“You’re the talents of this term? Please come to my hall.”
Next, a part of the tree trunk in front of them shifted and revealed a door with stairs leading upward behind it.
They realized that the voice must belong to the Tree Spirit. However, it sounded too young.
They entered the door one by one. The stairs twisted and kept going up. They were not narrow, so people who knew each other walked in rows and chatted to each other. Angor too, walked together with Nausica on his left and Sailum on his right while Ebony followed behind Nausica.
Oil lamps occasionally showed up along the walls to lighten their way.
“Do you smell something? A sweet smell of wood. Did that come from the Tree of Eternity?” Sailum said.
Angor nodded. The air smelled like fresh sawdust, a damp, gentle fragrance, just like the voice of the Tree Spirit which flowed inside their minds like clear and refreshing river water.
“Indeed. Although I still prefer the smell on Angor,” Nausica chuckled. To show respect to the wizard, she did not smoke this time. Still, she could hardly control her urge, so she was holding her long smoking pipe and fiddled it around her fingers like she was spinning a pen.
“The smell on me?” Angor’s heart skipped a beat. He lifted his sleeve and sniffed at his arm. Yup, like Nausica said, his skin was giving out a pleasant smell.
He knew that smell. The smell of Glutton Flower spit!
“The smell on you is so calming. I think it holds some kind of magic which soothes restless souls and uneasy spirits.”
Nausica’s praise caused Angor to froze. Of course, it calmed spirits! The essence of Glutton Flower Lord was one of the best treasures which could soothe spirits and mend injuries on souls!
“Did you use body powder?” Nausica wondered.
Body powder was a sweet-smelling powder favored by nobles in many nations. They applied the powder to their hair, behind their ears, on their necks and armpits, to fully spread the pleasant smell and improve their personal charm. There were different kinds of body powders for gentlemen, ladies, and even kids.
Angor was from a noble family. So, it was natural that Nausica mistook him.
“Oh, um…” Angor stuttered. He neither confirmed Nausica’s idea nor denied it.
Of course, Angor could not say that he did not use powder. If Nausica believed he had some kind of “body hormone”, his manly image would be ruined! Yet, if he went along and admitted that he was using body powder, and Nausica wanted to know what brand he used, he would have a harder time trying to amend his lie.
This was why Angor simply played deaf and pretended that he did not hear anything.
Gods. The smell of the essence of Glutton Flower Lord spread onto my body from my soul. How strong is this thing anyway?
Angor prayed silently and hoped that the smell would leave as soon as possible. Before this happened, he had better stay alone.
Nausica just smiled at him and did not insist to know. Instead, she came close and whispered something into Angor’s ear, “The wizard back there, the short old man with gray hair. You remembered him, no?”
Angor nodded.
“I saw Hookdick talking to him one night. They seemed to be chatting happily, but I’m not sure what they talked about. The next day, Hookdick gathered his men and came to me, asking for an alliance. And you know what happened next, I beat him up. I was wondering why the man was so confident. Now, I think it has something to do with that wizard,” said Nausica. She considered it for a moment before saying, “Watch your back. Hookdick is an extremely narrow-minded figure. If he really gained something from the wizard, you might…”
Angor frowned.
He did not expect that Hookdick actually did some shady business with a wizard. It seemed that Angor needed to find a time to ask Sunders about this wizard. It was unlikely that a wizard would come and create trouble for him. But… better safe than sorry.