Chapter 171: Scarce Resources
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"Conxion, come here!"
Merlin walked out of his room. The radiant sunlight shone upon him, rendering him a little uncomfortable. After making a slight estimation, he had already stayed in his room for a couple of days. Merlin, who had grown accustomed to the darkness, actually felt uncomfortable under the sun.
The maids were holding Conxion now. He played around in the wide field to his heart's content. Even if he heard Merlin's calling, he did not react to his father.
Merlin shook his head helplessly. Neither Conxion nor Celia was close to him; these two children had not called him even once until now.
Merlin was helpless in this matter.
Merlin strode toward Conxion and lifted him off the ground. The little guy was determined to resist Merlin; his small hands kept pulling and scratching Merlin. His actions had made many maids burst into laughter.
Merlin glanced at these maids and asked, "Where's Charise and Avril?"
The maid replied respectfully, "Sir Viscount, both madams are taking a bath."
Upon hearing the reply, Merlin shook his head slightly. Since they were taking a bath during the day, they could have been applying Vitality Potion. Since Merlin handed Vitality Potion to Charise and Avril, they became crazy about it. Every day, they would pour the potion into hot bath water and soak in the water for a long time.
The Vitality Potion was indeed wonderful. After soaking in it, Charise and Avril's skin had turned extremely soft and tender. In addition, both seemed to apply it in great spirit.
Most people said that women regarded beauty as life. Merlin had finally understood what these words meant. Women loved beauty regardless of age and status. Not only was Vitality Potion popular amongst female wizards, but it was also loved by ordinary women.
Merlin glanced at the second floor of the castle. He knew that Charise and Avril were soaking in Vitality Potion, so they would not show up for a while. He directly turned around and left. He intended to visit the black-robed old man to check if Purple Stone Powder Potion could truly stabilize his Spell Models.
Thus, Merlin put Conxion down and left Wilson Castle.
...
"Sir Viscount, we're here!"
The carriage slowly came to a halt. Merlin had arrived at the residence of the black-robed old man.
Merlin knocked on the door. It was still the maid who let Merlin into the house. Merlin immediately saw the black-robed old man. He was holding a book in his hands and reading leisurely in his house.
"Wizard Hill, have your Spell Models stabilized?"
Upon seeing that the old man was relaxed, Merlin smiled as well. It seemed that Purple Stone Powder Potion which he brought from the Dark Magic Region was rather effective.
Soon, Merlin sat in front of the old man. The gray-clothed maid handed him a cup of warm water and some dried nuts. Merlin grabbed an oval-shaped nut and bit into it. The nut was fragrant and crunchy; it tasted delicious.
The black-robed old man glimpsed at Merlin and grinned. "Wizard Merlin, the Purple Powder Potion you brought back is really effective. I no longer need to suppress the Spell Models with Mind Power. I can also cast spells, but they're still slightly unstable so I still have to consume Purple Stone Powder Potion."
Then, the old man took a glance at Merlin and said with a low voice, "Wizard Merlin, I have used up the Purple Stone Powder, the main potion material needed in the formula to make Purple Stone Powder Potion. Do you have more with you?"
Merlin shook his head. "I've used up all Purple Stone Powder to make the potions. Also, it's not just you; I also lack many potion materials. After leaving the Dark Magic Region, it's so difficult to obtain potion materials and they're scarce in the large Prakash City."
Merlin was helpless in this matter as well. He needed some potion materials but he could not find any in Prakash City. Due to lack of potion materials out here, many roaming wizards wanted to join a spell casters' organization but the scarcity of resources had also put many Spell Casters in a pinch.
Merlin, who had stayed in the Dark Magic Region for a year, had enjoyed all sorts of resources in the Resource Tower. He only needed to spend some contribution points to exchange for the resources he needed. Never did he thought that the spells, casting tools, elemental crystal stones, and all sorts of potion materials in the Resource Tower were obtained from scavenging various places.
After leaving his spell casters' organization, Merlin had felt the obvious hurdles in improving his ability.
"Prakash City naturally doesn't have much potion materials. Many Spell Casters who want to improve themselves won't come to Prakash City. But if Wizard Merlin really needs some potion materials, I know of a place that may have what you need."
The black-robed old man put down his book and said in a calm tone while squinting his eyes.
"Oh? Where's that?"
