Now, the relationship with Angel has become more intimate, and seeing Angel refining the Glazed Box rekindled the dormant heart fire within Dangross.
Of course, these words were not something Dangross was comfortable saying openly, so he merely brushed over them ambiguously.
"I just want to refine stones into a box, or something else, and that’s enough."
Angel: "So, it’s still for your little brother? You’re truly nice to him."
Dangross didn’t retort, but there were other thoughts in his heart that he found hard to articulate.
"Alright, I can teach you." Angel didn’t refuse.
It was rare to encounter a sprite eager to learn, so Angel wasn’t stingy with his teachings. And, if it was just melting and shaping, it didn’t involve particularly difficult knowledge; a blacksmith’s shop in the mortal world could achieve it, as it wasn’t an esoteric skill.
The most important aspect was that he wanted to see to what extent Dangross could advance after learning the melting technique.
Since he had promised Dangross, Angel didn’t delay and used an attribute-less energy gemstone obtained from the Traveling Frog’s stomach as the carrier for an illusion node and constructed an Illusionary Realm called "The Blacksmith’s Day."
"The Blacksmith’s Day" showcased the daily life of a blacksmith, from selecting materials from an open-air ore mine to returning to the forge to work on the iron, and then hammering it into shape. Every detail was presented in the illusionary realm.
Although the blacksmith didn’t speak a single word from start to finish, careful observation of the details could teach many techniques. Moreover, since it was an illusionary realm, even entering the bellows or the furnace wouldn’t cause harm, allowing one to see the real transmutation of each step.
Being a fire elf himself, Dangross had an extraordinary mastery of fire, so he could grasp the nuances of fire more quickly through the presentations in the illusions.
One could say that, in Angel’s view, "The Blacksmith’s Day" was the most suitable teaching material for Dangross.
After constructing the illusionary realm, Angel handed the pebble-like gemstone to Dangross.
"The energy of the illusionary realm comes from the gemstone itself, so once the gemstone runs out of energy, the illusionary realm will also vanish." Angel: "Currently, the energy in this gemstone is enough for you to view the illusionary realm over a hundred and eighty times. If you still haven’t learned by the time the gemstone’s energy is depleted, I’d advise you to give up."
Dangross held the gemstone with a confident expression: "I can do it!"
With that said, Dangross entered the world of the illusionary realm with great confidence.
With the noisy child gone, the Gondola returned to tranquility.
However, the tranquility didn’t last long, as a series of chirping sounds came from beside him a few minutes later.
The sounds came from Toby.
The elemental creatures present couldn’t understand what Toby was saying, but Angel understood its meaning.
Toby was gesturing for Angel to look at Cubic.
Due to its exposure to "Piggy Girl," Toby had been very attentive to Cubic since their first meeting, almost as if its eyes were glued to Cubic. Although its enthusiasm gradually subsided over the past few days, Toby still occasionally spied on Cubic.
Following Toby’s indication, Angel looked over.
He discovered that Cubic was quietly watching Dangross, with its small eyes seemingly flashing with big question marks.
"Do you also want to experience ’The Blacksmith’s Day’?" Angel asked curiously.
It took a long time for Cubic to realize that Angel was speaking to it. It promptly shook its head: "No, I’m not interested in blacksmithing."
Angel: "So, are you interested in Dangross?"
Cubic continued to shake its head.
Angel: "I see a lot of confusion in your eyes, care to share?"
Cubic hesitated for a long time before saying, "I feel that sir is very kind to Dangross. According to the records in the Shadow Box’s ’The World of Wizards,’ wizards pursue fairness and equivalent exchange. Dangross hasn’t given anything, yet sir has given so much. Is it because sir hopes Dangross will become your elemental companion?"
"In your view, is that the only answer?" Angel responded with a question.
Cubic appeared a bit puzzled, and shook its head without speaking.
"I once asked you why you boarded the ship," Angel said. "Your answer was that the Sage Kamil told you that the wind needs to pursue freedom and yearns for distance, so you should step out of your comfort zone and see the outside world."
"However, your abilities aren’t sufficient to travel alone, so the Sage Kamil allowed you to board my ship where I could shelter you for a time."
Cubic nodded: "Yes."
"According to the principle of equivalent exchange, think carefully, did I gain anything from sheltering you on the journey?" Angel asked.
Cubic: "But sir, didn’t you trade with the Sage?"
Angel: "I didn’t receive anything from the Sage Kamil."
Cubic was silent for a moment: "So, sir is simply kind to Dangross?"
Angel smiled: "Whether or not it’s simple, I don’t know, but at least the motives you were thinking of are absent."
Cubic: "...I still don’t quite understand."
Angel: "Not understanding is fine, you can continue to observe. Haven’t you been observing all along?"
Ever since boarding the ship, Cubic had kept a very low profile, speaking rarely, and merely observing and pondering silently.
This was indeed a characteristic of wisdom.
Given that Cubic might be a spirit intelligence spawned from Kamil’s avatar, this was understandable.
"I understand." Cubic nodded and fell silent again.