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Chapter 160: Encounter in the Woods (1)
Translator: Leo Editor: Frappe
Angele spent three years concentrating his mentality by the coastline and he already reached the Gas Stage. However, he was still far from reaching the Liquid Stage, so he decided to spend his time on preparing for the support materials first.
He returned to the land of Wizards because there was barely any rare material around Marua City.
There were many Wizard Rifts here, and he could only find the necessary potions in certain Wizard organizations. The potion he needed was called The Tree Killer. There was no way for him find it in the markets.
The only thing Angele knew about the potion was its name. He did not have the formula and he had no idea what the materials were.
His original plan was to travel to the Six Ring High Tower. He thought it would be nice if he could find the secret of the concept gear and the formula of the potion there. However, things changed after he killed three Wizards on the ship.
Although it was self-defense, Angele knew the black robe's organization would go after him sooner or later. The two white robes were from a small organization; thus, he was not so concerned about them.
*****************
Inside a gloomy forest.
The morning mist spread throughout out the trees, and there were creatures howling.
A tall and strong man was slowly advancing on a twisted path. He was wearing a dark red hunting suit and there was a 2-meter-long metal bow on his back. The man held a black bag in one hand and a crossguard sword in the other. There was still hint of blood on the blade. His long brown hair was soaked wet by the mist, which trailed all over his shoulders.
It was the fourth day since Angele entered the forest.
He followed the traces of the footprints from other people on the way, but he did not see anyone around.
The mud on the ground was wet and sticky.
Blue light dots kept flashing in front of Angele's eyes
Suddenly, a high-pitched sound came from Angele's left side.
He turned to the left and immediately slashed with the sword.
*BAM*
A small animal was blown away by the impact and hit a tree on the side, it struggled for several seconds and died.
Angele walked to the tree and skewered the animal on his blade.
It was a fat white rabbit.
The rabbit was about the size of a human's head and its eyes were bloody red, also, two snake-like long teeth could be seen around the lips.
Angele scrunched up his brows and pulled the rabbit off the sword.
He put down the rabbit by the tree, collected some dried branches, and set up a small campfire.
With a flick of his finger.
The campfire was lit and the flame looked blurry in the mist.
Angele sat down by the campfire and grabbed the rabbit. He skinned it quickly and removed the organs.
The mist cleared a bit after Angele set up the campfire. He finished cleaning the rabbit and skewered it with his crossguard sword again. He held the handle in hand tight and started rotating the sword to roast the whole rabbit.
Angele took off a large water pouch from his belt and drank some water. It was almost empty.
Oil was dripping down the meat and the skin of the rabbit was already golden brown.
Angele glanced around. He was surrounded by enormous trees, but there were not many bushes around. The dark ground was covered by dried leaves and branches. He could also see grasses on the area ahead.
The tree trunks were wide and tall. They stood there like guardians of the forest.
Angele cut a piece of the roasted rabbit with a dagger and threw it into his mouth after it cooled down a bit.
The texture was smooth and tender, tasting somewhat like roasted chicken. However, Angele did not carry any spice, and he would appreciate some salt.
Angele suddenly put the roasted rabbit down and turned around. Blue light dots flashed in front of his eyes.
Zero detected an unknown target approaching. Angele saw a blurry black shadow moving toward him. It seemed that the man was wearing a black robe.
He stood up and grabbed his bow, starting to prepare for a possible fight while staring at the black shadow.
The man stepped on leaves and made some noise. He was getting closer.
Angele inhaled once and the smell of a rotten corpse already pervaded through the air.
His expression changed. He quickly took out a piece of red leaf and covered his nose with it.
"The Light of Thor. Where is it?" The clean voice from the shadow sounded like it was from a young lady.
Angele dropped the leaf to the ground. He pulled the bowstring to full and created a black metal arrow.
"Light of Thor? What is that? And who are you? I have no idea what you're talking about," Angele answered in a calm voice.
"You killed Calello on the ship, right? Hand the Light of Thor over to me and I'll let you leave," The female Wizard spoke with a confident voice.
"Calello is at the Liquid stage. You backstabbed him while he was fighting with the two Wizards of Light, right?"
The lady slowly appeared in Angele's sight. She had a pair of sharp, green eyes. Her lips, eyes, and her long robe were all black.
The female Wizard was covered in black. Her skin was pale, and she looked like she just came back from dead.
She stopped about ten meters away from Angele and stared at him quietly. Her face was pretty, but Angele could not see any emotion from her eyes.
"Name is Arisa, by the way."
"Again. I don't know what you're saying." Angele's eyebrows creased and looked at Arisa.
"Light of Thor, a silver chest armor. Stop hiding it, I can smell Calello's last breath from you." Arisa had no expression on her face.
Angele stopped for a while and chuckled.
"Fine. Yea, I killed Calello, but I didn't expect that you could track me down. I know you're not here to avenge Calello, but I have to be honest here. The Light of Thor I found was a counterfeit…"
"Fake or not, hand it over to me. Otherwise, I'll show you the power of my spells," Arisa interrupted.
"Whatever." Angele walked to the black bag beside the tree. "I'll show you the evidence."
He kicked the bag to Arisa.
The bag rolled on the ground for several seconds and stopped right in front of Arisa. Arisa picked it up and took out the fake Light of Thor.
She put her right hand on the back of the armor.
"This one is fake for sure."
"Good. There's no point for us to fight then." Angele smiled.
"So, where's the real one?" Arisa dropped the armor to the ground and asked.
Angele's eyes narrowed and his expression turned serious.
"I told you already. I acquired it on the ship and I have no clue where the real one is. Wait, do you really think you can win the fight against me?" He released some energy particles into the air.
There was an interesting look on Arisa's face.
"You just admitted you killed Calello, right? If that's true, I can put you into my new potion in development."
She smiled.
*Hissssssss*
A strong sound started coming from her body.
Arisa lowered her hands and thick black smoke rose from her feet. The smoke was leaking out of her long black robe. The grasses, insects, everything it touched all turned into a pool of black pus. The black pus evaporated in seconds and became part of the smoke.
The ink-colored smoke quickly spread around the area and a dark circle covered all the trees, bushes, and grasses. Arisa was in the center of the circle.
It looked like a drop of ink started spreading after sinking into a large piece of green cloth.
Angele slowly stepped back and watched the smoke streaking into the air.
*CHI*
He quickly shot an arrow.
The black arrow drew an arc in the air and hit Dark Wizard Arisa's body with great force.
However, Arisa had a mysterious smile on her face. Her body melted like a burning candle within seconds. Her face twisted, turned into drops of sticky black liquid, and fell into the black shadow under her feet.
Arisa vanished into the black smoke quickly. Only her long black robe was left on the ground.
Angele gritted his teeth and kept stepping back. The arrow he shot had already been swallowed by the smoke and turned into a small pool of black liquid.
The smoke separated before reaching him. Some of it blocked Angele's way.
The smaller trees already started melting. Most of the grasses and dried leaves already turned into a part of the smoke.
Angele took out a glowing green heart from his pouch.
He chanted some incantation.
*BOOM*
An arm-sized ray of green flame spurted out of the heart and rushed into the black smoke.
The green flame sparked, but it was swallowed by the seemingly infinite dark smoke and disappeared right away.
Angele's expression changed. Suddenly, a ball of green smoke appeared behind him and turned into a human-shaped shadow. It was Arisa trying to seize Angele.
He suddenly turned around and brandished forward.
*CHI*
The strike missed.
"Die!" Angele shouted. Silver metal liquid started leaking out of his skin and floated in the air around him.
The metal liquid gathered together and turned into tiny knives. Angele waved his hand in the air and coated those knives with electric pulses.
The electric spark noise was loud, and the bright blue light illuminated Angele's face.
All the knives started revolving around his body after he slightly waved his hand.
The knives were moving faster and faster. They created a barrier around Angele, which helped eliminate the incoming black smoke.
Some of the black smoke disappeared after making contact with the wall of knives, but the electricity applied to them weakened due to the loss of energy.
The black smoke was enraged after being blocked by the knives, it started jumping and rolling around.
Shadow tentacles suddenly jumped out of the smokescreen and rushed toward Angele. The blue knives kept flying to the tentacles, but only some of them were blocked.
Angele shook his head and sneered.
Chapter 161: Encounter in the Woods (2)
Translator: Leo Editor: Frappe
Angele raised his hand. A portion of the floating metal liquid quickly formed into a shell-shaped barrier in front of him.
He began invoking strange incantations. The words were simple, yet it didn't seem to belong to any known language.
The temperature around Angele rose. Heat waves became visible in the air, bringing mysterious distortions into the black smoke.
Angele nearly finished the incantation as the smoke approached.
*DING*
Suddenly, Angele's face turned pale and his body trembled. The heat disappeared within seconds as his incantation was interrupted.
