Chapter 1266: Section 1267: Re-encounter with Baroque
The audience gradually exited the seats.
At that moment, Baruba turned his head, his eyes downcast, hiding the melancholy in his gaze, “David is probably backstage now; shall we go find him?”
Angel nodded and walked with Baruba towards the stage, neither of them speaking along the way. He knew well that with Baruba’s personality, it was better to pretend not to see and leave him a garden to lick his wounds alone than to offer consolation and uncover his scars, making him embarrassed.
Often, revealing scars could allow old scars to heal and new flesh to grow. However, this is only possible if there’s a solution for the old scars. Otherwise, revealing them would only add new injuries to old ones.
The contestant area backstage was not connected to the audience seating, so to enter, they had to jump into the arena’s passageway.
No sooner had they vaulted over than they were stopped by two staff members in Sky Tower uniforms.
...
“This area is for contestants only; non-contestants are not allowed to enter.”
Baruba paused to think, then took out a crystal-clear card from his pocket. After a glance, the staff members exchanged looks: “Seventh level authorization.”
Though puzzled as to why a contestant with seventh-level authorization would come to the fourth level, it was clear that Baruba met the entry requirements, and they nodded to let him pass.
After allowing Baruba through, their gaze shifted to Angel.
“This gentleman can go in, but if you want to enter, you also need to show your contestant ID card.”
Angel certainly had an identity card, but revealing it would expose his embarrassing title. He hesitated for a long time, and just when the staff members had almost decided to send him away, he reluctantly took out his ID card.
However, Angel was quite skillful in how he presented it; his fingers covered the title exactly.
The staff originally thought Angel did not have entry qualifications, but upon closer inspection, they discovered… the truth was even more astonishing than they had imagined.
“Fifteenth level… authorization! You, are you a Sky Tower pass holder?”
Angel nodded noncommittally, a feigned impatience as he retracted his ID card, “Shouldn’t you step aside now?”
The staff members harbored some doubts; they generally remembered all of the Sky Tower pass holders—is this man truly one of them? But the ID card was genuine… If only they could see the title.
In the end, the staff did not make it difficult for them. Even if Angel was using someone else’s ID card, that was his own ability. They, as bottom-level workers, had no right to stop him.
They smoothly entered the contestant backstage where it was still bustling. Each level had its own ten-direction arena with contestants waiting for matches, about to compete, or having finished their matches; all were gathered here.
Despite the throngs of people coming and going, they did not need to use their eyes to search. Angel quickly locked onto a presence and walked over with Baruba.
At that time, David was sitting in a corner, wiping his forehead with a cloth and cleaning his protective goggles.
As he wiped the goggles clean, he suddenly felt a shadow cast over him; looking up, he saw Baruba. His eyes brightened, and he smiled, “Didn’t you say you weren’t coming?”
“He’s accompanying me,” Angel interjected as he stepped forward. David, staring at the vaguely familiar, dejected middle-aged face, seemed to remember something and asked in disbelief, “Are you, Angel?”
Angel reached out to touch his face, causing his features to ripple like waves, and then they returned to their original state.
Though he did not reveal his true face, that ripple indicated that the middle-aged man before them was wearing a mask.
David happened to remember that Angel had used this face to find him before!
Moreover, for someone to change Baruba’s stubborn mind and bring him to the Sky Tower could only be the person he respected most, so the answer was self-evident.
“This is great, you’re finally back!” David said, excitedly enveloping Angel in a hug.
“There hasn’t been any news from the Abyss for months, which is extremely abnormal. I even thought for a moment that you had… Now that I see you’re back, I feel at ease!”
After his excitement subsided, David looked at Angel with some suspicion, “Why do I feel that you’re a bit different?”
“Am I?”
“It’s only an illusion, but there are some differences, although I can’t exactly pinpoint where,” David said, glancing at Baruba, “What do you think?”
“The blood energy is very strong,” Baruba replied. In fact, when he first saw Angel at the alchemy shop not long ago, Baruba had sensed an almost oppressive blood energy. However, later on, Angel had concealed much of it.
“Seems like that’s it…” David nodded hesitantly. He sighed and said after a pause, “I’ve been forced to practice day and night by my mentor recently, thinking this was the most diligent I’ve ever been. I thought I was nearing your level, but I didn’t expect to fall so far behind just like that. It seems a salted fish indeed deserves to be hung up on a tree branch to dry.”
David appeared resigned.
Angel said nothing, for he clearly understood that any consolation now would be like rubbing salt in David’s wounds.
David grumbled for a long time, even drawing side glances from nearby contestants, before he finally managed to shake off his downtrodden emotions, “My match for today is over, let’s go back to the shop to talk.”
“That’s perfect, I need to buy some Demonic Materials.” With David there, even if some materials were highly treasured, it would still be possible to acquire them through him from Promy or Lianna.
David nodded with a tinge of annoyance, “I should have known you wouldn’t come to find me for no reason. Let’s go.”
