Chapter 2187 Ice Flame <TOC> Chapter 2189 Path of Light
Translator: SumTLMan
Dangros acted swiftly; Angel had rested in the illusionary cottage for less than ten minutes when Eremy, who was guarding outside, reported the arrival of an elemental sprite.
Upon stepping outside, Angel saw a flame worm about the size of an adult’s lower leg, slowly making its way to the cave entrance.
This flame worm, an elemental sprite lacking high intelligence, did not greet Angel; instead, he silently observed its actions.
The flame worm moved forward by arching its body, a method not slow by any means.
It curiously glanced at the cave entrance, slightly repelled by the frosty air emanating from within, yet the flame within it, bestowed by Dangros, urged it to enter.
After a moment’s hesitation, the flame worm arched its way inside.
Upon entering the icy flames of the cave, the flame worm shivered from the cold, suppressing the instinct to flee, and arched its way to Angel.
Lifting its flame head adorned with mung bean-sized eyes, it seemed to ask, “Is this the person Brother Dangros wanted me to meet?”
Angel could not discern the flame worm’s impression of him, but he clearly saw it spitting a gray-tinged flame at the ground beneath his feet before swiftly turning and disappearing with remarkable speed.
Standing at the cave entrance, Angel felt somewhat disheveled. The scene that had just unfolded gave him the illusion of a rebellious child forced to meet a parent’s friend, who, upon meeting, promptly spits and leaves with flair.
This feeling was subtle and not the first of its kind.
After the flame worm left, a magma lizard covered in lava appeared before him. Similarly, it circled Angel before leaving.
Although the magma lizard did not spit at him, there was a subtle sense of disdain…
“It was I who had Dangros summon these little brothers for inspection, yet why do I feel like a clown being watched at a circus?” Angel shivered, deciding to stop pondering over it. Being observed was inconsequential, as it afforded him the chance to encounter different fire sprites, potentially finding one suitable for him.
Neither the flame worm nor the magma lizard caught Angel’s interest. Not due to a lack of potential, but because both were mixed with some earth element powers, making these elemental sprites less ideal for aiding in alchemy, despite being unproblematic for elemental spell crossing training.
Thus, Angel did not stop them as they left.
After waiting for a while longer and seeing no more elemental creatures approach, he returned to the illusionary cottage for his usual meditation.
After meditating, Angel sensed no elemental creatures outside and contacted Eremy to confirm that no elemental creature had approached during his three hours of meditation.
“Dangros claimed to have hundreds of little brothers. Could it be lying, having only a few?” Angel mused. Yet, upon reflection, he felt this was incorrect. He had witnessed Dangros’s method of forcefully subjugating others at the lava lake; surely, little brothers should not be scarce.
Unable to figure it out, Angel chose not to dwell on it, focusing instead on another matter——
The Mark of Earth gifted by LittlebInba.
The Mark of Earth, a token of gratitude from Little Inba for Angel’s ghost fire butterfly gemstone sculpture given to Big Inba.
In nature, the Mark of Earth is similar to the Mark of Flame given by Odeklaes, both encapsulating one’s power and essence. The condensed power surrounding Angel emanates from Inba’s earth essence.
However, in terms of level and effect, the Mark of Earth is far surpassed by Odeklaes’s Mark of Flame.
The Mark of Flame can unleash powerful flames, transform into a shield, and even utilize a portion of Odeklaes’s draconic majesty to intimidate foes. However, the Mark of Earth granted by Little Inba, bearing only a trace of its essence, serves neither defense nor offense, nor does it leave any mark on Angel’s surface. It is merely an “Essence Mark,” recognizable by those familiar with Little Inba.
In truth, Big Inba could create a stronger Earth Mark, but it requested Little Inba to do so because Little Inba’s marks are more accepted.
Little Inba is an intelligent, ambitious, and adventurous earth elemental creature. It chose to study abroad with sages from other elemental domains to gain more knowledge, dragging Big Inba along.
