Translator: SumTLMan
After leaving the Bliss Pavilion, Angel’s expression was complex.
It was one thing to spend 50 magic crystals on the token, but as an alchemist, spending 30 magic crystals on a toy was something that would invite ridicule from his peers.
Initially, Angel had planned to seek out Aesop’s disciple to recoup the costs of the search. But now, he had no choice but to swallow the loss, as he didn’t want anyone to know he had spent money on these two items.
The one thing he was grateful for was that he wasn’t using his real appearance while traveling…
Despite the turmoil inside, he had the tools now, and the next step was to find the person.
Finding a secluded spot, Angel placed the slab-like token on the ground and set a blackwood wand, enchanted with a Guiding Spell, right in the middle of the token.
“In the starry sky of destiny, let your reflection be mirrored.” As he activated the blackwood wand, Angel recited this phrase.
The reason for these words was that the apprentice prophecy wizard who had enchanted the wand belonged to the “Celestial Coordinates” school. According to the apprentice, speaking these words while using the wand would enhance its effectiveness.
Angel was somewhat skeptical, as his experiences with prophecy wizards, aside from Totoro, involved a lot of incomprehensible mumbling.
But, it might just enhance the prophecy effect?
So, Angel followed the instructions meticulously and recited the phrase exactly.
As soon as he finished speaking, the blackwood wand stood miraculously balanced atop the token.
A second later, the wand began to sway slowly, picking up speed occasionally, until finally, it tipped over, pointing southeast.
Angel packed up the token and the wand and started heading southeast.
With every significant distance covered, he used the Guiding Spell to reorient himself, but it consistently pointed southeast.
Finally, at Tenth Lane, the guidance spell shifted slightly, pointing down the lane.
In contrast to the bustling Sandworm Long Street, Tenth Lane had significantly fewer people. The main reason was that entry required a qualification check.
At the entrance of Tenth Lane, a sandworm statue served as the qualification officer.
The qualification could be proven in two ways: First, by showing sufficient magic crystals or equivalent valuables to trade in the lane; second, by demonstrating one’s strength.
The exact amount of magic crystals required wasn’t specified, and it carried the risk of attracting unwanted attention. Proving one’s strength was simpler, being in a realm of an apprentice or higher was sufficient for entry.
Naturally, Angel chose the latter option and walked confidently towards the sandworm statue, quickly standing face to face with it.
Angel, before he could release his aura, was halted by the whispering tone of the sandworm statue: “Respected mighty one, Tenth Lane welcomes your arrival.”
Startled, Angel asked: “You know me?”
The statue of the sandworm replied: “All the statues at the Sandworm Market are me…”
With a sudden realization, Angel remembered the moment he had revealed his aura as a formal wizard at the entrance of the Sandworm Market. Therefore, there was no need for a qualification check now.
He was on the whitelist.
Looking at the sandworm statue before him, Angel curiously inquired: “Are you a stone spirit?”
“Yes.” The statue affirmed.
Angel’s expression turned subtly complex as he remarked: “You’re more pleasant to look at than another noisy and annoying stone spirit I know.”
After his comment, Angel left a bewildered statue behind and proceeded into Tenth Lane.
As he walked, Angel thought about Taros, the Two-Faced Stone Spirit of Silent Hill, who had ignored him while he was chased by Isabella, this madwoman, because Taros hadn’t wanted to interfere. From then on Angel harbored a strong dislike for Taros, even though Taros later praised him in various wizard journals, it did nothing to temper Angel’s irritation.
“The next time I visit Silent Hill will be the time to settle the score,” Angel silently vowed.
Pushing these complex thoughts aside, Angel continued deeper into Tenth Lane.
The shops in Tenth Lane were indeed more exquisite than those in other lanes, with almost every shop protected by magic formations and some even manned by puppet guides only welcoming the destined ones. Angel did not bother to inquire what ‘destined’ meant, as he was more focused on completing his mission than aimlessly wandering a wizard market.
After walking for approximately five minutes under the Guiding Spell, Angel found himself in front of a real alley.
