Chapter 854 A Familiar Place <TOC> Chapter 856 The Peculiar Egg
Translator: SumTLMan
Presently, many clues have come to light, and he has essentially sorted out the entire thread of events.
Countless years ago, Mirafel came to this place and discovered an area known as the Tidal Realm. Thus, at the entrance of the Tidal Realm, at the end of that tunnel, he painted a door, which sealed the emanation of its aura. Following this, he sketched a map and left it to the Shannon Royal Family as a legacy.
Of course, whether the Tidal Realm is behind the door is purely Angel’s conjecture. However, the likelihood that the Tidal Realm is indeed behind the door is considerable.
If the Tidal Realm truly lies behind the door, Angel estimates that the mystery of the disappearance of elements on the Old Land Continent might well be hidden within the Tidal Realm.
After all, according to Mirafel’s painting, the Tidal Realm is teeming with elemental creatures, and for such creatures to survive, they require a substantial amount of elemental energy. The Old Land Continent is almost devoid of elemental energy, while the Tidal Realm is rich in it. Perhaps there is some internal connection between the two.
While Angel is internally sorting out the threads of these connections, the atmosphere among Rosset and the others is still steeped in the sorrow of the third prince’s self-sacrifice.
Regaining his focus, Angel observes this scene and contemplates whether to reveal the truth about the scroll to them… Based on his assessment, the activation of the map does require the blood of the Shannon Royal Family but not necessarily a sacrifice; a mere magic crystal could serve as the subsequent energy source.
The reason for their loss of a life each time they activate it is their ignorance of the scroll’s rules; without an energy source, they are forced to use life energy to activate it.
After some thought, he decides to keep silent for the time being.
The secret here has remained hidden for so long because, although the Shannon Royal Family possesses this treasure, they seldom use it. The cost of its use is too high; if they learn of an alternative method to use the map, they might exhaust their resources in search of magic crystals and frequently use the map.
If so, whether it be the search for magic crystals or frequent use of the map, either would attract the attention of others. If discovered by transcendents, not only might the Tidal Realm be exposed, but they themselves would also be in danger.
Thus, Angel keeps his mouth shut and quietly returns the map to Rosset.
“My lord, have you made any discoveries?” Rosset inquires after receiving the map.
“Nothing of note,” Angel responds nonchalantly.
Rosset hesitates before asking again, “Can you tell us, my lord, if the person who gave us this scroll is a transcendent?”
Angel nods, “Not only is he a transcendent, but he is also a significant figure in the Wizarding World. So, safeguard this scroll well and avoid telling anyone about it, or you might face mortal danger.”
While saying this, Angel infuses his nightmare power into them, making them believe unquestionably that exposing the scroll might lead to the ruin of Goldfinch. From then on, they guard the map vigilantly, never daring to use it again except in times of crisis.
Concerning the matter of the stalactite fluid, Angel subtly hinted to them to keep the secret well-hidden. He preferred not to let the news of that door be revealed too soon. If behind the door truly lay the Tidal Realm, then, at least until he had thoroughly explored it, it would be best kept under wraps.
However, the prerequisite for him to enter that cavern was to master the transformation spell, a task that Angel found rather troublesome. Transformation magic wasn’t a simple trick that could be grasped in a few months or years. Given its complexity, the accumulation of knowledge involved in learning it would take at least two decades.
Angel let out a long sigh; it seemed best to return home and examine the softworm eggs in the insect nest.
While he didn’t believe he could truly hatch a morphing softworm, it represented, at least, a sliver of hope.
If all else failed, he could wait for Mentor Sanders to return from the Abyss and inform him of the situation here, allowing him to explore this place. At least Angel knew that if Sanders discovered anything, he wouldn’t shortchange him.
Next, under Rosset’s hospitality, Angel had breakfast. Aware that his daughter was about to return to Sea Moon City for a tough battle against Sea Wave, Rosset used this time to invite his staff of strategic advisors, engaging in active discussion about the tactical approach for Sea Moon City.
Once Angel had finished breakfast, he ascended to the top of the palace tower.
The morning sun shone brilliantly, surrounded by blue sky, white clouds, a gentle breeze, and cooing doves. In the distance were the bustling buildings of Sambia, and for a moment, Angel felt a sense of leisure in his heart.
After enjoying a period of tranquility, around ten in the morning, Shannon, clad in her proud armor, made her way to the tower alone.
“Ready to depart?”
Angel’s voice, carried by the breeze, imparted a moment of gentleness to Shannon.
“Thank you, Lord, for your indulgence.” Shannon knew that the reason Angel had stayed to have breakfast at the royal house before leaving was probably to allot her this time.
“I hope you don’t lose the war in Sea Moon City again. It’s a beautiful coastal city. Moreover, if you lose, the fall of Elegant Plum Province will also bring some trouble to Grud Town,” Angel said nonchalantly.
“Lord, if you don’t want us to lose, why not participate…”
Angel promptly interrupted Shannon: “While I detest troubles, I loathe pointless actions even more.”
