"...What are you doing?"
Dangross: "I feel like I look more handsome than before!"
Listening to that resonant tone, Angel was speechless. How could it be that just one day apart and Dangross has developed a narcissistic trait?
After indulging in enough self-admiration, Dangross finally remembered the initial question: "What’s happening to me? Why are my arms longer, and why is there more fire cloud around me?"
Angel lazily replied, "You’ve probably evolved."
Angel didn’t know exactly what was going on with Dangross, so he simply repeated what Lord Tree Spirit had told him.
After hearing Angel’s words, Dangross was filled with joy: "I’ve grown! Previously, Teacher Magu judged that I would need to experience the World’s Harmony at least five more times to continue growing. I didn’t expect to grow now; I’m really lucky!"
Angel replied with mock annoyance: "It’s not just luck; it’s because you’ve been with me and caught some good fortune."
Dangross glared angrily.
Angel: "Think about it—if you weren’t following me, would you have had the chance to go to Lord Tree Spirit’s Life Pool? Would you have the opportunity to absorb those life energies? So, you’ve been riding on my luck."
Dangross thought it over with its not-so-large mind, and it seemed to be the truth. Being with Angel, it didn’t expect to have such good fortune.
If it could continue following Angel, could it rapidly grow into a mighty elemental creature like Kalomchis?
Just thinking about it made Dangross feel wonderful.
While Dangross was caught up in various imaginations, Angel took out a piece of Mithril and Arcane Platinum, using the fire cloud released by Dangross to apply heat.
In less than five seconds, the Arcane Platinum showed signs of melting. After ten seconds, the Mithril also turned into a pool of shimmering silver liquid.
Angel raised an eyebrow in surprise: After Dangross evolved, the temperature of its flames had increased significantly. With this level of heat, even materials at the Official Wizard Level should be able to melt, with only the time factor being in question.
Angel: "Not bad, not bad. If you could control these flames at will, that would be even better. Dangross, your current task is to collect and control the fire clouds around you, managing their release and retrieval at will."
Seeing Angel’s behavior, Dangross, a bit displeased, said: "You just covet my fire."
Angel remained unfazed: "You just tagged along with me and gained great benefits, and you want to defy me already?"
Dangross huffed and turned its head in arrogance.
Angel: "Besides, if you can’t control the fire around you perfectly, do you think I’d let you ride on me? I don’t want my clothes to be burned into tatters."
Dangross thought about it and agreed. Angel was its "mount," and burning his clothes wouldn’t be very good.
With that in mind, Dangross began to actively control the fire clouds around it.
While controlling, Dangross didn’t forget to say: "I’m not doing this for you; I’m doing it for aesthetics."
Angel leaned lazily on the side of the boat and said nothing in response. He only thought to himself about how, after this evolution, Dangross’s flames had indeed become stronger, but how did it also gain narcissistic and arrogant traits?
Is this what they call the troubles of growth?
Maybe he should find a chance to write a book for Dangross called "The Troubles of Young Dangross"?
While Angel’s thoughts were wandering and Dangross was diligently practicing, the Gondola finally flew out of the borders of the Gumman Kingdom, entering the territory of the Laksum Principality.
After passing through a region with sparse resources, they arrived at the scorching desert area.
The Laksum Principality is a well-known inland desert country on the Flourish Continent, opposite in name to the prosperous country. However, the Laksum Principality is even more barren compared to the prosperous country. At least a quarter of the prosperous country is not desert, but the Laksum Principality is almost entirely desert.
Due to being a purely desert country, with a vast and unimpressive desert that neighboring countries are reluctant to compete for, the Laksum Principality’s land area is exceptionally large. Even if combined, the Gumman Kingdom, Aria Principality, and Eternal Night Country together are not as large as the Laksum Principality.
Angel took just one day to travel from the Pamiji Plateau to the Laksum Principality, but it might take another day, or even two, to get from the Laksum Principality to the Sandworm Market. Furthermore, the Sandworm Market is not even in the heart of the Laksum Principality, which shows just how vast this country is.
Nevertheless, no matter how large it is, with few resources and unbearably hot weather all year round, the country has the fewest inhabitants of almost any country.
However, for Transcendents, the Laksum Principality has quite a few usable resources. Extreme climatic conditions inevitably give rise to extreme phenomena. For instance, due to the geographical environment, fire and earth elemental creatures can emerge here; and there is an abundance of strange sandworms, which are exceptionally good extraordinary materials. Some top-tier sandworms can even serve as auxiliary agents for practicing earth-based tricks.
Various extraordinary resources make the wizard markets in the Laksum Principality quite prosperous, and there is even an extraordinary city located deep in the desert.
However, Angel doesn’t need to go to that extraordinary city this time. His target is merely the Sandworm Market, renowned for its sandworm trade.
...
The endless expanse of yellow sand, the occasional rising sandstorms, the skeletons buried in the desert, and the camel bell sounds carried by the wind all form the main theme of the scene before them.
"These bones are strange; why are there so many ribs? One, two, three... Oh, I can’t count them," Dangross’s voice came from Angel’s shoulder.
After a day and night of practice, Dangross had finally managed to control the flames outside its body, and so it had been allowed onto Angel’s shoulder. Since Toby was not around at the moment, the shoulder territory that Toby once occupied was now Dangross’s.
Angel also heard Dangross’s voice and looked down at the sun-dried skeleton partially exposed by the wind.
"This is the skeleton of a sandworm," Angel glanced once and confirmed the species.
"This is a sandworm? It’s even bigger than you, and it’s called a worm? The Illusionary Realm knowledge didn’t say anything about worms being this big!" Dangross exclaimed in surprise.
"The Illusionary Realm knowledge I showed you is about insects in the ordinary human world. Sandworms are extraordinary creatures, naturally not in the same category."
Just as Dangross was about to say more, Angel quickly interrupted: "Any questions, save them for later. The camel bell squad of the Sandworm Market is coming. If we miss this, we’ll have to wait another day."
Precisely locating a wizard market in the endless expanse of yellow sand is quite tricky. Therefore, all the major wizard markets in the Laksum Principality have camel bell squads guiding Transcendents into the market.
Angel was currently at one of the camel bell squad stations for the Sandworm Market.
The distant dust showed no signs of dispersing, but the clear sound of camel bells pierced through the sandstorm and reached Angel’s ears.
Closer and closer, closer and closer.
Finally, a camel bell squad, riding camels, wrapped in robes covering even their faces, leaving only eyes to see the way, emerged from the sandstorm, slowly heading toward where Angel stood.