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What was originally just one clone had now increased to three!

The Black and White Armor saw a massive boost in defensive capabilities. Even without using any magic, attacks from any ordinary Magus and below couldn\'t penetrate its defenses. The absorption rate doubled, and damage mitigation, as well as various effects, increased by a whopping 50%!

As for his staff, it needed no further praise—it amplified magic by up to 30% and even reduced mana consumption by 20%.

Unfortunately, Dean Bruce had held back a little earlier and hadn\'t handed over his Dragonheart Pendant.

Since it was now certain that the Dwarves wouldn\'t deceive him and had sworn the Magical Faith Badge, he could bring the Dragonheart Pendant for enhancement next time.

Fully geared up, Dean Bruce was about to leave when Palos called out to him, "Wait a moment, Mr. Dean. It is a great honor for our Dwarven tribe to have you as a friend. Please, accept this as a token of our friendship."

As he finished speaking, a disc-shaped object flew out from behind the light screen. Nicholas William leaped up, caught it midair, and respectfully handed it over to Dean Bruce.

"This is a Magic Compass. Once activated, it can teleport you back to this location. However, after each use, it will need to absorb the ambient magical energy to restore itself."

Palos\'s voice echoed again, "In addition, the Magic Compass can detect magical fluctuations. Whenever it starts to tremble, it indicates that there is magical energy nearby, or a magic circle present. If someone were lying in ambush, this item could serve as an early warning."

"Thank you, Chief Palos."

Dean Bruce didn\'t refuse the gift. Who would turn down a free treasure?

With the deal concluded satisfactorily, Dean Bruce left with Nicholas William, content and pleased.

Although the past few days had been extremely hectic, Dean Bruce\'s strength had seen a tremendous boost compared to before. If he were to face an opponent like Borus again, he would no longer be suppressed but could effortlessly crush him!

After exiting through the small gate, the massive bronze doors closed shut with a thunderous sound, and the small hammer fell back into place.

Nicholas William yawned lazily and commented offhandedly, "Is that it? The deal is done? That was way too easy. Nothing even happened."

"What else were you expecting?" Dean Bruce replied with a hint of irritation, "Did you want us to encounter traps and dangers like before to make it more exciting?"

Nicholas William\'s face turned pale, and he hurriedly waved his hands in denial.

"Phew, let\'s go. We still have to get through the sandstorm before we can reach the Empire of Lane Cloud. If only this blasted sandstorm would stop."

"I have no idea what kind of sins the Kingdom of Hibiscus committed to end up in such a state!"

Dean Bruce sighed as he spoke and beckoned Nicholas to follow him out of the desert.

Fortunately, Dean Bruce and Nicholas William were riding warhorses. Despite the harsh terrain and the non-stop travel over the past few days, the steeds held up admirably.

Time flowed slowly as Dean Bruce, under Nicholas William\'s guidance, drew closer to the Empire of Lane Cloud.

As they traveled, they noticed more and more people on the road. But what surprised Dean Bruce was that these people were all moving in the opposite direction—away from the Empire!

Normally, in any empire, the imperial capital should be the place with the best environment and the largest population. So why were people from the Empire of Lane Cloud fleeing instead?

Pondering for a moment, Dean Bruce gestured for Nicholas William to ask around. An elderly man holding a toddler in his arms and leading a young girl by the hand was quickly stopped.

"Mercy, my lords!"

Commoners couldn\'t tell the difference between various military factions or political powers. Seeing Dean Bruce and Nicholas William on high-spirited warhorses, dressed in extravagant attire, the man immediately pulled his children close and dropped to his knees.

"Where are you coming from? And where are you heading?" Nicholas William asked.

"Answering my lord, we\'re from the Pur-cloud Imperial Capital. We\'re fleeing from disaster! As for where we\'re going…" The elderly man\'s expression turned bitter as he replied helplessly, "Wherever we can find a place to survive, we\'ll go there."

"And are the other people here also from the Pur-cloud Imperial Capital?" Nicholas William questioned further.

"Yes, my lord," the old man answered. "There are ghosts in the Pur-cloud Imperial Capital now. Many people have vanished without a trace. We\'re all refugees, fleeing for our lives."

"Many people?"

Hearing this, Dean Bruce and Nicholas William exchanged uneasy glances.

The situation was getting out of hand!

The last bit of information they\'d received indicated that only the family of Nicholas William\'s fiancée had mysteriously disappeared within the entire Empire of Lane Cloud. But in just a few days, it had escalated to the point where many people were vanishing inexplicably. The speed at which the situation was deteriorating completely caught Dean Bruce off guard.

"My lords, if you\'re heading to the Pur-cloud Imperial Capital, it\'s best to reconsider."

