Chapter 1267: Section 1268: Recent Situation of a Friend
Angel could no longer hear the conversation between the mentor and apprentice, as he had already boarded the cable car and was slowly departing from Sky Tower. Even if he had heard it, it probably wouldn’t have stirred much in him – after all, Baroque had once used a scheme in an attempt to harm him. While they had not reached the point of a life-or-death feud, it was not something that could easily be resolved.
Inside the cable car, all was silent.
David had intended to ask Angel about that old man with the braided beard, but seeing Angel’s expression, which seemed void of any desire to talk, he refrained from asking.
The silent atmosphere persisted until they left the cable car.
David felt that if things continued in such a heavy manner, it would be too much, so after some thought, he decided to break the silence, “By the way, Seru came back a few days ago.”
Angel was taken aback, feeling a surprise flicker in his eyes upon hearing of his friend’s return after such a long absence, “Serum is back? He really came back?”
...
After confirming the answer, Angel hesitantly asked, “Then, he… he’s all right, isn’t he?”
Ever since Serum had gone to fuse with the Azure Bloodline, several years had passed without a sighting of him. Unlike Nausicaa, who would at least send letters when she was out, Serum seemed to have completely disappeared.
In moments of midnight reverie, Angel even speculated that Serum might have met with some misfortune. Although he never wanted to face this possibility, the Azure Bloodline was an unknown bloodline, with nobody aware of the risk post-fusion, nor any way to mitigate it. Any transcendental being, even an official wizard, rarely dared to fuse with such a completely unknown bloodline.
Serum was still a junior apprentice when he made the bold decision, and even though none of his good friends spoke of it, they all clearly understood that Serum’s chances of failure were very high.
Now, hearing that Serum had returned, Angel was happy but also laden with deep concern.
David sighed, shook his head, and said nothing.
A jolt went through Angel’s heart. Had Serum really failed? Failure to fuse with a bloodline did not necessarily mean death, but the outcome was definitely not good. However, just as Angel’s worry mounted, he noticed something off about David’s expression.
“Mr. Pat, Serum is doing very well. He came by the shop to inquire about you not long after he got back,” Baruba interjected at that moment.
A look of delight crossed Angel’s face, “Serum is okay? He succeeded in the bloodline fusion?”
Baruba nodded, “It seems so; I can sense his vitality is much stronger than before. But still, it’s not as strong as yours.”
Relieved to learn that Serum was safe and sound, and had successfully integrated with the bloodline, Angel was also happy for him.
However, after Baruba’s words, David pushed him slightly, a bit annoyed, “I was just about to make a joke, and you give it away so quickly. Don’t forget, I am your boss!”
After muttering, David turned to Angel, “Baruba is right, Serum succeeded.”
As he said this, envy shone in David’s eyes, “Not only has he successfully merged with the Azure Bloodline, but he has also really begun awakening into a Sage Body. Although, according to Serum himself, this Sage Body is incomplete, it’s already enough to initiate spirit awakening. His return caused quite a stir; I heard the Book Elder even called him personally to the Cloudtop Library.”
Angel was aware of the Book Elder’s fondness for Serum and that his aspiration for the Sage Body had also been pointed out by the Book Elder. It was said that only by becoming a Sage Body could one imbue all things with spirit.
“Did you just mention spirit awakening?” Angel seemed to have realized something, “Has that thick-shelled book of his already been awakened into a spirit?”
David nodded, affection and envy evident in his tone, “Yes, who could have thought that after the book turned into a spirit, it would have so many functions…”
While David lavished praise, faced with Angel’s curiosity about specific details, David refused to elaborate, “You’ll find out when you see Serum. If I tell you now, it won’t be a surprise any longer.”
Thinking it over, Angel felt that it made sense. He would know the truth once he met Serum.
However, as Angel contemplated this, David added, “Oh right, I forgot to tell you – Serum left the Barbarian Cave last week. I don’t think he will be coming back anytime soon.”
Angel: “…”
A while later, inside the Promy Alchemy Shop.
The door was tightly closed. According to David, recently everyone was obsessed with the new star Serum, and since he hadn’t crafted weapons for a long time without any customers coming by, it made sense to just close the shop.
In the cramped shop, a candle was lit on a desk cluttered with various items. Angel and David sat opposite each other, with Baruba sorting out goods beside them by candlelight.
Through in-depth conversation with David, Angel finally understood Serum’s whereabouts.
It actually had to do with the new star Serum: he had gone to Sky Mechanical City, planning to skip Sky Tower and directly challenge floors one to thirty of the Infinite Battle Tower.
That is to say, Serum was also aiming to acquire this new star status.
Serum then explained what this so-called New Star Contest and New Star qualification were all about. Angel originally thought it was another trap like the last time in the Purification Garden, but as Serum explained, he realized it was not the same.
After the ordeal with the Purification Garden, even though various organizations had signed agreements with Sky Mechanical City, it couldn’t prevent widespread skepticism. Sky Towers everywhere suddenly became desolate, including the one in the Underground Market; for a good half year, not even one high-level competition took place.
