City of Desire [Kingdom Building]

Chapter 601: Divination

Proofread By Thomas F

Bell

"Divination!" called out Caena.

She is a witch, and the legacy is her domain. Most can't even sense it, but she did it at the same time as me, as the power of divination covered me.

It's powerful. Far more than a last attempt, which was the strongest.

However, nothing compares to this one. It is strong, and its power is increasing by the second.

Since my escape, they tried every year. Only this time, they had waited for over a year, and it seemed like this power was the reason for that delay.

It horrified me as last time. They were able to divine my location in the red-light district. This time, they didn't need that broad of an area.

As long as they were able to confine the search to Greltheaven. They will know where I am.

Last time, I was able to escape due to sheer luck. Remus had stopped them, and the red-light district of Oksall was massive. Thousands of whores come and go there every day.

Still, they had investigated me there, but I was able to fool them.

In my over ten years in Oksall, I have weaved an identity that is very hard to see through. It's not hard to do if one understands the process.

Especially when it comes to whores. There are thousands of them, with many having similar stories and origins, making it easy to meld in.

However, this time, it will not work. As long as they discover Greltheaven, it is over for me. I will have to run away immediately and hope they will never find me.

It took a moment for a pendent to become visible and blazing brightly.

Echovoid Amulet.

It is one of the strongest anti-scrying artifacts on the continent. My mother's family has had it for thousands of years.

My mother has sacrificed her life by giving me this artifact. If she had used it herself, she would have been able to escape.

It is powerful. More potent than the saber Remus had brought. It is me that is weak and can't harness the full power of it.

I poured my aura inside it to power it further. Taking me in an envelope of its power.

It relieved me, but it did not make me feel good. I saw how fast the power of divination is rising. If it continues to rise, the power will break through its defenses, and they will find me.

…

Caena

"Divination!" I called out.

I recognize it. I felt it many times as a child, as people always tried to find the location of our coven.

Mom had made me feel it many times.

Most attempts were weaker than this one—except for one, which was even stronger. Even after years, I remember the feeling of it clearly.

This one is getting stronger but won't get as strong as that one. I had sensed.

However, one thing is clear. The one who divined is very close to Lv. 50; there are only a handful of them worldwide.

Bell had informed me about it but said she had the means to deal with it, and looking at a dense invisible power enveloping her, I have to say, I had underestimated her means.

If I had not been standing in legacy and its domain. I wouldn't have been able to feel that artifact's power.

It's powerful. As powerful as some of our ancestral artifacts had been.

Even with an aura, she isn't powerful enough to bring out the true capability of the artifact, while the power of those scrying her is getting stronger.

I could feel those people were also using the artifact, not just one.

'They really want to find her,' I thought. It is obvious, considering who she is. With her dead, there will be no harm to their rule.

I pushed those thoughts away and focused on her. At the same time, I began to make the preparations.

She can not be discovered for her sake and for Greltheaven. We are far too weak to deal with the trouble her enemies could bring us.

"The power is getting stronger. I won't be able to hold back for much longer," she informed, with her eye searching for hope.

I didn't answer for a moment.

"There is one option, but I don't know if it will work. If it didn't, they will discover you within a second," I stated.

I have created ways against divination. These powerful ways could have helped us, even if the diviner had been at Lv. 40, but it is Lv. 50, and on top of that, they are using artifacts.

There is no way my legacy and my craft would be able to stand against this humongous power.

"They will discover me if I don't do anything. So, if there is hope, even the small one,... do it," Bell replied, looking at me intensely.

I didn't say anything, but the office disappeared.

We had told Bell many things, but there are still many things we have kept from her. I would have liked it if Remus was here, but he is not, and contacting him about it isn't an option.

Soon, the core appeared, and the planets. Not all of them. Only twenty-six.

The two close to the core are multi-colored harvesters, and beside it is a translucent violet one. It is a planet with an anti-scrying spell.

The remaining twenty-four are the outer planets of the city limits.

I could feel Bell's eyes and shock within them, along with a lot of questions. It only lasted for a fraction of a second before she turned to me.

"Place your artifact in the violet planet," I instructed. Giving her the access she needs.

There was only a fraction of hesitation in her eyes before she took out a pendant of immense power and sent it to the planet.

It entered inside, and immediately, the whole planet lit up as the artifact's power merged with the anti-scrying spell imprinted on it.

Seeing that, a smile appeared on my face. It worked, but a moment later, my expression became serious.

"It is going to bring massive pressure on you," I informed her, spreading the artifact's power into the twenty-four planets.

The artifact is too powerful. Anti-scrying planet couldn't bear it alone.

Even if it could, I would use the twenty-four planets. They represent the domain of the legacy. With them, the scryer will need to go against the power of the whole domain.

