Chapter 2535 Secrets Matters <TOC> Chapter 2537 Changes in the Secret Chamber
Previous page password is bold portion: 3rLb_g8+R*9i
Translator: SumTLMan
In the secret chamber of Old Porter’s tavern in Princess Town, Angel opened his eyes and the first person he saw was Old Porter standing nearby, frozen in place.
“What are you standing there for?” Angel asked, puzzled.
“Is there anything else you need me to do, Lord?” Old Porter inquired respectfully.
“Is that why you’re standing there?” Angel rubbed his temples in resignation: “I told you earlier, there’s nothing else; just do as you please. As for any questions you have, you can go online and ask someone else.”
Hearing this, a visible disappointment appeared on Old Porter’s face. Clearly, he was still eager to receive some inside information from Angel.
“You can go now; I still have things to handle,” Angel waved his hand, signaling Old Porter to leave.
Old Porter could only nod and hesitantly opened the door, preparing to leave. However, just as he was about to close the door behind him, Angel suddenly called out to him: “Wait, there’s one more thing I forgot to tell you.”
Old Porter immediately lifted his head, his eyes sparkling with anticipation: “Lord, is there something you need to instruct me on?”
Seeing the barely contained excitement in Old Porter’s eyes, Angel couldn’t help but chuckle: “Do you really long for something to do, or are you hoping to get some answers about the Wilderness of Dreams from me?”
“Both, both…”
Angel responded: “Then you’re going to be disappointed. These matters can only be discussed in the Wilderness of Dreams; I won’t speak of them outside. If you encounter me there, I might share some details, but in reality, that’s not possible.”
Angel made a simple gesture with his hand, which was easily understood: all in the name of caution.
Old Porter had an epiphany and nodded solemnly: “I understand!”
With that, he mimicked the gesture.
Angel didn’t care if Old Porter really understood; after all, if Old Porter truly wanted to know something, he would have to venture into the Wilderness of Dreams, and whether he would encounter Angel there was not something Old Porter could decide.
“Now, if there’s anything else, just tell me.” After discussing the Wilderness of Dreams, Old Porter’s demeanor gradually became calmer.
“In a few days, an investigator from the Savage Grottoes will come to handle things here; just cooperate with them the day before. After that, you don’t need to worry about it or even investigate further,” Angel instructed: “If possible, try to stay away from Princess Castle or leave Princess Town altogether.”
“The winds are rising, and the kingdom will be in turmoil. Staying here, even an extraordinary individual might get involved.”
“But I still have my own mission,” Old Porter said.
Old Porter did not specify what his mission was, but Angel could guess, it was either to observe the chaos in the Guman Kingdom or to document various developments in the Guman Royal Family and pass them on to the Savage Grottoes. In essence, Old Porter was a spy planted here.
Old Porter was unaware that the things he was investigating were actually of no consequence. The true chaos and the real facts about the Guman Kingdom were well known to those at the top of the pyramid.
In reality, Old Porter was only performing superficial duties, meant to placate the spies within the Savage Grottoes.
Now that chaos was about to unfold, the apprentice level superficial duties were no longer necessary, and it was best for Old Porter not to stay in the Guman Kingdom any longer.
“Your mission will be canceled sooner or later.”
Seeing Old Porter’s confusion, Angel continued: “If you don’t believe it, you can ask the investigators when they arrive in a couple of days whether your task is still necessary.”
“The future is yours to decide.”
After a moment of contemplation, Old Porter nodded: “I understand, thank you for the warning, Lord.”
Angel added: “Oh, by the way, I’ll be leaving at dawn. There might be upheaval in Princess Town in the next two days. If you have a place to hide, it would be best to stay with Ms. Melo. If not, staying in this secret room is also an option. Before I leave, I’ll set up an illusion here. Unless one is a true knowledge wizard or an illusion wizard, it shouldn’t be detectable.”
From Angel’s words, Old Porter sensed a serious undertone, reminding him of the questions Daus had once posed to Angel.
Could it be, as Daus had suggested, that Angel had indeed done something to Princess Castle?
While Old Porter was lost in thought, Angel looked over: “Any doubts?”
Old Porter quickly lowered his head, respectfully responding: “No doubts.”
“Then go and prepare for all possible situations. I don’t want another mishap causing me to be called back to deal with trivial matters in the Guman Kingdom.”
Old Porter nodded earnestly and then left the room.
Once Old Porter had left, Angel took out an inscription knife, blood ink, and various consumables, preparing to set up a magic formation in the secret room.
