"What happened?"
Ferguillo asked Berryn.
He knew that arcane masters at the level of Berryn would not especially look for him if not for special circumstances.
"This is for you."
Berryn threw an item towards Ferguillo while still showing a cold and displeased expression.
"What's this?"
Ferguillo and Wilde were confused.
It was a small strange white jade statue of a person, with one eye blue and one eye red.
"This is something those guys from Holy Dawn stole from the Maelstrom Team."
Berryn snorted, "Take a look and see if you can understand the writings on the back. Those Holy Dawn guys are so unreasonable, treating me as a delivery man. But I'm also curious about what's written on it."
"The Maelstrom team?"
Wilde was astonished, "Is it the strongest and most mysterious arcane team in House Baratheon?"
"Maelstrom......" Ferguillo's hand tensed for a moment and did not flip over the statue.
"Hmm?"
Berryn sensed Ferguillo's abnormality and frowned.
"How did Holy Dawn encounter the Maelstrom Team? What happened between them and the Maelstrom Team?" Ferguillo inhaled deeply and faced Berryn.
"During the advancement match between Holy Dawn Academy, River Bend Academy and Dragon Breath Academy, Rinsyi suddenly appeared."
"What? Rinsyi suddenly appeared?" Wilde exclaimed in bewilderment.
He had already considered Rinsyi dead.
"It seemed that he was saved with Soul Reincarnation. However, some problem occurred and Rinsyi became a monster of vengeance." Berryn smirked, "Rinsyi held Sea God Academy team's captain, Joyce, hostage and forced Ayrin into a duel. But when he was beaten to a pulp by Ayrin, the Maelstrom Team appeared and forcefully took Rinsyi away. Perhaps House Baratheon believed that Rinsyi is a useful tool of war."
"It's not so simple." A mysterious light flashed across deep within the pupils of Ferguillo.
Berryn glanced at him, "Does that mean you know the Maelstrom Team well?"
"The Maelstrom Team is the strongest and most mysterious arcane team in House Baratheon. Even the main house's bloodline and important arcane masters hardly come into contact with them, let alone know much about them." Ferguillo looked at Berryn and slowly continued, "If they just want to take Rinsyi away by force, it's not necessary to use the Maelstrom Team...... There is only one mission for the Maelstrom Team in House Baratheon: To eliminate the most threatening and most troublesome enemy."
Berryn's expression turned colder, "So that means, the objective of the Maelstrom Team after leaving Maelstrom Island is originally to hunt down the members of Holy Dawn. Are they trying to kill Liszt and Aryin's group?"
Wilde also understood the implied meaning in Ferguillo's words and drew a breath, "Boss, are you saying that Rinsyi's appearance is also because the Maelstrom Team purposely put him there to test Ayrin's ability?"
"Liszt's group is already publicly known as the strongest arcane team in the Kingdom of Eiche. In addition, Ayrin's group is also improving rapidly. Baratheon probably felt that if Ayrin's group fully matures and surpasses Liszt's group, it will become a great threat to them. Hence they activated the Maelstrom Team now." Ferguillo did not agree or disagree, merely stating a basic fact.
"Too many have died at Fallen Shadow Valley...... Are those Houses really going to start acting unscrupulously and fight for territory like the lawless era?" Wilde spoke with a pale face.
"Evil Dragon followers were originally the common enemy of those Houses, and they are definitely more powerful than any single House. Now that the common enemy has collapsed, the rivalry between the Houses cannot be avoided; especially the House Baratheon which puts House benefit above everything." Berryn coldly commented. He then saw Ferguillo flip over the statue.
"The Maelstrom Team is House Baratheon's final terminator team. In the past, many non-main house bloodline experts were executed by the Maelstrom Team when Baratheon could not handle." Ferguillo did not mention the jade statue immediately. He looked at Berryn and continued, "I hope you can inform Liszt's side immediately. Tell them that the someone in the Maelstrom Team does not lose out to Carter in schemes and attentiveness. They will even spend a long time observing their opponent. Also, it was said that their biggest specialty is to strike when one least expects it."
"They usually make their move when everyone least expects it?" Berryn frowned.
A high intelligent and patient arcane team was obviously more difficult to handle than a high combat team.
"I want to carefully examine the content of this statue by myself."
Ferguillo glanced at Wilde and Berryn, "I will return and tell you what was written two hours later."
"You need to leave here and think alone?" Berryn frowned.
Ferguillo nodded in silence.
"Never mind. I'm not your teacher, do as you like." Berryn waved his hand.
