Translator: SumTLMan
Daus looked expectantly at the Black Count.
The Black Count’s nostrils flared slightly. Although Daus could not see his expression, he nevertheless felt that the Black Count was staring at him with disdain.
So what if he was being despised? As long as he could sell admission tickets, he could be despised all day long.
The Black Count snorted: “No need.”
Daus froze, dumbfounded. How could he not need one? A moment ago the Black Count had plainly shown admiration for the Sunlight Sanctuary and had been eager to try it, why the sudden change of mind?
Was it merely because a mysterious scroll had become a half-step mysterious scroll?
The Black Count gave no explanation, but Vai, standing to one side, understood at once.
The lord did indeed wish to test the effect of the Sunlight Sanctuary, yet that did not mean he had to go in person. If Vai went, it would be the same.
All of Vai’s sensory faculties could be swapped with the Black Count’s at any time, bodily experience included.
Therefore, so long as Vai entered and experienced it, it would be as though the Black Count had gone too. There was absolutely no need to pay Daus for a so-called ticket, it could be freeloaded.
Daus’ conjecture was operationally correct, yet the Black Count’s true reason for refusing was not limited to that; he had, quite unexpectedly, begun to feel a pang of pity for Daus.
At present Daus had been frightened by the prospect of “losing his freedom” and had not sorted out the situation at all, letting Angel’s words toy with him.
Think about it: what logic is there in using the creditor’s property to repay the creditor’s debt?
Even if it were feasible, it would have to be done in secret and hidden from the creditor. Now the creditor was actively reminding him to do so, clearly there was another agenda.
After the Black Count made his refusal plain, a trace of despair appeared on Daus’ face. Was the chance to profit from the Sunlight Sanctuary going to slip away for nothing? Even if he really had to pay Angel an equal price later, couldn’t he at least earn a few magic crystals now?
Daus cast a ghostly glance to the other side, looked at Vai, worked his throat, yet said nothing. Then his gaze shifted to the person beside Vai, Kael.
“Would you like to give it a try?”
Kael shook his head at once: “I-I have no magic crystals.”
Kael certainly had savings, but how much could an apprentice have? In the eyes of a formal wizard, it was practically nothing; thus Kael’s answer was not wrong.
Angel chimed in from the side: “A formal wizard’s Mental Sea is already rather fixed. Though scars can be soothed and it can be baptized, the effect is far less ideal than for an apprentice. If an apprentice enters, the spiritual baptism will make you feel as though you were reborn.”
In other words, for formal wizards the Sunlight Sanctuary functions much like a high grade restorative mental potion, with the added benefits of bodily healing and banishing malice.
For apprentices, however, it is completely different: it can further develop the potential of the Mental Sea, and such development is of tremendous significance, indeed a game-changer, for future advancement. After all, the Mental Sea, a transcendent dimensional existence, is not easily influenced.
Kael had long yearned for the Sunlight Sanctuary, and Angel’s words made his heart itch even more.
He inventory-checked every item in his mind, went through them all, and still failed to find anything of value.
Seeing Kael’s anxious yet disappointed eyes, Daus knew there was no profit to be squeezed from him.
He sighed: “Very well, you can owe it first. Repay me when you can offer something of equal value in the future.”
Daus understood Kael’s situation well. Kael was an apprentice wizard of considerable potential and, moreover, a rare space wizard. There would be countless occasions later when he could use Kael’s help; thus Daus had long been cultivating his relationship with him.
To have Kael owe him an even greater favor now was naturally all the better. Still, the thought of gaining nothing from the Sunlight Sanctuary made his heart and flesh ache.
Daus swept his gaze around. He had asked everyone on their side in turn, and not one could truly pay the price; he felt profoundly annoyed.
When Daus was steeped in discouragement, the corner of his eye suddenly caught sight of the Sovereign of Wisdom high in the sky.
His eyes lit up at once, and he flitted up into mid-air, though not too far, for fear of being attacked by the void creatures outside.
Stopping about ten metres from the Sovereign of Wisdom, Daus called out:
“Wise One, cough, cough, Your Excellency, might you be interested in experiencing the Sunlight Sanctuary?” His voice was ingratiating to the extreme.
