Chapter 2546 Dagger <TOC> Chapter 2548 Walking Together Again
Translator: SumTLMan
This alchemy blueprint appears as a mere thin layer to the naked eye. However, to a wizard versed in runes, it reveals two intertwined layers of distinct magical properties.
These layers interweave, occasionally surfacing, then fading into obscurity.
One layer is composed of genuine runes; the other, a “lock”.
To behold the true essence of this alchemy blueprint, one must unlock this interlaced “lock”.
Such “locks” were common on ancient alchemy blueprints as a protective measure by alchemists for their original creations.
Today, most copyright protections are handled by Sky Mechanical City’s alchemy circle, leading to the gradual obsolescence of these “locks.”
Angel had only read about such “locks” in books, and this was his first encounter with one.
The “lock” employs enchantment runes, hence, having an enchantment alchemist resolve it is optimal. While there’s a chance that Aesop could unlock it, given his expertise in runes, this lock is somewhat unique, if the Decryption sequence is incorrect midway, the blueprint will self-destruct. Therefore, Aesop did not rashly attempt to unlock it, prompting Angel’s mission.
Before attempting decryption, Angel had already surveyed the overall situation, yet he remained exceedingly cautious when he began.
The initial decryption was not particularly challenging. However, as time progressed, areas requiring continued inscribing with an inscription tool began to exhibit multiple entanglements. That is, the runes intertwined with the decryption patterns, often branching into multiple paths.
Distinguishing between alchemy and decryption runes was not overly difficult. The real challenge was that the decryption runes also mingled and branched, requiring Angel to decide which decryption path to follow first.
It sounds like a mere matter of sequencing, which seems straightforward. However, it required Angel to perform complex calculations in his mind and multiple simulations to ensure accuracy before proceeding.
The mental and physical effort involved is beyond simple description.
The sweat on Angel’s brow spoke volumes of the decryption’s difficulty.
…
“Three hours have passed already,” said Kael, looking worriedly towards the cave where Angel was working.
“What, you think the Super Dimensional Wizard can’t handle the decryption?” Daus, lounging on a plush sofa and resting his legs, looked towards Kael.
Kael shook his head: “No, coming from the Research Institute, his alchemy ability is unquestionable. It’s just… I’m worried about the mental power impact from that blueprint.”
Even Aesop could only endure it for half an hour, and Angel has now been facing that alchemy blueprint for three hours, who knows what might happen.
Daus pondered for a moment: “This is indeed a matter of concern. However, when he faced that alchemy blueprint before, he remained completely unfazed, so he must have a strategy in place.”
“And, for him, this is merely a trivial task. If an insurmountable situation does arise, he can just give up. Even if the alchemy blueprint is destroyed, would you dare ask him for compensation?”
Kael somewhat sheepishly responded: “You’re right, Lord…”
If it really is destroyed, there’s nothing to be done. He surely wouldn’t even dare to utter a complaint.
However, Daus’ words did instill some confidence in Kael. Angel would certainly not undertake anything beyond his capability; if it proves too difficult, he can simply abandon the task. Now that three hours have passed and Angel has not appeared, it indicates that at least for now, everything is still under Angel’s control.
…
The two next door were actually right; indeed, decryption, as it stood, was still manageable for Angel.
However, decryption itself wasn’t difficult, but what Angel hadn’t anticipated was that this alchemy blueprint’s decryption involved layers upon layers. The person who drafted this blueprint clearly had a wicked sense of humor. At first glance, overseeing the whole might only take a few hours, or even just half an hour if done quickly.
But once the decryption began, he realized the sinister intentions of the drafter. There were too many traps, and many puzzles were hidden beneath the runes, making them imperceptible during observation, only revealed during the decryption process as exceedingly intricate.
Long periods of decryption took a tremendous toll on Angel’s spirit, and he could only spare a Magic Hand to continuously feed himself energy-restoring potions.
These potions, though not expensive, required in large quantities, accumulated to a significant expense.
Watching the empty potion bottles pile higher and higher beside him, Angel’s morale began to rise.
Decryption and alchemy tasks should have been separated, and, in fact, decryption tasks seemed even more challenging than alchemy tasks!
Yet, Aesop only issued an alchemy task, and the decryption was merely mentioned in passing, as if it posed no difficulty at all, this was asymmetrical information, leading to a significant loss!
Upon returning, he definitely needed to seek reimbursement from Aesop!
While angrily cursing in his heart, he also had to maintain the stability of his hands and continue with the decryption.
Time continued to pass in this manner.
…
Twelve hours later, Kael was already feeling drowsy when suddenly, an anomaly occurred at the nearby spatial node.
