Versatile Mage c1-2021, page 718
"Yeah," Mo Fan nodded.
It was difficult for the whole group to move around. Some of them were now suffering greatly from the festering. Mo Fan only brought Heidi and Sofia, who was also a Shadow Mage, along.
---
Heidi was a Sound Mage. She could keep a lookout for the demon creatures nearby with ease.
Mo Fan and Sofia had no trouble sneaking past the Silver Snake Warriors with the Shadow Element, they just needed to conceal their presence. These Silver Snake Warriors that had not reached the Commander-level were unable to detect their shadows.
They flitted past a few gardens overgrown with weed and looked up the pitch-black tower. The glow it was emitting felt quite eerie!
"Don't...don't you think it looks like an eye?" Sofia asked in a trembling voice.
"It is an eye!" Mo Fan said confidently.
Heidi's night vision was not as good as the two Shadow Mages, yet she was covered in goosebumps when she heard Mo Fan and Sofia mentioning that the thing glowing on the tower was actually an eye. How was an eye so big and glowing? What kind of creature was it?
"I've seen something similar before," Mo Fan went on.
Mo Fan remembered there was something like an eye in the Ancient King's imperial tomb, called the Wicked Eye Copper Mirror.
The Wicked Eye Copper Mirror's uses were very odd. Han Ji had mentioned that it was made using the Light Element and the Chaos Element.
Mo Fan referred to it as an ancient surveillance camera. It was not difficult to understand how the Wicked Eye Copper Mirror worked if he considered it a combination of the Light Element and the Chaos Element.
The thing on the tower was not a living creature. It was something evil, similar to the Wicked Eye Copper Mirror, and was fixed into the tower. When the light it emitted was mixed with the moonlight, the moon turned an eerie green in the eyes of those looking at it.
"It must be the Burning Evil Eye," Mo Fan said.
"Burning Evil Eye? What's that?" Sofia asked curiously.
Heidi was also staring at Mo Fan. She was extremely curious about how Mo Fan knew these things. He definitely did not look like the knowledgeable kind to her!
"I read about it in an ancient manuscript in Greece. In the early days, when humans had just invented magic, their ways of using magic weren't m.a.t.u.r.e yet, so they used the organs of dead ancient beasts to forge some defensive artifacts to stop demon creatures from invading their cities. This Burning Evil Eye was quite popular back then. It's similar to a light barrier, but it doesn't stop the enemy from entering. However, the light will destroy the enemy's cells inside the barrier. The longer the enemy stays inside it, the greater the damage. It seems like the guy that died to the Curse of the Sunset Shrine was actually killed by this Burning Evil Eye instead!" Mo Fan declared confidently.
"How did you learn all that?" Sofia asked with a confused face.
"It's normal to prepare myself before coming here. I read about these things in some old books," Mo Fan replied loftily.
The God of Death in Greece, Egypt's national beast, and the Totem Beasts in China; it seemed like every ancient civilization was tied to these sacred beasts in some ways. Therefore, when Mo Fan was convalescing at the Parthenon Temple, he had read a lot of books about the European countries and the countries to the south of the Aegean Sea. The books at the Parthenon Temple had historical records that were not disclosed to the public. Mo Fan just wanted to see if the Totem Beasts had any ties to the sacred beasts in foreign countries, while learning about their ancient civilizations at the same time.
Greece and Egypt were tied closely together, and it seemed they had even once clashed with one another because of the Burning Evil Eye!
Chapter 1534 - Found A Treasure!
Translated by XephiZ
Edited by Aelryinth
"What should we do then? Should we go up there and cover up the eye?" Sofia asked.
"Yeah, but there should be some powerful creatures around here. You two will lure them away, I'll head up there and see if I can turn it off," Mo Fan said.
Heidi and Sofia nodded, heading off separate ways.
Sofia used her Shadow Element to move closer to the pitch-black tower, but before she reached it, she heard a loud snort, followed by a strong black gust surging across the area.
"A Great Commander-level creature is here!" Sofia blurted out.
