Chapter 2499: Chapter 2500: Red Sword Dox

After Angel left the Elysium Pavilion, his expression was quite complicated.

Spending 50 Magic Crystals on that token was one thing, but as an Alchemist, paying 30 Magic Crystals for a toy was another. If his peers knew, they would surely laugh at him.

Originally, Angel planned to find the disciple of Esos to reimburse the expenses for seeking a person. But now he could only swallow the loss; he didn’t want anyone to know he’d spent money on these two things.

The only thing he was thankful for now was that he was traveling under a disguise...

Despite the turmoil in his heart, regardless of what happened, he got the tools, and the next step was to find the person.

Finding a hidden spot, Angel took out the token, which looked like a stone slab, and placed it on the ground. Then, he stood the Blackwood Wand, endowed with a guidance spell, in the center of the token.

"In the starry sky of destiny, your reflection is cast." As Angel activated the Blackwood Wand, he murmured this phrase.

The reason for saying this phrase was that the Apprentice from the prophecy system, who attached the guidance spell to the Blackwood Wand, belonged to the "Astrological Coordinate Axis" school. According to that Apprentice, saying this phrase would somewhat enhance the effect when using the Blackwood Wand.

Angel was somewhat skeptical, but the Prophet Wizards he’d encountered, other than Dororo, the chosen one, always babbled strange things.

Maybe this could indeed enhance the prophetic effect?

So, Angel still recited the phrase obediently according to the manual.

As soon as the words were spoken, the Blackwood Wand stood upright in the air atop the token.

A second later, the Blackwood Wand began to sway slowly, sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly, and finally, it gently tilted, pointing southeast.

Angel put away the token and the Blackwood Wand and began walking southeast.

Every time he covered a considerable distance, he’d use the guidance spell for reorientation, but each time, it was always in the southeast direction.

Until Angel reached the tenth alley, the guidance spell shifted slightly, pointing inside the alley.

Compared to other alleys on Sandworm Long Street, the traffic in the tenth alley was noticeably less, mainly because entering the tenth alley required an eligibility test.

The Sandworm statue at the entrance of the tenth alley served as the eligibility examiner.

There were two ways for the so-called eligibility test. First, prove that you have enough Magic Crystals or equivalent items to qualify for transactions in this alley; second, prove your strength.

The specific amount of Magic Crystals required for the former wasn’t definite, and there was also the risk of being targeted. Proving strength for the latter was the simplest; anyone above a third-level apprentice could enter directly.

Of course, Angel chose the latter, striding towards the Sandworm statue and soon standing before it.

However, before Angel could release his aura, the Sandworm statue spoke in a reverent tone: "Honorable strong one, the tenth alley welcomes your arrival."

Angel was taken aback: "You know me?"

Sandworm statue: "All the statues in the Sandworm Market are actually me..."

Angel suddenly understood. He had previously revealed the aura of an Official Wizard in front of the statue at the entrance of the Sandworm Market, so now he didn’t need the eligibility test.

He’s been added to the whitelist.

Looking at the Sandworm statue before him, Angel curiously asked: "Are you a Stone Spirit?"

Sandworm statue: "Yes."

Angel’s expression was somewhat peculiar: "You are much more agreeable than the noisy and annoying Stone Spirit I know."

After saying that, Angel left the bewildered Sandworm statue and walked straight into the tenth alley.

As Angel entered the alley, thoughts of the Stone Spirit filled his mind. The noisy, annoying Stone Spirit he had referred to was Taros from Silent Hill. It was due to Taros’s obstruction that Isabella, that lunatic, cornered him in Silent Hill.

So, Angel had quite an aversion to Taros. Even after Taros praised him in various Wizards’ magazines, Angel did not forgive him.

"Next time I visit Silent Hill, it will be the time to settle accounts with you," Angel silently thought to himself.

Setting aside these tangled thoughts, Angel continued forward, delving deeper into this tenth alley.

It must be said, the shops in the tenth alley were indeed more refined than those in other alleys. Almost every shop was protected by a Magical Energy Array, and some even had puppet guides at their entrances, only guiding those with a certain affinity. Angel didn’t bother to ask what that meant.

Because rather than aimlessly wandering a Wizard Market, he preferred to focus on the task that brought him here.

After walking in the tenth alley for about five minutes, under the guidance of the spell, Angel stood before a true alley.

Unlike the false alleys outside, this alley matched Angel’s inner vision of an alley.

Narrow, dark, damp, exuding a pungent odor. This odor wasn’t just the stench of garbage; it was heavily mixed with the smell of blood, indicating that some interesting stories had certainly unfolded here.

Without hesitation, Angel slipped into the alley.

The alley was deep and long, without any branches, leading straight to the end. In the deepest part of the alley, Angel saw a wall sign lit by a lamp.

The wall sign was made of round wood, with the words engraved: Cross Tavern.