Such a personality is rare among earth elementals.
Due to its character, Little Inba has visited many domains of other elemental creatures. As earth elementals are non-confrontational and possess strong fundamentals, Little Inba was welcomed in other domains, making many friends.
Over the years, Little Inba has made friends across the world.
Big Inba knew that Angel would visit not only the Wild Stone Wasteland but also the domains of other elemental creatures. If Angel encountered Little Inba’s friends, the Earth Mark could bring him great convenience.
Hence, Big Inba requested the mark from Little Inba.
Although reluctant, Little Inba eventually integrated its essence into Angel’s aura.
Now, by slightly manipulating his aura, Angel can manifest the Earth Essence for identification; even without activation, the essence surrounds him, detectable only by those with high perception.
However, this mark depletes over time. By Angel’s calculations, without frequent activation, it would last up to three months.
This limitation might be Little Inba’s intention, as it holds no high regard for Angel, believing that Angel couldn’t traverse the vast Tidal Realm within three months. This time limit fulfills Big Inba’s request without overly assisting Angel.
Unbeknownst to Little Inba, Angel’s pace is sufficient to traverse the Tidal Realm multiple times in three months, making this timeframe adequate for him.
After understanding the Earth Mark, two hours had passed.
Finally, a message from Eremy arrived, not through an elemental sprite but a mature elemental creature.
Though mature, this creature, a Flame Sparrow burning with bright orange flames, about the size of an adult peacock, wasn’t large.
Angel noticed one of its tail feathers burned with a brighter orange flame.
Was it similar to the Flame Sparrow used by Magic Fire Midir for messaging seen at the volcano?
“Are you Dangros’s younger sibling?” Angel curiously asked.
The Flame Sparrow, landing inside the cave without the calm demeanor of an elemental sprite, stood quietly outside the illusionary cottage. Upon hearing Angel’s question, a barely noticeable embarrassment flashed in its flaming eyes before it nodded after a moment, saying, “…I once was, I’m now part of the Lord’s guard, you may call me Fespanray.”
Lord’s guard? Realization flickered in Angel’s eyes, likely referring to the group of Flame Sparrows seen hovering over the volcano.
So, this Flame Sparrow was indeed the one seen before?
Angel voiced his speculation, to which Fespanray confirmed, “Yes.”
Upon hearing Fespanray’s response, Angel felt a slight sense of loss deep within. This was because the Flame Sparrow in question was exactly the type of pure flame creature he had been seeking, its flame temperature was also perfectly suited for him, especially its orange-red tail feather, which, if fully stimulated, could match the power of high level flame melting spells, saving him a lot of effort in alchemy… Unfortunately, this Sparrow belonged to Magic Fire Midir’s forces, making it difficult to coax away without resorting to force.
For elemental sprites, using force could still allow for future guidance of their intelligence; however, for an already sentient elemental creature, coercion could easily backfire. After all, elemental creatures could provide guidance on elemental practice, and if it sabotaged your cross-discipline practice, the impact could last a lifetime.
“So, you’re not sent by Dangros, are you? Does His Highness need me for something?” Angel inquired.
Fespanray shook its head, “His Highness has reaped much within the Voice of the World and has not yet emerged. It was Dangros who asked me to come and help control his… little brothers for you.”
Through Fespanray’s explanation, Angel understood that Dangros was aware of his little brothers’ somewhat unruly nature and, to avoid any trouble, had his former subordinate——Fespanray, come to assist.
Although elemental sprites have low intelligence, it doesn’t mean they’re incapable of thought. They too have a desire to express and can receive external information, but their understanding and thought processes are incredibly slow. Coupled with their inability to speak, they appear particularly naive.
As a human, Angel was definitely unable to discern the intentions of elemental sprites, but Fespanray, being of the same kind, could understand these mischievous beings and even control them to a certain extent.
