Chapter 229 – Mass Suggestion

Punk downed the entire Focus Potion in one gulp. The potent medicinal effects quickly dissipated in his mouth, a cooling sensation soon spreading through his mind. Punk’s thoughts gradually cleared, and in his perception, the gentle breeze and dust particles in the air became exceptionally vivid.

Without wasting time, Punk immediately closed his eyes and began repeatedly recalling the approximately fifteen-second memory.

“Commanding the three-headed demon wolf to intercept Bloodclaw… no issues there. The demon wolf’s response was perfectly clear, the command was fully executed, Bloodclaw was successfully intercepted… no problems.

No abnormal magical fluctuations occurred during this process, Bloodclaw didn’t use any special abilities… a fireball streaked across the sky… nothing unusual…

The fireball’s intense heat vaporized the moisture in the air, its brilliant light illuminating the entire battlefield… This isn’t anything noteworthy… not anything meaningful, not anything…”

“Like hell it’s not!”

Suddenly, Punk’s eyes snapped open. He felt as if a layer of haze in his mind had been torn apart instantly, all memories regaining their vividness in his consciousness.

“Damn it, how could such a massive fireball flying past not be worth noticing? Who the hell cast ‘Suggestion’ on me!”

Punk casually instant-cast a Kinetic Burst beside himself, sending a demon wolf whose summoning time was about to expire flying. Amid the roaring impact of numerous Kinetic Shards striking his protective spells, Punk swore aloud—a rare occurrence for him.

“Damn it, a Master-Level mind spell—Suggestion? Or the less powerful ‘Mass Suggestion’? If not for this Focus Potion, I’d probably be pondering this until next year.”

Punk felt cold sweat break out all over his body. Even for a Master-Level Mass Suggestion, to completely obscure such a conspicuous object and prevent him from breaking free from the suggestion for several minutes—with even the weakened Bloodclaw showing no special reaction—undoubtedly demonstrated the formidable strength of the spellcaster.

Clearly, the effect of this Mass Suggestion was to make all creatures below Master-Level subconsciously ignore the exceptionally conspicuous large fireball flying across the sky. Under the spell’s influence, any being with insufficient soul strength would dismiss the fireball—bright enough to be called “the sun at midnight”—as insignificant as roadside gravel or field grass. The thoughts of all creatures who perceived the fireball were influenced the moment they sensed it. Even Punk, who was attentively monitoring every change on the battlefield, was no exception. All he could manage was to sense that something was wrong with his thinking.

“What exactly is going on? Could that large fireball be hiding some secret? But a Master-Level powerhouse wouldn’t use such inefficient and unstable methods to transmit secrets.”

Having shaken off the terrifying suggestion effect, Punk began pondering what the massive fireball—which indiscriminately cast Mass Suggestion on all creatures along its path—could possibly represent.”First, we can rule out the possibility that any sane Master-Level Mage would deliver a letter in such a manner. That fireball wasn’t flying for just a minute or two, nor for an hour or two. The distance it traveled is unknown, but maintaining a ‘Mass Suggestion’ spell for such an extended period would require an exceptionally stable mana source and formidable spellcasting ability. Only the most advanced Master-Level Alchemical Creations could achieve this—no Master-Level practitioner would allow such a precious artifact to roam recklessly across the sky.”

Punk quickly dismissed the idea of an accident and began pondering under what circumstances a Master-Level powerhouse would engage in such an act.

“The fireball came from the east… that’s where the Dillon Kingdom’s most prosperous urban clusters are located, isn’t it? Seems like the royal city, Cliffhorn City, is also to the east. And the direction the fireball was headed… due west, where aside from Greenvine City, there’s only the boundless Lush Forest stretching as far as the eye can see…”

Suddenly, Punk seemed to recall something. He hurriedly took out the “Nightwalker Alliance” Black Card, which he hadn’t glanced at in a long time, and held it in his hand.

The Black Card, which once radiated a dark luster, now appeared utterly ordinary. The shimmering silver embossed lettering had vanished without a trace, leaving only faint residual mana fluctuations between its textured patterns. What caught Punk’s attention the most was…

“Indeed, Silver Staff’s mana mark has disappeared!”

Puck narrowed his eyes slightly, casually discarding the now-ordinary black paper scrap that was the “Black Card.” Watching the dark fragment flutter erratically in the wind, numerous clues connected in his mind, leading him to a sufficiently accurate conclusion about that bizarre fireball.

“It appears ‘Silver Staff’ is indeed the alternate identity of the National Guardian Archmage Sangus. Though it’s unclear why he used this persona to assign tasks to the highly unstable ‘Nightwalkers’… now, the disappearance of the ‘Silver Staff’ imprint indicates Sangus has relinquished control of the Black Card. The most plausible reason for his abrupt abandonment of control is… he’s dead!”

“The Dillon Kingdom’s only known Master-Level powerhouse is Sangus, and that fireball clearly bearing Master-Level power originated from the direction of Cliffhorn City. Coincidentally, the National Guardian Archmage is typically stationed at the Royal Palace in Cliffhorn City. Barring any unforeseen circumstances… the origin of this fireball is practically self-evident.”

“Sangus’s death essentially heralds disaster for Cliffhorn City. Meanwhile, the Dillon Kingdom’s royal family members residing in the Royal Palace alongside Sangus are unlikely to have been spared. In this context, the fireball’s trajectory points directly toward Greenvine City, where only Princess Trelinka holds the Dillon Kingdom’s royal lineage…”

At this thought, a sharp glint flashed in Punk’s pupils.

“Inheritance, treasure, or legacy… I refuse to believe that releasing a massive fireball and going to great lengths to conceal it with ‘Mass Suggestion’ across half the Dillon Kingdom to reach Princess Trelinka wouldn’t involve some valuable ‘gift’.”The gloomy weather did nothing to dampen Punk’s joy. He almost immediately decided to investigate what tricks that giant fireball might hold. Under the influence of the “Mass Suggestion,” it was unlikely anyone else could detect the fireball’s presence as quickly as Punk had. This meant there would be virtually no competitors in this “exploration,” and there was a ninety percent chance the fireball was intended for that “utterly defenseless” Her Highness the Princess, Trelinka.

Moreover, although Punk was currently somewhat weakened, the “Soul Nurturing Spell” from the “Haitzita Magic Box” would restore him to peak condition within a day. By then, the magical items would be fully recharged as well. Even a direct assault on Greenvine City would hold at least a seventy percent chance of success—after all, the city’s only Formal-Level powerhouse was merely an old warrior around level eleven.

“Sangus, Sangus… that ‘Mass Suggestion’ was indeed masterfully executed. But what a pity… in the end, I still discovered it.”

The vortex of magic in Punk’s eyes slowly began to rotate once more. He was no placid spellcaster—an adventure with minimal risk and potentially great rewards was not something he would ever pass up!

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(End of Chapter)