Merlin quickly asked. He was indeed in need of a place that had potion materials now. Only with potion materials that he would be able to continue preparing Phantasmal Magic Potion or Blueberry Potion to increase his Mind Power.
Otherwise, even if he cultivated an advanced Mind Meditation Spell, it would still take him a few years to have his Mind Power at a level where he was capable of supporting the construction of six First-level spells.
By then, he would have been expelled from the Dark Magic Region.
"It's Floating City. Many Spell Casters do all sorts of trades there regardless of whether they're roaming wizards, wizards in the army, from spell casters' organization or Spell Caster family. All sorts of Spell Casters can show up in Floating City."
The black-robed old man explained about Floating City in detail. Merlin was overwhelmed with elation and kept mumbling, "Floating City. Floating City... Wait, doesn't Wizard Elena belong to the Delman family in Floating City?"
Merlin recalled Wizard Elena in his mind. That cute-looking, lively female wizard mentioned Floating City to Merlin after the incident in the Dark Magic Region. Merlin did not think much about it at that time; he only thought of the name, "Floating City". He thought it was commonplace in the Kingdom of Blackmoon.
However, after listening to the old man's explanation, he realized that Floating City was the place where many Spell Casters traded amongst themselves.
"Wizard Hill, have you been to Floating City before?"
Merlin suddenly asked.
The old man nodded. "Once, a dozen years back. It's a bustling city. Many Spell Casters trade there. If Wizard Merlin decides to go, I'll go with you to trade for the materials needed for Purple Stone Powder Potion."
"Alright. After I've made some proper arrangements, I'll depart with Wizard Hill!"
Merlin stood up and smiled. He needed the potion materials quite urgently. He was an extremely rare Six-Elemental Spell Caster. In addition, he had complicated spells like Frigid Ice and Dark Light Realm amongst his First-level spells. These spells required a large amount of Mind Power to simulate in his Awareness.
It was simply too slow to increase his Mind Power by using advanced Mind Meditation Spell. Merlin would need to take some potions to speed up the increment of Mind Power.
Thus, after bidding farewell to the black-robed old man, Merlin returned to his carriage and headed back toward Wilson Castle.
...
After returning to Wilson Castle, Merlin asked the maids about Old Wilson, then headed to the back of the castle.
Wilson Castle was much different now than a year ago after Old Wilson had introduced some changes. Behind the castle, a huge square was built in which Old Wilson trained his heavy-armored knights.
However, Old Wilson was not training his heavy-armored knights today. There were only a few people there practicing a strange posture with Old Wilson.
Merlin had noticed it from afar that the posture Old Wilson was practicing was the posture of the strange relief sculpture. Behind Old Wilson, there were Yaguez, Prat and two other men. Although Merlin did not know their names, he was familiar with their faces. They could be the heavy-armored knights who had followed Old Wilson from Blackwater City to Prakash City.
Old Wilson probably trusted these four the most or he would never teach the posture of the mysterious relief sculpture to them.
"Who's there?"
Suddenly, Old Wilson opened his eyes. A terrifying aura cloaked his entire being and he seemed like a beast who was about to pounce on the opponents and devour them.
"Father, it's me!"
Merlin immediately showed himself and approached them. After Old Wilson had cultivated the posture, his senses had turned much sharper, so he had noticed Merlin from afar.
After realizing that it was Merlin, Old Wilson recalled the aura around him and revealed a kind smile. He asked, "Merlin, why are you here?"
Merlin's gaze briefly scanned the people behind Old Wilson and smiled. "Father, I came looking for you to discuss some matters. These two are...?"
Merlin shot his gaze toward the two muscular men and Old Wilson explained to Merlin, "You should know Prat and Yaguez. These two are the deputy commanders of the heavy-armored knights, Emmet and Barboux. They've followed me through many life and death situations for many years. I decided to teach them the posture of that relief sculpture."
These two men slightly bowed when they looked at Merlin. "Sir Viscount."
In Wilson Castle, Merlin was a viscount while Old Wilson was a baron.
Merlin did not remember much about these two men, but since they were picked by Old Wilson, he did not worry too much about it. Old Wilson understood the significance of the strange relief sculpture clearly, so he would not be careless in choosing the people to learn the posture. He would have thought this through before teaching them.
"Merlin, what do you think of Yaguez?"