As he failed to finish casting the spell, he watched as the black smoke tried to engulf him whole. Thanatophobia crept into depths of his mind. His body had become paralyzed. Now, there was nothing else he could do.
*CHI*
The black smoke amassed together. Angele's silver barrier and the revolving knives began dropping onto the ground as if it was raining.
************************
At the opposite side of the vast forest was a black cliff.
An old man wearing a black robe stood on the cliff observing the sea of trees. The howling gust blew the lower of his robe into the air.
The man's hair was white and it was messy, yet his beard and eyebrows were red. His pale face was carved with a countless number of wrinkles.
The old man had a blank expression on his face. In front of his chest, there was a head-sized golden plate floating. The plate was translucent, slowly rotating and many complicated runes were engraved on its surface.
"I shall harvest your soul for what you've done to my beloved disciple," he muttered. His line of sight fell onto the battlefield thousands of miles away from the cliff.
He pointed at the golden plate and lightly touched its surface.
*DING*
The crisp sound echoed in the forest and that was the noise Angele heard.
***************************
Angele was no longer paralyzed. However, he had lost some strength that caused him to step back.
The silver barrier in front of Angele had turned into a pool of black liquid and splashed to the ground, but it still prevented the black smoke from reaching him.
"F*cking hell!" he cursed as looked at his right hand. A small amount of the black smoke covered the tip of his first finger, and the black liquid dripped down the wound.
Angele gritted his teeth and pointed at the oncoming black smoke with his left hand. The wings on the palm started flapping.
A dangerous aura surrounded his body.
Arisa sensed the changed and immediately tried to retreat. The black smoke began to move away from Angele.
Arisa was trying to backstab him. However, her expression changed after seeing Angele raising his hand. She stepped back and returned to the smoke screen while sending a small amount of smoke to Angele's back.
Angele narrowed his eyes and was about to activate the signet using his mentality.
*DING*
He heard the noise again, which made him flinch for a second.
"AH!"
Angele's legs numbed and his back was hit by the black smoke. Green smoke rose from the wound and it created a sound similar to a piece of meat being grilled. He failed to activate the signet completely.
Only several translucent waves spread into the air and blew away some retreating black smoke. The remaining smoke on his back was also eliminated.
Arisa revealed herself.
"That was close. However, that was your only chance to hurt me." There was a cold look on her face.
She waved her hand. The black smoke gathered in the air again and rushed toward Angele.
Angele kept running away from the smoke. He could sense someone locked onto him with a strange energy wave, and the wave would interrupt him every time he tried to attack or defend. Moreover, this special energy wave penetrated his defensive forcefield with ease.
He wanted to gain some practical battle experiences in this fight by himself, but it would seem that he had to seek Zero's help.
'Zero, is it possible for me to eliminate this energy wave?' he asked Zero as he dodged several strikes from the black smoke.
'The energy wave will weaken if you can move two kilometers away from your current location. There is an 87% chance this strategy will work,' Zero reported.
Angele groaned as his right arm was damaged by the black smoke again. The silver metal that covered his skin dropped to the ground, and a black wound was left on the arm.
He could feel the intense pain coming from his arm and back, but he stayed calm. The smoke in front of him gathered together and turned into the shape of a human, attempting to embrace Angele.
"Show me the direction."
"East is your best option."
Angele threw the crossguard sword into the air, and it turned into a silver shield in front of him. He turned toward the east and started running away like a madman.
"Are you trying to run?!" Arisa's voice came from the human-shaped smoke. The silver shield turned into a pool of black liquid after making contact with the smoke.
She started chasing after Angele at full speed.
"Give me the Light of Thor!" Her voice changed. It was crisp no longer. Instead, she sounded like an old man with a hoarse voice.
Angele increased his speed. He was still regretting activating the signet on his left palm. It was almost a complete waste since the activation had been interrupted by the strange energy wave, and his mentality was damaged by the side-effects of the signet.
'Arisa turned herself to the energy form. If I can hit her with the signet, she'll at least lose the ability to fight… What is that energy wave? How can it penetrate my force field?!' Angele was a bit anxious.
He started invoking the incantation of Berlin's Haste.
It was one of the Wind spells he had purchased from the school. It could increase the caster's speed.
Angele enhanced his boots with the spell and his speed was greatly increased. He was almost traveling at the same speed as the black smoke.
Arisa was still in the form of a human-shaped smoke.
"You can't escape from me," she shouted in a cold tone.
"I don't understand. How did Calello lose to a weak Wizard like you?! Ha!"
Angele ignored Arisa's taunting and kept running forward. The noise made by the strange energy wave was getting intense and was interrupting his thinking.
'Zero, boost all my senses right now!'
'Boost mode enabled. Special mentality tunnel detected… boosting…'
Blue light dots flashed in front of Angele's eyes. His mentality was boiling and roaring, trying to drive the strange energy wave away from Angele's mind.
His vision blurred. The trees on the sides, dried leaves on the ground, and the light from the sun all became gloomy.
*BAM*
Angele could sense that his pure energy particles had passed through a mysterious tunnel and reached somewhere far from his location.
He saw an old man staring at his energy particles on a high black cliff.
The golden Rune Plate in front the old man cracked, breaking into countless tiny pieces and slowly vanishing into the air.
"Lucky bastard..." the old man muttered, his voice echoing in Angele's head.
Angele could do nothing but watch the old man walk away.
*CHI*
He was pulled back to his corporeal body by some strong power. He felt like the scene he just saw was a dream. It was like an uncomfortable out-of-body experience.
Angele was still running forward. Behind him, it was the noise of the smoke engulfing the plants around. Cold sweat was dripping down his forehead as his face was being blown by the howling wind.
"Red eyebrows and beard…" Angele mumbled. The unpleasant noise finally left his head. It would seem that the spell stopped after he found the caster.
"Come back!" Arisa's voice came from behind again.
Angele's expression turned serious. He moved his feet and suddenly turned around.
Three silver scars slowly appeared on the left side of his face.
He raised his left hand as he aimed at the black smoke. A raging fireball gathered upon his palm that was about the size of a human's head.
"Go… Lesser Fireball!" Angele pushed the raging flame forward.
The fireball drew a straight line in the air. It sounded like an arrow soaring through the sky.
Arisa had no time to react. It was too late for her to stop. The fireball hit her body directly.
*BOOM*
"Ah!" A high-pitched scream echoed in the forest.
The black smoke was blown away by the flame and spread into the bushes. The whole area was covered in smoke and fire sparks.
Right in the center of Arisa's body, a fireball was spinning at high speed while exploding. Everything around was being lit. The flame quickly drove away all the dark power and cleansed the black liquid on the ground.
Angele raised his left hand and aimed at Arisa with the palm. Two black wings on his palm began flapping. He could hear the screams originating from the abyss.
"No!" There was fear in Arisa's eyes.
"Nas'vak!" She shouted like a lunatic. Angele could hear a sound of something cracking.
A skull composed by green smoke appeared in front of her body and slowly opened its mouth.
*BOOM*
The fireball exploded again and hit the skull. A small dark energy vortex was created by the contact.
Angele leaped away. The energy strike forced him to stop activating the signet, and the black smoke around almost disappeared.
The remaining smoke formed into the shape of a human on the ground. It was the female Wizard, Arisa. Her arms were gone, and there was a large hole in her chest. The left side of her face was burnt black.
"My face…" She trembled.
Angele looked at her calmly and grabbed the metal bow from his back.
"Any last words?" he spoke in a light tone.
Arisa heard his voice and slowly raised her head.
Angele pulled the bowstring to full and created a black metal arrow on the bow.
*CHI*
The arrow turned into a black string and struck Arisa right in the center of her forehead.
Chapter 162: Lay Low (1)
Translator: Leo Editor: Frappe
"No!"
Arisa screamed.
The tip of the arrow slowly sank into her forehead. The screaming gradually stopped. Arisa's body melted like a burning candle. Her skin, face, and legs turned into droplets of white or black wax while falling to the ground.
The wax landed on the ground and the green grasses turned yellow within seconds. The sour, fishy, and stinky smell flooded the air after some green smoke rose upon the pool of wax.
Arisa disappeared and only a long black robe was left on the ground.
Angele put the longbow on his back and covered his mouth with his left hand. Blood was coming out of his eyes, mouth, nose, and ears. Especially his eyes, the blue pupils were coated with blood, and they looked horrifying.
Angele quickly grabbed the long black robe on the ground and shook it. A small leather pouch dropped out of the pocket along with a palm-sized black notebook.
He put everything into his pouch and ran to the east side of the forest.
The black robe was left on the ground. Angele jumped into the bushes and disappeared.
Angele held his mouth tight. Blood was emerging from his throat. He knew his injury was severe. Furthermore, someone, or something, was pursuing him. He could sense the approaching threat, and it seemed that this 'person' was traveling at the same speed as Angele.
