Chapter 1526 Attire <TOC> Chapter 1528 Black Cat
Translator: SumTLMan
Upon hearing the name Houston, Angel momentarily halted.
He was not unfamiliar with Houston.
Houston was an employee at Barbie Restaurant and was also known as the “Eyeless Man.”
After Gloria’s incident, the staff of the restaurant were forced to disperse. Being gourmet wizards, some of the staff were captured to serve as private chefs, and some were even sold off as slaves.
Houston was one of them.
After he was captured, he was put up for auction at the Twilight Auction House.
The reason Angel made such a fuss at the Twilight Auction House was due to Toby. Toby had gone berserk after seeing Houston caged and up for auction. This led to a chain of events that almost resulted in the downfall of Shadow Demon Castle.
Regrettably, Houston was still not rescued.
In the end, he was purchased by “Immersed in Flame Red Lotus” Lydia.
“I made an arrangement with Lydia earlier, to buy back Houston from her,” Angel paused, “I haven’t forgotten about that. Once matters here are settled, I will honor that previous arrangement.”
Gloria was aware of this and nodded at Angel, “Thank you. I’ll prepare the magic crystals she requested.”
Gloria had initially planned to rescue Houston herself, but given her current lack of a physical body and dire situation, rescuing Houston was no easy task. She had considered a trade and asked Felicia to contact Lydia. Unfortunately, Felicia relayed a message two days ago that Lydia did not agree to trade with her.
Thus, the matter circled back to Angel, as Lydia had initially proposed the trade to him.
Only then did Gloria discreetly bring up this matter.
Gloria felt a bit awkward since Angel was her employee and she had to inconvenience him.
Angel, on the other hand, didn’t mind much. After all, he initiated the transaction in the first place, so it was only fitting that he saw it through to the end. Besides, to Toby, the Eyeless Man was like family.
“As for Houston, it reminds me of ‘Slick Bird’ Neo and ‘Soup Weasel’ Le Skunk I saw at the Barbie Restaurant. What’s their current status? And when do you plan to reopen the Barbie Restaurant?” Angel inquired, adjusting his bow tie in the water mirror.
“Neo and Le Skunk have already returned to Candy House. As for the other employees, those whose whereabouts we can trace have either returned, been captured like Houston, or… have already passed away,” said Gloria, a shadow crossing her eyes. “As for reopening the Barbie Restaurant, that probably has to wait until after we retrieve my physical body.”
Whether they could successfully retrieve her physical body in the Nightmare Plane, surrounded by legendary monsters, was something even Gloria was uncertain about.
Gloria: “Enough about me, let’s talk about you.”
Angel glanced back at her, “Me? What’s there to talk about?”
“I heard from Master Midora that you’ve settled on a nickname?” Gloria curiously inquired.
A few days ago, Vice Dean Sherry and Master Midora had visited the estate. Dean Sherry had wanted Angel to increase the quota for class attendees, a request that Angel, of course, had declined.
Master Midora’s visit was unrelated to the class; rather, he discussed the curriculum that Angel was preparing.
When Midora left, Gloria had a private conversation with him about the potions needed to aid the compatibility between her soul and physical body.
Not only did Gloria and Midora discuss the potions, but they also spoke about other things, including Angel’s role as a special judge.
Midora let slip some news that Angel had apparently already been in touch with Antonio and had registered a new nickname on the access card for the Research Institute.
Therefore, Gloria was somewhat curious.
Angel hesitated for a moment and nodded, “You could say that.”
Although a moniker isn’t essential for wizards, Angel’s popularity endures in Sky Mechanical City. Wherever he goes, people refer to him by peculiar nicknames like “Illusion Music Box Magician.”
Especially last time Angel visited Bliss Pavilion, he overheard Coral discussing the exploits of the “Milk Baron” with his brother Leon. While no names were mentioned, Leon knows Angel’s tastes too well and often looks at him with a quizzical expression.
To avoid such embarrassing and awkward situations, Angel decided to seize this opportunity to settle on a new nickname.
“So, what’s the nickname?” Gloria asked, brimming with curiosity.
