Chapter 1033 The Great Hall Mural <TOC> Chapter 1035 Mark of Flame
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Translator: SumTLMan
The man’s hair was akin to shimmering scarlet silk, as though flames were dancing upon his head.
His robe was as black as the dark abyss, adorned with fiery-red patterns along its edges. These patterns followed no discernible shape, rather, they looked like molten magma surging beneath dark soil.
Every facet of him embodied the “Will of Fire”, even the aura that radiated from him, confirmed his identity — He was Odeklaes!
Despite the vehement display of crimson in his hair and robe, his countenance bore an icy, placid indifference that betrayed no hint of his fiery essence.
His face was as pale as moonlight, his expression, frostily detached.
Much like Fafnir, his eyes were heterochromatic — one burnt bright as blazing embers, while the other held the icy blue of glacial frost.
While one might expect Odeklaes’ aura to be as volatile as wildfire, Angel found himself inadvertently catching a glimpse of icy chill emanating from him.
Could it be, similar to Sineva, that he didn’t just possess the attribute of fire, but concealed an inherently contradictory attribute of frost as well?
What struck as odd was the fact that Odeklaes, an Abyssal Flame Dragon, chose not a magma-rich volcano, but an eternally frozen ice valley as his dwelling. What could be the reason?
Was it because of his hidden affinity to frost? Or could it be… for her sake?
Angel’s gaze landed on the jade-white frost dragon in the mural.
At that moment, Odeklaes too, was beholding the mural. He sat silently on an ice-crystal throne beneath the mural, his eyes locked onto the depiction of Bina Jonis, his gaze laden with irrepressible longing.
In that instance, Odeklaes didn’t seem like a powerful Abyss Dragon at all. Instead, he resembled a devout follower in a church, venerating an icon with solemn reverence.
Angel stirred, carefully making his way towards Odeklaes.
To change the current stalemate, he needed a variable. Odeklaes, in his frigid indifference, completely ignored Angel’s presence. Well, if the mountain won’t come to him, he must go to the mountain.
Angel’s progress was at a crawl, as he approached Odeklaes, he too was mulling over the information he had about Odeklaes.
In Fafnir’s words, Odeklaes was as warm as a flame. However, in view of the current circumstances, Fafnir’s intel appears to be outdated. While Odeklaes is surrounded by dim flames, not one of them emits any heat.
In the gossip within the Wizarding World, Odeklaes is the peculiar lord of Ice Valley.
Calling him peculiar does not imply that Odeklaes is particularly brutal. The fact that Sineva sought refuge in the Ice Valley, fleeing from demonic pursuit, is quite telling.
If Odeklaes was truly bloodthirsty and cruel towards humans, he would never have allowed Sineva’s intrusion into his territory.
From this, it can be concluded that Odeklaes is not a killer. His odd temperament is more about the curse within the Ice Valley — although he doesn’t kill proactively, anyone who enters the Ice Valley inevitably falls under the curse. And being cursed in the Abyss is virtually the same as being dead.
Fafnir’s information is outdated, but the information from the Wizarding World may not be any more accurate either.
From Angel’s perspective, Odeklaes is neither the warmth described by Fafnir nor the unpredictable temper as rumored. His demeanor exudes aloof arrogance, displaying an air of indifference towards everything. The only thing that can provoke his reaction seems to be objects related to Bina Jonis.
Angel approached Odeklaes, just ten meters separating them.
In the matrix of seating blocks, only the central aisle of the grand hall stood between them.
Angel purposefully amplified the sound of his footsteps, yet Odeklaes still did not cast a glance towards him.
It was not until Angel cleared his throat that Odeklaes reluctantly gave him a few fleeting seconds of his attention.
“You may leave now.” Odeklaes’ mental communication was just as cold as his real-world demeanor.
As soon as Odeklaes’ words ended, there was a loud crash from behind him. The main door of the hall was swung open, and a gust of wind rushed in.
A faint glow of flame appeared around Angel.
This layer of fire could withstand the curse of the Ice Valley — this was Odeklaes’ reward for Angel’s prior respectful treatment of Bina Jonis’ dragon scale. However, he wouldn’t verbalize it.
While Angel was unclear about the nature of the fire around him, it didn’t stop him from understanding the current situation.
Odeklaes was evidently on the verge of bidding his guest farewell.
Yet his objective remained unfulfilled, the method to dispel the ill fortune plaguing Toby was still shrouded in obscurity.
Angel, witnessing Odeklaes poised to return to his solitary contemplation, dared not waste a moment. Dispensing with pleasantries and modesty, he voiced his intentions directly and candidly.
His forthrightness caught Odeklaes’s attention, drawing his gaze towards the human he had hitherto ignored.
Upon first laying eyes on Angel, Odeklaes had detected the miasma of doom surrounding him, yet due to his apathy, he chose not to vocalize this and showed no interest in investigating further.
Now that Angel had put his cards on the table, linking his predicament to the seabird cradled in his arms, Odeklaes took a more discerning look.
This second glance revealed a faintly familiar aura emanating from Toby.
Was this the essence of “it”?
