Chapter 1479 Special Guest Judge <TOC> Chapter 1481 Opening the Gateway
Translator: SumTLMan
Up until the communication was severed, Angel hadn’t given Muse a definitive answer.
That’s because he himself was uncertain how much longer he would stay in Black Castle. Even though Sparrow Blossom was quite confident in her research on the Morphing Softworm, the specific time it would take remained unclear. Neither Angel nor Sparrow Blossom could provide a concrete timeframe.
Therefore, he hesitated to give a firm commitment.
However, Angel also didn’t entirely shut the door on the possibility.
Once matters at Black Castle were resolved, he did intend to visit the Sky Mechanical City, especially since his brother was there. If he returned early enough, he might even take on this task as a way to earn points for the Research Institute. If not, then it couldn’t be helped.
Upon learning this, Muse responded with a smile, “Then I look forward to your prompt return. As long as the Novastar Competition isn’t over, I’ll reserve a slot for you in this mission. Consider it a perk of your involvement in the Research Institute.”
After leaving the signal tower, Lady Kimberly continued to discuss the Research Institute and Muse with Angel.
However, Angel’s knowledge about the institute was limited, and his understanding of Muse was even less. The only institute member he was familiar with was the alchemist Midora, which was far from the mechanical alchemy information Lady Kimberly sought.
Angel understood Lady Kimberly’s urgency. The alchemy techniques she had acquired were from a millennium ago.
Older spells don’t necessarily mean better ones.
In times when the wizard civilization is in decline, older may be better; but the Wizarding World is now clearly on an upward trajectory. Alchemy techniques in potions, fragrances, runes… and more have been constantly innovating over time. Mechanical alchemy has advanced even more dramatically, and Angel fully grasped Kimberly’s urgency.
“Why don’t you consider furthering your studies in Sky Mechanical City?” Angel suggested.
Kimberly sighed and shook her head, “I wish I could, but Isabella is currently in confinement, and I have to temporarily take over her duties. There’s so much to do. Right now, all I hope for is that Moriah can find a suitable body soon to help me share the workload.”
Frustrated, Kimberly furrowed her brows. The ethereal spirits living in her hair emerged, hanging onto her strands and gently caressing her cheeks to comfort her.
“It would be great if Sky Mechanical City floated into the Fairytale World; I could study without even leaving home,” Kimberly muttered under her breath.
This was the first time Angel had seen her in such a state of distress.
For apprentices, wizards always seemed to be on an unreachable pedestal, but that’s simply because they hadn’t reached the level to enter the wizards’ circle yet.
The fact that Kimberly was willing to show this side of herself meant that she had accepted Angel.
“Even if Sky Mechanical City were willing to float into the Fairytale World, I doubt the Wizard Alliance of Fairytale Town would dare let them in,” Angel said. The checks and balances between wizard organizations are important. Even if Sky Mechanical City is a neutral entity, there can never be a complete lack of precautions.
Just like in Savage Grottoes where Angel resides, there are also spies and pawns placed by Sky Mechanical City. Baroque was originally one, as well as Parasite Mother who fought with Angel in Sky Tower, wanting to replace him, is also an insider from Sky Mechanical City.
“You’re right. It looks like I’ll have to wait until I’m done with all the tasks here before I can go to Sky Mechanical City,” Kimberly said, somewhat wistfully.
“However, your idea might not be entirely impossible,”
Kimberly looked at Angel with suspicion; he had just negated her idea, but now he seemed to be changing his tune.
“What I mean is, perhaps one day, you really won’t have to leave Fairytale Town to go study in Sky Mechanical City,” Angel said, utterly serious.
“How could that be possible, unless it’s in a dream?” Kimberly snorted dismissively and briskly walked out of the wizard tower.
Angel watched Kimberly’s retreating figure, a slight arch in his brow, thinking to himself——
“It could actually be possible in a dream.”
…
Two days passed.
