"Very easy to use!" Roxy exclaimed with delight all over her face. She was extremely satisfied with the performance of this high-grade magic wood.
This type of magic wood conducted mana at an astonishing speed, allowing her to feel virtually no delay when using it. She could swiftly and smoothly channel mana into the magic stone.
The owner standing nearby heard Roxy's praise, and the smile on his face grew even wider—practically stretching from ear to ear.
However, in stark contrast to the owner, the young man was staring at Roxy with wide-eyed astonishment, as if he had witnessed something utterly unbelievable.
"Miss Demon Race, were you just… not chanting?" The youth asked with wide eyes, full of confusion. He seemed genuinely shocked by what Roxy had done earlier.
Roxy gave a slight smile but did not directly answer the youth's question. Instead, she turned her head toward Dan Feng.
Seeing this, Dan Feng decisively answered on Roxy's behalf: "As you can see." His tone was calm, as though this was nothing particularly surprising.
The youth was clearly stunned by this response. He muttered to himself, "Amazing… I thought there wasn't even such a technique in the world yet…" His voice carried clear admiration for the ability Roxy had demonstrated.
The owner slowly walked over to the youth and gently patted his shoulder, speaking earnestly: "That's something she developed herself. It's her skill. You should just focus on learning the craft of weapon-making from me." The owner's words contained both praise for Roxy and encouragement for the youth.
After all, he had taken the youth on as an apprentice precisely because he recognized the boy's talent.
The youth nodded seriously upon hearing the owner's words. "I know. I have no talent for magic or swordsmanship. Right now I just want to learn a trade—something that can let me scrape by for the rest of my life. Then I can marry a wife and live out my days in peace and leisure."
"Hah, you sure know how to enjoy life. When I was young, I buried myself completely in weapon-making, and now I don't even have a wife," the owner said, shaking his head with a sigh as he reflected on his own past.
"Since the staff is fine, we'll take our leave. We'll be sure to recommend this shop to our classmates," Dan Feng said to the owner. Then, together with Roxy—who was holding her new staff like a child with a brand-new toy and couldn't bear to let it go—they left the shop.
...
At this very moment, inside a luxurious residence somewhere in the Asura Kingdom, a bald, pot-bellied man was snoring soundly in bed. He had just finished "exercising" with someone not long ago, so his sleep quality was exceptionally good.
In his dream, that familiar mosaic-like humanoid figure slowly appeared before him.
"Well, well, your little life seems quite comfortable, doesn't it? As expected from someone who followed my advice—very good, very good," the Human God said as he immediately drew close to Darius, his tone carrying a hint of mockery.
Of course, this trace of mockery was completely undetectable to someone like Darius.
"Lord Human God! I have successfully won over the Water God. As for the North Emperor, he said he would consider it later, so right now he's off traveling again," Darius said with utmost respect. His fat, bloated body was currently kneeling in a prostrated posture directly facing the Human God.
"That's fine. In the end, he'll come back anyway. I've already seen your entire future clearly."
"And now, I'm going to assign you a task—one that will expand the strength of your private forces. Only then can I continue telling you what comes next," the Human God said. Suddenly, a pronounced smile appeared on his mosaic face.
"Please tell me what I should do, Lord Human God!"
"I need you to send your most trusted subordinates to the Conflict Zone. Then gather unaffiliated mercenaries and head to Rosenberg, the second city of the Basheran Duchy. There is a massive quantity of magic tools there. All you need to do is assemble enough people, capture Rosenberg, and quietly transport the magic tools back."
"I know what you're thinking. As a high-ranking minister, of course you have the capital to purchase magic tools. But! That particular batch is different—they were ordered by powerful figures from various regions. Without connections, you won't be able to order them."
With every sentence the Human God spoke, Darius's loyalty toward him deepened even further.
He never once doubted the truth of the Human God's words. He only needed to carry out whatever the Human God commanded. After all, how could Lord Human God possibly be wrong?
At this moment, Darius had completely become the Human God's apostle. If the Human God said west, he would never dare go east. He had grown entirely dependent on the answers the Human God provided.
"Yes! I'll give the orders right away!" Darius shouted. The sound of his fat pressing against his vocal cords came out especially grating.
Then Darius slowly awoke. He glanced at the beast-race little girl curled up in the corner.
The first thing he did upon waking was shout: "Someone!"
He then repeated the task the Human God had given him. His trusted subordinate respectfully withdrew to make arrangements—he was to gather a group of men and quickly head to the Conflict Zone to hire mercenaries.
After that, he called for someone to "deal with" the little girl.
There were only two possible outcomes: sell her to the slave market, or dispose of her body completely.
Among the three great magic nations, aside from the Ranoa Kingdom which possessed military strength, the other two duchies had virtually no combat power. The Nelis Duchy specialized in manufacturing magic tools, while the Basheran Duchy focused on magical academic research.
The Basheran Duchy's entire economy relied on the magic tools supplied by the Nelis Duchy. Those magic tools were sold in the second city, Rosenberg—it was the economic lifeline of the Basheran Duchy.
The Human God's plan was to create a massive disturbance, thereby drawing the Dragon God's attention and using the opportunity to drain the Dragon God's mana.
That way, when the Dragon God went to investigate, the Human God could cleverly pin the blame for stealing the magic tools on the Dragon God, putting him in a passive position.
At this moment, the Human God stood alone in this blank void. His voice echoed through the empty space: "Orsted, I will definitely become the one and only true god of the Six-Faced World. And you—you will absolutely never defeat me! Nor will you ever be able to kill me!" His words carried boundless confidence and arrogance.
The face that was originally impossible to make out now displayed an expression of utter disdain.
Although he could only control three apostles at a time, he already had multiple apostles under his command—this was undoubtedly a major advantage.
As long as he could properly nurture and develop these apostles, the Dragon God would have no chance of defeating him.
After all, how could a Dragon God who had lost most of his mana possibly stand against the Human God?
...
"Remember to rest well. We leave for the Basheran Duchy tomorrow," Dan Feng reminded Roxy before parting.
"Mm-hmm, got it." Roxy nodded, then headed toward the girls' dormitory with her staff in hand.
Dan Feng also walked toward the boys' dormitory. He planned to go back, practice spear techniques a bit, read some books, and then rest.
Tomorrow they would take a carriage bound for Rosenberg, the second city of the Basheran Duchy. The journey would take several days.