"Red eyebrows… red beard… I'll find you one day…" Angele was enraged. It was the first time he was pushed to the limit after becoming a formal Wizard. He was not sure which stage the red beard was at, but Angele assumed the red beard was at least at Master Liliana's level.
Angele kept advancing on the path he chose. It was already noon. The mist had disappeared completely. Rays of golden sunlight shot through the gaps between the leaves of the trees.
He asked Zero to check his body condition as he ran down the road.
His back and right hand were hit by the black smoke and the skin was corroded. Without the metal shield, he would've already been turned into a puddle of sticky black liquid.
In addition to that, the smoke contained a strong venom that coursed through Angele's veins. Blood was leaking out of his skin all over his body.
His attributes were plummeting, almost halving. Angele was lucky that he had absorbed many metals with high resistances before boarding the ship and he dodged most of the black smoke with Zero's help. Also, Angele's high attributes helped him fight against the poison. Wizards with low stamina would've already died.
Angele traveled for more than 10 kilometers at full speed until the threat stopped chasing after him.
The landscape around changed. The trees were much shorter than the ones he saw in the deep forest, and he finally saw travelers' footprints on the road.
Angele struggled for a while before he started moving again. He finally walked out of the forest and saw a path for carriages covered in mud.
He collected some herbs based on Zero's suggestion and stopped the poison from damaging his organs. Angele also applied some healing gel on his back to prevent the infection.
Angele stayed on the side of the road and wiped the bloodstain off his face. He waited for a while and saw several merchants' carriages.
He paid the coachman several silver coins. The coachman said he would drop him off at the nearest town. There was a cart full of furs attached to the carriage where Angele lay on top of it.
It was quite cozy. The carriage started heading to an area that Angele was not familiar with.
*************************
In the forest, there was a tall gray stone tower.
An old man with a red beard stood on the top of the tower and oversaw the forest, looking a bit depressed.
"Master, you are the best prophet I know, yet you can't find the black robe on the ship?" a female Wizard behind the old man asked.
"He's out of range." The old man put his hands behind. There was no expression on his face.
"If I don't have something else to take care of…" He turned around and looked at the female Wizard.
"Alica, you have the intel of the other targets?"
Alica nodded, "Master Sophina just sent me a message that she detected some movements in the mine. The other masters think they're trying to eliminate us."
The old man nodded as well. "Where's Dior?"
"He's still at a ruin by the west. He was arguing with the Merfolks about an ancient magical artifact he found. I think it will take him a while to…" Alica answered and stopped halfway after seeing the old man nodding his head.
"Also, the bloodline composition experiment in the lab… If you didn't help them in time, the hidden barrier would've already been broken. The good news is that the other masters did not notice the incident."
"We need to go to the mine first." The old man sighed.
"Calello and Arisa… It's a pity, but they died because they were not strong enough. Light of Thor and the mine are way more important. I already planted a seed on the young bastard. I'll finish him off when I have time. Also, place a price on his head."
"Yes, master," Alica nodded.
"Now if you would excuse me…"
"Go ahead."
Alica turned around and left the room, then closed the door carefully.
************************
Angele was woken up from his meditation because the noises made by the carriage's wheels.
He opened his eyes. It was already night. The carriage was slowly traveling down the road.
"Korver, are we there yet?" he asked in a loud voice.
"We're almost there, sir. The town ruled by Lord Aster is ahead." The coachman was a middle-aged man wearing gray clothes and a straw hat.
Angele leaned to the side and looked ahead. He saw lights and some average-sized town walls separating the town from the forest. There were light torches hanging on the walls and Angele could hear the flames crackling. The only entrance to the town was by the end of the road. Several guards were chatting beside the town gate under the dim light.
Angele's brow furrowed. He raised his hand. A large piece of black metal appeared on his palm and covered his skin.
In the darkness, his skin turned dark, giving the impression that it was tanned by the sun. He then created a pair of scissors and cut off his long hair. Also, Angele's face changed after it was coated with the black metal. He looked like an ordinary young man who could be found anywhere in a town.
'I'm way too weak right now. I need to be careful.' Angele already had a plan in mind. He was still lying on the furs.
The carriages slowly approached the entrance of the gate.
"Stop, what's in the carts?" A tall guard with a mustache walked over and asked in a loud voice.
Korver jumped off the carriage quickly and smiled.
"Sir, those are some fine furs from the west. Take a look. It's what the Lord needs."
The guard was just doing the routine. He nodded before he walked to the carts and saw Angele lying on the furs.
Angele jumped off the cart. He had already repaired the damage on his leather armor suit with a thin layer of silver metal. He straightened his back and stared at the guard like a nobleman.
Before Angele could say something, the guard stepped forward and smiled.
"Sir, you're here to study, right? We know Master Markolov's rules. Who are you looking for? I can be your guide since I'm familiar with the business."
Angele stayed calm and nodded. He took out a gold coin from his pouch and threw it to the guard.
"I got into some trouble in the forest and lost my map. Can you tell me where I am? I need to know if this is the right place."
The guard caught the gold coin carefully. Although the gold coin was light, it was still a good extra money.
"This the Aster Town. Master Markolov lives around here. If you go a bit further, you can meet Master Jerad and Master Para. They can give you a test if you are a noble. Please follow me."
The tall guard led Angele to the stone wall and pointed at a yellow poster.
"Take a look. You need to meet the requirements to take the test."
The other guards looked jealous after seeing the tall guard talking to Angele. They just bowed to Angele and stayed by the gate. It seemed like they reached a certain agreement. Only one guard could talk to the 'customer' at a time.
Angele did not care about the other guards. He focused on the poster.
"Huh…"
The words were written in Anmag.
'Jerad. One magic stone per year. Age, younger than 20. Must be a noble.'
'Markolov. One magic stone per year. Age, younger than 20. Must be a noble. Also looking for servants.'
'Para. One magic stone per year. Age, younger than 20. Must be a noble.'
There were different gray insignias drawn beside their names.
Jerad had the insignia of a flower, Markolov had the insignia of a burning flame, and Para had the insignia of a stone.
Angele recognized those insignias right away.
Chapter 163: Lay Low (2)
Translator: Leo Editor: Frappe
Those crests were symbols representing elemental categories. Angele found that out while purchasing spells in school.
'So, Jerad focuses on Plant, Markolov focuses on Fire, and Para focuses on Rock. These crests are commonly used among the Wizards…' Angele thought.
'I didn't expect Wizards to take in apprentices for a small price. What's going on here?'
'Wait, but the requirements are so low. They are not expecting talented students. They just want to earn some extra magic stones. The three are not contracted Wizards… There should be many Wizards in this area, which means there's a resource point around. Nomadic Wizards won't stay in the same area for too long unless something attracts them here.'
Angele read the poster and started planning.
'I can go talk to them first and see if I can find some herbs to treat my wounds. Although nomadic Wizards don't usually follow the systems, they still carry rare materials and spell books.' Angele remembered acquiring his Metal spells from a nomadic Wizard.
Angele's Metal Mastery helped him win against a Liquid Stage Wizard. Although the chip, the signet, and the enchanted item assisted him a lot during the fights, the barriers and the forcefield created by Metal Mastery were still a few of the main reasons he survived. Combined with his physical capabilities, he could often gain advantages when the battle started.
Angele stopped thinking. He turned his head around and looked at the tall guard.
"Where's Master Markolov? Can you lead me to him?" He took out several gold coins from the pouch. The golden glint attracted everyone's attention.
Those guards were from relatively rich families based on the look of their suits inside the armors. They chose to become gate guards because they wanted to earn some extra money by leading nobles who wanted to be apprenticed to Wizards.
"Of course, sir! I'll take you there!" The guard gulped before responding.
He turned around and discussed with the other guards on how to share the reward.
"Please follow me."
"Sure." Angele nodded. He said goodbye to the coachman and followed after the guard.
They left the city gate, walked along the city wall, and entered a hidden path.
The path was dark and wet. The guard untied the torch from his belt and lighted it up with a flint stone.
The yellow light brightened up the area around the two right away.
"To be honest, I suggest you find the other two masters. Master Markolov is famous for his strictness with the students. Now, nobles only go to Master Para's and Master Jerad's places," the guard told Angele in a light tone.
"What is this strictness you're talking about?" Angele asked. He was busy giving Zero orders.
"I'm not sure… I just heard that he was strict with the students. Many people were kicked out of his place, and he only took in three apprentices." The guard shook his head.
"However, the other masters have at least twenty apprentices at the moment."
"Is that so?" Angele was not too concerned. Blue light dots were flashing in front of his eyes.
He was far away from the location where the fight happened already, but he still felt uncomfortable. It was almost like the stickiness you get after sweating a lot.
Angele thought the old man he saw on the cliff probably placed a curse or mark on him. He kept asking the chip to scan him on his way here.
