Chapter 13: Mysterious Gem

Ke Lan Jia Ting spent over ten minutes recounting their origins.

These Gray Dwarves actually arrived only a few years before Naimi Xisi; before that they had been slaves within Aolingduoer.

City of the Mind Flayers—Aolingduoer.

Mind Flayers are hermaphroditic beings, like Drow elves and spider‑like elves; they dwell in the Underdark, and throughout their long history they have wielded extreme savagery, earning a terrifying reputation in Frelen.

These octopus‑like monsters are said to come from other worlds; each Mind Flayer is a born master of Psychic Ability, eager to dominate other creatures' minds, enslave their bodies, and feast on their brains.

Indeed, Mind Flayers' staple food is the brains of sentient beings—the smarter, the more they relish.

And Aolingduoer is an underground city founded by Mind Flayers!

In this city, Mind Flayers have abandoned their former brutality; they welcome slave traders and high‑level Spellcasters, and strict laws forbid Mind Flayers from arbitrarily harming these guests.

But that is all.

Aside from slave traders and high‑level Spellcasters, ordinary people who enter still face only one fate: enslavement and having their brains eaten.

And the Gray Dwarves are one of the slave races in Aolingduoer City controlled by Mind Flayers.

Ke Lan Jia Ting, under daily oppression, suddenly awakened his Psychic Ability; using it he broke free of the Mind Flayers' mental control and helped over twenty of his kin awaken likewise, sneaking them out of the cavern and into this place.

"Wait a moment, you mean you came straight to this vein? Those two caves had no magical seals blocking you?" Naimi Xisi asked.

Ke Lan Jia Ting felt odd, about to say no, when he suddenly seemed to recall something and said, "Ah, when we passed, the cave did flash with some Magic Runes, but they shattered quickly, and we never saw those Runes again."

Naimi Xisi's eyes widened; the magical seal was still present when the Gray Dwarves arrived? Moreover, right on time—according to Ke Lan Jia Ting's account, the High Seal Gate was broken as they came? Damn it, could it truly be a god's arrival?

Juan Ce Long found it absurd; he immediately intended to use Mind Power to probe the Gray Dwarves' memories for truth, but the next moment he was shocked to discover that the once‑unfailing Mind Power vanished inside Ke Lan Jia Ting's body as if a stone had sunk into the sea.

"Master, it's the gem on that axe; it seems able to absorb Mind Power," the voice of the mind reminded Naimi Xisi.

He looked closely and indeed the axe shaft in the Gray Dwarf's hand bore a faceted silver gem, now emitting a faint halo.

"Show me your axe,"

Naimi Xisi summoned a Mage Hand; the virtual blue hand, following the Spellcaster's will, seized the axe and floated before him.

"Where did this gem come from?" Naimi Xisi asked.

Ke Lan Jia Ting, whose axe had been taken by Juan Ce Long, felt pained, thinking the greedy Young Dragon Stage also coveted the material used to forge the axe.

"Sir, I stole this from a Mind Flayer Mage's Mage Tower in Aolingduoer; later, to commemorate those days in Aolingduoer, I fused the gem into my war axe, symbolizing that the Gray Dwarves will never forget the era of Mind Flayer enslavement."

Naimi Xisi nodded; now he was eager to confirm one thing.

The Young Dragon raised its claw, uttered draconic words at speed; an invisible force coalesced in the air, pressure so great it subtly warped the air, forming a faint transparent sphere. Second Ring Shaping Energy System Spell—Force Blast! The unseen force roared from the claw, tearing the air like a savage beast, slamming hard onto the axe's gem.

But nothing happened; the force brushed the gem like a gentle breeze and then vanished.

"Indeed, this gem not only absorbs Mind Power but can also draw Arcane Power; if Mage Hand weren't of physical nature, it would likely be absorbed as well. The High Seal Gate was probably broken by it."

Naimi Xisi could picture the scene: as Ke Lan Jia Ting approached the seal, the High Seal Gate should have manifested and barred his entry, but the gem drained the Gate's power, utterly shattering the spell's structure.

Juan Ce Long couldn't help getting excited; though he didn't know the gem's purpose, a magical material that can disrupt Eight-Circle Spell must be priceless! "Ogel!! Give, I, out, now!!" Naimi Xisi shouted with full vigor.

Within seconds, after a series of "dong dong dong" sounds, a huge Ouger burst from the cave, looking dumbfounded and asking, "Master, what do you want me to do?"

Naimi Xisi flicked his dragon claw, flinging the axe to Ogel's feet, and casually said, "Take this gem off for me."

Ke Lan Jia Ting clutched his chest in anguish; indeed dragons' eyes light up at the sight of a gem. Though he didn't pity the gem, his Cold Iron war axe that had accompanied him for years was about to be ruined!

Ogel cheerfully raised his big wooden club; causing destruction was his favorite thing.

"Ogel, smash the axe~! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Under the Ouger's massive brute force, the poor Cold Iron war axe quickly shattered; Naimi Xisi snatched the gem, let out a sigh, and gently brushed dust off it with his dragon claw.

"If I wield this gem, wouldn't that be equivalent to magic immunity plus Mana immunity?"

An outlandish idea flashed in Naimi Xisi's mind, but he quickly realized it would also mean he could no longer cast spells.

"fusevilour!"

Juan Ce Long held the gem in one hand while attempting a spell with the other; indeed, at the instant Rock Hail Technique formed, the Arcane Power was completely absorbed by the gem.

Naimi Xisi felt a bit regretful; the gem was somewhat of a chicken‑rib for him.

"Master, I can sense this gem seems to crave Mind Power, or similar forces—like the Psychic Ability that exists in this world; with enough Mind Power nurturing it, the gem might serve another purpose."

"Oh?" Naimi Xisi became curious; he had never seen any magical material like this gem. He had thought it was merely a material property, but it turned out to be actively absorbing.

"Artificial Magic Item." Juan Ce Long's eyes lit up; this must be a very rare Magic Item. Though he didn't know what it was, Mind Power is an extremely potent force, and compared to the Mana used by Psychic Ability, Mind Power is essentially a Mana‑plus version.

The gem's ability to absorb Mind Power is certainly not a simple essence.

"Could it be the legendary Artifact?" Juan Ce Long began to daydream as if in daylight.

(End of Chapter)