DOTM: Chapter 256/257

Chapter 256: Arcane Spring

After admiring himself in the mirror for a moment, Ethan looked at the magic set placed beside him.

The cloak was in tatters, with only the hood still intact. However, after inspecting it, Ethan found that only half of the face-concealing enchantment remained. The rest of the magic had already failed. The item was now nothing more than a rag.

Although the outfit didn't look too bad on the surface—just a little worn—the defensive magic circles embedded in it had been completely destroyed and were beyond repair.

Once a magic item is damaged, it's impossible to rebuild the magic circle, as the internal structure becomes riddled with holes. Even if the outfit could still be worn, its durability was less than that of a basic cloth garment sold on the street.

In comparison, these two items weren't the worst off. At least they had fulfilled their mission and perished in battle.

The real tragedy was the pair of boots.

Ethan looked down at his bare feet. He had truly overlooked the fact that physical development would also affect foot size. Foot size usually stabilizes early on. Even if height changes later, unless the growth is drastic, foot size generally doesn't change much.

He wasn't sure if it was the effect of his potion, but during his time in Azeroth, not only had he grown taller, his feet had also gotten bigger.

Although the increase wasn't dramatic, the shoes that had once fit perfectly were now too tight. Combined with the long journey and numerous battles, the boots had become severely worn.

He had originally intended to repair them properly, but the size issue couldn't be solved. Now, they could only be declared scrap. He doubted anyone on the ship would be interested in picking up his worn-out shoes.

Adding to that were the bracers, which had become practically useless, and the combat cross, whose power was increasingly insufficient. The meticulously crafted set had finally reached the end of its service.

Ethan looked around and found that only the belt was still barely usable. However, with his continued use of the Cosmic Cube's spatial energy to expand the storage ring—now successfully expanded to two cubic meters—the belt would soon be phased out as well.

"A whole set of equipment, all scrapped."

There was no sense of attachment. Since he began sailing, he had lost count of how many sets of equipment he had replaced. He had even changed ships several times, so this set meant little.

Moreover, compared to the equipment he originally obtained from the Diablo world, this set held no sentimental value. It was experimental from the start. The fact that it had accompanied him through so many battles for so long already meant it had served its purpose well.

Packing up the items, Ethan didn't plan to keep them as souvenirs, nor did he intend to leave them in Azeroth. Even if he had to destroy them, he would do it in a safe place. He completely disassembled the items into fragments or raw materials. Even if they had no value for reuse, he didn't want anyone to use them to uncover the details of his magic.

In the days that followed, Ethan didn't stay in his room to train. His strength had increased too rapidly recently, and he needed time to consolidate it.

He wasn't worried that the sudden surge in power would destabilize his foundation, because this growth was the result of long-term accumulation finally reaching a qualitative change. What he chose to consolidate was his mindset.

"A significant increase in strength can lead to mental inflation, giving the illusion of omnipotence. If this mindset isn't well controlled, it's easy to fall into ruin."

Facing Anduin's question, Ethan simply explained his actions.

The young prince didn't fully understand Ethan's words yet, but his father, Varian, nodded in agreement and told his son to remember the sentence, even if he couldn't comprehend it for now.

"Are you preparing to leave?"

Ethan had come to see Varian mainly to say goodbye. He had stayed in Azeroth for a long time and gained quite a lot here.

Although there were still many goals he hadn't achieved and some valuable things he hadn't obtained—like information on Death Knight magic—there wasn't enough time left for him to complete those tasks, so he decisively chose to give up.

He could consider gathering that information next time he came, but he didn't know when that would be. He wasn't planning to return to Azeroth anytime soon, and with his subconscious deliberately avoiding it, random teleportation wouldn't bring him back either.

Facing Varian, the king of Stormwind whose fate wasn't particularly favorable, Ethan didn't say much. Given the situation Varian was in, even if Ethan had warned him in advance, it would have been hard to change the king's decisions.

As for the young Prince Anduin? He had previously considered coaxing Anduin aboard his ship, trying to build a connection with the prince of Stormwind, possibly securing a reliable 'port' in Azeroth for the future.

