"Give me the Divine Artifact," Seasoft demanded.
Bairon raised an eyebrow. "You intend to take it by force?"
"No, I'm proposing a negotiation," Seasoft clarified.
"Then let's discuss it later. I've worked up a sweat and need a shower," Bairon replied dismissively.
Seasoft snorted, "Either way, you'll have to come to me eventually." She turned on her heel and left.
"What's gotten into her?" Bairon muttered to himself.
No sooner had he spoken than Frank hurried in, looking distressed.
"What is it now?" Bairon snapped, his patience evidently worn thin.
Frank removed his captain's hat, lowering his gaze. "The sea remains still. The Windless Expanse persists."
Realization dawned on Bairon.
He finally grasped the implications of Seasoft's words.
"Understood," he acknowledged.
Realizing what?
Frank hesitated for a moment before pressing, "When can we expect the Windless Expanse to end?"
"Come back in two hours," Bairon instructed.
"That's too long. The passengers and crew are growing restless."
"Get out!" Bairon's voice was steely.
"Yes, my lord!" Fearful, Frank retreated quickly.
After securing Donovan with ropes, Bairon slapped his face a few times to ensure he remained unconscious, resembling nothing more than a lifeless swine.
He then channeled a surge of Mindergy into the Dark Tower ring adorning his finger.
A moment of mild dizziness ensued.
Bairon found himself in the realm of the Dark Tower, his face even paler than before.
"Looks like you've been through a skirmish?" Old John remarked with a hint of amusement.
"It wasn't much of a battle, but my Mindergy is severely drained," Bairon responded with a wry smile.
A clash between Intermediate Magi, no matter how brutal, seemed like child's play in front of someone like Old John, who appeared to be on the brink of legendary magus status.
Standing before the Dark Tower, Bairon presented the green leaf, inquiring, "I've obtained the Legacy Treasure. What should I do next?"
However, before he could get a response, he felt the leaf in his hand wriggle free, soaring towards the Dark Tower.
"What is it trying to do?!" Bairon exclaimed.
"The Dark Tower needs it," Old John replied.
"But..." Bairon began, but before he could finish, the wooden doors of the Dark Tower creaked open just a sliver.
The green leaf then gracefully floated inside.
The floating balance scale in front of the Dark Tower started to shift.
On the right side, the parchment representing the weight pressed downward.
The sheepskin scroll suspended on the beam moved slightly to the right, returning to its initial central position.
With this, a mysterious force began to emerge within Bairon's mind.
This newfound power felt as if the Mindergy in Bairon's mind had considerably solidified.
It was as though gas had been transformed into a semi-liquid state.
Old John spoke, "Congratulations, Bairon. Your Mindergy has stabilized enough. You can now make your strides towards becoming an Advanced Magus."
Bairon could naturally sense the change within himself.
A more stable Mindergy not only opened up the possibility of ascending to Advanced Magus but also allowed him a more precise control over his Mindergy.
Bairon estimated that if he were to capture Donovan again, he could save nearly half of his Mindergy.
On paper, it would appear his combat capabilities had doubled, but in actual combat, with proper utilization, it could easily multiply by four or five times.
Yet, there wasn't a hint of a smile on Bairon's face.
"You seem... unhappy," Old John observed, puzzled.
Bairon pointed at the Dark Tower, "It won't ever return the Legacy Treasure to me, will it?"
"Of course, the Dark Tower is generous, but it also demands a price in return. It absorbed the Legacy Treasure, fortified your Mindergy, and reset the parchment in its place. All these were pressing issues you needed to address," Old John explained.
"I see," Bairon replied, rubbing his forehead in resignation.
The Dark Tower indeed had been generous, rewarding him significantly, but it also introduced a more intricate problem to Bairon.
"Do you know how to dispel the Windless Expanse?" Bairon inquired.
"With the Legacy Treasure... Ah, I think I understand why you might be displeased now," Old John realized, noting that the Dark Tower had consumed the green leaf Legacy Treasure all too prematurely.
"Bairon," Charlotte called out.
"Hmm?"
Bairon blinked.
"Watch closely," Charlotte instructed.
The world once again turned to grayscale.
A Wind Blade materialized in mid-air. Bairon saw the Magic Circuit on the Wind Blade, the most exquisite Magic Circuit he had ever witnessed.
