Chapter 950 News from the Fertile Kingdom <TOC> Chapter 952 Wings of Cold Frost
Translator: SumTLMan
Arthur, after listening to the erudite gentleman, was left with one prevailing thought: As Merlin had predicted, every wizard’s hands were steeped in blood; they were wicked and audacious.
With this thought in mind, Arthur faced the two transcendent individuals before him, his wariness intensified. He silently positioned himself between them and Merlin.
“Who exactly are you? Could it be that the iceberg that soared across the sky is related to you?”
“The object that flew by earlier… well, let’s call it an iceberg as you did. That iceberg has nothing to do with us; it’s the Frost Moon Alliance’s flying vessel.” This time, the response didn’t come from the cultured gentleman, but from a youth referred to as the master by his side, “As for us, you may call me Pustina. As Black Canon said, we merely passed by, happened to hear your conversation, and nothing more.”
Once Pustina finished speaking, he turned towards the cultured man he referred to as “Black Canon”, and subtly nodded, “Black Canon, it’s time to leave. We’re still far from the Paramjit Plateau, I hope we can return to our organization before the Month of Recovery next year.”
Black Canon nodded, “Master, if you try a bit harder, you could unlock more of my forms. Then, I could carry you away.”
“By that time, I could afford a flying vessel, who would need your carriage service?” Pustina shot Black Canon a disapproving look. Master and servant then headed out of the Oasis Town, their direction was peculiarly northeast, same as the previous iceberg.
Arthur hadn’t expected them to depart so abruptly, “Could they truly be just passersby?”
As Pustina and Black Canon receded into the distance, Arthur suddenly called out, “Are you heading to Eternal Night Kingdom?”
Black Canon gestured with his hand, affirming Arthur’s question.
“But, many parts of Eternal Night Kingdom are shrouded under a gigantic dome, and there’s a spreading madness.”
Pustina halted to look at Arthur, “Thank you for the warning, but we won’t stay in Eternal Night Kingdom for long.”
Arthur stuttered, “But… but…”
He hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to say. Although a certain restlessness stirred within him, he dared not voice it out.
At this moment, Merlin, who had remained silent till then, suddenly exclaimed, “Could we, too, become wizards? Might we have the honor of becoming your apprentices?”
Arthur stared at Merlin in astonishment. Merlin’s eyes had been gouged out by the wicked wizards; how could he possibly wish to join their ranks?
Sensing Arthur’s gaze, Merlin, his eyes downcast, spoke up, “Isn’t this the aspiration harboring in your heart as well?”
“I—” Arthur began, swallowing hard. He wanted to retort, but no words came to his rescue. Because Merlin had indeed pierced through to his innermost thoughts. As a child, his ambition was to become a knight, as they were, to his mind, the strongest beings. But after witnessing the figure on the iceberg and hearing Merlin’s account of wizards, he realized that there were forces even stronger than knights—those were the wizards.
To pursue power was a fundamental principle that Arthur firmly believed in. How could Merlin possibly be oblivious to this fact?
“As the esteemed Black Canon mentioned just a moment ago, gouging out my eyes was a mere procedure for organ transplantation. If I become a wizard, perhaps I too would be capable of transplanting organs, regaining my sight once more. Therefore, no matter how wicked wizards might be, I wish to become one,” Merlin asserted.
At this point, Black Canon and Pustina, who had previously wandered off, slowly sauntered back.
“Wickedness among wizards cannot be generalized in a single statement. However, it’s fair to say that almost every wizard is driven by their own interests, much like the wizard who gouged out your eyes. Would you call him wicked? Perhaps from your perspective, he is. Yet, if one were to define him solely based on the term ‘wicked,’ you wouldn’t be standing here unscathed right now. Instead, you might be six feet under,” Black Canon stated, “In my opinion, he was simply pursuing his interests, and you just happened to have something of value that he needed.”
Black Canon’s words, for a brief moment, shook Merlin’s resolve.
At this point, Pustina interjected, “Enough of your roundabout philosophies. Moreover, good and evil are relative terms. All your babble amounts to nonsense.”
Black Canon turned around, appearing somewhat aggrieved, “I was originally just a book, discussing theories is what I’m meant for.”
Pustina shifted his gaze away, looking towards Merlin and Arthur.
“Although Black Canon switched around quite a few concepts, he was not wrong about one thing. Wizards are all profit-seekers,” Pustina paused before adding, “I am no exception.”
“I can guide you into the Wizarding World, but, correspondingly, you must pay a certain price.”
“What cost?” Merlin and Arthur almost simultaneously interjected, though Arthur added, “I can bear the burden for Merlin.”
“What beautiful fraternal affection.” The Black Canon chuckled, a twinkle in its eyes, “It reminds me of the master’s friends.”
As Merlin and Arthur began to squabble over who should pay the price, Pustina coughed to interrupt, “You can stop now, the price I’m asking for isn’t quite what you’re imagining.”
“All I need is for you to agree to one condition.”
“When both of you mature, my condition is you must aid my Black Secret Seal Canon in adding a new law.”
“Black Secret Seal Canon, what’s that?”
