Age of Wizards: I Can Analyze All Things

It looked like this shop, called "Ruby," was the largest in Broken Domain Town.

"Is there anything you wish to purchase, sir?"

A female demon approached him with a charming smile.

She had the appearance of a human woman, with a gorgeous face and a sultry figure, looking very much like a succubus.

Only upon closer inspection could one see that her hands were a pair of sharp claws and her feet were goat-like hooves.

On her back grew a pair of tattered, seemingly scorched bat wings, along with over a dozen two- to three-meter-long stinging tails that trailed slowly behind her as she moved.

A pair of completely white, hollow eyes on her otherwise beautiful face twisted and ruined her comeliness.

This was a Demon Capture, also known as a Dream Demon in the material realm.

Like succubi, Demon Captures were skilled in using powers of seduction to unsettle a target’s mind, and their combat prowess was comparable.

The difference, however, was that Demon Captures lacked the refined skills of service that succubi possessed, and their appearance was far from flawless. As a result, they fared much worse in the Abyss.

"Just looking."

Pei Ze glanced at the Demon Capture, then looked away and replied nonchalantly.

The Demon Capture’s gaze swept over Pei Ze’s Wizard robes. Her eyes brightened slightly, and after a sweet-sounding acknowledgment, she stepped aside, making no move to introduce any of the merchandise to him.

’Wizards are all knowledgeable and powerful individuals. No need to waste my breath on a pointless endeavor.’

Admittedly, the shop had no shortage of fine goods. After a quick look around, Pei Ze had already found several items that caught his eye.

He didn’t stand on ceremony, simply having the Demon Capture hold each item, intending to pay for them all at once later.

As he selected more and more items, the Demon Capture’s eyes grew brighter, and she couldn’t help but run her tongue over her crimson lips.

Just then, Pei Ze stopped in his tracks, his gaze fixed on an item on a display shelf.

It was a dusty claw, over ten centimeters long, that looked like it belonged to some kind of beast. Yet it emanated a familiar aura.

Pei Ze often sensed a similar aura from Wuyu. He was so familiar with it that he knew he couldn’t be mistaken.

It was, without a doubt, the aura of the Power of Death.

That alone wouldn’t have surprised him. The crucial part was that he also sensed a faint trace of divinity on the claw.

Pei Ze reached out and picked up the claw.

The moment he held it, he knew his senses hadn’t failed him.

The claw did indeed contain a trace of divinity, but it was incredibly faint—far weaker than the divinity contained in a single drop of the Lord of Thunder’s Divine Blood.

"What’s the story behind this?" Pei Ze asked the Demon Capture.

The Demon Capture glanced at the claw, thought for a moment, and said, "Apparently, it was taken from a Magical Creature. The story is that one of Lord Red Shroud’s units was escorting supplies through the River of Blood when they were attacked by an unknown Magical Creature. Three Flame Demons and over a hundred Frenzy Demons were killed, but the creature ultimately escaped, leaving behind only this claw."

Pei Ze’s expression flickered.

’Even the weakest Flame Demons are at Level 4. A creature that could kill three of them and still escape must be a Level 5 Magical Creature.’

’That’s it. It must be a Divine Being.’

An unusual glint flashed in Pei Ze’s eyes before vanishing.

As the name suggested, Divine Beings were powerful creatures that possessed divinity.

They were often born from the primitive beliefs of a civilized race.

They were usually totems of that race’s faith, or beings akin to ancestral spirits.

After eons of worship, they developed self-awareness and gained a faint divinity.

Because of this, while there was a vast disparity in power between a Divine Being and a true Divine Spirit, their fundamental nature was quite similar.

The only difference was that the quantity and quality of their worshippers were too low to establish a divine portfolio and ignite the Divine Fire.

Thus, many Wizards considered Divine Beings to be the primordial form of Divine Spirits.

However, the weakness of a Divine Being was only relative to a true Divine Spirit. They themselves often possessed immense power, at Level 5 or even Level 6.

’A Divine Being that has mastered the Power of Death.’

A fire ignited in Pei Ze’s heart.

’Although a Divine Being is a far cry from a true Divine Spirit, if I can collect enough of its blood and purify it, the effect might not be any worse than actual Divine Blood.’

