Spellcasting Gods

“It’s simple! My eyes are sealed with a powerful otherworldly creature! Its power is enough to kill you or this Councilor John. In the Fragment World, I released its power, so the other soul that Mr. John split off from died.”

After saying these suggestive words, Zhang Cheng picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth, observing the two old men's reactions with great interest.

Undoubtedly, this news was somewhat unsettling for them, who were used to being in control and dominating everything.

After about two or three minutes, Lavern took a deep breath and exclaimed, "Well, it seems we underestimated you. From now on, John and I will speak to you as equals. First, can you tell me what your plans are?"

"Of course, it's about restoring order to Brooklyn! Let all the residents of the underworld know who the supreme ruler of this area is." Zhang Cheng sneered, feigning an interest in power.

"Besides this? Don't you have any grander goals?" Faust leaned forward slightly, squinting his eyes as he hinted.

"No, not for now. If I have some free time, I might travel around the world to see the ancient ruins and the most beautiful scenery of nature."

"Don't you want to uncover the secrets hidden behind this world, so that you can become stronger?"

"What do you mean?"

"It means exactly what it says! You probably don't know this, but the world we live in has a fixed cycle of every thousand years. In the first hundred years of this cycle, many secret realms hidden by the gods or ancient magical civilizations will gradually open up. Some of them are deep in the remote jungles, some are on the unknown Yellow Island, some are in the icy polar regions, and some are in the depths of the boundless ocean."

"Join us! Let's explore these unknown and mysterious places together! Search for lost knowledge! And even the way to become a god..."

Chapter 0536 Alliance

"A cycle that happens once every thousand years? An upcoming secret realm? It sounds intriguing! Tell me, what do I need to give up, and what will I get in return?"

After listening to the other party's description, Zhang Cheng quickly realized that these strange phenomena were likely related to the task given to him by the Creator.

Especially those so-called secret realms, who knows, one of them might contain clues related to the seal, or even the key to open the seal.

Seeing that he was interested in joining, Faust quickly pressed his advantage, saying, "It's simple! We need your fighting skills and alchemy! As for the distribution of the spoils, they will all be divided into three, one for each person. If there is something of particularly high value that cannot be divided, then we will decide who gets it by drawing lots in the fairest way possible, and whoever gets it must compensate the other two."

"We'll handle most of the intelligence gathering. Your job is to do things like salvaging shipwrecks and searching for specific items when it's not convenient for us. After all, our identities are a bit sensitive, and our every move could easily attract the attention of those with ulterior motives," Lavern added.

Zhang Cheng hesitated for a moment, then quickly nodded: "Okay! I accept!"

“Excellent! From now on, the three of us are an inseparable alliance. Whoever betrays the alliance will be hunted down by the other two.”

When he said this, Faust's expression was unusually serious, and there was absolutely no hint of joking in his words.

Clearly, he and Lavern are not the only ones eyeing these secret realms; there must be other people or organizations as well.

"agree!"

"agree!"

……

Soon, an unspoken agreement was concluded in the Empire State Building’s most famous restaurant.

Before parting, Faust gave Zhang Cheng a 16th-century nautical logbook, asking him to investigate the location of the sunken galleon called the Flame Queen from the Spanish treasure fleet.

It is said that there is a beautifully carved gold mural on this ship, which records the secret of the entrance to the Golden City.

Of course, they were not searching for the City of Gold for the so-called gold, but for the goddess worshipped by the South American Indians—Bachue.

Carrying the weathered nautical logbook, Zhang Cheng didn't linger outside and went straight home.

As soon as he opened the door, he found a large group of people sitting on the sofa in the living room.

Including the succubus Renes, who maintains her human form, the doomguard Pollack, the fallen angel Samir, the succubus Patty, and her three knights Jesse Livermore, Urban Best, and Bram Chalis, with the giant wolf Clover and a black furry ball that keeps changing its appearance lying in the corner.

If I remember correctly, this black fluffy ball is a creature from the fragmented world, and it actually escaped along with us.

