"My Lord." Quellier looked at Lynd who walked down from the dragon's back, immediately walked over quickly, and very naturally knelt at Lynd's feet, kissing the back of Lynd's foot.
Facing such a Quellier, Lynd did not stop him, because he knew that stopping him would be useless. Anyone who completed the Redemption Sanctuary's highest loyalty trial would be like having a thought imprint branded on their soul. Not only would they be absolutely loyal to Lynd, but they would also worship Lynd to an extreme degree, so much so that even if Lynd told him to die, he would do so without hesitation.
It was precisely because of this that Lynd felt at ease handing over a replica of the sacrifice stone tablet to him to bring to Asshai. Otherwise, Lynd would never let such an important item leave Black Hollow.
"You've worked hard these past few years! The mages you introduced to Tranquil Court and Black Hollow are all excellent." Lynd simply praised Quellier.
Although it was just a word of praise, it made Quellier incredibly excited, more excited than acquiring any magic-user's treasure.
Lynd motioned for Quellier to stand up, then prepared to ask Quellier about Euron. If Euron wanted to enter Stygai, the corpse city, he would definitely come here to find a guide, and Lynd also needed a guide to go to Styria.
Originally, when he arrived at the sea near the Shadow Lands, Lynd planned to ride Deltos directly to Styria, but the terrain of the Shadow Lands was too complex, full of abyssal canyons, and he couldn't distinguish which canyon hid the corpse city from the air.
Although the Ash River could serve as a guide, the problem was that there were many rivers in the Shadow Lands, each glowing with an eerie green light, making it impossible to tell which one was the Ash River. Moreover, many rivers burrowed into the mountains, becoming underground rivers, making them even harder to track.
Besides not being able to find the location, the Shadow Lands also contained a strange power that made Lynd feel unusually uncomfortable. This power was similar to the power emitted by black oil stone, but it was actually very different, because Deltos could absorb the power emitted by black stone, but could not absorb this strange power contained in the Shadow Lands.
What was even stranger was that this power gathered in the air, forming a very peculiar force field that merged with the perpetual dark clouds of the Shadow Lands. Conversely, closer to the ground, this power was weakest. Therefore, out of necessity, Lynd could only come to Asshai to find a guide who could lead him to Styria.
Just as Lynd was about to inquire about Euron and a guide, Deltos's strange behavior caught his attention.
Deltos did not stay still as Lynd had instructed, but instead took a few steps and stretched out his head, leaning towards the black-robed man next to him who seemed to have giant blood. He then sniffed the black-robed man with his nose, as if he had smelled something delicious.
In fact, that was exactly the case. When Lynd asked Deltos about the situation, Deltos's answer was that the magic power emanating from the black-robed man was very fragrant, like a delicious pre-dinner dessert. He asked Lynd if he could eat this dessert.
At the same time, Jhaben nervously watched the giant dragon that had approached him. He felt that even at his peak, he probably wouldn't be a match for this giant dragon, because he could sense how vast the magic power contained within the dragon's body was, so vast that he couldn't even imagine it.
Therefore, in this situation, he could only choose to close his eyes and quietly wait for a possible attack.
However, the attack he feared did not come for a long time. When he opened his eyes again, he found that the dragon's head was still beside him, but Linde Terra had appeared next to the dragon's head.
"Who are you?" Lynd asked very directly.
"Jhaben, Jhaben of Asshai." Jhaben replied calmly.
"Jhaben? You are Jhaben, King of Asia and Master Dark Warlock?" Lynd was a little surprised, and looked at the mage, whose height was unusual, with a puzzled expression.
Lynd had heard of Jhaben's name when he was in Summerhall. The first person to mention this King of Asia was not the Kohor mages who were affiliated with him, but Archmaester Marwyn. When Archmaester Marwyn was in Asshai, he had served as Jhaben's assistant for a period of time and was very clear about Jhaben's abilities. So when Lynd wanted to divide Black Hollow into different schools of magic, like the Citadel, and find new leaders, Archmaester Marwyn recommended Jhaben to Lynd.
Afterwards, Lynd learned more about Jhaben from the Head of Tranquil Court, the President of the Mages Association, and the High Priest of the god of magic. His original idea of recruiting Jhaben faded, because in his opinion, someone like Jhaben, who had been King of Asia for many years, would not possibly obey other people's orders and serve others.
Originally, Lynd had forgotten about Jhaben, but what he didn't expect was to meet this famous King of Asia and the most powerful Dark Warlock in such a way.
However, a hint of doubt appeared in Lynd's eyes, because although Marwyn had not mentioned Jhaben's physique, it was not difficult to infer from his words that Jhaben should have been of normal human build, whereas this black-robed man now looked as if he had giant blood.
"I didn't expect that Lord Lynd, all the way in Westeros, would have heard my name." Jhaben also felt a strange sense of pride that Lynd knew him.
Lynd said, "Archmaester Marwyn is working for me now."
Jhaben was stunned and said, "Marwyn, that ordinary person from Oldtown? His comprehension of magic far surpasses most magic-users I've seen. If he didn't lack the talent for casting spells, he might have become an excellent mage by now."
Lynd directly stated his doubt: "Your physique doesn't quite match the one Marwyn described."
"This is due to the backlash of Dark Warlock power, coupled with the mutation caused by black stone magic invading the body," Quellier explained for Jhaben from the side. "This is the ultimate fate of every magic-user who lives in Asshai for a long time."
"Corroded by the power of Asshai?" Lynd hesitated for a moment, then asked Jhaben, "Could you remove your black robe and let me see your body after the backlash and corrosion?"
After Lynd made this request, not only was Jhaben stunned, but even Quellier looked at Lynd in surprise. In Quellier's opinion, Lynd's request was a bit excessive.
And a sudden, inexplicable feeling of shame arose in Jhaben's heart. He subconsciously thought that Lynd was humiliating him.
Lynd looked at Jhaben calmly and said, "I might have a way to undo your Dark Warlock magic backlash and the erosion of Asshai's power, allowing you to live."
Jhaben's mind went blank upon hearing this, and his initial shame quickly disappeared. He stared at Lynd, momentarily speechless.
The curse of Asshai had existed for countless years, and in the past, more than one person had tried to lift this curse, but without exception, they all ended in failure. He had also tried, and similarly failed, and failed miserably, even his original Dark Warlock magic suffered a backlash, turning him into this ghostly appearance.
Now Lynd was telling him that he had a way to remove the magic backlash and the Asshai curse from him. How could he believe it? He even thought that Lynd was deliberately looking for an excuse to see his mutated, monstrous body.
But after seeing Lynd's calm eyes and expression, he vaguely felt deep down that Lynd might really have a way to save him. After all, Lynd was the god of magic, the universally acknowledged only person in this world who had grasped the true meaning of magic.
Thinking of this, Jhaben took a deep breath, untied all the black robes and cloaks he was wearing, revealing his bizarre body.
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