But during this period, he realized the idea was impractical. Varian would never hand his son over to a 'stranger' like him.

Varian was not like the Merlin he had encountered before. That Merlin had absolute confidence that even if something went wrong, he could instantly arrive and rescue Arthur. That was why he had no fear allowing the young Arthur to adventure with him.

Moreover, this prince's personality seemed more aligned with Jaina Proudmoore's neutral stance. Before experiencing the profound change of losing his father, there was a significant difference in values between him and Ethan. Forcing the two together would likely lead to conflict. Ethan had no intention of trying to change the future king's mindset—that would be a thankless and difficult task.

"I've been here long enough. We'll leave once everything is packed."

Watching the canal water slowly flow, Varian didn't say anything to make him stay.

Although Ethan had helped him recover his memory and kill the black dragon Onyxia, Ethan was ultimately a visitor from another world. That identity alone made Varian wary. No matter what, he could not trust Ethan as much as he trusted Valeera or Broll.

Ethan leaving actually brought him a sense of relief. He no longer needed to worry about Ethan causing unexpected trouble and threatening Stormwind's safety.

Furthermore, Varian was aware that many nobles in the kingdom wanted to deal with Ethan after the Onyxia incident. Some had even taken concrete action, but he had secretly blocked them.

The reason was simple, he couldn't predict what this foreign mage would do if provoked.

Before leaving Stormwind and returning to Theramore, Jaina Proudmoore had specifically warned him not to trust Ethan too much, but also not to offend him unnecessarily. Ethan's power was terrifying, and it was unclear whether even more powerful forces stood behind him.

Inexplicably provoking such a person, who knew if it would bring about another entity like the Burning Legion? Azeroth already had enough problems. Since Ethan had shown goodwill, there was no need to turn him into an enemy.

Even if only for the sake of Stormwind's safety, Varian had to ensure Ethan wasn't troubled by those fools. Thankfully, once the king returned, Stormwind Intelligence had resumed its proper role, intercepting and eliminating several foolish assassins, and secretly warning a few scheming nobles. That was why Ethan had been able to train peacefully for so long.

What Varian didn't know was that Ethan was well aware of those nobles' actions. Although Varian appeared quite friendly, Ethan never let his guard down. The fact that Stormwind Intelligence agents were monitoring him couldn't possibly escape his notice—he simply pretended not to see it.

In any case, both sides got what they wanted, and the cooperation could be considered fairly pleasant. Sometimes, things didn't need to be spelled out too clearly. Now that he had come to say goodbye, he didn't know when they would meet again, or even if they would.

"In any case, thank you for your warm hospitality during this time."

"Stormwind will always be grateful for your assistance, sir. You will forever be a friend of the Stormwind Kingdom, and you're welcome to visit again anytime."

Ethan's journey in Azeroth had officially come to an end. As the familiar teleportation magic array activated and then closed, Ethan and the others returned to the violently rocking Goddess of Dawn.

Suddenly shifting from stable land to a turbulent sea, everyone felt unwell. They were tossed around and dizzy for quite some time before gradually adjusting.

"I almost forgot I came to Azeroth in the first place because I couldn't stand the rocking of the sea."

No one wanted to talk. The rocking was simply too intense. After standing still to recover, they each returned to their rooms.

No one was in the mood to chat. Everyone had gained something from their time in Azeroth and needed time to sort through it.

Ethan had even more to deal with. He had to dispose of the scrapped magic set, along with a large pile of raw materials and energy brought back from Azeroth—especially the Holy Light energy. He planned to use Azeroth's Holy Light as a reference to refine his own version, absorbing its strengths and possibly eliminating some of its weaknesses.

Although he didn't plan to make the Holy Light his next primary energy attribute, it was extremely useful in many situations, so he certainly wouldn't ignore it.

"Should I craft another staff?"

After his previous staff was destroyed in battle, Ethan hadn't crafted a new one. This time, he had brought back a large quantity of materials from Azeroth, and it would be a waste not to use them.

Moreover, he already had an idea in mind. He hadn't started crafting it in Azeroth due to a lack of time, and because some of the materials he needed had been left on the ship.

