The Eternal Bottle was a Legendary item that was frighteningly effective in the hands of a powerful Legend Wizard.
From what Marvin knew, this item had at least two functions:
First, it had the ability to absorb Chaos Magic Power. As long as you had the incantation, the Eternal Bottle could absorb a great amount of Chaos Magic, storing it away.
Second, it could be used to instantly replenish Chaos Magic Power. A Wizard wouldn't have to rest to recover his Magic Power if he had the Eternal Bottle in hand. This was like a supplemental pool that could be drawn from.
Some large-scale Legendary Spells used up a lot of Magic Power, creating a huge burden on Legend Wizards. Without the help of certain tools, a caster's will could collapse if they didn't have enough power.
The Eternal Bottle was no less important to Legend Wizards than Nightfall was to the Shadow Prince.
Although Marvin wasn't a Legend Wizard himself, he had Legend Wizards at his side.
And aside from Hathaway and Madeline, even his brother Wayne was a Seer that had just reached the peak of 3rd rank.
When Marvin left White River Valley, Wayne had to devote some of his energy to managing White River Valley. Despite this, his progress was still extremely fast. Moreover, he walked the path of the Ancient Wizards. He didn't draw on the support of the Universe Magic pool to cast his spells, so he wouldn't be hindered during the great Calamity.
Marvin believed that with time, Wayne could grow into a powerful Legend Wizard.
So there was no worry about not being able to put the Eternal Bottle to good use.
After taking the things he wanted, Marvin didn't stay at Pearl Island.
The six servants were grateful to Marvin for removing the seal and the six of them would continue to reside in the Sanctuary.
They didn't have much contact with the outside world anymore, and they also had the mission of guarding Pearl Island's treasure, so they wouldn't leave easily.
Marvin could visit Pearl Island anytime, but it would be a while before he could access another treasure.
He used the Sea Emperor's Crown to move through the water unhindered and quickly returned to Sword Harbor 1.
The people on the ship relaxed when Marvin came back unscathed.
Besides Roberts and his second's "it goes without saying" attitude, the rest looked at Marvin with great admiration.
Even though Marvin still looked like a fifteen year old youth, the aura behind his movements was enough to subdue others.
This was the effect of having strength, status, and prestige.
Marvin didn't really care about how others looked at him. He just did what he wanted to do.
After returning to White River Valley with the treasures, Marvin gave the Summoner Emblem to Anna and Wayne.
He also taught them the way to use the Golems.
Wayne was a Wizard himself and had some knowledge of summoning.
As for the blueprint for the surrounding fortifications and city walls, Daniela had already made a design. They only needed to order the Golems to build it according to the plans.
After everything was finished, Marvin finally left and went to rest at midnight.
The next morning, he and Daniela left White River Valley together.
On top of Madeline's Wizard Tower, they opened a Long Distance Teleportation Array with the coordinates they had for Lavis Dukedom.
Daniela set foot on the Teleportation Array, feeling excited. Marvin smiled and joined her.
The next second, an intense light flashed as their surroundings spun!
When he opened his eyes again, the cold wind was rushing over from the distance as he saw that they were surrounded by snow.
They stood on a mountain, and below them, they could see a flourishing city.
Bright flames were swaying in braziers that were everywhere, and the snow covering the mountain glittered under the radiance.
In the distance, only some scattered flames were visible.
The snow looked majestic. The two hadn't been on the Teleportation Array for long, yet a layer of snow already covered them.
"Welcome to the North."
A heavy voice echoed behind Marvin.
Marvin turned and saw a man that seemed to be around thirty years old. He was quite handsome and had a well-trimmed beard.
He was wearing a thick fur coat which was rarely seen in the South and had a long, thin sword tied at his waist.
"Welcome to Lavis. Viscount Marvin…" The man paused with a smile, before continuing, "I suppose that sounds a bit too distant. According to our family tree, we are cousins."
"You can call me Turalyon."
Marvin greeted him with a nod. Although this man was wearing a smile, looking honest and considerate, Marvin had a feeling that he had an ulterior motive. Traces of greed and envy could be seen in his eyes.
