“Thane, please don’t take offense at this young man’s words! Just pretend you didn’t hear anything.” Steven was getting impatient. He had painstakingly figured out a way to convince the professors from the mountain, and he couldn’t afford any issues at this crucial juncture.
Though Thane might only be able to replicate four swords at most, it should be enough to placate the elderly scholars. All they needed was to coax them down from the mountain.
With William causing such a stir, if Thane decided to wash his hands of the matter, things would get complicated.
“Mr. Garcia, I can’t just ignore this! I can spare a day. Let’s see what this young lad from the 13th Bureau has truly got,” Thane chuckled, turning to William. “Young man, you’re audacious, and I like it. If you can’t deliver, you’ll become my adopted son, taking care of me through my last days. But If you can truly replicate these items within a day, I’ll hand over the genuine “Da Vinci Manuscript” to you.”
Having William as his adopted son?!
That was a bold statement!
In all of history, he might just be the first to suggest such a thing!
“As for the ‘Da Vinci Manuscript’, forget it. I see you’re on your last legs. I don’t want to make any more bets with you. Waiting a day is enough!” William never really esteemed Da Vinci’s skills. He saw him merely as an excellent inventor who had mastered some ancient mysterious techniques.
In the past, William gave a mysterious parchment to Artemis. Artemis then passed it on to the King of Atlantis, who bestowed it upon the great sorcerer, Morgan. Morgan summarized the contents of the parchment and divided it into three, leading to what is known as Morgan’s Mystical Arts.
These three mystical tomes were titled ‘The Seal of Destiny’, ‘The Sacred Prophecy’, and ‘The Path of the Stars’. 𝙚𝙤𝙫𝙚𝒍.𝒐𝙧𝙜
Later on, Merlin, who only grasped the essence of ‘The Path of the Stars’, found it too intricate and dense. At that time, ‘The Path of the Stars’ contained 1,080 star configurations. Merlin deduced and removed over a thousand of these, retaining only seventy-two.
Subsequently, it was passed on to the Grail Knights and then to Caesar. By the time of Caesar, only eighteen star configurations remained, known as the Three Divine Seals, the Eight Divine Gates, and the Path of the Stars.
As for Da Vinci, aside from his unparalleled achievements in art and invention, the secret sections in the latter half of the ‘Da Vinci Manuscript’ were merely a superficial grasp of ‘The Path of the Stars’ that he had learned from the Grail Knights.
So, how could someone like William be interested in the ‘Da Vinci Manuscript’?
“William! Can you even manage this?” Steven could hardly believe it. Completing all these items in just a day, when just the inscriptions on them would take several days to engrave.
William had already turned and was heading out the door. “Don’t worry about how I’ll do it. Give me the photos, and I’ll have the items for you by tomorrow.”
The only reason he wanted the photos was to avoid Steven’s suspicions.
The items were still in his spatial storage ring. He could easily reproduce them on a one-to-one basis, and even if he were to make replicas, he wouldn’t need to retrieve the original items.
Alice was standing outside the door. Seeing William and Steven emerge, she hurriedly approached, curiously eyeing both men.
In a low voice, Steven said, “William, about the ‘Da Vinci Manuscript’, it might be best if you don’t want it. Legends say that those who study the content of the manuscript suffer misfortune and disasters. You might’ve heard of it. Even though you’re a novice Soulmancer, it could still affect your well-being.”
Steven wasn’t really concerned about whether William could pull it off. It was just a day’s time, after all. If William couldn’t do it, it would serve as a lesson for him. Besides, Thane wouldn’t die alone. He’d have someone by his side during his final moments.
William just smiled without replying. Did it even need saying?
Steven continued, “Let me know if you need anything.”
“Just find me an axe. A sharp one will do. No need for anything else,” William’s request wasn’t demanding; an axe would suffice.
“An axe?”
“Can we chop down trees in Ravenwood?”
“I’ll speak to the old wizard, Kyle. It should be fine.”
“That’ll do!”
Before long, Steven handed William a sharp axe intended for felling trees.
William passed the axe to Alice and said, “Come with me.”
With a spring in her step, Alice followed closely behind William as they ventured deep into the forest.
This part of the woods was not frequented by ordinary folk. At most, the average person could only explore the tourist areas of Glacier National Park. After all, not many would risk their lives leaping off cliffs to break into the magical barriers of Ravenwood.
“Master, what are we doing?”
“Chopping a tree,” William led Alice deeper into the woods and pointed to a massive tree that would take two people’s embrace to encircle. “That one. I want it down in half an hour!”
“Huh?” Alice, holding the axe, looked at William with a blank expression.
He brought her out here to chop trees?!
William snapped, “What are you surprised about? Get chopping! If you can’t fell it in half an hour, I might just bury you right here and plant a tree over you.”
Alice looked at William with puppy eyes, “You wouldn’t really bury your adorable apprentice alive, would you?”
“Don’t worry, I’d leave your head above ground for some reflection,” he joked.
Alice seriously wondered if her master was capable of such an act and hurriedly swung the axe into the tree.
William started walking towards the other side of the forest, “You stay here and chop. I’ll be back in half an hour.”
Alice pouted. Her master was truly unpredictable, asking her to chop trees and then wandering off somewhere.
But she felt helpless and just kept on with her task.
Having never done such labor before, Alice had never imagined she’d be playing the role of a lumberjack one day.
The young miss of the Turner family was actually chopping down trees deep in the woods. What a peculiar sight!
William wandered around the mountain for a while before stopping by a stream. He picked up a massive stone and headed back.
By the time he returned, Alice was sitting atop the fallen tree, swinging her legs and resting her chin in her hands, waiting for William.
Being a mid-level Soulmancer did have its advantages. Even if she had never chopped a tree before, her internal energy endowed her with some strength.
William glanced at her and said, “You’ll need to spar with others soon, and this axe will be your weapon. Chop down all the nearby trees to familiarize yourself with it.”
“Weapon?” Alice looked at the axe in her hands. This was her weapon?
Oh my!
She, a young and graceful girl, was expected to wield such a massive axe as a weapon?
And it could actually kill someone if used improperly. She didn’t want to end up in jail at such a young age.
“Yes! This is your weapon. Get to it. Before nightfall, one hundred trees. If you can’t manage, don’t bother coming down from the mountain,” William didn’t feel like indulging her complaints any longer. With a swift motion, a broadsword materialized in his hand, emanating a suffocating aura of power.
This sword was the Godslayer Sword!
Its mere presence seemed to freeze the air. The very earth and sky seemed to pale in comparison. If William hadn’t forcefully suppressed its energy, the entire forest might have been consumed by the sword’s intent.