Seeing Kaier still trembling, Dox was too eager to uncover what transpired, ultimately resorting: "How about this, if he plans to harm you, I’ll hinder him, ensuring your survival."
Kaier: "Really?"
Dox: "Trust in my integrity."
Kaier truly wanted to retort—that Dox’s integrity is worthless. However, he was helpless because, as Dox articulated, eventually he must go.
Kaier sighed, tremblingly stepping toward the Earth Cavern.
Dox promptly followed along. As for his assurance to protect Kaier from harm, it was just rhetoric. He keenly understood that even if Angel was irate, he wouldn’t kill Kaier; after all, Esos was behind him, and Esos was a close friend of the Barbarian Cave’s Controller Reinmut.
Hence, Kaier wouldn’t face death—the real question was whether Angel harbors a penchant for torment?
To witness the spectacle in the Princess’s chamber—that concept was too tantalizing to resist. With such thoughts, Dox couldn’t help but smirk, feeling a growing itch to offer a few suggestions to Angel later.
Soon, Kaier and Dox arrived at the entrance of the Earth Cavern.
"Come in." Angel’s voice called from within.
Compared to earlier, this voice was markedly calmer, akin to his usual demeanor, absent any emotion. This allowed Kaier to slightly lower his apprehension.
However, at that moment, Dox stoked the flames: "Kaier, you know some people, the calmer they appear, the more suppressed their anger surges. Conversely, those who express their anger candidly are easier to soothe."
Listening to these words, Kaier’s legs, previously steadied, resumed trembling.
Dox was secretly delighted.
No matter what, now that they’re here, they must push the door open and enter.
Kaier, with the mindset of facing death, pushed open the grand door. As soon as he stepped in, before he could spot Angel’s location, he felt a gentle breeze caress his face.
This breeze wasn’t ordinary; merely brushing past his body, all his mental fatigue miraculously vanished.
Along with the breeze was a soft glow shining on his body, and a subtle fragrance lingering in the air.
Whether it was the breeze, the glow, or the fragrance, they all felt incredibly comfortable, like basking in a sea of moonlight, with every part of the body being massaged by gentle hands...
As Kaier was indulging in this sudden comfort, a voice echoed in his ears: "How is it, quite comfortable, isn’t it?"
Upon hearing that familiar voice, Kaier immediately shivered, lifting his head to look across.
He saw Angel, with a weary face, standing under the soft glow. The interplay of light and shadow revealed a kind of decadent beauty.
"Tsk tsk tsk, Moonlight Hymn, huh," Dox’s voice sounded, accompanied by the clinking of glass bottles, "How many bottles of Moonlight Hymn have been used here? Judging by the bottles, some of these are intermediate top-tier potions."
Kaier followed the sound, only to see Dox already near the table.
Beneath the table, a heap of various potion bottles lay scattered. Some looked ordinary, while others were quite lavish, even etched with magic patterns on the bottles.
Moonlight Hymn... Kaier recalled Dox mentioning this name.
For someone who frequently mingles in various Wizard Markets, how could he not know the renowned name of Moonlight Hymn?
Although it’s a low-tier potion, it’s the pinnacle among low-tier ones, extremely valuable, even surpassing some regular intermediate-tier potions. Its effect is to eliminate fatigue and restore heart power. For ordinary people, even just bathing under this moonlight can enhance physical strength.
With Kaier’s finances, he could afford one bottle of Moonlight Hymn, but... looking at the floor full of potion bottles, he felt that even if he sold himself, he couldn’t afford so many bottles of Moonlight Hymn.
Moreover, there were mixed bottles of unknown intermediate top-tier potions, their prices astronomical.
"M-M-Master, these potion bottles..." Kaier stammered, trying to say something.
Angel, with a calm expression, replied, "For the purpose of decryption."
A simple sentence, yet it made Kaier’s throat tighten. The worst outcome had arrived; indeed, these precious potions were used for solving a puzzle.
This meant... he would have to reimburse all of them.
Kaier felt dizzy, and in the next second, he collapsed onto the ground.
Dox, still amused on the side, said, "Let me count how many Magic Crystals were used for these potions—one, ten, a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand..."
It seemed intentionally for Kaier to hear. With each increase in magnitude, Dox would pause, and Kaier’s expression went from despair to ultimate blankness.
Seeing Kaier, whose soul seemed almost scared to death, numb and unresponsive, Dox shook his head, remarking, "Academy Faction is just Academy Faction, their mental resilience is so poor."
After speaking, Dox moved next to Angel, "Did you really use that much potion for decryption this time?"
Even while still basking in the Moonlight Hymn, Angel’s face showed evident fatigue, a result of mental exhaustion: "Got scammed by Esos."
With just one sentence, Dox understood.
"Compared to Alchemy, this decryption was the hardest task, right?" Dox asked, though his tone was certain.
Angel only responded with one sentence: "In the whole Southern Domain, no one else can solve it but me."
Perhaps it was an exaggeration, but Dox believed it because even Esos himself couldn’t bear looking at that blueprint for half an hour, let alone anyone else.
And Angel not only stared at the blueprint for over ten hours but also exhausted his mind in calculations for the decryption; it was far from a simple task.
Just thinking about it made Dox feel that the task was too hard. Even those seasoned elders at the Research and Development Institute couldn’t achieve it.
As far as Dox knew, the task given to Angel by Esos was just "Alchemy."
The most difficult decryption was completely omitted by Esos.
Angel went in thinking he was solving a simple puzzle, only for it to turn into hell mode. No wonder Angel would be so upset.
If it were Dox, he might have exploded by now. Perhaps, he might not even bother with the Alchemy Blueprint.