Chapter 420 Monkey Play and Boredom <TOC> Chapter 422 Where a Ship Goes, Of Course the Ocean
Translator: SumTLMan
At the moment of Angel’s so-called “drama”, he expressed Toby’s story, which he had told Gloria yesterday, through illusions once again.
If he had chosen a random Earth play as the subject matter, Gloria might not have been too interested, because he couldn’t be sure of Gloria’s preferences. However, he chose the story of Toby, which happened to be the softest spot in Gloria’s heart, so even the most mundane details in the illusion seemed fascinating to her.
Time trickled away like this. When Angel’s magic was nearly exhausted, Toby’s story came to an end.
As the illusory realm dissipated, a hint of longing still lingered on Gloria’s face.
Having enjoyed a visual feast, Gloria closed her eyes to savor the aftertaste. After a while, she said: “Your skill in creating illusions is starting to show a bit of your mentor’s essence. With time, perhaps the Wizarding World will see another illusion master.”
Angel smiled sheepishly.
“Also, you’ll surely become an outstanding alchemist.”
Speaking of alchemy, Gloria recalled the recent alchemy incident that nearly shook the entire Wizarding World.
Curiously, Gloria asked: “Do you hate Isabelle for taking half of the Mysterious Soul? “
Angel hesitated for a moment before saying: “No, I don’t.”
“You hesitated, so I don’t believe you when you say you don’t hate her. Think about it, the title of Mysterious Alchemist is rare in the Wizarding World. If you could obtain it, what an honor it would be.” As Gloria said this, her tone shifted abruptly: “However, do you think you are really suitable for bearing this identity given your current age and level?”
Gloria didn’t use the word “own” but “bear,” reminding him of the responsibility.
Angel was taken aback. He hadn’t considered the problem of “bearing the weight of the treasure.” Let alone being seen as insignificant in the eyes of wizards.
He thought of the recent incident where Felicia tried to force him to join the Candy House. If it weren’t for Isabelle’s appearance and Gloria’s intervention, his fate might have been uncertain.
He began to feel the impact of “bearing the weight of the treasure” even before leaving Black Castle. It was evident that this identity was indeed too much for him to bear at this stage.
Moreover, did he really have the level of a “Mysterious Alchemist”?
Certainly not.
The creation of “Mysterious Objects” was an unpredictable and irreproducible event. His last alchemy attempt was more a stroke of luck, occurring at the peak of the undead in the Black Forest, coinciding with the perfectly depicted “Prelude of Death”. The confluence of various factors resulted in the appearance of the Mysterious Soul, leading to a qualitative change.
He realized that with his current level, if he were to be targeted because of the “sin of possessing a treasure,” only to find that his abilities were actually quite average, his fate would be predictable.
So, Angel fell silent.
As Gloria had said, he was not yet qualified to bear such a title, whether in terms of his alchemy skills or his personal standing. He was still just an insignificant creature in the Wizarding World, unworthy of being on the stage.
Gloria stopped there, seeing that Angel had understood. She finished the Soul Bead in her plate, stood up, and pointed her finger. The transparent walls around them returned to their normal state, no longer revealing the conditions in the adjacent rooms.
“This soul awakening is the happiest one I’ve had since coming to Black Castle. At least it’s not as boring as before.” Gloria yawned, presumably because she had eaten too many Soul Beads, and her soul was full, making her feel drowsy: “My soul is about to rest, you should take Toby with you, otherwise ‘she’ might roast him as an ingredient.” The ‘she’ Gloria referred to was the other soul inside her, the voracious girl with a huge appetite.
Gloria handed Toby to Angel, but he hesitated for a long time, not taking Toby.
Instead, he lowered his head and said to Gloria: “Lady, I’m planning to leave Black Castle.”
“So soon?” Gloria furrowed her brow. She was used to goodbyes when she used to run a restaurant, so she wasn’t surprised by Angel’s departure. She glanced at Toby and sighed softly.
“As you said, every creature in the Wizarding World has its own obstacles. I have my own hurdles to overcome. I can’t waste any more time. There are many things waiting for me to do, and many people are still waiting for me.” Angel looked at Toby in Gloria’s hands, his eyes filled with a hint of reluctance.
Parting was inevitable, and it was better to suffer sooner than later. Perhaps Toby would be safer and happier with Gloria.
Gloria stroked her chin: “I see… So you don’t plan to continue taking Toby with you?”
A glint of hope flickered in Angel’s eyes as he asked: “Can I continue to take Toby with me?”
Gloria: “Of course not.”
Angel’s shoulders, which had just lifted, drooped once more upon receiving this reply.
Seeing this, Gloria’s eyes rolled: “It’s not absolutely impossible, as long as you agree to One Condition…”
…
After Gloria left, Angel looked at the sleeping Toby in his pouch and smiled warmly.