He assumed that seeing the cliff from the forest was due to the mentality surplus, but he did not know what triggered it. It felt like the prophecy spells Angele had read about in the school's library, but such spells usually had small ranges. Also, Zero's scanning ability was impacted by Angele's body injuries. The chip scanned his body many times, but it did not detect any issue. Angele knew that the threat was gone or the source of threat decided to let him go, so he decided to deal with it after he recovered.
'To recover naturally, you need at least three months,' Zero reported.
Angele creased his eyebrows. His injury was severe and his power almost halved. After meditation, his mana already recovered, but he had only about 10 Mana at the moment along with the reduced attributes. He could not even cast a modified Lesser Fireball since it would cost him at least 10 points of mana.
Angele could not store the spell in the chip if he could not cast it. Also, the transfer of energy from the chip to his body was not perfect. Angele's body needed one second to prepare for the transfer. For that reason, he could not just simply use the energy particles or mana stored in the chip to help him cast the spells.
The stored energy was for emergencies only. It could not replace Angele's mana, so he could not store Lesser Fireball in the chip until he fully recovered from the injury.
Good thing was Angele's signet still had two uses left, which made him felt a bit relieved.
After about half an hour, he saw a row of black metal fences barring his way on a small hill.
"That's it. It's Master Markolov's place. I'll leave here," the guard turned around and explained.
Angele nodded and threw a gold coin to the guard. The guard smiled, catching the gold coin before he left.
He waited till the guard disappeared from his sight before walking up the hill.
The fences were coated with energy particles. It was most likely an alarm. If Angele touched it, the people inside would know someone was here.
Angele thought for a while and decided not to enter it directly.
He walked around and found a thick bush. Angele hid behind it and used the stealth techniques he had learned before. He vanished into the darkness and left no trace behind.
About two hours later, Angele heard some intense footsteps from the path.
Two men in gray robes walked up the hill with torches in hands. The flames were dancing and there were two long shadows on the ground.
"…If we can capture him, the money we get will be good enough for the rest of our lives," the gray-robed male said. It would seem that they were discussing a certain plan.
"Even if he's here, weaklings like us will die in seconds…" The other Wizard apprentice was a female.
Angele overheard their conversation as they got closer.
"30 high-quality magic stones and they only needed his location. They did not expect other people to capture the man for them. I think he must have some powerful spells." The man lowered his voice.
"So what? Our master is better. He can make a large tree explode with a single instant-cast Fireball. Even the two masters I saw in Ferrero were much weaker than our master." The girl disdained the man's opinion.
"Well, yeah… Our master is better for sure. He was famous for Fire spells and that was the reason why I came here. However, I didn't expect for the spell to be so hard to learn." The man had a bitter smile on his face.
"I spent three years here and hadn't understood a single spell model yet. When can I actually start doing experiments…"
"Same here."
The two walked to the fences and opened the metal door as they walked in.
The girl was still talking to the man while walking.
"I think I'll give up too if I can't understand our master's system in three months. It's way too difficult for me… I wonder what the level-1 spells are like. A level-0 spell has more than 72 different structures… How is that even possible? I can't even understand the spell books."
"Still better than me. I'm stuck on the fundamentals…" The man looked a bit depressed.
They kept walking and slowly disappeared by the corner. Angele stayed behind the bush and did not move an inch.
After a while, another man appeared on the path. He just stood there and watched the gray robes leaving.
"Natalia… You'll be mine one day!" the man suddenly whispered.
"If that old prick didn't trick me with a fake one…"
Under the moonlight, Angele saw the man gritting his teeth. The man had blue pupils and brown hair. He looked like he was at the same age as Angele.
Angele's assumption was right. The old man with red beard had already placed a price on his head. He now needed to proceed with extreme caution.
The man in front of him was just a rank 1 Wizard apprentice and was weaker than the other two gray robes. The two were rank 2 Wizard apprentices and one of them was carrying an enchanted item.
The rank 1 Wizard apprentice was probably related to the old Wizard here since he was acting like a spoiled child.
Angele had a plan on the mind after staring at him for a while. He crouched and calculated the distance between him and the rank 1 Wizard apprentice.
About nine meters.
He slowly raised his hand and aimed at the man.
*CHI*
A dark shadow rushed out of his hand and hit the back of the apprentice. The shadow melted and then covered the man's nose and mouth.
Angele pulled the shadow back with force, and the man was dragged toward him.
*BAM*
The man flew to the bush and landed on the grasses.
"*#%#$@^#^$$@^..."
He struggled and tried to say something.
Angele narrowed his eyes and chopped the man in the neck with right hand.
The man fainted right away and Angele dragged him into the deep forest.
Half an hour later.
A man walked out of the forest from the side.
He was wearing a gray robe. His eyes were blue and his hair brown.
The man rubbed his chin, checking if the mask was done right.
After several seconds, his cheeks puffed up and a silver glint reflected on his skin. The skin returned to its original color after the shape of the man's face was modified.
"I'm Dennis, I'm Dennis, I'm Dennis…" He kept muttering this phrase as his voice continually changed. The man coughed several times. He now sounded just like the rank 1 Wizard apprentice Angele dragged into the bush from before.
"Theoretically, it should work. Let me give this a try. I hope I can find the cure to whatever was planted on my body."
He was satisfied with the result, so he stopped talking. The man walked to the fences and opened the black metal door before disappearing into the corner.
Chapter 164: Lay Low (3)
Translator: Leo Editor: Frappe
He walked down the dark path and went across a small forest, then he arrived at a small house.
Two oil lamps were hanging on the door of the house. The dim light only brightened about a small area in the front, and the oil lamps knocked on the door from time to time as the wind blew.
Angele wiped the dust off his clothes and walked to the fences of the yard.
He put his hand on the cold wooden handle and pushed it slightly.
"Dennis! You're back." In the yard, a cute chubby girl wearing a gray robe was watering the flowers. She turned around and raised her head.
"Yeah, where's Sidman?" Angele asked.
"He's inside."
"I'll talk to you later."
"Sure."
Angele passed through the yard and entered the house. It was bright inside, and the walls were decorated with fine glass lamps.
It was warm and cozy inside. The fragrance of fruit wine permeated the air.
An old man with white messy hair sat in a sofa quietly in the living room explaining something to the Wizard apprentice named Sidman in a low voice. Two glasses of warm green wine were placed on the table in front of the two.
Angele could also smell some spices he could not recognize in the room.
He was a bit worried when he decided to disguise himself as Dennis. However, he felt relieved after seeing the old man. The old man was just a below average Wizard. He had not yet reached the Gas stage.
If the old man had reached Gas or Liquid stage, there would be no point for him in staying beside a countryside and collect materials. Joining any major Wizard organization would bring him much more benefit.
The old man's Mentality was much lower than Angele, so he was not worried that the man could see through his disguise.
Angele was not expecting to meet a high-rank Wizard, but he was injured, and the signet was the only thing he could rely on at the moment. He also wanted to save the charges for more important matters.
"Master, I'm back." He imitated Dennis's voice.
"Alright." The old man glanced at him for a bit and nodded, then continued to chat with Sidman.
Dennis was just a rank 1 Wizard apprentice, but he was the son of the old Wizard's younger brother. Angele learned the information during the interrogation. It seemed that Dennis did not get treated differently due to his relationship with the Wizard. His rank was lower than the other two Wizard apprentices, so he had to clean the rooms every day and carry daily supplies back from the town.
Dennis came to the Wizard one year ago. He was having trouble progressing and he barely talked to the old man. He would rather take the books back to his room and read them himself.
Also, the old man did not treat Dennis like an apprentice. Dennis was shy and quiet, so it was not hard for Angele to act like him.
Angele was alone most of the time and he got used to it already. One of the characteristics of being an introvert was having a preference of not communicating with people.
Old man Markolov was wearing a white robe. There was a silver metal string inserted into his collar. He was explaining things to Sidman, but Sidman did not seem to understand what his master was saying.
Angele listened to their conversation for a while. They were just talking about the fundamentals of energy particles. It was just a waste of time for him, so he went straight to Dennis's room on the first floor. Dennis had said that Wizard apprentices were only allowed to live in one of the rooms behind the living room.
He walked to the end of the hall and saw Dennis's name on one of the four bedrooms' door.
Angele opened the door with the key and locked it after walking inside.
'I'm good as long as Markolov doesn't know who I am.' Angele pursed his lips to a smile.
Angele had to burn the real Dennis into a pile of ash after he tried to escape.
The room was simple. A desk and a single bed were set up by the corners. He also saw several black wooden chairs and a small bookshelf on the side.
Angele lit the oil lamp. He grabbed a chair and sat down by the desk.
There was a thick leather book on the desk and the title was written in Anmag. It said, 'The Basics of Energy Compression'.
Angele opened the book.
