Angor was in a very good mood after finding many useful materials at cheap prices. By lunchtime, he did not mind answering several of Ananda’s questions, the most important one being “How to become a wizard”.
“First and foremost, you must possess talent.”
Angor did not explain what exactly it meant. He told Ananda that one should show a spiritual power indicator of above 10, or there would be no hope at all.
“Am I talented?” Ananda asked eagerly.
Angor shook his head which caused Ananda to immediately felt despair over it.
“I don’t know. I can’t read people’s spirit levels yet, and I don’t have a testing item on me.”
Ananda perked up upon realizing what Angor really meant.
As Angor finished his meal, Ananda asked another question out of instinct, and she would be glad she did this in the coming future.
“Can someone born without talent do something to become a wizard?”
Any other apprentices who heard this question would probably give her a vague and inaccurate question to discourage her. Angor, however, still had his Potion of Austere Night saved for his brother Leon, as well as the knowledge about the strange wall in Nightmare Realm which could power-up one’s spirit, so Angor more or less believed that there were many ways to raise someone’s spirit power.
“There’s something to get your spiritual power indicator over 10 if you’re lucky. For example, drinking a glass of Potion of Austere Night can increase it by two right away.”
Ananda tried to remember that one as best as possible. She even took some colored soup on her fingers and wrote the words “Potion of Austere Night” on her jacket. Angor did not try to stop her.
More shopping in the afternoon.
Angor had found everything he needed to make an illusion-based music box and Energy Stabilizer. What he needed now were three types of items required to craft a space storage: the core of a White Dense Stone, Plane Corrosion Fragment, and Plane Genesis Fragment.
According to his books, Material Polymerization and Alchemy Material Illustration , none of these were rare materials.
White Dense Stone was something people could find everywhere in Vacuum Plane. Plane Corrosion Fragment and Plane Genesis Fragment were two types of substances with specific properties which were generated inside plane passageways. They were usually commonly found in plane passageways, and wizards could also bring something with similar properties into the passageways and manually create them. They were relatively expensive but were still easy to find.
However, Angor did not manage to find any despite his effort. Furthermore, the sun was already setting.
“Maybe I need to go to one of those secret shops Prome mentioned…”
The grand auction was drawing near, so Angor decided to go back for today and speak to Prome about it later.
He had a huge haul after today’s work. Nine out of the ten space capsules he brought for this case were filled up. Fearing that he might need the last one for something important, Angor placed everything else into the cart which had to temporarily stay in Prome’s compartment. He would go sort them out before leaving Twilight Well.
He asked Ananda to push the cart while he led the way toward Brute Cavern’s operating base.
Ananda really meant it when she said she was referred to as “Ananda the Armstrong”. The cart had to be at least a hundred pounds heavy, but she did not seem troubled by the weight at all.
Prome noticed Angor coming in his yard. He glanced at Ananda first and made sure she was just a mortal before addressing Angor. “Good hunting today, eh? Your space capsules can’t satisfy you?”
“I used nine, only one left. I probably should keep it for later, so I asked her to help me carry.”
Angor needed to ask Prome about the “secret”, so he asked Ananda to go ahead first. “Place the flower pot into my room, the green door on the second floor. Leave everything else in the basement for now.”
The flower was a special magical plant he bought today which had to be tended to with his spiritual power every several hours, so Angor had to keep the flower nearby.
After Ananda walked away, Angor quickly went to Prome and inquired about where to find the remaining materials.
“Oh, you trying to make a one-use space capsule yourself?” Prome was pretty surprised. The three materials mentioned by Angor were supplementary components in making one-time space capsules. However, without the main material called “greyspace microbes”, he would have to seek help from a wizard who mastered space-related knowledge.
Angor only smiled as an answer. Space storage was always a valuable asset among wizards, and it was quite difficult to create. Before actually getting one, Angor was not going to tell anyone about it.
Prome still had his doubts about Angor’s intentions but he still answered, “They might not be rare, but you can’t find them just anywhere. These materials are meant for formal wizards, and every shop intended for wizards usually conceal their locations. Also, you probably should prepare more money than you think.”
“I see. Thank you, sir,” said Angor with a nod. He could accept higher prices as long as they were not too insane.
