Chapter 127: Clues to the Tower of the Stars

Chapter 127: Clues to the Tower of the Stars

At the end of the Frostfall month, the Flashing Ridge and White Tower Province joint forces finally completed their war preparations.

However, just as Koy and the Marquis of White Tower were about to launch their final assault, an unexpected visitor suddenly appeared at their doorstep.

"Evans?"

In the council hall, Su Nan was taken aback by Koy's words.

"That's right."

Koy and the Marquis of White Tower exchanged glances, their expressions somewhat strange.

"At first, when we received the letter, we suspected it might be some sort of conspiracy. But our scouts have confirmed that the person there is indeed Evans, the legendary figure from the royal family."

The Marquis of White Tower nodded in agreement. "I've seen the sketches sent up from below. It's definitely Sir Evans, and his appearance hasn't changed a bit in the past fifty years."

Su Nan was puzzled. "That's strange. Why would he come to our territory alone and specifically request to meet me?"

Even a Third Circle Legendary Knight, as powerful as he is, can't stand up to a thousand hands.

In the territory controlled by the joint forces, Koy could easily dispatch his golem army and the Blackrock Cavalry to surround Evans. With enough manpower, he could overwhelm Evans with sheer numbers!

After all, a Legendary Knight is not a wizard's apprentice. While they are powerful, they lack the bizarre and varied abilities of a wizard. Once surrounded, they would die just like anyone else.

Not to mention, Su Nan was also present.

"We're not sure of his intentions, but I've already ordered the golem army to surround the tavern where Evans is staying."

Koy looked at Su Nan with a serious expression.

"What do you think? Do you want to meet him, or should we take the opportunity to eliminate Evans?"

By eliminating Evans, the greatest uncertainty in this war would be removed, and victory would be within their grasp.

Su Nan thought for a moment and shook his head. "No, I'll go and meet him."

He had already planned to meet Evans to understand how the man had extended his lifespan.

Moreover, he was curious about why Evans wanted to see him.

Seeing that Su Nan had made his decision, Koy and the Marquis of White Tower did not press further.

After all, they were on their own territory. Even if Evans had some sort of scheme, it wouldn't matter.

When Su Nan arrived at the tavern where Evans was staying, he found it surrounded by layers of golems and Blackrock Cavalry, including iron golems.

At this moment, Evans was effectively trapped with no way out.

Su Nan's curiosity about Evans' intentions grew. Surely, a legendary figure wouldn't come here to seek his own death?

Pushing open the tavern door, he found the place eerily quiet. The only person inside was a middle-aged man with an ordinary appearance, sitting at a table in the center.

As Su Nan's gaze fell on the man, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.

Through his perception, he could sense the man's robust and vibrant life force, indicating that he was in the prime of his life. It was hard to imagine that this was a man over 130 years old.

Clearly, Evans was far from the end of his natural lifespan.

"Long have I heard of your reputation, Sir Su Nan. Thank you for agreeing to meet me."

Evans stood up and smiled, gesturing to the seat opposite him.

"Would you mind having a drink with me?"

Su Nan nodded and took the seat opposite Evans. On the table were two mugs of ale, the ordinary kind served in the tavern.

Su Nan had no intention of drinking and got straight to the point. "What do you want, Sir Evans?"

Evans didn't mind and smiled. "I would like to make a deal with you."

"What kind of deal?"

"I know the royal family is bound to lose this war, so I am here to plead with you to preserve a bit of the Kessler family's bloodline. In return, I can provide you with clues to the Tower of the Stars."

The Tower of the Stars?

Su Nan's heart skipped a beat. He was genuinely surprised.

He never expected Evans to seek him out for this, nor did he expect Evans to have any clues about the Tower of the Stars.

Considering Evans' royal lineage, Su Nan began to understand.

"The Tower of the Stars is indeed connected to the royal family."

Evans smiled. "You could say that."

"In fact, the wizard who established the Tower of the Stars was one of our Kessler ancestors."

