Chapter 1510 The Inviter <TOC> Chapter 1512 Enlightenment
Translator: SumTLMan
Pushing aside the crimson floor-length curtains, Angel and Fingernail Granny entered the grand hall.
Upon stepping in, they were immediately greeted by the bubbling sound of boiling water near their ears.
Following the sound, they saw a blonde woman with her back to them, sitting at a long table, pouring water from an exquisite teapot into a cup. Swirls of white steam, accompanied by the rich aroma of tea, filled the entire hall.
The sound of boiling water was emanating from the teapot.
Hearing footsteps behind her, the blonde woman stood up and turned around.
From her appearance, she was a very young witch. Her golden hair shimmered like the afternoon sun of midsummer, radiant but not blinding. Her face was veiled with a layer of aqua-colored gauze, yet her captivating features were still faintly visible. She wore light-blue crystal earrings and donned a blue long dress patterned with fish scales. Under the luminance of the overhead glowing stone, her attire conjured an aura reminiscent of ocean waves.
“Wizard Pat, please, have a seat,” her voice was soft and soothing, like gentle ripples, making one unconsciously let down their guard.
After Angel and Fingernail Granny took their seats, she placed the previously poured tea in front of them.
“This is Red Tea made with Still Water and steeped with Lamb’s Ear Flowers,” she briefly introduced and then turned her eyes to Angel. “Wizard Pat, this is our first formal meeting. I apologize for the informality and for inviting you under Granny’s name.”
“No matter, I had intended to formally visit The Water Ripple Witch at some point,” Angel softly invoked her moniker.
The Water Ripple Witch smiled faintly: “We’re in private here, so there’s no need to call me by my nickname. You can call me Farina.”
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Farina got down to business: “I assume, Wizard Pat, you already know the reason for my invitation?”
“Rhythm of the Ocean?” Angel softly inquired.
Angel and Farina had crossed paths before during the witness ceremony. At that time, Farina had expressed her curiosity about the “Rhythm of the Ocean,” candidly stating her hope to experience it in person if ever given the opportunity.
Thus, when Angel discovered that the invitation had come from the Water Ripple Witch, he was immediately reminded of their earlier conversation at the witness ceremony. Furthermore, Fingernail Granny had hinted that Farina’s current return to Sky Mechanical City was somewhat related to him.
Naturally, his thoughts went straight to the “Rhythm of the Ocean.”
“Yes,” Farina neither denied nor hesitated, nodding her head. “To be honest, I’ve known about the ‘Rhythm of the Ocean’ for quite some time. Although I’m not part of Song of the Deep Sea, I am, after all, an ocean wizard. I do have some ties with the people of Song of the Deep Sea. Therefore, I know the Sea God has always had a lingering fondness for your ‘Rhythm of the Ocean.'”
“I’ve heard that due to matters concerning the planar fusion, the Sea God himself had journeyed to the Paramjit Plateau. He specifically sought Lord Rhine to discuss acquiring the ‘Rhythm of the Ocean,’ but ultimately was turned away at the door.”
“Upon hearing this, my curiosity was piqued. If something can captivate the attention of the Sea God, the ‘Rhythm of the Ocean’ must harbor some kind of mysterious significance.”
“May I have the honor of experiencing it firsthand?”
As Farina had already broached the topic during the witness ceremony, Angel didn’t find her direct request to be abrupt. However, sensing her own potential awkwardness, she quickly added, “Of course, I’ll offer something of equal value in return for the experience…”
Before she could finish her sentence, the teapot sitting on the table unexpectedly began to gurgle, as if the water inside it had started boiling.
Farina furrowed her brows and looked towards the teapot.
Angel’s gaze followed. Although he hadn’t noticed it before, upon closer examination, he found the design of the teapot oddly familiar.
The teapot in front of Angel appeared strikingly similar to the one previously owned by the magician girl, featuring the same shape. The only difference was the thorn pattern that adorned this particular pot, as opposed to the rose design on the magician girl.
As Angel mulled over this, a misty vapor spewed forth from the teapot’s spout.
The lid of the teapot began to wobble, producing a jingling sound, like the tinkle of a wind chime.
Taking advantage of the slight gap created by the wobbling lid, Angel caught a glimpse inside the teapot. He thought he saw a pair of tiny eyes.
Upon witnessing this, his expression grew increasingly bewildered. Setting aside whether or not this teapot had any connection to the magician girl, did the presence of a creature inside mean that the tea before him was essentially its bathwater?
While Angel was still wrestling with the notion of drinking ‘bathwater,’ the lid of the teapot was suddenly propelled into the air by a burst of air. At the same time, a small otter leapt out of the pot, hovering in mid-air, and exclaimed loudly, “Gurgle, gurgle!”
This otter bore an almost uncanny resemblance to the one from the magician girl teapot. However, while the magician girl otter wore a pearl necklace, this little creature clutched a bright red flower — presumably a Lady Baron Flower.