This alley, unlike the superficial lanes outside, matched Angel’s expectation of an alley: narrow, dark, damp, and reeking of a foul odor mixed with a strong scent of blood, a clear indication that interesting events had occurred here.
Without hesitation, Angel stepped into the alley.
The alley was long and deep, without any branching paths, leading straight to the end. At the deepest part of the alley, Angel saw a wall sign illuminated by light.
The sign, crafted from round wood, bore the inscription: The Cross Bar.
Seeing the name ‘The Cross’, Angel knew he was at the right place.
As he was about to step through the bar’s door, a hand stopped him. Angel looked up to see a man with red short hair, handsome features, and clad in a black leather jacket.
Angel had already noticed him; he leaned against the large doors of the tavern, clearly not one of the waitstaff, so Angel had initially paid him no heed.
However, now that the man had blocked his path, Angel was curious to hear what he had to say.
“The Cross Bar is exclusive to members, sir. I suggest you leave,” came the slightly raspy voice from the red-haired man.
“And how do you know that I am not a member of the Cross Bar?” Angel countered.
“Although we wandering wizards are a loosely organized group, it does not mean we are without our rules,” the red-haired man raised an eyebrow: “And those who enter the bar do not cover their faces; that is the rule of the Cross Bar.”
After a pause, the red-haired man’s eyes suddenly sharpened, staring intensely at Angel: “A formal wizard using shape-shifting magic to mingle in a gathering place for wandering wizards, what are you really after?”
With that, an aura specifically targeting Angel emanated from the red-haired man.
This aura, although harmless to Angel, was in no way inferior in quality to his own. This meant that the red-haired man was also a formal wizard!
Formal wizards were rare among the wandering wizards, and for one to be leaning at the doorway of the Cross Bar, he must have been waiting for someone specifically.
“Did you know I would come? Are you in collaboration with the Bliss Pavilion?” Angel frowned.
The red-haired man simply stated: “Where do you think the tokens of the Bliss Pavilion come from?”
At this moment, Angel’s emotions were calm concerning other matters, but his anger towards the Bliss Pavilion was escalating… Not because they had an alliance with the wandering wizards, but because, despite the alliance, they had swindled him of 80 magic crystals!
Given some of the inhumane ‘entertainment’ that the Bliss Pavilion offered, Angel was already quite displeased with them, and now he blacklisted the Bliss Pavilion in his mind.
Seeing that Angel remained silent for a long time, the red-haired man did not wish to genuinely antagonize a formal wizard, so he softened his tone a bit: “Life is hard for wandering wizards, sir, please leave.”
But Angel did not depart; instead, he muttered to himself: “There can’t be many formal wizards among the wandering wizards at the Sandworm Market.”
The red-haired man did not reply, but watched Angel cautiously.
Angel spoke: “I guess there aren’t many formal wizards among you. I believe at least you are part of the management of the Cross Bar.”
“And what if I am?” the red-haired man responded.
“That’s just perfect, as I was actually here to seek out a manager,” Angel stated.
Angel’s main goal was not to enter the Cross Bar; he was there to find someone. And there were essentially two ways to do so: directly approach Aesop’s disciples, which, given the number of wandering wizards, could take considerable time; or more directly, reach out to the upper echelons of the wandering wizards at the Sandworm Market, who would certainly know of Aesop’s disciples’ whereabouts.
After all, Aesop was a pinnacle figure among the wandering wizards; his disciples should undoubtedly be well-noticed?
Upon seeing that Angel did not display much hostility, the red-haired man thought for a moment and, not wishing to overly offend him, spoke: “What exactly brings you here?”
Angel: “I need to see Aesop’s disciple, Kael.”
Upon hearing the name ‘Kael’, the red-haired man’s guard immediately went up. Aesop was once part of a wizard organization and later defected for certain reasons, thus making many enemies. Those unable to kill Aesop would likely target his disciple.
However, the red-haired man was puzzled as Aesop’s disciples are known for their secrecy; apart from a very few, no one knew he was at the Sandworm Market. How did Angel find out?