Suddenly, Old Wilson glimpsed at Yaguez and revealed a grin as he asked Merlin softly.
Chapter 172: Floating City
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"Yaguez?"
Merlin shot a glance at Yaguez. That young-looking face had long grown out of naivety, revealing a hint of mature and tough look.
Merlin could still recall that the young Yaguez had vowed to protect him with determination. He also recalled that Yaguez had stood in front of him without a shade of doubt when they faced the strong bandits.
"Yaguez is honest and courageous. I don't have any objection about Father teaching the posture of relief sculpture to him."
Merlin was satisfied with Yaguez. Back then, the young knight's dream was to join Old Wilson's heavy-armored knights.
However, it was a piece of cake with Yaguez's ability to become a commander, not to mention a heavy-armored knight.
However, Old Wilson shook his head. He said with a grin, "I'm not asking you about his personality. I've taught Yaguez myself; I definitely know him very well. I'm asking you what you think of Yaguez with Macy."
"Yaguez with Macy?"
Merlin showed a strange expression. He had already been back in Prakash City for a few days, but he had not met Macy. Hearing from Old Wilson, it appeared that Macy was still in Conxion territory, helping Old Wilson to take care of the entire territory. Now, Macy had become Old Wilson's great help.
However, Merlin had never expected that Old Wilson would want to bring Yaguez and Macy together.
"Why? Do you think it's not right?"
Old Wilson inquired in a low voice with a frown on his face.
Merlin shook his head and quickly replied, "I don't think there's any problem with that. I'm just surprised."
"Haha. Tell me about it. I was shocked when I heard Yaguez expressing his feelings about Macy. There's just too much differences between Yaguez's stoic personality and Macy's lively character. But this may just be their fate. I'm fine as long as they both think it's alright."
Old Wilson laughed. He was obviously quite satisfied with Yaguez as well.
After that, Old Wilson seemed to have thought of something and said to Merlin, "Merlin, do you need me for anything today?"
Hearing Old Wilson's question, Merlin explained the situation briefly, "Father, I may need to leave Prakash City for a while. I'm going to a place with Wizard Hill."
"Leaving already?"
Old Wilson revealed an apparent disappointed look but he soon recovered and acted normal. He knew that Merlin had become a mysterious yet powerful Spell Caster; he lived in a different world than the rest of them.
"Alright, but Yaguez and Macy will have their wedding in about half a year's time. As her brother, you must return by then."
Old Wilson said to Merlin with a serious face.
Merlin considered it for a while. Floating City was not too far from here. As long as he did not spend too much time in Floating City, he would be able to get back in half a year's time.
Upon thinking about that, Merlin nodded. "Alright. I'll be back by then."
Following that, Merlin turned around and left. Old Wilson continued to teach Yaguez and others about the mysterious posture of the relief sculpture.
...
The night was cool and serene. Merlin, Charise, and Avril had no intention to sleep just yet. After numerous days of soaking in Vitality Potion, Charise and Avril's skin had turned soft and delicate – both appeared to be more beautiful now.
After a night of excitement, the three of them seemed a little exhausted, but none had fallen asleep. At this moment, they were silently enjoying the warmth of loved ones.
"Are you really leaving?"
Charise suddenly asked and broke the silence in the room.
"Yeah. Tomorrow."
After saying that, the atmosphere turned silent once again. In fact, Merlin had slowly noticed the distant feeling he had toward the others such as Charise, Avril, and even Old Wilson, when he returned home.
This was because he was already living in a different world than Old Wilson, Charise, and the others. There were a lot of things Merlin could not explain clearly to them as well.
It felt as if there was a gigantic barrier between them!
After a long moment, Charise gradually said, "Merlin, I begin to feel that you're so far away from me, even if you're right beside me."
Merlin did not reply. A dead silence hung over the entire room.
...
The next day, Merlin quietly left Wilson Castle. He went straight to the black-robed old man's residence. The old man had already prepared everything, including a hired carriage which was waiting for Merlin.
"How is it? Have you settled everything?"
A faint smile played on the black-robed old man's face.
"All done. Let's go." 𝑙𝘪𝒷𝓇𝑒𝑎𝑑.𝘤𝑜𝑚
Merlin told him calmly and dived into the carriage.
The black-robed old man took a knowing glance at Merlin and sighed rather thoughtfully. "Wizard Merlin, you must treasure the time spent with your family. We Spell Casters are destined to be alone. The warm days spent with family won't stay for too long..."
