To transform the Flame Demon Scorpion eggs through construction conversion, Ivan first had to solve a problem—incubation, an issue that the Ancient Tree Ridge Academy had failed to clarify for nearly twenty years.
However, to him, this problem was actually not difficult to resolve.
He had meticulously explored the scorpion eggs and determined that the fundamental reason they couldn’t hatch was due to the disorder of fire energy; the existing cultivation at Ancient Tree Ridge had been irrational, leaving the scorpion eggs with three kinds of fire energy within—likely Flame Demon fire, Magma fire, and Sun Gold flame.
The three Fire-type energies conflicted with each other, unable to harmonize, which was why the scorpion eggs remained unable to hatch.
The Insect Breathing Method happened to be suitable for this.
At present, the Insect Breathing Method was the advanced version 2.0. Although it could not entirely contain the overwhelming power of the swamp ants, it was more than sufficient to harmonize a single insect egg.
Ivan was already trying to teach the Insect Breathing Method, while communicating with the faint consciousness within the scorpion egg and guiding the fire energy inside to harmonize.
It was a slow process that required persistent effort.
A few days later, Ivan decided to find himself an assistant.
“Swamp Ant, you come teach it the Insect Breathing Method.”
“Me? But I haven’t even fully mastered my own strength yet. Why not let Scented Butterfly do it? Her Insect Breathing Method is the highest level.” Upon hearing that it needed to incubate an insect egg itself, the male swamp ant immediately shook its head.
“Quit your yapping. You have the Domain Aura; your perception far exceeds Scented Butterfly’s. I’m just asking you to assist me. Don’t get muddled up like Mr. Luo Ke.” Ivan knew exactly what it was thinking and glared at it fiercely.
“Just assist? Well, alright then.” The swamp ant could only agree reluctantly.
What it didn’t realize was that Ivan’s idea of assisting was giving a few pointers himself while leaving the majority of the work to it; in a sense, it was indeed incubating the scorpion egg.
It wasn’t that Ivan was lazy; it was just that he had other matters to attend to and couldn’t spend all day watching over an insect egg.
Apart from contemplating and mastering semi-organic construction art and collecting materials for construction conversion, he had another important task to handle.
He planned to promptly elevate Helen to an official sorcerer, to see if there would be any changes, and whether it would aid in opening the last few pages of the Tidal Treasure Tome, or in finding the Centaur Race.
Helen was an Undead Centaur with a rare body constitution, vastly different from ordinary humans; advancing to an official sorcerer was no simple matter.
This required him to dedicate considerable energy to supervise, to confirm all kinds of possibilities for Helen; otherwise, the advancement process for Helen alone would be extremely perilous.
In the following days, Ivan continued his busy work.
While he was busying himself, word came, and he summoned Mr. Luo Ke to the laboratory.
“Boss, you called for me?”
“I have a task for you.”
“Just give the order, and I guarantee it’ll be done perfectly.”
“Go to Belizi’s place in Enkate City immediately and present a congratulatory gift to Sorcerer Solomon on my behalf, celebrating his advancement to a Level 3 Sorcerer.”
“That’s it? Easy peasy, I won’t let you down.”
Mr. Luo Ke readily agreed, taking it as a minor matter.
“Listen, do not do anything unnecessary,” Ivan emphasized, not entirely at ease: “Of course, we don’t fear trouble, nor do we need to take it lying down. In any case, if any issues arise, try to resolve them through Sorcerer Solomon.”
“Got it.”
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Mr. Luo Ke nodded eagerly.
He then made a request to travel aboard the Lanque, which Ivan immediately refused. He settled for his second request to have the Silkworm Queen accompany him, which was not rejected.
…
That very day, Mr. Luo Ke, along with the Silkworm Queen, departed from East Capital.
More than a month later, the man and the insect once again arrived at Enkate City, this southwestern stronghold, and smoothly entered its gates.
“Come on, I’ll show you around and let you see if the sorcerer families here match up to our Rapid Wood Tower,” Mr. Luo Ke said with a grand gesture, heading towards Belizi’s residence.
It was only upon approaching that he discovered the Belizi family had specially organized a celebration banquet, arriving just in time.
The banquet was held in a rather large manor; as a prominent family in Enkate City, it naturally had a large gathering of guests. The sheer number of people coming from outside was indicative; not everyone was granted entry.
From a distance, Mr. Luo Ke spotted a familiar blond figure welcoming arriving guests at the front of the manor and quickly walked up to them.
“Hey, Pidel, looks like you’re busy.”
“Mr. Luo Ke, welcome, welcome,” how come I don’t see Scholar Marichadon?”
“Big brother was tied up with something and asked me to congratulate Sorcerer Solomon on his behalf. How come Sorcerer Solomon isn’t here?”
“He’s meeting with a VIP. Let’s go, Kang Mang is here too.”
