Star Forge Titan

However, Alvin was a little puzzled as to why this woman brought him to such an inconvenient place to talk before the matter was even finished.

As if she had guessed the boy's confusion, Heidi, who was walking in front, tilted her head and looked at him.

"Voice, you are not the waves, you are the lake, accumulating but not dispersing." A strange chant came out of her mouth, and the sounds around the two of them immediately became quiet, while other people in the night market obviously did not notice this.

“…” Seeing this scene, Alvin’s eyes quickly became sharp.

He recognized this peculiar way of casting spells; it wasn't an orthodox mage's method, but something more primitive and bizarre. It was a method that used lies, deception, and confusion to temporarily alter the original nature of things, achieving an almost magical effect.

Of course, the actual application process is far from being as universal as described by the basic principles, and will be subject to the constraints and influences of many rules from various aspects.

The sound waves would have originally spread in all directions, but after Heidi completed that seemingly simple little spell, at least the sound around the two of them became like a tranquil lake, accumulating only in a very small area.

When the spell is lifted, even if the mixed sounds spread out, what reaches the ears of others is only a vague noise like a strong wind blowing.

And the class with this kind of spellcasting method...

"Wizard? No, you are a witch?" Ivan asked with a frown:

Hearing this name, Heidi gave him a charming look.

"Compared to that name, which sounds like a common villain in children's bedtime stories, I prefer the name 'witch'."

Third-level professional witches have unique ways of casting spells and strange spell types. They can make ordinary water cure diseases, and turn solid metal handcuffs into a texture as soft as clay. They are regarded as a minority of spellcasters who are like the embodiment of fairy tale plots.

However, although the witches' unique way of casting spells can produce miraculous effects in some aspects, it is also far from the mainstream orthodoxy. Unlike traditional wizards, it is not as easy to find a path to advancement, and it is often difficult for them to become extraordinary people above the third level.

This also seems to explain why Heidi has ambitions for the so-called 'Witch King's Secret Technique'.

"You are already at the third level. If you want to move up further, you can't rely solely on secret rituals. The real focus should be on the complete awakening of soul power." Alvin shook his head and talked about the secret knowledge that only high-level extraordinary people knew as if he were chatting about ordinary topics.

As a transcendent who has experienced the era of the rise of nations, he knows a lot about mysticism, secret knowledge, and other information that only transcendents know.

In the future, the extraordinary people of the new era will gradually realize that, except for a few geniuses who are truly ahead of their time, the vast majority of people are more suitable to develop their own schools better and faster by increasing the speed and scale of information exchange and gathering the power of more people.

But that is the view of later generations after all. Now that the door to this new era has just opened a crack, most extraordinary people still maintain the old mindset of cherishing their own things.

This was also the reason why Heidi looked surprised at the moment. She looked at the exceptionally tall black-haired boy next to her with strange eyes, and then couldn't help but ask.

"Do you know what your words mean to wild transcendents who lack inheritance?"

"Isn't this common sense?" Alvin was stunned for a moment, then realized that this was not the completely immersive game Palladio, and there was no player forum where people could casually reveal all kinds of secret information.

Perhaps, it is just a simple statement that sounds like common sense.

However, wild superhumans who have not received a complete education have no chance to learn this information about high-level superhumans.

"Really? You don't look like a wild kid from the northern glaciers. Instead, you look more like my overly naive junior schoolmates who grew up in the City of Thousand Towers." Heidi sighed helplessly, rubbing her brows.

"It shouldn't be that serious...right..." Alvin was a little uncertain.

Time is, despite his experience in virtual Palladio, there is still a big gap between him and the people of this era.

This is not easy for the person involved to notice, but to others, it is like an elephant walking among a herd of deer, abrupt and unusual.

Whether it was Afrediya and Khayon who were far away in Elrond, or Katherine or Diana who were in Lind, those who were familiar with Ivan had noticed this.

At this moment, Heidi also felt that strange feeling.

She looked at Ivan with subtle eyes until the latter showed a very uncomfortable expression.

"Forget it, we've strayed a bit off topic." Heidi sighed and unexpectedly felt like she was back in the City of a Thousand Towers.

In that academy that was more like a city than a city, there were some annoying stubborn people, but she also met many people who were so naive that they were not annoying.

"Let's talk about the secret method." When Heidi mentioned this, she couldn't help but look up at the city center in the distance.

That was the throne where the Witch King and the nobles sat. The towering palace, like a temple, could be clearly seen even from the night market on the edge of the city. When talking about topics related to the former, the sorceress's eyes became solemn.

"Although each Sorcerer King possesses unique strengths, and their spiritual abilities remain undiscovered even after centuries, they all possess, without exception, vast reserves of magical power beyond imagination."

Hearing this, Alvin couldn't help but prick up his ears, and the noisy and bustling market around him seemed to disappear in an instant.

