Solgado the Sun looked at the Delson Royal City in the sunlight. He had come from the east of the empire, and the setting sun's afterglow happened to be shining from behind the royal city. Although somewhat relaxed, the bright sunlight still pricked his eyes, causing a slight squint. He twitched the scar on his left eyelid, as if a worm was wriggling.
Most of those rushing to enter the city today had already passed through the city gate, and there were few people on the road. Solgado held something in his hand, a gold badge, his adventurer's badge.
On the front of the badge were five prominent pentagrams arranged in a half-circle.
Solgado, the third-ranked adventurer among the ten five-star adventurers of the empire, no, it should be eleven now, a small boy emerged from somewhere and, without even a proper name, somehow slipped into the ranks of the five-star adventurers. This made Solgado, who had played with mud worms in the misty swamp, danced around with the flamespider in the volcanic dead end, and played hide and seek with the six-footed leopardess in the rear garden forest until he accumulated enough points to reach the five-star rank, very displeased.
He wiped the badge, this trip into the royal city was not a straightforward matter. He knew from the beginning that the person who had helped him back then would inevitably cause trouble sooner or later. But the trouble came at a good time, and he hadn't had much to do lately, so he decided to repay the favor.
He tucked the badge into his chest and looked at the city gate from a distance. The guards were slowly closing the gate. Solgado let out a long dragon's whistle, the sound was long and clear. With a swift movement, a cloud of dust arose from his feet, and the soldiers inside the gate heard a long roar that seemed to be several miles away at first, but in the blink of an eye, it was right in front of them.
"Hey, let me in first." Solgado generously handed two gold coins to the guards. Although he had a scar on his face, this tough guy looked very sunny when he smiled and didn't seem scary at all.
The three iron gates in front of the city gate were now closed. In other words, this person had just slipped under the gates, clinging to the ground.
"The city gate is not closed yet. Pay the entry tax, and you can go in." The guard said kindly.
Solgado dropped two silver coins into the tax box and strolled into the royal city. He was very familiar with this place. He came to the royal city almost every year to accept a commission, and at his level, he wouldn't accept just any commission. He accepted a commission once a year, choosing only those with sufficient rank and reward.
He looked up and saw that he had already reached his destination. It was a tavern, a four-story building of earth magic construction. Solgado walked in and searched room by room on the fourth floor, "This is it."
In the private room, there was a middle-aged man in a long robe with a hood that covered his face. The teapot on the table had already gone cold.
"You're late," the middle-aged man said coldly. Solgado smiled, "Met a few old friends on the way, delayed a bit." The middle-aged man snorted, "Old friends? It looks like your blood sword has drunk blood again."
Solgado sat down without ceremony and asked, "What do you want from me?" The middle-aged man tossed a magic crystal on the table, "There is a memory spell inside. It contains the target's appearance, information, and address. Bring him to me."
"Bring him?" Solgado frowned. He was not very good at such tasks. Everyone knew that there were no survivors under the blood blade.
"Correct, alive, not dead," the middle-aged man said, then stood up, adjusted his clothes, pulled his hood down, opened the door, and left.
Solgado picked up the magic crystal on the table and murmured to himself, "Whatever, after a day's journey and a fight, I'll fill my stomach first."
"Waiter, bring the food!"
...
This laboratory was very rudimentary, set up temporarily by Ge Zheng. On the table were three alchemical dolls, each a foot long, one of which had been broken into pieces. They were modeled after a human hero holding a blood-red long sword and wearing armor. After alchemical treatment, every joint of the doll's body could move.
These dolls looked exactly like the disaster dolls in Wàng Mountain City, and Ge Zheng could be sure that they were dolls that would bring disaster. However, the black crystal core of the disaster doll had not been found.
The key to breaking the alchemical curse was these black crystal cores. Without these cores, it would be impossible to cultivate outstanding cursing potions.
Ge Zheng opened one of the alchemical dolls, but there was nothing inside. He carefully searched every piece of the broken doll, but none of them seemed to hide the black crystal core.
