Angor and Dave finished their meal and put the matter of the Phantom Servant behind. They still had their own business to attend to.
Angor was going to search for materials outside, while Dave went into the basement to arrange things to be taken back to Brute Cavern.
Again, Angor took Toby by placing him inside his chest pocket in a comfortable position. Toby would not refuse the chance to take it easy in the warmth of his young master.
At the entrance of the base, Angor saw Prome returning with a frustrated look.
Prome did not come back the last night. His expression suggested that his search went in vain.
Angor went to greet Prome, who proved his assumption.
“I checked every alchemy shop in Twilight Well, as well as several private meetings. Nothing. There are weapons for close combats, but not long-range ones. And none of the melee weapons will satisfy my friend.”
Prome sighed helplessly. “Looks like I must rely on Twilight Auction… although I’m not expecting anything from it.”
“Have faith, sir, we’ll find something,” said Angor as he comforted him.
He was going to draw Prelude to Elimination anyway, Angor thought to himself.
“Let’s hope so.” Prome forced a bitter smile. “So, are you going to buy materials? Want me to come with you? Some of the alchemy shops are hidden from plain sight, so you need someone to guide you there. They always sell better things.”
Angor looked at Prome’s tired look and shook his head. “I only need cheap materials such as Echo Flowers. Besides, I need to save money to attend the auction this evening.”
“I see. Then I’ll show you to those shops tomorrow,” said Prome with a grin. “You can go hire mortals in Midnight Sovereign if you have a lot of things to carry.”
“Mortals can enter Twilight Well too?”
“Yes, if a wizard is with them. When their job’s done, they’ll forget almost everything that happened in here as if it was a dream.”
“Wow. Wizardry never ceases to amaze.”
Angor bid farewell to Prome and entered another path on his own.
Prome watched Angor’s back with a meaningful look until the boy disappeared from sight.
…
Nobility houses gathered near the center of Midnight Sovereign.
Inside a luxurious manor near the palace, a young man walked inside with his head lifted high proudly. An aged butler led him into a study of the family.
“Why are you here? You found Hobbiton yet?” A middle-aged Phantom Servant inside the study spoke. This man shared a similar look with the young man who just came in.
“Father, I found his smell in a small alley, but a wizard took him away.” The young man lowered his head when speaking to his father.
“A wizard? Do tell me.”
The young man described what he saw at the scene.
“It was a spell called Frost. And whoever did it was still a mere apprentice. You don’t find real wizards often.”
“But apprentices are still someone we can’t offend,” the young man commented.
“Lady Lotus wants Hobbiton. If we can’t bring Hobbiton to her, a real wizard will send her fury upon us and burn the whole family to the ground.” The middle-aged servant sighed.
They were in an awkward condition where they had to offend the lesser of the two evils.
The bane of being Phantom Servants.
“You keep looking for Hobbiton. Lady Lotus will arrive in half a month. I shall tell her about the situation by then. Let’s hope she can forgive us considering all the tributes we offered before.”
…
Angor followed the path he went yesterday and entered Midnight Sovereign again.
According to Prome, he could buy manpower from anyone he wanted, be it children, women or the old, as long as he paid enough money.
He did not see anyone around the hidden entrance. He only heard the noise of crowds gathering coming from the other side of the wall.
The Enchanting Theater.