Chapter 2530 Castle Upheaval <TOC> Chapter 2532 The Talents’ Prophecy
Translator: SumTLMan
“Don’t worry, if I discover anything, I’ll definitely inform everyone. Given how busy you all have been tonight, you must be thirsty. Here’s some Sourgrass Wine from the Arelle Principality, it’s not expensive, and few customers order it without a strong taste of alcohol… no trouble at all, it’s not worth much… take care now.”
Old Porter had been standing outside the tavern, smiling as he watched the patrol guards walk away into the distance, until they were out of sight and his smile slowly faded.
“Ah…”
Just as Old Porter’s expression settled, he heard a sigh from nearby. Turning his head, he saw the owner of the neighboring fragrance shop also stepping out, gazing down the street lit up like daylight, and remarking: “What a lively night this has been.”
The fragrance shop owner, also an apprentice like Old Porter, had been neighbors with him for five or six years and their relationship was cordial. They occasionally exchanged empathetic words, like now:
“Old Porter, you’re the only one who bows and scrapes to those royal lapdogs. I really don’t know what you’re thinking. In my opinion, there’s no need to bother with them at all.”
“To me, they’re all customers, and maintaining good relationships might bring more people to spend here. Besides, the Sourgrass Wine isn’t worth much.” Old Porter replied cheerfully.
“So you give it away because it’s cheap? If it were me, I’d rather pour it out than give it to those people. Do they really dare to start a fight with you? They’re just a bunch of weaklings.”
What the fragrance shop owner said reflected the sentiment of most shopkeepers in the neighborhood, but Old Porter chose not to engage further.
The patrol guards indeed lacked significant strength; the highest among them was only of a second level apprentice standard. However, their numbers were overwhelming.
How was Ms. Melo captured? Surely, the talents dragging their feet were one reason, but another more significant reason was the frightening number of patrol guards in Princess Castle.
Even ants can overwhelm an elephant, and Ms. Melo was overwhelmed just like that.
As for why there were so many mid to low level apprentice guards, Old Porter, having served as a covert agent in the Guman Kingdom for so many years, had investigated this matter but ultimately traced it back to the king himself and couldn’t delve further. He had reported it, but the higher-ups at the Savage Grottoes seemed uninterested, or perhaps, most wizard organizations had an unspoken agreement about this, clearly having their answers already.
“It’s getting late, I doubt anyone will come to your shop to buy fragrances tonight. How about I bring you a bottle of wine, and you can rest a bit?” Old Porter suggested to his longtime neighbor.
“No one buying fragrances? You’re mistaken. Those patrol guards who visited my shop earlier mentioned that Mordiya might soon commandeer finished products and materials from the shop, expecting a big order.”
Old Porter: “Commandeering fragrances? What new scheme is Mordiya concocting to torment people now?”
The fragrance shop owner snorted through his nose: “Who knows what that little monster might come up with. But anyway, it’s none of my business; I just need to earn my crystals.”
“Aren’t you worried they won’t pay you later for the commandeering?”
“They wouldn’t dare?! This time, I’ve heard many shops were mentioned; they dare to default on large-scale commandeering and think King Guman can protect them here on the fringes…”
The fragrance shop owner was about to shout angrily, but was interrupted mid-sentence by a distant booming noise.
Old Porter and the fragrance shop owner exchanged glances, then simultaneously took out flying devices and flew up into the sky.
From high above, they saw the source of the noise at the center of Princess Town, exactly where Mordiya’s castle was located!
Along with the noise came a dazzling burst of light that wildly illuminated the land, transforming the night into day.
Old Porter, gazing down at Princess Town which was completely awakened by the event, whispered softly: “What you said before was right, this night… is indeed livelier than I imagined.”
…
Not long after the loud noise, the castle dispatched more patrol guards; some were sent to requisition potions and materials, while others went on a mission to apprehend fugitives, moving from shop to shop.
However, at Old Porter’s tavern, although guards occasionally visited, they just chatted with Old Porter and left, which was much more relaxed compared to other shops.
Clearly, the relationships Old Porter had cultivated over the years played a crucial role here.
This was good news for Old Porter. After the noise, he had been worried about constantly having to deal with the guards, but now, with few people coming by, he finally had time to meet Lord Pat.
However, before he could go to meet Lord Pat, he had to deal with a sudden blocker.
“Red Sword” Daus.
“Lord Red Sword, may I ask what you need?” Old Porter asked respectfully.
