Chapter 1039 Ouroboros <TOC> Chapter 1041 Irreplaceable Materials
Translator: SumTLMan
Angel’s hand lingered in mid-air, a twitch betraying the corner of his mouth.
Well, it appears that his prior conclusions were wrong.
The allure of the Mysterious Object, it seemed, exerted a potent pull not just on the wizards, but on all transcendent beings beyond the world of magic.
As Balalaika slipped on the Ouroboros, a glance at the Crystal Harp and Monument of the Strange Ring sparked a pang of regret in her eyes. Her original intent had been to beguile both into her grasp, but now it seemed an impossibility.
“The trade is done, so tell me, what do you seek to gain from me?” Balalaika changed her posture, leaning her elbow against the counter, her slender fingers adorned with Ouroboros lazily twirling a long-stemmed pipe. Even amidst the swirling smoke, she radiated allure.
Angel had assumed that Balalaika would inquire about the origin of Ouroboros. To his surprise, she remained silent, her interest in its history seemingly scant.
True enough, Balalaika had not considered asking about its provenance. The world was filled with oddities, one could tire from the pursuit of understanding them all. Besides, she had no intention of leaving her Resting Ground; what benefit could there be in such knowledge?
“Any trade is on the table,” Balalaika trailed the stem of her pipe across the back of Angel’s hand, sketching a circle as though to tickle him.
The sensation of her touch, combined with her deliberately suggestive tone, made Angel’s heart waver for a moment. However, remembering Balalaika’s identity, he quickly regained his composure.
With an impassive face, Angel pulled his hand away.
“I’ve come seeking Miss Balalaika’s help to solve a particular problem,” he declared.
“Problem?” Balalaika queried nonchalantly, addressing the brutal proposition with a flippant tone.
Shaking his head, Angel carefully extracted Toby from the bracelet and set it on the counter.
As Balalaika looked at Toby, ensnared in the ice sphere, her eyes flickered with momentary bewilderment.
“Frost magic from Bina Jonis, doom curse from the Harbinger of Doom…” Balalaika’s gaze fell again on the Mark of Flame gracing Angel’s earlobe, casually glancing beyond the tavern to a dark-skinned woman outside, “Such a complex aura indeed.”
So, the ice orb was a result of Bina Jonis’s frost curse? Angel mused inwardly, he’d been puzzled before, considering Odeklaes is a Flame Dragon, why would there be ice magic involved, so it wasn’t his doing after all.
But was Bina Jonis also in the Ice Valley?
Angel didn’t probe deeper, instead, revealing his purpose, “A dear friend of mine has been afflicted with the doom curse by the Harbinger of Doom. Could Miss Balalaika possibly assist in dispelling it?”
The true form of the Harbinger of Doom was actually not far away, within the Silent Dead Sea, even living in close proximity to Balalaika. Angel had surmised that Balalaika should be able to remove Toby’s curse.
As long as Toby’s curse could be lifted, the task given by Odeklaes could then be selectively fulfilled at his discretion, without any time constraints.
This was why Angel had detoured to the Resting Grounds.
With fervent hope, Angel even presented the Ouroboros, wishing for an affirmative response. However, Balalaika shook her head after a moment of silence.
“I am not proficient in curses. To dispel the doom aura on him, you have already sought the right person,” Balalaika expressed regretfully, “Odeklaes is more adept at these than me.”
“Is there truly no other way?” Angel’s face reflected disappointment.
“Below the Demon Lord, perhaps only Odeklaes can assist you.” Pausing for a beat, Balalaika added, “You could also try seeking a Misfortune Wizard.”
Angel helplessly shook his head. With Demon Lords guarding the Phase Gateways, there was hardly a chance for him to venture to other planes.
Angel pondered, “Do you have a Firestone?”
Earlier in Odeklaes’ presence, Angel had declared confidently that he was an alchemist. If he could learn the fusion method for the Firestone, he might be able to create one. However, in reality, Angel didn’t hold absolute certainty.
Should Balalaika possess the Firestone here, his burdens would be lifted considerably.
Yet, Balalaika could only shake his head in denial.
“A millennium ago, I did have one, but I gifted it to a customer afterward,” Balalaika shrugged, expressing regret once more.
Disappointment once again cast a shadow on Angel’s face. After some consideration, he finally inquired with a hint of reluctance, “What about the method to create the Firestone, do you have that?”
This question was Angel’s last beacon of hope. If Balalaika failed to offer a positive response, his journey would have been in vain.
Angel stared at Balalaika with hopeful eyes, and at last, following a string of negative responses, Balalaika gave a nod of affirmation.
“There was a time, when a Fire Demon traded the method to create a Firestone with me,” A moment of realization sparked in Balalaika’s eyes. That trade hadn’t been smooth sailing; she hadn’t had any need for the Firestone creation method. However, the Fire Demon had said—
“The method of synthesizing a Firestone is a deep secret inscribed in our bloodlines. Unless we willingly reveal it, no one can access it. Additionally, our bloodlines prohibit us from verbalizing this secret.” The Fire Demon explained as he produced a tattered piece of parchment, “I unintentionally acquired this parchment, which details the method of Firestone creation. I do not know its origin, but I am willing to use it for trade with you. In doing so, I won’t be violating the constraints of our bloodline. Moreover, this might be the only extant record of the Firestone creation process.”