Angel had mentioned an illusion to Old Porter, but if Princess Town were to experience unpredictable events, a mere illusion would not be safe. Therefore, a combination of an illusion and a magic formation was the optimal solution.
If Old Porter chose to stay, this secret room would ensure that he remained undetected for a short period, giving him a chance to log into the Wilderness of Dreams for help.
If Old Porter decided to abandon the tavern and leave, this secret room could also serve as a hidden base for the Savage Grottoes in the area. After registering at Mission Hall, this hidden base could also offer some protection to internal members within the Guman Kingdom.
As Angel was taking out various consumables, he also called out Mandara.
However, Mandara did not speak immediately, instead sitting quietly on the side, seemingly lost in thought.
Her presence, obscure and dark, gradually wafted around her, making her appear like a shadowy figure.
When Angel was nearly done inscribing the magic formation, Mandara’s contemplation slowly came to an end. However, Mandara did not speak but continued to watch Angel, who was intently carving, with a complex expression that was a mix of aversion, disgust, struggle, and hesitation.
Mandara remained silent, but suddenly Angel turned his head towards her and said: “I just had an inspiration, I need to borrow some of your energy.”
Mandara was taken aback: “My energy is still quite mixed, and it still has traces of corruption.”
“It’s fine,” Angel replied: “I can purify it before using.”
Without waiting for Mandara’s agreement, Angel manipulated his mental tendrils, forcefully extracting a large portion of the dark aura swirling around Mandara.
Losing the outward manifestation of dark aura made Mandara feel a void within her soul, anticipating that it would take several days to recover. Despite this, Mandara did not stop Angel; if it were the old her, she would have fought over every bit of this negative energy. But now, she still longed for power, just not the kind that drove her to madness and disown her kin.
After borrowing the energy from Mandara’s soul, Angel picked up his inscription tool and started to inscribe evenly and smoothly onto the ceiling, enveloping the tool with the energy.
As he completed the magic formation, a thick, eerie aura began to pervade the surroundings.
Mandara took a deep breath, feeling a surge of joy within her soul: “This is the aura that nurtures ghosts. Are you planning to cultivate ghosts here?”
“You’ll see in a moment,” Angel replied.
Angel then performed several incomprehensible manipulations, and soon, the eerie aura began to subtly transform. The death aura lessened, replaced by a sense of purity and purification, becoming more peaceful and serene. While it could still nurture ghosts, its versatility was now greater, offering peace even to living beings.
“What is this?” Mandara asked.
“A Still Death Rune,” Angel explained: “It’s a rune for nurturing ghosts. But I made some modifications, using your energy. Your energy is quite unique; its death aura, yet it also has a life-giving quality.”
“As expected, with a slight adjustment and a bit of purification, it transformed into something new.”
Mandara didn’t quite understand Angel’s explanation but felt it was profound and impressive. Thus, she grew curious about the effect of the modified rune.
“What’s the effect? Can’t you feel it?”
Angel gave Mandara a strange look, then took out a somewhat wilted apple from his bracelet——this apple must have gotten there some time ago, possibly left behind when Toby was snacking inside the bracelet.
Angel casually tossed the apple towards a corner of the room.
“Now you should be able to sense it,” he said, pointing at the apple.
After sensing for a moment and then pausing, Mandara turned back: “Is this… food preservation?”
Angel nodded: “How about that? Pretty good, right?”
Angel didn’t wait for Mandara to respond and continued to inscribe other magic formations, proudly stating while doing so: “This is inspired by a magazine called —Dance of the Metals—, which has many alchemical tips for everyday convenience. Though the procedures are complex, I made some adjustments, and the effects are quite good.”
Mandara felt like retorting, were you using my energy just for this food preservation?
But upon further thought, since she wanted to get rid of that energy anyway, preserving food was fine. But why inscribe a preservation rune here?
“It’s because you didn’t kill the princess, and to avoid disturbances in Princess Town that might injure our people here. I plan to modify this secret chamber to make it a long-term residence with shelter, concealment, and anti-scouting capabilities.”
“If we’re to live here long-term, we certainly need to consider the quality of life.” Angel said with a smile, quoting —Dance of the Metals—.
Mandara retorted: “…Where did this bizarre magazine come from?”
“Bizarre? I think it’s interesting.”
Mandara sighed deeply: “But, do you wizards need to eat daily like ordinary people?”
Angel paused abruptly.
Ah? That seems logical!
