Chapter 344 A Bit of a Setup <TOC> Chapter 346 The Magician
Translator: SumTLMan
The scarred man followed Angel cautiously.
It was not a long road, but for the scarred man, it seemed like the longest journey of his life.
During this silent journey, the scarred man imagined all the possible outcomes for his future, most of which ended in gloom. In the end, he would either become cannon fodder and perish, or he would become a desolate remnant in the wilderness, causing no ripple.
In just a few short minutes, the scarred man felt as if a long time had passed. In his mind, he had already “died” countless times in various ways.
The scarred man’s ability to imagine was perhaps the most formidable among all the people Angel had encountered. They hadn’t walked far when, while Angel was still organizing his thoughts, the scarred man unexpectedly knelt down and sobbed.
As the scarred man begged for mercy, Angel puzzled for a while before guessing his thoughts from his intermittent words.
Angel couldn’t help but smile bitterly in his heart. However, since the scarred man was so afraid of death, Angel decided to take advantage of the situation: “I can consider sparing your life, but on one condition – there are some tasks I need you to do. If you can complete them honestly, I may spare you. Otherwise…”
Angel left his sentence unfinished, but the unspoken words were clear to the scarred man. He hurriedly nodded, “I am willing. As long as I am capable of doing it, I will do my best!”
The scarred man had never been a good person, so it was normal for him to think that Angel would kill him, judging by his own nature. However, if Angel needed him to do something, then the implication was – “He won’t kill him for now.”
As long as he was temporarily alive, there was hope for survival.
“Get up. I have some questions for you.” Angel could not bear to see such a greasy, fat man with tears and snot smeared all over his face, kneeling on the ground and sobbing.
Once the scarred man wiped his face clean with his clothes, Angel asked indifferently, “What is your name?”
The scarred man bowed his head respectfully and replied, “My name is Bal Falk. You can just call me Bal, sir.”
As they walked, Angel asked, “I need to know everything about this city, this country, and the surrounding countries.”
Bal was taken aback, wondering why he would ask such a question, but he dared not express his doubts. Instead, he racked his brains to recall any information he knew.
“Sir, this is Boya Bay. Boya Sea is the largest inland sea within Whiskas Royal Court, connecting to Paradise Sea thousands of miles away.”
So it was not an inland lake, but an inland sea? As for the Paradise Sea that Bal mentioned, Angel pondered for a while but couldn’t recall which sea area near the Mainland Continent was called Paradise Sea. He only knew of a Devil Sea, which he had passed through when he traveled from the Old Land Continent to the Mainland Continent.
Could it be that he was not in the Mainland Continent now?
“Up ahead is a city called Watthelmgrass, which is an economic hub for the external trade of Whiskas Royal Court. The name means ‘a gem embedded in the bay.’ Currently, it is controlled by the Griffin family, one of the nine pillars of the royal court. The current head of the Griffin family is Count Leonrique, who is the father of the woman we saw earlier in the carriage.”
When Bal noticed that Angel had no reaction, he felt reassured, believing that Angel had no connection with the Griffin family.
Bal continued, “Although Watthelmgrass is a trading city that accommodates merchants from various countries, it is actually also an export base for raw materials…”
As Bal spoke, he observed Angel. Bal was skilled at reading people, and he noticed that Angel didn’t seem to care much about the details but was very attentive to the geographical location and surrounding countries. Thus, Bal began to selectively narrate the information…
It wasn’t until they were about to arrive at the gates of Watthelmgrass that Angel stopped Bal’s continuous chatter.
Just as Angel had expected, Bal, as a local snakehead, had extensive information about the area. To his surprise, however, Bal was also knowledgeable about international affairs and could even speak of the friction between major powers. This was something Angel hadn’t anticipated.
Angel sorted out the information he had gathered.
The country was called Whiskas Royal Court, a vibrant young nation that had only existed for over nine hundred years. Among neighboring countries, it was the most peaceful and neutral. The place they were in was the second-largest city of Whiskas Royal Court, the center of trade and economy, Watthelmgrass.
Whiskas Royal Court bordered two countries on land and was near an island nation by sea. However, Angel had never heard of these countries’ names before. Whether the continent they were standing on was the Mainland Continent, Bal couldn’t tell.
Thus, Angel couldn’t determine his location either, as the Mainland Continent was too large, and he hadn’t paid attention to its map.
It seemed that he could only consult the “wizard” that Bal had mentioned.
According to Bal, most of Watthelmgrass’ residents were ordinary people who had never encountered the so-called extraordinary world in their entire lives. As the dark side of Watthelmgrass, Bal had only heard rumors about “superior beings” but had never seen one before. The “wizard” was the only extraordinary being he had ever encountered, whose origin was unknown, and his only connection to Bal was to kidnap Leonrique’s daughter Magda.