As they headed towards the contestant exit, they walked toward the cable car station, which would take them to a platform closer to the alchemy shop. All the while, David prattled on to Angel about recent events.
It was mostly complaints, claiming that Lianna demanded he train every day and that rumors had it he’d been lately preoccupied with new alchemy projects, which was why he hadn’t been making many Tang Blades. In reality, that wasn’t the case. He was indeed being forced to train, but alchemy was just a part of it, with much of his time devoted to improving his own strength.
Though he grumbled, Angel could hear that David didn’t actually mind this kind of training. Lianna valued him, hence she spurred him on daily to cultivate. Had she treated him with the same indifference Flora showed towards Baruba at the start, that would truly signal abandonment.
As they made their way to the exit, Angel unexpectedly encountered two familiar faces.
“Diabolo left, and Sky Mechanical City isn’t much fun anymore. Staying here, I can still listen to my mentor’s teachings,” said a young man clad in skeleton accessories, the same one who sat beside Angel before.
Standing in front of him, however, was an old man with braided hair.
Angel’s pupils contracted slightly when he saw the old man.
He was no stranger to this elder.
Baroque, the current true person in charge of the Underground Market in Sky Tower.
From the young man’s tone, it seemed like this Baroque was his mentor? And he mentioned Diabolo, that is, Bogura’s disciple. Judging from his tone, did he also know Shadow?
Angel glanced at them, his mind filled with doubts, but he did not stop and continued towards the exit with David.
However, just as he brushed past Baroque, the older man called out, “Wait a moment.”
David stopped, turning back in confusion to look at Baroque: “Are you calling us?”
Baroque didn’t look at David but instead stared directly at Angel, sizing him up before saying with a smile, “Long time no see.”
The young man looked at Angel. “Aren’t you the guy from before…”
He had wanted to say bumpkin, but seeing the way his mentor Baroque was acting, it seemed like he knew him?
“Lord Baroque.” Angel spoke calmly, “Indeed, it has been a long time. I recall the last time we met, you and Director Melisa were plotting to have the Parasitic Lady kill me. Now, I’ve heard that Director Melisa has returned to Sky Mechanical City, but I’m surprised Lord Baroque is still here.”
Angel’s response was even-toned, but the hint of sarcasm did not escape the ears of those present.
The young man couldn’t believe that Angel would speak to his mentor with such disrespect!
A moment of silence ensued.
Everyone expected Baroque to be angered, but after a while, he replied with a smile, “That was all a misunderstanding, wasn’t it? It’s all in the past now.”
Baroque’s attitude took the young man by even greater surprise. Why did the mentor just concede, and seemingly soften? Who was this scruffy, forlorn-looking middle-aged man?
Angel was also surprised by Baroque’s calm response; his words had been intended to provoke Baroque.
Provoking Baroque seemed to have no benefit, let alone the fact that he couldn’t defeat Baroque, and might even bring trouble to Baruba and David. However, that wasn’t how Angel saw it. When he parted ways with Sanders, he felt, albeit faintly, the observation of the Tree Spirit.
Angel was well aware of one thing: The wizards of Barbarian Cave didn’t take well to outside stationed wizards, like Baroque, who tried every possible means to get rid of him. Previously they had no excuse, and they didn’t pay much attention to Baroque either.
But if Baroque dared to lay a hand on anyone while under the Tree Spirit’s watch, it wouldn’t matter if he injured someone or just harbored the thought of it, the Tree Spirit could outright expel him with a very legitimate reason.
Yet, Baroque’s response was of one who did not wish to start a conflict.
Angel could tell that since Baroque had backed down, whatever mocking or provocative words he might use from then on would likely be futile. It could even make him look like he was causing a fuss for no good reason.
With that in mind, Angel had no wish to linger; his animosity towards Baroque was actually greater than towards that unknown Xiren Ding. If he didn’t want to see him, it was better not to.
“Let’s go,” said Angel, turning to leave with David.
Then, Baroque suddenly produced a faint red card, “This is an unregistered New Star Qualification Card. You can enter the Endless Corridor with this. Consider it compensation, how about that?”
Baroque’s sudden offer left the young man looking at Angel with even stranger, more suspicious eyes: He himself didn’t even have a New Star Qualification, and was even considering cozying up to his mentor in hopes of receiving one, yet his mentor was offering it to this man?
Who was this person?
Why was his mentor acting so oddly?
The young man really wanted to ask, but at that moment, Angel turned to Baroque, taking out an object from his bracelet, “With this, I should be able to enter the Endless Corridor, right?”
Baroque’s throat bobbed, his eyes full of unmistakable surprise, “This is… from the Research Institute…”
Baroque went silent, and without further word, Angel turned away and left.
Not until after Angel had departed did the young man ask in perplexed tones, “Mentor, who is he, exactly?”
Baroque didn’t answer but sighed softly, “I should have listened to Melisa back then and been more careful with my decisions. A small error has caused such a situation now, and mending this relationship has become difficult.”
Pausing, Baroque turned to the young man.
“Who is he? Didn’t you come to the Barbarian Cave to see him?”