Balalaika’s response had been, “But, I have no need for it.”
“You are a merchant, what if someone needs it in the future? Maybe, there will be a controller of fire who needs it? After all, it’s the only one of its kind.”
These words of the Fire Demon ignited a flicker of interest in Balalaika’s mind, compelling her to agree. The trade wasn’t the most pleasant experience, and she ended up with a piece of parchment that served her no purpose but gave away a piece of invaluable information.
After all these years, Balalaika felt that her impulse back then might have been a momentary lapse of sanity.
Unexpectedly, that casual decision made years ago set the stage for the deal that unfolded today.
It was clear to Balalaika that if Angel could not secure the synthesis method of the Firestone, the transaction would likely crumble. The Ouroboros held great significance for her, and she would not tolerate a failure of the trade. If it were to reach that point, she would contrive a way to enforce the exchange, although such a course would deeply tarnish her reputation as a trader.
Hence, the most beneficial outcome would be a smooth, Successful Trade.
From what she could see now, it appeared her fortune was favouring her. The prophecy the Fire Demon had given all those years ago had come to fruition, proving that her actions back then weren’t the result of insanity.
“According to the Fire Demon who traded with me back then, you may have a hard time finding a second leaked synthesis method,” Balalaika spoke, rummaging beneath the tavern for a moment before producing a worn piece of parchment, “This parchment contains the synthesis method for the Firestone.”
Angel, brimming with anticipation, took the parchment. But as he examined it, he was stumped, finding it filled with strange symbols. The more he tried to decipher them, the more his head swirled with confusion.
“This is Old Demonic language,” explained Balalaika.
The Old Demonic language was a refined system, its script itself imbued with an enigmatic and unknown power. It was a language exclusive to Greater Demons and above. Greater Demons were beings of true knowledge or higher, and Angel couldn’t even comprehend the common Demonic language, let alone this more esoteric Old Demonic language.
Angel looked at Balalaika in pitiful bewilderment.
Seeing Angel’s baffled expression, Balalaika couldn’t help but laugh. Out of all her clientele over the years, this human was likely the most honest.
In response to Angel’s plea for help, Balalaika gestured with her long pipe towards the other side of the parchment, “Look at the backside yourself.”
Hastily, Angel flipped the parchment over, only to find the synthesis method inscribed in a language that humans universally understood. Moreover, from the antiquity of the script and the style of vocabulary, it was clear that this was not a record made in this era.
Instead, its expression was akin to what one might find in ancient texts.
“This is inherent to the parchment, and I’ve examined it too. Some annotations are unclear, but the translation is quite precise,” Balalaika stated.
Balalaika’s words caused Angel to realize something: it seemed that he was not the pioneer in this venture, a human had obtained the method of synthesizing Firestone a long time ago.
He wondered who it might have been? Angel scrutinized the back of the parchment, but there was no signature.
Perhaps it was an anonymous predecessor, lost in the sands of time, or a player in the tide of destiny. Nevertheless, such details were inconsequential to him now.
At present, all of Angel’s focus was on the parchment. Although he hadn’t gained anything of material significance, acquiring the method of synthesizing Firestone had saved him a trip to the Demon City of La Sutherland.
While Angel was engrossed in reading, Balalaika did not rush him. Instead, she picked up her tall wine glass, enjoying a quiet moment.
Around three hours later, Angel lifted his head from the parchment.
At this moment, his brow was furrowed. The contents documented on the parchment were indeed outlandishly peculiar.
The synthesis method took him merely half an hour to comprehend. The reason he spent so much time pondering was due to the annotations left by the predecessor.
There was no denying that the predecessor, who had used the common language, was diligent, likely an alchemist himself. He had interpreted the synthesis process of the Firestone in alchemical terminology, saving Angel a significant amount of mental exertion.
This interpretation alone was well worth it. Even if Angel had gone to the Demon City to find the half-demon, he might not have gotten such a comprehensive alchemical interpretation.
The original method of synthesizing Firestone was discovered accidentally by the ancestors of the Fire Demons. Its preparation was incredibly crude and required no precision in the ingredients used, hence the low success rate in synthesizing the Firestone.
As the sands of time slipped through the hourglass, the success rate of synthesizing the Firestone gradually improved, albeit still remaining unsatisfactorily low.
Yet, this predecessor, employing the lexicon of alchemy and an approach of rational analysis, had inscribed all the shortcomings in the “primal synthesis” process employed by the Fire Demons. Although the resolution wasn’t explicitly articulated, it could drastically enhance the chances of success.
Nevertheless, the furrow in Angel’s brow deepened upon finishing the document. The materials detailed within were nearly 90% unfamiliar to him.
Fortunately, the predecessor who translated the document into Common had also elaborated on the effects of the majority of these strangely named substances. Even more helpful, they documented alternatives for many of these materials.
——That is the essence of alchemy; it does not remain rigidly bound to a single formula.
Angel found himself contemplating these alternatives. He had reserves of many of the substitute materials. However, the predecessor had not provided alternatives for three of the ingredients, which suggested their irreplaceability.
Those three were the Emberstone, sediment of thousands of years; the Immortal Flame Bone of the Black Gold Nightmare; and most importantly… the Ashen Flame Solvent, simmered with the Abyss Ghost Flame.
Chapter 1039 Ouroboros <TOC> Chapter 1041 Irreplaceable Materials