'Energy Compression is an important subject that is being studied by many Wizards. It is also the standard testing method for those who can turn their bodies into pure energy'. This was the first line on the first page.
'Huh? This must be Markolov's book. He hasn't reached Gas stage yet, but he's studying such a deep energy related subject?' Angele was curious.
He turned the page and kept reading.
Time passed and Angele's expression turned serious. He finished the book after about half an hour.
Angele closed the book as he closed his eyes.
'72 formulas. Combining them together, many energy compression related problems can be easily solved. It's impossible for a nomadic Wizard to understand such concept. Maybe he inherited it from one of the ancient Wizard families…' Angele was still thinking about the complicated formulas and structures he saw in the book.
The structures demonstrated how to compress any type of energy particles. It was like a complicated mathematical problem. Using different formulas to obtain the simple result.
'Learning the formulas are easy. The problem is how to apply them to the real issue. Logical thinking is definitely needed here. The more I compress the energy, the more mentality will be consumed, but the result will be worth it. Also, that must be why Markolov can make a large tree explode with a simple Fireball.���
Angele was excited with what he just found. Although he knew each nomadic Wizard had their own secrets, he still did not expect to find the knowledge on energy compression here.
Angele chose to see Markolov because he was more familiar with Fire spells. Finding the knowledge about energy compression was just a bonus for him.
If he could master the energy compression formulas, he would be able to power up all his abilities.
Angele grabbed the oil lamp and walked to the bookshelf. He wanted to find other books related to the subject.
However, he was disappointed that the books on the shelf had no related information, and none of them was valuable.
Angele sat on the chair and thought for a while. He decided to meditate on the bed first. He still needed several months to recover, so he had plenty of time to research.
*********************************
At noon, Angele left the drugstore in the town and walked to the direction of the town gate.
He saw residents gathered beside a large poster on the wall.
People were excited. They were discussing the content of the poster. Angele stopped by the crowd and raised his head to check what was happening.
The title of the poster said, 'Criminal Wanted', and below that was a painting of Angele's face.
'The reward for capturing this person is 500,000 gold coins and 200 high-quality magic stones. People who bring valid intel to me will be rewarded with 50,000 gold coins and 30 high-quality magic stones.'
'200 high-quality magic stones…' Angele was a bit surprised.
"The best we can do is getting them intel. Only Wizards can fight the wanted man, I think. What did he do to the White Mist Forest? Haha." A young man behind him laughed.
"We don't need to work for the rest of our lives if we can find this man."
"He's in deep shit… Several major Wizard organizations want him dead. You saw the insignias? Damn. The Miloshine Family, White Mist Forest, and Labyrinth College, what the hell did he do?" a mercenary-like brawny man asked in a low voice.
"I don't know. We're just mortals. We should mind our own businesses."
The crowd kept discussing.
Angele spent most of the time cleaning the rooms and organizing books in the house in the last ten days. No one saw through his disguise as he barely said any word.
He purchased some herbs to make healing potion from the drugstore in the town and he was recovering well, but he still needed some time to heal his organs.
Angele went to the drugstore again today, but he did not expect to see the poster on the wall. He left the crowd with a bag in his left and walked to Markolov's house.
He walked down the dark path, passed through the fences, and returned to the house quickly. Before he opened the door, he heard two people having a conversation in the living room.
"Are you sure about this?" Markolov asked.
"Yes, master. My family is disappointed at me because I haven't progressed in years and they want me to go back… Please forgive me…" Sidman answered in a shaky tone.
Markolov thought for a while, and responded, "I understand… So, what's your plan?"
"I'll leave as soon as possible." Sidman hesitated for a second.
"Also, thanks for teaching me. I'm just not talented enough to understand the complicated system." He sounded depressed.
"It's not your fault." Markolov sighed and ended the conversation.
Angele waited by the door until the two finished their words. He opened the door and saw Markolov and Sidman sitting on the sofa with depressed looks on their faces.
He bowed to Markolov politely and returned to his room.
Sidman hired a carriage in the afternoon and left the Aster Town.
Angele and Natalia said goodbye to him and watched him leave, but Markolov stayed in the house. It looked like he was planning something.
Chapter 165: Lay Low (4)
Translator: Leo Editor: Frappe
Angele and Natalia watched the gray carriage leave under the setting sun.
"I'll be leaving too…" Natalia suddenly said.
"I tried as hard as I could, but… maybe I'm just not talented enough."
Angele did not say anything. He just listened to Natalia's words. It was what the late Dennis would do in this situation.
If a Wizard apprentice could not reach rank 3 before the age of 18, it would be impossible for him to become a formal Wizard. Sidman and Natalia did not rank up during the years, they were probably disappointed with themselves. Also, they could not handle the pressure from their families anymore.
Angele and Natalia returned to the house after the carriage disappeared in their sights. They were not in the mood to chat, so they went back to their own rooms after showering.
Angele needed to clean the room on the second floor at night. He went upstairs with a mop in hands and heard someone turning pages in the study.
"Is that Dennis? Come here." Markolov's voice came from the study. He sounded tired.
Angele pushed the door open.
"You need me? Master?"
The room was a mess. Books and scrolls piled up on Markolov's desk. There was a thick book in his hand and it seemed like he was looking for certain information. He was also making notes on a long leather scroll.
"Some data is missing. Can you bring me the books from the basement, please? The ones with red covers."
"For sure."
Angele took a glance at the books on the deck after responding to the old man's request. He noticed those bloodshot eyes of Markolov. It seemed that he had not rested for a while.
'Why's he trying so hard?' Angele could sense that the old man was weak.
He also saw the title on the leather scroll, it said: 'Simplified Energy Compression Calculation'.
Angele turned around and walked down the stairs. In the dark and dry basement, there was a whole box of books with red covers. The box weighed about a hundred kilograms. Angele carried the books to Markolov's reading after running up and down several times.
Markolov asked Angele to return to his own room after everything was done. He was still reading the books with red covers.
*********************
Time flew by.
Angele had already stayed in the house for three months. He had almost fully recovered from the injury, but he still needed some more time. Furthermore, people were hunting him outside, so he only went to town when necessary.
"Dennis." Markolov summoned Angele to the study. He was sitting in a chair while looking outside through the window.
"Master," Angele bowed and responded.
"Dennis, why aren't you leaving? My brother already sent you the letter, right?" Markolov looked tired and depressed, his hair messy. Angele could not even see the soul from his eyes.
Angele remained silent for a while. He did receive a letter from the town. It was Dennis's family asking him to return. Also, Dennis's family found an enchanted item that would help him join a major Wizard organization.
"I… don't want to leave. You're the best master in my opinion!" Angele said after thinking for a while. It was his genuine thought. Although Markolov's energy compression system was hard to learn, it could still create a shortcut for Angele. Also, he wanted to wait until his injury fully recovered.
Angele was not related to Dennis's family, so he had no reason to listen to their words. He decided to leave after his organs were cured because he was not the real Dennis.
Also, Angele spent some time observing Markolov. He already had a general understanding of the old man.
There were many goals Markolov wanted to accomplish in his life, but he always had been interrupted by various issues. He would spend about an hour just sitting there looking at the sky through the window every day. Angele knew he was suffering from depression.
"Alright, you can leave now," Markolov spoke in a light tone. It seemed like he was pleased with Angele's response.
Angele bowed. He turned around and opened the door. He saw Natalia waiting outside and Angele's presence surprised her. She did not understand why Angele was called to the second floor.
Natalia did not greet him. She walked into the reading room and locked the door.
Angele shook his head slightly. He was not concerned about the other two Wizard apprentices' lives since he would be leaving once he was recovered from his injuries. Markolov's energy compression system was great and it piqued his interest. However, Angele could not stay here for too long. Also, there was still an unknown mark planted in his body by the red beard. If he got greedy, he might be captured by the people who were after him.
Angele heard Natalia talking to Markolov from the study behind before he left the hallway.
"Natalia, you're here. I prepared a detailed note for you. It's about the simplified energy compression calculation method. You did well the last time, and with this, I believe you'll be able to reach the next stage. In the note, I added…"
"Sorry, master. I have to leave, too…" Natalia interrupted.
The room became deafeningly silent.
After several minutes, Natalia spoke again.
"My carriage is waiting for me outside… Thank you for all these years…" Natalia opened the door. She looked at Angele but did not say anything. She just ran down the stairs and left the house.
Angele turned his head around and stared at the open door of the study. He sighed, lowered his footsteps, and walked down the stairs.
*******************************
Natalia left the house as well. The house seemed a bit too big now for Angele and Markolov. The place was empty and quiet.
Markolov summoned Angele to the study again by the evening. His condition was worsening after Natalia left. Angele saw him staring at the window and wondered what he was thinking.
No one talked after Angele entered the room. The silence lasted for about half an hour.
Markolov turned his head around and looked Angele.
