Tower of Stars was an ancestor of the Kessler bloodline."
"Then why..."
Sunan didn't finish, but Evans understood his query, shaking his head with a wry smile.
"Though our ancestor left us the key to the Tower of Stars, entry requires wizard potential or being a third-circle legendary knight. Unfortunately, over the years, only I among the royal family have met the conditions to enter the Tower of Stars."
Sunan raised an eyebrow, "So your vibrant life force is also thanks to the Tower of Stars?"
"Exactly," Evans admitted. "I passed the knight's trial in the Tower of Stars and received a vial of Dawn Elixir, extending my lifespan by about a third."
A third-circle legendary knight's lifespan is around 120 to 130 years, so extending it by a third would bring it to 160 to 170 years.
And legendary knights, due to their robust bodies and elemental infusion, maintain peak condition until their final years.
No wonder Evans's life force was so vigorous.
By his account, he could live for another thirty or forty years.
However, an elixir that extends life by a third must be at least tier-four, a realm accessible only to formal wizards.
The Tower of Stars was indeed a wizard's inheritance; even the rewards of the knight's trial were this remarkable.
"What exactly is inside the Tower of Stars?" Sunan asked curiously.
Evans shook his head, somewhat embarrassed, "Entering the Tower of Stars involves passing three trials. I lacked the strength, only passing the first trial on my first attempt and failing the second. On my second attempt, I barely passed the second trial but failed the third. After taking the reward elixir, I was teleported out. I never reached the interior of the Tower of Stars, so I don't know what's inside."
"The Tower of Stars can be entered multiple times?"
This was news to Sunan.
"As long as you meet the entry conditions, you can attempt the challenges as many times as you like."
"However, the Tower of Stars appears only once every twenty years, lasting only two months each time. During that period, each person has only one chance to challenge it. Failure means waiting another twenty years."
Sunan frowned slightly, not expecting such restrictions on the Tower of Stars.
However, as an ancient wizard's inheritance, the Tower of Stars was likely intended to offer hope to those with wizard potential in this elemental wasteland, so strict limitations made sense.
"Where is the Tower of Stars?"
"No one knows," Evans replied. "The Tower of Stars doesn't exist on the Starlight Continent. Only when it appears can I sense its location through the key. Its location is random each time."
Not on the Starlight Continent?
Then it must be in some dimensional plane.
Perhaps a demi-dimensional space created by a formal wizard.
This meant finding it before it appeared on its own was practically impossible.
Sunan sighed with disappointment but quickly regained his spirits.
Regardless, he now had a lead on the Tower of Stars, which was undoubtedly good news.
Despite his delight, Sunan remained cautious, giving Evans a deep look and saying, "You're trading the key to the Tower of Stars just to preserve some of the Kessler family's bloodline?"
Evans sighed with a complex expression, "I dislike conflict and prefer traveling. Honestly, I abhor political strife and war. If possible, I'd rather not involve myself in this."
"But I once promised my brother to preserve a trace of the Kessler family's bloodline in a crisis."
"Given the current situation, even if I asked you to spare the current Grand Duke and his heir, you wouldn't agree, would you?"
Sunan remained silent, tacitly agreeing.
Eradicating threats root and branch was a trait any competent ruler should possess.
Marquis Goldrock and Owen had both failed to kill Ke Yi and Sunan, leading to their own demise.
Having experienced all this firsthand, Ke Yi wouldn't repeat their mistakes, leaving himself vulnerable to future threats.
He would undoubtedly eliminate the Grand Duke and any royal bloodlines that could challenge his rule.
Of course, if Sunan requested it, Ke Yi would agree, but Sunan had no intention of doing so.
Seeing Sunan's thoughts, Evans abandoned his last hope, sincerely saying:
"So I only ask you to spare some of the Kessler bloodline, even if it's just a cadet branch."
Sunan noncommittally said, "I have another question. Why don't you try to resist, given your strength, instead of conceding so easily?"
Evans showed a peculiar expression, recalling something, and shook his head:
"I don't wish to court death."
"Wizards are tricky, with endless means and cards."
"I was already surprised that Oveich managed to kill a wizard."
"But since even Oveich fell to you, I know I'm no match. Rather than struggle futilely and endanger the entire Kessler family, it's better to make a deal with you."
"Wizards value equivalent exchange. To me, the Tower of Stars should hold some allure for you."
Sunan raised an eyebrow, "You seem well-acquainted with wizards."
"In my travels, I've encountered a few wizards and learned much about them from their conversations," Evans shrugged.
"Oh?" Sunan's interest piqued, "Where did you meet them?"
Evans chuckled, "Is this part of the deal?"
Sunan pondered and nodded, "Fine, I agree."
"If you hand over the key to the Tower of Stars and tell me about those wizards, I can ensure the safety of a Kessler bloodline member under five years old."
Evans brightened, "Deal, but let's make a vow contract!"
"You really do know wizards well."
Sunan gave Evans a deep look but didn't refuse.
Making a vow contract benefited him too, ensuring that Evans' information was genuine, especially concerning the Tower of Stars.
Any creature with a soul could make a vow contract.
After a bit of time, the two made their vow contract.
As the contract concluded, Evans visibly relaxed, as if a burden had been lifted.
It seemed he genuinely loathed these matters.
Understandably so; had Evans, a third-circle legendary knight, openly supported the royal family, the Starlight Duchy wouldn't have seen so many ambitious figures over the years.
A sufficiently powerful top-tier force is akin to a stabilizing anchor for a nation!
After that, Evans produced a stone from his pocket and placed it on the table before Sunan.
"This is the key to the Tower of Stars."
Sunan picked up the stone and examined it. It was a runic stone, resembling jade, warm and slightly cool to the touch.
Its surface was covered with intricate enchantment runes. The complexity was such that even with Sunan's level 4 [Magic Item Creation], it was dizzyingly hard to comprehend.
Clearly, the creator of this "key" was far more skilled in [Magic Item Creation] than he was.
"At least level six or seven."
Sunan mused to himself.
"My first entry into the Tower of Stars was forty-eight years ago, the second twenty-eight years ago, so its next appearance should be in twelve years."
Sunan rubbed the runic stone, glancing at Evans with an amused expression: "You have more than one key, don't you?"
Even with his promise to his brother, Sunan didn't believe Evans would willingly hand over his only means of entering the Tower of Stars.
Someone who valued family so highly wouldn't sacrifice others just to preserve some bloodline.
Evans chuckled, neither confirming nor denying, but the answer was clear.
Sunan didn't press further, instead returning to the earlier topic.
"Tell me about the wizards you've encountered."
Evans nodded, beginning his tale:
"I've only met three wizards in total."
"Two of them were in the Cangjin Empire and Jinghua Duchy. Though they didn't say, I could tell from their noble bearing that they likely came from royal or noble families."
"The third wizard I met in the underground world."
"You've been to the underground world?" Sunan's eyes flickered with surprise.
"By sheer chance," Evans recalled. "During one journey, I tracked a rare beast into the mountains, got lost, and accidentally stumbled into the underground world. I was then attacked by a fearsome creature and saved by a wizard."
"He called himself 'Traveler'."
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