The red-haired man remained silent, but his aura nearly materialized, setting the atmosphere on a tense trajectory.
Angel, not one to be outwitted, quickly understood the reason behind the other’s demeanor.
He calmly asked: “Why do you think I know Kael is here?”
The red-haired man didn’t respond.
Angel answered his own question: “Of course, it was Aesop himself who told me.”
While it wasn’t ‘personally’ told to Angel, the message was relayed through Tree Spirit, which was nearly the same.
Seeing the red-haired man still unconvinced.
Angel raised an eyebrow: “You are a formal wizard, can’t you even discern if what I’m saying is true or false?”
A faint blush, hard to notice, crossed the handsome face of the red-haired man: “I have not used the Truth Detection spell, and besides, as a formal wizard yourself, you would have plenty of means to deceive such a spell.”
Angel retorted: “Indeed, I can evade the Truth Detection spell, but do you see any energy fluctuations on me?”
The red-haired man found himself at a loss for words. When Angel spoke earlier, indeed, there were no energy fluctuations.
Red-haired man: “I……”
Angel, unwilling to indulge the other man in using the Truth Detection spell again, simply pulled out a letter written by Aesop.
“Don’t open it, just look at the cover.” Angel tossed the letter over.
The red-haired man caught it with confusion, seeing the familiar handwriting on the greased paper envelope, which noted Kael’s current address and clearly indicated that the letter was meant for Kael.
At a corner of the envelope, the red-haired man also sensed the energy of a space rune, a unique signature that could only belong to Aesop. No one could or dared to imitate it.
Without a doubt, this was a letter recently written by Aesop, and the recipient was his disciple, Kael.
“See for yourself? If you still don’t believe it, you can open the letter. But whatever secrets you find inside are for you to deal with. I, for one, won’t be looking.” While saying this, Angel also took out a recording device, ready to record the red-haired man opening the letter.
The red-haired man watched Angel’s smooth actions, speechless.
“Go on, are you going to open it?” Angel raised an eyebrow.
The red-haired man sighed and handed the letter back to Angel: “I was a bit presumptuous just now, I hope you will forgive me.”
“My name is Daus,” said the red-haired man with a modest chest bow.
Angel replied: “Red-haired Daus, ah, the former eldest son of the Saint Cruz family.”
Daus calmly stated: “I have already left the Saint Cruz family; they are no longer of any concern to me.”
Angel knew this, but he mentioned it on purpose.
Daus introduced himself, and naturally, Angel reciprocated: “You can call me Leon.”
Daus’s eyes twinkled slightly upon hearing “You can call me so-and-so,” a common phrase in the Wizarding World, indicating a high probability of a pseudonym.
Moreover, there is currently no famous wizard named Leon in the Southern Region, so it was undoubtedly a pseudonym.
Although Daus was slightly annoyed, given Angel’s use of shape-shifting spells and a pseudonym, perhaps there were reasons, and he had to accept it.
“The letter from Aesop is genuine; I believe Mr. Leon means no harm,” Daus paused before continuing: “Kael is indeed at the Sandworm Market, I can take you to him.”
Daus could have told Angel directly about Kael’s location, but even with Aesop’s letter, he had to be cautious just in case. It was safer to go together; in case of a conflict, he could protect Kael.
Angel had no objections; the mission was a priority, finding Kael was paramount.
Daus extended his hand, signaling Angel to follow him.
Daus didn’t enter the Cross Bar; obviously, Kael wasn’t in the bar, which Angel was glad about, as it spared him the trouble of searching there.
Throughout the journey, Daus remained silent, and Angel appreciated the quiet.
They quickly left through the Tenth Lane of Sandworm Long Street and then headed back. They reached the entrance of Sandworm Long Street and ascended the stairs to the surface.
Upon reaching the ground, Angel thought they would find Kael on some street in the Sandworm Market.
However, to Angel’s surprise, Daus did not head towards the interior of the Sandworm Market but towards the outskirts.