"But why—"

Before Su Nan could finish his question, Evans understood his doubt and shook his head with a wry smile.

"Our ancestor left us the key to enter the Tower of the Stars, but the entrant must possess the qualifications of a wizard or be a Third Circle Legendary Knight. Unfortunately, over the years, I have been the only royal family member to meet the conditions for entering the Tower of the Stars."

Su Nan raised an eyebrow. "So, you're still maintaining such a vigorous life force because of the Tower of the Stars?"

"That's right," Evans admitted frankly. "I passed the knight trial in the Tower of the Stars and received a vial of Dawn Elixir, which extended my lifespan by about a third."

A Third Circle Legendary Knight typically lives for around 120 to 130 years, so extending it by a third would mean living to around 160 to 170 years. Legendary Knights, due to their enhanced physical strength and the infusion of elemental power, remain at their peak until the last few years of their lives.

No wonder Evans had such a robust and vibrant life force.

According to his account, he had at least another thirty to forty years left to live.

However, an elixir that could extend one's lifespan by a third must be at least a fourth-tier elixir, something only formal wizards could access.

The Tower of the Stars truly lived up to its reputation as a legacy of formal wizards; the reward for just the knight trial was a significant boon.

"What exactly is inside the Tower of the Stars?" Su Nan asked curiously.

Evans shook his head with a hint of shame. "To enter the Tower of the Stars, one must pass three trials. My strength was insufficient, and I only managed to pass the first trial on my first attempt. I failed the second trial. On my second attempt, I barely passed the second trial but still failed the third. After receiving the elixir as a reward, I was teleported out. I never made it inside the Tower of the Stars, so I don't know what it's like inside."

"Can the Tower of the Stars be entered multiple times?"

This was the first Su Nan had heard of such a possibility.

"As long as you meet the entry requirements, you can attempt the trials as many times as you want."

"However, the Tower of the Stars only appears once every twenty years and remains for only two months. During that time, each person has only one chance to attempt the trials. If they fail, they must wait another twenty years."

Su Nan frowned inwardly, surprised by this limitation.

The Tower of the Stars was a legacy left by ancient wizards, likely intended to give those with the potential to become wizards in this elemental wasteland a glimmer of hope. Strict limitations made sense in this context.

"Where is the Tower of the Stars?"

"I don't know," Evans shook his head. "The Tower of the Stars does not exist on the Starlight Continent. When it appears, I can sense its location using the key, but its appearance is random each time."

Not on the Starlight Continent, then it must be in some dimensional plane.

Perhaps it was a half-dimensional space created by formal wizards.

This meant that finding the Tower of the Stars before it appeared on its own was nearly impossible.

Su Nan sighed, a bit disappointed, but quickly regained his composure.

Regardless, he had finally obtained a clue about the Tower of the Stars, which was undoubtedly good news.

However, even as he felt a sense of relief, Su Nan did not let his guard down. He gave Evans a deep look and said, "You're offering the key to the Tower of the Stars in exchange for me sparing some of the Kessler family's bloodline?"

Evans's expression grew complex, and he sighed. "I have never enjoyed conflict; I prefer to travel and explore. To be honest, I detest political struggles and wars. If I could, I wouldn't involve myself in this at all."

"However, I once promised my brother that I would step in to preserve the Kessler family's bloodline if it faced annihilation."

"Given the current situation, even if I asked you to spare the Grand Duke and his heir, I doubt you would agree, wouldn't you?"

Su Nan remained calm and did not respond, implicitly confirming Evans's assumption.

Cutting off the root of a problem was a necessary trait for any competent ruler.

The Marquis of Goldrock and Owen had failed to kill Koy and Su Nan, which ultimately led to their downfall.

Koy, having witnessed this, would not make the same mistake and leave a significant threat to his rule.

He would undoubtedly eliminate the Grand Duke and any royal bloodline that could directly threaten his authority.

Of course, if Su Nan were to ask, Koy might agree, but Su Nan had no intention of doing so.

