Lord Pat?!
Perhaps there are other people with the surname Pat in the Wizards’ Realm, but from the Barbarian Cave, there’s only one Lord Pat!
Transcendental Wizard!
Old Porter first showed a look of astonishment, but quickly, as if he realized something suddenly, he bowed deeply to Angel with respect.
"Forgive my poor eyesight; I failed to recognize you earlier..."
Angel: "No need for forgiveness, just tell us the specifics of the incident involving the Guide being captured."
Although Angel had already heard one version of the story from Abulei, it didn’t hurt to ask again; there might be new updates.
Upon hearing this, Old Porter immediately understood Angel was here to handle the Guide incident.
Resolving this matter as quickly as possible to rescue Lady Melo would naturally be the best outcome. However, Old Porter didn’t immediately blurt out what he knew, instead cautiously glancing at Red Sword Dox beside him.
He knew Red Sword Dox was a Wandering Wizard, with presumably no ties to the Barbarian Cave, and was unsure why he was here.
Dox didn’t notice the wary look from Old Porter towards him, or if he did, he didn’t care. All his attention was now focused on Angel.
Previously, Abulei had been addressing Angel as "lord," and at that time, Dox didn’t know what the surname of this so-called lord was, but now he knew... Pat.
The information among Wandering Wizards is not closed off, and one might even say it circulates more freely than that of many Witcher Organizations.
Currently, across the entire Wizards’ Realm, the hottest new wizard, the one most discussed in major wizard magazines recently, the wizard with the fastest advancement speed in centuries.
All these titles were heaped onto a wizard named Pat.
Is this Pat truly the same Pat?
As Dox pondered in suspicion, Angel nodded to Old Porter: "Feel free to speak, Abulei briefed us earlier; the Red Sword Wizard was also present then."
The information Abulei knew might not necessarily surpass Old Porter’s. Hence, Angel’s words were also a reminder to Old Porter: if there were sensitive details that Abulei hadn’t previously shared, it was best to hold them for now. After all, Dox was just an outsider.
Old Porter, having been around long enough, naturally understood the implication in Angel’s words. He gathered his thoughts and started from the beginning.
Old Porter’s account didn’t differ much from Abulei’s.
However, today Old Porter learned some new inside information through the guards at the Princess Castle. A team from the Royal Knight Group would soon be escorting some prisoners out of Princess Town. Who exactly would be escorted was currently unknown, but it was possible Lady Melo was among them. As for where they were being taken, Old Porter hadn’t found out, but he guessed it might be the Royal Capital.
Old Porter: "Ever since this place was renamed Princess Town, the Royal Knight Group of King Gumman would come here periodically, and they would leave silently. I suspect each of their visits was actually to escort captured Transcendents away."
Abulei pondered: "If this suspicion is true, what is the Gumman royal family capturing so many Transcendents for? And how dare they even capture the Guide from the Barbarian Cave without fearing repercussions?"
The Crowned Parrot perched atop Abulei’s head remarked snidely: "That’s a redundant question. Besides their combat strength and flesh, what use are Transcendents? King Gumman doesn’t need their combat strength, surely they’re using the flesh for something. It might be some sinister Alchemy Array. In the original world, I’ve heard of evil wizards in the Wizards’ Realm who like to combine various creatures into terrifying Stitching Beasts."
The Crowned Parrot shuddered noticeably when mentioning the Stitching Beast. Angel guessed that the so-called Stitching Beast was akin to the "big bad wolf" adults use to scare children in the human world.
"Is it really like that?" Abulei asked curiously.
The Crowned Parrot: "How would I know? I’m just speculating. Foolish servant, don’t you have any opinion of your own? The first step to surviving in this world is to have your own judgment, understand?"
Being somewhat docile herself and with the Crowned Parrot being her summoned creature, which also had an authoritative tone, Abulei naturally dared not disobey and nodded in agreement.
Old Porter, listening to the conversation between Abulei and the Crowned Parrot, was a bit curious. What was up with this parrot? Before Abulei left from here, it definitely wasn’t around.
"That parrot is a summons newly contracted by Abulei," Angel explained offhandedly.
Upon hearing Angel’s words, the Crowned Parrot softly protested, "Not just a summons, but also Abulei’s master."
Ignoring the remark, Angel continued: "The situation it just described actually has a high probability. The captured Transcendents are mostly apprentices, with combat abilities at average at best, and as long as they have free will, they might rebel. Using their power would require brainwashing or forcing contract agreements, which is quite troublesome."
"As for the Crowned Parrot’s suggestion that it’s their flesh and blood that’s valuable, that’s indeed possible. But whether it’s an evil Alchemy Array, that’s uncertain. It could be things more sinister than the Alchemy Array."
At this point, Angel’s mind flashed with the image of Crimson Authority, which is likely related to the Unparalleled Great Demon God of the Abyss. If King Gumman was connected to that figure... perhaps the Alchemy Array would be the least of concerns.
"As for the question Abulei raised about why they dare to capture the Guide from the Barbarian Cave, perhaps it’s a turning point."
Abulei: "A turning point? What do you mean?"
Before Angel could reply, the Crowned Parrot abruptly slapped a wing on Abulei: "Can’t you think for yourself? You just showed lack of judgment right after I mentioned it."
Feeling a bit wronged, Abulei mumbled: "I really didn’t understand."
The Crowned Parrot snorted coldly: "A turning point signifies a possible change in the situation, either the endgame’s madness or the near conclusion of a feast."
Though still a bit confused, Abulei was too embarrassed to ask again now, so she just nodded hastily.
Angel gave the Crowned Parrot a deep look; this parrot was even smarter than he imagined. Perhaps Abulei had indeed found a treasure this time.
Angel didn’t comment on the Crowned Parrot’s explanation; instead, he remarked calmly: "None of it really matters. Regardless of what they’re doing with the Transcendents, it’s unrelated to our mission this time."
"However, Old Porter, even if these are just conjectures, this information needs to be disseminated. If it’s true, the higher-ups will handle it."
Old Porter nodded immediately: "Understood, I’ll go draft the confidential report shortly."
Angel acknowledged with a nod; since the intelligence from Old Porter matched with what Abulei shared, it was time to visit Princess Castle.
As for probing the underlying reasons, it wasn’t due to Angel’s laziness but rather his unwillingness to get involved in such troublesome affairs.
Sanders had repeatedly cautioned him against entangling himself with Gumman’s relics or King Gumman, as it was a headache for the entire Wizard society.
After all, the Gumman Kingdom had billions of citizens, and to some extent, these citizens could be considered hostages of King Gumman.
King Gumman is both ruthless and insane, treating even his own children like livestock, let alone ordinary people.
Angel had no intention of getting involved. As the Crowned Parrot mentioned, if it was truly "the path of madness" and "the feast is about to begin," the higher-ups of the various Witcher Organizations would handle it. His strength was not enough to contend with everything, so there was no need to dive into this muddy water.