Even though André did not really understand what his destiny was, that did not stop him from understanding the importance of this journey, especially the other half of the Arcane Eye. He had to find it at all costs.
With countless doubts and incomprehension, he once again passed through the cracks of the material world and arrived at a dark underground palace from the hidden demiplane.
With the help of his darkvision, he quickly discovered the dilapidated statues and murals around him.
Clearly, this was one of the temporary bases of the Undying King, and the former capital of the ancient Barinta Empire.
However, just as the mages often mentioned, life would eventually die, and even the strongest empire would decline one day. Only arcane magic and time were eternal.
The legendary mage Walter observed the surroundings as quickly as he could, and immediately smiled after finding no danger. "Alright, I'll send you off here. Mages are very particular about privacy. You can slowly explore on your own. After all, you have the Archmage's Staff and the secret imprint. You don't have to worry about being attacked by the magic guards."
André placed a hand on his chest and bowed slightly.
"Thank you very much for your help. Let me do the rest. After all, exploration and discovery is also a form of enjoyment. Anyway, this is the material world. I can cast a teleportation spell and return home."
"Then let's part here. I'm afraid that the next time we meet, you'll have completed the turning of your destiny and become a spellcaster who can stand shoulder to shoulder with us. Explain to me, and we'll have a good discussion about the future direction of the magical civilization."
With that, Walter softly chanted an incantation, and his entire body was quickly sucked into a black hole, vanishing without a trace.
"Phew … He's finally gone …"
Watching them leave, Andre immediately heaved a sigh of relief. Being with these Legendary-mages who were surrounded by terrifying magical energy all the time was just too stressful. He was like a little lamb in a pride of lions — there was no sense of security at all.
Of course, these legendary mages did not have any ill intentions. In fact, they were very friendly. However, lions were lions. No matter how friendly they were, they could not hide their dangerous nature.
As someone who liked to leave a backup plan behind no matter what he did, André decided that it would be better to stay away from them for the time being before he gained enough power to speak to them as equals.
After slightly relaxing his tense nerves, he immediately began to check the magical equipment that he obtained from the Undying King.
First was the Archmage's Staff. This staff was engraved with runes and magic seals. One end of the staff was wrapped in mithril, while the other end was embedded with a fist-sized emerald. It was a powerful magical weapon with more than five permanent spells.
Anyone who picked it up would immediately obtain a level-8 arcane spell – Mind Barrier. It would grant immunity to all mental, emotional, and detection spells. Regardless of whether it was the Mind Flayers that specialized in mind control or all kinds of strange enchantment spells, they would all lose their effects. Even if they were careless, they would instantly wake up as long as they held the staff.
The other four permanent attributes of the staff were:
Rank 3 Arcane Spell: Advanced Mage Armor. Its defensive power was equivalent to a full set of steel armor, and it could not be used at the same time as a Rank 1 Mage Armor.
Fourth Rank Arcane Spell – Advanced Resistance Increase. Greatly increases the user's resistance to various types of magic.
Rank 2 Arcane Spell – Dimensional Leap. Similar to the ability of the Shifting Beast Ring, the user would be able to teleport anywhere within their line of sight without any restrictions.
Rank 5 Arcane Spell – Dragon's Strength. Strength, Vitality, and Charm would all be increased by + 4. Dragon scales would also appear on the surface of the user's skin, providing a certain degree of protection.
It could be said that as long as one picked up this staff and applied the Stone Skin Spell, even if one stood in the midst of an army of tens of thousands and allowed ordinary soldiers to hack at them for several days and nights, it would not be a problem.
Apart from that, the emerald at the top of the staff had an additional Magic Dispelling effect. Anyone who was hit by it would have a certain chance of dispelling the effects of their spells, regardless of whether they were good or bad.
In addition, the staff would allow the wielder to cast three level-6 spells – Chain Lightning, four level-5 spells – Icicle, five level-4 spells – Wall of Fire, eight level-3 spells – Flame Arrow …
It covered almost all aspects of defense, anti-magic, and attack. There were no blind spots.
André even dared to say that this staff alone was comparable to a Great Wizard!
Without a doubt, this was definitely a Legendary-grade staff, and it might even be a Sub-God Equipment. Especially with the Undying King's Magic Exorcism effect, as long as the opponent wasn't a Legendary-mage, it was guaranteed that any defensive magic would be nullified.
After fiddling with the staff lovingly for a while, he began to inspect the Death Meditation Robe.
In the end, it did not matter if he did not take a look, but when he did, he was really shocked.
This gorgeous robe inlaid with gold threads and gemstones was not made from any known cloth. It was woven from the threads extracted from the souls of countless dead people. Although it did not have any physical defense, it was indestructible.
As long as one wore it, they would immediately obtain attributes such as a 15% increase in casting speed and a 20% increase in magic resistance.
In addition, the wearer's perception and control of magic energy would also be strengthened. When meditating and guiding magic rituals, it would have double the effect with half the effort.
Without any hesitation, André immediately took off the Flame Protection Robe and put on the Death Meditation Robe. Then, he began to inspect the third equipment, which was the belt made from the skin of the blue dragon.
As everyone knew, the blue dragon was the second most terrifying creature among the Pentashade Evil Dragons. Any magical item made from a part of their body would definitely have a resistance to electricity. This belt was no exception.
Firstly, the belt had a 50% resistance to electricity. Next, it would provide the wearer with two additional points of Strength.
As it was made from dragon skin, its defensive ability was not bad. At least, + 2 weapons would not be able to damage the dragon scales on the surface.
Lastly, and also the most terrifying point, any enemy who attacked the wearer would suffer a strong electric rebound. Although the damage was not as great as the Level-3 Lightning Spell, it was definitely not much better.
As for the last two storage rings, each of them could store 18 units of magic. That was two Level-9 spells, three Level-6 spells, nine Level-2 spells, and 18 Level-1 spells. In short, as long as it did not exceed the maximum limit, it could be used in any way. During battle, it could be released with just a thought.
Although they did not have any attributes, the advantage was that they could be worn together with other magic rings with permanent attributes. There would not be any conflicts.
After putting on all the powerful magical items neatly, André took a deep breath and gently touched the huge stone statue that was covered in moss.
Two rays of red light were released from the statue's eyes. Then, it greeted in a low voice, "Welcome, stranger. Although I do not know you, you have master's staff and secret imprint. You may pass …"