Chapter 538: ??? Orb
Chapter 538: ??? Orb
Zafira slowly led him through a series of streets until eventually, they arrived at a seemingly ordinary casino.
Rael raised a brow. “I don’t gamble anymore.”
“It’s not about gambling,” Zafira replied. “Actually, it’s the opposite of gambling.”
“Isn’t the opposite of gambling just not gambling?” Rael asked, earning a weak bonk from Zafira in response.
“Don’t think too much about it. The more you think about it, the more your head will hurt.”
“…You’re really keeping me on the edge here, aren’t you?” Rael grumbled.
Zafira shrugged playfully, and after grabbing him by the arm, she led him inside the casino. His hand trembled slightly as he stepped through the door, and as much as he hated to admit it, the stuff with Melissa and his past really put him off gambling.
So even with Zafira’s assurance, he was skeptical. However, when the two stepped inside, they were greeted by yet another pocket dimension. This one, however, wasn’t nearly as big as the one they were just in.
There was one house ahead, surrounded by a forest of dead trees. Inside the house, Rael felt the presence of three people, and he didn’t need to guess that those presences belonged to the triplets he had entrusted the mana stones to.
Nonetheless, they walked up to the house and knocked on the door. A short moment later, a muscular elf opened the door. The elf was none other than the blacksmith, Sophie, and she looked completely exhausted.
But when she saw Zafira, her expression softened.
“Good thing you’re here… We really needed a pair of hands,” she said.
Zafira shook her head. “Not today, Sophie. I came here with my husband. Could you show us the ’thing’?”
Sophie froze, narrowing her eyes at Rael. “This is your husband…? I guess he looks a little attractive, so I approve, but… why bring him here?”
Zafira smiled. “That’s because the machine you’re building is something I wanted to be made for my husband.”
“You two are confusing me,” Rael said, raising a brow. “Just show me what you’re talking about.”
“Patience is not one of your strong suits, huh?” Sophie clicked her tongue and moved aside. “Get in. You weren’t followed, right?”
Both Zafira and Rael rolled their eyes at her question. Of course, they weren’t followed. They were just an ordinary couple who happened to step into a casino.
“Good, then I’m locking the dimension down,” Sophie announced, and then began tapping the air. In the next instant, Rael felt the space shift slightly, as though the inconsistencies were suddenly connected.
When he tried to look past the strange dimension, he realized he couldn’t.
Damn, this is pretty effective. I should probably get one and attach it onto Chop-E’s head. He would become a walking warhead… Hehe.
“You have that sadistic smile again,” Zafira pointed out.
Rael flinched, then whistled his way out of answering her.
Noticing their banter, Sophie gestured the two to come inside. The temperature was oddly high, but even so, Rael didn’t feel like anything was off. At least not yet.
And the feeling remained up until he reached a room locked behind a steel door.
It was thick, and, similar to a moment ago, his perception couldn’t make out what was inside, except for two figures who were Sophie’s sisters.
“Did you tell him about it?” Sophie asked.
Zafira smiled. “I like showing instead of telling.”
“Of course you do…” Sophie clicked her tongue, and with a resolute expression, she pushed the steel door open.
In the next instant, all the heat that Rael felt a moment ago vanished, replaced by a cool sensation. Not only that, the wave of mana that had hit him was something he had definitely not expected to feel.
If anything, it rivaled the amount of mana he had while in his Dragon Form, which was by no means small.
And when his eyes finally focused on what was inside the room, he was left… underwhelmed?
It was just an ordinary room surrounded by steel and some other magical materials. In the very center were two busty elves sitting around a round table, with an even more interesting object resting on the table.
“A crystal ball?” Rael mused. “Are you going to read my future or something?”
Oriana, the one who was arguably the smartest of the triplets, shook her head and said:
“This is a wish-granting crystal. The name is still in the process of, uh… forget it.”
“A wish-granting crystal?” Rael’s eyes widened. “Like… literally?”
“Zafira will show you how to use it… and please tell him the risks as well. I don’t want him ruining all our hard work,” Sophie warned.
Like that, the triplets bid their farewells and left the room, closing the door tightly behind them and leaving only Rael and Zafira inside.
“Is this what you wanted to show me?” Rael asked, approaching the table and sitting down. “Seems pretty interesting… how do I use it?”
“Mmm… be careful with what you say. Every word spoken in this room may trigger a wish, even if your hand isn’t directly on the ball,” Zafira replied slowly. “Basically… you remember the mana crystal we first saw when we arrived?”
“Sure.”
“That mana crystal contains one-thousandth the amount of mana that this little crystal ball does. Not only that, the girls managed to configure the crystal ball to create miracles,” Zafira explained. “However, the miracles aren’t exactly overpowered. They have very big limits because of how little mana there is in that crystal.”
Zafira sighed. “And yes, I know. It looks like a lot. It really isn’t… but go ahead, wish for something. Just place your hand on it. Oh, and don’t go too overboard.”
He listened with genuine curiosity, and when she gave him the go-ahead, Rael didn’t hesitate to place his hand on the wishing ball.
Since she had told him not to go overboard, he went with something simple—a rose.
The moment he did, a wave of pop-ups appeared before him.
<Ding!>
<####>
<###!>
<Item: Rose (Red) has been granted!>
A sizzling noise rang out, and shortly after, a rose materialized out of thin air right in front of him, causing his eyes to widen.
But just from that small wish alone, he felt the mana inside the crystal decrease by nearly 5%, which, for a simple rose, was a lot.
Still, he picked the rose up and held it out in front of Zafira.
A warm smile appeared on her face as she accepted the rose, making sure not to be pricked.
“So how was it?” she asked. “It’s a cool work in progress, huh?”