Now that he was back aboard and had all the materials ready, the staff he had named Arcane Spring could finally begin to take shape.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 257: The Powerful Arcane Spring

Ethan had originally planned to rest for a day and start crafting tomorrow, but the image of the new magic staff kept swirling in his mind, making it impossible for him to completely calm down. He decided not to rest after all. After preparing all the necessary materials, he got to work in the workshop.

A swaying ship was not a suitable environment for forging and crafting magical items, even with the magic stone stabilization device activated. The ship's rocking still had a significant impact on him.

However, Ethan overcame all these difficulties because he was eager to complete the project. Even when problems occurred repeatedly, he didn't stop.

Since he used soundproofing magic, he didn't worry about disturbing others on the ship.

At the same time, he used magic to isolate the inside from the outside. A "Do Not Disturb" sign was displayed at the entrance of his workshop, letting Logan and the others know that Ethan was busy with some "magic-related matters" again, so no one would come to interrupt his work.

After repeated failures, adjustments, and modifications, five days had passed by the time Ethan emerged from the workshop again.

"I was in there for five days?"

While eating breakfast, Ethan hadn't realized that several days had gone by in the workshop. He felt very energetic, without any discomfort. His physical strength was also fine. It felt like finishing a long run—he was a bit tired right after the work was done, but had recovered after a short rest.

Logan nodded. In fact, he had checked on the workshop every day. The "Do Not Disturb" sign was always lit, and there hadn't been any major issues during the voyage that required Ethan's decision. That was why he hadn't dragged the captain, who was engrossed in crafting the magic staff, out.

"So, what's the situation recently?"

Every time he left the Goddess of Dawn for other worlds, the biggest disruption was the time difference. They had spent a year in Azeroth, but only an instant had passed here. Although his memory was excellent, it still took him a moment to sort out what had been happening before.

Logan took a bit more time to organize his thoughts, as he had only just shifted his attention back to the matters they were dealing with a year ago.

"We're approaching the predetermined target according to plan. Based on previous calculations, we should be able to rendezvous with Brent's fleet in the next few days."

If Ethan hadn't come out soon, Logan would have called him. There was an emergency button outside the workshop that could notify Ethan of important matters, requiring him to stop his work and come out immediately.

They didn't open the door and go in because crafting magical items carried great risks, and no one could be sure if opening the door would trigger some kind of disaster.

Even this kind of notification carried a degree of risk, but there was no better way. For now, it was the safest option.

"Really? Brent and his fleet are arriving soon."

It was still unknown what kind of dangers this so-called expedition would bring, but Ethan's strength had grown significantly. Loki wouldn't face any danger in this sea region, and Logan, Selene, and even Laura had grown much stronger. Presumably, this expedition wouldn't threaten their lives.

Moreover, Ethan had saved up a considerable amount of space-time energy. If the situation went south, he could take his companions and retreat to another world, then find a solution before returning.

He stuffed a piece of fried meat into his mouth. Since using drugs to enhance his physique, his appetite had increased noticeably. Now he could eat several meals a day, each time consuming three to five times the amount a normal person would eat, depending on his hunger.

Occasionally, he would quietly complain that not only had his potential gone from a teacup to a bucket, but his appetite had gone from a regular dinner to that of a glutton.

"Is this what you spent several days crafting?"

While Ethan ate, everyone took turns examining the long staff he had brought out. They hadn't seen Ethan use it before, and since he had been holed up in the workshop the past few days, it was likely a newly crafted piece of equipment.

The staff was about 1.3 meters long. The shaft was very plain, like a regular metal rod, with no decorative patterns from top to bottom.

If not for the rhombic structure and the staff head inlaid with what looked like a stone or crystal that gave it a somewhat unique appearance, everyone would've thought it was an ordinary iron rod. The faint purplish-blue shimmer told them this was no ordinary staff.

"Is this a magic staff?"

Ethan was a mage, so it wasn't strange for him to have a magic staff. Didn't Loki, also a mage, like to carry a scepter? Although Loki often used daggers, short swords, and throwing knives as weapons, he still carried that scepter most of the time to maintain his mage-like demeanor.

