“I see.” Dave believed him. “Truth be told, I’d really hope you don’t come here too soon. Master Prome has been teaching me lots of alchemy knowledge these days. I think I can start trying out basic synthesis once I digest what I learned.”
“Right away? You’re not starting with enchantment first?” Angor asked.
“No. I’m afraid that I might no longer have the motivation to do synthesis in that case.”
To alchemists, both rune enchantment and magic array enchantment were only temporary solutions. They considered synthesis to be the ultimate way of alchemy.
Dave was showing the same extent of enthusiasm about alchemy just like how Nausica was eager to get stronger. He knew that Angor could provide good enchantment knowledge, but Dave still chose to aim for something higher instead of going for a chance when he saw one right away.
“I understand. Enchantment does not have as much potential.” Angor nodded.
Dave seemed to be worried about something. “Would you ever study synthesis, Angor?”
Angor considered for a while.
“I think I will.”
The decision to study enchantment was only one way to help him get over imminent challenges as a new apprentice. If Angor wished to reach deeper into the subject of alchemy, he would have to learn synthesis sooner or later.
Besides, most alchemy books he recorded in the Nightmare Realm were about synthesis. He could not possibly disregard all of them.
Dave smiled at the answer. “Nice. I was worried that you might get too obsessed with enchantment. I’m not saying that enchantment is useless. There are just too few alchemists in the south. Anything would help.”
“What’s the point of joining me then?” Angor chuckled. “Enchantment is the only thing I know now, and your techniques are way better. I haven’t even learned Smelt and Freeze yet.”
“I want to learn your ideas,” said Dave as he pointed at the kitchen knife and another three oriental weapons on the desk. “You’re so creative. These weapons all look weird, but man they’re powerful. And that Trigger Crossbow of yours! Master Prome really spoke highly of it!”
In general, Dave simply wished to find out what other amazing inventions Angor might come up with.
He had no idea that Angor was learning from a completely foreign civilization. Science from Earth might not look like the technologies in the wizarding world, but Angor could still use their ways of thinking.
Angor never “created” anything till now. Everything he made followed the examples of predecessors, and he was glad he did. Finding one’s own creations might sound brilliant but doing so without acquiring enough experience first only meant empty dreams.
Creation was made perfect by using the rich experience to lower potential risk. The gaining of experience was what Angor meant to do right now. Studying more would help him gain a bigger knowledge system, which would slowly become a treasure vault of human brilliance that enriched his mind forever.
Angor smiled back and tried to change the topic. “So Master Prome isn’t here at the moment? Should I go visit his residence?”
“No, Master only went back to get something. He said he would be here today.” Dave checked a hanging clock on the wall. “It’s almost noon… he’ll be here any moment now. What about we have lunch first in the meantime?”
“Alright. I’ve been feeding on rations for an entire week and I really need something better to bite on,” said Angor. When he put a hand on his stomach, he quickly felt hungry.
Dave closed the shop door and gave Angor a mysterious look. “I’ll show you a really good place to eat. I bet you’ll remember and go there again!” He sighed. “The only problem is its price. A meal will cost nearly a hundred merit points.”
Now Angor was curious. Eating cheap rations for a while did not hinder his taste at all. He really missed the amazing dishes cooked by Jon.
Angor expected Dave to take him to somewhere luxurious, or at least somewhere unique. Yet he found them arriving at one of the most chaotic streets in the underground market.
The street was full of dark alleys on both sides. It was not easy to find dark places here since the underground market was always bright as day, and this particular street seemed to contain every dark corner there was to offer. Every entrance to one of the alleys stood there like a giant maw of a beast that waited to devour someone who dared to venture inside.
Last time, Angor caught Chloe Brothers in one of such alleyways.
“You sure we can eat in this place?” Angor grew doubtful.
“Come on. Trust me, I know the place better than you!” Dave responded while nodding to several mean-looking apprentices that walked by, who also nodded in return. They all looked pretty violent for some reason.
