Chapter 2543 Kael as a Person <TOC> Chapter 2545 Skinner Magic Box
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Translator: SumTLMan
The excitement evident on Daus’ face left no doubt: he was thoroughly addicted to the spectacle.
“Lord Aesop wouldn’t have sent me to test Kael if he really wanted to test him. Besides, you know Kael better than I do. Do you think he needs testing?”
After pondering seriously for a moment, Daus replied: “Kael, aside from his deep passion for research, has no other vices… no, wait, he regularly runs up a tab at my bar that he never pays. That might indeed be worth testing.”
Angel couldn’t be bothered to respond, simply watching Daus until he gave a sheepish laugh: “Heh, I’m just trying to liven up the atmosphere.”
“If Lord Aesop wanted me to meet Kael, he certainly has other tasks in mind. There’s a note about it in the letter; if you really want to know, ask Kael yourself when we get back, see if he’s willing to tell you.”
With that, Angel fell silent.
The Gondola moved swiftly, and before long, they had crossed the verdant forest and entered a landscape dominated by yellow sand.
As annoying as Daus could be, it was undeniable that finding the right path through the expansive sand would have taken at least twice as long without him.
When they arrived at the outskirts of the black market near the Sandworm Market, the sun was just reaching its zenith.
At the sight of the vibrantly enticing cactus, Angel instinctively stepped back, and Daus did the same, albeit just a tiny bit more than Angel.
Just as Angel was about to say something, Daus spoke first: “Don’t start with how you paid the entrance fee last time; it’s my turn now. I’m just tagging along, you’re the one looking for Kael, so I won’t be paying.”
Angel’s face was expressionless. He had indeed been about to say that they should each pay once…
Since Daus was unwilling to pay, Angel, with a smile, retrieved Dangros from the bracelet on his wrist.
As soon as Dangros appeared, it said: “Is it safe now? I’ve told you, I’m not afraid of danger, so don’t put me in that bracelet again. It’s dark in there, not fun at all, and Haralenne ignores me…”
Indeed, before heading to the dungeons near Princess Castle, Angel had put Dangros in the bracelet to avoid its incessant questions, using the trip’s danger as a pretext.
“It’s safe now, see? We’re back in Laxum Duchy.” Angel paused, smiling warmly: “Dangros, I have something to discuss with you. Do you still have that little sandworm I gave you last time?”
After a while, the cactus, satisfied after consuming ten drops of sandworm blood, opened the grand doors to the black market.
Angel walked in first, followed by Daus.
Daus, looking at Angel’s shoulder where Dangros sat nursing the little sandworm with a pained expression, appeared quite speechless.
Through the mental connection, Daus said: “Even the gifts for your elemental companion are recycled. It turns out that the famed Super Dimensional Wizard is such a penny-pincher.”
Angel replied: “After all, a little blood from that tiny sandworm won’t kill it.”
Daus continued through the mental connection: “Indeed, it won’t die, but it has already been bled twice, shaking its very foundations. Even if it grows into an adult worm, its quality will be impacted. Also, aren’t you afraid that your elemental companion will drift away from you?”
Angel initially wanted to clarify that Dangros was not yet his elemental companion. However, thinking it over, a fire elemental sprite roaming freely might attract numerous captors, so he tacitly accepted the assumption.
“Drift away? Impossible, Dangros’ most admired idol is actually another of my companions. Although they’re not here right now, I can introduce you next time.”
Daus asked: “You mean the little bird that always follows you around?”
Angel always had a nondescript bird with him, which was no secret in the Wizarding World. Various gossip magazines had analyzed this bird deeply.
Of course, they couldn’t figure anything out. In the end, they concluded that this might be Angel’s secret weapon, because surely, Angel wouldn’t carry an ordinary bird around.
This conclusion about the secret weapon, from a certain perspective, was not wrong.
Now, with the purification of the Life Pool, Toby could skillfully shift into the serpent-bird and griffin form. Angel, finding it increasingly difficult to compete when it entered its serpent-bird form, hadn’t yet fought Toby but guessed the odds of winning were slim.
