The Kind of Evil-Chapter 319: Honey trap.

‎Novia was waiting at the entrance to the Magic Tower because she was notified by Lenin that Carrion and Erlina were coming to visit. She already knew what it was all about, and she was entrusted with dealing with those two. She then saw Carrion and Erlina walk out of the carriage, staring at the towering building that pierced through the sky.

‎"Welcome to the Magic Tower, Lord Carrion, Lady Erlina," Novia smiled as she approached them. "It’s a pleasure to see you two, and I believe we didn’t have the chance to get to know each other back in South Neva," she added.

‎"Yes, we both were in a different kind of reality back then. You were fighting the demons at the front line, and we both tried to maintain the situation at the back," Carrion nodded in agreement.

‎"That’s true..." Novia nodded, her gaze blank because she still couldn’t erase the powerlessness and the colossal being that could destroy the whole continent faster than any human could do. "Please, follow me. We will talk in a more suitable place," she put on a forced smile and walked toward the entrance.

‎Carrion and Erlina were expecting this to happen where they wouldn’t be able to meet Lenin in person. They had planned everything for every outcome, and their goal was still the same, to tie the Magic Tower to them. Knowing that Novia would be the face that they were going to see often, they still could use her to find out about what was going on in Central Neva.

‎Erlina gently placed her hand on Carrion’s lower back as she walked behind him. They shared a look and blinked their eyes, understanding each other with that simple gesture.

‎Erlina had discussed this with Carrion beforehand that if they were going to deal with Novia, Lenin would expect Erlina to approach Novia. However, Erlina knew that, and kept Carrion to deal with this to catch Lenin off guard and to lower her guard slightly. The truth was both Erlina and Carrion were capable of seeing people’s true colors, and the difference was how they used their approach.

‎Novia watched how those two kept their mouths open when they looked at how spacious the magic tower was. They couldn’t believe the inside of the tower that was bigger than a small town.

‎"This is just ridiculously massive..." Carrion muttered under his breath as he looked around him where hundreds of Scholars, Arch Mages, and Sages walk around with scrolls, books, or Mana stones in their hands.

‎"Yes, sometimes I also think this place is a bit too much. However, even with this massive and towering building, we are already running out of space," Novia said with a smile on her face as she stood in the center of a magic formation on the floor. "Let’s use this teleportation formation since it will take a while to reach the 700th floor if we use the floating platform," she pointed out.

‎Carrion and Erlina could only raise their brows, baffled by everything that was happening. They then stood behind Novia and watched how she used a ring to activate the magic formation. Carrion who could understand and use basic magic found the complicated formation to be discouraging.

‎The moment the light appeared on the edge of the circle and towering over them, the three of them saw nothing but a blinding white light. The moment they opened their eyes, they had already reached the 700th floor. It was an instant, and both Carrion and Erlina’s jaws dropped by how advanced the Magic Tower was.

‎Novia brought them to a room where they were surrounded by frameless windows. They could see the whole view of the floating island from above. It was something that not everyone could experience or witness, and they were quite lucky to be there.

‎"Please, have a seat, Lord Carrion, Lady Erlina," Novia pointed her right hand at the couch in the middle of the room with the amazing view of the vast blue sky.

‎Carrion cleared his throat and nodded as he made himself comfortable on the couch beside Erlina. He then watched how Novia used telekinetic magic to brew the tea and pour it into teacups.

‎Carrion and Erlina, both realized what Novia was trying to do. The gentle and warmth that Novia showed to them, there was a subtle reminder to them that they were insignificant to the Magic Tower. They realized they were sitting in front of someone that could be said to be the mouth, or even the will of the Great Sage herself.

‎"We can go straight to business if you want to. Since I’m entrusted by the Great Sage, I believe pleasantry isn’t needed for the proxy," Novia smiled at both of them.

"If we treat you that way, I believe that will only makes us disrespectful. Even a simple piece of paper that has an emperor decree is enough to make people in the East Neva to kneel and bow their heads," Carrion said with a smile. "But I understand that we both are quite busy, and we cannot waste time for something unnecessary while the world is on the brink of collapsing," he said with a serious expression as he looked at the vast sky.

Novia realized that her plan to make both of them feel uncomfortable didn’t work. It was a test to see if they had an ulterior motive behind their visit for a partnership. Lenin believed there was an ulterior motive, and she entrusted Novia with revealing it.

"Yes, you’re not wrong, Lord Carrion," Novia nodded with a serious expression. She glanced at Erlina, who didn’t bother to join in the conversation and only enjoyed the tea silently.

"Since Lady Novia already knows the reason for our visit, let’s cut to the chase. We are offering you Mana stones, selling them to the Magic Tower. We are willing to give 70% of our Mana stones to the Magic Tower," Carrion said, staring into Novia’s eyes.

"We already have tons of Mana stones from every corner of all Neva’s continents. Can you give me a reason why we should consider your offer, Lord Carrion?" Novia asked with her arms crossed and brows furrowed.

"Because you would regret it if the Magic Tower didn’t utilize the Mana stones that were stored away in some warehouses, covered in dust. With our current situation, I believe that the Magic Tower is preparing to create something that can help humankind to fight the demons," Carrion answered as he sat straight, his eyes never leaving Novia’s. "We both know how powerless we were back then in South Neva. If only we had magic tools, magic weapons, or even a whole arsenal that the Magic Tower could invent, wouldn’t that be enough to make a different?" He asked back with his brows furrowed.

Novia was taken aback by how Carrion knew about the Magic Tower’s plan to create something that was powerful enough to prevent the demon forces from taking over the world. Ever since her and Lenin went back to Gratlan after the war, the whole Magic Tower was busy creating magic tools and weapons to prepare for the inevitable wars. She believed that Rasmus was the one who told Carrion about it since Rasmus was used to be an important guest of Magic Tower who knew about the research in magic tools.

"Every second matter now, Lady Novia. We are here not to gain profit, we are here to help. What’s the point of wealth, power, and influence if one day everything won’t matter anymore," Carrion said as he clasped his hands together while his elbows rested on his knees.

"If you’re willing to help, why only 70% of the Mana stones? Why did you give the remaining to Lord Carrion, Lady Esperella, and Lord Rouben? Didn’t you say you weren’t looking for a profit?" Novia asked with her brows raised and head tilted.

"Becuase we aren’t martyrs, Lady Novia. I apologize if that offends you, but if we are giving everything to the Magic Tower, we would have nothing, and we wouldn’t be able to do anything about it if one day the Magic Tower decided to take not only the Mana stones but the whole mining sites? Should we risk it? No, we still care about ourselves," Carrion answered without hesitation.

Novia glanced at Erlina and still couldn’t believe how quiet Erlina was. She was expecting Erlina to get involved in the conversation by now and revealed their ulterior motive. However, what she had predicted, they were pointless because there was no sign of those two of trying to take advantage of this.

Novia closed her eyes and sighed as she nodded with understanding, finding Carrion’s excuse to be reasonable. She thought for a moment, letting the silence fill the room. However, suddenly she felt like she was the one who got uncomfortable by this, even though it was her that tried to do that to them. She realized that she had just fallen from her own traps that she had placed for those two.

"I’ll convey your words to my master, Lord Carrion, Lady Erlina. We will contact you once we got our answer," Novia said with a serious expression.

"Yes, of course. Please do take your time, but we hope that we can be of a help to the Magic Tower," Carrion said as he stood up.

"Yes, I’ll escort you out," Novia nodded and got up from her seat.

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