"I know you're reading the books I stored in the basement recently. You can have these notes I made. They'll help you study." He grabbed all the notes on the desk. Angele saw him writing that word-by-word not so long ago.
Markolov handed all the notes over to Angele. It seemed like 'Dennis' was his last hope. A strong Wizard who failed to find a talented apprentice to inherit his knowledge. It made Angele feel downcast.
Angele opened his mouth, but he did not know what to say. He was a Gas Stage Wizard and he already knew that Markolov was dying. Markolov's attributes were decreasing every day. Angele could not even sense his energy particles in the room.
He read about the information on a book that when a Wizard was about to die, his mana and mentality would dissipate. Markolov was not injured. He was just reaching the limit of his life expectancy, and that was the reason why he so desperately wanted to find someone to inherit his knowledge.
Angele grabbed the thick notes and looked at Markolov directly in the eyes.
"Thank you, master. I won't let you down." He nodded with a serious expression on his face.
Markolov was just a dying Wizard who wanted to pass his knowledge to one of his apprentices.
"There is a total of 72 energy compression formulas. I obtained them from the master of my master. Now, I need to find someone to inherit them." Markolov smiled, looking relieved.
"If you're serious about learning the formulas, I have another more detailed note for you. I copied them down one by one from my master's book."
He struggled for a second before he stood up and took down a metal container from a bookshelf. There was a scroll inside.
"Alright, come to me every day for a new scroll. Dennis, remember, your talent level is low, but that's not the problem. If you work hard, one day you'll understand the system. Never give up."
"Yes, master." Angele nodded.
*********************************
The information recorded on Markolov's scrolls was way too difficult for Wizard apprentices and average Wizards to understand. However, Angele had Zero, and the chip could help him understand the complicated application of the formulas.
Combining the formulas in different ways would help him simplify the steps needed to compress the energy, and it was a high-difficulty technique. Also, after doing some research, it would seem that the technique could bring positive changes to his metal forcefield. However, due to the lack of data, Zero could not simulate the changed forcefield.
His spell power would be increased greatly if he could master the special energy compression technique.
It was a pleasant surprise.
Markolov did not care whether Angele understood the information or not. He just wrote down all the things he knew and threw all the scrolls to Angele. It was as if he had no time to find another talented apprentice to pass on the system.
Angele was excited that he could learn something new every day. He stored all the data in Zero, and he was progressing extremely fast with his strong logical thinking ability.
Angele's injury had fully recovered in the process, but he was not in a hurry to leave anymore. Markolov would summon him to the study in the morning and Angele would spend the whole day learning the new knowledge.
At first, Angele thought that the technique could only be used to compress energy, but later he realized it could also be applied to mentality compression.
He kept reading all the books and notes in Markolov's collection and finally found the technique about mentality compression.
Angele noticed that the red beard Wizard planted something in the flow of his mentality a while ago, but if he could master the mentality compression technique, he could easily interrupt or eliminate tracking spells like this.
Chapter 166: The Land of Opulence – Nola (1)
Translator: Leo Editor: Frappe
It was still a bit dark outside. The sun had just appeared upon the horizon, and the howling wind blew through the forest.
Angele lay down on the bed with his eyes closed, but his eyeballs were still rolling.
A layer of translucent distorted shield covered his head, which looked like glue.
The glue shrunk as the time passed. Initially, it was about the size of Angele's head, but after ten minutes, it evenly spread on his face and became much thinner than before.
The morning sunlight passed through the window and brightened up the room.
The glue on Angele's face had already been absorbed by his skin.
*Crack*
A red light dot appeared on Angele's forehead. It was trying to fly out of the window.
*PA*
Angele hit the red light dot in the air with his hand.
The light dot was crushed into some fire sparks and it disappeared.
Angele opened his eyes and sat on the bed.
'Finally, it's gone.' Angele was relieved. 'Without the mentality compression, I won't be able to get rid of this thing. Also, the wave motion of my mentality was changed after practicing mentality compression. I think even the Wizards that are good at divination won't be able to track me down anymore.'
Angele relaxed for a bit before getting off the bed. He sat down by the desk, lighted the oil lamp, and started reading the scroll he acquired not so long ago.
After he recorded everything with the chip, Angele practiced some applications of the basic compression structures until the sun rose.
He sealed the scroll, opened the door, and left the room.
The living room was silent. The dust in the air was visible under the sunlight. Angele stretched his back and walked up the stairs.
A new scroll would appear on the desk in the study every morning that had been prepared by Markolov. Angele would take the scroll and study it in his own room. It already became a part of his daily routine. Markolov usually got up early. He would sit in the chair and wait for Angele to come. However, Angele found no one in the room this morning after he pushed the door open.
A yellow letter was left on the chair with a white seal on top of it.
Angele was a bit surprised. He walked to the chair and grabbed the seal. It was Markolov's private seal. He then grabbed the letter and opened it:
'Dennis, right? I'll just use this name.
I already taught you everything I know. I can feel that my life energy is drying up… Last night, I talked to my son, Karen, in my dream. He's still handsome and gentle. He told me that he purchased a large house in Valborg… I also saw my grandson. He told me they were going to have fun in the pool… Also, my old friend, Medivh, he was there too.
I'm dying, and I don't know how much time is left for me. However, there's something I have to do. You can do whatever you want to the house after you read the letter. Also, I beg you, study and master the energy compression application. This technique must be passed on to the future generations.
Markolov.'
The letter ended here, Angele put it down on the desk. Markolov wanted to finish teaching Angele as fast as possible, so he could pursue the last wish in his life. Moreover, he must've not wanted for Angele to witness his death due to his pride.
Dennis was the son of Markolov's brother and he had many brothers. However, Dennis's talent level was worse than his personality. Angele's studying ability was much stronger than the real Dennis. Angele tried his best not to do anything suspicious, but Markolov still noticed Dennis's change after all that time they had spent together.
At least, the old Wizard ultimately found someone who could understand his system.
Angele glanced around the room, feeling gloomy. He knew that the old Wizard had left the house while he was trying to compress his mentality. Although Angele knew that this day would come, he hadn't expected to be so soon.
Angele already got rid of the seed and fully recovered from the injury, so he decided to travel to his next destination. He made sure that no one was around before he took down a black pouch from his belt.
It was the pouch found on Arisa's body. He carefully untied the pouch and took out a bean-sized black crystal ball.
"I shall leave too." He sighed. He threw the crystal ball in the air and left the room without looking back.
The crystal ball dropped on the red carpet and turned into distorted dark waves, slowly spreading to all angles.
*BOOM*
Everything the wave touched — the carpet, the desk, the bookshelf, and the decorations — started burning in the raging flames.
Outside the house, Angele stared at the burning house for a second and walked down the path with a small black case in his hand.
The house perished within the intense red flames. All the traces of the mentality and the mana were removed by the waves from the black crystal ball, including the seed eliminated by Angele.
***********************
Angele purchased many meat jerkies, water kegs, and other general supplies from the town. He also purchased two horses after double-checking the location of the closest big city around with the locals.
He headed to a big city named Eracia and asked the workers at the inn about the direction of Six Ring High Tower. Angele did not want to waste any time. He purchased a map and left the city right after.
Angele was not too far from the Six Ring High Tower. He only needed to pass through two mid-sized countries. Also, this area was safe because it was in the middle of several major Wizard organizations. He did not even meet a single magic creature in the forest and the bandits had been cleaned out a long time ago. The mortals here were living a happy life. Some of them were hired by the Wizards to collect general materials for them.
Angele's plan was to go to the Six Ring High Tower first and find the information on the ring. Also, he needed to collect the materials for making the Tree Killer Potion and the Potion of Tranquility. There was still a price on his head and it was impossible for him to hide for too long, so he had to proceed with caution in the area. The red beard Wizard was much stronger than him at the moment, so he decided to come back here after reaching the next stage.
Angele traveled as fast as he could while avoiding contact with the members of the Wizard organizations that were targeting him. He spent a year to reach the area around the Six Ring High Tower.
The area was called Highland Nola, and legends said this place was the favorite residential area of many strong Wizards.
************************
The highland was empty, and the ground was covered by green or yellow grasses with pieces of tiny stones on top. The seemingly endless yellow path went straight to the horizon.
Marshmallow-like clouds were floating in the blue sky. Their shapes were changing every hour.
A man in a gray robe was traveling down this twisted road on a strong white house. His robe was covered in dust and his face with the hood.
It was the fourth day after Angele arrived at the highland. One of the horses he purchased died due to illness during the trip. The white one was now all he had.
The howling wind blew over Angele's face. It was quite cold.
A brown road sign was lying on the ground in the front. The ink on the sign had already faded and it seemed that no one tried to repair it over the years.
Angele looked relieved after finding the road sign.
"Finally, I'm getting close!" He stopped by the road sign and jumped off the horse.
