Chapter 1509
Chapter 1509: Section 1510: The Inviter Chapter 1509: Section 1510: The Inviter Outside of Kavoline's field of vision.
A seemingly shapeless stream of water turned and tumbled towards the direction of the street's end.
This stream was actually transformed by the Magician, knowing full well that it would be difficult to contend with Kavoline directly, and if she continued to resist, she might indeed meet her end today. Therefore, she had Gududu create a big chaos, and took this opportunity to sneak away amidst the turmoil.
According to her plan, the chaos behind her would not subside quickly. As long as she followed the tide down, she should be able to leave this district soon. By then, she could change her appearance, go back to meet her Mentor to settle this disturbance, and all would be well.
However, just as the Magician was about to leave the district with the tide.
She saw a figure.
Standing at the bottom of the water.
Despite the frenzied and rapid currents around him, they didn't affect his stance at all. He stood still as though embedded firmly in place.
Due to the many fragments and dirt in the torrent, the Magician could only barely make out his attire, which seemed to have a bit of traditional nobility to it. As for his face… she couldn't see it clearly.
It wasn't because of the mud in the water obscuring the view, but simply because his face seemed to be masked by a thin layer of Illusion Technique energy. All she could see was an expanse of chaotic mist.
Initially, the Magician didn't intend to concern herself or poke her nose into this unusual person standing unmoving underwater.
But just as she was about to bypass him, a fluctuation from him caught her attention.
This fluctuation was extremely concealed. If it weren't for the fact that the surrounding water was under her control, she might have overlooked this fluctuation.
When she sensed this fluctuation, her eyes suddenly brightened.
It was a wave of emotion-filled energy. Although the fluctuation was very faint, nearly nonexistent, she still felt it, and understood how abundant and enchanting the emotional power contained within it would be if released.
As someone who loved collecting objects of emotion, Fuyi, upon sensing this, immediately felt a surge of eagerness.
She looked carefully and noticed that this fluctuation was coming from the pocket on his chest.
Presumably, it must be a very special object. Otherwise, it wouldn't be carried so close in the chest pocket.
The more special and important it is, the more she liked it.
Just like when she “borrowed” Allen's Beast-Slaying Knife. Although the emotional residue on the knife was too sharp and fierce, Allen's love for the knife provided her with a reason to borrow it.
“What is this? I'm just thinking of borrowing it to have a look,” she thought to herself, as to whether or not to return it after borrowing–did that even need to be asked?
However, before borrowing, she cautiously observed the other's strength. There was some energy fluctuation from him, but it wasn't strong. It seemed, he was likely just an Apprentice.
Thinking this, she decided to make her move.
Now transformed into a stream of water, she only needed to increase the force of the water stream, and then she could extend her hand to take the object out of his pocket. Even if he noticed its absence, he would probably assume it was due to the turbulent water and not realize it was her doing.
“A perfect plan! And what a wonderful opportunity,” she thought.
With anticipation and excitement, she slowly approached the man.
Indeed, he seemed completely unaware.
She was delighted, and from the torrent, an invisible hand slowly reached into his chest pocket.
She felt it–a irregularly shaped object. She immediately scooped it up without looking what it was exactly, swiftly turning into flowing waves, and drifted away towards the distance.
However, just as she was about to escape, suddenly, an eye appeared right in front of her.
The moment the eye appeared, the sound of the water stopped, and the chaotic underwater world turned into darkness. All she could see in her vision was this eye.
The eye was immense, silently gazing at her.
Her thoughts suddenly froze, as if a vortex had pulled her into a tranquil world of darkness.
This process, to the Magician, seemed very brief.
But when she awoke from the chaos, she found herself no longer surrounded by water, standing dumbfounded at the end of the street, surrounded by people, each looking at her with angry eyes…
…
Angel walked on Manshi Magic Material Street. There were few people around, and the street was eerily quiet.
This was because on the adjoining street, a huge flood had caused chaos, leading the people of Manshi Magic Material Street either to go and watch the commotion or to fear getting involved, steering clear of the area, which resulted in the deserted state of Manshi Magic Material Street.
Without the cover of a crowd, Angel quickly arrived at the Nail Alchemy House.
According to the rules, he was supposed to answer a question from the Fragrant Wood Puppet first before entering the store.
However, today, when he arrived at the doorstep, the Fragrant Wood Puppet did not ask anything but simply opened the door wide, motioning for Angel to enter.
“An Official Wizard does not need to pass the test to enter the store,” was the reply from the Fragrant Wood Puppet.
The omission of one process indeed saved energy and effort.