Seeing that Dean Bruce and Nicholas William\'s attitudes were rather gentle, the old man grew bolder and urged, "It\'s not just us commoners—many high-ranking officials have fled as well. Now, there aren\'t many living souls left in the entire capital!"

"Alright, thank you for the warning. You may go."

Nicholas William impatiently waved his hand. The carefree smile he usually wore vanished, replaced by a somber expression.

"Don\'t overthink it," Dean Bruce spoke up. "No matter what happens, we have to face it head-on. There\'s no use worrying endlessly. Only by taking action can we find hope."

"Let\'s keep moving. We\'ll figure out the rest once we get there."

"Yes, Master," Nicholas William nodded in agreement. He no longer glanced at the fleeing masses and instead picked up his pace significantly.

Noticing this change, Dean Bruce shook his head and suddenly said, "You\'ve already grasped the basics of the Wailing Flame Tomb spell. Although you managed to cast it only in a life-or-death situation, with more practice and consolidation, you\'ll soon be able to master it."

"Now, are you ready to learn a new spell?"

Upon hearing these words, Nicholas William\'s eyes lit up instantly.

It was clear that, at this moment, the matter of his fiancée was far less important to him than the prospect of learning an ultra-high-level spell or a high-level spell.

Dean Bruce chuckled, "There\'s no rush. Think carefully first about what type of magic you want to learn next."

"Master, there\'s no need to think. I already have control-type magic, and I\'ve got attack-type spells too. What I\'m missing is a defense-type spell!"

Nicholas William responded eagerly. "I\'ve seen your body withstand blade strikes, even producing sparks from the friction. Is that the result of a defense-enhancing spell? I want to learn that!"

"..."

Dean Bruce\'s initial intention was merely to divert Nicholas William\'s attention. Besides, Nicholas hadn\'t yet fully mastered the previous spell, so there was no hurry to teach a new one. He nodded and said, "That spell is called Thousand Mountains Fortress. It\'s a pure defense-type spell. Are you sure you want to learn it?"

Pausing for a moment, Dean Bruce added, "I also have another spell with multiple effects, one of which can also enhance physical defenses. Which one would you prefer to learn?"

"I want to learn Thousand Mountains Fortress! An ultimate defense spell should provide much stronger protection compared to a spell with mixed effects!" Nicholas William said resolutely.

Hearing this, Dean Bruce didn\'t say anything further. He began to slowly explain his comprehension of the Thousand Mountains Fortress spell to Nicholas William.

After a long while, Nicholas scratched his head and asked in surprise, "Master, before this, you only taught me the incantations and left me to figure them out on my own. Why are you teaching me this spell directly?"

What a joke—those previous spells weren\'t even ones that Dean Bruce knew himself. He had simply picked some random phrases, making it impossible to teach properly. But Thousand Mountains Fortress was a spell he had already mastered!

Of course, Dean Bruce would never voice that particular reason aloud. Instead, he responded calmly, "Thousand Mountains Fortress is such a straightforward defensive spell—there\'s really nothing much to comprehend about it."

"That\'s true."

Nicholas William grinned sheepishly.
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With the distraction of a new spell, Nicholas William\'s attention was successfully diverted, and he no longer seemed overly concerned. The two continued their journey toward the Pur-cloud Imperial Capital.

After another day and night of travel, Dean Bruce and Nicholas William finally arrived at the gates of the Pur-cloud Imperial Capital. Contrary to what one would expect from an imperial capital, the city appeared desolate and lifeless. There were hardly any people at the gates.

If it weren\'t for the presence of two soldiers slumped over a table at the entrance, fast asleep, Dean Bruce and Nicholas William might have believed that the entire Pur-cloud Imperial Capital had turned into a ghost town.

Riding up to the gate, the two soldiers were startled awake by the sound of approaching hoofbeats. The moment they opened their eyes and saw the luxurious clothing and armor worn by Dean Bruce and Nicholas William, they jumped to their feet in a panic.

After taking a closer look, the soldiers realized that the two were not from the Empire of Lane Cloud. Surprised, one of them asked, "Sirs, where do you come from? If it\'s not absolutely necessary, I advise you to leave as soon as possible."

"There are… ghosts haunting the Pur-cloud Imperial Capital these days," he added, voice trembling slightly.

Dean Bruce could hear the fear laced in their words and asked curiously, "If the city is haunted, why haven\'t you left?"

"We…" The two soldiers exchanged a helpless glance and said in frustration, "We wanted to flee too, but everyone else ran off even faster. When we woke up, the only ones left guarding the gate were the two of us. We received orders from above: anyone who tries to escape will be executed on the spot!"

Dean Bruce couldn\'t help but smile. He then asked, "How many people are left in the city?"

"There are still quite a few people. The royal family has stationed guards all over the place, so no one can leave. Where else can they run?"

"However, everyone is living in constant fear these days."