Undoubtedly, the reason they hid here was because the villa was protected by powerful magic, so they didn't have to worry about being discovered and tracked by mysterious forces like prophecy.

"How have you been lately?" Zhang Cheng asked with a smile.

“Not bad! Except for not daring to go out.” Jesse Livermore winked playfully.

"Sir! I heard that the entire Brooklyn area is in complete chaos. When can we go out and clean up those lawless scoundrels?" Urban Best licked his lips, his eyes gleaming with a bloodthirsty light.

"Hehe, don't rush, let them make a fuss for a while. I have more important things to deal with, such as letting the entire New York underworld know that Brooklyn has a new master, and that is me." As he spoke, Zhang Cheng took out an exquisitely beautiful sapphire badge from his pocket.

Through the light streaming in from the window, a faint capital letter M can be seen inside the gemstone.

"Congressman! You're now a member of the New York Secondary Council!" Bram Chalis jumped up from the sofa, his face filled with utter shock.

“That’s right! I’ve just been recognized by the North American Supreme Council and officially become a member of the New York City Council. Come on, come with me to the New York City Council headquarters, and while we’re at it, we’ll meet a few other members and give them a little surprise.”

"Wow! My handsome master, are you going to go on a killing spree?" The succubus Reines appeared behind him at some point, her tone full of excitement and provocation.

"If you're going to go on a killing spree, please take me with you, my great and evil master." Doomguard Pollak pounded his chest, green fel energy flashing in his pupils from time to time.

"No, it's not about going on a killing spree, it's just about teaching those who overstep their bounds a lesson and a warning, so they know who they're dealing with."

Zhang Cheng wasn't an idiot; he was very clear about the current chaotic situation in Brooklyn. Perhaps part of it was due to the influx of outsiders, but more so because ambitious councilors and lords from other parts of New York were stirring things up behind the scenes.

The chaos will never end unless the root cause of the problem is addressed.

After all, the underworld is a place that follows the law of the jungle where the strong prey on the weak. Often, as long as you show enough deterrence, the underhanded actions will naturally subside.

Of course, if anyone is foolish enough to jeopardize their position, he wouldn't hesitate to stain the throne of power with blood.

Anyway, he had already inquired and found out that the other members of the New York secondary council did not have any powerful backing, so it didn't matter if they were all killed.

It must be said that with the support of Laffern, a member of the North American Supreme Council, many things that were originally a bit troublesome can be resolved using the simplest, most direct, and most forceful means.

After driving through the city's main thoroughfares, several cars quickly pulled up in front of a commercial office building in Manhattan.

Without any preamble, Zhang Cheng took the elevator to the top floor, showed the badge that marked his identity as a member of parliament to the stone statue guarding the door, and then pushed open the door and walked into a spacious conference room.

He knew that the statues at the entrance were not statues in the ordinary sense, but gargoyles created using alchemy.

If anyone tries to force their way in, these seemingly harmless decorations will quickly come to life and tear the intruder to pieces.

As alchemical creatures, gargoyles possess strength far exceeding that of ordinary humans. They can easily lift objects weighing several tons, and some high-quality gargoyles can even see through lies and illusions. Moreover, they can self-repair after being injured, making them the ideal guardians.

"Welcome! Welcome, Mr. Zhang! I truly didn't expect that in just a few months since you arrived in New York, you've risen from an ordinary citizen to a position where you're on equal footing with us." The senator with vampire blood was the first to stand up, spreading his arms wide in a show of enthusiasm...

Chapter 0537 An Arm

"Welcome? Really? I have a feeling that some of you here are quite hostile towards my arrival?"

Zhang Cheng glanced at the members of the New York secondary council with a cold smile, unleashing the surging magical energy within him without restraint, as if he would launch an attack at any moment.

In such a tense atmosphere, not only the lords who came to handle business, but even the other three councilors couldn't help but show strong vigilance.

They never expected that, on their very first meeting in their official capacity, the other party would display unparalleled aggression and possess power far exceeding their expectations.

