The Gray Merchant also knew why they had such an attitude now, and he regretted it. After the official wizard duel, the apprenticeship duel should have been abandoned, which would not have resulted in this mess.
The White Merchant was right; the other side showed no malice. Although they benefited from it, the Ish Wife, out of selfishness, pushed the Earl Mi and others to the opposite side, and this could be seen as repaying kindness with vengeance.
Therefore, in the face of Angel and others’ mocking expressions, the Gray Merchant could only pretend not to see.
No one on Angel’s side spoke. They gazed coldly at the Gray Merchant, waiting for him to speak first.
The Gray Merchant sighed lightly in his heart, then took out a Spatial Capsule from his bosom and handed it to Vay.
Vay did not take it but looked at the Gray Merchant with confusion: "This is..."
"A gesture of apology." The Gray Merchant’s expression was earnest, full of remorse: "For victory, the Magic Elephant resorted to using the Ancient Gaze unscrupulously. As his Mentor, it’s my failure in guidance. I’m truly embarrassed and can only offer a humble gift."
"I understand a single apology is not enough. Thus, I specifically brought the Magic Elephant here to admit his mistake. Whatever it takes to eliminate resentment, even if it means him burying his bones here, we will accept it openly."
After speaking, the Gray Merchant dragged the Magic Elephant from behind, pressed his head, signaling for him to apologize to Vay.
The Magic Elephant obediently apologized. Although his reaction was a bit sluggish, it was noticeably better compared to before.
Seeing the demeanor of the Gray Merchant and the Magic Elephant, Vay furrowed his brow, unsure of how to handle the current situation. He wanted to seek advice from the Black Earl instinctively, but upon turning around, found that neither the Black Earl nor Angel were beside him; they seemed to be whispering something beside the Wise Sovereign, not paying attention to the situation here.
Dox, on the other hand, kept giving Vay eye signals, looking eager to act.
Vay understood Dox too well; from the look in Dox’s eyes, he knew he was hinting to him to first take the One-time Spatial Capsule and see if it contained anything good.
Dox’s personality was just like that, not to the extent of sacrificing principles for profit, but he often turned a blind eye to money.
Vay ignored Dox’s hints. He was more concerned about how to handle the current situation than these so-called benefits.
His own adult and Chaowei were not nearby, and Dox was an unreliable fellow...
As Vay hesitated, Kaier’s voice came through the Mind Ribbon.
"Earlier, when the adult left, he said, make your own decisions. Whatever decision you make, they will support it."
Vay was a bit stunned: "My adult said that?"
Kaier: "No, the Black Earl didn’t say anything before leaving."
Then, it was likely Chaowei who said it. The Black Earl did not deny it in the Mind Ribbon, which could basically be seen as the Black Earl’s intent.
So now he had to decide what to do with the Magic Elephant?
Thinking of this, Vay felt a slight anomaly and confusion in his heart.
Although the Gray Merchant said, even if he let the Magic Elephant bury his bones here, they had no complaints. But who knows how much sincerity was in these words? A slightly overdone handling might lead to a complete falling out with the Merchant Organization.
Although falling out was not a big deal, the Noah Family was not afraid of the Merchant Organization, nor the Birlos Family behind them. However, this was after all Vay’s first time handling such "external" relationship matters; he hoped to find a balance.
Vay’s musing did not last long because the Gray Merchant’s hand had been extended for a while, and in a few more seconds, it would be awkward.
The Gray Merchant, after all, was still an Official Wizard, and Vay did not think he had the qualifications to be pretentious in front of him.
Ultimately, Vay took the Spatial Capsule handed over by the Gray Merchant.
Seeing this, the Gray Merchant relaxed slightly, but before he could relax for long, he saw Vay immediately hand the Spatial Capsule to Dox without even looking at it.
Instead, Dox played with the Spatial Capsule on the side.
Was this a transfer to the Red Sword Wizard on the spot? Or did he let the Red Sword Wizard help him see what was inside the Spatial Capsule?
If it was the former, handing it to Dox in front of the Gray Merchant was somewhat impolite, even rude. The latter... reluctantly acceptable.
While the Gray Merchant was pondering Vay’s intention, Vay spoke: "Actually, I don’t want to accept a so-called apology, not to slight the Gray Merchant, but because I don’t feel the Magic Elephant’s actions were that wrong. At least, during the duel, he did not violate the rules."
"You didn’t even feel it was against the rules, yet you still..." came the voice of Fen Mo beside, but Fen Mo was silenced by the Gray Merchant’s cold face before she could finish her sentence.
If it were other occasions, Fen Mo’s few more words would be fine, but the current situation was clearly their fault. Duel rules were duel rules, but the tacit understanding and morality during the duel were another matter. In this regard, it was clear that they were in the wrong.
The Ish Wife did not speak, indicating she herself knew she was at fault; Fen Mo muttering on the side was also why the Gray Merchant would suddenly turn cold-faced.
"Miss Fen Mo’s unfinished words, I naturally understand." Vay: "I accept this apology gift, and I will explain later. Before that, I wonder if the Gray Merchant could answer a question for me?"
Gray Merchant: "Please speak."
Vay’s expression became solemn at this moment: "During the previous duel, the question I cared about most was... Why specifically the Ancient Gaze?"
Angel also lent Kaier some Out of Discussion handouts, but those were controllable and defensive nature. This kind of strategy was more for winning the match, rather than aiming to kill.
Yet, the Ancient Gaze was quite the opposite; the Magic Elephant could not control it at all, and its damage was extremely terrifying. Was it aimed for victory or for killing?
It’s known that during Vay’s Sacrificial Talent, he forcibly operated the Bloodline to the extreme, and at this point, his defense could at least resist a full-force strike from an Official Wizard. However, Vay still could not resist the deadly ray of the Ancient Gaze and barely salvaged his life.
Such a terrifying attack strategy handed to the Magic Elephant, if explained as "purely for victory," who would believe it?
After Vay asked this question, the Gray Merchant and others looked at each other, falling into silence.
After quite a while, the Gray Merchant’s side remained quiet, with no one giving an answer.
At this point, Vay spoke again, this time his gaze focused on Fen Mo: "The reason I accepted this apology gift is because I know you have no way and are embarrassed to explain the truth of this matter. Hence, there’s no need to explain; this so-called apology gift will be regarded as ’hush money.’
Pausing slightly, under the complex gaze of Gray Merchant, Vay continued: "I accepted the hush money, meaning I won’t pursue this question further... but it doesn’t mean I’ll forget this matter."
Vay looked at the Magic Elephant: "We will certainly meet again, next time, I hope we can duel openly and fairly."
Vay knew this matter had little to do with the Magic Elephant, but after all, it was the Magic Elephant who performed the Ancient Gaze. Even if he had to regain the face, he’d start with the Magic Elephant.
Then, Vay looked towards... The Ish Wife.