“You… you’re going to see the Super Dimensional Wizard, right? I’ll go with you, I also have something I need to ask him,” Daus said, his brows slightly furrowed, obviously preoccupied with thoughts.
Old Porter’s lips twitched, initially wanting to lie since his meeting concerned the Wilderness of Dreams, something he couldn’t let Daus know.
But seeing Daus’ eyes, slightly glowing and staring intently at him, Old Porter realized that lying would probably be futile.
“Shall I go inform the Lord first?”
“No need to bother, let’s go together,” Daus replied, signaling Old Porter to lead the way.
With a sigh in his heart, though reluctantly, Old Porter dared not refuse Daus and took the lead.
Daus remained silent all the way until they reached the secret chamber. “Is he inside?” Daus finally spoke.
Old Porter nodded and was about to knock on the door.
However, before he could move, the door was opened from the inside.
After the door opened, it was clear to see that Angel was sitting on a sofa not far from the door, looking towards them.
Angel first looked at Old Porter, then turned his gaze to the person next to him: “Daus, what is it? You still don’t want to give up on finding out the secrets of the Savage Grottoes?”
Angel stood up, gesturing for them to come in: “Why not just join the Savage Grottoes then?”
Daus, however, looked deeply at Angel, and after a long while, said: “It seems there was another incident at Princess Castle just now. Do you know about it?”
Angel replied: “I heard about it. What, you think I did it?”
“You invited me to the castle to watch a play,” Daus pointed out.
Angel nodded: “Yes, that’s right. If you go now, you can still see a great show. After all, the big gift I left there was very warmly received by the princess.”
“You invited me to see a play just because of that gift?”
“What else? Do you still suspect it was me?” Angel’s tone suddenly shifted: “If the loud noise just now was a result of the aftermath caused by my gift, then it might be related to me. But if it’s not about the gift, then it has nothing to do with me. I have no plans to go back to that castle full of grotesque art.”
Daus’ mental sense kept radiating out. Although he did not use any truth detection spells, Angel’s words seemed clear in his mental sense, meaning he was not lying.
Yet, Daus still felt something was wrong.
He had come here with Old Porter to see if Angel was in the secret chamber. Was the loud noise at Princess Castle caused by Angel?
But now Angel was in the secret chamber, and he hadn’t lied, which made it hard for Daus to understand.
Rational cognition and mental perception seemed to contradict each other.
Seeing Daus’ troubled expression, Angel couldn’t help but tease: “It seems that your previous statement about losing interest in Princess Castle wasn’t heartfelt. You’re still quite interested in that place.”
Daus remained silent.
“If you’re really interested, I’ll say it again, the show isn’t over yet,” Angel hinted meaningfully.
After pondering for a moment, Daus shook his head: “No, I’ll just wait outside for the Crowned Parrot to return. After our battle ends, we still need to rush back to the Sandworm Market.”
With that, Daus turned and left.
Watching Daus’ departing figure, Angel raised his eyebrows noncommittally, then snapped his fingers. The secret chamber’s door immediately closed with a sound.
Now, only Angel and Old Porter were left in the secret chamber.
Old Porter was somewhat bewildered by the conversation and didn’t quite understand, but seeing Angel looking over, he did not ask any questions and instead stepped forward to report on his work.
The main content of the work was that Old Porter informed Iron Armor Granny about the situation in Princess Town, who then relayed it to Rhine.
“What did Lord Rhine say?”
Old Porter said: “Lord Rhine mentioned that someone will be arranged to investigate Ms. Melo’s capture soon, and at that time, Ms. Melo and I need to cooperate.”
Pausing, Old Porter added: “Also, Lord Rhine has been informed of your arrival in Princess Town. He told me to convey to you that if you find anything, you can go to the Wilderness of Dreams to find him, or leave a message on something.”
Angel replied: “Tree Group.”
Old Porter’s eyes lit up: “Yes, that’s right, the Tree Group. Lord, what is the Tree Group?”
Angel briefly explained the function of the Tree Group, to which Old Porter showed no surprise, common for many wizards hearing about it for the first time since it resembles the communicators used in the Savage Grottoes.
But once they delve deeper, they come to understand that the Tree Group and the communicators are fundamentally different.
One is focused on short-range communication, while the other pioneers the concept of a “new type of social interaction.” This form of social interaction, straightforward and convenient, has addicted many upon exposure, much like Tree Spirit who now eagerly wishes to join the Tree Group development team.