Seeing through Su Nan's thoughts, Evans finally gave up his last hope, no longer trying to test him. With a sincere expression, he said:

"So, I only ask that you leave some of the Kessler family's bloodline, even if it's a distant branch."

Su Nan did not commit to anything. "I have one more question. You are not weak, so why didn't you try to fight back? Why did you so easily surrender to me?"

Hearing this, Evans couldn't help but show a peculiar expression.

He seemed to recall something, shook his head, and said, "Forget it, I don't want to court death."

"You wizards are a tricky bunch, always full of surprises and hidden cards."

"Owen managed to kill a wizard once, which surprised me greatly."

"But even Owen died at your hands, and I know I can't match you. Instead of struggling to the death and dragging the entire Kessler family down with me, I'd rather make a deal with you."

"Wizards believe in the principle of equivalent exchange, and I think the Tower of the Stars should still be appealing to you."

Su Nan raised an eyebrow. "You seem to know a lot about wizards."

"Over the years, I've traveled and met a few wizards. I learned a lot about them from their conversations," Evans shrugged.

"Oh?" Su Nan perked up, "Where did you meet them?"

Evans smiled. "Is that part of the deal?"

Su Nan pondered for a moment and nodded. "Alright, I agree."

"As long as you give me the key to the Tower of the Stars and tell me about those wizards, I can guarantee to spare one member of the Kessler family, under five years old."

Evans's spirits lifted. "Deal, but we need to seal it with a vow of binding!"

"You really do know wizards well."

Su Nan gave Evans a deep look but didn't refuse. A binding vow would benefit him too, ensuring that the information Evans provided was genuine, especially about the Tower of the Stars.

Any creature with a soul can make a binding vow.

After a short while, they sealed their pact with a binding vow.

The moment the vow was made, a look of relief spread across Evans's face, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

It was clear he really disliked getting involved in such matters.

Indeed, if Evans, a Third Circle Legendary Knight, had openly supported the royal family, the Starlight Duchy wouldn't have seen so many ambitious individuals over the years.

A powerful top-tier fighter is as crucial to a nation as a stabilizing force!

Afterward, Evans pulled a stone from his pocket and placed it on the table in front of Su Nan.

"This is the key to the Tower of the Stars."

Su Nan picked up the stone and examined it closely. It was actually a stone carved into a rune shape, with a texture similar to jade, feeling smooth and slightly cool in his palm.

Its surface was covered with intricate enchantment runes, so complex that even Su Nan, with his level 4 proficiency in Magic Item Crafting, felt overwhelmed and unable to fully comprehend them.

Clearly, the person who created this 'key' was far more skilled in the field of Magic Item Crafting than he was.

"Probably at least a level 6 or 7."

Su Nan mused to himself.

"I first entered the Tower of the Stars forty-eight years ago, and the second time was twenty-eight years ago. So the next time it appears should be twelve years from now."

Su Nan caressed the rune stone, glanced at Evans, and said with a playful tone, "You have more than one of these keys, don't you?"

Even with his promise to his brother, Su Nan didn't believe Evans would willingly give up his only means of entering the Tower of the Stars.

If he truly valued family so much, he wouldn't have sacrificed others to preserve a bit of the family's bloodline.

Evans chuckled but didn't confirm it, though the answer was obvious.

Su Nan didn't press further and returned to their earlier conversation.

"Tell me about the wizards you've met."

Evans nodded and began, "Actually, I've only met three wizards."

"Two of them I encountered in the Azure Empire and the Thornflower Duchy. Although they didn't say it outright, I could see the noble bearing in them. They were likely from royal or noble families."

"The third wizard I met in the Underworld."

"You've been to the Underworld?" Su Nan's eyes flickered with surprise.

"It was a stroke of luck," Evans recalled. "During one of my travels, I was tracking a very rare beast and ended up lost in the mountains. I accidentally stumbled into the Underworld and was attacked by a terrifying creature. Fortunately, that wizard saved me."

"He said his name was 'Traveler.'"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end