Upon arriving here, Angel was almost certain it was a ruin. Judging by the scale of the Magical Energy Arrays, the ruins were quite extensive.
Kaier also noticed Angel’s gaze: "I guess you also figured it out; this is indeed a ruin."
Kaier: "It’s said to be the underground palace of a Legendary Wizard from over six thousand years ago...don’t be so surprised, it’s just hearsay. Who knows the truth of such an ancient matter? Moreover, more than ninety percent of this ruin has been developed by the Lawrence family, and anything valuable has likely been taken. Otherwise, how could the Lawrence family run a black market here?"
It’s not Angel’s first time hearing about the Lawrence family. Upon first arriving at the Sandworm Market, members of the Camel Bell Squad mentioned that all Camel Bell Squads belonged to the Lawrence family. The regulations for the Sandworm Market were also set by the Lawrence family, and in Angel’s view, the Lawrence family seemed to be the real controllers behind the Sandworm Market.
As the controllers of the Sandworm Market, operating the Sandworm Long Street within and a black market outside, the Lawrence family sure had a big appetite, wanting to dominate both legal and illegal trades. It seemed this was possible because no other Wizard Family could rival them; otherwise, how could they have such overwhelming power?
"I’ll solve the puzzle on the envelope now, please wait a moment. With my strength, I’ll be able to solve it quickly." Kaier displayed considerable confidence.
Having said that, Kaier went to the desk on the side and began to jot down notes on parchment with vigor.
Yes, a desk.
This was just a corner of the ruins, but Kaier treated it entirely as his base, furnishing it with a fair amount of furniture. Though not luxurious, it was enough to receive guests.
Seeing Kaier treating them as if they were not outsiders and directly starting to solve the puzzle, Angel and Dox exchanged glances and sighed helplessly.
Dox: "Why don’t we have a little exchange?"
Angel thought about it. Since there was nothing to do at the moment, an exchange sounded fine. Dox having the title "Red Sword" indicated that he must have good swordsmanship skills. His brother Lyon used a knight’s sword as a weapon, so an exchange could be beneficial for his brother.
Angel nodded, and the two of them moved to a place far from the desk, sitting opposite each other.
There are certain unwritten rules for exchanges between wizards. Between unfamiliar wizards, acquainted wizards, and well-known wizards, each has its own set of procedures.
They naturally followed the exchange process for unfamiliar wizards, starting with probing into the simplest basics.
Once a mutual point of interest and agreement is found, a deeper exchange can take place.
Angel had a clear goal, as he was quite interested in Dox’s swordsmanship, so he guided the conversation in that direction.
Although Angel did not know sophisticated swordsmanship, he had observed Sir Sabel teaching Lyon. The conversation, though not profound, made Dox feel that Angel was genuinely interested in swordsmanship.
An old monster who has lived for hundreds of years seeking swordsmanship advice from a young man of eighty made Dox feel inflated.
This inflation led him to enjoy mentoring others.
He shared not any special secrets but started with the theory that pure swordsmanship was mostly ineffective against Transcendents. To threaten Transcendents or even Official Wizards, swordsmanship must have additional powers; either bloodline enhancement or magical power enhancement.
How to maximize such enhancements was one of Dox’s key points, and he even disclosed a few of his special techniques.
These insights were quite enlightening to Angel. Since even Angel felt he had gained something, he believed that recording these insights as an illusion and giving them to his brother Lyon would prove even more beneficial. After all, it was direct guidance from a wizard.
Dox, however, did not know that Angel, who appeared earnestly attentive, was contemplating how to clandestinely learn and record the techniques...
Dox had shared some genuinely useful skills and techniques. As part of the exchange, it wouldn’t be right for Angel to say nothing in return.
He also shared some insights on cultivation.
For instance, the things to look out for during cultivation, key breakthroughs during bottleneck periods, and taboos... these are not really great secrets within the Witcher Organization; as long as you’re at a high enough level and have enough Contribution Points in your Bone Card, you can exchange for them in the Cloudtop Library.
