The hidden lab under the Vastor Household had the best cloaking arrays the joint knowledge of the Eldritches had produced and a dimensional distortion field that Tezka had personally set up. It scattered the energy that escaped the other magical formations in random locations thousands of kilometers away from the mansion. It had even fooled Salaark’s senses on the multiple occasions she had come to take Zinya and the children to the Blood Desert. Lith told Vastor about his situation and the conversation he had just had with the Royals. "A bunch of magical criminals with no past and access to Magus-level technology." Vastor rubbed his chin. "I can see why you thought of me and I’m flattered you hold my talent in such high esteem but this is not my doing. "It’s the first time I hear about any of this. Hatorne was truly a genius. Too bad she never worked with Manohar. If those two joined hands, the god of healing would still be alive." "Could it be one of your associates?" Lith asked. "No. Alchemy requires a delicate touch that Eldritches lack and it’s a subject too recent for them. They are all old-ass monsters. Back when they still had bodies, potions were not a thing." The Master shook his head. "If they found something like that, my Eldritches would have brought it to me. Also, think about it. How can an Abomination drink potions?" "For all I know, you might have distilled high-density life force and light element in liquid form and infused them with the magical ingredients. It would work just the same for them." Lith pointed out. "It damn could." Vastor took a mental note to look into that. "But do you think if I had access to such technology, I wouldn’t use those tattoos to protect Zin and the children? "They have bodyguards, sure, but potions they can activate with a thought would increase their chances of survival in case of danger. Zin and the kids could heal, and become stronger, faster, and more resilient. "They could stand their ground against lesser enemies while my Eldritches deal with whoever lured my family in an ambush." "You are right. You would use those Hatorne tattoos the same way I would." Lith’s mind spun at the possibilities those potions opened to him. ’It would be another hidden card.’ He thought. ’I could use the tattoos to protect the non-Awakened members of my family. Give them a chance to escape just like those criminals do.’ "I’ll make you an honest offer." Vastor snapped Lith out of his reverie. "Bring me just one of those potions and I’ll reverse engineer them. With our combined talents, maybe we could even come up with Spirit Magic potions." "I have a better idea. I’ll complete the mission and let the Kingdom have its due." Lith steepled his fingers. "At that point, the Royals will need someone to study Hatorne’s technology and they are bound to send everything I find to the White Griffon Academy. "It has the best Light Magic department, the best equipment, and you are its head. This way, we both do our duty and get the tattoo potions without taking any risks. When the Royals ask what reward we want for our services, we simply ask for the potions. "Our families will have access to the potions and no need to hide them. On top of that, if we make any improvement to Hatorne’s technology we have no use for, we can sell it to the Royals and make a profit." "And even if the Royals were to refuse our request, we would still have our potions. We’ll just have to be discreet about it." Vastor nodded. "If you need anything, call Zoreth. I got ten calls from the Academy and three from Jirni already. Vastor out." "This is good news." Solus said the moment the Master’s hologram disappeared. "We won’t have to fight the Organization." "Exactly." Lith nodded. "Also, now we have one more reason to carry out this mission. If Meln keeps hiding and he doesn’t attack while we are away, Hatorne’s technology will keep things like Mom’s kidnapping from happening again." *** Lith informed his family of his imminent departure but shared the details of his conversation with the Royals and Vastor only with Kamila. "Hatorne?" She shuddered at the name. "I was just a data analyst in training back then but I still remember how scared everyone was of the plague." "I can’t believe I still went to school at the time." Lith chuckled. "It was still my first year of the academy." "Don’t remind me of that." She sighed. "You make me feel old." Your next read is at freewebnovel "I’m actually older than you and we are both Awakened. A few years mean nothing." Lith shrugged. "Are you ready? In a few days, the Royals will summon me and I might be forced to depart without saying goodbye. At best, I will be allowed to make a call." "Don’t worry about me." She stepped forward, holding him tight while giving him a soft kiss. "I’m the one who has three Guardians watching her back. It’s you who are about to face unknown monsters who have unearthed the work of a mad genius. "Please, be careful." *** The Royals spent the following few days collecting as much information about the mysterious organization as they could while discussing the matter with the Court. "Maybe this is work for a Magus." Meron said as a passing comment. "We’ve spent a lot of resources and lost too many good men yet we have made little progress. I wonder how many casualties we’ll suffer before this gods-damned investigation ends." "Excellent idea, Your Majesty." Duke Tanash said. "But why not make it a work for two Magi? Wherever Magus Verhen goes, Magus Menadion follows and, after all, he is indebted to the Crown after siding with the Empire for his personal gain." Many nobles nodded and agreed vigorously. "It’s only right." Marquis Asa said. "The Kingdom pays Magus Verhen his weight in gold every year and he’s a Divine Beast. It’s time our investment pays off. Your Majesty has been too kind not involving Magus Verhen in this mess sooner." "This isn’t right but natural." Duchess Palata added. "This situation seems dire because we sent humans to do the job of a Divine Beast. For someone as talented as Magus Verhen, solving this problem will take a day at most." More nobles chimed in, all of them proving the Royals how easy it was being generous with someone else’s life and talent. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂 "I can’t believe how ungrateful you all are." Marchioness Brinja Distar said. "First of all, it’s Supreme Magus Verhen for you. Second, how dare you speak like he has been sitting all this time on a golden throne without doing anything? "It’s thanks to him if the War of the Griffons is over and we enjoy the current peace. Had Thrud won, many of you wouldn’t be in this Court today. It’s thanks to Supreme Magus Verhen’s Tablets that information flows freely and crime has reached an all-time low. "It’s thanks to his Train that we have colonized Jiera and countless resources reach us through the Transoceanic Gate.