About five minutes later, Dave dragged Angor into a small alley.
It grew darker and darker until they saw a small light spot around the end of the path.
The light came from a sign hanging on the wall which read “Bartterfly Pub”.
“A pub?” Angor frowned. Going to a pub at midday? Seriously? “I don’t drink liquor, just you know.”
Angor said something similar to Prome the other day; he had another three years before he was allowed to drink alcohol. It was only an excuse though. Angor used to drink milk wine brewed in Padt Manor, and he loved it. He never touched any alcohol drinks ever since he left his home.
“You don’t have to. We’re having a barbecue here! Just follow behind.”
Despite its location, the pub was actually bustling with customers. Angor even had to get registered, and he had to enter the pub with a membership card.
They took a corner when Dave ordered himself a glass of Penang rum and explained the pub to Angor.
“You need to get a card on your own. An Iron Card costs one magic crystal. There are better ones such as Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Better cards allow you to take better orders and use more luxurious rooms,” Dave explained. He showed his own card to Angor as he continued, “I only have an Iron Card, so I can only order a few things and eat them here, in the hall.”
This reminded Angor of something.
“Tiered membership cards… Isn’t that what Candy House usually does?”
“You know Candy House?” Dave’s eyes brightened up. “I heard that the chef here is a neighbor of an apprentice who happened to be Lady Greya and Felicia’s student, and he brought the card system here.”
“Oh, heh.”
Greya’s Barbie’s Restaurant and Felicia’s Butterfly Tavern were the two most renowned dining spots run by gourmet wizards. So the owner of this pub mixed those two names together and created the “Bartterfly Pub”? Smelled like a cheap copycat.
“So is the chef a gourmet wizard?” Angor asked.
Dave shook his head. “You don’t find those people in random places. He’s not. But I tell you, the dishes are good.”
A plate of roasted meat was soon served. Angor took a small bite.
Uhm. Not bad.
His bias about the pub quickly disappeared when he realized that the sauce on the meat was made of honey and milk.
Dave looked proud when he noticed Angor digging in his meal. “What did I say, right?”
As they completed the meal and prepared to leave, a man wearing a costly-looking suit suddenly rushed out from one of the private compartments and whispered to another bulky man with a sword, who exclaimed aloud, “Are you sure?!”
“Yeah, it’s confirmed!”
The bulky man dragged the speaker as well as two other individuals around his table and hurried out of the pub.
Dave was just trying to leave through the door. The big man yelled “Outta my way!” and simply hauled Dave aside before the poor boy could react.
Dave was unharmed, but he failed to hold back a curse behind the man’s back.
“You got a problem, son?” The big man looked back at him with an angered expression.
Dave quickly flinched. When Angor tried to help, the man in beautiful clothes dragged his companion away. “Stop wasting time! Let’s get back to Sky Tower and get as many wins as possible before the info goes out!”
The bulky man nodded, spat on the ground, and turned away.
He did not spit at Dave, but Dave still looked furious.
“Naru…”
Angor heard Dave mumbling something when helping him up. “What did you say?”
“That’s ‘Raging Blade’ Naru! I’ll get him!” Dave revealed a grieving expression as if he wanted to physically put a curse on that man.
“You can use my Trigger Crossbow.”
“No, thanks. I’ll make my own weapon once I learn synthesis.”
“I’m trying to say, we can go and deal with him right now,” said Angor who also looked offended.
…
Outside the pub.
“Bartterfly Pub provides something else to Gold Card owners too,” Dave spoke, “they sell information to them. That man must have heard something important about the Sky Tower.”
“Something important about the tower?” Angor pondered. The purification garden maybe?
They soon reached Prome’s Alchemy Shop and saw a pair of people sitting on the stairs in front of the shop while chatting. They quickly stood up and greeted them with smiles on their faces.
“Them again? Such coincidence,” Angor muttered.
This was the same combination of the fat and the thinner lackey Angor met last week, Fosah and Laffitte.