Earth's Greatest Magus

Chapter 3115: Home

Emery spent a week in his quarters, waiting and training.

Each day he devoured a little more of the spatial shard, and each day his grasp of spatial law deepened by a hair. It wasn’t enough. Another week, perhaps two, and he might have touched a real breakthrough. He never got the chance.

Someone knocked on his door.

"Grand Master Emery."

Warden Chairney stood in the corridor, the same sea-green uniform and tired smile he remembered from the harbor. This time she addressed him by his alchemy title, with a courtesy that hadn’t been there before.

"What is it?"

"The king wishes you to accompany him to the border."

Emery studied her for a moment, wondering what had prompted the sudden invitation. Still, the request suited his purpose well enough. Anything that allowed him to see more of Tartarus and learn about the Scourge’s movements would benefit his mission. Besides, refusing a direct invitation from King Valder was hardly an option he could consider lightly.

"Lead the way."

Chairney guided him through the fortress and toward the harbor, where a group of eighteen Grand Magus had already gathered on the pier.

Ten were royal guards, recognizable by their matching gold armor. Two were Wardens. The remaining six wore the plain gray robes of alchemists, their attire noticeably less imposing than that of the armed cultivators surrounding them.

Two of the alchemists were familiar faces.

Ivaris and his superior, Grand Master Milia.

"Brother Emery!" Ivaris exclaimed as soon as he spotted him, his round face brightening with genuine delight. "You’re coming with us? Wonderful!"

Emery returned his greeting before whispering.

"What’s this all about?"

"We’re going to test the first batch of the improved pills," Ivaris explained.

Emery was surprised.

It had been only several days since he had handed over the new recipes and formulas, yet the alchemists had already managed to produce their first experimental batch. They lacked some of the ingredients required to reproduce the pills exactly as Emery had originally prepared them, so the results would inevitably differ from the originals. Even so, the speed of their progress spoke volumes about the urgency of their work.

Still, he found the arrangement somewhat puzzling.

The first batch was experimental, and its effectiveness remained unproven. While Emery was pleased that the researchers had worked so quickly, he doubted that testing a few newly refined pills alone would warrant the king’s personal presence.

More importantly, why had Valder specifically invited him?

Before Emery could ask Ivaris for further details, the gathered figures began shifting aside.

King Valder Pardera strode down the pier, his emerald robes moving gently in the sea breeze. Two figures followed a step behind him, their presence immediately drawing Emery’s attention.

He recognized both of them from the great hall.

The dark elf woman and the one-armed Supreme.

Ivaris had already revealed their identities to Emery. The woman was Grand Marshal Zaelith Ravenmoor, the Scarlet Moor Supreme, commander of Pardera’s Warden units. The one-armed man was Kaelor Venn, the Hollow Blade Supreme, the king’s personal bodyguard.

Both were among Valder’s closest confidants, having served beside him for centuries.

Valder’s gaze briefly settled on Emery.

"Glad you can join us."

The king offered no further explanation before turning toward the vessel waiting at the dock.

It was a luxurious royal flying boat, its polished golden hull gleaming beneath the morning light. Silver trim traced the edges of its elegant structure, its body curling forward as though poised to strike the waves beneath it. Fine formation lines shimmered faintly across the hull, revealing the mechanisms that allowed the vessel to fly at speeds far beyond those of ordinary boats.

One by one, the twenty figures boarded.

Once everyone had taken their positions, the vessel rose smoothly from the pier. A moment later, it shot northward, accelerating so rapidly that the waves beneath it flattened into long, foaming trails.

Standing on the deck, Emery let the wind wash over him, its cool touch carrying the faint scent of salt and the distant spray of the sea.

Water stretched in every direction, brilliant blue beneath a cloudless sky. Sunlight glittered across the gentle waves, and the royal vessel cut through them with barely a tremor beneath his feet.

For a brief moment, the world seemed almost peaceful, untouched by the calamity.

His thoughts drifted home. To Klea, and to little Guinevere, who must be asking about him by now.

Footsteps approached from behind.

Emery turned to find King Valder emerging from his cabin. The king walked toward the railing, his emerald robes stirring in the breeze as he gazed out across the open sea. Without the gathered officials, the royal guards, and the weight of his throne room surrounding him, he appeared somewhat less imposing. Yet the exhaustion in his features was harder to overlook, as though the burden he carried had followed him into every quiet moment.

For a while, neither man spoke.

Then Valder broke the silence.

"Tell me about your home."

Emery glanced at him, briefly considering how much he should reveal. After a moment, he decided to speak of Britannia rather than the Magus Realm itself.

He described an island on a planet in a lower realm, a place where its people were born mortal and lived their entire lives without knowing cultivation existed. Most people simply lived their lives, working, raising families, and hoping that tomorrow would be kinder than today.

Then he spoke of what he had built since, starting at the very bottom of ten thousand factions and clawing upward for his family, his friends, and the people who depended on him.

Valder listened without interrupting. His gaze remained fixed on the horizon, then he said quietly.

"So you understand... You understand what a home means."

Emery did not answer immediately.

He had a reply ready, but he held it back. There was a difference between understanding the desire to protect a home and bearing responsibility for an entire realm. Valder had watched his kingdom fall apart, losing two-thirds of the people he was responsible for.

Emery could sympathize with that burden, but he could not pretend to understand its full weight.

Whatever he said now would be a stranger’s guess at a grief he had never carried.

After a moment, Valder turned away from the railing and faced him.

"The Fey have confirmed your identity," the king said. "You may now speak about your intentions in returning here."

The change in tone was subtle but unmistakable. Their earlier conversation had been personal, perhaps even a small attempt to establish common ground. Now the king was addressing the matter that had brought them together, and Emery understood that this was the opportunity he had been waiting for.

He straightened slightly before beginning his explanation.

As previously arranged, he presented himself as a liaison sent by the Magus Realm, carrying a message of cooperation between their two worlds.

He explained that the Magus Realm was also at war with the Scourge.

He did not present the proposal as a promise of immediate victory or claim that the Magus Realm could solve Tartarus’s problems. Instead, he emphasized the value of establishing communication, exchanging information, and exploring ways their forces might support one another against their common enemy.

Throughout the explanation, Emery carefully avoided revealing everything he knew.

The armada remained unmentioned.

He had not yet determined what King Valder truly wanted from him, nor did he understand the full political situation surrounding Tartarus and its remaining rulers.

For now, it was better to disclose only what was necessary and see how Valder responded.

"I see," the king said, a slight note of surprise entering his voice.

Emery waited, expecting a question or perhaps some indication of whether the proposal interested him. Given Tartarus’s desperate position, cooperation with another realm at war with the Scourge should at least have warranted further discussion. Even a cautious king might have asked about the Magus Realm’s strength, its available resources, or the terms under which such cooperation could be established.

Valder offered none of those questions.

He remained silent for another moment. Then, without providing any further response, he turned and walked back toward his cabin.

The door closed behind him with a quiet click.

Emery remained beside the railing, watching the empty doorway.

The king’s reaction had been far from what he expected.

Perhaps Valder needed time to consider. Perhaps there were complications Emery had yet to uncover.

Emery returned his gaze to the sea, his expression thoughtful.

They arrived several hours later.