Angel remarked: “If you get a chance to meet next time, don’t just call it a little bird. Its name is Toby.”
Daus replied: “So, Dangros’ object of admiration is Toby?”
Angel hummed: “Is there a problem with that?”
Daus shook his head and said no more.
A strange severed hand admiring a nondescript little bird. Daus felt this world was too marvelous.
Passing through the bustling black market, they soon arrived at what was once a magic blood ore mine, now the residence of Kael.
It was still Angel who interacted with the spatial node, waiting for Kael to open the door.
Expecting a long wait, they were surprised when Kael appeared in just two minutes.
At this moment, Kael, more haggard than when first met, almost sported a smoky makeup look due to his dark eye circles, his hair was a messy tangle, and his clothes were wrinkled.
Seeing this, Daus sighed and cast an enhanced cleaning spell on Kael.
Kael gratefully accepted it and even used his hand to sweep his hair back in a gesture that was both simple and required no comb.
“This guy, once he gets into his research, even conserves the magic for spells like cleaning. Every time, it’s someone else who can’t stand it and casts a cleaning spell on him. But, when he’s away from his research, he’s much more normal,” Daus quietly explained to Angel.
After Daus had finished speaking, he looked towards Kael, who had dressed himself up: “Have you solved the problem on the envelope?”
While opening a passage and gesturing everyone to enter, Kael boasted: “Of course, you don’t know, this question was a trap within a trap, testing my psychological blind spots. Truly, Mentor is deserving of his title.”
Seeing Kael ready to go on at length, Daus said nonchalantly: “So the final answer was actually in the trap, right?”
Kael paused abruptly, staring at Daus in astonishment: “Lord Daus, how… how did you know?”
“I am a formal wizard, after all.”
Kael looked enlightened, realizing that the foundation of a formal wizard truly was different, even capable of easily solving spatial puzzles.
However, Kael’s reflection lasted only a second before he heard Daus say: “So, if I couldn’t, I could always ask other formal wizards, right?”
“Right, Wizard Leon?”
Angel: “…”
Kael suddenly realized: “So Wizard Leon also understands space puzzles, is he also a specialist in space magic?”
As Kael spoke, his eyes suddenly brightened: “I get it now, did Mentor Aesop arrange for Wizard Leon to guide me in space research? It must be so, right?”
Angel remained silent, while Daus snickered to the side.
After a while, Daus leaned closer to Kael: “Haven’t you already solved the riddle? Why haven’t you opened the letter from your mentor yet?”
Kael declared righteously: “Since it was brought by Wizard Leon, I must open it in front of him, as is the custom.”
Daus rolled his eyes, speechless. ‘What kind of custom is that?’
When they returned to the original grand hall of ruins, Kael finally took out Aesop’s envelope.
Just when they thought Kael was about to open it, Kael instead approached Angel, asking how he had discerned the answer to the question.
Angel couldn’t very well say that he had just obtained a heap of advanced space knowledge from the spotted puppy, dealing with this kind of problem was like a higher dimension overpowering a lower dimension.
However, it was only theoretical knowledge that had reached its peak. Truly applying it, Angel was still not quite on Kael’s level.
Since Kael’s question was also theoretical, Angel thought about it and gave a few hints.
The difference in perspective created differences in vision, Angel’s casual guidance was greatly enlightening for Kael.
When Kael looked at Angel again, he already held him in the respect one would have for a “space wizard specially sent by Mentor Aesop.”
Angel did not respond but simply smiled, indicating that Kael could open the letter now.
Kael did not dally this time; he broke the seal and took out a piece of parchment.
Daus tried to sneak a peek at the contents of the parchment, but after a glance, he realized that it was an encrypted letter, written in a space symbol language that he couldn’t understand at all.
Angel, on the other hand, could understand it, but he didn’t need to look to know what was written on the parchment. He was now curious about what Aesop had asked him to help Kael concoct.
As Kael read the letter, his expression was initially normal, but it gradually became more peculiar. When he put down the letter, he looked at Angel with a shocked expression.
