"The City of Magic is going to face a calamity?"
Viktor kept the words of that phantom mage in his mind.
He thought for a moment, or more precisely, he was thinking about the game's storyline.
In the future, the City of Mages had indeed suffered a devastating attack.
It was a special, exclusive mission meant only for mage-class players; no other class could participate.
The cause was a powerful magical creature that had been sealed away and was about to break free from the City of Mages to reappear in the world.
"The Dark Archmage, Exodia."
He was once a mage, but because of his obsession with pursuing power, he injected powerful magic into every vein of his body in an attempt to make his physical form surpass that of humans.
Exodia did become stronger, but the consequences were obvious.
Because of the magical backlash, he eventually lost his sanity.
His body transformed into that of a giant with three heads.
Three heads meant three minds.
Their thoughts clashed endlessly, their wills in constant chaos.
The endless outpouring of magic from his body naturally caused infinite disasters.
That was why he was sealed in the City of Magic.
The Dark Archmage's seal was gradually loosening, and according to the city's magical observatory, his target was the city's first source of magic, Hyjal.
It was Endymion's first source of magical power, its very foundation, containing an ocean of magic vast enough to drown the world.
It was said to be the first great tree planted by the gods.
Its immense magical energy was what kept the floating city aloft in the sky, and what made Endymion's climate warm and pleasant all year round.
If Hyjal were attacked and destroyed, the island's entire magical network would collapse. The floating island would plummet, crashing onto the ground below.
For any nation, that would be a catastrophic blow.
If it fell into the ocean, the tidal waves it would create could swallow half the world, an apocalypse of unimaginable scale.
Viktor thought for a moment, then leaned back in his chair.
He appeared calm, in fact, confident.
"You mean Hyjal?"
The mage within the projection froze, stunned for quite a while before finally letting out a bitter laugh.
"Lord Viktor, just how much do you already know?"
Viktor's tone was composed, strategic.
"Not much. But enough."
"So, you must have heard about the Demon War too. That's why you came to me, Mr. Haim."
Viktor, of course, knew who the man in the envelope projection was.
Haim Horn. A phantom mage spoken of in rumors across the continent.
As a member of the Magic Council, he did not belong to any nation nor held any political stance, simply a fourth-tier powerhouse who governed the City of Magic.
A "phantom mage," as the name suggested, was skilled in illusions and teleportation. But what others envied most was his unique spell, Phantom Clone.
The phantom could replicate Haim's movements, and naturally, his spells.
But each time a clone appeared, his magic output weakened proportionally.
Still, even if one bullet weakens, when there's a whole forest of them, they can pierce a skyscraper in an instant.
Haim grew solemn and said slowly to Viktor, "Just by sensing my magic, you recognized who I am… Lord Viktor, you keep surprising me."
His identity wasn't exactly a secret; in the City of Mages, he was rather famous.
What surprised him was that Viktor could identify him solely by his magic, something even experienced mages struggled to do.
Before he could say more, Viktor clasped his hands together.
"Then tell me, why should I agree to help you? I have no attachment to Endymion."
Haim Horn grew anxious. He didn't care anymore about leaking Endymion's secrets, he hurriedly explained, "Hyjal is Endymion's last line of defense. If Endymion falls…"
"…the nation will be destroyed. The continent will collapse."
Viktor finished for him.
At that, Haim swallowed hard.
Viktor smirked.
"And what does that have to do with me?"
Haim fell silent. Completely.
He suddenly remembered who stood before him, the kind of man Viktor was.
Someone who would never be bound by morality or lofty ideals.
"Lord Viktor, the Council has already agreed to your demands…"
"That was payment for inviting me to join the Council," Viktor said flatly.
That was what he'd earned.
But if they wanted his help...
"What you're asking for comes at a separate price."
The old mage's expression turned to anger.
"Viktor, what makes you so greedy?"
Viktor tapped his fingers lightly on the table.
"I have a sister. She's a merchant."
"I don't care how desperate you are, if you want my help, then pay me."
The old mage stayed silent for a long time, finally letting out a deep sigh.
"Viktor, what do you want?"
"A Council seat."
The old mage's voice rose in fury. "Impossible!"
"There can only be twelve councilors at once! You're nowhere near qualified to become one!"
