Chapter 1245: Section 1246 Zithraide
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The Alia Principality, a few hundred miles away from the uninhabited region bordering the Pamiji Plateau, there is a remote city.
Its local name is ‘Ephesowe,’ but outsiders prefer to call it Shepherd City because it produces the icy plain rock sheep that are all the rage within the entire Alia Principality’s food industry. The farmers living here almost all have their own sheep pastures.
Due to the large number of sheep pastures, Shepherd City is unlike other cities, which are surrounded by tall city walls.
Shepherd City is a semi-open city with no city gates, only checkpoints set up on some main roads, somewhat resembling the Fairy Tale World’s Wotglas.
However, the fact that Shepherd City is a semi-open city does not mean it is unsafe. It is surrounded by mountains on two sides, and also by the Snowflake River that flows from the perennially frozen Pamiji Plateau. There’s only one flat road that leads into the city.
And that side just happens to have several steam train tracks. Not only do transportation companies need to guard the tracks, but the Shepherd City soldiers also strictly control them for safety reasons. So overall, there is some assurance of safety.
Near a square in the center of Shepherd City, three figures appeared out of thin air.
The surrounding area is a commercial district bustling with people, yet when these three figures appeared, no one turned their gaze upon them, as if they did not exist.
It was only after these three people made a move that a few nearby began to notice them. But there were too many people around, and even if some witnessed their sudden appearance, they merely thought their eyes were deceiving them and didn’t think too much of it.
Moreover, among these three people, two had a noble appearance and bearing, so ordinary people dared not look at them directly, let alone scrutinize them closely.
The trio walked down the road along the square and soon arrived near a small inn.
However, they did not enter the inn; instead, they went to the side of the inn and entered a narrow alley squeezed between two tall buildings.
The alley was very dark, and the ground, due to the perennial lack of sunlight, was damp and covered with moss.
“Mentor, where are we going now?” asked the handsome young man with golden hair and blue eyes, his bangs hanging down, concealing the position of his right eye.
The young man was none other than Angel, who had just returned from the Abyss. As for the person he was addressing, it was naturally the renowned Southern Domain War God—the ‘Illusion Master’ Sanders.
“We’re going to see an old friend of mine and by the way, inquire about the current situation of the Pamiji Plateau,” Sanders paused, his gaze slowly shifting toward Angel’s back.
Popota, covered by his cloak, trembled and lowered his head without a word.
Sanders’ eyes grew dark. A gray halo flashed over his earring, and Popota’s figure disappeared without a trace.
“Let him stay in the Gravity Garden for now,” Sanders said, then told Angel, “You come with me.”
They walked along the long alley, eventually reaching its end.
A gas lamp hung on the wall, its dim yellow light not very bright, but it clearly illuminated the cursive writing by a large door at the end of the alley.
“If you are willing to burn the brilliance of life in exchange for a rose, I think you must be insane.”
Angel read out the flourish of cursive writing softly, furrowing his brows slightly; he did not understand the meaning of this sentence.
Nor did he understand why such a sentence was inscribed in front of this door.
Sanders explained, “This sentence comes from the ‘Dancer of Sin and Flowerseller,’ a book without much significance. However, in this book, a Demon named Zithraide turns the protagonist from a poor man into a wealthy merchant, and eventually a knight and general, while the protagonist pays with his life, soul, and feelings in exchange. In the end, the protagonist ends up with a flower seller, believing he has broken the Demon’s constraints and gained love. But at their wedding, Zithraide said he wanted to conduct a test. If the protagonist could pass it, then not only would he be able to have love, but he would also regain his lost soul and life.”
“The protagonist agreed, so the Demon turned him into a weathered beggar—no longer handsome, no longer wealthier than a nation—wanting to test the flower seller’s choices. If the flower seller chose to marry him still, the Demon’s test would have been a failure.”
“The protagonist thought the flower seller was still the kind and beautiful girl he first met, not knowing that during their time together, the flower seller had been dazzled by wealth and charm. After tasting the life of a wealthy lady, how could she be willing to follow a protagonist who had grown old and poor? As a result, the flower seller left just moments before entering the wedding hall.”
After listening to Sanders’ story, Angel’s mouth twitched, “It does sound quite pointless. Demons are not so kind.”
“However, this trite story is quite famous in the Alia Principality; the newspaper serializing this novel became the top paper in the Alia Principality overnight.”
Angel neither agreed nor disagreed, nodding: “Portraying the fickleness of a woman, depicting the protagonist’s loyalty, these types of novels are cherished by the traditional nobility. Because, oftentimes the story is the opposite of reality.”
Sanders made no comment but smiled and walked forward to push open the big door at the end of the alley.
“Let’s go, let’s see my good old friend, the kind Demon.”