"I've lived in this desert as a merchant for two years and nine months. Although I haven't figured out why the Witch King possesses a vast reserve of magical power far exceeding that of an ordinary fourth-level wizard, I have discovered some clues."

"First, we can confirm that the Witch Kings did not rely on magic furnaces or other magic-generating devices. Although they should have been able to obtain such devices given their status, they did not do so."

"Furthermore, even the extremely rare large-scale magic furnaces would logically be unable to support a body as large as the monster transformed by the Witch King in battle."

"One of the known sources of magic power is the magic power extracted from all residents of the desert city-state in the form of taxes. God knows how those wizard kings do it."

"Ordinary people who aren't transcendental do have magic within them, but that natural magic is like the blood flowing through a living being. It's difficult to draw upon under normal circumstances, and frequent loss of this magic inevitably leads to a loss of vitality. That's why the average lifespan of desert peoples is only thirty or forty years old."

Picking up a dried fig and putting it between her lips that seemed to be stained with blood, Heidi's dark brown eyes became particularly deep, making it impossible to guess her true thoughts.

"Blood tax..." Alvin whispered the term.

"Yes, they call it..."

"Blood tax!"

Chapter 8: Clouds Moving in All Directions

The tax paid with life is called blood tax.

As Heidi tells the story, the clues gradually come together.

The woman was holding a handful of dried figs placed on a lotus leaf, which she had just bought from a nearby stall. She looked like a tourist enjoying the market, but the information she said made Alvin quickly understand something.

Without becoming a transcendent, the amount of magic power that ordinary people can mobilize is quite limited. Moreover, even in a commercial center like Ismailia, the population of the desert city-state is far less than that of large cities in other regions.

Considering the staggering amount of magical power required for a massive spell like Rainfall, which manipulates the weather, even if we were to use the extreme calculation of forcibly converting some of his life force...

A large number of numbers rolled in Ivan's mind. He believed that he still had some confidence in his thinking ability, which allowed him to calculate a rough result within a few seconds without any draft calculations, but this made people feel even more confused.

"Witch King, there are other ways to obtain magic power." The black-haired boy looked at Heidi with certainty.

The sorceress raised her eyebrows, and the sickly sweet figs seemed to make her smile even brighter.

"Quick reaction, boy."

"Perhaps, I never said that the secret method was just a simple secret ritual." Heidi licked the icing on her fingers and continued:

"Although it sounds a bit cruel, the method of converting life force into magic power can also be done by some black wizards, sorcerers, and even more evil people."

"However, according to the rumors that have gradually spread, it involves the true secrets of the Sorcerer King, the source of the powerful force that allows the five majesties to rule this land. It is a magical secret that no one knows about, and it is different from the blood tax system."

"It is said that..." Heidi turned her back to the bright light of the night market, and her face shrouded in shadows revealed a hint of weirdness.

"The magic comes from the land itself."

This did pique Alvin's interest. If he simply relied on exploiting ordinary people to obtain additional magic power, then the so-called secret method was nothing more than that. Even if it was given to him, he would just treat it as a pile of waste paper and throw it away.

However, the secret method that could truly mobilize the vast magical power in the environment held a strong appeal to him, as it could solve the problem of his giant god form not being able to function properly, while also advancing his own combat power system to a higher level.

Strong armor, effective attack, and sufficient energy.

Even if his soul power is not fully awakened, he can transform into a perfect firepower platform with all attributes reaching hexagonal.

In addition, the description of magic coming from the earth also makes people easily think of giants or Titans.

Because similar words are often mentioned in related descriptions, such as the powerful giant who was born from the earth and whose strength is inexhaustible when he stands on the earth.

Or there is another more exaggerated statement, that the Titans, who symbolize the earth itself, can directly absorb the magic power from the earth's core to shape its plateaus thousands of meters high and even taller mountains. They can also get angry and punch through the ground, creating a huge rift spanning 8,000 kilometers, nearly one-sixth of the planet's surface circumference.

Alvin shook his head and put those unrealistic thoughts aside for the time being. He shouldn't just think about how heavy the goose was until it was shot down.

Moreover, whether it was a wild goose flying in the sky or a Predator drone carrying dangerous weapons is still debatable.

"Did the rumors mention what kind of media the so-called secret method is recorded on?" Alvin turned to ask for more detailed information.

"No, maybe it's a book, or a sealing scroll, or something else."

The female mage shook her head, obviously she didn't have such detailed information.

"The only thing that's clear now is one thing." Heidi looked at Ivan seriously, her dark brown pupils like two whirlpools making it difficult to look away.

"The secret code was transferred to Ismailia earlier this month. The current holder is the nephew of the Fourth Witch King, a young dwarf named Thorin."

"Everyone is searching for his whereabouts, but we still haven't received any definitive information. However, the entirety of Ismailia has been secretly surrounded by various forces. While ordinary merchants can travel freely, all unidentified transcendents will be restricted in the short term and will not be able to leave easily."