The moment he finished speaking, blazing fire erupted behind Viktor. The air trembled under the heat.
The flames roared like an enraged lion, climbing up Viktor's body, and his warning voice rumbled low.
Vega, perched on his shoulder, now had a faint blue glint in its eyes that no one noticed.
Though separated by a magical projection, Haim Horn felt a vast ocean of magical power pouring toward him, threatening to drown him whole.
The searing heat almost felt real, burning.
Such raw magical force made Haim's heart shudder violently.
He hadn't misjudged this man.
Then Viktor's voice sounded again, calm and cold.
"Mr. Haim, remember, in this negotiation, you're the one asking me for help."
"If there's no seat open, I don't mind killing a fourth-tier mage to make one."
Viktor smiled. A chilling, predatory smile.
Haim Horn went silent again, for a very long time. He began to wonder if inviting Viktor to join the Council had been a terrible mistake.
But once he'd lured the tiger out of the mountains, it was far too late to send it back.
He could only steel himself and say, "The Council seat… I can't decide that on my own."
"Viktor, your aggressiveness gives me reason to believe you're declaring war on the Magic Council."
The Council's members were all elite fourth-tier mages, respected figures across regions.
If it came to a fight, Haim refused to believe Viktor could take on the entire Council alone.
"I apologize, Mr. Haim. Perhaps I frightened you."
"In that case, tomorrow I'll visit the Council myself. We'll discuss it in person."
Viktor took out the invitation from the envelope, it contained Endymion's coordinates.
He tapped the table with a finger; fire flared again, burning the letter to ash. The wind carried the dust out the window, and along with it, Haim's projection vanished.
Vega took that moment to disconnect the magical link, then asked in puzzlement, "I don't get it. Everything was going so smoothly just now. I thought the negotiations were going to end peacefully. Why did you suddenly make it look like you were declaring war?"
Vega couldn't understand. Viktor was confident, yes, but he'd never been reckless.
And this time… it felt deliberate, like he'd gone out of his way to anger them.
He'd even made Vega establish the mana link halfway through.
Viktor flipped the invitation over in his hand.
The coordinates clearly marked Endymion's current location.
As a floating city, Endymion constantly drifted through the skies, changing position all the time.
He explained, "People who become Councilors usually have strong moral principles, like Rachel Azure."
That old headmaster was one of them. Though not a noble, he'd built a magic academy from scratch and devoted his life to serving his country.
He poured all his energy into his academy.
Even if his moral code had flaws, even if he couldn't guarantee there weren't parasites among his students and teachers, at least he could answer to his own conscience.
"So no matter how viciously I threaten them, the Magic Council won't go to war with me. Because the power I've shown makes them need me."
The Council was an organization full of righteousness, if you had to assign it an alignment, it would be Lawful Good.
Someone like Viktor, chaotic by nature, was unfit to join.
So during both negotiations, Viktor had deliberately showcased his value.
Besides, all that talk just now, was just that. Talk.
He hadn't made a move first, so those mages had no reason to attack him.
Why shouldn't he posture a little?
"You still haven't answered my question," Vega pressed. "Why did you purposely provoke them?"
Viktor answered casually, "To make them think I really want that Council seat."
They'd believe Viktor would do anything to get it. And once they thought that, they'd assume they could control him.
Because in their eyes, he had a need.
And once there's a need, negotiations become much easier.
Those old mages would happily sacrifice one seat to give Viktor his, thinking that once he became a Councilor, he'd have to protect his position and obey their authority.
"Who knows," Viktor said with a sly grin. "They're probably thrilled, getting a calamity-tier mage who can fight demons and disasters, all for the price of one Council seat. Not a bad deal, right?"
He chuckled, his laughter full of cunning calculation.
Vega still didn't get it. "But what's in it for you? What's the point of being a Councilor?"
"True, being one has its perks," Viktor said, spreading his hands indifferently. "But as you guessed, I don't actually care about the title."
"The City of Magic's Hyjal, that's what I'm after."
Only Councilors had access to the city's magical core.
And Viktor was the only one who truly knew what that "tree" really was.
Strictly speaking, yes, it was a divine tree planted by the gods.
But in truth, it was stolen long ago by mages.
The Core of the Wood Calamity, the origin of Druja.