He wiped the dust off the sign and saw several words written in Anmag: 'Nola, the Land of Affluence.'
Angele raised his head and looked ahead. There were two twisted white pillars on both sides of the road. They looked like two humongous fangs that were guiding the entrance quietly.
He held the reins in hand as he walked to one of the pillars and rubbed its surface. It was rough and cold. There were many tiny holes that resulted from the weathering.
"This is the border of Nola…"
Angele rested beside the pillars for a while before leaving.
There were many random forked paths on the main road after about 10 kilometers. They looked like yellow cloth stripes that were laid down beside the main road. The main road was covered by tiny stones and was about ten meters wide.
The only thing he could see was the endless road. There was no other traveler around. After traveling for two more hours, he could find a random path about every hundred meters.
Angele finally saw a man in a gray robe came from a path from the left side. He was riding a yellow horse and he did not say a word while passing by. The man kept whipping the horse and he quickly disappeared in Angele's sight. It seemed like he was dealing with something urgent.
More and more people appeared along the paths as Angele advanced.
Some were riding horses and some were driving carriages. Angele saw fruits and wheat in the carts attached to their carriages. Also, most of the people were wearing gray robes. Angele could sense the energy particles around coming from rank 2 Wizard apprentices.
The people he saw on the way were all Wizard apprentices. He did not even meet a single mortal.
Angele arrived at a large peaceful lake. He could see the gray mountains on the other side of the water.
The surface of the lake was like an enormous mirror. The clouds and the sky reflected on the surface of it. Two groups of people were resting by the lake. Some of them were washing their faces and some of them were setting up campfires by their carriages. It seemed like they were cooking something, Angele could smell the fragrance of fish soup in the air.
Angele jumped off the horse and held the reins in hand. He took down a large empty water pouch from the saddle.
The horse started drinking water by the lake. Angele crouched and refilled his water pouch with the clean lake water.
Chapter 167: The Land of Opulence – Nola (2)
Translator: Leo Editor: DarkGem
Bubbles rose to the surface as Angele put the pouch into the lake. The water was clean and cold. He could see the fish swimming through the waving grasses underwater.
There were thin ripples on the surface of the water, and Angele saw a palm-sized silver fish moving toward him. Strangely, its head was flat, and it almost looked like someone had cut it in half. Its face looked like a tiny depressed human with sharp teeth under the lips.
The strange-looking fish saw Angele's hands in the lake, and its eyes filled up with greed. It quickly swung its tail and charged forward.
*CHI*
A silver needle appeared on the tip of Angele's right hand's index finger and penetrated the fish's body.
He grabbed the dead fish, dragged it out of the water, and started observing curiously.
It was identical to regular silver-scaled fish except for its head. The fish was still moving after it was dragged out of the water, blood dripping down its tail.
Angele's actions attracted people's attention from one of the groups that had already left after washing their faces. A young man and a girl from the group beside the campfire watched him killing it. They were interested in the spell Angele had just casted.
Angele dropped the dead fish onto the ground and walked to the people beside the campfire.
They were wearing clothes with identical sigils. Some of them were in hunting suits while the others were wearing robes and dresses. White arrow marks were on top of their left shoulders; it looked like they were made of metal.
Angele took a glance at their carriages and also found the white arrow marks there, on the black doors. They looked simple but high-quality.
A young man stood up after seeing Angele walking over to them. He was wearing a brown leather coat and long boots. It seemed like he was the leader of the group.
"How can I help you?" the man asked in standard Anmag. It was the universal language in this area.
The other five people looked at Angele and stood up as well. Angele took a glance at them and checked their status with the chip.
Three rank 2 apprentices and 3 rank 3 apprentices. They were also carrying weapons like swords and scimitars.
"My name is Green, it's my first time here. Can you tell me some information about the Land of Opulence, Nola?" Angele answered in Anmag with a smile, making up the name on the spot.
He slightly swung his hand and a regular magic stone appeared on his palm. The leader observed Angele for a second and smiled after seeing what was on his palm.
"Sure, no problem. Come have a seat."
The leader waved his hand and asked the others to make space for Angele.
Angele walked to the campfire and sat down by it.
"Can you tell me about the organizations around here first, I really have no idea about the situation."
The leader sat down by Angele and pointed at a young girl wearing a leather skirt.
"Asuna, explain it to him, you know the most about the organizations."
The girl nodded, looking happy. The other people around shook their heads. It seemed like they all liked the only girl in the group.
"Sure, I need the money anyway." The girl turned her head around and looked at Angele.
"The situation of the organizations here is simple."
She cleared her throat.
"Nola has three major wizard organizations: Six Ring High Tower, White Tooth Castle, and The Snake Bird Cliff. The Six Ring High Tower has the most power, while White Tooth Castle is located at White Tooth Highland, and it is second in power. The Snake Bird Cliff is at the third place.
"The Six Ring High Tower is famous for its enchanted items and potions. The White Tooth Castle is the strangest organization among the light wizards, and The Snake Bird Cliff is not funded by humans. Also, there are many small wizard organizations in the area just trying to survive with their specialties, and that concludes the situation of the wizard organizations."
Angele nodded. "How about the mortals? The cities and the towns?"
"There are not many mortals here, most of the people are apprentices and they're from wizard families. The organizations need to trade resources with each other, so many towns and cities have turned into trading markets. Also, the wizards brought radiation energy to the residential areas, so the mortals here had to leave. The people left here are all related to the wizard families," the girl explained.
"There are many wizards and apprentices entering the land from outside to trade for resources or knowledge. One of the largest resource points on the land is also in the middle of the countries in the area."
Angele rubbed his chin, grasping the general idea of the situation here.
"So, this area is pretty much run by wizards and apprentices?"
"You're right. Nola is surrounded by many wizards' residential areas and they're the source of daily supplies. Actually, Nola is the center of this land."
The girl nodded.
"It's yours."
Angele smiled and threw the magic stone to the girl. The girl caught it and put it in her pouch.
"By the way, which organization are you guys from? Can you tell me?"
Angele stood up.
"Certainly, we're not from any of the three major wizard organizations. We're apprentices of the River Arrow."
The girl smiled.
"How long will it take to reach the town?"
"About two to three hours. If you're not in a hurry, you can join our group," the leader said, joining the conversation.
"Sure, much appreciated."
Angele nodded.
They shared some food by the lake and started traveling together.
More and more people appeared on the road ahead, and it was the first time Angele saw people wearing blue robes.
He observed the group while having a conversation with them. It seemed like they trusted each other a lot. The people here were different from the ones in the area that was full of dark wizards—they were willing to help and trust each other.
The atmosphere here was peaceful.
"Nola is the largest residential area for wizards on the west coast and most of the wizards here are light wizards. They're responsible for keeping the area peaceful and safe."
The leading man was driving the carriage and talking with Angele, who was riding a white horse.
"It's so peaceful here…"
Angele sighed.
"Yeah. Any form of fighting is forbidden here, it doesn't matter if you're an apprentice or a wizard. The rule itself is enforced by the three major wizard organizations. Its purpose is to provide apprentices and wizards that come here to study or do research a safe heaven. Actually, only dark wizards and Labyrinth College fight all day, the wizards in other areas would rather spend the time on studying. It takes years to learn the basics, but I think you already know that," the man explained.
A man with a mustache joined their conversation.
"I heard a ship was destroyed in an accident by the coastline of Labyrinth College awhile ago. The light wizard in charge went missing as well. It's the biggest news I heard this year. Some say the dark wizards did it. We barely fought any magical creatures… No way could we win a fight against a dark wizard."
"Of course… The dark wizards are put into dangerous environments the moment they become apprentices. We're light wizards and most of us just study our own projects, but the wizard hunters are an exception. The only thing the dark wizards care about is power. Apprentices die every day in the dark wizards' organizations."
A middle-aged man on the side sighed.
"Most of the apprentices are psychos. I can't even imagine what they'll do after becoming wizards…" the girl said, pursing her lips. "We're more civilized than those dark wizards for sure."
Angele did not say anything, just listening to their conversation with a smile on his face. The group kept discussing the things they knew about Nola, and Angele learned a lot.
He finally realized that he had only seen the dark side of the wizard world. According to the information these apprentices shared, most of the residential areas were controlled by light wizards, and they were usually safe.
Nola, Labyrinth College, and the land of dark wizards were all on the west coast.
The size of the land here still exceeded Angele's expectations.
"So, people here must join the organizations and families once they become apprentices? And they'll focus on the subjects they're good at? I lived in a remote area with my master and it's my first time learning the basics of wizard organizations," Angele said in a calm tone.
"Yeah." The girl nodded. "Here, more programs and research projects will bring more power to a major wizard organization. The Six Ring High Tower is definitely at the top. Five years ago, a humongous tornado hit the Silver Ring City, and I witnessed wizards from Six Ring High Tower eliminate the tornado with ease. They have a faculty that specializes in dealing with natural disasters."