A first level apprentice can withstand hunger quite well, second level ones even more so, and as for a formal wizard, as long as their veins are nourished by constant energy, they wouldn’t need to eat at all.
“Also, when Tulas and I went to the Rosewater Pavilion, the chef, Azaz, mentioned that apprentices usually learn to make magic bread before they travel. Once they master this gourmet trick, even a first level apprentice won’t go hungry.”
Angel felt as if he had been stabbed in the chest when Mandara mentioned magic bread, and her comment felt like another stab.
“So, why bother with these useless endeavors?”
As Mandara questioned him, the air suddenly grew silent.
After a long silence, Angel slowly said: “The magic formation is a whole system that requires the coordination of various runes, and not all runes are compatible with each other. The current rune fits well with the entire magic formation, and that’s why I inscribed it.”
“Is that so?” Mandara squinted skeptically.
“Of course. Plus, this rune also has the effect of nourishing the soul. Why are you focusing on the trivial side effect of preservation?”
Mandara: “…” Wasn’t preservation the first thing you mentioned?”
Angel: “Never mind, you don’t understand magic formations, I don’t blame you. Rather than these trivial matters, you actually wanted to ask about Tulas’ response, right?”
Anyone could see that Angel was changing the subject, and quite clumsily at that, but Mandara took the bait without hesitation.
All her attention focused intently on Angel.
Angel gave Mandara a bit of time to prepare before he carefully spoke: “You’ve known Tulas the longest. You should understand him quite well.”
“I won’t talk about his reaction first, I really want to know, from your understanding of him, what do you think his reaction will be when you leave this time?”
Mandara was silent for a moment: “I guess there won’t be any reaction.”
Angel: “That’s correct.”
Mandara didn’t show any joy at having guessed correctly; instead, her face fell instantly.
Angel raised an eyebrow: “Isn’t that what you said yourself? You guessed his reaction too.”
Mandara lowered her head: “I thought there might be a surprise.”
“If life was full of surprises, then what’s the point of doing serious business?” Angel said: “Besides, think about it, you’ve only been gone for half a day. What kind of reaction do you expect from him? Anxiously looking everywhere, or wiping away tears and shouting, where are you?”
“Put yourself in his shoes; if you left your family for half a day, what reaction would you expect?”
“I don’t have family,” Mandara’s eyes flashed with a trace of darkness.
“Okay, then forget it. Just think about it, is half a day a long time?”
Mandara was silent for a moment, and then she seemed to agree with Angel, feeling that testing Tulas’ reaction to her departure after just half a day was indeed too much to ask.
“Then I won’t go online for the next few days, can I possibly…”
“No,” Angel refused without hesitation: “I’m really busy now, not only do I have to deal with the aftermath of Princess Castle, but I also have a mission to the Sandworm Market. I don’t have time to play these games with you. This time, I just needed your help, so we made a deal. But, there won’t be a next time.”
After a while, Mandara said: “Alright, I’ll check it out myself.”
After she spoke, Mandara still seemed somewhat unwilling to let go and continued tentatively: “So… Tulas didn’t mention me at all?”
Angel thought for a moment: “Not exactly, I told him you might not be online for a few days.”
Mandara’s eyes lit up: “What did he say then?”
Angel: “He said he knew. Then he mentioned wanting to return to Initial Heart City, so I sent him on his way.”
Angel originally planned to embellish Tulas’ response a bit, but since Mandara had shot him with two arrows earlier, Angel decided not to embellish and told her exactly what Tulas had said.
Angel thought Mandara would be heartbroken upon hearing the news, but surprisingly, Mandara seemed rather delighted.
Angel, puzzled, overheard Mandara whisper to herself: “As soon as I left, he wanted to return to Initial Heart City. It’s clear, without me, he felt the monotony; only with me by his side does he not feel lonely.”
Listening to her increasingly fanciful words, Angel’s expression became subtly complex.
He had initially thought this revelation would wound Mandara’s spirit, yet she had constructed an elaborate narrative in her mind.
And it seemed oddly plausible.
However, Angel knew the truth, that Tulas had never thought of Mandara at all.
Should he reveal the reality to her?
Watching Mandara lost in her thoughts, a slight smile playing on her lips, exuding a gentle joy… Angel decided, after some consideration, not to shatter her beautiful illusion.
Everyone else might have let her down, but Mandara’s current situation was different.
For her, a little Fantasy was better than despair.
Besides, who’s to say a fantasy might not one day become reality.
Chapter 2535 Secrets Matters <TOC> Chapter 2537 Changes in the Secret Chamber