With that said, Angel took out the Gondola, gesturing for Shannon to board. The journey from sunny Sambia to the stormy Sea Moon City took three hours. By one in the afternoon, they had reached the army camp outside Sea Moon City.
The camp was on full alert. Seeing the arrival of Princess Shannon, everyone remained silent, yet the morale visibly uplifted.
Upon reaching the main tent with Shannon, Angel happened to see General Aaron approaching.
The expression on General Aaron’s face was somewhat moody. Shannon, noticing this, felt a sinking feeling in her heart and quickly asked, “Has there been any change on Sea Wave’s side?”
“There doesn’t seem to be any trouble on Sea Wave’s end.” Aaron hesitated for a moment, casting a somewhat nervous glance at Angel.
“Why do you look so distressed, then?” Shannon asked in bewilderment.
At this point, Angel chimed in: “Is it the child I brought earlier who’s causing trouble?”
Aaron nodded, and kneeling on one knee before Angel, he confessed, “Lord, it was my lack of foresight. The… the child has escaped. I accept any punishment you deem fit.”
As he spoke, he drew his knight’s sword and held it out with both hands, indicating Angel should use it to mete out the punishment.
However, Angel remained motionless, “Tell me what happened specifically?”
According to Aaron, he had assigned a squad of ten to guard the child. But when the child woke up, he threw tantrums about being hungry and needing to relieve himself. Knowing this child was under the Wizard’s care, they dared not disobey and complied.
Feeding him was manageable as they could just do it themselves. However, when it came to relieving himself, they could only untie him. But as soon as they did, the child pulled some strange bugs out from his trousers. The entire squad was knocked out by these bugs, and the child made his escape. The squad members are still unconscious till now.
Aaron was filled with guilt as he finished his account. He had promised to repay Angel’s kindness, yet the first task entrusted to him was botched. How could he not feel remorseful?
Just then, a soldier arrived in a flurry, “General Aaron, it’s critical! Chica is on the brink!”
Aaron’s head shot up at the news, under Shannon’s questioning gaze, he explained, “Chica is the captain of the squad that was guarding the child.”
Angel followed the messenger to the infirmary.
The child was brought here by him, and he felt partly responsible for the subsequent incidents.
Upon entering the infirmary, Angel noticed that all ten men lying there were deathly pale. Not just Chica, but the other nine were also teetering on the edge of death.
A morbid aura hovered above their heads.
“Did that child cause this?” Shannon asked in disbelief.
“Yes,” the attending military doctor confirmed, “It seems to be some kind of poisonous insect bites, but we aren’t sure what species. As we don’t know what bug it was, we could only resort to bloodletting. As a result, Chica…sigh!”
What a cruel heart!
A flash of anger flickered in Shannon’s eyes, but considering Angel’s presence, she refrained from voicing her true thoughts.
“I underestimated his wild nature,” Angel admitted ruefully, shaking his head, “I’ll handle this.”
Angel proceeded to use a spell to extract the poison from everyone’s bodies. As the venom was expelled, their complexions began to regain some color. However, Chica, having been subjected to the bloodletting method, appeared considerably weaker and would require some time for recovery and treatment.
The venom that was expelled was a cyan-gray toxin, which Angel carefully deposited into a glass vial. According to the appraisal of the Eye of Nalda, it was the venom of a creature known as the “White-footed Sea Spider”, a lethal poison that assured death within three days.
Moreover, this poison represented the pinnacle of mortal venoms. Neutralizing it through ordinary means was essentially impossible.
From this, it was clear how ruthlessly cunning the young boy was. If Angel hadn’t arrived, this group would have been walking a one-way street to death.
Aaron, ignorant of the nature of this poison, felt a weight lift off his chest when he saw it neutralized. However, realizing that he had lost sight of the boy filled him with a certain sense of helplessness.
Angel, seeing this, nonchalantly said, “If he’s gone, he’s gone.”
He was just a person who might have potential. Whether he really did or not was another matter. When Angel took the boy with him, he made it clear that he wanted to test the boy’s talent. Since the boy didn’t seem interested, Angel was ready to let it go.
Though Angel didn’t particularly care whether a person chose to be good or evil, he personally had a stronger distaste for the wicked. He was decidedly not fond of the boy’s ruthless nature.
After a moment’s thought, Angel added, “In the future, if you come across him, you don’t need to take me into consideration. How you want to handle it, you can decide for yourselves.”
Since the boy had run away, Angel no longer had any intention of staying.
After leaving the sick room, Angel bid farewell to Shannon directly. Without waiting for their reaction, he boarded his airboat and flew towards Pat Manor.
By the time dusk was approaching, Angel had arrived at Pat Manor.
When he left, he had allotted two days for this trip. In the end, it only took him one day, and he had gained much more than he had anticipated. In particular, learning that the Magic Painter Wizard had visited Shannon’s royal family and left a map of the Tidal Realm was incredibly valuable information.
If this news reached the Feran Continent, it would undoubtedly cause an uproar.
Chapter 854 A Familiar Place <TOC> Chapter 856 The Peculiar Egg