An ordinary First-level Spell Caster could live up to two hundred years old. Even the short-lived ones could live up to one hundred years. Meanwhile, Normies basically had a lifespan of about seventy years; even that was considered long-lived.
After all, Spell Casters and Normies were two types of people. When all their beloved family members had passed away due to old age, the Spell Casters must bear the endless days alone.
Merlin looked at the black-robed old man again. The old man could have experienced a loving yet regretful memory as well...
...
The carriage was slowly moving forward on the rugged mountain road, giving it a bumpy ride.
Although the road was rough, the carriage continued its journey toward the mountains which were surrounded by clouds and mists. No one knew what sort of people were sitting in the carriage in this desolate place.
Finally, the carriage slowly came to a halt. Two black-robed men came out of the carriage. One of them, who was rather old, communicated to the carriage driver in a soft voice. Then, the carriage driver brought the carriage slowly down the mountain.
"Wizard Hill, is this Floating City?"
Merlin asked with a strange expression. These two black-robed men were Merlin and Wizard Hill who came all the way from Prakash City.
In the mountain, there was almost no road to proceed forward. If they walked toward the front, they would enter the dense forest which was covered in mist. Merlin could not imagine that this was Floating City.
The black-robed old man raised his head to take a glance at the dense forest covered in mist. A grin appeared on his face. "That's right. It's here. Let's go. If you move further in, you're able to see Floating City."
Thereafter, the black-robed old man walked into the mist.
Merlin hesitated for a while and finally followed suit.
Merlin noticed that his sight was greatly impeded by the thick mist; he could only see a brief silhouette of the black-robed old man in front of him. Moreover, the mist would enter his wide robe; its moist sensation gave off a chilly feeling.
"Ka-chak."
Suddenly, Merlin waved his hands and cast Frost toward a certain place in front of him. At once, thick ice crystals were formed.
Merlin frowned. When he approached the figure, he realized that it was a spider with the marking of flowers. It was about the size of a palm. By sight, Merlin knew that it was poisonous and appeared to be gruesome.
"Wizard Hill, there are a lot of poisonous insects here!"
After saying that, he raised his hands and cast Fireball. The fireball immediately exploded and killed a few thumb-sized beetles that gave off a buzzing noise.
Although Merlin and the black-robed old man had just entered the forest for a short period, they had come across a few poisonous insects. Most of these poisonous insects contained acute poison. Should they be bitten, it would not take long for them to succumb to the poison.
Only the Spell Casters could monitor all movements around them at any time with Mind Power to ensure their safety. The same as the strong Elemental Swordsmen, if they were careless here, they would most probably be bitten by the poisonous insects as well.
"Wizard Hill, is this really Floating City?"
Merlin could not help but ask.
The old man suddenly paused and grinned. He spoke softly, "Alright. We're already here!"
"Here?"
Merlin raised his head to find that it was still misty in front of them and he could not see things clearly. However, when Merlin looked with his Mind Power, he saw that there was a blurred figure of a city within the mist as if it was floating in the clouds. He was certain that this was Floating City.
The old man shot a glance at Merlin, then explained with a smile, "Floating City is not exactly floating in the air. It's built at the peak of a mountain surrounded by clouds and mist, thus the name, Floating City. Moreover, the mist is, in fact, created by a large Runic Magic Circle. Even if a Normie came into the mountain, he can't find Floating City without strong Mind Power."
Merlin nodded. Some Spell Casters stayed around Normies, while some preferred to stay away from Normies. Floating City was obviously in the group that avoided Normies. They did not want to be found by Normies, so they spent enormous energy and time to build such a strange place.
"Let's go. To enter Floating City, we must activate these stone statues with Mind Power!"
The old man pointed at the large stone statues on the ground. The figures of some Spell Casters seemed to be carved on these statues. In addition, there were all sorts of gemstones and mysterious runes on them.
Merlin and the black-robed old man approached the statues and rapidly extended their Mind Power toward the statues. Then, it was as if the statues had come alive – the mysterious runes on them began to gleam a bright light. Even the gemstones on the statues were shining all sorts of beautiful light.
"Swish! Swish!"
Two pillars of light flashed. Merlin and the old man's figures were covered by the runes and disappeared completely...