Chapter 1284: Section 1285 Two Types of Transmutation
Suise stepped out from the void.
His bright red hair was extremely dazzling under the sunshine.
However, in stark contrast to his flashy hair color was his stern visage. His demeanor was a blend of fiery passion and icy coldness, full of contradictions but also incredibly compelling.
In a crowd, he would certainly be the one to stand out the most.
Standing firm on the soft cloud soil, Suise first glanced at Sanders with a hint of wariness in his eyes. Then, he slowly turned his head, fixing his gaze on Angel.
Seeing Angel safe and sound, he felt a great weight lift from his heart and silently let out a sigh of relief.
...
Yesterday, when he discovered that Eulica was using Crimson Authority on Angel, he was shocked, especially as the renowned Illusion Master from the Wizards’ Realm of the Southern Domain was nearby at the time.
Suise still remembered the terrifying look in Sanders’s eyes when he stepped into the seal and saw Angel affected by the red light!
Suise even thought he would take action in the next second.
Fortunately, Eulica saw… Hobson and took the initiative to flee.
After finding Eulica, Suise took her back to the Exile Space. All night, Suise was on edge because everyone who had been attacked by the Crimson Authority had gone mad.
He thought Angel would be no exception and had even prepared himself to confront Sanders.
Thankfully, Angel wasn’t harmed.
Just as Sanders had said, things hadn’t reached their worst state yet.
Although Suise was curious as to why Angel hadn’t been affected, now was not the time to talk about it.
He suppressed the emotions swirling in his heart, raised his eyes to meet Sanders’s gaze, and, beneath those cool eyes, Suise bowed his head and said softly, “Illusion Master.”
Sanders looked at Suise intently, “You should know why I came to find you, right?”
Suise pondered for a moment, then nodded.
Moments later, in the rather dilapidated castle hall, everyone sat at a solemn long table. Figures bustled all around, but they were all the diminutive people of the Kulakuka Tribe, who collectively transported food and drinks to the table.
From outside the hall, loud complaints could still be heard: “I am a noble Loomer Prince, and yet I’m made to do a servant’s work! This is not what you promised me at the beginning!”
While he said this, the Loomer Prince—who was making quite a fuss outside the door—became timid as a dog upon entering the hall and feeling its stagnant atmosphere. He obediently carried a fruit platter larger than himself to the table and placed it before everyone.
All those temporarily filling in as servants were called back by Lyon from Gru Town.
Loomer Nami, in particular, was dragged here by force by Kura Kuka; initially, Nami and Kura Kuka were at odds, but unexpectedly, a few months later, their relationship seemed much better than imagined.
While Angel was reflecting, a faint fragrance wafted over.
“Papa… Young Master Pat, this is a cocoa beverage blended with Dairy Fruit Tree sap.” A voice that was indistinct in gender but exceedingly melodious sounded beside his ear.
Turning his head, Angel saw the Moonbell Sprite flapping its wings, holding a cup several times larger than its body, approaching Angel.
The cup was filled with a slightly black, thick liquid.
Angel glanced at the cups in front of everyone else, all prepared by the Moonbell Sprite with their own brew of honey wine. Only in front of him was a cocoa beverage placed.
Angel received it with an expressionless face, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that everyone’s gaze was fleetingly directed at him.
“Young Master Pat, do you know if Toby has returned?” the Moonbell Sprite asked with a whispery voice close to Angel’s ear.
A touch of sadness flashed in Angel’s eyes as he shook his head, “Toby is resting and can’t come out for now.”
The Moonbell Sprite left the hall, looking disappointed.
Once the busy figures disappeared from the hall, Sanders finally turned to Suise, “I have already learned the basic situation from Brother Angel’s account, but he only knows one side of the story. I want to hear what you have to say. What exactly happened half a month ago?”
Suise shook his head, “Actually, I haven’t quite figured out the reasons myself even now.”
“Such a catastrophe occurred in the manor, and so many people were involved, yet you still don’t understand?” Angel frowned, “Isn’t the source the Crimson Authority?”
“I am very sorry for everything that happened in Pat Manor.” Suise paused for a moment, “You are right. The Crimson Authority was indeed the beginning of everything.”
Suise began to slowly recount the events that had transpired.
The general situation was similar to what Lyon had described, but Suise’s perspective was clearer.
That night, Eulica’s outbreak was sudden, making her go mad without any apparent reason. In an instant, bloodshed ensued; for everyone, that night at the manor was exceedingly long and exceedingly gruesome.
At the time, Suise was in the Exile Space concocting a Mental Potion, only rushing out upon sensing that Toby had sustained serious injuries.
Eulica was in this very hall at that moment.