Ge Zheng couldn't help but stroke his chin, "What's the matter? Without the black crystal core, how could the alchemical curse be unleashed?" Alchemical curses were different from general spells and magical curses. They required a trigger at the beginning, that being the disaster doll, but the most important part was the black crystal core within the disaster doll, which contained the mysterious power of dark alchemy.
"Without the black crystal core, how could the power of dark alchemy be concealed?" Ge Zheng mused to himself. He paced around the table with hands behind his back, lost in thought.
There were a few materials that could hide the power of dark alchemy, the most common being olivine stone. This stone had a strong bird dung scent, and the better the stone's quality, the milder the scent. The highest grade olivine stones smelled somewhat like fresh grass after rain.
These disaster dolls possessed all the elements of a disaster mechanism, yet they lacked the crucial black crystal core. Without this core, the alchemical curse could not be deployed. Ge Zheng was puzzled, "What's the purpose of making these disaster dolls then?"
The dark hands behind the scenes must have a purpose. This is certain. The cost of a disaster puppet is several times higher than a regular alchemy puppet!
Ge Zheng focused his attention on the puppet again. He picked up the two intact disaster puppets and fiddled with them absentmindedly. On the table, the broken puppets were scattered all over.
"Gurgle..." The two eyeballs of the broken puppet rolled on the table. Ge Zheng quickly grabbed them before they could fall to the ground.
He picked up the two eyeballs. He had seen them before. They were made of ordinary glass and contained some alchemical tricks, and they could be mechanically rotated. Upon considering this, Ge Zheng instantly thought of three simple methods, each of which was more convenient than the method used for these eyeballs.
Ge Zheng couldn't help but reveal a proud smile, but the smile froze. He suddenly realized that, looking at the design of the entire puppet, there should be at least one very talented alchemist around the mastermind. From the design of other parts, this alchemist was not only highly skilled, but also very shrewd. Why then, was the design of the eyeballs so cumbersome and foolish?
He was overjoyed, but his spiritual sense emitted a green-golden light, and the alchemy flying sword flew out of his body, transforming into a small sword that nodded to him continuously in mid-air.
Ge Zheng used his spiritual sense to manipulate the flying sword and gently scraped off the surface of the eyeballs. He scraped three times before the structure of the eyeballs' interior was revealed.
As Ge Zheng expected, beneath such a foolish design lay another secret. This foolish design was actually meant to conceal a deeper secret.
It was an extremely intricate magic array, one that even Ge Zheng couldn't have depicted better. In a space no larger than a grain of rice, a very complex magic array had been drawn.
Despite this discovery, he still couldn't unlock the secret of the disaster puppet, and the black crystal core still eluded him. The material used to depict the magic array, though minuscule, was a common high-grade magic crystal.
Ge Zheng certainly wouldn't give up. Why would such a magic array be hidden within the eyeballs of the puppet? Another question was, why hide it at all? The disaster puppet was hardly known to anyone. Why be so cautious?
Thinking of the alchemical curses in Wangshan City and Rolandchel City, Ge Zheng seemed to understand something. Could it be that the alchemical curses in the previous remote cities were only experiments, and because they were cracked by him, the mastermind behind the scenes became more cautious, leading to the appearance of these new types of disaster puppets!
Ge Zheng felt that his speculation was almost certain. He began to carefully study the function of this grain-sized high-grade magical crystal embedded in the magic array.
After some time, Ge Zheng suddenly threw the magical crystal and exclaimed, "What is going on? This is not a complete magic array!"
Though the magic array was very complex, Ge Zheng was a hundred percent sure that it was indeed incomplete and incapable of producing any effect on its own.
He felt more confused, with one question unanswered and another following. However, Ge Zheng felt that he was slowly approaching the true facts. He vaguely believed that he hadn't grasped some critical clues. If he could find these clues, all the questions would be answered.
He continued to study, but his judgments could not be overturned: it was indeed an incomplete magic array. With his knowledge of magic arrays, he couldn't discern the purpose of this incomplete array.