In comparison, Ethan seemed much less committed to that mage image. He often carried knives and swords and liked to wear armor, making people wonder whether he was a mage or a knight.

"Yes, this staff allows me to freely use arcane energy."

The function of this magic staff was very simple, only slightly more complex than the ring on his hand.

The ring on Ethan's right hand stored energy extracted from the Tesseract for him to use. He had relied heavily on the energy stored in the ring to cast spells. Because the energy had spatial properties, spells like Mirror Dimension, Teleportation, Spatial Binding, and even Pocket Dimension could be cast with ease.

This staff had slightly more functions. Inside the staff was a space connected to a dimension filled with arcane energy. The staff would automatically draw energy from that dimension and store it until it reached capacity, then stop. Once the stored energy was depleted, it would resume drawing energy.

The core technology of this staff involved magical principles Ethan was already familiar with, posing no difficulty for him. The reason he hadn't crafted it earlier was that Ethan had never come into contact with arcane energy before and didn't know what it was like. Even if he had tried to search for it among the endless planes, he wouldn't have known where to start.

After coming into contact with arcane energy in Azeroth, he finally gained a detailed understanding of it, and naturally, he was able to lock onto the correct dimension among the endless planes. This method was also commonly used by Kamar-Taj, but the number of "targets" Ethan could search through was much greater than the mages in the Marvel universe.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, Ethan didn't choose Azeroth's world. Instead, he selected a very small and inconspicuous world with a relatively low concentration of arcane energy to draw from. Even if the arcane energy there was sparse, it was still more than enough for his personal use.

The name Arcane Spring came from this. This staff was like a spring that could continuously produce water. In addition, it had another function: releasing all the stored arcane energy in an instant, creating a massive explosion.

Simply put, it was an arcane bomb. If Ethan's calculations were correct, a full-power detonation from this staff might not destroy all of New York, but it could probably level Manhattan.

He created something like this because, despite his growing number of abilities, he still lacked a truly powerful finishing move.

Considering how the World Security Council in the Marvel world once tried to threaten him, he felt it was necessary to have something like this.

He couldn't actually bring the Burning Legion to the Marvel world, and if those politicians didn't see a real threat for a long time, they might lose their minds and provoke him.

At that point, he could simply show them the power of this staff, don't think Ethan spent all that time making just one. Once all the details were finalized and the design perfected, he could make one every day, fill them with energy, and store them in his storage space. When placed in a spatial ring, the staff could no longer draw arcane energy from other planes.

After hearing Ethan describe the terrifying abilities of what looked like an ordinary staff, Logan lowered his head and looked at it a few more times before handing it back.

"I hope you send us to a safe distance before you use that thing."

As someone who had experienced a nuclear explosion up close, Logan knew how painful it was to be caught in that kind of blast. Even with his immortality, he didn't want to go through it again. He also wasn't sure whether the explosion caused by arcane energy had any special side effects.

There were indeed side effects. Considering what happened with the explosion of the Well of Eternity, vast amounts of arcane energy would scatter everywhere, and that world would then acquire a new type of energy.

Given that the Arcane Spring contained a spatial channel connected to another world with arcane energy, Ethan couldn't be sure whether an explosion would establish a stable link between the two worlds.

In a milder outcome, the arcane energy would slowly dissipate over time or transform, becoming a unique type of energy for this world.

In a more severe outcome, the connection would become permanent and take root in this world. In that case, a group skilled in arcane energy—probably still mages—could emerge after a period of time.

"I think you're even crazier than I am."

Loki looked at the staff in Ethan's hand. He was clearly wary of it and didn't want to experience its full power firsthand.

"Just got used to making some preparations, just in case."

He didn't really want to use this thing for that purpose. Its greater function was to deal with enemies that were difficult to handle. Just throw the staff at them, use teleportation magic to escape tens of thousands of miles away, and quietly enjoy the fireworks.

Putting away the staff, Ethan returned to his room and took a full day of rest. He needed to recover to his peak condition before meeting up with Brent's fleet.

(To be continued.)