Chapter 1211: Marden’s Speculations
Soaring past the cloud, Marden felt the crisp wind brush against his face. This was despite him coating his body with a thin layer of mana. Or else, flying would have been really troublesome.
He lowered his head and glanced at the landscape below, which looked no different than a painting that had come to life. He couldn’t help but reveal a faint smile.
"Not bad," he said. "So this is how you find purchase, eh? It will be easier for my future plans..."
As he breathed in the fresh air high up above the clouds, his mind couldn’t help but wander. He thought of the relationship between mana density and the laws of flight.
In different worlds, the density of mana directly influenced the natural laws governing flight. On a planet with high mana density, the atmosphere is saturated with mana particles.
These particles created resistance, much like a thicker medium, making it harder for spells related to flight to generate lift. To counter this, Magi expended more energy to push against the denser mana field.
Conversely, on a planet with low mana density like Tron, the medium offered less resistance. Flight became easier, requiring less mana to maintain altitude or speed.
Regardless, soaring above the clouds was one of the best things a Magus—or any person, for that matter—could experience. Of course, unless they had a fear of heights...
Marden’s smile slowly faded away when he thought back to his meeting with the Prince of Indus. Although the latter showed great ambition, Marden couldn’t help but feel a hint of doubt while looking at him.
It was true that Devraj Vasuran was an ally of the Cult and greatly supported their plan for world domination. But at the same time, Marden couldn’t help but wonder... when the time came, could Devraj really swing the sword that had already been unsheathed?
Thinking of this, his eyes flashed with a peculiar light. He retrieved a skeletal worm from his storage artifact. After imbuing mana into it, the worm came to life. Marden brought it closer to his lips and spoke in a solemn tone:
"I sense hesitation in the man. Devraj might not be up to the task when the moment truly comes. This might jeopardise our plan. It’s better to be cautious. Prepare the contingency."
With that said, the skeletal worm slipped into the spirit world, carrying the message to its recipient. And it was none other than Marden’s close friend, Leland Haynam.
After sending the message, Marden’s lips curled into a smirk. His eyes flashed with a calculating light, and he wondered:
That should dispel any lingering doubts the Lord may hold towards me. With this, everything will finally fall into place.
Despite Marden slaughtering his entire family, he could still feel that the Cult Leader harbored slight suspicions towards him. This was the lich’s nature. He was a Magus driven to madness, making him paranoid and suspicious of everyone and everything around him.
Yet still, he needed close aides he could confide in. He needed people whom he could trust. After all, he couldn’t conquer the world alone. And that’s where the Inner Circle came in. But the Cult Leader’s meaning of trust was... twisted.
The Elders of the Inner Circle were all Magi whom the Cult Leader trusted. But then again, that was only possible because he had direct and complete control over them. But not Marden...
Marden was the only Elder not to practice necromancy. As such, the Cult Leader did not have complete control over him. This was exactly the reason Marden was able to remove the lich’s hold over him with the help of the bloody ritual he conducted back in Ravenfell.
However, with how much he had accomplished in the Battle of Ravenfell, he was certain that the Cult Leader shouldn’t have any reason to doubt him. And with his recent action, he hoped to further solidify that trust.
But Marden knew the Cult Leader very well. It was good to be cautious, but not overly cautious like the lich.
A man who trusted no one believed that only his own judgment was reliable. At first, that might look like strength. The man would avoid betrayal, keep secrets safe, and rely on his own abilities. But over time... that lack of trust would isolate him.
Without trusted allies, the Cult Leader bore every burden alone, making him slower to act and easier to overwhelm. He enslaved capable people who would never have supported him, leaving him surrounded only by sycophants or by no one at all.
When a true crisis arrived, and it will one day eventually arrive, the lich would have no one to watch his back, no one to warn him, no one to stand beside him...
His hubris, the belief that only he is worthy of his own trust, blinded him to the truth that no great endeavor was ever achieved alone. In the end, his downfall would be caused not by his enemies, but by the very walls he built around himself.
The Lord has gone mad for a long time now, Marden thought with a grim look on his face.
What is his agreement with the devils about? If the planetary alignment is within the next century, and he already knows the location of the teleportation gate, then... why work with the devil in the first place?
Marden had had a lot of time to deeply think over this matter. He had come up with several thoeries, but there was one that was more convincing than the others, one that he believed was not that far from the truth.
Could it be... he wondered, his eyes gleaming with a calculating light.
The devils provided the Lord with the secret to becoming a lich and attaining immortality? And in return... the Lord had to sacrifice this world to the devils.
He also mentioned to me something along the lines of... it was better for my kin to die by my own hands than to become soldiers for the devils in an eternal war against the demons.
Is this the deal the Lord had struck with the devils?
Immortality in exchange for billions of lives?
The more Marden thought about it, the more it seemed to make sense. His lips slowly curled into a cold smile. His lips parted, and he softly murmured:
"Oh, we’ll see about that."
Soon, he had arrived at his destination...
The secret portal hidden in the heart of Indus.