As for why the “wizard” kidnapped Magda, Bal had no idea. He had temporarily lent him a “Ring of Illusion” before leaving.
From Bal’s description, the wizard’s face was half-covered by a silver-white mask, making it impossible to determine his age. His personality was somewhat cruel, resorting to killing at the slightest provocation. Several of Bal’s subordinates had been chopped in half by the wizard.
Yes, Bal said “chopped” – chopped with a knife. Angel carefully analyzed the situation and estimated that the wizard was just a low-level apprentice. His methods were immature, and he was definitely not a formal wizard.
As long as they weren’t official wizards, Angel wouldn’t worry too much. Even if he couldn’t defeat them, he still had Toby; if Toby couldn’t win, he could still run. Besides, if he couldn’t outrun them, he could release the parasites! In his Nightmare Domain, he had two parasites which could even catch an official wizard off-guard, let alone a low-level apprentice.
Thus, Angel planned to meet this “wizard” personally, hoping to obtain some useful information from him.
…
The city gate of Watthelmgrass was not like the one in Shadow Demon City, which was surrounded by walls. Instead, it resembled a toll booth.
Such “city gates” were not only found on land but also in the Boya Sea.
Their primary responsibility was to issue temporary passes to incoming visitors. These temporary passes, which could be obtained by paying a fee, allowed short-term stays in Watthelmgrass. If one wished to stay for an extended period, they needed to apply for a residence permit at the city hall.
With Bal’s underworld connections, Angel didn’t have to worry about the pass issue.
He simply lowered his high hat, activated the “Boundless Silence” effect, and discreetly blended into the crowd.
Watthelmgrass was even more prosperous than he had imagined, and compared to the aggressive style of Shadow Demon City, it was much more peaceful and simple.
Along the way, Angel encountered mostly friendly people, occasionally coming across well-fed stray cats. There was little trash on the streets, indicating that life in Watthelmgrass was good and the rulers were not too corrupt.
Under Bal’s guidance, Angel arrived at a place that looked like a pier but was actually a water bus station, with various styles of small boats docked there.
“I have a house near the Bay Area. If you don’t mind, you can stay there temporarily,” Bal said with a brief moment of pride when mentioning the “Bay Area.”
Just like every city has bustling areas, commercial streets, political centers, affluent neighborhoods, and slums, so does Watthelmgrass. Its bustling center is the Bay Area.
The Bay Area is not on land but on the surface of the Boya Sea.
Angel had once watched a movie on a holographic tablet and learned about a famous Earth city, Venice, built on water. The Bay Area of Watthelmgrass was quite similar to Venice.
Although the Bay Area was on the surface of the Boya Sea, it was even more prosperous than the land. At a glance, there were magnificent high-rise buildings and numerous shops, with waterways weaving through them.
Sitting on a small boat, one could not only enjoy a unique experience but also a leisurely time.
Angel sat on a crescent-shaped boat, sailing leisurely into the bay area with a mild salty sea breeze.
……
Meanwhile, in the central area of Watthelmgrass, a middle-aged man dressed in a blue and white robe entered a building adorned with numerous white medical flags.
“Count, you have arrived.” A silver-haired gentleman in a suit greeted him.
If Angel were here, he would undoubtedly recognize this man as the carriage driver he had encountered on the road. The Count mentioned by him was naturally the current de facto ruler of Watthelmgrass – Leonrique.
“I heard that Magda was attacked by the One-Eyed Brotherhood? They’re quite bold; it seems that Bal doesn’t want to live!” Leonrique shouted angrily, immediately followed by a worried expression: “Is Magda alright now?”
“The young lady is fine, just a bit bruised from falling off the carriage… However…” The silver-haired gentleman was about to say something when Leonrique had already spotted Magda. Instead of being in a hospital room, Magda sat in the medical center’s lobby, holding a roll of gauze and seemingly lost in thought.
It wasn’t until Leonrique rushed over that Magda came to her senses. Perhaps seeing her loved one loosened the taut string in her heart. Initially, Magda’s expression was calm, but now she suddenly became aggrieved and hugged Leonrique, bursting into tears.
At first, Leonrique comforted her by patting her back, but after a while, he noticed something wrong.
No matter how much Magda cried, she couldn’t make a sound?!
“Magda, don’t scare Daddy. What’s wrong? Can you speak?”
Tears blurred Magda’s face, but she still couldn’t speak and kept shaking her head.
“Sulhu, didn’t you say Magda only had bruises? Now she can’t even speak, what’s going on?!” Leonrique glared at the silver-haired gentleman standing nearby.
Sulhu sighed, “Miss Magda’s inability to speak is not the fault of the One-Eyed Brotherhood, but because… we encountered an extraordinary young man.”
“An extraordinary young man?”
“I suspect that young man… is the legendary Wizard.”