After advancing to Legend, Marvin's perception became a lot sharper.
Sure enough, Daniela also didn't have a good opinion of this Turalyon. She asked him while frowning, "Why did you come to welcome me? What about my elder brother?"
Turalyon indifferently said, "Dear Daniela, I am your elder brother."
Daniela chuckled sardonically. "My elder brother wouldn't have poisoned my tea as a child."
Without the slightest pause, Turalyon rebutted, "That was an outsider attempting to destroy our relationship as siblings. You have been misled for so many years and still don't want to believe that I was defamed. Even though you had no proof."
Daniela took a step forward and gave Turalyon a cold glare. "Some matters don't need evidence."
Turalyon sighed while turning to Marvin. "Sorry, but even if I want to attend to you, today the Duke sent me mainly to receive Mister Marvin. As for you, my pitiful younger sister, if not for Marvin's kindness, would you be here in the North today?"
Daniella was furious, but Marvin gave her a gentle tug.
He looked at Turalyon and laughed. "Let's go first. I am from the South and can't get used to the North's cold climate."
Turalyon immediately put on a welcoming expression. "Naturally, please get on the carriage. We made a lot of preparations for you."
"I'm sure you'll love this place… After all, it is your hometown."
The warm carriage kept shaking as they made their way down.
Daniela was sitting on one side of the carriage, lifting the hanging screen to look toward the familiar streets with a blank expression on her face.
As for Turalyon, he passionately introduced many features of Fairhala, the capital of Lavis, to Marvin, chatting about a lot of notable places.
He had to admit that Turalyon was an outstanding guide.
Marvin was naturally putting on a smiling face.
Through the brief exchange they had earlier, it wasn't difficult for Marvin to understand the situation between the siblings.
Turalyon and Daniela were the two most promising individuals of the Lavis Dukedom and received the attention of the Great Duke. Turalyon had outstanding talent and was older and more stable.
But Daniela's bloodline was even more outstanding, which made it very difficult for the Great Duke to choose.
Marvin could see from Daniela's previous words and her expression that his "fiancée" had suffered from Turalyon's persecution when she was small. But that little girl also wasn't a simple person, or else she wouldn't still be alive today.
Apparently, when Daniela left for White River Valley, she originally didn't make an oath.
But she was actually provoked by Turalyon's words, giving birth to the oath:
- I won't return to the North without Ancestor's Mystery -
What happened after Daniela went to White River Valley made Turalyon unable to hide his happiness.
He was very satisfied with Marvin's performance. He had kept Daniela in the South for nearly three months.
And during that time, he had been able to do a lot of things.
The people of Daniela's faction in Fairhala were either killed, alienated, or convinced to change sides.
This time was enough for Turalyon to use his political tricks.
The Great Duke was old and seemed to be on the verge of leaving this world. With his son's generation being full of nobodies, Turalyon's claim to power in Lavis was getting stronger and stronger.
Daniela, who seemed like a mighty figure in the past, had apparently already been forgotten in the capital city.
She almost turned into a joke.
The majestic Dukedom's princess had no choice but to marry a small Overlord in the countryside, and it was said that she still ate a loss there. The little Overlord obtained Ancestor's Mystery and Daniela couldn't return north.
Lavis was a very cruel country.
In this cold place, there was no need for gentleness, only strength.
As most people saw it, Daniela lost and Turalyon won everything.
The Great Duke's recent delegation of power to Turalyon explained many things.
This time, Turalyon personally took care of everything during Marvin's visit to Lavis.
He was very proud about this and turned a cold shoulder to Daniela.
He even attempted to win over Marvin in front of Daniela, promising all kinds of benefits.
Because he knew that the lifeline of the Lavis Dukedom was locked on Marvin's wrists.
Only if they got the Archdevil's head could the Lavis Dukedom's Numan bloodline last.
And he often heard this piece of information when attending to the Great Duke:
Whoever could settle this matter would be Lavis Dukedom's next ruler.