A rare wave of emotion stirred within Odeklaes, aside from his fondness for Bina Jonis. The residual aura on Toby tugged his memory back to a millennium ago.
His last encounter with that old entity took place a thousand years prior, outside a Phase Gateway in the bottomless abyss of the Greed Plane.
According to that entity, it intended to attempt to break through the taboo. It then departed the Greed Plane, its destination unknown.
Since then, Odeklaes had heard no news of it, thus assuming it had perished on the path of forbidden exploration. During the course of the endless years, he would occasionally reminisce about his old friend, feelings of nostalgia washing over him.
Now, sensing the familiar aura on Toby, Odeklaes couldn’t suppress his surprise — his eyebrows raising a barely perceptible millimeter.
However, Odeklaes’s discernment was a cut above Fafnir’s.
Fafnir assumed that Toby was a part of the old entity’s grand scheme, but Odeklaes saw through the veneer with a single glance. Despite the presence of the old entity’s aura, this seabird was as clean as a blank slate, devoid of the old entity’s imprint.
Even its pheromones were distinctly dissimilar to the old entity’s.
Furthermore… Odeklaes cast an eye over the pink lace nightgown adorning Toby.
That seasoned fellow, even if weaving a strategic formation, wouldn’t cast a piece like a seabird with such a peculiar aesthetic sense.
If Toby likely isn’t a part of the old man’s grand design, then where did it spring from?
Odeklaes is not unfamiliar with human wizards. In fact, he spent a few years in Ice Valley with a human who referred to himself as “Feng”. This crystalline palace of ice was Feng’s handiwork. Later on, with Feng’s assistance, he painted the mural that held a place close to his heart.
Hence, he and “Feng” made a pact: as long as humans do not provoke him, he would not initiate an attack on them.
During his time with Feng, Odeklaes also came to understand the wizarding structure. He knew that within the three main pillars of wizarding, one was known as the Bloodline Aspect, where they could assimilate the bloodline of other beings into themselves, seize their abilities, and merge them with their own.
Perhaps this seabird is of the same nature, having integrated a part of the old entity’s bloodline?
However, such a strong presence suggests that it has absorbed a significant amount of bloodline. Yet, why is its strength so feeble if it has truly absorbed so much? Has it been sealed?
Odeklaes’s thoughts spun through several rounds, but his face remained impassive.
These memories might occasionally stir a sense of nostalgia within him, yet they scarcely touched his emotions.
…
After Angel briskly stated his intentions, he looked anxiously at Odeklaes.
What kind of temperament does Odeklaes have? There’s no clear consensus as of yet.
His statements could potentially ruffle Odeklaes’s feathers, and this uncertainty was a source of Angel’s unease.
Odeklaes didn’t seem to mind Angel’s emotional turbulence. However, considering the seabird’s connection with the old man, he responded calmly, “If you can bring back a complete Firestone, I can lift its curse.”
This remark was dropped nonchalantly, yet behind this seemingly casual statement lay a whirlpool of thoughts. Odeklaes, a long-time inhabitant of Ice Valley, found it almost impossible to replenish his fire energy. Instead, he was infiltrated by the cold, transforming his flames into ice. This was detrimental to him. Although his current physical state could trivialize the damage, the accumulation of harm over his prolonged stay in Ice Valley had already dented his power.
While the doom curse was of an exceedingly high level, his inability to return to his peak strength meant he was unable to lift it.
There were numerous ways for him to recover his strength, for example, leaving the Ice Valley and residing within a volcano for a few years would naturally dissipate the deep-set chill within him. But with Bina Jonis still in slumber here, he couldn’t afford to stray even for a moment.
Hence, he chose to share alternate methods with Angel.
There were many other methods too, such as bringing some fire-type treasures that could potentially restore his strength. However, he did not believe these items alone would suffice to coax him into lifting the curse.
“Feng” once told him of a tacit rule among wizards, termed as equivalent exchange. What you gain must be matched by what you give. Of course, this rule of equivalent exchange was always biased towards the “stronger party”. For instance, a copper coin for an orange was seen as an equal trade, but this was just the commercial rule of an economic society. In the Wizarding World, there was also a relationship between supply and demand, intertwined with a hierarchical progression rule.
Inherently, the demand side was weaker than the supply side. The stronger party controlled the scale of the equal exchange.
If the powerful party felt that trading an orange for a copper coin was unfair, then their sense of fairness would demand an entire orchard of oranges in exchange for a copper coin.
Upon understanding this rule of exchange, Odeklaes felt that it served his interests well. If Angel could produce something that even he found enticing, he wouldn’t mind sparing the time to help Toby remove the curse.
And the Firestone, a legendary treasure of demons, was incredibly useful to him.
It could not only restore his strength but also enhance his powers significantly.
Hence, he voiced this requirement. Although, he didn’t believe this human who was barely stronger than an infant, could acquire the Firestone.
As for the numerous twists and turns implied in his words, he couldn’t be bothered to explain, nor did he feel it was necessary.
Chapter 1033 The Great Hall Mural <TOC> Chapter 1035 Mark of Flame