She was indeed a high-achiever from the European University Institute. She quickly cast the Nyx Regime to extend the reach of her Fleeing Shadow. In the Nyx Regime, the speed of Fleeing Shadow was comparable to Blink. Furthermore, it was difficult to track a Shadow Mage in the Nyx Regime.
Mo Fan was too far away to see the Great Commander-level creature that Sofia had encountered. He only saw the creature extending its oddly-shaped wings and lunging out from an ancient structure that was still intact.
The creature was obviously a Shadow Element creature, too. Sofia had made a careless mistake. The Nyx Regime would strengthen the Shadow Element of both ally and enemy! Heidi quickly entered the Nyx Regime to defend Sofia from the creature with oddly-shaped wings after seeing the pinch she was in.
"It seems to be a Nyx Blood Bat. I was wondering why there weren't one or two guards looking after a piece of treasure like this!" Mo Fan went a little closer and was finally able to catch a glimpse of the creature.
The creature was extremely ugly. Bat demons were among the ugliest of all species. The bats that people normally saw were extremely small. A Nyx Blood Bat that was over ten meters long was easily every normal person's nightmare. A single glance was enough to make them faint.
The Nyx Blood Bat's speed was insanely high in the Nyx Regime. Sofia had forgotten about that possibility in her panic. Luckily, Heidi made it in time. They slowly nullified the danger by working together.
Mo Fan did not put too much attention on them. Heidi needed more experience. If she had been constantly at the brink of death like him, her strength would easily be on par with his. Mo Fan did not want to disturb her training.
Mo Fan sneaked over to the pitch-black tower and easily made his way to the top using the irregular spots along its walls.
"Ouch, that hurts!" Mo Fan was thinking of removing the Burning Evil Eye with his hand, but he noticed his arm rotting ten times quicker than before. The skin was already beyond recognition.
"The closer I am, the deadlier the burning is. That being said, I will gladly claim this abandoned piece of treasure!" Mo Fan could not care less about the danger.
His demon flesh was extremely handy at times. If it was a weaker Mage trying to do this, their whole body would have rotted before they could even reach the top.
Mo Fan clenched his teeth and f.o.r.c.i.b.l.y snatched up the Burning Evil Eye!
The Burning Evil Eye was just like a defense mechanism. Once it was shut off, it would no longer emit the poisonous light. Mo Fan was familiar with its nature, so he was daring enough to snatch it right away!
The Burning Evil Eye was as big as a basin. Mo Fan's face was almost rotted before he finally removed the eye from its socket. Luckily, it was only set inside the socket and guarded by a Nyx Blood Bat. Otherwise, they would have had to flee from the place immediately!
"I should bring it back to New Fanxue City and aim it at the shallow waters. It will burn any sea monster that comes close… hehe, perfect!" Mo Fan immediately tossed the Burning Evil Eye into his Space Ring.
The evil light was gone when he made it back to the ground. Sofia and Heidi were still fighting the Nyx Blood Bat.
"It seems like Mu Ningxue was right, it's important to read books!" Mo Fan mumbled to himself.
The two girls had not had a clue what the Burning Evil Eye was. They were frightened by the powerful ancient artifact, but Mo Fan was overjoyed when he realized what it was! He did not expect to find such a valuable piece of treasure at the dilapidated shrine so quickly!
Mo Fan had sneakily had Sofia and Heidi leave by asking them to lure the demon creature guarding the Burning Evil Eye away, just so he could snatch the treasure for himself!
"The evil light has disappeared!"
"Let's go, this Nyx Blood Bat is too hard to kill. We'll only attract the attention of other demon creatures at this rate," Sofia said.
"Mm, time to go!"
"Did you destroy the Burning Evil Eye?" Heidi asked while running.
"Yeah, it was better to destroy it considering how harmful it is. Otherwise, some other Hunters might die to it again," Mo Fan replied without blinking.
"That's great!"
---
After they had regrouped with the others, the Nyx Blood Bat was still pursuing them relentlessly. Mo Fan had stolen its treasure. How could it possibly give up the chase so easily?
However, it was obvious that the Nyx Blood Bat was not friendly with the snake demons. The snake demons were not stirred up by the antics of the enraged Nyx Blood Bat. It seemed the snake demons were not the only species residing at the Sunset Shrine...