"What? There are wizards specialized in dealing with natural disasters? How strong are they?" Angele asked curiously.
"They're weaker than the wizards specialized in fighting for sure…" The girl rolled her eyes.
"Also, there's a hunter force in the Six Ring High Tower. The members of the team are specialists in killing and city-level defensive skills. They're the only people that can fight the strongest dark wizards."
"A hunter force?"
Angele memorized the name.
Light wizards were not interested in engaging in wars or fights. The people living here thought that they had created an ideal society, and the hunter force was like the army and the police. They considered dark wizards as terrorists and uncivilized thugs.
Angele thought for a while and asked, "What if the dark wizards disguise themselves as light wizards and enter Nola? Won't that be dangerous?"
"It's not a problem. There are way more light wizards than dark wizards. They can stay here as long as they don't break any rules, but the necromancers are never allowed to enter Nola, they stink… Also, the hunter force has recruited several dark wizards already, it's not a big deal," the girl explained.
"Interesting."
Chapter 168: Requirements (1)
Translator: Leo Editor: DarkGem
Angele kept chatting with the group members as they advanced, obtaining a general idea of the rules and happenings here during the conversations on various topics.
The only girl named Asuna was a knife juggler, and she was in charge of ranged attacks.
The leader was named Silen. He had grown up in a wizard family, while the rest of the group members were apprentices from outside Nola.
"Your name reminds me of an old friend."
Angele pursed his lips into a smile.
"Is that so?" Silen smiled as well. "My grandfather named me. It means 'hope' in my hometown's language. Green, I haven't got the chance to ask you why you're here? We can help you if you need something."
Angele could see the sincerity in Silen's eyes.
"I'm just here for some rare materials. I already spent a long time trying to find them. If it's not too much trouble for you, I actually have some questions to ask, and I'll pay you for sure."
Angele nodded.
"No problem. The Silen Family originated in Nola and they're familiar with the area," Asuna added and chuckled.
More and more carriages appeared on the stone road as they traveled. There were also some pedestrians with heavy bags on their backs. The noise made by the rolling wheels and the horses was getting louder.
The carriages were going uphill and Angele saw tiny piles of snow and gray stones filling up the gaps between the green grasses.
He stayed on his horse and raised his head.
At the end of the road, a mountain covered in white snow appeared in his sight. A tall rectangular stone pillar stood in front of the entrance. The pedestrians were passing by its left side and the carriages were passing by its right side.
The surface of the stone pillar had the texture of glass: it was smooth and reflective.
Angele pulled the reins of his horse and slowed it down, observing the stone pillar carefully. After his mentality was compressed, he could see that it was surrounded by distorted waves.
It was almost like the stone pillar was a signal tower and the waves were spreading in all direction, but he was not sure what the waves could do.
"Silen, what's that?" Angele pointed at the stone pillar.
Silen looked at the direction Angele was pointed at and smiled. "It's the Pillar of Dark Crystal. I heard it's used to detect intense energy activity in a certain area and it's used to prevent wizards from casting powerful damage spells."
"Some say it can do more than that." The middle-aged man joined the conversation.
"Hey, Asuna. There's a message for you from your father, he wants to talk to you as soon as possible."
Asuna looked surprised. "What's the matter? I still need to clean the materials."
"Well, we can do that for you. Go see your father first. It's something urgent I think." Silen took out two mid-level magic stones from his pouch. One mid-level magic stone could be exchanged for ten regular magic stones.
He handed over the magic stones to Asuna.
"This is your share of the reward based on the current market rate. However, if the items are sold for a higher price, I'll keep the rest to myself. Heh…"
Silen looked at Asuna and chuckled.
"That' way too much… why?"
Asuna hesitated, but Silen had already thrown the magic stones to her, so she caught them in the air.
The others laughed while watching the scene. The conversation topic was changed right away and they stopped talking about the price of the items.
Angele already knew Asuna needed money, and the members of the group treated her like their own sister. They usually gave her a big portion of the reward; Angele liked that peaceful atmosphere in the group a lot.
"Actually, I have something to take care of later. Asuna, why don't you introduce the place to Green?" Silen suddenly asked.
"Umm… But I have to go see my father first…"
Asuna pursed her lips.
Angele smiled. He took out a mid-level magic stone and threw it to Asuna.
"It's for you."
Asuna caught it quickly. "That's too much. Just give me two regular magic stones. I'll get you the change…"
She quickly untied her pouch from the belt.
"It's fine. Put it back."
Angele waved his hand. He knew how important magic stones were to apprentices. He still had one black card in his pouch. The card was made from a special type of magic stone and it could be exchanged for about one thousand regular magic stones. And he also had several high-level magic stones for daily uses. To top it, he could craft potions and sell them. Earning magic stones was really not a problem to him anymore.
So Angele insisted on paying Asuna a mid-level magic stone, and her face blushing, she carefully put it into her pouch.
The group members' impression of Angele changed after seeing him giving away a mid-level magic stone so easily. They thought Angele was either rich or supported by a large wizard family.
Asuna sat in the carriage, her head lowered, and mumbled, "The reward for our mission plus the profit of selling the materials is about 60 magic stones, and this guy gave me one mid-level magic stone just for introducing the area to him…"
"Well, he's probably a member of a large family." A group member nodded. "Asuna, you should talk to him more. I'm sorry but, at this rate, you won't be able to pay the debt for your family… this is a chance…"
Asuna bit her lips but did not say anything. She knew getting closer to Green was her best option at the moment, but she still preferred to earn the money by doing missions with the group.
Outside the carriage, Green was still talking with Silen until the carriage stopped by the black pillar.
It was built on a square, which was made from some special stone with a gray surface. The carriages were entering from the right side of the pillar while pedestrians were mixed with the leaving carriages on the left side.
Angele halted the horse and stared at the black pillar. Its surface was smooth like a mirror, and it was surrounded by the translucent waves.
He then lowered his head and looked ahead. The square was built in a gap between the snow mountains. Everything was gray around here, and behind the black pillar, it was an entrance of a canyon.
Angele followed the people into the canyon, and he heard the noise of water falling. A humongous cup-shaped canyon appeared in his sight with two white streams cascading down the rocky outcrops; they were the source of the intense noise.
Countless sharp rock cliffs covered the surface of the black-grayish mountains.
Old gray stone houses were built on each of the cliffs, green mosses and vines climbing up their walls.
On the right side of the stone wall, there was a twisted mountain road leading the carriages and pedestrians uphill.
"Let's go."
Silen jumped off the carriage and held the reins of the two horses in hand.
Angele noticed that the road was a bit bumpy, meaning it would be a bad idea to travel too fast with the crowd, so he jumped off the horse and took the reins in hand as well.
The entrance was wide. It was good enough for five to six carriages to enter at the same time.
"We'll arrive at Nola after this canyon. There's a general market there that sells flour, meat, fruits, and daily supplies, everything you need on the road."
Asuna jumped off the carriage as well and followed after Angele.
"The markets are the most popular places in Nola. Each of the major organizations owns one major market. All the trading between wizard organizations must be done in those markets. However, this one here is open to public and it doesn't belong to any family or organization," Asuna explained.
"How many markets are there in Nola?" Angele wondered.
"Five in total including this one. Three are built by the major organizations and they're open to the apprentices or wizards from outside. The smaller organizations built one together as well."
Asuna pointed at the cliffs.
"You see those stone houses? They're vendors opened by the markets, and each one sells resources of a certain category. They're protected by the organizations that own them and the price usually seems fair.
"This one here, the public market, is protected by all the organizations since it's important for all the travelers and people living in Nola. One thing to note is that the three markets owned by the major organizations have high-level security, the wizards have too many tricks that need to be prevented."
"Indeed." Angele knew at least ten methods that could make a fair-looking trade unfair.
"Do they sell spell materials here?"
"Well, as I said, the public market only sells daily supplies. You don't get any materials that are related to spells here, but you can buy clothes or food, and of course, none of the suits are enchanted here."
They were slowly advancing through the crowded road. The warm and wet wind was howling through the canyon. The place was surrounded by snow mountains, but for some reason, it was still warm.
On one of the cliffs on the left, there were several carts parked in front of a stone house. Ten strong workers were carrying goods into the house and two supervisors were yelling at them. Their voices were unclear due to the noisy waterfalls.
Asuna noticed what Angele was looking at it and said, "That vendor sells beans, such as red beans, black beans, and sea beans. They're collected and delivered here by the merfolk." She stopped for a second. "Actually, most of the food here is delivered by merfolk."
"The merfolk?"
Angele was surprised.
"Yeah, look at their faces, I mean the ones carrying the goods down the cart."
Asuna lowered her voice.
Angele nodded and started observing those worker's faces.