The condition Gloria proposed was only one. In a previous illusion, she knew that Angel had created a music box for Toby called “Journey to the Azure Sky.” Her request was to craft a similar alchemy artifact, but the focus would not be on the music or the peaceful runes, but on the illusions contained within.
The theme of the illusion that Gloria requested was – “Toby.”
In addition to this, she had another request for the illusion: Toby in the illusion should have a realistic touch and basic perception, just like the previous illusions that Angel had created.
Gloria promised that if Angel could create it, she would let Toby stay by his side.
This deal seemed like Gloria was using Toby as a bargaining chip, but Angel could see clearly that Gloria must have had some difficulties that prevented her from taking Toby with her. Yet, she wanted to see Toby from time to time, which was why she made such a request.
Because when Gloria handed Toby over to Angel, her reluctance was identical to his own. So, she couldn’t possibly have commoditized Toby’s value.
In the end, Angel agreed to Gloria’s conditions.
Firstly, he really didn’t want to part with Toby; secondly, he had originally planned to create a flying vehicle after leaving Black Castle. Since Gloria had requested alchemy, he didn’t find it troublesome and decided to craft it as well.
As for the materials needed for crafting, Gloria generously granted Angel access to the materials in the fifth-floor Ice Cavern. After all, those were mostly low-level materials, and she just needed to inform Isabella.
With Gloria’s approval, Angel immediately decided to go to the Ice Cavern to select materials. However, before that, he visited the room on the right.
When Angel entered, Shadow was still resting in a hidden spot.
Seeing someone enter, Shadow instinctively covered his lower body but brightened up when he recognized the person: “Why are you here? Are you worried about me? Great, I was just about to find you to borrow some clothes.”
Angel frowned and handed Shadow a cloak he had bought at the market in Watthelmgrass.
“This is the last one. Don’t ask me for any more.”
Shadow originally wanted to put it on, but upon hearing it was the last one, he decided to set it aside: “Sigh… I haven’t dealt with Naga yet, and it might get ruined when I go to the designated arena. I’ll leave it here for now, and I’ll wear it after I get Naga or give up.”
Angel didn’t dwell on the mundane item too much. Since he said he gave it to Shadow, he could do as he pleased with it. He just came to greet Shadow: “In the next few days, I’ve been entrusted by Lady Gloria to craft an item. If you get what you want…”
“I’ll wait for you,” Shadow replied without hesitation: “I’ll wait for you in the Centennial Hall of the Living Soul Garden. Black Castle really isn’t a place for people to stay.”
Angel nodded: “Thanks.”
Shadow shrugged: “I think you’re being sarcastic since I should be the one thanking you. But considering our relationship, I won’t say thanks to you!”
Shadow acted as if they were close friends, but Angel didn’t take it to heart. Shadow’s fickleness was not a one-time occurrence. Before the contract was fulfilled, they could be considered an ordinary friend, but as a true confidant, at least by Angel’s standards, Shadow was unqualified.
Angel smiled, turned around, and left the room. Before leaving, he glanced at the graceful Naga across the square. Her aura was restrained, like a mortal. If he hadn’t seen Naga’s hand-to-hand combat with Shadow himself, he wouldn’t have believed that someone like her would possess the strength of a wizard.
Naga seemed to sense his gaze, glanced over, and a cold light flashed in her eyes.
Immediately after, an overwhelming aura pressed down on him.
Angel looked at Shadow, who didn’t seem to notice this powerful oppression and was still smiling and waving goodbye to him.
It wasn’t until Angel left that the pressure gradually disappeared. At the same time, his back was already soaked with sweat.
Under the previous pressure, he had only one thought in his mind—to leave.
“Did Shadow not feel the pressure, or was Naga actually going easy on him?” Angel was already suspicious. Even an entry-level wizard-level puppet would have been a significant leap in power, and it was unlikely that Shadow could have held out for so long. But now it seemed that it was not Shadow’s persistence, but rather Naga had been holding back.
Angel didn’t continue to investigate the reason why Naga was holding back. He just secretly thought: So the puppets created by Shadow’s mentor have thoughts? He always believed that puppets wouldn’t have thoughts since they were made from reanimated corpses.
Were these thoughts a form of self-consciousness? Did they originate from the soul or some other medium?
Or could it be a kind of artificial intelligence similar to a “sophisticated algorithm”?
Angel didn’t hesitate to imagine the scientific progress of Sky Mechanical City with the wildest ideas. If they could create sky warships, it shouldn’t be too difficult to create “pseudo-artificial intelligence,” right?
While pondering this question, Angel, led by the mute servant, headed to the fifth underground level of Black Castle—the Ice Cavern.
Chapter 420 Monkey Play and Boredom <TOC> Chapter 422 Where a Ship Goes, Of Course the Ocean