Chapter 788 A Cascade of Calamities <TOC> Chapter 790 The Mischievous Child
Translator: SumTLMan
Jiebo’s thoughts were centered around the alchemists he was familiar with, or rather, the tacit rules they traditionally presented to the outside world.
While there was no fault in these assumptions, Jiebo was unaware that Angel’s journey as an alchemist significantly deviated from other conventional lineages. He had hardly ever received formal alchemical instruction. Even though Angel was aware of some of these unspoken rules, he was never forced to abide by them strictly, thus, he usually acted as his mood dictated.
Take the alchemical notes for instance, he would write them after alchemy, but what he documented were mainly his doubts during the crafting process and the areas that could be improved in the future. Unlike other alchemists, he didn’t meticulously record every detail of the crafting process.
If Jiebo had spent more time with Angel, he might have noticed these subtleties. But for now, his understanding could only be based on the traditional rules of alchemists.
Sirius listened to Jiebo’s words and clearly understood his intent. However, after giving a noncommittal “ne”, he continued to insist, with a face devoid of expression, that Jiebo follow Angel; as if all the words Jiebo had just spilled were empty, futile chatter.
Jiebo was puzzled, not understanding why Sirius still wanted him to follow Angel.
If it was to keep him away from the present conflict of the Song of the Deep Sea, he could just not go back. The world was vast—was there a place he could not go?
In the face of Jiebo’s questioning, Sirius initially didn’t want to respond, considering their relationship had always been superficial. However, since the Mysterious Object was stolen, he was ostracized by the core of the Song of the Deep Sea, and the only one he could rely on now was the help of the Sea God Florence.
Thus, Sirius eventually relented, saying, “We both know Angel couldn’t possibly be that person, but since Lord Sea God hasn’t ended the mission, you should just continue to follow…him ne.”
Jiebo’s brows furrowed, “Where is Mentor now? Why don’t I just talk to Mentor directly? If worse comes to worst, I won’t go back. I can stay on the Feran Continent.”
Sirius shook his head, “The Sea God has already returned to the Song of the Deep Sea and is negotiating with the people of Lord Winter’s faction. He won’t have time to respond to you.” He paused, then added, “For that reason, you should continue to follow him until the mission is canceled. Consider it a way to build a bridge.”
Jiebo responded blankly, “However, I have already built a bridge with him.”
“Oh?” Sirius was surprised, asking with curiosity, “How did you manage to establish such a close relationship so quickly?”
Jiebo recounted his recent experiences at the Ocean Mansion, sounding quite smug about it.
Sirius: “…”
“Is this what you call building a bridge? This is merely a regular exchange of interests!” Sirius didn’t leave any room for further discussion, he ordered directly, “Continue following him.”
As the conversation ended, Sirius abruptly severed the connection, leaving only the visibly perturbed Jiebo.
Hidden in the shadows all this time, White finally revealed her presence, “Sir, should we head over to find Sir Pat now?”
Jiebo pondered for a moment before finally nodding, “Go! But I will go alone. You all stay here and await further instructions from Lord Sirius.”
With that, Jiebo, an icy expression on his face, strode out of the Ocean Mansion.
On the other hand, Angel had already taken the Gondola and flown out of the Anru Dynasty’s domain, venturing into the central wilderness.
As dusk descended, he arrived within the borders of the Greenrose Kingdom.
The journey went smoothly. Angel flew directly to the Marcel neighborhood in Moonset City aboard the Gondola, causing a stir and eliciting praises and worship from many ordinary folks.
Angel could faintly hear them chanting ‘Marcel’.
However, Angel didn’t pay them any mind and proceeded to find Alvin’s house.
At this time, Alvin had already returned from the capital of the Greenrose Kingdom. After greeting him, Angel asked about Drew’s whereabouts.
From Alvin, Angel learned that Drew was still in a small fishing village and had not come to him. After asking for the location of the fishing village, Angel flew away from Moonset City in his Gondola.
By the time the night sky was adorned with twinkling stars, Angel, guided by their light, arrived at a tranquil fishing village by the sea.
A few fishing lights flickered on the sea surface, the glow from fishermen returning from their offshore catch. In the village, smoke wafted from chimneys, children played in the streets, creating a serene and idyllic atmosphere akin to a village separated from worldly troubles.
Angel chose a secluded spot to land from the sky.
Then he leisurely walked into the village. Before long, he encountered a group of people hurrying out of the village, mostly women and elderly left at home.
They spoke the common language with a distinct accent, seeming to call out a name, “Kumol.”
Upon seeing Angel, the unknown visitor, their gaze faltered slightly, but they paid him no further mind and continued to rush outward, as if searching for someone.
