Meditation World, Underdark.
Orlando Castle, underground secret room.
A mercury mirror, nearly a man's height, stood against the wall.
A scarlet velvet blanket covered the mirror.
The ogre wizard ancestor spirit, fused with Alan, paced across from the mirror, hands behind his back, brow furrowed.
He was facing a difficult decision.
…
More than three months had passed since the mushroom garden was moved back to Silvermoon Island.
The war between the Northern and Southern Islands Federation continued.
During this time, Alan occasionally used teleportation to bring his family and friends, including his senior sister, his older sister, and the Griffin siblings, to support the southern islands.
With insider intelligence provided by Tuffman, Spencer, and Sonia, he took on the dragon vein sorcerers, beast worshippers, and demon cultists of the opposing faction, earning him considerable military merit.
Kelly and the others also made significant progress through practical training.
Alan spent most of the rest of his time in the Panthes dungeon, secluded in the newly built mushroom garden, dedicating himself to cultivation.
Three months in the outside world, a year and a half in the secret realm.
During this period, Alan's cultivation steadily improved, nearing the threshold of breaking through the bottleneck and ascending to the fifth level.
At a critical juncture, he encountered an unexpected obstacle.
The story begins with Alan's ancestral spirit, a young ogre wizard.
This impoverished prince of the orc tribe, besieged by humans and elves, lost his territory and troops and was forced to flee to the Underdark.
In the dark, subterranean world, two major forces exist.
One is the undead, led by the necromancer.
The other is the Underdark, ruled by the dark elves.
The original owner of the underground castle where Alan resided was Orlando, a dark elf sorcerer from the Underdark.
Alan plotted to assassinate Orlando and transformed him into a fungus beast.
He appointed himself Grand Steward, the de facto master of Orlando Castle.
As Steward, it was naturally his job to inventory the castle's property.
This inventory, however, was a minor undertaking; he stumbled upon a secret from Orlando's life!
In the castle's basement, there was a magically sealed secret door.
Alan cast eight consecutive "Dispel" spells at the secret door.
Finally, the seal was dispelled, and the door opened.
Inside the door was an empty hall that looked like a magic testing ground.
The hall was simply furnished.
Besides a desk and chair, there was only a floor-to-ceiling mirror against the wall.
The mirror was covered in a velvet cover.
As soon as Alan entered, he sensed the magical fluctuations emanating from the mirror.
It was obvious that it was a magical device.
Out of caution, Alan did not rush to approach the mirror.
He first walked over to the desk and looked through Orlando's notes from his lifetime.
These were research notes on the magic mirror.
In his notes, Orlando explained that the magic mirror had originally been kept in the Underdungeon, a treasured possession of his cousin, a noble drow priestess.
Many years ago, Orlando came across the magic mirror by chance.
He felt inexplicably that the mirror seemed to be calling him.
Since then, he has been obsessed with it.
A strong desire arose to possess the mirror for himself.
To this end, he went so far as to assassinate his cousin, steal the magic mirror, and escape the dungeon.
Hiding in this remote village, he devoted himself to studying the magic mirror.
After years of study, Orlando discovered that the mirror held powerful magical powers.
By reciting the correct spell, he could unlock the world beyond the mirror, forge a pact with mysterious otherworldly creatures, and gain benefits.
Orlando expended considerable effort to decipher the spell that unlocked the magic mirror.
When he finally succeeded in deciphering the spell, he discovered the truth was even more terrifying than he had imagined!
Orlando was horrified!
He dared not engage with the mysterious being in the mirror and hid the magic mirror in a secret underground chamber, sealing it away.
Shortly thereafter, Orlando died at the hands of Alan, never having the chance to use the magic mirror.
This concludes Orlando's autobiography.
The notes at the back were primarily incantations written in drow script, densely packed and extremely obscure.
Alan couldn't help but wonder what Orlando had seen in the mirror.
It frightened him so much that he abandoned his research, years of hard work unfinished!
After all, this was a meditation world, and Alan felt safe.
Even if he caused a catastrophic disaster, it wouldn't harm his true form.
So, he decided to continue where Orlando had left off, to uncover the secrets behind the magic mirror.
Orlando had already mastered the spell to activate the mirror, but unfortunately, the complex incantation was written in the Dark Elf script.
Alan had a basic understanding of drow script, barely enough for daily conversation.
But Orlando's notes were comparable to scientific research papers from a previous life!
