Sanders walked out of the Plane Corridor and gave Angel a slight nod. He naturally donned his pure white silk gloves and retrieved his gold-inlaid black birch wood cane.
Turning around, he lightly tapped with the cane, making contact with the dark abyss behind him.
After a flicker of dim light, the Plane Corridor that Angel had opened was immediately closed.
As the Plane Corridor closed, a half-remaining Void Abyssal Beast nail was held by Sanders in his hand.
"Profound Abyss... using Void Abyssal Beast nails as the main material to open the Plane Corridor, only someone as opulent as you." Sanders glanced at the unexhausted black nail and casually tossed it towards Angel.
"Take it, it can barely be used once more."
Angel caught the abyss nail, showing a slightly embarrassed expression in his eyes. The market price for abyss nails in Sky Mechanical City starts at three thousand magic crystals; he had bought it from Breeze Demonic Material Shop at nearly twenty-five hundred magic crystals.
This magic material with spatial properties can naturally be used as a material for the Plane Corridor, but there are many magic materials that can replace the abyss nail. One of the most common is an Illusory Gemstone, a product of Illusion Spirit Diamond, with relatively large production and cheaper price, around two thousand magic crystals.
At first glance, the difference between three thousand magic crystals and two thousand magic crystals doesn’t seem significant, but you can’t consider only this one material when comparing.
The material requirements for the Plane Corridor are extensive, with not just one type, adding up usually to over ten thousand. The different main materials correspond to different auxiliary materials; for example, the auxiliary materials corresponding to Illusory Gemstone are priced reasonably, totaling about ten thousand to twenty thousand magic crystals—all normal wizards can afford to carry a set. But with abyss nails as the main material, the auxiliary materials would be higher, with the total consumption for a single Plane Corridor possibly exceeding thirty thousand magic crystals.
It’s precisely because of this that Sanders said Angel was too extravagant.
Angel’s eyes wandered: "I was just worried about failure in opening it, which is why I used abyss nails."
If it were a normal opening of the Plane Corridor, Angel naturally would choose something cheap and affordable, but this time Angel was opening it for the first time using only the Path Mark given by Sanders, felt fearful of things going wrong in the middle hence used a material relatively high in price but greater spatial stability than other major materials, the abyss nail.
Sanders roughly understood Angel’s reasoning, so he casually teased him. Angel himself is an Alchemist, not lacking in magic crystals, using expensive ones is fine—of course, Sanders is definitely not envious, definitely.
"How did Mentor know I was using abyss nails?" Angel curiously asked.
"By the shape of the rift." Sanders made no gestures, yet an illusion appeared before him, presenting the appearance of the Plane Corridor.
Sanders pointed to the rim of the Plane Corridor: "The Plane Corridor created by abyss nails is called a Profound Abyss, the spatial rift bears visible claw mark sensations akin to the marks left by Void Abyssal Beast tearing through space."
After speaking, Sanders listed several examples of Plane Corridors made from different main materials.
Including the Tunnel of Falsehood carved by Illusory Gemstone, the Light Shadow Passage opened by Nightmare Light Crystal, and the Rainbow Gate unlocked with Rainbow Furnace Stone... he taught Angel how to distinguish between different types of Plane Corridors.
After finishing his explanation, Angel contemplated while Sanders glanced at the distant gondola.
He could sense noticeable chaotic elemental fluctuations aboard the gondola.
Angel noted Sanders’s gaze and explained: "The elemental creatures near the gondola are my newly acquired subordinates and some familiar friends. Mentor, would you like to check them out?"
Sanders shook his head: "Later, let’s welcome Lord Rhein first."
Even though the cost of the Plane Corridor would eventually be reimbursed by the Barbarian Cave—this was promised by Lord Rhein; however, someone as lavish as Angel could still attract gossip, hence to avoid such circumstances, opening the Plane Corridor to welcome Rhein was finally assigned to Sanders.
Angel was responsible for contacting Rhein in the Wilderness of Dreams and determining the Path Mark.
Angel casually cast the Art of Nightmare Illusion over the salt lake, creating a cloud sofa like floating clouds, sat on it, and then closed his eyes, entering the Wilderness of Dreams.
Still in the ground floor lobby of the Rosewater Pavilion.
But compared to the previous bustle, now it’s quite empty, with only two service personnel recruited from Originheart City.
Since Rhein hadn’t gone online, Angel decided to wait here for a bit.
He sat by the window, signaling the service personnel not to approach, and began waiting quietly.
Five minutes... ten minutes...
Half an hour passed, Angel even sent his brother Lyon a full set of cultivation insights offline messages, but still awaited Rhein’s online message.
Angel pondered for a moment, opened the Mother Tree Interlinker, found Tree Spirit, inquiring about Lord Rhein’s whereabouts.
However, Tree Spirit didn’t respond. Using God’s View to check, he discovered Tree Spirit was in a corner of New City, conversing with Nami Midori, Tree Spirit discoursing delightfully while Nami Midori listened, her eyes gleaming brightly.
Both were in a state of entrancement, with Tree Spirit immersed in narration, Nami Midori into listening.
Angel probed slightly only then realizing Tree Spirit discussing cultivation methods of Nature Spirits. Nami Midori may not be a Spirit, but the nature-related descriptions captured Nami Midori’s heart so she also became absorbed, occasionally shimmering with the colors of enlightenment, seemingly gaining insights.
Witnessing this scenario, Angel inexplicably recalled discussions with Mr. Feng in the painting.
Angel: "How should I assist Nami Midori in breaking through?"
Feng: "Don’t pay too much attention, just let nature take its course, the Book of Kael won’t prophecy incorrectly."
Perhaps what it prophesied to him wasn’t specified, but generalized? Barbarian Cave is actually related to Angel too, it might also fall within the prophecy’s scope.
Clearly, Tree Spirit possesses the deepest understanding of natural forces in Barbarian Cave.
Maybe Nami Midori can take that step based on the knowledge and insights acquired from Tree Spirit?
Regardless if this possibility exists, Angel should not interrupt Tree Spirit’s lecture right now, and can only switch the target to other prospects.
Ironclad Granny isn’t online either, presumably left with Lord Rhein. Angel turns his attention to Lianna.
Lianna quickly replied via tree cluster: "Ask Duncan, Duncan is physically present near the ruins currently."
’Whisper of the Netherworld’ Duncan is a mysterious Summoning System wizard, primarily researching in the direction of Skeletal Summoning.
Angel locked God’s View onto Duncan’s location, finding Duncan not inside New City, but in an underground laboratory outside New City.
This laboratory was specifically built by Dumatin for studying Rain Weaver and Traveling Frog.
Angel sensed for a while then comprehended Dumatin invited Duncan to be his assistant, Duncan said yes though unclear based on what reason.
Currently, Dumatin isn’t present in the laboratory—Duncan stays back recording some experimental data.