The Sovereign of Wisdom was indeed somewhat interested in the Sunlight Sanctuary, yet he was more interested in Angel.
Angel had so casually handed a half-step mysterious scroll to Daus, and that scroll even had a limit on uses, how could he bear to part with it?
At least in the Sovereign of Wisdom’s view, he would not have.
Moreover, the Sovereign of Wisdom could not see any deep bond of friendship between Angel and Daus; merely for a duel that was sure to be won, Angel had given away a half-step mysterious scroll?
Another point puzzled the Sovereign of Wisdom: the one who truly wanted to win every match was the descendant of Noah, for only one descendant of Noah could enter the ruin site, others were mere foils.
Thus it should have been the descendant of Noah who provided Daus with a trump card, yet the descendant had not done so; instead, Angel had.
How very intriguing.
The Sovereign of Wisdom still did not believe Angel had any compelling reason to visit the ruin site. What fascinated him was that, from these details, he could see Angel truly did not care in the slightest about the Sunlight Sanctuary scroll.
Why was he unconcerned? Was it because he had more? Or was the Sunlight Sanctuary scroll something he himself had crafted?
Thus, when Daus posed the question, the Sovereign of Wisdom did not respond to him immediately; instead, he contacted Angel through a private connection.
Because he had promised previously not to inquire further into Angel’s affairs, this time the Sovereign of Wisdom did not ask. He merely laid out all his conjectures, placing his thoughts before Angel and letting Angel decide whether to answer.
Of course, the Sovereign of Wisdom was not entirely passive; he was also observing Angel’s reactions. Sometimes he trusted a person’s involuntary responses more than an outright answer.
Unfortunately, this time he was disappointed. Angel hid his thoughts very deeply; the faint reactions he let slip could be interpreted in more than one way, and every interpretation felt false.
The Sovereign of Wisdom sighed inwardly and abandoned his observation.
“If I were to say that I simply made a casual move on the board with no expectations or intentions from the start, the Sovereign of Wisdom would surely not believe me… yet that is indeed the truth.”
“As for the origin of the Sunlight Sanctuary, the Sovereign of Wisdom has already considered so many possibilities and surely has his own inclination. However I defend myself is ultimately unimportant, because without irrefutable evidence you would not believe me anyway. And, as it happens, I have no evidence to offer. So it would be better if the Sovereign of Wisdom simply adopts whatever conclusion he prefers; that will save my breath, and everyone will be happy.”
Whether Angel’s words were sincere, certainly not. But the Sovereign of Wisdom could find no fault with them, and since he had already promised not to inquire further, Angel’s statement ended the topic.
The Sovereign of Wisdom was of a suspicious temperament. Because Angel had given no clear answer, he could not determine whether the rune scroll had indeed been crafted by Angel.
Thus, the Sovereign of Wisdom could only sigh helplessly in his heart.
Having failed to obtain the answer he wanted, the Sovereign of Wisdom had to accept it. Yet regarding the Sunlight Sanctuary he still had a question, one that neither Vai nor the Black Count had mentioned.
This time he did not use an encrypted connection to contact Angel again. Instead, he lowered his head, looked at Angel, and asked directly: “I would like to know: can this Sunlight Sanctuary be moved? If no one uses it, will it remain on the arena indefinitely?”
The Sovereign of Wisdom’s question made Daus’ heart clench.
Right. If no one used the Sunlight Sanctuary and it could not be moved, would it not remain right here? Would that not hand it to the Sovereign of Wisdom for free?
Thinking of this, Daus hurriedly looked toward Angel.
If it could be moved, he could take the Sunlight Sanctuary elsewhere and sell high-priced tickets, wouldn’t that be a fortune?
Yet Daus had not even completed the circle of thought.
Angel smiled and said: “My lord adjudicator has grasped the key point. The essence of the Sunlight Sanctuary is to bring faith and civilization to a world shrouded in dark ignorance. If it could be moved at will, wouldn’t the pilgrims have to change their direction of pilgrimage day after day?”