Because black clouds over Black Castle had vanished and the electric serpents dissipated, the apprentices, who had lived for years in a gloomy world, felt the warmth of sunlight and were under the illusion of seeing the light of day once more. Hence, most of them had gone to the surface, leaving the Soul Domain quite deserted.
Angel traversed the serene corridors of the Soul Domain, led by Natasha with her golden curly hair.
After winding through several corridors and walking some distance towards a remote location, Natasha guided Angel out of the Soul Domain. They wandered through the spatial node between the Corpse Forest and the Soul Domain for about fifteen minutes before arriving at a large metal door.
“This is The Testing Ground for spells. It was abandoned for some time due to a previous ghost surge,” Natasha said, pushing open the long-unopened door. Behind it lay a Black Corridor, with locked rooms on either side.
“The further inside you go, the larger the testing area becomes, and the stronger its defenses,” Natasha explained as she walked into the corridor. Touching something, she activated a series of lamps, banishing the darkness and revealing the corridor in full light. “Do you wish to test a spell, Lord? How large should the area be, and are there any specific attributes you require?”
“Also, the area is equipped with alchemical golems that can serve as test subjects. If you require living subjects, it may take some time, as we currently don’t have any in stock.”
After Natasha finished her introduction, Angel finally said, “I indeed want to test a spell, but it’s not an offensive one. Therefore, the area need not be too large; a space with stable properties will suffice. As for alchemical golems, I don’t need them either.”
After pondering for a moment, Natasha responded, “I understand, please follow me.”
Ultimately, Natasha led Angel to a room that could actually be described as a small square, even more spacious than the courtyard where Angel resided. The walls on all four sides were a blank expanse of white, emanating a cold metallic texture upon touch.
Above, there was a source of perpetual light, making the space exceptionally bright.
Other than that, the space was entirely empty of objects.
Although Angel felt the venue was unnecessarily large, Natasha explained that he was the only one using the testing ground at the moment, so a little extravagance was of no consequence.
After Natasha left, Angel positioned himself at the very center of this pristine environment, pondering in silence.
He had Natasha bring him to the testing ground primarily to experiment with the Gateway Model.
Angel was unsure what kind of turbulence would ensue when initiating the special energy cover on the Gateway Model, but he came to the testing ground just to err on the side of caution. Plus, there were no worries about others prying here.
As for the Gateway Model itself, the reason Angel had refrained from using it after his advancement was due to a clear limitation he deduced from existing information.
Once he activated this new Gateway Model, the special energy contained within it would reset to zero.
Meaning, after deploying the new Gateway Model, he would have to wait for its special energy to fully replenish before he could use it again.
Unaware of how long it would take for the special energy to be fully restored, Angel proceeded with utmost caution, refraining from conducting reckless experiments.
After days of settling, Angel’s Magic Source Vortex had completely stabilized, and only then did he turn his attention to the Gateway Model.
Originally, Angel had planned to conduct an experiment after leaving Black Castle. However, due to the situation with Sparrow Blossom, he decided to seize the opportunity to conduct an initial test while he was still here. In the process, he also intended to officially name the spell “Gateway Model.”
Angel pondered the various details about the Gateway Model. Apart from the constraint of a unique form of energy, there were other limitations, the specifics of which he would only discern through hands-on experimentation.
After closing his eyes for a while, a flicker of light seemed to pass through his eyes when he opened them again.
Accompanied by the rhythmic dance of energy, glowing lines slowly appeared before him.
These lines began to twist and grow, interweaving like gnarled tree branches. Eventually, they faintly outlined the shape of a gateway.
The gateway was not yet fully formed, but Angel could distinctly feel that this was different from the gateways he had generated using the Gateway Model in the past.
Not to mention the glowing runes, even the unique aura of energy emanating from the gateway itself was quite distinct.
It was composed of three different types of energy: spatial energy, special energy, and… illusionary energy.
Chapter 1479 Special Guest Judge <TOC> Chapter 1481 Opening the Gateway