Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

574  Into the Sewers

Alvertos, now in the guise of a homeless middle-aged woman, moved quietly through the slums, his footsteps muffled against the worn and uneven cobblestones.

His eyes darted around under the shadow of his hood, constantly looking for anything even remotely suspicious. His nose wrinkled every now and then, clearly he was not used to the smell here.

The air was thick with the stench of decay, a mixture of rotting food, and the sweat of people packed into this forsaken part of the city.

As he made his way into the depths of the slums, making sure to take several detours, he noticed the buildings leaning precariously over the narrow alleyways, their wooden frames and stone bricks weathered from years of neglect.

What's the point of even keeping this district? They should just get rid of everything and everyone here, he thought in disgust.

Life in the slums clung to existence like mold on a damp surface. Hunched figures wearing ragged clothes huddled by the walls, their faces obscured in the darkness.

In the dark of the night, the only sounds were the faint whispers and the occasional movements of beggars across the street.

Alvertos kept his hood pulled low, wary of the many eyes that may be watching from behind broken shutters or the cracks in the doorways. He didn't want to draw any attention whatsoever.

Suddenly, he came across a poor couple lying down at the entrance of a dirty alley. He stopped by them, gazing at them in contempt.

The couple held each other's hand before finally breathing their last. Alvertos saw the light in their eyes slowly dim as they embraced the cold touch of death together.

Scenes like these were common in Corvid and no one really batted an eye. But since the last few years, the arrival of the new disease had caused even more deaths on a daily basis.

Witnessing this scene, Alvertos couldn't help but sneer.

Good riddance!

He continued to make his way toward his destination, certain that no one was following him. After all, he had taken numerous diversions, covered his tracks with illusion magic, and changed his appearance with alteration magic several times.

It was worth it to remain discreet and not contact the guild for all these years, he thought gleefully.

As a person who had been working undercover for so many years, patience was his strongest point.

The alley narrowed further as he walked, the walls seeming to close in, and the smell grew fowler.

Alvertos's nose wrinkled even further and his face darkened as he thought to himself, I always did hate this rendezvous point.

After walking for another ten minutes, he saw a crooked archway that marked the entrance to the sewers in front of him. It was almost hidden beneath a mess of overgrown weeds and graffiti scribbled in strange symbols.

A rusty iron gate blocked the path, its bars placed so closely together that it wouldn't even allow a rodent to pass through let alone a person.

Alvertos stood before the iron gate and glanced around, ensuring no one was watching. Then, he walked right through the gate as if a rock gently plunging through the surface of the water.

The entrance was an illusion!

Transitioning from the slums to the sewers was immediate and conflicting. The world above, as foul as it was, at least had a faint breath of life.

However, down in the sewers, the air was thick with dampness and the unmistakable stench of stagnant water.

As soon as Alvertos passed the iron gate, he immediately turned around and raised his hand, aiming to cast a spell.

His eyes narrowed and his face was extremely solemn. There would be a faint ripple in the entrance whenever anyone passed through it. He was waiting to see if anyone was following him.

Five minutes.

Fifteen minutes.

Half an hour.

One hour. Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Two hours. He patiently stood there for two hours before finally he lowered his hand and breathed a sigh of relief. Only then, did he turn back around and make his way deeper into the sewers.

If he wasn't this cautious, he would have never made it this far as an undercover agent in the Flynn Family.

However, unbeknownst to him, two people had already followed him through the entrance of the sewers at some point.

Elysande glanced at Alvertos's departing back with utter nervousness. Her heart was pounding in her chest and her back was drenched in cold sweat.

For two hours, she had been standing right in front of the man yet the latter wasn't able to sense her presence at all.

She wasn't afraid of facing him once she was found out, but that she wouldn't be able to get to the bottom of everything after coming so far.

'I told you, he won't notice a thing.'

A calm and soothing voice echoed inside her mind, snapping her out of her shock.

Elysande turned her head to the side and saw Adam calmly standing with his arms crossed, looking far ahead into the depths of the sewer.

She saw the holy white light emanate from his eyes and couldn't help but mutter, 'Those eyes of yours…'

Adam turned to look at her and faintly smiled. 'Unless it's a Mana Vortex Magus, there's no one that can break my illusion.'

He then began following Alvertos. 'Stick close to me and be ready to fight at a moment's notice.'

Elysande's expression turned extremely solemn. She took a deep breath before catching up to Adam.

…

The walls of the tunnel were covered in grime, and the ground beneath Alvertos's feet squelched with every step he took.

The muffled sounds of the bustling district gradually seemed to fade away. Only the sound of the distant dripping of water and the occasional echo of something moving remained.

Only the top executives of the guild are aware of this secret meeting point, he thought.

I'm certain that no more than a handful of guild members from Ravenfell have visited these parts of the sewers in the past.

I can only hope that the proxy from the guild is also present tonight...

After all, it's been more than seven years since I've visited him.