The writing was too obscure, with many uncommon words that were of no use in daily life.
Alan read through it hastily, understanding only about 30% of it. In order to fully understand the notes, Allen had to leave the castle, disguise himself as a dark elf, and infiltrate the Underdungeon.
Initially, he considered kidnapping a drow to help him decipher the spell.
A random passerby on the street might not be able to decipher Orlando's notes; at least a cultured individual like a warlock or priestess would be enough.
Warlocks and priestesses were the ruling class in the Underdungeon!
Each one came from a wealthy family and was a prominent figure!
Could such a person be kidnapped casually?!
Concerned that the ruling family in the city might become alert and send someone to track down the missing person, Allen abandoned the idea and settled for the next best thing: a drow dictionary from a bookstore.
With the dictionary as a reference, he could look up uncommon words and decipher Orlando's notes on his own.
After considerable effort, Allen finally understood the second half of the notes.
Afterwards, he couldn't help but wipe a cold sweat!
In addition to the spell, Orlando also hinted in his notes that across from the demonic realm lies the Abyss.
Yes, it's the demon's homeland!
Recite the spell before the magic mirror, and the figure of the Fire Demon General Anzus will appear within.
Those who stand before the mirror and offer tributes that satisfy Anzus will receive a corresponding reward from the demon warlord.
The demons of the Abyss cherish nothing more than souls.
General Anzus is no exception.
Offer him a soul, and a demon will be summoned from the mirror!
The summoned demon will obey the sacrificer's orders and fight for them until they die.
Demons that die outside the Abyss are not truly gone.
Their sinful spirits automatically return to the Abyss and will be reborn in the blood pool, albeit with diminished strength.
Therefore, the demons summoned from the mirror may vary in strength, but all are fearless and undaunted, making them highly effective mercenaries.
Sacrificing a soul to summon a demon seems like a fair trade.
However, during his lifetime, Orlando refused the offer from the Firelord General Anzus.
This wasn't just because he doubted the demons' credibility, fearing that the summoned demons would disobey his commands and ultimately lead to his own demise.
More importantly... Anzus had a poor reputation in the warlock world.
His name, if spoken, could calm a child's night cries!
Anzus commanded a vast demonic army that had invaded the warlock world centuries ago, wreaking havoc.
Ultimately, the various forces, including humans, orcs, and elves, united and sacrificed countless warriors before finally driving Anzus's army back into the Abyss.
The demonic army Anzus led was recorded in the history books of various races as... the "Burning Legion"!
Orlando's race, the Dark Elves, had also participated in the war against the Burning Legion's invasion.
Dark Elves are a long-lived race, easily living for two or three hundred years.
Orlando still remembered how his mother was brutally murdered by demons, a trauma that cast a deep shadow on his young heart.
So, he refused Anzus's offer.
He sealed the magic mirror with fear.
He feared Anzus and his Burning Legion would use the magic mirror as a springboard to make a comeback!
Alan could understand and sympathize with Orlando's childhood trauma.
However, he didn't harbor such a psychological shadow.
The demonic legions existing in the meditation world couldn't affect reality, so he didn't mind satisfying his curiosity.
He simply lifted the velvet cover and chanted a spell into the magic mirror.
Ripples of magical power rippled across the mirror, and the figure of the Balor Fire Demon Anzus emerged from it.
The demon lord was tall and mighty, with black wings on his back and a pair of twisted horns rising from his forehead.
The raging flames surrounding him radiated intense heat through the mirror, making Alan feel an overwhelming sense of heat.
Just how powerful was Fire Demon General Anzus?
Alan couldn't tell.
After all, the difference in their levels was too great.
As Alan observed Anzus, the Fire Demon General also observed him from across the mirror.
"Young friend, what happened to my old friend Orlando?"
"Orlando is dead. My name is Pretty Boy, and I'm the new owner of the Magic Mirror," Allen told him truthfully.
"I feel sorry for Orlando, but this might be a turning point."
Anzus's smile revealed a gloating ecstasy.
"Orlando was a coward, too afraid to trade with me. Young man, I hope you have more courage and... ambition than Orlando."
"Enough of nonsense. Let me first explain the rules of the trade."
"As you know, in our Abyss, souls are a universal currency."
"I need to accumulate enough souls to strengthen the Burning Legion and enhance my position in the Blood War."
"Young man, my request is simple."
"You help me collect souls, and I'll help you recruit soldiers."
