Duke now owned three Level 1 Peak slave creatures. If his Spiritual Power hadn't increased lately, there wouldn't have been much space left for other slave creatures.

He wasn't planning to allocate too many slave creature slots to ordinary players; he only needed to sign Slave Contracts with players like Robert, who had power and connections.

In reality, Robert was a second-generation member of a financial conglomerate; the people under him played various games and were no different from company employees.

Before Duke left last time, he had Robert establish the player guild Star Embers, with its core members being people under Robert's command.

Duke didn't need to sign Master-Servant Contracts with these ordinary players, only with Robert, and then manage these players through him.

To control a large number of slave creatures, one usually needs a specialized Witchcraft Artifact as an intermediary.

The Slave Creature Legion operates in this way; otherwise, it would be impossible for ordinary wizards to control hundreds of thousands of slave creatures. Even most Level 3 wizards lack this ability.

Duke purchased dozens of Master-Servant Contracts at once, storing them in his Space Ring as a precaution; they might come in handy someday.

A few days later, Harrison personally arrived on the Deserted Island for a visit, bringing along supplies.

Upon seeing Duke, Harrison greeted him with a friendly smile and produced a delicate Space Ring, saying, "Here are the Demonized Items and a batch of basic Secondary Potions you've requested, all prepared for you."

The Secondary Potions were added later by Duke, who asked Harrison to prepare a batch since he didn't have the time to refine large quantities himself.

Secondary Potions were inexpensive anyway, with the entire batch costing just fifteen thousand magic stones—a trivial amount to Duke now.

Duke accepted the Space Ring, swept it with his Spiritual Power, and noted that its space was quite ample, larger than a standard football field.

Inside the Space Ring lay batches of standard Demonized Items, primarily long swords, longswords, bows, and sets of armor.

These were all Demonized Items, each enchanted with a Secondary Magic, making them great equipment for ordinary Wizard Apprentices.

Such items were even rarer in the Oracle Plane, which lacked mature systems for Alchemy and Magic Potions and lagged in various aspects.

Behind each of these Demonized Items lay the foundation of the Wizard Plane.

"Robert... Everything's ready; it's time for your decision now," Duke murmured.

If Robert had forgotten his instructions or failed to perform, Duke would need to look for another influential agent among the players.

Though it would require additional time and effort, the vast player community would undoubtedly offer suitable candidates.

Duke wouldn't force Robert to sign a Slave Contract, and would even explain its contents in advance.

If Robert could accept it, Duke would then genuinely support this player, making him a part of his own force.

If Robert refused, Duke would have to select another suitable target—everything hinged on Robert's decision.

After preparing these items, Duke was ready to depart for the Flower Sea Plane, heading to the Dream Manor to reach the Oracle Plane.

Having just returned, Duke was soon heading out again, prompting reluctance from Yala and others, who wished to accompany him.

Nonetheless, Duke outright refused, choosing not to bring Yala and others along to the Flower Sea Plane.

One reason was that the Flower Sea Plane wasn't as secure as within Black Sail, even though the Dream Manor was guarded by multiple Witch Arrays; it never felt entirely safe.

Leaving Yala, Nina, and others there didn't sit well with Duke; if anyone targeted them, the Witch Arrays of the Dream Manor might not withstand it.

Another reason was Duke's mission to the Oracle Plane, linked to the secret of the Coordinates Earring.

This secret was not to be shared with anyone; it was to be kept solely by Duke.

Even Yala and others, as his slave creatures, couldn't be informed of such matters.

The best way to keep secrets was to bury them deep inside and not tell anyone, as wizards had myriad ways to bypass one's will and extract information.

Duke wouldn't stay long during this visit to the Oracle Plane; his objectives were threefold: gather more Curse Magic, locate a Light Attribute Crystal Core, and cultivate his own player influence.

...

Three days later.

As Duke reappeared via the Teleportation Array from Dusk City at the unique teleportation platform of the Flower Sea Plane—formed by enormous intertwining vines—it had been quite some time since his last departure.

Returning to the Flower Sea Plane, the intense, intoxicating mix of thousands of floral scents greeted him anew, still delighting his senses.

Without delay, Duke identified his direction and embarked on the familiar path laid with luminescent moss and resilient vines.

The magnificent and fantastical scenery along the way remained unchanged, yet he merely glanced over it, keeping his Spiritual Power highly focused in vigilance against any potential anomalies.

The Dream Manor gradually came into view, standing proudly amidst a meadow, surrounded by a variety of beautiful flowers.

It was a different season from his first visit, now blooming with flowers in full splendor.

Upon entering the manor, Duke noted its empty appearance, feeling it somewhat underutilized.

Such a large manor, yet it remained vacant with him visiting only twice annually.

Yet it couldn't be rented out; it held significant importance to him as a cover for using the Coordinates Earring for dimensional transports.

The manor remained neat and spotless throughout, maintaining its pristine condition.

No maintenance was necessary, equipped with self-cleaning enchantments, everything appeared as new.

With his return, Duke inspected the manor's Witch Arrays; everything functioned normally, without any signs of tampering.

The manor's Witch Arrays inherently provided anti-surveillance capabilities, presenting just a quiet manor to outsiders, hiding any internal activities.

Even if Duke were standing outside the manor relieving himself, outsiders couldn't perceive him—an effect of the Witch Arrays.

Beyond the invisibility to the naked eye, Spiritual Power probes couldn't penetrate inside, including within Shadow Space.

Previously, Bell utilized similar means but still couldn't breach the manor, resorting to external observation.

Upon this visit, Bell had long vanished from this world, reduced to mere dust within the Void Corridor.

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