Pidel was one of Sorcerer Solomon’s Secret Method Body Doubles, with a status equivalent to Luo Ke’s. When the two met, they felt an immediate kinship. Without further ado about the other guests, Pidel led him into the interior of the estate.
Inside, the estate resembled a botanical garden, surrounded by exotic flowers and unusual fruits, including rare potion ingredients that seemed to be casually placed around, as if guests were free to pick them.
As Luo Ke saw guests tasting their way along the path, he couldn’t help but be amazed.
Soon, the two arrived at the site of the official banquet, an open-air brocade pavilion, where they saw Kang Mang, Sorcerer Doug’s Secret Method Body Double, idly leaning against a pillar.
“Luo Ke, you’re here,” Kang Mang perked up upon seeing them.
“You guessed I was coming?” Luo Ke asked in surprise.
“Sorcerer Ivan wouldn’t bother to attend some banquet, would he?” Kang Mang raised an eyebrow, confident in his assumption.
“You’re right; where is Sorcerer Doug?” Luo Ke was at a loss for words.
“He’s throwing his all into preparing for the promotion to Level 3 Sorcerer. It won’t be long before he’s like Sorcerer Ivan and Sorcerer Solomon,” Kang Mang said with resolve.
Hearing this, both Luo Ke and Pidel nodded in agreement, as if by unspoken accord.
Anyone from the trio of Doug—who had been selected into the Five Leaves Spear and passed the examination—was a sorcerer of great talent; becoming a Level 3 Sorcerer was just a matter of time.
Compared to Ivan and Solomon, Doug was merely a step behind temporarily—this much was clear to the trio present.
“Tsk!”
A sharp, sneering laugh suddenly interrupted them.
The sound was so undisguised that the three of them could hardly ignore it, and Kang Mang’s face quickly darkened.
“Mr. Gasca, laughing at others behind their backs is not a polite behavior,” Pidel also looked grave, his mood certainly not helped by his friends being publicly mocked on his own territory.
“Merely a follower, not worth my conversation.” To their surprise, this Level 2 Sorcerer named ‘Gasca’ looked at them with disdain, not considering the three of them worth his attention. “You three standing together must also be some sorcerer’s followers, I presume.”
The trio were momentarily speechless.
Their usual identities when out and about were those of Internal Affairs Officers, guards, and the like— corresponding to their respective true selves; for instance, Luo Ke was the Chief Guard of the Scholar of the East Capital. Indeed, these roles were akin to being followers.
It wasn’t something they could readily admit, as they certainly couldn’t reveal themselves as Secret Method Body Doubles, which, unlike ordinary body doubles, could represent their originals as manifestations of One Body Multiple Manifestations.
“Sure enough, they’re all the same,” Gasca sneered. “Merely minor followers, daring to discuss the promotion of Level 3.”
Gasca was not alone; two guards were with him, who forced laughter in agreement upon hearing his words.
“Who is this guy?” Luo Ke couldn’t resist asking, sensing the hostility not solely directed at himself.
“Sorcerer Pidel’s betrothed,” Pidel’s face darkened even further.
“A scion of a great family from Botta Blood Plain, no wonder he speaks so arrogantly, and smells just as foul,” Luo Ke realized, remembering that Pidel had been forced to apologize to his boss last time—this must be an attempt to regain some face.
It was a shame his boss wasn’t there; he would have loved to see this man deflate in front of him.
“How presumptuous!” Gasca was growing angry at Luo Ke’s comment.
“You are the presumptuous one!” Pidel stepped forward and rebuked him. Remembering something, he slightly moderated his tone, “Mr. Gasca, this is the Belizi household, and it’s also Sorcerer Solomon’s promotion celebration.
At this joyful occasion, I hope you will refrain from saying anything more to dampen spirits; it could put me in a difficult position and potentially offend Sorcerer Pidel.”
“Dolt! How dare you talk to me like this—don’t forget your own status, Pidel’s follower,” Gasca utterly missed his point, his anger steadily rising.
By now, their exchange had attracted the attention of many guests, with no shortage of people looking forward to a spectacle.
For a follower who was not even a sorcerer to rebuke him felt like a loss of face for Gasca from the Botta Blood Plain.
‘This guy must be a Level 2 Sorcerer only by virtue of resources being heaped upon him. This experience has been quite enlightening; I must discuss this with my boss later, for he probably hasn’t encountered such an extraordinary sorcerer either.’
Not far behind Pidel, Luo Ke watched this scene unfold, clicking his tongue at the brewing drama.
He knew Pidel’s true identity—an equivalent of a blood relative of the Son of the Sun, with probably half of his body made of Sun Golden Flame. Such fiery-natured beings couldn’t be expected to have a mild temperament, in his view.
With Pidel stepping in, Luo Ke thought there probably wouldn’t be anything left for him to handle.