Karl's progress was incredibly fast.
An ordinary sorcerer might need ten days to half a month to craft an artifact.
But in Karl's hands, an artifact taking shape didn't require much time at all.
In just a little over half an hour, the artifact was already complete.
It looked like a massive armillary sphere—two full stories tall.
At the bottom was a base. In the middle floated a sphere that gave off a gentle, warm glow.
Around it was a complex structure of bronze-colored rings, packed with intricate markings—just a few glances were enough to make your eyes swim.
Up in the air, it didn't feel like much.
But once the thing touched down on the ground, Baron Mordo finally realized how absurdly huge it was.
He was over six feet tall, yet even he wasn't as tall as the artifact's base.
"Is this really an artifact?" Baron Mordo gritted his teeth as he asked.
"Of course." Karl nodded.
"Then why is it so big?"
"Artifacts are supposed to be…"
Baron Mordo didn't even know how to finish that sentence.
Every artifact he had ever seen was compact.
A scepter, a weapon—at most, something a little taller than a person.
But an enormous artifact nearly three stories high like this… he truly had never seen anything like it before.
"I can shrink its size," Karl said.
"But if something goes wrong, then I'm the one who gets unlucky."
"Are you sure you want me to make it smaller?"
Karl smiled as he spoke.
"Then forget it." Baron Mordo's mouth twitched.
So this thing could only be made smaller by compressing power into it?
That was decades of accumulation!
If the Sorcerer Supreme hadn't already given the order, he would've slapped this heretic straight out the door.
Decades of materials and effort to forge a single artifact…
That was insanity.
"Since it's finished, let's make it work immediately," Baron Mordo said.
"Leaving it here is just a waste."
"You're right," Karl agreed.
"But there's still a big problem."
"Where exactly are we going to put this thing?"
Karl scratched his head.
Kamar-Taj wasn't small.
In Kathmandu, they effectively occupied a sizable stretch of land.
But after so many years—and with the disasters they'd endured—Kamar-Taj was already strained.
The buildings were packed tight, with no room to spare for something this massive.
Hearing that, Baron Mordo froze for a moment.
After a brief pause, he scratched his head as well.
"Let's find a building beside the Sanctum."
"I remember Kaecilius' laboratory is nearby."
"I doubt he'll be needing it anymore."
"We'll tear it down, then move the Godmother God-Demon Light in."
Karl nodded.
Kaecilius really had it rough.
Dying was one thing.
Now even his territory was gone.
"Then let's do it," Karl said.
"And we'll connect it to the Sanctum's energy. It's not just a simple container."
Karl tossed that out casually.
Baron Mordo immediately nodded hard.
As if that needed saying.
That was the Sanctum—Kamar-Taj's most precious asset, a massive energy system.
How could it be easy?
Baron Mordo stayed close behind Karl.
Before long, the two of them arrived at Kaecilius' former laboratory.
Ever since Kaecilius' incident, everything inside had already been cleared out.
So when Karl reached the spot, he didn't hesitate at all.
He lifted a hand and wiped it forward.
Overwhelming power surged out—
and the three-story wooden building was simply erased from existence.
Baron Mordo's heart jolted as he watched.
He still hadn't understood what Karl had done.
This kid was becoming more terrifying by the day.
Baron Mordo could only sigh in his heart.
Boom!
The ground shuddered.
It was obvious the artifact Karl had made was no lightweight.
"Karl," Baron Mordo asked with a worried look, "how are you going to draw on the Sanctum's power?"
"Won't it be difficult?"
"Shouldn't we wait for the Ancient One to return first?"
"No need. I already finished," Karl said, turning back with a smile.
Baron Mordo whipped his gaze toward the artifact.
At this moment, it had undergone a complete transformation.
What had originally been bronze—plain and unremarkable—
now looked as if it were made of crystal: clear, luminous, and shimmering, giving off a faint glow.
Specks of light drifted outward in a constant soft scatter.
It was breathtakingly beautiful.
Only now did Baron Mordo truly understand why it was called the Godmother God-Demon Light.
The name fit perfectly.
But…
When had Karl linked it to the Sanctum's power?
Did he really solve it in that tiny span of time?
Was this kid even human?
His control over energy fluctuations was so flawless that even if the Ancient One were here, it might only be on this level.
That kind of talent was simply…
Baron Mordo shook his head and said nothing.
He had run out of words.
Karl's absurdity was beyond his imagination.
But Baron Mordo didn't know—
somewhere in this world, there was someone else experiencing the exact same feeling.
That person…
was Agamotto, one of the Trinity Gods—one component of the Vishanti, the All-Seeing Eye.
Speaking of which, Agamotto was the founder of Kamar-Taj.
Most of Kamar-Taj's sorcerers drew upon the Vishanti's power.
And the Vishanti were also the source of all light magic in this world.
Since that was the case,
Agamotto naturally cared deeply about his disciples' descendants.
That day, Agamotto acted on a whim and once again cast his gaze toward Kamar-Taj—
planning to observe his disciples.
A formless intent came from the depths of the world and descended directly above Kamar-Taj.
In the next instant,
that intent tried to sink into Kamar-Taj, so that everything inside would be laid bare before Agamotto.
But this time—
the intent that had never failed him abruptly halted.
As if something had blocked it.
"Hm?"
Agamotto paused and examined it more carefully.
Only then did he notice that a faint layer of soft radiance covered the sky above Kamar-Taj, protecting the entire place.
"This…?"
"A sorcerer called Karl actually forged an artifact that can block my intent?"
Agamotto stared in disbelief.
What kind of joke was this?
He was an existence on the level of the multiverse.
Even if he deliberately restrained the power of his intent, it still shouldn't be something a mere artifact could stop.
This was practically on the level of divine essence.
But—
according to what he'd learned from the timeline,
this Karl had only recently learned alchemy.
And he could already refine an artifact this powerful?
What kind of joke was that?
Could a human truly have talent like this?
"Could it be… this is a mutant who maxed out his alchemy talent?"
An absurd thought surfaced in Agamotto's mind.
(End of Chapter)
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