Only an old man leaning on a walking stick, left behind at the village entrance due to the pebbly path and his inconvenient legs, approached Angel with curiosity, “Eh, who are you… I don’t seem to have seen you in the village?”
Angel: “I am but a traveler, seeking someone in this quaint fishing village.”
“A traveler?” The old man mulled over the word, his lips pursed. “And who might you be looking for?”
“Drew.”
“Drew… Ah, you mean the Scott family’s lad? His house is just over there.” The elderly man pointed towards a wooden house obscured by a grove of palm trees not far off.
Angel glanced in the direction indicated, murmuring softly, “He’s not home.”
The old man nodded, assuming Angel inferred Drew’s absence from the unlit windows, “Indeed. I heard he went fishing with Leif this morning. He should be returning shortly.”
The old man was keen on chatting, indifferent to the legitimacy of Angel’s identity or whether he was a force of good or ill. He began to converse about Drew, and gradually, Leif was brought into the narrative.
Having nothing urgent to attend to, Angel did not interrupt him, listening with genuine interest to his stories.
Suddenly, a sharp cry echoed from the nearby shore.
Caught off guard, the old man turned to gaze at the sea, then slapped his forehead in realization. “Oh, dear! In the midst of our conversation, I completely forgot. There’s still no word from Kumol. Why is that young fellow from the Heng family screaming? Could it be… has something happened to Kumol?”
The old man became frantic, pacing in circles, his lips moving in fervent prayer for safety.
From his anxious mutterings, Angel pieced together the situation. A group of children had ventured to the shore to play. Somehow, they began to compete in diving for shells. But when they returned to the shore, they realized that a boy named Kumol was missing. Panicked, they ran back to the village crying, causing the adults to drop everything and rush out.
By now, it had been half an hour since Kumol had disappeared into the sea. Angel estimated that unless there was a miracle, the boy was likely beyond saving.
After pacing fretfully for what seemed like an eternity, the old man suddenly turned to Angel. “Stranger, I hate to impose, but my legs aren’t what they used to be. Could you go check what has happened and see if Kumol has been found?”
“Sure, I’ll go have a look.” Without hesitation, Angel headed towards the beach.
His prompt agreement to the old man’s request was due to a faint sense of energy fluctuation near the coast, located precisely where the crowd had gathered.
When Angel reached the shore, he found everyone staring in disbelief towards the sea.
Following their gaze under the moonlight, he saw a child floundering in the shimmering waves close to the shore, arms and legs flailing, sending up sprays of water.
From the wailing crowd on the shore, Angel learned that the child in the water was indeed the missing Kumol.
“Vanishing for a good half hour and still living. It seems, was he playing pranks before? Who would have thought, he’s reaping what he’s sown now?” Angel hypothesized, following the thought process of the mischievous child.
However, Angel paid this no mind, his attention was drawn to something behind the child.
The moon hung at a particular angle to the sea, illuminating the water brightly, allowing everyone on the coast to see. Around a hundred meters behind the child named Kumol, lurked a sea beast, estimated to be around ten meters large.
The energy fluctuations Angel had sensed earlier probably originated from this sea beast.
The beast resembled a sea lizard bristling with spikes. Its eyes were ferocious and bloody, intently staring at the shore.
“People enjoy fishing, never imagined a day when sea beasts would fish for people,” Angel mused inwardly.
The reason the sea beast didn’t move towards the child named Kumol was evident. It intended to bait even larger and more “fish”, such as the crowd on the shore.
But would anyone take the bait?
Angel glanced at the people before him. Fear was evident in their eyes, and no one made a move. Only Kumol’s mother was desperately seeking help, hoping someone would rescue her child.
However, no one responded to her pleas. She herself couldn’t swim, the child’s father was out at sea, and there were no boats nearby. In an instant, she collapsed to the ground, staring blankly into the distance.
She was forced to watch her child struggle in the water, helpless to intervene.
At that moment, someone suddenly pointed ahead. A boat’s light was visible on the sea surface. “Look, there’s a boat heading that way!”
Angel also looked up, indeed, a small wooden boat lit by a dim fisherman’s light was heading towards where Kumol was struggling.
A black cloth covered the fishing boat, obscuring the specifics of its interior. However, the villagers around recognized the boat.
“That boat seems to be Leif’s!”
Leif? Angel recalled the old man mentioning earlier that Drew and Leif had gone out to sea this morning. Could this be the same Leif?
As Angel puzzled over this, the black cloth on the boat was pulled back, revealing an anxious man with dark skin.
This man was not a stranger to Angel. It was, indeed, Drew.
Chapter 788 A Cascade of Calamities <TOC> Chapter 790 The Mischievous Child