The Nyx Blood Bat kept chasing after the three, but they had a whole group to back them up, including the Super Mage, Mentor Vani. They did not have any trouble taking out the Nyx Blood Bat.
They did not attract too much attention, either; Heidi suppressed the Nyx Blood Bat with her Space Element, giving the people of the European University Institute the chance to prove themselves. After a series of powerful spells that did not produce too much noise, the Great Commander-level creature was brutally killed.
"Is anyone's body rotting still?" Mo Fan asked.
"Not anymore! Mo Fan, you're so impressive! How did you know it was the cause?" Chad had to ask.
"It's nothing really, many strange incidents have a reason behind them. You will learn the truth once you find the key to it. With that thought, nothing is scary anymore," Mo Fan replied loftily.
"Look at you, aren't you just lucky for discovering it?" Ferrero harrumphed coldly.
"Sure, I'll let you handle it if we find ourselves in any trouble again. Otherwise, can you automatically shut your mouth up for five minutes while I'm talking?" Mo Fan immediately riposted.
Mo Fan had a strange habit: he had zero tolerance for half-wits!
"I can handle it, I'll show you how capable the students of the European University Institute are!" Ferrero declared.
"Let's hope you won't put our lives in danger," Mo Fan immediately shot him down.
"Are you treating me like a three-year-old!?"
"Alright, that's enough, we should be working together in a time like this. Now is not the time to argue between ourselves," Mentor Vani cut in.
Mo Fan was in a good mood after finding a valuable artifact. He did not want to waste further time on the idiot.
Chapter 1535 - Young Medusa
Translated by XephiZ
Edited by Aelryinth
The rotting was not caused by poison. Everyone was fine after they were no longer being exposed to the light of the evil eye. They treated their injuries with the medicine they brought along while waiting for the sun to rise.
Mo Fan did not tell anyone how to track the young Medusa. When it was almost dawn, Mo Fan secretly asked Zhao Manyan to set the Roving Desert Beetles free, and waited for his news.
Not long after, Zhao Manyan returned with a happy face.
Mu Bai had a hint of disgust when he saw the look on Zhao Manyan's face. "Do you really have to be so happy after taking a piss?"
"What do you know!?" Zhao Manyan glared at Mu Bai.
When the three came close together, Zhao Manyan took out something that looked like a string of silk. It was stained with a strange substance, but it was still smooth and beautiful.
"What's this?" Mu Bai had to ask.
"The hair that the young Medusa has just shed. She's very close to us! Mo Fan, are you sure the total sum in the reward pool for the Tear of Medusa is three point seven billion?" Zhao Manyan said.
"Three..three point seven..." Mu Bai blurted out in surprise.
"Shhh!" Mo Fan and Zhao Manyan both signaled him to keep the voice down.
Mu Bai withheld the shock in his heart. He lowered his head and whispered, "Is it really three point seven billion?"
"It is, for some reason, even the Giant Female Snakes have been granted Medusae's power too! They can also cast the Eyes of Vengeance on their enemies. We are not the only people put under the Curse. Many people are waiting for the Tear of Medusa!" Mo Fan informed him.
"Aren't you going to tell the people of the European University Institute?" Mu Bai said.
"What is that nonsense? Why would I bother sharing the money with them? How much is everyone going to get if we split the money among all of us? Besides, they should be grateful to us for helping them to get rid of the Cruse. Do they seriously think they have a share in the reward too?" Mo Fan said.
"That's right, they are so useless, they can't do anything apart from boast!" Zhao Manyan said.
"How about Heidi?" Mu Bai said.
"Heidi is a little innocent, so it's better not to tell her first. Otherwise, she might let the cat out of the bag. We'll tell her at the end," Mo Fan said after a moment of thought.
"Mm," Mu Bai nodded. He also agreed not to share the reward with the people of the European University Institute!
"Tell me where the spot is, I'll go have a look first. We'll leave right away if I can catch it. If I can't, we'll ask the others for help. That Super Mage Vani might still be useful to us," Mo Fan said.