Marvin clearly was the key to settle this problem.
He didn't care about the relationship between Marvin and Daniela. He believed that an Overlord who could use his own power to make such a name in the South certainly had great ambitions.
As for this woman, Marvin would surely keep her in White River Valley.
This was exactly what Turalyon wanted to see.
In the warm carriage, besides Daniela, who had a cold expression, Marvin and Turalyon seemed to be enjoying themselves.
Marvin also praised Turalyon many times and pretended to not notice some of Turalyon's hints that he'd like to make an agreement of some sort.
The carriage arrived at the Great Duke's castle and because of Marvin's special status, they were able to go all the way without being stopped.
The three people got off the carriage and walked past the public square filled with snow before arriving at a hall.
"This is the guest reception room. Grandfather should be resting right now. I'll ask him to come over."
Turalyon politely took his leave.
Only Marvin and Daniela were left in the guest reception room.
It was rumored that the Great Duke didn't particularly like servants so there were only a few people in this castle.
The fire in the fireplace was raging and Daniela's complexion gradually improved.
She was looking at Marvin. She seemed to have many words she wanted to say, but she ultimately chose to remain silent.
Marvin felt a bit funny because he knew what Daniela wanted to ask, but since she didn't say anything, he naturally wouldn't speak about it either.
Teasing her was fun.
The two remained silent for a while, and after a long time, an old voice came out. "You finally returned, darling."
Daniela jumped from the sofa feeling pleasantly surprised and threw herself on the new arrival.
Standing to the side, Turalyon had an unpleasant expression. He had always been jealous of Daniela's privileges since childhood.
In the entire Dukedom, only this little princess had this kind of treatment. She could ignore the Great Duke's status and strength to hug him.
Marvin curiously sized up the Great Duke.
The wielder of supreme power in Lavis Dukedom was different from what he'd imagined.
He looked very old and although there was a powerful force on his body, his health seemed to be declining.
The Great Duke was the brother of Marvin's grandfather, so based on his grandfather's age, he shouldn't be so old.
After all, Daniela had said that the Great Duke's strength was unfathomable and that he was a Legend Sorcerer.
A Legend powerhouse would have a much longer lifespan than an ordinary person.
But it was a bit troublesome for the Sorcerer class because many spells could overdraft their life force as a price.
The Great Duke seemed like a kind old man. After chatting a bit with Daniela, he did something surprising.
He had Daniela and Turalyon leave, saying that he wanted to speak with Marvin alone.
Turalyon was a bit unhappy with this, but seeing that Daniela didn't have the right to attend either, his expression eased a little.
After Daniela withdrew reluctantly, only Marvin and the kind old man were left in the room.
The appearance of this old man was fitting with Marvin's definition of "grandfather".
Prior to this, whether it was the painting or the youth in the Nine Hells, both gave Marvin a weird impression.
Time didn't seem to catch up to his grandfather.
"Marvin, let's chat."
The Great Duke gently asked, "Tell me, is my brother Diross doing okay?"
Marvin took a deep breath and looked straight at the Great Duke. "It seems like you know about some things."
The Great Duke showed a weary smile. "Eh, of course, of course..."
"We are twins, Diross and I… thus, we have many things in common. Could you have imagined that we were born with the ability to communicate through our minds?"
Marvin froze for a moment. "Gemini Souls' contract?" he asked.
"Not bad, it's only an innate mind skill," the Great Duke said, "but the reaction disappeared a few years ago."
"I guessed that he died."
Marvin shook his head, "He only left this plane."
"No," the Great Duke sighed. "Regardless of where he went, in any corner of the multiverse, I could still sense him."
"This was our relationship as twins."
"But after that time, he really disappeared."
"Don't reject my conclusion so fast. I noticed something unusual from your eyes. You apparently came in contact with someone recently… Someone who looked awfully similar to him?"
"I know what you want to say, but what if I tell you that the name of the Archdevil sealed by our family for so many years is also named [Diross]?"
Marvin felt cold all over. His mind was in chaos!