When Angor was still a child, Jon used to take him into the woods outside Grue Town.
At that time, Angor still did not know who Jon really was. He only knew that Jon was a skillful botanist who often told him all kinds of knowledge about various plants. He would follow behind Jon and listen to his explanation on every flower or grass they came across.
One day, Jon took Angor to an open area where a grass patch grew.
There were fluffy, white flowers growing here. When Angor approached them, he realized he never saw such things before. The sturdy and tall scape supported a round ball which was made from silk-like down. From a distance, they looked like adorable rabbit tails fluttering in the air.
“Dandelions. They are born to wait for the arrival of the wind. When the wind comes, their seeds will follow the wind and travel somewhere far, far away,” Jon explained to young Angor.
It was almost ten years ago.
Angor already forgot all the other details. However, he still remembered when he blew at a dandelion playfully, the “tiny parachutes” all left toward the horizon.
The wind came, causing all the trees in the woods to waver, distorting Angor’s hair and Jon’s clothes.
In the wind, the dandelions danced as if they were welcoming their long-awaited friend.
The white florets were carried away by the wind, ready for a new home far and beyond.
Angor was greatly shocked when he watched the movement of the dandelion florets. It was just like when he watched a starry sky for the first time.
“This is the perfect teamwork of the heaven and earth,” Jon said.
Ever since then, Angor never forgot what he saw on that day.
And this was why the flying green downs in front of his eyes reminded him of his childhood.
Angor had no idea where he was now. He laid on the soft grass and watched as green pollens covered the sky. The fresh smell of nature somewhat calmed his mind.
The green downs were just like the dandelion seeds dancing in a gentle breeze.
He could not think of anything other than his memory about the dandelions. With a silly smile on his face, he watched and watched.
A giant, green flower bud suddenly appeared in the sky, interrupting the peace.
Angor wondered what that was.
Next, all the green downs scattered on the grasses and in the air. It all became small, shiny dots which were soon absorbed into the bud.
Angor laid on the now empty ground and looked at the now clear sky. He felt something leaving his body.
The green bud in the sky began to bloom.
This reminded Angor of something he saw before, something about a similar flower, as well as someone standing in the middle of it. Angor went through his memory and tried to see who it was… when the figure in his mind also raised its head and stared back at him with an eerie smile.
Half of her was terrible, and her swollen face was occupied by worm-like parasites.
Cold sweat immediately covered Angor’s back.
When the memory came back, the flower in the sky had fully bloomed, revealing the very same individual inside.
Angor stepped back in fear.
The woman in the air slowly raised her head…
“Stop!!”
…
“Stop!!” Angor bounced up from his bed.
He was panting heavily, and his eyes were wide in horror.
Sunlight came through the window and blinded him for a moment. Angor lifted a hand to keep the light away.
He realized he was sitting on a giant bed.
Was he dreaming?
It must be. So… Parasite Queen wouldn’t show up again, right?
Angor did not really know the answer. He was not sure whether Parasite Queen had died.
“Where am I…” Angor shook his head to clear his mind a little. He put his hand on the bed beneath and noticed that it was really soft. He sensed the refreshing smell of newly-sawed lumber coming from it.
His own bed in the villa was uncomfortably hard. He finally realized that he could not recognize this place.
He looked down and saw himself topless. A pair of soft, white pants covered his legs and feet. They were a little too big for him.
He then looked around the elegantly-decorated room and the long, exquisite window curtain which covered the floor underneath… The room somewhat looked familiar to him.
Where am I? And why am I here? I was at the arena in Sky Tower. I… asked Toby to kill Parasite Queen. What happened next? There were people who wanted to kill me. Dave came to help. But I lost it…
Angor tried to recall what he saw before he lost consciousness, but he only managed to gain more questions.
He knew it was Dave who saved him, but this room did not look like Dave’s.
Someone suddenly knocked on the door.
Angor stayed quiet. Without knowing the situation, he did not dare to respond to anything.