The people of the European University Institute were not weak, especially Mentor Vani, who had one of his Elements at the Super Level. He might be able to lend them a hand if anything happened.
However, if Mo Fan could do it himself, he had no reason to ask the others for help. It was better to keep the fortune to himself!
---
The three did not move out together, as it might make the people of the European University Institute suspicious. Mo Fan pretended like he was going to scout the area. He asked the others to stay there and wait for him patiently.
Mo Fan followed Zhao Manyan's instructions and went past a few broken-down structures. He found more hair of the young Medusa under an altar that was covered in plants.
The hair was quite valuable. Mo Fan gladly put the hair he had found inside the Space Ring, and set another Roving Sand Beetle free to continue searching for the hair of the young Medusa.
Mo Fan had the Dark Noble Mantle. It was extremely easy for him to move around without gathering any attention. Even if an a.d.u.l.t Medusa was around, Mo Fan could still perfectly conceal his presence and avoid getting into a fight.
Zhao Manyan told Mo Fan that the young Medusa seemed to be alone. There was no trace of a.d.u.l.t Medusae or the Silver Snake Warriors around.
"I'm in luck for once!" Mo Fan blurted out in joy.
He had taken a look around and did not see any snake demons nearby. The nobles among the snake demons had asked their subordinates to guard the perimeter, yet they did not allow those low-level creatures to hang around in the area they resided in.
An intense battle was still going on at the front line. Perhaps the Medusae did not expect humans to come so deep into their territory!
The Roving Sand Beetle stopped in a hall well lit up by the moonlight, its ceiling no longer around. The little creature was munching something like a string of silk excitedly.
Mo Fan picked it up and discovered it was the hair of a Medusa. Most importantly, it was still warm, indicating that the hair had just been shed recently!
Mo Fan was extremely excited. Three point seven billion was almost within his reach! He did not expect to earn such a great fortune on his trip to Egypt. He could finally buy some useful magic equipment with the money!
A petite figure suddenly moved past in the hall. She seemed to have noticed Mo Fan's presence. She quickly hid in a corner covered in shadow.
The moonlight peeked into the ceiling like a veil, yet it stopped right before the corner. Mo Fan was unable to see the figure in it, yet he noticed a pair of glittering eyes!
"Come out here, I know you're in there… let's make a deal, either you make yourself cry and shed me some tears, or I'm going to beat you up!" Mo Fan walked closer and stared at the eyes.
Mo Fan was sure that there were no a.d.u.l.t Medusae in the vicinity!
There was no sign of the Silver Snake Warriors too. Zhao Manyan had already made sure of that. This young Medusa was pretty daring to come out here alone. It allowed Mo Fan to take advantage of the chance!
"Big brother, are you a bad guy?" a timid voice came out from the corner.
Mo Fan was startled.
What the heck was going on now!?
The young Medusa could speak human language?
"How did you learn to speak?" Mo Fan was curious. She was speaking in standard English!
Even though the Medusae were a hybrid species of human and snake, and some of them had an appearance and intelligence very similar to that of a human, they usually behaved more like demon creatures over the past thousands of years. They were not humans!
Why did the young Medusa know how to speak? Her voice was so pleasant, like the soothing sound of a chime in some bamboo woods.
"Big brother, I...I'm human," the little girl said.
"Bullshit, come out from the shadow, let me look at you," Mo Fan said.
The young girl slowly moved out from the corner. The moonlight shone upon smooth skin that was like a delicate jade.
She slowly lifted her gaze. Her thin hair slid to the side. Her face was so pretty that Mo Fan's heart skipped a beat upon seeing it. Her pair of huge sparkling eyes were looking at Mo Fan pitifully...
"She's really human?" Mo Fan was stunned. He stared at the young girl.
The young girl did not dare to come out any further. She was only wearing some ragged clothes. Her skin was smooth, but some parts did seem a little dirty.
Her body was shivering, she seemed to be feeling a little cold. The collarbones under her pale neck were alluring. Her delicate appearance was perfect for earning pity from others.
"What the hell happened? Why are you here!?" Mo Fan struggled to believe it.