At the same time, a voice laden with dissatisfaction came through the spatial node: “Get in here!”
Kael couldn’t help but shudder, stiffening his neck to turn and look at Daus.
Daus simply shrugged, indicating his non-involvement, while his face also showed an expression of relishing the unfolding drama.
This was indeed the case, originally, even though the abnormal spatial node served as a reminder to Kael, Angel still deliberately transmitted his voice, indicating that he was quite angered at this moment.
This was the first time Daus had so clearly sensed Angel’s emotional fluctuations after meeting him.
It was evident that Angel was indeed a bit infuriated this time.
However, Daus was also puzzled. What was there to be infuriated about with decryption? Or, was there a trap involved?
Thinking this, Daus nudged Kael: “Hurry up, you’re being called in.”
Daus’ expression, which seemed to be watching a drama unfold, could no longer be concealed. But Kael was somewhat frightened; after all, he was an academic and rarely confronted the wrath of a formal wizard directly.
And now, hearing Angel’s voice, he knew the mood was off; his feet simply wouldn’t move.
“You have to go eventually, you can’t hide. Besides, it might not necessarily be a bad thing.”
Kael silently looked at Daus: Are you speaking without your conscience? Don’t you feel guilty at all? Not a bad thing, could it be a good thing?!
Seeing Kael still trembling, Daus, too curious to know what had happened, finally said: “Look, if he tries to kill you, I’ll block him for you. You won’t die.”
Kael: “Really?”
Daus: “Trust my character.”
Kael really wanted to say that Daus’ character was worthless. But there was nothing he could do now, just as Daus had said, he had to go.
Kael sighed, his legs trembling, and he began walking towards the cave.
Daus immediately followed. As for his promise to ensure Kael’s survival, it was really just talk. He knew very well that even if Angel was furiously enraged, he wouldn’t kill Kael. After all, there was Aesop behind him, and Aesop was close friends with Rhine, the leader of the Savage Grottoes.
So, Kael would definitely not be killed, but it was unknown whether Angel had a habit of mistreating people.
If only he could see the scene in the princess’ room, that would be so interesting. Thinking this, Daus couldn’t help but smirk, feeling a tickle in his heart, maybe later he would give Angel a few suggestions?
Soon, Kael and Daus arrived at the entrance of the cave.
“Come in.” Angel’s voice came from inside.
Compared to before, this voice was noticeably calmer, just like usual, not revealing too much emotion. This made Kael somewhat relieved.
However, at this moment, Daus began to stir the pot again: “Kael, you know, some people, the calmer they seem, the more suppressed their anger is. On the other hand, those who express their anger openly are easier to pacify.”
Hearing this, Kael’s legs, which had just stopped trembling, started shaking again.
Daus was secretly delighted.
No matter what, now that I’ve arrived, I must push the door open and enter.
Kael embraced a resigning attitude and pushed open the great doors. Just as he entered, before even spotting Angel, a refreshing breeze caressed his face.
This was no ordinary breeze; merely brushing against his body, it miraculously dispelled all traces of mental fatigue.
Accompanying the breeze was a gentle glow bathing him, along with a faint, almost imperceptible fragrance in the air.
Whether it was the breeze, the glow, or the fragrance, all were exceptionally soothing, like wandering in a moonlit sea, with every part of the body being massaged by tender hands…
As Kael relished this unexpected comfort, a voice sounded by his ear: “How is it? Comfortable, isn’t it?”
At the familiar tone, Kael jolted, immediately lifting his head to look opposite.
There stood Angel, looking weary under the gentle light, with shadows playing around him, creating a kind of decadent beauty.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk, a praise to the moonlight,” came Daus’ voice, accompanied by the clinking of glass bottles: “How many bottles of Moonlight Praise have been used here? Judging by the bottle designs, some are even mid to top-grade potions.”
Kael followed the sound and saw Daus approaching a table.
Underneath the table, a stack of potion bottles accumulated, some looking ordinary, while others were quite ornate, even engraved with runes.
Moonlight Praise… Kael remembered the name Daus had mentioned.
As someone who frequently haunted various wizard markets, how could he not recognize the renowned name of Moonlight Praise?
Though it was a low-grade potion, it was the finest among them, extremely costly, even surpassing the value of standard mid-grade potions. Its effects included eliminating fatigue and restoring vitality; for ordinary people, merely basking in its moonlight could enhance physical strength.
Kael could afford a bottle of Moonlight Praise with his wealth, but… looking at the dense array of potion bottles on the floor, Kael felt that even selling himself wouldn’t cover the cost of so many Moonlight Praises.
Moreover, mixed among these were unknown mid to top-grade potion bottles, which were astronomically priced.