Confronting Eulica was Lyon, and behind him were the manor’s servants, who were also his subjects. Toby, meanwhile, had received minor injuries while protecting Lyon.
It was fortunate that Suise arrived just in time; otherwise, Eulica would have already slain Lyon.
Afterwards, Suise temporarily subdued Eulica and, using Eulica’s heartblood, created a sealing circle to confine her within the manor. Lyon then made arrangements for the servants; those affected by the Crimson Authority were confined in the underground cellar, while he sent the rest out of the manor, temporarily lodging them in the town.
Having listened to Suise’s explanation, Angel’s expression grew darker and darker.
Actually, Angel had originally disliked Eulica’s occupation of Pat Manor, and his aversion only lessened gradually after learning that Jon had been saved by Eulica, but it was far from a positive sentiment. Now, seeing the manor wrecked by Eulica, the images of those emaciated figures that he had seen earlier resurfaced in Angel’s mind.
Especially when he found out that Lyon had been in this hall, nearly killed by Eulica—Angel could barely contain his rage.
“Quite some time ago, a servant had mentioned that something was off with Eulica,” Angel said, suppressing his anger as he looked at Suise: “Given your relationship with Eulica, you’re not going to tell me that you didn’t notice, are you?”
Suise remained silent.
“That is to say, you noticed all of this, but you didn’t care?” Angel couldn’t help but slam the table: “Do you realize that if you had stopped Eulica earlier, none of this would have happened! This is all because of your inaction!”
Lyon’s eyes were also somewhat moist, but he was caught between his mentor’s lover and the subjects of his domain, struggling to suppress his emotions all along. Now, with Angel’s interrogation, it seemed as though Lyon was also venting the emotions he could hardly control.
In the Wizards’ Realm, an Apprentice confronting an Official Wizard was an insurmountable chasm. Hence, adjusting their attitude and learning etiquette were unspoken rules that every Apprentice had to abide by.
At another time, Suise might have already punished Angel for his disrespect.
But having witnessed Angel’s battle with Eulica the day before, Suise inwardly acknowledged Angel’s strength, and his Alchemy Technique was already sufficient for Suise to regard him as an equal. Thus, faced with Angel’s questioning, Suise was not angry.
Besides, Sanders was present as well.
Suise spoke calmly: “I did indeed notice Eulica’s symptoms quite early. However, at that time I could not determine the cause of Eulica’s condition, and I always thought it was due to an injury to her Spirit Sea, which led to this sudden change.”
“That’s why I tried every means to concoct a potion for the restoration of spiritual power.”
Angel: “Fine, let’s say that’s true, but knowing something was wrong with Eulica, why didn’t you restrict her actions beforehand?”
Suise didn’t answer, instead, Sanders gently patted Angel’s shoulder.
A soothing force flowed from Sanders’s palm into Angel, gradually pulling back his emotions that were on the verge of spiraling out of control.
“What’s done is done, there are no ‘ifs.’ Take a moment to calm down,” Sanders advised Angel and then turned to Suise, “I have a few questions for you.”
“Illusion Master, please ask.”
“Does the effect of the Crimson Authority drive people mad?”
Suise shook his head: “I’ve never handled the Crimson Authority myself, so I cannot confirm its exact effects. However, Eulica has used it, and according to her, it confuses people’s minds.”
Confuses people’s minds? Sanders’s eyebrows twitched, noting that it was indeed a control method similar to soul branding or thought imprinting.
“The manor’s servants in the underground cellar were affected by the red light emitted by the Crimson Authority; this is beyond doubt,” Sanders paused, “But how exactly was Eulica affected?”
Eulica and those servants exhibited similar symptoms like bloodlust and madness, but upon closer examination, it’s evident that they were two different kinds of changes.
The servants were influenced instantaneously by the Crimson Authority, while Eulica had shown signs of a change in character long before, and although the eventual result was madness, it seemed more like a gradual progression.
As Angel had pointed out earlier, Eulica wouldn’t have knowingly released the Crimson Authority upon herself, would she?
So, this is indeed strange.
Suise responded to this with his own perplexity, “I’m not sure either, the Crimson Authority is too enigmatic, perhaps this Mysterious Object possesses a kind of force field, in which one gradually comes under influence?”
Suise’s answer was, so far, the most plausible speculation. But the specifics were still inconclusive.
“That being the case, why then did you leave the Crimson Authority with Eulica?” Angel suddenly asked: “Last night, I clearly saw Eulica retrieve the Crimson Authority from within her own space.”
Suise sighed, “You’re mistaken, she didn’t take it out from her space, but from within her own body.”
“She fused the Crimson Authority into her body?”
Suise nodded: “Precisely for this reason, even if I wanted to take it away, I couldn’t.”