Facing a trust crisis with the Sky Tower, Sky Mechanical City decided to hold this New Star Contest to solve the issue.
The contest was meant to compensate wizard apprentices from all organizations and restore the reputation of the Sky Tower. Those who obtained New Star qualifications would be granted access to the Endless Corridor, and this privilege would last for a century.
To know that the Endless Corridor had never been open to outsiders before, it was clear that Sky Mechanical City was really investing heavily this time.
Moreover, if Machinery City were to pull something like the Purification Garden incident again, its credibility would likely plummet and never recover. So, in all likelihood, this event was genuine.
“The reward of accessing the Endless Corridor for a century is a temptation not even Official Wizards, or even True Knowledge Wizards, can resist. That’s why this New Star Contest is so popular,” David said, recalling what Lianna had told him about the inside story: “Machinery City also has its calculations. It has made the New Star Contest available only to Wizard Apprentices, not to Official Wizards. This means that even if you obtain New Star qualifications, as a wizard apprentice participating in the Endless Corridor, you won’t be able to reach very many levels.”
“Even if you advance to an Official Wizard within a century, you’ll at most wander within the first 500 levels of the Endless Corridor. You won’t see deeper levels unless you go from an apprentice to True Knowledge within a hundred years. So all in all, by opening the Endless Corridor to a crowd of newcomers, Sky Mechanical City isn’t really at a loss.”
“But even so, for us apprentices, this is a tremendous boost.”
Angel nodded in understanding, recognizing the Endless Corridor as a true strategic-level mysterious object. With it being opened for a century, even if the Mechanical City had its own considerations, it was still a bold move.
No wonder Serum went straight to Sky Mechanical City after returning from Barbarian Cave. If Angel were in his shoes, he guessed he would’ve made the same choice.
However, Angel had an additional path not available to others—he possessed an access card for the research institute. During his last talk with Sabo at Bismarck’s place, Sabo was challenging the Endless Corridor and told Angel that having an access card was practically equivalent to being Sky Mechanical City’s honorary researcher, entitled to many benefits from the city, including access to the Abyss of Magic.
Of course, that was provided you could actually develop something worthwhile.
“I can understand Serum’s choice, but what about you? Since when are you interested in combat?” Angel turned to David, for the purpose of the Endless Corridor was endless combat, one level after another. It was said to have over ten thousand levels and was the true “Infinite Battle Tower”! So far, it had only been conquered up to about the two-thousandth level.
David was a pure Alchemist with little interest in combat, and Angel had never heard him express any interest in battle.
“Ah.” Upon this subject, David sighed, “I didn’t want to come either, but my Mentor strictly ordered me to participate. If I can’t get the New Star qualification, he won’t teach me Alchemy for a while.”
David’s face turned bitter, and he picked up a glass of plain water, downing it as though it were a strong drink.
After some thought, Angel said, “When I think about it, perhaps Lianna is doing this for your own good. To make your mark in the Wizards’ Realm, you need sufficient combat prowess. Since you don’t venture out, lacking many opportunities for battle, the Endless Corridor is the best way for you to enhance your combat skills. Besides, the Endless Corridor is located in Sky Mechanical City, the most advanced place for Alchemy in the Southern Domain… I guess Lianna might be planning for you to study there for an extended period.”
Many places allowed for further study: Prophet Wizards might choose Crown Star Church, while Gourmet Sorcerers might opt for Candy House, and Alchemists naturally head to Sky Mechanical City for advanced studies.
After hearing this, David seemed a bit lost in thought: “Seems like that might be the case indeed. I’ll have to give it more careful consideration later.”
David went on to talk about Serum, and Angel learned that the two Talented Ones they had seen in the Spirit Tree Hall, Merlin and Arthur, had been brought back by Serum.
Meaning the amazing Transcendent that Merlin kept thanking was actually Serum.
That was quite the coincidence.
Besides Serum, David also mentioned Nausicaa.
As it happened, Angel had also intended to inquire about information on Nausicaa, so David bringing her up saved him the trouble.
“Nausicaa hasn’t sent any letters back recently, but a few days ago, I got some news from Shan. Nausicaa had a talk with her and shared some of her recent situation. While Shan didn’t reveal much, I could sense that Nausicaa is probably doing well.”
“Also, Shan specifically mentioned that Nausicaa asked her about the New Star Contest.”
Upon hearing this, Angel fell into contemplation. Was Nausicaa’s interest in the New Star Contest a sign that she was planning to participate?
This was highly likely, perhaps even more so than Serum’s decision to participate. Nausicaa, with her enthusiasm for combat and as someone from the Bloodline side, would have the opportunity to experience various forms of battle through qualifications for the Endless Corridor. How could she resist?
Serum had gone to Sky Mechanical City, and it seemed Nausicaa would also join the New Star Contest. Moreover, if David summited the Sky Tower in the Underground Market, he too would end up there.
If all his friends were potentially going, Angel thought for a moment—if time allowed, and after sorting out all current matters, including Jon’s illness, Toby’s ordeal, and so forth—making a trip to Sky Mechanical City wouldn’t be a bad idea.
Besides, having held onto the access card for the research institute this long, it was about time to check it out.