"It's not a good thing to steal other people's things." Alvin shook his head.

"That's okay. I think Mr. Thorin would be happy to hire two outstanding and morally qualified transcendents to escort him out of Ismailia in exchange for secret techniques," Heidi said with a smile.

“…”A bad woman is a bad woman. She has already thought of an excuse for herself.

The black-haired boy looked up at the sky speechlessly, hoping in his heart that the man named Thorin was a bad guy.

After all, bad guys are not human beings. You won’t feel any psychological burden if you rob them, and you may even feel good about it.

It was just like asking the Minister of Agriculture to 'borrow' something before, well, although he used hammers and axes, dressed like a Berserker of the Chosen of the Terror, and demolished about three-quarters of the magnificent manor in the process.

But, it can be considered as a loan...right?

"Yes, evil people have no human rights."

"Did I say it directly?"

"You can guess it by looking at the expression."

The two looked at each other for a moment, and then Alvin raised his hands to indicate that the topic was temporarily put aside.

"I won't be leaving Ismailia anytime soon. If you need anything, you can go directly to the land port. The sand boat registered as Rogilas is now mine."

"It's developing very fast. I came to the desert two years ago and only just established a large chamber of commerce. You've been here for a week, and you already own a large sand boat. You're really a scary young man." Heidi put her hands behind her back and looked up and down at the young fellow countryman in front of her. The meaningful look in her eyes made him feel uncomfortable.

The impact of the beautiful big sister was so strong that I couldn’t bear it. I almost couldn’t bear it.

"By the way, who is interested in this matter now?" With a light cough, Alvin turned the subject to the main topic.

"If that were true, all the extraordinary people around would be 'interested'. However, the ones who should really pay attention should be the subordinates sent by the other four Witch Kings. They definitely don't want the so-called 'Witch King Secret Technique' to be known to anyone other than themselves."

Although her words mentioned the most powerful existence in the desolate land of Silent Desert, Heidi's voice was as calm as ever, even with a hint of mockery.

Then she raised five fingers, thought for a moment, and retracted one of them. After all, the Fourth Witch King had been assassinated three months ago.

"The Fifth Sorcerer-King, the Enemy of Fighters, the Bloodthirsty Hotep."

"The Third Sorcerer King, the Desert Fox, the Cunning Hunidaman."

"The Second Sorcerer King, Blue Water Lily, Menes of Gold."

"And, the most powerful and most terrifying First Witch King..." Heidi raised her last finger.

"Eternal Sun, brother of the blazing sun in the sky, master of Crescent Lake, the only lake in the desert, and overlord of the earth."

"Sun-Horhara."

Chapter 9: Starting Early

Before the dawn, the night meeting finally came to an end.

Although the harsh environment and short lifespan make the desert people passionate and unrestrained, any carnival will eventually return to life.

The crowds gradually left, both ordinary tourists and hidden thieves gradually dispersed, the street lights also went out one after another, and the lighting magic in the sky had been lifted long ago.

As for Heidi and Ivan, they mixed in the crowd and separated in different directions.

Alvin was preparing to return to the Rogilas, which was docked in the land port, with the intelligence, but his steps suddenly stopped when he was about to leave, and a subtle expression appeared on his face.

Elsewhere, Heidi approached two figures who had been waiting on the street for a long time. One of them was exceptionally tall, appearing only slightly shorter than Ivan. Furthermore, his body was incredibly muscular, his well-developed limbs and muscles making him look like a sturdy muscle car.

However, even in the scorching desert, this person was still wearing a loose maid outfit, but the sleeves on both arms were nowhere to be seen, leaving his two muscular arms directly exposed.

This is a maid, two meters tall, with arms that can run horses.

The maid's face looked particularly hideous because of the scars that were scattered all over it. Those scars also had traces of rough stitches, which made it look as if something that was originally completely shattered was forcibly sewn together, revealing a creepy feeling.

However, sitting on her shoulder was a cute little girl, who was the little Feng Ling that Alvin had rescued from the cannibal tribe before.

The relationship between the two sides is obviously very good. Feng Ling is not afraid of the hideous-looking scarred maid at all, and the latter talks and laughs with her like a kind-hearted good sister (although she is a little tall).

Seeing Heidi coming, the scar-faced maid hurriedly bowed and saluted, while not forgetting to support the little maid who was sitting on her shoulders. Although the latter let out a short and cute scream, she did not fall down because of the sudden movement of the tall scar-faced maid.

"Roberta, no need to be so polite." Heidi waved her hand.

After taking a look at the two of them looking so amused, she suddenly smiled.

"It's hard to take care of the children."

"But it seems like you guys get along pretty well."

"Mistress, your orders are my duties. Fengling is also a very cute and well-behaved child." The scarred maid named Roberta smiled slightly.