"Thinking is having information and data quickly swarming in the brain, capturing potential sparks among them..."
Angel: "Speak plainly."
Dox curled up without proper posture before speaking: "Forgot."
"Most of them are forgotten because there were no sparks. Later, I did think about another problem."
"What’s the issue?"
Dox: "Even if the lectern is a single pillar, the tabletop should be quite large. It’s really quite unexpected for the Hero Squad to have pulled it out and used it as a weapon."
As a Bloodline Wizard who fights with a sword, Dox is quite particular about weapons. He couldn’t imagine how they could wield that lectern in battle.
No wonder Mia mentioned that the Hero Squad members are rather flamboyant, from their attire to their demeanor. Just think, using a lectern in combat—if that’s not flamboyant, what is?
Upon hearing Dox’s lament, Angel was about to make a casual remark when a cold snort sounded beside them: "What’s so strange about that? As long as it’s effective, even an hourglass can be used as a weapon, just like a lectern."
The speaker was the Black Earl, who had flown down from above and landed directly on the armrest of the illusion couch where Angel was seated.
Angel could feel the aura of a couch potato emanating from the Black Earl. It was evident that he hadn’t found any other extraordinary traces in the higher levels.
"Using an hourglass as a weapon? That’s quite novel. Could it be some special alchemy tool?" Dox asked curiously.
The Black Earl was silent for a moment, seemingly lost in recollection. Seconds later, he spoke whimsically: "It’s not an alchemy tool; it’s just a simple hourglass. However, its materials are quite extraordinary—the top and bottom are made from the shoulder armor of a Uya giant, the funnel shell is crafted from Song of the Deep Sea Shell Gold, and the sand inside is Frost Cold Sand."
Most of what the Black Earl mentioned were extraordinary materials. Among them, the Uya giant is a branch of marine giant, and its shoulder armor serves as its outer shell, akin to human fingernails; they can grow and be replaced, thus aren’t particularly rare. Most of these materials available in the market are actually sold by the Uya giants themselves.
Frost Cold Sand, like the shoulder armor, is a low-level material. Occasionally used to craft cold-type tools, it’s heavier than ordinary sand, making it difficult to refine, which is why most alchemy apprentices don’t select this material, keeping its market price low.
However, Song of the Deep Sea Shell Gold is an extraordinarily scarce material, albeit categorizing as intermediate rank. It’s produced deep within the Song of the Deep Sea region, having significant uses for Ocean Mages. As the Song of the Deep Sea is full of ocean-line mages who consume much of it, this resource rarely flows to outsiders.
"Using Song of the Deep Sea Shell Gold for a standard hourglass funnel? Whose family is so extravagant?" Dox may not understand alchemy, but he recognizes the materials.
The Black Earl suddenly asked, "Do you really want to know who he is?"
Dox froze for a moment, and a sense of crisis suddenly surrounded him. Such obvious spiritual awareness was his first time feeling it since arriving at this relic.
Dox’s face paled as he hurriedly replied: "I don’t want to know; I was just asking casually. There’s no need for an answer."
Perhaps fearing the Black Earl might not notice his refusal, Dox added: "Really, no need to answer. I currently have no interest in learning who you’re referring to."
"Such a coward." The Black Earl snorted, but inwardly mused: This guy is indeed sharp; it seems his spiritual awareness is truly on the verge of becoming a real talent.
"I’m not being cowardly; I’m giving an earnest response from the heart."
The Black Earl didn’t care about Dox’s banter: "If you don’t want to know, then forget it. I don’t want to talk about that person either, as they are an old friend."
Old friend.
Just from this term, Angel and Dox understood that the person Black Earl mentioned, who fought with an hourglass, was certainly someone way beyond their reach, even if not at the Black Earl’s level of wizard, someone beyond the grasp of newly inducted official wizards like them.
Dox: "Ah, turns out it’s a big shot. No wonder. Not only fighting with an hourglass, but even using a feather pen as a sword wouldn’t be surprising."
Black Earl: "The person I mentioned was only an apprentice when fighting with the hourglass."
"An apprentice? So, how do you fight with an hourglass?"
Black Earl: "Regardless of the materials’ quality, just bash it hard. Ordinary attacks simply involve random bashing. Against slightly tougher opponents, one observes where the Frost Cold Sand settles in the hourglass and uses the heavier end to strike."
After hearing Black Earl’s description, Angel and Dox had only one thought.
Such a... rough and direct combat style.
However, for someone to possess such a "hardcore" weapon during their apprentice period, with deep sea shell gold inside, could it be someone from Song of the Deep Sea?
Angel pondered which figure from Song of the Deep Sea could be the Black Earl’s old friend... Could it be the Sea God?
As Angel thought about this name, a faint sense of crisis enveloped him.
The protection of the Blood Night Shelter behind Angel flickered lightly.
Angel quickly composed himself and stopped thinking about it. Only then did the feeling of impending crisis begin to dissipate.
At this point, Angel somewhat understood why Dox suddenly acted cowardly earlier. It seems the big shot cares quite a bit about past embarrassments and immediately detects when someone thinks about them.
Comparatively, Angel’s spiritual awareness is still much weaker than Dox’s.
Angel thought about who the individual was and only then felt the crisis. If it weren’t for the protective Blood Night Shelter, he would likely have been discovered.
On the other hand, Dox felt a sense of crisis directly, even before considering the identity, showcasing the difference between them...
But perhaps Black Earl recounting this story without naming the person is an intentional way of sharing the embarrassing tale. It seems deliberate.
Is this the true meaning of "old friend"?
Angel and Dox silently kept their reverence.
Time slipped away, and about half an hour later, the long-awaited voice of Vay finally transmitted through the Mind Ribbon.
...
Vay: "I’ve found the Crow; he’s now following us back."
Vay’s return marks the moment to determine whether the clue is effective.
Dox asked with slight anxiety: "Did you see the Crow’s weapon? Is there anything special about it?"
Vay paused for a few seconds before replying: "Well... sigh, you’ll see it soon enough."
Upon hearing Vay’s response, everyone immediately sensed another unexpected development.
But it’s hard to tell whether this twist will lead to something favorable or unfavorable.
In the silence among the group, Kaier, who hadn’t spoken for a while, suddenly said through the Mind Ribbon: "Crow? That’s Matilda’s husband, right?"
"Indeed. Why?" Vay responded, puzzled.
Kaier: "I remember Matilda’s son, whose attire was called ’Lightning’ by Mia. How come Matilda’s husband is the Crow?"
Everyone fell silent.
After a while, Angel softly uttered: "Perhaps he just admires Lightning a bit more than he admires Crow."