When they talked about some other random things, they heard someone yelling madly on the second floor.
“Why Ananda?! Come at me if you want anything! Leave Ananda alone!”
“Hobbiton?? Why are you here?” It was Ananda’s panicked voice this time.
Prome and Angor exchanged a look when Prome chuckled. “I planned to use a spell to get him talking. But now, your carrier recognized him and saved us the effort. What a small world.”
Angor was quite surprised at first. However, he quickly accepted the situation when thinking about Ananda’s “occupation” as the leader of a gang of thugs. The Phantom Servant was also a thief, which meant they had all the reason to know each other.
“Let’s go have a look.”
They ran into Dave and learned that the Phantom Servant somehow broke through the illusion and was preparing to escape. He almost succeeded, but then he saw Ananda entering Angor’s room and failed to hold back his great surprise, which then alerted Dave.
Angor shook his head upon hearing the Phantom Servant’s immature tactic. It seemed he really had the heart of a child. By yelling loudly, the man both ruined his escape plan and exposed his relationship with Ananda.
Was someone so slow in thinking be suitable as a wizard’s slave? Angor thought about Butler Goode, who was a composed and experienced servant beside Sunders. Goode seemed to be the perfect servitor one could hope for, while this young man they were dealing with… was a complete disaster.
Angor arrived on the second floor and saw the young man accusing his captors to Ananda in a child’s way as if someone took his candies.
Angor smiled and secretly deployed an illusion in the hallway in which the window at the end of the way and the stairs swapped places. Then he stayed put and listened to their conversation.
He did not hear anything too useful, but he managed to learn who the young Phantom Servant was.
The man was called “Hobbiton” and he was no petty thief, but the son of a very authoritative figure in Darkivil Empire—Duke Tepikkhu.
Hobbiton did not say why he, as the son of such a powerful official in the country, resolved to thievery. He only complained trifle matters to Ananda nonstop, such as how he was scared of the terrible illusion in his room, how his legs were still trembling, and so on. Next, he hugged Ananda tight and buried his face inside Ananda’s breast area.
“And a lecherous little a*sshole too.” Angor shook his head.
Knowing his identity meant they could easily find something else about him, so they did not listen for any longer. Prome stepped up and dragged Ananda away before he gazed at Hobbiton. “I guess you haven’t learned your lesson since you still know how to run away?”
When Prome tried to grab him, Hobbiton screamed again and used his Void Shift to disappear for a brief moment, Next, he bolted toward the stairs.
Of course the “stairs” he aimed for was fake. His face slammed into the wall at the end of the path at full force before he then collapsed on the ground and fainted, eyes spinning.
Angor could not help laughing when Ananda hurried to Hobbiton’s side and helped him up.
“He’s still a kid, good sirs, can you please let him go?” Ananda looked toward Angor with a pleading look. Angor was the only person here she knew.
“Kid? You do know that he’s an adult, right?” Dave visibly grew furious again.
“Yes, we were born in the same year and we’re always good friends. But ever since he discovered his ability at the age of seven, Duke Tepikkhu always locked him up in his home, and we rarely ever met again. He still has a child’s heart, so please don’t be too harsh to him…” Ananda tried.
“Harsh? We won’t even bother with him had he not stolen from us!” Dave bellowed, “As true wizards, we’re already doing him a favor by letting him live!”
Angor rolled his eyes when Dave addressed himself as a “true wizard”. But he did not say anything. He would let Dave establish that personal image this time.
Ananda looked embarrassed when she heard the true reason why Hobbiton was caught.
“It… was me, who told him how to steal. You can have me if you want someone to blame, but please free Hobbiton from here.”
However, they could all see that Ananda was not sure about that decision herself.
“Forget it. Tell us about Hobbiton, and we might spare him if your answer is truthful,” Angor spoke. Previously, he believed that it was better for Hobbiton to end up as Prome’s slave than being a thief. However, when Angor heard that Hobbiton still had a family, he somewhat changed his mind.
Prome should be the one deciding Hobbiton’s fate though, so Angor looked at Prome to confirm his opinion.
Prome only smiled back and let Angor decide. To Prome, Hobbiton was a decent test subject. Yet it was something he would pay to earn Angor’s trust.