Chapter 1977 Bone Guard <TOC> Chapter 1979 Three Pavilions
Translator: SumTLMan
Emerging from the illusionary barrier, shrouded in a black cloak, was Duncan. A wizard specializing in skeletal summoning from the Mysterious Side Summoning School, he’s known as “Whispering Shadow.”
Upon seeing Tree Spirit holding his staff, Duncan’s previously angry expression instantly vanished, not even sparing a glance at his own staff, as if it didn’t exist.
“Tree Spirit Lord, how did you get here?”
“I brought…” Tree Spirit began to say Angel’s name but quickly realized something and corrected, “I brought a wizard who is knowledgeable about the ruins.”
After a pause, Tree Spirit glanced at Duncan: “Rhine will likely notify you if there’s no issue. However, you probably missed the message if you were lazing around.”
Duncan ignored Tree Spirit’s comment about his laziness. The ruins weren’t in a period of eruption, and he was just taking a brief rest, which hardly counts as laziness. Of course, these were thoughts he dared not voice, especially with his staff still in Tree Spirit’s possession.
Without speaking, Duncan seemed to accept Tree Spirit’s implication and turned to look at the person beside Tree Spirit.
The man had red hair and golden eyes, appearing lazy from his gaze to his posture, indicative of a middle-aged man.
The aura he casually emitted suggested that he was a formal wizard. However, Duncan couldn’t recall any wizard with the appearance of the man before him in his memory.
He could be a wandering wizard or someone who has altered his appearance.
Of course, Duncan couldn’t recognize every wizard, but a wizard personally brought by Tree Spirit and specifically mentioned by Rhine must be extraordinary. In Duncan’s mind, the man must be well-known. So, after comparing all the faces he knew and not finding a match, he concluded there were only two possibilities.
Duncan, though harboring suspicions, chose not to voice his thoughts. Regardless of the nature of his arrival, he was brought by Tree Spirit and thus unlikely to pose a threat.
Duncan removed his cloak and nodded slightly towards Angel.
He was a middle-aged man with a hint of grey in his beard, his expression cool and his gaze devoid of warmth. At first glance, he resembled a skeleton thinly veiled in flesh.
Duncan’s nod served as a greeting. He had intended to hear how Angel would introduce himself, as etiquette usually demands at least a name. However, seeing that Angel remained silent, Duncan felt a twinge of doubt but didn’t show it, merely narrowing his eyes slightly.
“I’ll lead you in.”
Though Tree Spirit surely knew the way, Duncan took it upon himself to guide them. He understood Tree Spirit well, a being that responded better to gentleness than force and never overstepped boundaries. He desired to retrieve his staff, and he knew that directly asking Tree Spirit would result in a lengthy lecture. Better to concede and use actions to silence Tree Spirit.
Without mentioning the staff throughout, Duncan diligently shared the latest on the ruins, striking a chord with Tree Spirit’s tender heart. Upon reaching the ruins, Tree Spirit, as Duncan predicted, refrained from any nagging and returned the staff.
“Your staff needs replacing; its energy can no longer sustain much of the death aura. If you exert full power, this staff will last at most another year or two before it’s ruined,” Tree Spirit advised sincerely after handing back the staff.
Duncan shrugged nonchalantly: “I’m aware. I’ve heard that Wizard Pat is returning to the Savage Grottoes. Once he’s back, I’ll ask for his help in crafting a new one. For now, this will suffice.”
“I should return to guarding the perimeter,” Duncan said, bowing to Tree Spirit, nodding at Angel, and then turning to leave.
Angel watched Duncan’s departing figure and was reminded of something.
He and Duncan had not had much contact——The only time they connected was when he initially took the three talented members of the Kulakuka tribe to meet their mentor, where he encountered Duncan.
Duncan was Rococo’s mentor.
Rococo was the most talented among the three Kulakuka tribespeople. However, due to her personality flaws, Angel didn’t hold much of an impression of her.
Thinking of Rococo, Angel naturally thought of the other two, Babaya and Kudou.
Angel wasn’t worried about Babaya, a woman with clear goals for the future. His concern was Kudou, the somewhat naive-looking boy from before.
Before Angel returned from Sky Mechanical City, Kudou’s mentor——Liana, mentioned that Kudou seemed off lately, stuck in a prolonged state of negativity. He had almost entirely lost his drive for training, now unable to cast even a basic trick.
Angel had promised Liana that once he returned to the Savage Grottoes, he would check on Kudou.
But with one thing leading to another, he had forgotten about him.
“Angel?” Tree Spirit’s voice broke into his thoughts. Seeing Angel regain his focus, he asked with curiosity, “What are you pondering? Wondering when Duncan will seek you out for alchemy?”
Angel shook his head: “I was just thinking about Rococo.”
“Rococo, a disciple of Duncan. That little one has great talent; I recall she’s already learned several spells. However, her personality is too introverted and shy, reluctant to expand her social circle and indecisive in her actions… But that’s not entirely true; she’s also somewhat obsessive, insisting that the first creature she summons must be a pig. For this reason, she hasn’t yet fully prepared a summoning ritual,” Tree Spirit mentioned Rococo, sighing helplessly. “I don’t know what she’s thinking; why does it have to be a pig?”
Angel, however, understood why Rococo was fixated on pigs. Rococo’s late grandmother’s favorite story to tell her was —Baby Flying Pig Hero—, featuring a little flying pig as the protagonist.
During her talent test, Rococo also saw a vision of a small flying pig draped in a red cape and shining in golden light.
This shows that Rococo’s obsession with pigs is understandable.
“What about Babaya and Kudou now, does Tree Spirit Lord know?” Angel asked.
“It seems like Babaya is in training, and Kudou… That boy is quite strange, his mind never really on training, but lately, he’s been frequently joining small teams for missions, seemingly to save money?”
Tree Spirit wasn’t sure what was going on with Kudou, but compared to Babaya and Rococo, this sole male of the Kulakuka tribe was noticeably weaker.
Hearing Tree Spirit say this, Angel felt even more curious, silently noting, “It seems I should pay attention to Kudou later.”
Although Kudou and the other two had different mentors, they had a certain connection with Angel, akin to Totoro’s relationship with him, representing his unique social circle. This was why Liana had informed Angel about Kudou, suggesting he keep an eye on him.
Tree Spirit said, “Let’s not digress further; we’ve arrived at the entrance to the ruins. Let’s go in.”