Dull!

Suppressed!

Ten minutes passed before Venus, who ruled Queens, finally spoke up to console him: "Dear Zhang, I understand your anger. But please don't forget, this is the council. We should resolve issues through negotiation first, instead of fighting to the death like gladiators in an arena."

“That’s right! We live in a civilized society now, and negotiation is the only way to solve problems. If you have any grievances, feel free to speak up, and we can help you,” Quentin, the ruler of Manhattan, chimed in.

"Heh, sorry, our values ​​are probably a bit different. In my eyes, violence always solves all problems. If it doesn't, it just means you're not violent enough. Now answer me, who's involved in the current chaos in Brooklyn? Who's overstepped their bounds?" Zhang Cheng showed no sign of softening his stance, narrowing his eyes as he issued his final ultimatum.

He came here today to establish his authority; only by fully demonstrating his strength can he prevent future troubles.

Just like most normal people, they might occasionally play pranks on the kind-hearted people around them, but they would never provoke a madman with a bad temper.

"Are you questioning us?" Brenda, who was always somewhat arrogant, could not tolerate such an attitude, and a hint of coldness appeared on her pale face.

But Zhang Cheng nodded nonchalantly: "That's right! If I don't get a satisfactory answer today, I'll cut off an arm from all of you!"

"Insanity!"

Brenda suddenly stood up, creating a cloud of red blood mist, and rushed forward at a speed almost imperceptible to the naked eye.

But just as he reached out to grab Zhang Cheng's neck, he suddenly realized that Zhang Cheng had vanished into thin air!

next second...

puff!

Visible red blood splattered everywhere!

His right arm traced a graceful parabola through the air before landing on the table with a thud.

Shock!

Puzzled!

fear!

No one in the entire conference room knew what had just happened!

“First arm! You can get out of here now! Remember, if there’s a next time, I’ll rip out your heart and soak it in holy water.” With that, Zhang Cheng took out a tissue and gently wiped the nicked black greatsword in his hand.

It goes without saying that he had just used the ninth-circle spell most beloved by mages of Faerûn—Time Stop.

"I swear! You will regret what you did today!"

Brenda's pupils turned blood red, and she didn't even dare to pick up her own arm. She quickly turned into a wisp of mist, passed through the wall, and disappeared without a trace.

Because in just a few seconds of fighting, he realized that he was no match for the young man in front of him.

There is absolutely no chance of winning until the secret of why the arm was cut off without warning is cracked.

Zhang Cheng merely smiled disdainfully at the harsh words uttered by a defeated dog. He then placed the weapon, which originally belonged to the God of War Tempas, on the table and asked the remaining two councilors in a low voice, "Well, what have you decided? Will you give me a satisfactory answer, or leave me an arm?"

"What kind of answer would satisfy you?" Quentin asked, barely suppressing his anger.

As the most senior member of the entire New York sub-assembly, he had never been threatened like this by anyone.

Unfortunately, faced with absolute power and violence, he had no choice but to submit.

"It's simple! Hand over the lords under your command who took advantage of the festival, and promise never to cause me any more trouble. I hate dealing with endless troubles, so I prefer to solve problems at their root," Zhang Cheng explained with a smile.

"Alright! In three days, I will hand over the people involved to you."

Quentin was clearly furious, and gritted his teeth as he gave a definite answer.

It is foreseeable that after this incident, his status in the New York underworld will plummet.

After all, no lord would be willing to pledge allegiance to a good-for-nothing who can't even protect his own men.

In contrast, Venus's reaction was much calmer: "No problem! If I go down there and find someone involved in this matter, you will see him within 24 hours."

"Very good! Then let's adjourn the meeting for today. I still have a ton of messes to clean up. Oh, I almost forgot to mention, don't try to fool me, or the consequences will be severe."

After uttering this threatening statement, Zhang Cheng sheathed his two-handed greatsword and led his men out of the office building, returning to Brooklyn to begin clearing out those who dared to break the rules amidst the chaos, street by street.