But Dox, being a Wandering Wizard, might have received some relatively complete inheritance, yet he still lacked these detailed aspects. Naturally, he listened with extreme eagerness, wishing Angel would share more.
The exchange lasted for most of the day, and due to Angel’s "sincere sharing," Dox further disclosed some swordsmanship techniques, leading both parties to gain considerable insights.
During the exchange, they occasionally glanced over at Kaier.
Angel noticed that Kaier, who was initially full of confidence, gradually wore a heavy expression, and now seemed gloomy... it appeared that Kaier was stumped by Esos’s puzzle.
His already messy hair was further ruffled by Kaier’s scratching.
"Will he be able to solve it today?" Dox also noticed the change in Kaier’s expression.
Angel did not respond immediately but instead used his spiritual power to observe Kaier’s puzzle-solving from an oversight perspective.
Such behavior was inherently improper, bordering on eavesdropping on knowledge. However, having just gained much from the exchange with Angel, Dox didn’t feel right to comment; Kaier, fully immersed in the puzzle, was oblivious to the external world.
After observing Kaier’s puzzle-solving thought process, Angel withdrew his spiritual power and said to Dox, "He has fallen into the multiple traps left by Master Esos. Judging by the direction of his problem-solving, he seems to have realized he fell into a trap and is trying to trace back to find where he went astray."
"However, even tracking back to the point of falling into the trap, it might still be impossible to completely avoid this trap."
Dox was confused: "Why?"
Angel: "Because the only exit is hidden within the trap."
Dox was astonished: "You can solve the spatial node left by Master Esos?"
Angel pondered for a moment: "I have a rough understanding."
Clearly, Angel was indirectly admitting to it.
Dox knew beforehand that Angel had extensively researched the Space Series, but he didn’t expect Angel could solve even the puzzles left by Esos. It’s worth noting that Kaier was already at the peak of Space Series apprenticeship and hadn’t figured it out, yet Angel deduced the answer in just a few seconds. The difference was self-evident.
"Are you sure you’re not a Space Series wizard?" Dox couldn’t help but ask again.
Angel replied helplessly: "I’m sure."
Dox wanted to believe Angel’s words, but Angel’s spatial foundation was exceptionally strong. Even if it was inter-system cultivation, it was nearly at the level of an Official Wizard!
Could this be the difference between wizards of Witcher Organizations and Wandering Wizards?
No, Dox has also fought against wizards from organizations; he knew their level... Perhaps Angel was merely exceptional, or maybe he was part of the Academy Faction!
Yes, definitely the Academy Faction. Only the Academy Faction would be interested in researching day in and day out.
Dox again elevated his evaluation of Angel, simultaneously reevaluating Angel’s lifespan. For someone to achieve this level of inter-system cultivation in the Space Series, it would take at least a thousand years.
Even though he lost to Angel in terms of knowledge, Angel, being an old monster from the Academy Faction who accumulated wisdom over time, couldn’t necessarily beat him in terms of combat prowess. Who would win in a direct fight was yet undetermined.
As for talent, of course, he had the upper hand!
Thinking of this, Dox felt inner peace again, and Angel seemed more agreeable.
After resolving his internal conflict, Dox, feeling refreshed, asked with a smile, "Since you can identify Kaier’s mistakes, do you think he can solve it? If he can, how long will it take?"
Angel hesitated for a moment: "He should be able to solve it. How long it takes depends on when he can guess Master Esos’s train of thought. Quickly, it might be half a day; slowly, it could take two or three days."
Dox: "Half a day would be alright. If it takes two or three days, does that mean we’ll have to sit here and wait endlessly?"
After Dox finished his question, there was no immediate response from Angel. He turned back to look at Angel with a puzzled expression.
And saw Angel with furrowed brows, staring toward a certain spot.
"Wizard Lyon, what’s wrong?"
Angel hesitated for a moment and asked, "Did you... hear something?"