Without answering, Angel waved his hand to dissolve the water mirror and prepared to turn around and leave.
Gloria followed him, her eyes filled with suspicion. “I’ve heard from your mentor that you have a poor sense of naming. Are you too embarrassed to say?”
Angel paused and retorted, “I think my nickname will sound better than ‘Diamond Barbie.'”
As Gloria’s eyes narrowed, revealing a menacing look, Angel continued, “Anyway, when I serve as a special judge, it will be displayed on the screen, and then you’ll know.”
Angel left the mansion alone, ready to head to Infinite Battle Tower.
Before going to Infinite Battle Tower, Angel first opened a gateway leading to Monsignor Magic Material Street.
Due to the official start of the Novastar Competition, Monsignor Magic Material Street was quite deserted, with only a few people passing by. Angel boldly opened the Gateway of Fantasy in the middle of the street, unnoticed by anyone. Even the Magic Eyes usually on high alert in the skies above the street were few and far between at this moment.
He entered Fingernail Alchemy House.
The alchemy house was still empty. A few days ago, it was due to Angel giving a lecture that everyone rushed off to attend, leaving the alchemy space desolate. Today was no different; the Novastar Competition had begun, and everyone swarmed to Infinite Battle Tower, leaving this place devoid of people.
Although the first floor was deserted, a faint aroma of floral tea wafted down from the second floor.
When Angel arrived at the second-floor lounge, a gentle voice greeted him: “Wizard Angel, you’ve arrived.”
Following the voice, he saw Water Ripple Witch Farina sitting at a table, chatting and sipping tea with Fingernail Granny.
“My apologies for keeping you waiting; I had some matters to attend to,” Angel expressed regret.
The meeting was prearranged because Farina was one of the preliminary judges, and they were to proceed to Infinite Battle Tower together.
“You’re not late; the official competition doesn’t start for another hour,” Farina paused momentarily, her gaze landing on Angel’s attire, a twinkle in her eye.
“I’m beginning to suspect that Phantom Island’s recruitment standards are based on appearance. Today, I anticipate you’ll bewitch quite a number of young women harboring springtime affections.”
With a polite smile, Angel responded, “If Phantom Island’s recruitment is based on appearance, then Lady Farina would undoubtedly hold a higher status there than me.”
His comment wasn’t mere flattery. Even though Farina wore a thin veil, the beauty in her eyes and brows was enough to astonish anyone.
Farina chuckled behind her hand, “You certainly are more eloquent than your mentor.”
Setting down her teacup, Farina stood up. “Now that you’re here, let’s proceed.”
After bidding Fingernail Granny farewell, Angel and Farina took flight toward Infinite Battle Tower. Both were members of the Research Institute and thus had certain privileges, so the Magic Eye surveillance above ignored them.
Soon, they saw it — a towering spire that stretched skyward, its pinnacle lost to sight in the clouds.
The shape of the tower is quite distinctive; from a distance, it appears slender at both the top and the bottom. Strikingly, it’s around the 100th floor of Infinite Battle Tower where it is at its widest.
Their ultimate landing point was on this widest level.
Stepping through the mist, they landed on the ascending platform. Farina, while leading Angel further into the tower, explained, “This floor is also known as the heart of Infinite Battle Tower. The largest arena in the entire tower——the Boundless Arena, is located here.”
The so-called Boundless Arena is somewhat like a Rubik’s Cube in space. The arena itself is a vast expanse, and during each match, the terrain changes based on certain preconditions. Just like a Rubik’s Cube, a single twist can transform the environment entirely.
Whether it’s a volcanic lava terrain, a dense jungle setting, an ocean trench, a barren wasteland, or even a pure vacuum, all these are possible within the cube-like space of the Boundless Arena.
Maintaining and activating the Boundless Arena requires a significant expenditure, so it’s typically not open for use except during formal wizard duels.
However, for the sake of the upcoming Novastar Competition, this norm is being broken. Several matches will be held in the Boundless Arena; the preliminaries and finals will certainly take place here, and depending on the importance of the bout, mid-competition matches may also be scheduled in the Boundless Arena.