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Angel didn’t show any surprise; he had basically guessed who the owner of the room was when Sanders told the story.
It was only upon entering the room that he discovered it was an antique shop.
In the gold-rimmed glass cabinets, there were antiques from various countries and different periods, among which Angel even spotted a spherical astrolabe from Feran Continent’s Glittering Silver Era.
Exotic treasures filled his view, a dazzling array to behold.
Moreover, the place was well-lit, and the light collided with the gold and silver utensils, making even the most ordinary item seem dazzling.
However, for Sanders and his apprentice, the antiques here were mundane and did not attract much of their attention.
At that moment, something like a metal box spiraled down in front of them. Judging by its size, Angel’s first thought was a coffin, but when the door of the coffin opened, he realized it was probably a… mechanical elevator?
Inside the elevator was an old man in a robe. His hunched back was toward Angel and Sanders as he spoke, slowly turning around with full panache.
“Those who enter must have something on their minds. Esteemed guests, do you intend to trade your lifespan, or perhaps your spirit…” However, he stopped mid-panache as he turned his head and faced Sanders directly.
“Uh… ahahaha, it turns out to be Illusion Demon, Your Excellency. Pretend I didn’t say anything just now.” The old man laughed awkwardly, his swagger instantly dropping to rock bottom.
He moved to the side somewhat uneasily and pressed a few buttons.
The sounds of gears turning reached their ears, and soon after, tables and chairs rose from the ground as if by magic.
Admiration flickered in Angel’s eyes; although it was just a simple lifting and contracting device, it was quite exquisitely made.
Once everyone was seated, the old man looked toward Angel, scrutinized him for a while, and said, “Illusion Master, is this your new apprentice? If I remember correctly, shouldn’t he be the ‘Music Box Sorcerer’ Angel, widely talked about in the Wizards’ Realm?”
Angel’s mouth twitched slightly, and he replied woodenly, “I am indeed Angel, but I don’t acknowledge the title of Music Box Sorcerer.”
The old man said with a smile, “Your nickname hasn’t been settled yet, so we just call you that privately. Sky Mechanical City couldn’t find any record of you in Sky Tower, otherwise, you could have used the title recorded there.”
Angel replied without hesitation, “That’s even worse!”
Angel’s reaction was somewhat vehement, which led to a flicker of puzzlement in the old man’s eyes. He turned to look at Sanders and saw an unusually amused look in his eyes.
The old man seemed to understand. He surmised that Angel’s nickname in Sky Tower must be a bit indescribable, which was normal… After all, when he registered himself in Barbarian Cave his title was “King of Truth”. If he were to go about with that title, it would be odd not to be laughed at.
But he understood the sentiment; after all, isn’t it normal for the young to think the world revolves around them?
Thinking this, he suggested to Angel, “If you want to establish your reputation properly, consider sending the message to some influential magazines, or you could go directly to Sky Tower and register a new title.”
Angel nodded. Although the matter of the title wasn’t significant, it would be terribly boring to be called Music Box Sorcerer by everyone he met, as though he could only craft music boxes.
Sanders finally spoke up and said to Angel, “He’s an old friend of mine, whose name you probably guessed—Zithraide from ‘Dancer of Sin and Flowerseller’. However, he is no demon; he too is from Barbarian Cave, though he left there nearly two hundred years ago, right?”
“To be precise, it’s been one hundred ninety-six years,” Zithraide sighed. “I missed Illusion Master by just one term. Now you are well-respected in the Southern Domain, and here I am, still stuck as a level-one Wizard with no progress. Alas, I wonder if I’ll ever embark on the path to True Knowledge in my lifetime.”
“Let’s not talk about these sad matters,” Zithraide tapped the metal tabletop, and a mechanical doll floated over carrying a tray, but instead of food, the tray held several small bags of light green powder.
“Try this, it’s a new product I found in Wizard Market a few days ago.”
Zithraide placed the small bags in front of Angel and Sanders, but neither of them reached for the bags. Only Zithraide himself opened a bag, scooped a spoonful of light green powder into a cup of water, and drank it down in one gulp.
After finishing his drink, Zithraide noticed that neither Angel nor Sanders had partaken. He sighed, “Ah, you’re still the same as before, not knowing how to enjoy life at all.”
“Using manna algae powder to release Shulomon isn’t true enjoyment. If you continue indulging in this, your hope of embarking on the path to True Knowledge is indeed bleak,” Sanders bluntly criticized the manna algae powder for its harmfulness. Though not greatly damaging to Wizards, it still wasted time, energy, and money.
Zithraide’s hands paused, and with a long sigh, he handed the remaining manna algae powder back to the mechanical doll.
“Certainly, you didn’t come all this way just to admonish me, right? I’ve yet to ask, what brings you here?”