However, the maximum pressure would fall on her. The artifact is connected to her; even now, she is powering it with her aura.

The twenty-four planets lit one after another, and soon, all of them lit up.

At the same time, the harvest begins to release the essence to the anti-scrying planet.

Bell is far from powerful enough to support the coverage of the artifact's power in the whole domain. So, I am using essence, and it isn't the emotion essence but the core essence.

The artifact's power enveloped the whole domain, and the scrying power clashed against it.

I could feel the users' skills and the artifacts they were using. It is immense; the only reason we have not been found out is because of Bell's artifact.

It is immensely powerful, and I could see it working as it we bore the onslaught, which is getting stronger.

"Ehh!"

I heard the sound and turned to Bell. She is shaking and gritting her teeth while the blood seeps out of her nose and eyes.

The pressure she is feeling is inhuman. If anyone had been in her place, they would have fallen unconscious already. I would have fallen unconscious if I had been in her place.

I appeared beside her, and she immediately placed her hands on me. She would have fallen if I had not appeared beside her.

A minute passed and then another.

More blood had leaked out of her orifices, and she became pale as paper, but she held on even when the pressure had reached a colossal degree.

She understands she cannot afford to go unconscious. It will weaken her connection with her artifact. It would still protect her, but not strong enough to resist this.

It wouldn't have been a problem. If the legacy had been a Grade IV, but it's not.

Another minute had passed, and her condition became really bad when the power stopped increasing. It had reached its peak.

It gave me a slight relief.

…

Grand Duke

The blood started to come out of the eyes of the sage. It has never happened before.

I looked at his student, and he also looked shocked by it.

The two artifacts hovered before him, enveloped in the raw energy of his aura. The sheer force radiating from them sent a chill down my spine—a power so intense and overwhelming that fear gripped me instantly.

Despite not having a combat class, the man is dangerous. It isn't just about the aura but the influence he wields because of his class.

This also makes killing him even more difficult, as even the most powerful remained cautious of him and those who shared his class and level.

Minutes passed, and blood began to come out of all his orifices, and he became pale.

I felt the change in his power, and a moment later, his aura receded, and he opened his eyes.

"Did you find her?" I asked immediately.

The man didn't reply immediately. Instead, drank the emotion essence potion before turning to me.

"No," he replied.

"Is she still in the Oksall?" I asked. This will not help us much. The man told us she had been there for decades, but it is a vast city.

Despite using all our resources. We weren't able to find her.

"I don't know," he replied.

I felt anger rage inside me. I had been coming to him year after year, paying a massive price for his services, but he had never been able to find her.

I am so angry right now. I wanted to unsheathe my saber and decapitate this man.

"The success was guaranteed this time, but she had support. …She never had that before," he added a moment later.

Hearing that, my heart skipped a beat.

Despite over a decade of rule. We haven't been able to deal with all the sympathizers and loyalists. There are more of them than we like.

Some are still in the kingdom, while others are outside of it. Many of them are powerful enough that we are still constantly hunting them.

There are also the opportunists. Those bastards won't hesitate to make a move if they see us weak.

"Support? What kind of support?" I demanded, my voice edged with urgency. I had to know—had to understand—so we could crush it before it had the chance to rise and threaten us.

The sage hesitated. "It's… confusing," he admitted, his brow furrowed. "The artifact stopped the attempt, but it was backed by something. Something vast."

His words sent a shiver through me. That made no sense. And yet, their weight only deepened my unease. I needed answers—uncertainty was a weakness we couldn't afford.

"What does that mean, Sage?" I pressed, with my pulse quickening.

"I don't know," he said simply.

For a brief, terrifying moment, frustration and fear nearly drove my hand to my saber. My fingers twitched toward the hilt before I forced myself to still.

The sage must have sensed it. His gaze snapped to me, and in an instant, the confusion melted from his face, replaced by something colder—something more knowing.

"The attempt has tired me out. I will be resting," he informed me. He got up with the help of his student and walked toward the door while I watched with rage seething in my heart.

I took a deep breath and calmed myself before collecting the artifact.

'He will not like it, but I have tried my all. What happened next will be up to him.' With that, I got up and walked out the door.

…

Caena

The power stopped, and Bell collapsed. Falling unconscious instantly.

I stopped her fall and sat her on the chair before taking out a spirit-healing potion. They are extremely expensive, and I only have one, but Bell needs it.

A few seconds later, I felt her condition stop worsening. It made me sigh with relief.

This girl had fought a war with a man over twenty levels higher and survived. Even if they had help, not everybody would survive it.

A few minutes later, I took her to Remus's room and put her on the bed. Nobody should know what happened; she should rest here till she recovers.

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