He suddenly had an idea: he was currently in the Delson Royal City, and the Eastern Victory Academy was situated in the fourth district, one of the five famous magical martial academies on the continent. There were many talented individuals inside, so why not seek guidance from the professors specializing in magic arrays at the academy?
Though Parachelcysus was knowledgeable, he had his own expertise. After all, he was only an alchemist, and his understanding of magic arrays surely paled in comparison to the senior scholars in the academy who specialized in researching magic arrays.
Ge Zheng carefully kept the three disaster puppets and left the laboratory.
"Master!" In the main hall, everyone was waiting for him. "How's it going?" everyone asked anxiously.
Ge Zheng waved his hand. "Don't worry, I've got an inkling. Miss Fei Fei said, 'Teacher, I've found out that the batch of alchemy puppets was sent as gifts to the envoys of various countries. On the night of the finals, the emperor will personally distribute them. In other words, we have four more days.' Ge Zheng was taken aback, "Has it already been a day?" Everyone nodded. "Dekumont has won again. As long as he wins one more match tomorrow, he will be able to advance to the top sixteen."
Ge Zheng looked at everyone. Each of them had a worried expression on their faces. He smiled, "What, don't you have confidence in me? Hehe, wait here. Norodon, you and I are going out for a while."
Ge Zheng took Norodon to the streets. "In your academy, which tutor has the most profound research on magic arrays?" Norodon thought for a moment, "It must be the old man Tommy from the Magic Department." Ge Zheng was startled, "Old man Tommy?"
Norodon smiled, "This old man isn't an official tutor at the academy because his professional level is too low. He is only a level-three mage. However, all the tutors in the Magic Department respect him a lot, and no one knows how old he really is. According to De Fordilo, the head of the Magic Department, no one on the Starry Continent, except for him, dares to claim to be the best in research on magic arrays. The old man is very humorous, and the students all like him. They all call him Old Man Tommy."
Old man Tommy was very popular with the young female students when Ge Zheng and Norodon found him. He was discussing the topic of the existence of eternal magic arrays with a group of new, young female students.
The circle of youthful girls exuded a refreshing meadow-like fragrance, and in the center sat a short old man. There was only a bit of white hair on the sides of the old man's head, and his beard and eyebrows were also pure white. He sat amidst the girls with a smiling expression, listening to their lively discussions.
Having watched for a while, Ge Zheng found it peculiar and asked, "Norodon, why do I feel like this old man's eyes are constantly scanning the chests and hips of the girls?"
Norodon chuckled and covered his mouth. "Master, your eyes are vicious! But yes, Old Man Tommy enjoys being among the female students. That's why he is so popular. If the male students want to pursue a girl, they must ask him; he'll definitely tell you about her hobbies. And if the male students want to know about the girl's size, they have to ask Old Man Tommy. He claims his old eyes are very accurate after practicing for decades."
"This..." Ge Zheng was speechless.
Finally, when the discussion between Old Man Tommy and the girls ended, Norodon and Ge Zheng approached him. "Tommy, we need to talk to you about something," Norodon said. Ge Zheng took out the magical crystal and said, "Tommy, I've heard that you are the best researcher on magic arrays on the Starry Continent. I'd like to ask for your help. This incomplete magic array, it's part of which magic array."
After a round of flattery, Old Man Tommy smiled and was full of praise for Norodon. He then examined the magical crystal grain under the sunlight and clearly saw the energy carving inside. He squinted and said, "Who said that this magic array was incomplete?"
Ge Zheng was taken aback, "But a magic array like this is incapable of producing any effects!" Old Man Tommy handed the magical crystal back to him and said with a smile, "That's right, it can't produce any effect on its own. However, when paired with a complementary magic array and resonates at the same frequency, it can work. This is a simple resonance magic array, similar to the adventure guild's mission magic array system, just a bit more complex."
"Ah!" Ge Zheng suddenly felt enlightened. He understood everything and, like a gust of wind, left the Eastern Victory Academy. He left Norodon with a simple task, "Arrange for Old Man Tommy to have a drink at the Green Rhino Club!"
