The dragon-blooded ogre mage Trump had been waiting for a long time. Only now did he slowly fly over from the city, landing with a resounding boom.
It was clear that his Fly spell was far more practiced than before, and he could now control it freely.
Trump stared greedily at the unconscious wizards, drool nearly dripping from the hideous corners of his mouth. To him—and indeed to the entire Kingdom of Cinders—every single wizard was a precious, reusable resource.
Yes, a resource—the abundant spell knowledge in their minds and their exceptionally brilliant brains were both of great use to Trump.
Trump walked up beside the red dragon, his face flush with the joy of a bountiful harvest, and spoke respectfully:
"Congratulations, Master! Your wisdom puts me to shame, catching all these gutter rats in one fell swoop."
Cassius nodded slightly.
"I leave these wizards for you to handle. Make good use of their value, and turn them into assets for the Cinder Nest."
"Yes, Master."
Trump grinned, unable to conceal the broad smile spreading across his ugly face.
Noticing Trump's peculiar excitement, Cassius grew somewhat curious.
Did he eat all those wizards?
Cassius asked casually, "Trump, how did you deal with Bennett and his wizard apprentices whom we captured before?"
Hearing this, Trump realized the red dragon suspected him of cannibalism—after all, there was precedent.
He hastily replied, "Rest assured, Master! We at the Tower of the Great Savant have a complete procedure in place. There will never be any sneaking bites."
Trump opened the floodgates and began to explain effusively.
"First, we strip them clean of all their magical items, which are handed over to the Kingdom of Cinders' storehouses—that is, your royal treasury.
"Next, we subject them to rigorous torture and interrogation while using Zone of Truth to pry out the spell knowledge and intelligence locked inside these spellcasters' minds.
"Finally, when they are exhausted in body and spirit and at their most vulnerable, we cast charm spells on them, thoroughly breaking down their psychological defenses to ensure complete control over them."
Cassius usually spent his time either sleeping or studying spells, paying little attention to the everyday affairs of the Kingdom of Cinders and leaving them entirely in the hands of his trusted subordinates.
Hearing this, he gained a clear picture of Trump's operations.
"And where did they ultimately end up?"
"Those wizard apprentices have basically become drudges within the tower. Their lives—and even the thoughts in their minds—are firmly in my grasp. The moment any sign of disobedience is detected, it can be eradicated immediately. There will never be any mishaps.
"As for that high-tier wizard from Port Victoria, Bennett..."
Trump lowered his head, his tone hesitating slightly, but he pressed on.
"His spellcasting ability was too formidable and difficult to control. Even if charmed successfully, the risk was enormous, and he could easily become an unstable factor within the kingdom.
"Therefore, this subordinate took the initiative to kill him and crafted him into a piece of magical equipment. Master, please forgive me—I only just completed the experiments for this equipment and haven't had time to submit a report to you."
The dragon-blooded ogre pulled back his cloak, revealing the new pendant on his chest.
It was a human skull with a fresh, moist, vivid crimson brain preserved inside by the power of spatial magic. Mithril chains were attached to either side, hanging around the ogre's thick, muscular neck.
Framed by Trump's massive frame, the skull genuinely looked like a dainty pendant.
"..."
Listening to Trump's sheepish words and watching his bashful expression, even Cassius was struck momentarily speechless.
Bennett's Wisdom
Quality: Rare
Creator: Trump
Description: The ogre mage Trump had a delightful conversation with Bennett. He greatly admired the intellect of this noble wizard from Port Victoria and regarded him as a kindred spirit. Bennett felt immensely fortunate, believing his "friend" would release him, only to be met by Trump's butcher knife—Trump had not even used his favorite club, fearing he might damage that precious brain.
Thus, through a series of meticulous experiments, Trump hung the wisdom of this "confidant" permanently around his neck. When the wind whistles through the skull's crevices, lean in and listen closely—you might still hear Bennett's dying wail: "Trump—why did you kill me?!"
Effects: Intelligence +3
Proficiencies: Arcana +4, Knowledge +4, Research +3
You can store spells that Bennett knew during his lifetime within it, serving as additional spell slots that can be cast at any time, including Wall of Force, Hold Monster, Protection from Energy, and more. Up to four spells can be stored, requiring one full day to imprint in advance.
After scanning through the equipment's details, Cassius looked at Trump with an increasingly bizarre expression. This fellow truly had the makings of a psychotic boss.
"An Intelligence bonus and spell storage.
"If you overlook how it looks, this is an absolute god-tier piece of gear for a wizard,"
Cassius marveled inwardly.
However, the item offered little benefit to him, as his spellcasting did not rely on Intelligence.
Yet for Trump, equipping Bennett's Wisdom, which he had crafted with his own two hands, boosted his Intelligence to a terrifying 20 points. For a mortal creature, this was practically the pinnacle of intellect; anything higher belonged to those archmages who wielded esoteric magic capable of reshaping the world.
This was a monumental leap forward, so it was no wonder Trump was so thrilled.
Through the bloodline connection, Cassius could feel Trump's genuine emotions: guilt, nervousness, and trepidation.
With that in mind, Cassius said flatly, "In the future, for experiments of this magnitude, you must report to me beforehand. Don't let it happen again."
"Yes, Master!"
Trump knelt on the ground and answered hurriedly.
"These wizards are yours to handle. Squeeze every drop of value from them."
"This subordinate will surely complete the task!"
Upon realizing Cassius was not angry and that he was receiving a fresh batch of wizards as test subjects, Trump was overjoyed.
In particular, there was "Grey Hawk" Schroeder. Trump had been keeping an eye on him ever since the Arcane Hermitage, long coveting his formidable spells, such as Ice Storm.
Taking his leave of Cassius, Trump hurried off with the wizards.
Even Cassius watched them depart with a shred of pity, knowing they were about to endure inhuman torment—after all, the hundreds of concurrent experiments Trump conducted were no laughing matter.
Having lost its controllers, the fully inscribed Vagnerd's Dragon-Binding Circle remained where it was, temporarily suppressed by the power of the Kingdom Domain as it quietly awaited its next activation.
"The Lionheart Knights of House Bosque should be arriving soon..."
"Schroeder, I really must thank you for helping me reel in such a fat fish,"
Cassius mused inwardly.
The Lionheart Knights were the absolute elite force of House Bosque. Deploying them on the battlefield posed a severe challenge even for dragon-blooded vassals. In the Battle of Trier, a mere seven of them arriving as reinforcements had caused Duoluo no small amount of trouble, earning them a high threat rating within the Kingdom of Cinders.
Chapter 153