’This means I have a lead on the Death God’s Blood needed for Wuyu’s evolution.’

Pei Ze was pleasantly surprised.

’I can’t believe I found a lead on the Death God’s Blood so soon after arriving in the Abyss. With this and the waters of the River of Blood, I might just be able to gather everything Wuyu needs for her evolution on this single trip.’

Despite his pleasant surprise, Pei Ze kept his expression neutral and asked the Demon Capture, "How much for this?"

The Demon Capture sized Pei Ze up for a moment, her eyes darting about before she giggled. "If the esteemed Wizard would like it, you may have it for one hundred and eighty thousand Magic Crystal Stones."

’Although this claw contained divinity, you couldn’t expect demons, who only know slaughter and infighting, to have any use for it.’

’And any Great Demon who could utilize divinity wouldn’t give such a paltry amount a second glance.’

’That was why the claw had been sitting in the shop for over half a year, completely unwanted. Hardly anyone had even asked for its price.’

The Demon Capture couldn’t read the young Wizard’s intentions, so she didn’t dare to quote too high a price, lest he change his mind.

Pei Ze didn’t haggle. He simply tossed the claw to the Demon Capture and said flatly, "Let’s settle up."

The Demon Capture was overjoyed, beaming as she led Pei Ze to the counter.

The final total came to just over two hundred and thirty thousand Magic Crystal Stones.

After paying, Pei Ze ignored the Demon Capture’s seductive advances and left the shop with his purchases.

Pei Ze hadn’t asked the Demon Capture for the Divine Being’s specific location, as there was no point.

The terrain and environment of the Abyss were, after all, in a constant state of flux.

However, with the claw in hand and the general vicinity of the River of Blood to go on, Pei Ze was still quite confident he could find the Divine Being.

After all, there were countless spells for tracking a target.

A high-level prophecy spell or a Desire Technique would be enough to locate the target.

Leaving the shop, Pei Ze headed toward the tallest stone tower in Broken Domain Town. He planned to "register" first, then make his way to the River of Blood.

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, Pei Ze glimpsed two robed figures.

He turned to look and immediately detected the unique fluctuations of elemental energy that marked them as Wizards.

They, in turn, had noticed him as well.

After entering the Abyss, Pei Ze had used his Silver Star to form a mask over his face, so the two Wizards merely glanced at him before looking away.

Pei Ze looked away as well and continued toward the stone tower.

From within the crowd, the two Wizards watched Pei Ze walk away and began to speak in low voices.

"A Wizard from the Silver Light Legion?"

"Unlikely. Those guys fell for the Lord’s ploy. They’re still wandering the wastes and shouldn’t be back this quickly."

"Then what about him?"

"Don’t stir up trouble. There are plenty of Wizards in Broken Domain Town. As long as he’s not one of the Silver Light Legion’s pursuers, we don’t need to bother with him."

After a brief exchange, the two fell silent and quickly vanished into the depths of the crowd.

...

As a recruitment camp on the front lines of the Wanyuan Plain, Broken Domain Town had a remarkably sophisticated enlistment process, especially for a place in the chaotic Abyss.

Outsiders only had to pass a simple identity check to receive a badge symbolizing their status as a soldier in the Abyssal army. They would also receive a temporary boon from the plane’s laws, granting them the same innate sense of direction as the native creatures, so they no longer had to worry about getting lost in the wastelands.

Of course, this status wouldn’t earn them any special treatment from the demons that roamed the wastelands.

Those would still gleefully attack any travelers they came across.

—unless you carried the banner of the Red Shroud.

But Pei Ze didn’t mind.

All he needed was the innate sense of direction.

That way, he wouldn’t have to worry about getting lost while exploring the River of Blood.

Generally, ordinary outsiders were received by the succubus officers under the command of the Red Shroud.

Only powerful individuals who had reached a certain level of strength would be granted a personal reception by the Red Shroud.

And a Level 5 Wizard from the Star Realm Alliance certainly qualified for such an honor.

In a resplendent, brightly lit great hall, Pei Ze laid eyes on the legendary Great Demon who ruled Broken Domain Town for the very first time.