Reborn as the Genius Son of the Richest Family

Chapter 870: Artifice

Michael didn’t know why Chief Lupan was so surprised. Was it really that serious that he had to turn into his giant Wolf form?

AWOOOO!!!!

He thought it was obvious. After all, he wasn’t keeping it a secret amongst the Rebornian citizens. And as newly minted allies, the Brownblood Werewolves were given access to most amenities that their nation offered. Heck, some of the metal bats used in their training were made out of Damascus Steel!

“Can you please calm down?”

AWOOOO!!!!

Michael felt like he was dealing with a dog. No matter how much he tried to relax them, it only seemed to make them more excited.

I guess I should give him some slack. I did just reveal that I got access to Mithril. I’ll leave him alone for now.

So, Michael discreetly teleported himself out of the Brownblood Tribe, leaving Chief Lupan to basically vent out all of his surprise into the moon hiding in the blue skies.

AWOOO!!!!

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In a hidden, tucked corner away from prying eyes, Michael ascended from the shadows.

He was currently in the boundary between the Mermen’s and the Werewolves’ quadrant. This was where most humans stationed themselves, selling small trinkets in their makeshift carts to earn as much Sand Dollars as they could.

He leaned on the cyclopean wall and waited for Tenzing to arrive.

A few minutes later, he heard someone call for him.

“Michael!”

He turned around, seeing a tall, lanky, and dark-skinned youth approaching him with a big ole smile on his face. It was Tenzing from the Mountain Movers company, part of the Rising Six in Metropolis.

“You seem to be in a good mood.”

Tenzing smiled. “Why wouldn’t I be? I just looked like a hero in front of my peers. Those 50,000 Sand Dollars you gave me really helped out a lot. But don’t worry, I got your goods right here.”

Michael looked down at Tenzing’s waist, seeing a lot of climbing-related gear strapped to his belt. And among the roll of rope and carabiners, he saw a strange metallic box dangling by his side.

“Is that the GodForge pieces?” Michael asked.

Tenzing looked down. “Oh this? No, this is different. Your GodForge pieces are here.”

The lanky guy took out the large climbing rucksack from his back and began rummaging through it on the ground.

Eventually, he retrieved a similar metallic box from his belongings and showed it to Michael. “Here. Five kilograms of GodForge pieces.”

Though his long-awaited items were right in front of him, Michael couldn’t help but stare at the other similar-looking box on Tenzing’s waist.

Spurred on by his curiosity, he used his Drone Vision to peer through the inside.

Surveying it through a heat vision-like filter, he saw the box turn into an ominous dark, violet blue color. It was as if it was sucking out all the heat in its surroundings. But except for heat, this one was sucking in Aubility Power instead.

“Tell me what’s inside that,” he insisted.

Tenzing pursed his lips, looking around warily before beckoning Michael to come closer. “I can’t talk about it to you here. There’s too many people around.”

Michael, not caring about anything other than that box, snapped his fingers and teleported him and Tenzing out of New Sparta and inside a cave.

“Woah!”

“Now, can you please tell me what’s inside?”

Tenzing was forcefully reminded of the fact that Michael was a genius in magic rivalling even that of Mystic Masters.

“Ahem… yeah, yeah. This thing…”

Tenzing took the metallic box from his belt and presented it to Michael. With a single touch, its faces began to move and unfold like that of an origami, allowing them to see what was inside.

The cube contained a black, glass-like mineral with a wide base and a pointed top. Its ridges and almost-crystallized edges looked like that of an iceberg.

It was a fake GodForge piece.

“It’s called the Artifice. And supposedly, it should replace a GodForge piece…”

Michael frowned. “Where did you hear that?”

“It’s been spreading around the Maugnetic circles. I know it’s hard to believe too, but I’ve seen it first hand.”

“How?”

Tenzing raised his hand, showing his forearm wrapped in bandage. He began unfolding it, revealing a deep cut that went from his wrist, all the way nearing his elbow.

This didn’t look like an ordinary cut, as it seemed to be festering with a black, rotting veins growing out of the laceration.

“According to the healers, it will take two months for this thing to heal. It’s caused by an Aubility Power, you see. An Aubility Power that is in the 9th stage of Body Formation.”

“9th stage?” Michael questioned. “Who?”

As far as he knew, there weren’t a lot of those going around.

“By some company nobody has even heard of. Last year, they didn’t even have a single Maugnetic beyond the 5th stage. But now, they’re being led by someone in the 9th stage. Can you believe it? And they say that it’s all because of this thing right here… this thing called the Artifice.”

Thoughts whirled in Michael’s mind before he uttered out his guess. “Was they called the Faux-Stil company?”

Tenzing fervently nodded. “Yeah! How did you know?”

Michael kept his mouth shut.

“Anyway, I’m very curious so I tried to get one myself. And after looking around, I found a seller who sold me this piece. He said that it’s enough for me to transcend to the 6th stage. Of course, I don’t believe him. But it was only 1,000 Sand Dollars, so I bought it.”

Michael looked at him with a serious gaze. “Don’t do it.”

Tenzing raised his hands. “Hey, you don’t have to tell me twice. I’m just curious so I bought it. I was going to give it to the authorities to let them know someone has been selling these fakes.”

“Who? Who sold you that?”

Finding that man may get him closer to figuring out the mystery behind this ’Artifice’.