“Lord… these potion bottles…” Kael stuttered, trying to say something.
Angel’s expression remained calm: “For decryption.”
A simple sentence, yet it choked Kael. The worst had come to pass; indeed, these valuable potions were used for decryption.
That meant… he would have to reimburse them all.
Kael felt a wave of dizziness, and the next second, he slumped to the ground.
Daus continued to chuckle nearby: “Let me calculate how many magic crystals were used this time; one, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand…”
As if intentionally making it audible for Kael, each increase in magnitude made Daus pause, observing Kael’s expression transition from despair to a vacant gaze.
Watching Kael, who seemed almost scared to death and now insensate, Daus shook his head and remarked: “The wizards of the academic faction really do have poor psychological fortitude.”
After his words, Daus approached Angel: “Did you really use this many potions for the decryption this time?”
Even though he was still bathed in the Moonlight Praise, Angel’s face was clearly fatigued, a result of mental exhaustion: “I was duped by Aesop.”
Daus needed only a brief explanation to understand.
“Compared to alchemy, this decryption must be the hardest part, right?” Daus asked, his tone more certain than questioning.
Angel simply responded: “In the entire Southern Region, no one but me could solve it.”
Perhaps it was an exaggeration, but Daus believed it, knowing that even Aesop himself couldn’t endure half an hour looking at that blueprint, let alone others.
And here was Angel, not only facing the blueprint for over ten hours but also expending mental power to compute the decryption, this must certainly be no simple task.
Just thinking about it, Daus felt the task was overwhelmingly difficult. Even the seasoned experts at the Research Institute couldn’t possibly complete it.
As far as Daus knew, the task assigned to Angel by Aesop was merely “alchemy.”
The most challenging decryption was completely glossed over by Aesop.
Angel approached it thinking he was solving a simple puzzle, only to face a hellish mode. No wonder Angel was so furious.
If it were Daus, he might have exploded by now. Perhaps, he wouldn’t even bother with the alchemy blueprint.
Hmm! Speaking of the alchemy blueprint, Angel surely hadn’t abandoned it in a fit of pique?
Daus quickly inquired about this.
Angel: “After using so many potions, would I just give up without solving it? Would that be fair to my potions?”
After saying this, Angel casually spread out the alchemy blueprint: “See for yourself, it’s already been deceypted.”
Daus hurriedly averted his eyes, not wanting to endure the mental shock.
“After solving the external puzzle, it no longer affects mental power.”
Hearing this, Daus turned back to look, and indeed, the alchemy blueprint no longer caused any mental strain and revealed its true nature.
It was a very uniquely shaped dagger blueprint, surrounded by numerous rune bearing corners.
Anyway, Daus couldn’t understand them.
“So now that you’ve used so many potions, are you planning to take Kael’s life, or are you planning to torture him like you did with Mordiya, and then take his life?”
Although Kael had already zoned out, he still heard Daus’ words. He felt dizzy, as it seemed that no matter what choice he made, Daus intended for Angel to take his life!
Angel didn’t respond immediately but silently pondered for a moment.
What Angel considered was naturally not how to take Kael’s life, but rather what he had gained from this occasion.
Indeed, gains.
This time, it wasn’t that he had come away with nothing. Although solving the puzzle had consumed a significant amount of potions, the puzzle itself had turned out to be profitable for Angel.
In solving this puzzle, he also unlocked an exotic magic formation. Angel discovered that this was a very special magic formation, one that not even his —Enchantment Compendium——Perfect Edition— had recorded.
The effect of this magic formation was not just to act as a “lock”; it continuously impacted the sea of consciousness with mental power.
It could be said that this was a very interesting and quite threatening magic formation.
Angel believed that the wall in the Nightmare Plane probably had a similar effect as this magic formation.
The only slight disappointment was that this magic formation was not perfect, as it didn’t allow for adjustments in the intensity of the mental power impacts.
If it were possible to adjust the intensity of the mental power impacts, making it comparable to the wall in the Nightmare Plane, Angel could wear this magic formation like a mental power bomb, knocking down anyone he encountered. Even a true knowledge wizard, or someone of Rhine’s level, might be affected.
Unfortunately, a flaw is a flaw, and that was just wishful thinking.
However, the wall in the depths of the Nightmare Plane’s Nightfall City might hold clues to adjusting the intensity. If given the chance, Angel really wanted to check it out.
“Thinking this long, are you considering how to deal with Kael? Let me give you some advice, guaranteed to be even more interesting than Mordiya’s methods,” Daus said excitedly.
Meanwhile, Kael, who was slumped on the ground, had lost all will to live.
Chapter 2546 Dagger <TOC> Chapter 2548 Walking Together Again