Old Porter did not continue to inquire about the Tree Group but started asking about various aspects of the Wilderness of Dreams. He asked if the Wilderness of Dreams was unique, who created it, if it connects to the real world, and if other wizard organizations knew about it.
Angel consistently responded: “Find the answers yourself in the Wilderness of Dreams.”
“But…”
“No buts. I’m going to meet Iron Armor Granny in the Wilderness of Dreams. Feel free to do as you wish.” Angel said, then leaned back on the sofa and closed his eyes, feigning sleep.
Old Porter said: “Didn’t you ask me here to give me some instructions?”
Angel replied: “That’s all.”
That’s it? Old Porter looked puzzled. He had just reported the situation, but hadn’t actually done anything else?
As Old Porter was about to ask more questions, Angel had already stepped onto the Dream Bridge.
…
After entering the Wilderness of Dreams, Angel did not immediately go to find Iron Armor Granny. Instead, he appeared outside the residence of Wizard Nisi in the New City.
Nisi was not in the Wilderness of Dreams, but he had left a message for Angel in the Tree Group.
It was a succinct message: “Canter is looking for you. Find a chance to meet him, and tell him not to bother me anymore.”
Angel did not reply to Nisi’s message, nor did he go to meet Canter, even though Canter was also in the Wilderness of Dreams. He, like Old Porter, was still in a phase of being curious about everything in the Wilderness of Dreams and meeting him would inevitably lead to a series of questions. So, Angel decided to set that aside for now.
After all, Canter was also in the Wilderness of Dreams and could be met at any time. Even if they didn’t meet in the Wilderness of Dreams, once this task was completed, Angel and Lord Rhine could personally visit him in the Tidal Realm.
His visit to Nisi’s mansion was not to meet Nisi but another person.
——Tulas.
In front of Nisi’s house, Tulas was rapidly typing on the Mother Tree Communicator. It wasn’t until Angel approached that Tulas looked up warily.
Upon seeing Angel, Tulas immediately broke into a foolish, sunny smile, stood up quickly, and eagerly shared his thoughts, having not seen Angel for many days.
“Have you learned to miss someone?” Angel thought to himself, looking at Tulas: She must have put in some effort, no wonder she dared to let me come and test him.
After Angel expressed his thoughts of Tulas missing someone, Tulas curiously asked about the purpose of Angel’s visit.
“I just came to see you,” Angel replied.
After a pause, he continued: “I saw you chatting in the Tree Group just now. Who were you talking to? Could it be about some romantic issues?”
“What romantic issues? I don’t understand,” Tulas responded, puzzled.
Angel clarified: “…I mean, what were you chatting about so energetically?”
“Oh, that,” Tulas realized. “I was talking to Freud. I hope he can send an airship to pick me up. I’m feeling quite bored here and kind of want to go back to Initial Heart City.”
“I also talked to Lord Nisi, and he agreed to my leaving since he won’t be online to study the slab these days. I was thinking of going back to Initial Heart City to play for a few days.”
At this point, Tulas’ eyes suddenly lit up: “Right, since you’re here, Lord, you can take me back to Initial Heart City directly!”
Looking at the excited Tulas, Angel spoke softly: “Taking you back to Initial Heart City is no problem, but just you alone?”
“Yes, of course,” Tulas said matter-of-factly.
Angel asked again: “…Are you sure it’s just you?”
Tulas nodded affirmatively: “I’m sure.”
Angel fell silent for a moment, then said softly: “Didn’t you come to the New City with Mandara? You’re going back without her?”
Tulas paused, surprised: “Oh right, Mandara. But whether Mandara goes back or not, I don’t know. I think she likes it here. Plus, she’s not here right now. Maybe just send me first?”
“Do you know where Mandara has gone?” Angel asked.
Tulas shook his head honestly: “I don’t know.”
“Aren’t you concerned about where she is?” Angel probed.
A puzzled look crossed Tulas’ face. Before he could answer, Angel could guess what Tulas wanted to say: What does her whereabouts have to do with me?
Angel sighed. He thought Tulas had learned to care for Mandara, but it turned out he was wrong.
And from Tulas’ attitude, it seemed that his relationship with Mandara was still only at the level of friends.
It appeared that not only had Angel guessed wrong, but Mandara had also misjudged Tulas’ feelings for her.
Chapter 2530 Castle Upheaval <TOC> Chapter 2532 The Talents’ Prophecy