When it quieted down again, and Angor thought whoever came to the door had left, the door was pushed open.
A man fully covered in a robe and wore a strange mask walked inside.
“Oh? You’re awake, Mister Padt? I thought you were still asleep, so I came to change your clothes.”
It was Butler Goode.
“Butler Goode, why… why am I here? Is this Phantom Island?” Angor just recognized that the decorations were of the same style as Sunders’ mansion.
“Mister Padt, Master brought you here at noon the day before yesterday. You were injured, and Master already treated you,” said Goode as he placed a pile of clothes on the bedstand. “These are Master’s when he was young. I wonder if they suit you?”
It wasn’t Dave, but the professor who saved me?
Angor was puzzled now.
Angor checked the clothes and quickly recognized Sunders’ dressing style. There was a black gentleman suit with white inner trimmings, as well as a wine-colored bow-tie.
“Um, Butler Goode, where’s my wizard robe?” Angor thought it was embarrassing to wear his professor’s clothes.
Despite Goode’s mask, Angor was sure the man just smiled.
“Your robe is broken, so Master threw it away.”
Threw it away.
Threw, away…
Angor did not know what to say. The robe was an alchemy item which came with a built-in Cleanse spell… and it was thrown away like junk?
“Meal is ready. If Mister Padt wishes to eat, please go to the dining hall,” said Goode. When he saw Angor’s expression, he changed the topic while maintaining his smile.
Meal?
Thinking about this, Angor put a hand on his stomach. He did feel hungry. However, when he thought about the food he had here last time… Ugh.
With his work done, Goode walked away. Before closing the door, he said something else, “Master is in his study. Upon finishing your meal, you can go see him there.”
Angor hesitated on the bed for some time before he decided to get himself washed.
After making sure he removed all strange smells and dirt from his body, he put on the gentleman suit brought by Goode while feeling somewhat embarrassed by it.
He was used to wearing the simple “bedsheet” he wore these days. Now he felt uneasy when putting on the suit which required more steps to wear.
Angor stood at the mirror and saw himself returning to being the young nobleman in Padt Manor. However, back in the manor, he always had to fake a serious and stern temperament. Now, he looked much more natural.
The young man in the mirror was brimming with the energy of youth. His somewhat messy blond hair did not hinder his handsome look at all.
He put on the bow-tie, tidied up several wrinkles, and stroke a good pose to the mirror, satisfied.
He looked around the room again and saw his belongings on a desk. His profile card for Sky Tower, his bone card, some potions he prepared, and… the Alien Eye.
He took the pendant and saw the object inside the casing just fine.
“Sunders had to remove my clothes to treat my wound, so… did he see Alien Eye?” Angor began to worry. This object was a special artifact from another world. Did the professor notice it?
But… he had been carrying it on him ever since he came to the cloud whale. Sunders should have already seen it, considering the gentleman’s terrifying skills. Since Sunders did not take it away, it should be alright.
Angor decided not to stress himself too much. If something was wrong, Sunders would show it. Judging from the gentleman’s character, Sunders was very likely to ask a straightforward question instead of keeping it a secret.
Angor put away his items. However, he did not find his alchemy weapons.
His Trigger Crossbow was not here. Neither was his ace card which was the last resort he prepared for Sky Tower — A handgun.
…
Angor went over all possible scenarios while having his meal. Did he lose them on the way here?
When he could not think of an answer, he simply gave up. It was not a big deal as long as he was alive. He could always craft more weapons again.
“Butler Goode said that I’ve been sleeping for two days and nights… Wait! I had another three matches in the afternoon after fighting Parasite Queen!”
He missed all three, which meant he lost 12 match points. His four victories in the Three Levels of Death only earned him 12 points for now, and he was back to square one!
He was planning to reach the top level as fast as possible. Now his match points were reset, and he wasted two days doing nothing!
Angor sighed again and calmed down. Being alive was more important. He still had more chances to go for matches and craft new alchemy weapons.
Finishing his meal, Angor walked toward Sunders’ study.