Pustina slowly extended his hand, and the elegant man’s figure shifted, transforming into a sturdy, leather-bound book that fell gently into his palm.
“This is the —Black Secret Seal Canon—.”
Having witnessed the transformation from woman to man, seeing the Black Canon morph into a book only caused Arthur’s pupils to contract slightly; there were no expressions of shock or surprise. In fact, he seemed quite composed as he scrutinized the book cover.
He didn’t recognize a single character of the large text emblazoned across the cover.
However, the author’s name in the bottom-right corner was written in a universal language that he could understand, and he quietly mouthed the name:
—Shalem Pustina.
…
Phantom Island.
Knock knock knock—
The door was pushed open, and Butler Goode’s figure appeared at the entrance: “Young Master Pat, Lady Madeline has arrived.”
Angel nodded, “Wait a moment, I’ll be right there.”
Today marks the day when he is to depart from the Savage Grottoes towards the Abyss, and all that needs to be packed and prepared is done, leaving only…
Angel’s gaze was drawn to a small bed by the bedside, where Toby was peacefully asleep. A fluffy panda sleeping cap sat atop its head, toning down its sharpness, adding a touch of childlike innocence.
“It’s time to go.” Angel gently nudged Toby, who slowly retracted into his little bed amidst his yawning.
“You can stay here, you know.” Angel cautioned, “After all, the Abyss is dangerous.”
Toby shot Angel a fierce glare, conveying a clear message through its eyes alone: don’t even think about leaving me behind.
Angel offered a soft smile, murmuring, “Thank you.”
To be honest, although he had decided to venture into the Abyss long ago, a hint of hesitation still bubbled up at this moment of departure. The Abyss, in terms of energy level, far surpassed the Wizarding World of the Southern Region.
And, it was home to demon gods.
Even the weakest of demon gods were beings of legend, while the Southern Region had not seen the birth of a legend for a thousand years.
Approaching such a terrifying place, Angel inevitably felt some trepidation.
But with Toby’s company, there was an added dose of courage in Angel’s heart. At least, he was not alone.
Drawing a deep breath, he quelled the budding indecision in his heart. Then, accompanied by Toby, he stepped out of his room. Butler Goode was waiting by the door. Seeing Angel emerge, he said softly, “Young Master Pat, are you truly determined to…”
Despite his expression being concealed by a mask, the hint of hesitancy in Goode’s voice unmistakably expressed his concern for Angel.
“Don’t worry, I’m just going to meet with Mentor, I’ll be back soon,” Angel reassured Goode, “In fact, if you have any messages, I can pass them along for you.”
Goode shook his head; he had no messages to relay to Sanders. As the steward of Phantom Island, he had grown accustomed to long periods of separation. Sanders would often vanish for years even when on the island, not to mention now that he had been gone for just a year and a half.
As Angel entered the living room, he saw Madeline.
The infamous “Violent Thorn,” contrary to rumors, doesn’t exude an air of brutality but rather tranquility and stability.
When interacting with Angel, she didn’t possess the usual condescension of other wizards, and instead, exuded a sense of amicability.
Angel speculated that perhaps this was the difference between those from wizard families and those from wizard organizations?
Madeline seemed curious about Angel, but with ample time in the future, she wasn’t in a hurry to probe further. Instead, she shared, “I just received news that the Frost Moon Alliance’s guard squad is at the border of Eternal Night Kingdom. They should be arriving at the Savage Grottoes soon.”
“Eternal Night Kingdom? Lady Madeline, I’ve heard the inter-realm passage is near Blue Eyerift Inland Sea, which should be in the northwest. Why would they come from Eternal Night Kingdom?”
“The Frost Moon Alliance’s guard squad isn’t only transporting supplies, they also bring resources from the Abyss and exchange them with various wizard organizations as per prior agreements. Otherwise, why do you think so many wizards are willing to venture into the Abyss at this time?” Madeline paused before adding, “So, they don’t directly travel from Blue Eyerift Inland Sea to the Savage Grottoes. They likely visited other wizard organizations. Given the direction they came from, I suspect they went to Western Demos.”
“I see.”
Upon hearing about Western Demos, Angel couldn’t help but think of Hermes and Loki. He remembered that Alan and Loki got along well. He wondered how they were doing after leaving the Purification Garden.
“Let’s get going. We can talk more on the way.” Having said that, Madeline took the lead in leaving.
When they were in the manor, Madeline intended to take off immediately but seemed to recall something and said, “I’ve heard from the witches in the organization that the airship you crafted is exceptionally beautiful. If you don’t mind, could you give me a lift?”
Angel nodded and brought out the Gondola.
Witnessing the starlit brilliance of the Gondola, Madeline couldn’t help but commend, “Indeed, the appearance of this airship is quite striking. No wonder so many witches have written to you, asking you to craft flying vehicles for them.”
On board the Gondola, they departed Phantom Island.
As Angel’s airship soared over Phantom Island, a man dressed in a panda suit standing on the Sky Bridge below looked up and sighed, “Has the guidance of destiny gone awry again?”
Chapter 950 News from the Fertile Kingdom <TOC> Chapter 952 Wings of Cold Frost