This was why it had been dispatched as an assistant.
Angel happened to need such an assistant, as he couldn’t determine the potential of elemental sprites himself and could only judge based on the temperature and properties of their flames. If Fespanray could manipulate the elemental sprites to reveal their innate abilities, it would speed up the process of finding suitable candidates.
Angel shared his request with Fespanray.
Fespanray gave Angel a deep look, seemingly understanding what this human wanted to do.
However, Fespanray did not refuse, instead, it hid its wandering thoughts and nodded with a smile: “No problem, I can have them demonstrate their innate abilities. If you have any other requests, feel free to let me know.”
After Fespanray’s arrival, the elemental sprites that had ceased for several hours began to arrive in the cave incessantly again.
It seemed that the sudden stop in their arrival was indeed the result of Dangros’s restraint.
With Fespanray’s assistance, Angel witnessed many remarkable innate abilities.
Like the Poison Flame Toad in front of him now.
It had just arrived, arranged by Fespanray to showcase its innate ability.
Its talent wasn’t travel or treasure hunting, but——Poison Flame Swamp.
It could turn the surrounding area within five meters into raging poisonous flames, and as long as the toad lived, these flames were nearly impossible to extinguish. Even if covered in frost or buffeted by hurricanes, it was difficult to put out this poison fire, with the only regret being its small range.
This was far more formidable than other poison fire creatures’ ability to spew poison flames, even having a hint of a “domain” feel to it. As an elemental companion, it would definitely be considered high quality with high growth potential.
Even Angel was somewhat tempted, even though the poison flame ability was of no use to him. If cultivated well, it could become a very powerful force.
But ultimately, after weighing his options, Angel chose to let it go. While a strong force was good, Toby and Eremy were already sufficient, and adding another would be somewhat redundant. Compared to high combat power, he preferred to have a supportive one.
After the Poison Flame Toad left, dozens of elemental creatures arrived one after another. The vast majority were elemental sprites, but few were of use to Angel. Even those that suited him had talents that were somewhat lacking.
Not as suitable as the Flame Traveling Frog that Dangros had only recently taken in.
In the blink of an eye, night fell.
For elemental creatures of the Fire Domain, day and night hold little difference as flames pervade everything and a thick smog obscures the sky, making it challenging to distinguish between daytime and nighttime.
Yet, for newly born sprites, the night seems to possess a magical quality that allows them to rapidly increase their energy while deep in slumber, leading elemental sprites to almost entirely succumb to sleep come nightfall.
Since Dangros’ subordinates are mostly elemental sprites, Angel has found his days to be somewhat easier now.
After watching over the little sprites all day, Angel decides to return to his abode for some rest.
Once back at the illusionary cottage, Angel first prepares a small bed for Toby, changing him into a very fitting set of pajamas adorned with flame patterns, after which Toby obediently goes to bed.
Angel too plans to rest for a moment, intending to visit the Wilderness of Dreams.
However, just as he is about to close his eyes, Eremy, blending into the shadows of the environment, sends him a thought.
This thought contains an image.
The image shows Fespanray flying to the high skies outside the cave, gently flapping its wings, from which sparks drift out. These sparks, carried by an inexplicable breeze, head towards the distant volcano crater.
Before Angel’s enlightenment by Dangros, he might not have noticed the subtlety in this image.
However, now understanding that fire life forms can communicate with their kin through sparks, it’s evident Fespanray is sending a message, likely to Magic Fire Midir, judging by the direction the sparks are drifting.
Angel, contemplating this image, falls into deep thought.
“Was my desire for elemental companionship during the day too evident?”
It’s highly probable that Fespanray is transmitting information, and the main subject of this information must be Angel himself, who spent the day doing almost nothing but acting as a grand connoisseur. Although Fespanray didn’t say anything, the situation clearly seems unusual, and it’s likely it has guessed Angel’s thoughts.
Thus, while Angel rests, it begins to transmit this information.