"Boss......" Wilde watched Ferguillo's departing figure. He intuitively felt that Ferguillo behaved strangely after hearing the Maelstrom Team.
However, his usual trust and respect towards Ferguillo suppressed the doubts in his mind. He did not question him about them.
......
After walking out of sight from Wilde and Berryn, Ferguillo suddenly accelerated.
There was a hot spring park south of Deer Horn City. Inside, there was a large area called the Sulfuric Spring Hell.
Apart from the large amount of boiling spring, there were also a few geysers like volcano craters. They usually blew out sulfuric gas. And at every interval of ten minutes or so, there would be a large eruption. Boiling water pillars of more than ten meter in diameter would erupt from over a hundred-meter-deep underground. It was a sight to behold.
At night, due to the danger of accidentally falling into the boiling spring or perhaps the hundred-meter-deep holes, there was not a single soul around.
The moment Ferguillo arrived, a faint shadow already appeared not far behind him.
In the darkness, although the appearance could not be seen clearly, that person had bright magenta-colored hair just like arcane particles. One of his eyes was red and the other was blue, shining eerily in the darkness.
He was none other than a member of the Maelstrom Team, Rintucci, who had cultivated Eyes of Bewilderment!
The instant he appeared, the red-blue eyes of the white jade statue in Ferguillo's hand also glowed, as if coming to life.
"You actually came here alone."
Seeing Ferguillo stop, Rintucci grinned, "Let me guess why."
Without letting Ferguillo say anything, he shook his head and continued, "Looks like the House's judgement on you is correct, you are a threat worthy for me to dispose of...... Not only because your bloodline mutated, you are also very clever. Looks like you have already noticed that this item is just a tracking device that resonates with my arcane skill. When it reaches you, it also means I can find you. Your end is near. Leaving that training hall so that old man and your muscular buddy won't get involved? What a noble spirit...... After you are killed, Berryn should understand. He's a member of Clan Tarly, so we will not harm him until our House wants to fight against Clan Tarly. He should also be able to protect your muscular buddy."
"So...... Since you are qualified for me to appear before you." Rintucci paused for a moment, stared at Ferguillo, and spoke in a serious tone, "According to custom, do you have any last words?"
Ferguillo remained silent. Light flashed on his hand and he crumbled the statue.
"You were abandoned by Baratheon. But your efforts and reputation will bring Baratheon more prestige after your death. So I represent House Baratheon to give you our final gratitude. It's a pity that due to the threat of those Holy Dawn people, you were not given further time and stage to perform, and hastily get harvested."
Rintucci spoke as if showing gratitude.
Ferguillo still remained silent. Many gem-like feathers suddenly floated around his body.
An amusing smile appeared on Rintucci's face.
The red glint in his left eye wobbled for a moment. A giant flame hand without any arcane energy fluctuation suddenly grasped Ferguillo.
The gem-like feathers surrounding Ferguillo shattered.
Psst!
A cross-shape blade light cut through, creating a crack at the center of the hand.
"Already able to fight against me huh. Except you're still too weak."
The blue glint in Rintucci's right eye also wobbled for a moment.
Countless currents of boiling spring water surrounding Ferguillo drastically shot up into the air and condensed into a crystalized spear.
Psst!
The spear pierced through the cross-shape blade light in front of Ferguillo. It then shattered the gem-like feathers made by Ferguillo again and stabbed through his body.
Crack!
Ferguillo's body was knocked into one of the geyser craters, deeply carved into the boiling sulfuric stones.
Psst!
One feather soundlessly appeared at Rintucci's nape all of a sudden.
"What a strong life force, as expected of the strangest mutated bloodline of Baratheon."
Rintucci smiled in pity. His entire right hand turned golden. As if eyes were growing on the back of his head, he grabbed the feather in his hand and crushed it.
The instant he crushed that feather, the arcane energy outside his body slightly trembled. The spear that stabbed through Ferguillo's body suddenly shattered and turned into countless boiling streams inside him.
Psst!......
Ferguillo's body was riddled with holes by the countless water blades. Together with any broken sulfuric stones, he fell into the abyss of the geyser crater.
Rintucci clapped his hands as if he had done something trivial.
The countless water droplets in the air then turned into a huge water ball and blasted at that geyser crater.
Boom!
That geyser crater was sunk, as if a burial happened.
......
"Why is it raining?"
On the balcony of the training hall, Wilde noticed that some water droplets sprayed down from the sky.
He scratched his head and looked at the clear starry sky strangely.
Some water droplets fell onto his face as if they were his tears.