Evan continued training and was about to move on to the next phase of his plan, but suddenly Zaira came into the training room. Evan was surprised because he had told her to go only in the most extreme cases.

What’s more, if she came at a bad time for her, she could have been hit by a stray attack during Evan’s training sessions.

“What happened?” Asked Evan looking at the girl.

“A vampire came to the tower and told me to call you.” Said Zaira.

Evan nodded and headed upstairs. He didn’t know what the vampires might need, but at the very least, he had to find out what it was all about.

The vampire couldn’t get through hundreds of layers of barriers, so he had to wait outside and wait for Evan to approach him.

During the training period, the vampires hired by Dorlus had also completely replaced the tower frame and all the rooms, including the training room. Evan had been training the whole time, so the vampires didn’t bother him, and when they had to reinforce the training room, Evan flew to the mountains. There he practiced using the Lightning Arrow of Darkness.

The tower and all the underground rooms were now made of solid, dark stone. Dorlus hadn’t fooled Evan, and this material could indeed withstand some level two spells. Of course, it all depended on the strength of the mage and the power of the spells themselves, as well as their number.

When Evan reached the top, he saw a vampire with long blond hair and red eyes at the entrance. That’s what most vampires looked like, though.

“I’m listening,” Evan said calmly as he let the vampire inside, disabling all barriers for the time being.

“Hello, Mr. Evan. I must admit that when I saw this huge snake, I shuddered with fear. How did you manage to tame such a powerful creature?” Asked the vampire.

“I was just stronger, isn’t it obvious?” Evan replied calmly.

The vampire realized he had asked a stupid question, so he decided to get right to the point, “Mr. Evan, I was sent to you by Dorlus. He wanted to offer you a job.”

“Not interested.” Evan quickly replied and was about to leave, but the vampire wasn’t about to give up.

“Wait, I’m sure you as a mage will need high quality Mana Crystals.” The vampire said confidently.

Evan turned around and asked, “How many Mana Crystals can I get if I agree to do this mission?”

The vampire smiled and said, “As many as you can carry.”

Evan nodded and looked at Zaira and said, “Make our guest a cup of tea.”

“Coffee, I prefer coffee with lots of sugar.” Added the vampire.

Evan shrugged, and Zaira headed into the kitchen.

A couple of minutes later, Evan and the vampire were sitting at the table drinking hot coffee. The vampire was telling Evan in detail about the mission.

“Dorlus is very busy right now, so he sent me. But, the mission is pretty simple in terms of structure. You have to come to one place and get one thing, fighting monsters in the process.” Calmly the vampire replied.

“Sounds too easy. What’s the catch?” Evan asked.

The vampire smirked and took a sip of hot coffee, and said, “As usual, there are light organizations involved in this case. But, this time, not only them but one neutral organization as well. You must understand that everyone wants the Mana Crystals, and they are very expensive.”

Evan nodded and continued to listen intently to the vampire.

“But, no need to worry, this is an ordinary mission, of ordinary difficulty. Dorlus is one of the most powerful merchants in Darkfil, and he has a huge turnover of goods. If you want, you can go alone, or we will provide you with assistants.” Said the vampire.

“No need, judging by what you say, it will be an easy case. I was just about to stretch out, but I want to know more about where I’m going to go, what I’m going to get, and what I’m going to get out of it.” Said Evan.

Evan didn’t like to submit to anyone, but he was never against mutually beneficial cooperation. Dorlus proved himself as an honest merchant who is always ready for any proposals. Evan would complete the mission and get the mana crystals he needed, and Dorlus would get the goods and the money. Everything was perfectly fair.

“You will need to go to the Crystal Pond. It is located in the caves to the north. These caves are known for the enormous amount of Mana Crystals that grow there every month. Naturally, at this time, Crystal Pond attracts a great deal of attention.”

“Go on,” Evan replied calmly.

“But, the Mana Crystals will be a side goal of your mission. The main target will be the pearl at the bottom of Crystal Pond. To the best of my knowledge, it only appears once a year, and that moment is almost upon us.”

“I see. What are the terms?”

“Five million gold pieces for the pearl, and also Dorlus will buy exactly half of the Mana Crystals you can collect.”

“Good, I agree.” Said Evan.

In his mind, it was a good deal for a multitude of reasons. He wanted to test the power of his new spells in combat, and he also really needed Mana Crystals for Creation. Moreover, he had been spending money lately buying some equipment, tools, formations, materials, and so on.

The vampire nodded, and his spatial ring lit up. A map of the marked place appeared in his hands, and he handed it to Evan.

“When should I go?” Evan asked, finishing his coffee.

“In an hour.” The vampire said with a slight smile on his face.

“I see you were sure I would agree.” Said Evan.

The vampire smirked, “Ninety percent, but if you did say no, we’d have to organize a task force quickly. It’s a good thing you said yes. You’ve never once let us down before. Virion knew exactly who he was giving their family’s amulet to.”

Evan didn’t respond in any way. He just nodded. He said goodbye to the vampire and then looked carefully at the location of Crystal Pond.

“This place is only a couple of dozen miles from my tower. On the Zith, I will get there very quickly. The vampire said members of the light and neutral organizations would be there. It would be a good warm-up.” Mumbled Evan and headed for the black serpent.

<I need to unlock all the circuits on my Pillars. I’m going to need a lot of mana to do that.. Not only will I be able to stretch, but I’ll be able to get a lot of Mana Crystals for free great.>