Charlotte Isabella had once more opened the door for Bairon to the fundamental laws of the world.
This time, it was for aero magic.
Half a minute later, Charlotte withdrew the spell field.
"Thank you," Bairon said, surprised by this unexpected revelation and quickly expressed his gratitude.
Having observed the Magic Circuit, he now had an idea on how to create a Wind Blade that could return on its path.
However, this didn't imply that he could resolve the Windless Expanse Spell Field.
Only a Master Magus could accomplish that.
"Infuse Mindergy into the Balance Scale," Charlotte suggested.
The Balance Scale could respond to Bairon's needs and provide him with what he urgently required.
But the downside was that the parchment symbolizing "nightmare" would shift towards the counterweight.
"That indeed sounds like a good solution," Bairon remarked with a wry smile.
He hadn't anticipated that after all the effort of moving the parchment back to its original position, he'd have to tilt it again.
But Bairon wasn't one to hesitate.
With determination, Bairon focused his mind and channeled a surge of Mindergy into the Balance Scale.
The golden Balance Scale wavered slightly, causing the "spell scroll" representing the right counterweight to dip a little.
A dark spell scroll transformed from the ethereal to the tangible, dropping to the ground.
Bairon picked it up.
The spell scroll represented a pre-engraved Magic Circuit for a particular spell, allowing a magus to activate the spell simply by infusing it with Mindergy.
"Wind Summoning, a master-level aero spell. Once invoked, it can summon a level-4 gust that lasts for 2 hours," Charlotte explained.
"How did you know?" Bairon asked in astonishment.
He had never used a spell scroll before, but according to the Magus Tower's records, once a spell scroll is crafted, no one except the Crafting Magus knows what spell it contains unless the Crafting Magus reveals it.
"I guessed," Charlotte replied.
Bairon blinked, unsure whether Charlotte meant for him to "guess" or if she was stating that she had guessed.
Charlotte continued, "The Wind Summoning spell can't negate the Windless Expanse Spell Field created by the Legacy Treasure, but it can summon gusts within the spell field. "
"The strong winds will place the ship in peril, and by then, you'll need to aid them."
This clarified why Charlotte had allowed Bairon to observe the "Wind Blade" Magic Circuit under the fundamental laws of the world.
"I understand," Bairon nodded, then glanced up at Old John floating high above, "I'll first guide the White Gull out of the Windless Expanse. Until next time."
With that, Bairon vanished from the spot.
The world of the Dark Tower plunged into a brief silence.
"Isabella, is this the outcome you orchestrated?" a voice echoed, "You showed him the 'ice element' realm and now the 'wind element' realm. What are you truly after?!"
The shadowy figure in the sky trembled violently.
The statue seated on the steps gazed up at the overcast sky, offering no response.
...
White Gull.
Bairon returned to the room that once belonged to Stephen, casting a glance at Donovan, who was bound with ropes.
Donovan gave a slight tremble.
Although it was faint, Bairon still caught it.
Is he awake?
Bairon's eyes grew cold.
The secrets of the Dark Tower must remain concealed from outsiders.
Lifting his hand, a Wind Blade narrowly whisked past Donovan's neck, slicing a corner off the wooden table behind.
Donovan didn't make any move to evade.
"Not awake?"
Bairon paused, taking a closer look and, to his embarrassment, realized that Donovan seemed to be having a dream, a nightmare to be precise.
"Monica, why did you hurt me? Why..."
Donovan murmured drowsily.
Uninterested in love tales, Bairon exited the room.
The moment Bairon set foot on the deck, the sailors took immediate notice of him.
However, they all actively avoided his gaze.
Unlike the fear Bairon had incited after killing Dave Padorn's guard last time, the dread in the sailors' eyes now resembled that reserved for a deity.
Bairon knew full well he was only an Intermediate 3nd ring magus, far from any god-like entity.
At most, he had glimpsed the Magic Circuits of two spells within the foundational realm, making him slightly more formidable than his peers.
"Lord Stewart, have you devised a solution?" Informed by a sailor, Captain Frank hastily emerged from his quarters, standing before Bairon with utmost respect.
"Instruct the sailors to prepare. We will set sail shortly," Bairon instructed.