After stepping into the alchemy shop, Angel noticed the place was unusually quiet. Every previous visit had been marked by intense discussions among alchemy apprentices. He had never seen the Nail Alchemy Shop this deserted.
“It's because they've all gone to grab class slots,” a hoarse and elderly female voice said from behind.
Turning around, Angel saw a neatly dressed, short old woman standing behind him, quietly observing him.
The peacock hair ornament and the vibrant nails forming peacock feathers clearly identified her.
She was the owner of this alchemy shop and the one who had invited Angel.
“Good afternoon, Granny,” Angel greeted with a bow.
Nail Granny scrutinized Angel deeply, finally nodding her head in satisfaction: “It seems the 'Sky of Truth' was not wrong; you have indeed transcended the great barrier and become an Official Wizard.”
“Just a bit of luck and fortune.”
“In the Wizards' Realm where power is paramount, modesty is hardly considered a virtue,” Nail Granny paused. “Regardless of how you advanced, the process doesn't matter; the outcome is what's significant.”
Angel smiled, choosing not to dwell on the topic, and instead asked about the “class-grabbing” Nail Granny had mentioned.
“Why do they need to grab class slots? It's because a member of the Research and Development Institute has returned, you see…”
In short, a member of the Research and Development Institute had returned to Sky Mechanical City because she planned to enter seclusion for a while and needed to exchange points for the right to purchase some rare materials. Lacking enough points, she took on a teaching assignment to earn more.
Each alchemist has different criteria for teaching.
Especially restrictions on the attendees are many; some restrict by power level – not reaching a certain level means no attendance; some restrict by school – as disputes between schools are already overtly evident in the Alchemy World; others impose no limits on school or power level, but this doesn't necessarily mean it's a good thing, as they might limit the number of attendees.
It's said that some alchemists despise noise and disturbances; each time they teach a class, they only allow a very few into the classroom.
This restriction on the number of attendees leads to a phenomenon: class-grabbing.
Only those who succeed in grabbing a spot can enter the classroom.
This time, this member of the Research and Development Institute has such a rule; she doesn't care if you specialize in Metallography or Potionology, whether you are from the Vanderval or Gypsy School, whether you are human or not, or if you are of high or low power, but she does restrict the number of attendees to no more than fifty.
Normally, when an ordinary alchemist teaches a class, there's a mad rush for spots. And this time, the lecturer is a member of the Research and Development Institute.
Thus, apprentices who'd usually debate over alchemy here all rushed en masse to the opposite district of the Machinery City to grab class spots.
That's why the Nail Alchemy Shop is empty today.
After listening to Nail Granny's explanation, Angel curiously asked, “Who's the lecturer?”
Could it be one of those people he had seen at the last witnessing ceremony?
Nail Granny didn't answer immediately but mentioned another matter, “You received an invitation, right? Are you wondering why I invited you here?”
Angel nodded.
“It's normal because I didn't write that invitation, but I agreed to let her use my name,” Nail Granny walked to a side and gently tapped on a wall painting. With a clicking sound, the painting gradually turned into an illusion, revealing a winding staircase upward.
“Aren't you curious who the lecturer is?” Nail Granny paused. “The person teaching is the very one who truly invited you here.”
“Come with me; she's waiting for you upstairs.”
As they stepped onto the staircase, Nail Granny softly said, “I hope you don't find it abrupt.”
Angel shook his head, “Not at all.” Regardless of whether it was Nail Granny's invitation or not, as long as it was from a member of the Research and Development Institute, unless it was someone crazy like Dong La, Angel would generally not refuse.
And Angel believed that Nail Granny wouldn't likely allow someone radical like Dong La to send invitations in her name.
“In the Research and Development Institute, she is the most gentle and neutral among them. Whether they are radicals or conservatives, all get along well with her,” Nail Granny suggested that forming a friendship with this person would be a wise choice.
And listening to Nail Granny, Angel already had an idea of who she was talking about.
After the last witnessing ceremony, Midora had also talked to Angel about members of the Research and Development Institute, mentioning this person in particular.
Midora spoke highly of her and had suggested that Angel form a connection with her.
However, at that time Angel had to head to Black Castle and she was not in Sky Mechanical City, so they had missed each other and Angel had no interactions with her.
But her proactive invitation this time was somewhat unexpected to Angel.
“Speaking of which, her specific return to Sky Mechanical City to conduct research is somewhat related to you.”
Related to me?
Angel wanted to inquire further about the specific reason from Nail Granny, but by then they had reached the exterior of a grand hall. Through the gaps in the drapes, a delicate fragrance was faintly noticeable.
Pointing at the hall, Nail Granny said, “Here we are.”