“You, you… you’re not a space wizard?”
Angel: “I never said I was a space wizard.”
“You’re not Wizard Leon?”
Angel: “Hmm, it’s quite normal to use a pseudonym when you’re away from home.”
“You are… the Super Dimensional wizard? The new member of the Research Institute? An enchantment alchemy master?”
Angel: “Yes, the letter should have mentioned that. What else do you want to know? It’s better to ask everything at once, saves time.”
Kael, somewhat embarrassed, said: “I, I’m just too surprised. I didn’t expect the rumored Super Dimensional Wizard to have such profound research on space.”
“A formal wizard, after all, it’s normal to research a bit more.” After Angel spoke, he glanced at Daus.
Daus moved his gaze away, annoyed.
Angel: “Alright, let’s set the chit-chat aside for now. Lord Aesop should have already informed you about the situation in the letter, now let’s get to the main topic.”
Kael nodded subconsciously.
Angel paused: “Before we start, does the outsider need to leave?”
The so-called outsider——Daus, was making eyes at Kael.
Kael thought for a moment and said: “It’s okay for Lord Daus to stay here, after all, he can’t understand it anyway.”
Daus’s expression darkened: “…You didn’t actually need to say the second half, and also, you’re underestimating me.”
Kael hurriedly explained: “I didn’t mean to underestimate you, Lord, it’s just that the content here is about…”
Before Kael could finish, Angel suddenly said: “Since the Red Sword Wizard is so confident, why not take a gamble? Kael, you might as well show him the thing first. If he can solve it, it would be fortunate, and you can give him the reward promised by Lord Aesop in the letter. If he can’t solve it, perhaps the Red Sword Wizard might consider giving something to Kael, of course, the value should match the reward given by Lord Aesop.”
Kael’s eyes lit up, looking expectantly at Daus.
Daus then looked at Angel: “You really know how to stir up trouble.”
Angel looked innocent and said: “I’m just trying to help you, how could you let Kael look down on you?”
Although Kael did not dare to nod, his eyes said everything.
Seeing this exchange, Daus understood that Kael’s statement: “He definitely won’t understand,” was no lie. Probably, the true content had exceeded his realm of knowledge.
Thinking this, Daus said: “It’s normal that the content arranged by Lord Aesop is incomprehensible to outsiders. Let’s forget the bet and discuss the main topic, enlighten me.”
Kael was somewhat disappointed, but seeing that Angel said nothing, he could only reluctantly accept this outcome. Originally, he had hoped to extract some resources from Daus, as even a little wisdom from a formal wizard could lead to significant progress, but it was a pity.
What Kael didn’t know was that even if Angel continued to fan the flames or mock subtly, Daus would not take the bet. Daus was a person who could adapt to circumstances, and he possessed a talent that even Angel envied——spiritual perception.
Daus had the strongest misfortune-avoiding ability Angel had ever seen, aside from prophecy wizards.
Now that the conversation returned to the main topic, Angel also put away his previous ease and said earnestly: “Lord Aesop said, to let me help you craft something, this blueprint looks a bit unusual, is it really genuine?”
Kael nodded seriously: “Yes, this alchemy blueprint I obtained during my travels, my mentor has seen it and said that the runes on it belong to enchantment alchemy runes, which he cannot decipher. Moreover, this blueprint also has a self-destruct trap; once the activated runes are mistaken, the real blueprint hidden inside will be completely destroyed.”
“This is also why my mentor dares not easily attempt to uncover the secrets of the blueprint.”
Angel asked: “Leaving aside the external rune traps, do you know what the alchemy blueprint actually is?”
Angel’s biggest doubt was, since it requires the removal of enchantment alchemy runes to obtain the blueprint, why isn’t Lord Aesop’s task to ‘decipher the runes’; instead, it’s to craft the item on this blueprint.
Does this mean that Aesop and Kael actually know what’s inside?
“I do know what the blueprint is, but it’s a long story. Once you see that blueprint, you’ll understand,” Kael replied.
Chapter 2543 Kael as a Person <TOC> Chapter 2545 Skinner Magic Box