“My apologies; something unexpected may have occurred,” Farina said, her face flushed with embarrassment.
No sooner had she spoken than the otter shouted again, “Gurgle, gurgle!”
Following its cry, a water bubble suddenly emerged from its mouth. Initially small, the bubble expanded dramatically upon coming into contact with the ambient air, eventually growing to the size of a person.
Inside this enlarged bubble was initially nothing but an indistinct mist that seemed perfectly ordinary.
However, Angel sensed something unusual — a peculiar spatial energy emanating from within the bubble.
Once the bubble reached its maximum size, the density of this enigmatic spatial energy peaked. Simultaneously, a shadowy figure materialized within the cloud of mist.
Then there was a “pop.”
Water bubbles burst, scattering a myriad of droplets throughout the hall. A figure clumsily landed on the table.
“Phew, that was close. Good thing Gulu didn’t abandon Gudu; otherwise, I would’ve been done for today.” A familiar yet frivolous female voice reached Angel’s ears.
As the mist created by the droplets gradually dispersed, one could see a young girl wearing a black-and-white striped magician’s hat sitting cross-legged on the table, exhaling loudly.
“It must’ve been that darned person lurking underwater. Otherwise, how could I have become disoriented and exposed like this? Next time I see him, I’ll…” She continued to mutter obscenities under her breath.
After venting for a while, she finally took notice of her surroundings.
“Hmm, the decor here doesn’t look like it’s from the Wizard Tower.”
As she mumbled, sitting across the table was the Water Ripple Witch, with a vein visibly throbbing on her forehead: “Shirley, do you have any idea what you’re doing? Get down from there right now!”
Accompanied by a forceful wave of energy, Shirley felt momentarily disoriented and was violently thrown off the table, ultimately landing face-first on the cool floor.
“Ah——” Shirley gasped for air, grimacing in pain. She had recently taken a hard blow to the chest from Cavelyn and now had the added agony of falling to the ground.
However, Farina showed no reaction and maintained an icy demeanor.
Only a rose-patterned teapot hovering beside her floated to Shirley’s cheek. A small otter poked its head out of the spout and nuzzled her face. Sensing the tense atmosphere, it quickly retreated back into the teapot.
Regaining her composure, Shirley slowly stood up, muttering, “All I did was borrow Gulu’s passage to escape from being surrounded by villains. I didn’t do anything else…”
As soon as the words fell, Shirley caught sight of a silver-haired old woman sitting opposite Farina. Her expression changed instantly: “Fingernail… Granny?!”
Shirley also noticed that there seemed to be another person sitting next to Fingernail Granny. However, due to her angle of view, the individual was obscured by Farina; she could only see the edge of a dark garment.
But at this moment, she could no longer concern herself with who else was there. Since Fingernail Granny was present, it must be a formal occasion like a tea party. It was no wonder that her ever-indulgent mentor, Farina, looked quite irritated; Shirley not only burst in halfway but also unceremoniously took a seat on the table.
It was not just a matter of being impolite; she could very well have offended Fingernail Granny.
With this realization, Shirley’s face, which had initially looked aggrieved, instantly transformed. She displayed a countenance filled with sincerity and guilt, mingled with a touch of fear, timidity, and shame. It was a carefully calibrated expression, designed to make people not only forgiving but also willing to listen to her fabricated stories.
However, this meticulously crafted façade and the drafted apologies in her mind instantly crumbled as she approached the table.
Because, as she drew near, she finally saw who was sitting next to Fingernail Granny.
The individual was dressed in traditional aristocratic formal wear, from the elegant bow tie to the crisply tailored lapels and cuffs, down to the buttons etched with a coat of arms. Every detail was impeccable, exuding an aura of solemnity.
But what struck her was the familiarity of the ensemble and the pattern on the buttons — she had a vivid memory of them!
It was the very same mysterious person she had encountered underwater!
Shirley stiffly looked up, meeting his face — blond hair and blue eyes, handsome and gracious.
She recognized him.
It was none other than Angel, who was recently at the center of public controversy.
At this moment, a faint smirk graces the corner of Angel’s mouth, carrying an air of both mockery and indifference.
When Shirley looks over, she glimpses Angel’s face dissolving into a void, the surroundings turning pitch-black. It’s as if she’s found herself underwater as she had before…
Shirley presses her hand to her forehead in awkward discomfort, lowering her head. A single thought remains in her mind——
It’s over.
Shirley recalls her mentor Farina once telling her that she had three objectives for returning to Sky Mechanical City. The first was for Shirley to participate in the Novastar Competition; the second was that Farina needed to seclude herself to craft a particular Mysterious Object; and third was to meet Angel.
Now, Farina, Angel, and Fingernail Granny are gathered, clearly the meeting Farina had been anticipating.
Yet, Shirley not only committed the faux pas of sitting on the table.
But also, not too long ago, she had considered stealing something from Angel… Shirley’s emotions are now a jumbled mess, her mind clouded by the single thought: “It’s over.”