Every supernatural in the room immediately got Jellal’s idea.
If Greya did have Section Ephemeras, they should give up on improving their talent or spiritual power. Each of them should take a Section Ephemera home and be done with it.
The apprentices were frustrated by Jellal’s question, but they quickly accepted the fact when they thought it over. If they could get their hands on a Section Ephemera sought by wizards, they could just use it to exchange talent-improving potions from the wizards. It would take longer, but they could also earn favor from formal wizards.
The apprentices were still happy about the outcome.
Outside the room, Flora yelled “Aiyayayah!” anxiously.
“Section Ephemera! Argh! I want it too! Let me in, you shameless assholes! I want to join the party!”
No one cared about Angor’s feelings. Why would they? They could simply give him something in return in the end. Even that was not necessary. After all, what could a mortal do to them?
“Do you have it?” Jellal asked again.
Greya glanced at Jellal with a fake smile, then looked at Angor again, who was still wearing a plain look.
But Angor’s trembling arms gave him out.
Greya waited for a while before she unfolded her fan again to hide her expression. “Ohohoho, Section Ephemera? Of course. I created it myself.”
All wizards instantly perked up.
Sabot was the one showing the most exaggerated expression. The Floating Mech City was a major wizard organization as well as a prosperous trading city. Most money that moved in the wizarding world must leave a share when passing through there. Of course, Sabot fully understood how valuable Section Ephemera was. He went to the Sky Auction House often, so he knew a bit more secrets than the others. Section Ephemera was produced by human hands. Rumor had it that a wizard made them using originally-created spells. In other words, it could not be copied. During recent centuries, the sale of Section Ephemera was always dominated by one group and sold in really small numbers.
Sabot was not expecting to run into the creator of Section Ephemera here! If he could join Greya’s line of business… then maybe he could earn himself a position to sell the item. Even if he was only allowed to sell a few, he would make a giant fortune!
When he was done thinking, Sabot began looking at Greya with a different idea in his mind.
“Apart from Section Ephemera, I also have Secret Snow Tree Cakes, Stew Combo made from Cloud Sea Raccoons, Magus Crab Meat, Magic Steam Twister…” Greya gave them a long list of names. There were meals that could further develop one’s brain, cleanse magical obstacles, trigger spell source vortexes… every meal was extremely attractive to wizards.
“I want Section Ephemera.” Jellal was firm.
Heroline and Sabot frowned upon Jellal’s dictatorial decision. Heroline preferred a meal that developed her brain, while Sabot wanted something to improve his magic power. They could only choose one. In the end, they both remained silent. Section Ephemera was fine. They had no use for it, but they could at least exchange it into something they needed. No need to offend the “Mythril Innovator” for now.
“You’re not the one who’s making the decision.” Greya tilted her lips towards Angor.
Jellal was as confident as ever. “He will listen to me.”
He looked towards Angor with a complicated expression. He got into the restaurant because of the young man. Otherwise, he would receive the humiliation of getting rejected in front of all the apprentices. However… Jellal was not feeling any gratitude. Instead, he was a bit angry at Angor, for putting him into an embarrassing situation somehow.
Jellal held hostility towards Angor. Still, he did not completely give up his sense of shame by venting it out in front of everyone.
“Angor, is it? Choose Section Ephemera, and give your share to me. I’ll give you a bottle of Potion of Austere Night in return. It’ll increase your spiritual power limit by two.”
Jellal did not care for Angor’s response before looking back at Greya again. The Potion of Austere Night was very useful to apprentices but was valued far less compared to Section Ephemera. A hundred bottles of the potion might be enough to exchange for… a piece of tail from a Section Ephemera.
Angor was hiding his anger against Jellal. He did not expose any of it, he only kept inhaling and breathing, while telling himself to “relax” in his mind.
Ever since he came to The Redbud, he experienced several incidents where he could not grasp his own fate, and this was the worst one. Still, he could not do anything. Jon told him that “a wise man could always understand the situation” and “little impatience spoils great plans”. He really wanted to vent out his vigorous teenager temperament, but he could not, especially when the gap between strength was just too big.
“Made up your mind, boy?” Greya asked Angor with a smile.
No matter what Angor chose—be it the Section Ephemera or a meal to improve aptitude—Greya would agree with him. The improvement meals she made was hardly better than the Potion of Austere Night. This was why Greya did not interrupt Jellal. Otherwise, to obey the rules established by “that man”, she certainly would have intervened, when a golden card guest was being forced by someone else.
Angor kept silent for quite a while, before he finally spoke, “I… I think I’ll choose the Section Ephemera.”
Upon hearing “Section Ephemera”, Jellal nodded. He did not even care about what Angor meant by “I think”.
“But can I ask something before I make the final decision?” asked Angor.
“Neehahaha, of course, you can. As a golden card holder, as long as you’re inside Barbie’s Restaurant, all questions you have will receive their best answer.” Tom Weasel popped up from God-knew-where.
Angor looked at Mara, who was a little surprised at first, but soon realized what Angor meant.
“About your teacher?” Mara tried to ask.
Angor nodded, and slowly explained Jon’s condition to Greya. Of course, he did not say anything about Jon’s origin. He only emphasized Jon’s physical changes and his current situation.
Greya raised an eyebrow and considered for a moment. “Your teacher’s body wilted on its own? Including his limbs?”
Angor nodded.
Mara also added something. “I have cast Detect Disease on him. There was no illness.”
The body wilted without a cause of disease?
Every wizard in the room realized an answer, but no one broke the silence. In the end, it was Heroline, who had been keeping a low profile, spoke up first.
“A wilted body without disease is likely because someone is being expelled by the World’s Consciousness,” Heroline paused a little. She then explained in a casual manner, “Maybe your teacher wasn’t from this world.”
Everyone nodded. Even Greya agreed to Heroline’s point.
Angor did not reply. He already knew Jon was from another world, but he did not dare to mention it.
Mara, however, helped him this time. “I used Expel Deceit on him as well. His teacher is from this world because the spell told me he’s completely human. Unless there are humans in another world too.”
Mara’s words made all people quiet again.
Humans only existed in the wizarding world—this was a common sense here. Humans in the other worlds or planes were either travelers from the wizarding world or humanoid creatures. There were no “otherworldly humans”.
Even if a human immigrant gave birth in another world and then returned the child to the wizarding world, the World’s Consciousness would not repel the child. In other words, as long as someone had human blood in them, they would not have trouble with World’s Consciousness even if their appearance had become a humanoid creature.
Not to mention Jon was a pure human.
Everyone was stumped. Heroline considered for a while and spoke again, “If he’s a human, he shouldn’t be repelled by the consciousness… Well, if it’s not a disease, it could be cursing spells or something similar.”
Before Mara could explain that he did not find any magic traces, Heroline continued, “Maybe the cause is some ability from another plane, which means you can’t detect it.”
Just like that, the nature of Jon’s “condition” was somewhat determined under people’s discussion.
Angor was planning to ask if Greya had any food to save his teacher. If so, he would try to get it, even if it meant he would displease Jellal.
However, the discussion had reached a wrong conclusion on Jon’s condition. A meal made while following such a conclusion would not help Jon at all.
The reason for Jon’s condition was just “a visitor from another space was unaccustomed to this world”.
Yet Angor could not say it. He only pretended to laugh it off in front of everyone.
“Any more questions? If not, I’ll start making the Section Ephemeras!”
“No, please go ahead—” Angor bowed towards Greya and prepared to walk away, but he suddenly recalled the itchiness on his back. “Oh wait, I have something else to ask. It’s about myself…”