"The more souls you give me, the more Abyssal mercenaries you'll receive." "We all know this world is unfair."
"Some are born noble, while others can only live on their knees."
"Souls are the same; there are high and low."
"The souls of the strong can be exchanged for powerful mercenaries with me."
"The souls of the weak, sorry, can only be exchanged for minions."
"If I remember correctly, you people over there divide troops into seven levels?"
"I'll follow your custom and divide my own troops into seven levels."
"This way, exchanges between troops of the same level will be clear at a glance."
Anzus raised his hand.
A densely packed table appeared near the edge of the mirror on Allen's side.
The table listed the troops of levels 1 to 7 of each race, as well as the demonic troops that could be exchanged.
"Young man, frankly speaking, we Tanar'ri are naturally stronger than you mortals."
"Our troops of the same level are at least half a level stronger than yours!"
"So, with a one-to-one exchange, you're getting a great deal!"
The Demon Lord rubbed his hands together, grinning like a profiteer.
"This opportunity is rare, don't miss it!"
Alan didn't rush to make a decision, but first glanced over the troop exchange table.
As Anzus had said, according to this price list, the demon troops exchanged for are generally stronger than the ones sacrificed!
And not even slightly stronger.
The gap between some troops is simply outrageous!
A demon's second-level trooper would be a third-level trooper in the mortal world!
The individual strength of a demon is so great that even mortals, not to mention devils, would have to admit defeat!
The only weakness of a demonic army is its lax discipline, making it difficult to execute sophisticated and complex tactical coordination.
Anzus's Burning Legion is unlike any other demonic army.
Anzus, the Firelord General, is a master of military discipline.
The demonic soldiers he trains may not match the tactical prowess of a devil, but they are certainly no less skilled than mortal soldiers.
Wilful recklessness and internecine violence—these common demonic vices are unacceptable in the Burning Legion!
Thus, another advantage of trading with Anzus is that you don't have to worry about summoned demonic mercenaries going berserk and devouring their masters.
Anzus's ruby eyes seemed to see through people's hearts. He smiled and persuaded Allen:
"Young man, you look like an ogre wizard. Why do you live in the underground castle of the dark elves?"
"I guess you probably have your reasons."
"Perhaps you once lived on the surface world, with your own castle and territory, and a group of orc warriors loyal to you."
"For some reason, you lost everything you once had and are forced to hide in the dark underworld, living a miserable life."
"My friend, is this the life you want?"
"Are you willing to live as a rat in the gutter for the rest of your life?"
"Give me your soul, young man. Lead my troops to reclaim all you have lost and conquer your enemies!"
Alan had to admit that he was moved by the Fire Demon General's words.
Reclaiming territory and taking revenge on the Griffin Empire and the Elven Royal Court—isn't that the long-cherished wish of the ancestors? Leveraging the power of demons to make a comeback is undoubtedly a quick way to success!
Alan had originally thought that the ancestral spirit would readily accept Anzus's offer.
However...
He was wrong.
Just as he was about to accept the deal, the long-dormant ancestral spirit of the ogre wizard revived and protested vehemently! "No! As an orc prince, I will never make a deal with the devil!"
"The devil will promise you many wonderful prospects, but at what price?"
"We, the orcs, once fought in the glorious war against the Burning Legion."
"My ancestors shed blood and sacrificed their lives in the struggle against the devil, contributing to its expulsion!"
"If I were to be seduced by Anzus and join the devil, becoming a guide for the Burning Legion's return, how would I face my ancestors?!"
"Ah! I long for revenge, but I cannot let hatred cloud my mind!"
"I cannot bring disaster to this world for the sake of momentary pleasure!"
"Those who make deals with the devil will eventually burn themselves and regret it!"
The ancestor's passionate confession left Alan feeling very embarrassed.
Although this young ogre wizard was not a good person, he had a fairly sound perspective on the fundamentals of right and wrong. Alan wasn't a naturally cowardly person. If he could live his life with integrity, who would want to be a traitor or a traitor?
After careful consideration, he finally accepted the ancestral spirit's protest.
He chanted the incantation and closed the magic mirror.
"Alas, young man, you're still too young!"
"We need each other. We'll meet again."
Anzus's face, tinged with regret, disappeared into the magic mirror.
Alan was willing to respect the ancestral spirit's position and not make a deal with the devil.
Unfortunately, things are unpredictable.
Not long after, fate brought him back to the magic mirror once again.