"Leaving them here, is that really okay?" Lady Melo approached Angel in a low voice after he returned to the tavern.
The group of Talented Ones who arrived at the tavern were clearly still not fully recovered, still showing signs of fright, mostly just sitting blankly at the table.
Although the tavern was closed today, the barrier at the door could not block the outside gaze. Lady Melo was worried that once the guard patrols came by and saw them, it might cause another uproar.
Angel: "There’s nothing wrong with it, don’t worry, nothing will happen."
In Angel’s view, even if the guards discovered them, it wouldn’t be a big deal. Would they really dare to do anything here? Moreover, even if they did, it wouldn’t matter.
However, after all, this was Old Porter’s territory, a hidden piece placed by the Barbarian Cave here, even if it wasn’t of much importance, Angel would still try to avoid exposure.
So, even though his heart was boldly proclaiming fearlessness, his reasoning was tightly reined in.
And that rein was the Illusion Technique.
Angel had set up a layer of Illusion Technique outside the tavern that could imperceptibly influence anyone entering its range.
This was also a precautionary measure taken by Angel.
After setting up the Illusion Technique, Angel asked Lady Melo to find Old Porter while he stayed in the front hall, chatting casually with Dox.
Although it was a casual chat with no set topics, Angel deliberately or inadvertently brought up changes in the Gumman Kingdom, trying to gauge Dox’s intentions.
Dox, while not explicitly stating his intention to get involved in the changes of the Gumman Kingdom, seemed to subtly hint at the desire to intervene through his previous actions.
There’s nothing wrong with intervening; Wandering Wizards, also known as Free Wizards, have no constraints and can do what they wish. But Angel was curious about how deep Dox intended to get involved and what he hoped to gain from it.
In response to Angel’s probing, Dox appeared somewhat absent-minded, occasionally responding but mostly looking around.
Angel: "What are you looking for? The Crowned Parrot?"
Dox immediately nodded: "I’ve been reminiscing about all the insults I heard before, organizing them into many excellent phrases, and I have to use them to teach that bastard parrot a lesson, or I won’t be at peace."
Moreover, on the way here, Dox had told Angel to watch his performance, promising to deliver on his word.
However, though they had arrived, the Crowned Parrot was nowhere to be found.
This was why Dox was absent-minded in his conversation with Angel.
Seeing that the Crowned Parrot was not around, and eager to express those beautiful insults, Dox said to Angel: "Why don’t you appreciate the insults I’ve organized?"
Angel smiled and declined: "Verbal confrontation is all about live performance; what’s prepared ahead of time might not be usable."
"True, but... sigh, do you think I want to argue? I’d rather break its neck directly." Half of what Dox said was a low mutter but still meant for Angel to hear.
If Angel weren’t intentionally or unintentionally stopping him, Dox would probably prefer using more direct methods to deal with that parrot.
Angel: "I personally think that defeating it in the domain where you were challenged and finding your ground there is more fulfilling."
"What fulfillment?" Dox silently cursed in his heart. If that bastard parrot had targeted Angel instead of him, Angel would probably have dealt with it in a decisive manner too.
"Also, didn’t you say that the Crowned Parrot likely once followed a wise wizard, maybe even summoned by a big figure? Aren’t you afraid of being remembered by that big figure?"
Dox sipped his drink in annoyance.
If it were a big figure, they were probably dead or relieved of its contract out of frustration. Otherwise, how did that person named Abulei make a contract with it?
Although Dox thought so in his heart, he didn’t say it out loud. Since the parrot wasn’t present, he didn’t want to continue the topic, fearing it would only increase his frustration.
"Let’s talk about something else." Dox directly changed the subject: "I understand your implication, but I think there’s no need for you to probe into what I’ll do."
Angel: "What do you mean?"
Dox: "Wandering Wizards go with the flow, unlike you organized people, who have to consider the bigger picture or overall interests in everything. Don’t you find it troublesome..."
Angel responded noncommittally.
Dox continued: "Of course, you end up gaining the most in the end, but I’m a Wandering Wizard. I only see the immediate benefits, and I may not even need to seize immediate benefits; thoughts can change from one second to the next. Like yesterday, I was at Sandworm Market; today, who would have thought I’d be here in Princess Town with a renowned Transcendental Wizard to watch the drama?"
Dox winked at Angel: "So, no need to probe, and don’t worry about me. If I really get involved, my influence is limited. Besides, after I return with you to Sandworm Market, who knows if I’ll ever return to the Gumman Kingdom. All possibilities exist, bearing the testimony of free choice in my heart."
Angel chuckled. Dox’s words were roundabout, but simply put: I’m a small figure, don’t mind me, I can’t influence the big picture. I’ll just grab what I can and leave, not deeply involved.
Angel naturally knew Dox couldn’t affect the big picture; he was curious about why Dox suddenly showed interest in getting involved in this chaos. Did he discover any tangible benefits in Princess Castle?
However, with Dox’s words, it was clear he didn’t intend to go into details with Angel.
Angel thought for a moment and let it go.
His current mindset was quite similar to Dox’s; he was focused on immediate benefits rather than long-term gains. However, unlike Dox, his "immediate benefits" were abundant and overwhelming: Green Patterns, Spatial Knowledge, Mysterious Alchemy, Authority of the Wilderness of Dreams, Tidal World’s Elemental Companions, etc. In comparison, even if Dox had found something tangible in Princess Castle, it seemed insignificant.
So, there’s no need to delve deeper. As for long-term interests... wasn’t that why Old Porter was sent to the Wilderness of Dreams to contact Lord Reine? Naturally, they had those people to consider.
After giving up probing, Angel and Dox began to chat truly casually.
However, even casual conversations had their limits. They couldn’t openly discuss knowledge from the Wizards’ Realm or gossip about other wizards in the front hall; it wasn’t just about having people in the hall, but also about choosing the right occasion and timing for "exchange." This place, this night, wasn’t suitable for such knowledge-based exchanges.
So, their conversation topics remained confined to the small Princess Town.
Eventually, Dox picked a topic and began evaluating the new batch of Talented Ones from the Barbarian Cave through his perspective.
Dox evaluated them one by one, and he didn’t hold back his voice. The Talented Ones still clearing their heads were instantly drawn to him.
Even though they didn’t say it out loud, they also wanted to know how they were evaluated in the eyes of an Official Wizard.
Angel actually had little interest in this topic because, among this group of Talented Ones, none were particularly outstanding. At least compared to their own batch back then, they were indeed a bit lacking.
But since Dox had already started the topic, Angel didn’t intend to interrupt.