The Green Rhino Club was the most famous striptease bar in Delson Royal City. Ge Zheng knew about it because, back in Wangshan City, Duke, a human mage from an adventurer team, had mentioned it in passing.
Old Man Tommy was still cheerful and humorous as Norodon and Ge Zheng arrived. "Norodon, where did you find this kid? He suits Old Man Tommy's taste!" Ge Zheng rushed out like a wind, leaving the academy. He only left a message behind, "Norodon, arrange for Old Man Tommy to have a drink at the Green Rhino Club!"
Though Dekumont didn't know any official from the external affairs department, one of his personal guards had a relative in the external affairs department's guard. After inquiring around, they quickly found Shunatt Trading.
Ge Zheng grinned, "We're going to visit the largest merchant on the continent tonight!"
However, Dekumont insisted, "I'll go with Master." Ge Zheng disagreed, "Baron, you have a match tomorrow; you stay at home and prepare. I'll take Denola with me. With her protecting me, you have nothing to worry about."
Even though the city of Delson was wrapped in the first veil of the night, the main street was still bustling with activity. Dekumont sent a carriage to take Ge Zheng back. After seeing Ge Zheng off at the inn gate, the carriage of the baron's mansion left. A few people walked past the street outside the inn, while someone slowly retreated down the alley. Sol Garthor did not want to be seen, and although the street was somewhat remote, there were still some pedestrians around. After seeing the memory magic, he was sure that the person who had just gotten off the carriage was his target. While it was easy to kill, capturing him would require some effort. As a five-star adventurer, Sol Garthor was definitely not a fool. If the target was easy to deal with, why would someone need his help?
After seeing Ge Zheng enter the inn, he pondered and decided to wait until midnight when no one was around, then sneak into the inn and quietly capture him. The guards at the inn? Although the royal guard had increased the number of patrolmen due to the previous incident, Sol Garthor didn't pay attention to these people.
Solgado was waiting outside the gate, it was dinner time, and the aroma wafting from everywhere seemed to elude Solgado, even though he was famished.
Finally, after enduring until midnight, Solgado perked up his spirits: finally, he could finish the task, fulfill the commission, and repay the favor. He would then be completely relaxed. Stepping out of the shadows, Solgado shook his body, and his bones made a crackling sound.
As he reached the wall, about to jump in, a cloud suddenly descended with a "whoosh" from above! Being quite the daredevil, even Solgado was thoroughly frightened by this sudden turn of events.
The dark cloud descended, but its target was not Solgado. It was someone with a black outfit, who, back turned, took advantage of the night and quickly ran out to the street. Solgado realized, to his surprise, that this wasn't the target person! In the dead of night, why wasn't he waiting in the bedroom to be caught, but instead, running around randomly?
Suddenly, Solgado realized, "It doesn't matter. I'll catch him, knock him out, and take him away."
However, he had been delayed for a while, and the person ahead, Ge Zheng, had turned into a street and disappeared into an alley. At the outset, he had not intended to take anyone along. He reckoned that the other party was likely to have a skilled alchemist presiding, making it very disadvantageous in the face of alchemical attacks, especially for a warrior who could not fight from a distance.
Ge Zheng dashed forward, and after a short while, he arrived at the upscale neighborhood. After a brief search, he found the sign of the Rongheng Trading Company very prominently displayed.
Ge Zheng circled the outer wall, and at this point, Solgado finally caught up from behind. He wasn't running slowly; it just took him some time to find Ge Zheng on the way.
The other five-star adventurer remarked, "Hey, this kid seems quite experienced."
He was still on the other side of the street, while Ge Zheng jumped over the wall. Solgado, unafraid, confident that he could move freely in this upscale neighborhood, casually followed.
There wasn't anything secretive on the outer perimeter, and Ge Zheng quickly found his way inside. The sound of the sleeping clerks' snoring was incessant, and the smell of stinky feet pervaded the air. Ge Zheng, despite feeling disgusted, continued to search inside.
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