The same is true of the Sunlight Garden: if the garden moved, could the flowers and grasses within it move along with it?
Therefore, every scroll in the Sunlight series cannot be moved once activated. As soon as the Sunlight Sanctuary is opened, its position is fixed.
Hearing Angel’s answer, Daus’ face filled with disappointment.
At this moment the Sovereign of Wisdom finally said to Daus: “I am indeed very interested in the Sunlight Sanctuary, but, as you have heard…”
The Sovereign of Wisdom paused and did not continue.
Daus, believing he understood the Sovereign of Wisdom’s meaning, that the Sovereign of Wisdom wanted to obtain it for nothing, cursed inwardly while outwardly pretending ignorance: “So in the end, the Sunlight Sanctuary will remain here? If it stays here permanently, shouldn’t the price be even higher?”
Hearing Daus’ absurd words, the others might feel one way or another, but the Sovereign of Wisdom merely looked at Daus with a half-smile.
He had intended to give Daus a hint, but seeing him so obstinate, he could not be bothered. He said directly: “I will not shortchange you… The price, once we reach my residence I will let you choose. For now, let us focus on the duel.”
Delight flashed across Daus’ face. Though he did not know what choices awaited, at least he now had something to anticipate.
After speaking, the Sovereign of Wisdom snapped his fingers lightly. The place where the Sunlight Sanctuary stood was suddenly enclosed by a larger light barrier.
Outside that barrier a narrow passage appeared.
In this way the duel would not be affected, nor would the Sunlight Sanctuary be damaged.
Finishing, the Sovereign of Wisdom added: “Before the next duel I can still give you a few minutes. Do as you see fit. And let me remind you: do not be deceived by words. Any so-called gift is marked with a hidden price tag, whether it is fate or man-made.”
After saying this, the Sovereign of Wisdom cast a glance toward Angel, closed his eyes, and feigned sleep.
Daus had not grasped the Sovereign of Wisdom’s meaning. While he was pondering, a voice suddenly sounded at his ear.
“Red Sword Wizard, might we be allowed to enter the Sunlight Sanctuary? I will bear all the costs.”
Turning, Daus saw that the speaker was the Gray Merchant opposite.
Faced with the request, Daus hesitated.
They and the Traveling Merchants had no great enmity. According to the Sovereign of Wisdom, this duel had been provoked by “Her” behind the scenes.
So if the Gray Merchant could pay the price, Daus could accept.
Only, the duel was about to begin.
Daus understood the Sunlight Sanctuary’s ability to repair the body, it could soothe hidden ailments and Mental Sea injuries that were hard to detect.
Bloodline branch wizards were most prone to hidden physical ailments.
If the Gray Merchant cured his stubborn maladies, would that not disadvantage Angel later?
Moreover, the opposing apprentices outnumbered theirs; if those apprentices also had their potential tapped, how should they respond?
These thoughts made Daus hesitate.
If he refused outright, the Gray Merchant would say nothing. But seeing his hesitation, the Gray Merchant understood.
He added: “This can wait until after the duel.”
Daus was about to agree when Angel’s voice came through the mental connection.
“After the duel, if the other side is gravely wounded, the Sunlight Sanctuary’s effects will be greatly consumed. Therefore, if you truly wish to agree, it is best to let them enter now.”
Angel offered this advice because the Sovereign of Wisdom had promised compensation to Daus, clearly based on the remaining efficacy of the Sunlight Sanctuary.
If the Gray Merchant’s group consumed too much, could their payment compare with the Sovereign of Wisdom’s compensation?
This was the moment for deeper consideration.
“If I let them in first, won’t the pressure on you during the duel be great?” Daus voiced his concern.
Angel fell silent for a moment, then said: “Do not worry about us. If I can lend you a trump card, I naturally have others.”
As for the apprentices, they might not defeat the other side even now; with an extra card they might win, so that little increase did not matter.
Considering this, Daus made his decision.
He said to the Gray Merchant: “I can agree, and there’s no need to wait until after the duel. However, if you let that tentacle monster enter the Sunlight Sanctuary, the price you pay will be higher than the others’.”