Seeing "Cross," Angel knew he had found the right place.

Just as he was about to step into the tavern door, a hand stopped him. Angel looked up to see a red-haired man, handsome, clad in a black leather jacket.

Angel had noticed him before, leaning beside the tavern door. He didn’t seem to be a tavern attendant, so Angel ignored him.

However, now that the man blocked him, Angel was curious to hear what he had to say.

"Cross Tavern is only open to members. Sir, you should leave," a slightly hoarse voice came from the red-haired man.

"How do you know I’m not a member of Cross Tavern?" Angel countered.

"Although the organization of Wandering Wizards is loose, it doesn’t mean we don’t have rules," the red-haired man raised an eyebrow. "And everyone entering the tavern doesn’t conceal their appearance; that’s the rule of Cross Tavern."

After a pause, the red-haired man’s eyes suddenly sharpened, staring intently at Angel: "What intentions does a Formal Wizard using the Shapeshifting Technique have coming to a gathering place for Wandering Wizards?"

With that, an aura specifically aimed at Angel emanated from the red-haired man.

Although the aura didn’t affect Angel much, its quality was no less than his. In other words, this red-haired man was also an Official Wizard!

It’s rare to see Official Wizards among Wandering Wizards, and an Official Wizard leaning against the door of Cross Tavern is never idle; the man was likely waiting for him.

"You knew I was coming? Do you have a deal with the Elysium Pavilion?" Angel frowned.

The red-haired man replied indifferently, "Do you think tokens from the Elysium Pavilion come easily?"

At this moment, Angel felt no sentiment toward other matters, but his anger towards the Elysium Pavilion began to rise... Not because of their alliance with the wandering wizard group, but despite that alliance, they swindled 80 Magic Crystals from him!

Angel had always felt displeased with the Elysium Pavilion due to some of their inhuman "entertainment" projects, and now he directly blacklisted the Elysium Pavilion in his heart.

The red-haired man noticed Angel’s long silence. He was unwilling to truly become hostile with an official wizard, so he softened his tone slightly: "The life of a wandering wizard is not easy, Sir, please."

Instead of leaving, Angel murmured to himself, "There shouldn’t be many official wizards among the wanderer wizards in the Sandworm Market."

The red-haired man didn’t reply but watched Angel cautiously.

Angel: "I bet you don’t have many official wizards. I believe you are at least part of the management of the Cross Tavern."

Red-haired man: "So what if I am?"

Angel: "Well, that’s perfect. I initially intended to look for the management here anyways."

Angel’s main objective wasn’t entering the Cross Tavern; he was there to find someone. There were two methods to find someone: directly locating Esos’ disciple, which could be time-consuming given the number of wandering wizards; the other method was to find the upper management of the Sandworm Market’s wanderer wizards; they certainly would know about Esos’ disciple.

After all, Esos stands at the top of the pyramid among wandering wizards; his disciples wouldn’t go unnoticed.

The red-haired man considered Angel’s lack of hostility and decided not to provoke him further: "What exactly brings you here?"

Angel: "I wish to meet Esos’ disciple, Kaier."

Upon hearing Kaier’s name, the red-haired man’s guard was instantly raised. Esos was previously part of a witcher organization but defected for some reasons, thus creating many adversaries. While they couldn’t kill Esos, they might turn their sights toward his disciple.

Yet, the red-haired man was puzzled too; Esos’ disciple always acted discreetly, with only a handful of people knowing he was in the Sandworm Market. How did Angel know?

The red-haired man stayed silent, but his presence became almost tangible, and the atmosphere moved toward a confrontation.

Angel wasn’t naive; he understood the reasons behind the man’s behavior quickly.

He said nonchalantly, "How do you think I knew Kaier was here?"

The red-haired man stayed silent.

Angel simply answered his own question, "Of course, Esos himself informed me." Even though Esos didn’t "personally" tell Angel, his messages were relayed through the Tree Spirit, which wasn’t far from verbal communication.

The red-haired man still seemed doubtful.

Angel raised an eyebrow, "You’re an official wizard, are you unable to discern if I’m lying?"

A subtle blush crossed the red-haired man’s handsome face, "I haven’t used the Truth Identification Skill, and you, as an official wizard, must have numerous ways to evade it."

Angel remarked with a touch of exasperation, "While it’s possible to bypass the Truth Identification Skill, do you see any energy fluctuations coming from me?"

The red-haired man was momentarily speechless. Indeed, when Angel spoke earlier, there weren’t any energy fluctuations at all.

Red-haired man: "I..."

Angel didn’t bother cooperating further for a repeat with the Truth Identification Skill and directly pulled out Esos’ handwritten letter.

"Don’t open it, just look at the cover." Angel tossed the letter across.

The red-haired man, puzzled, took the envelope, noticing familiar lettering with Kaier’s current address marked above and clearly stating that the letter was for Kaier.

At the corner of the envelope, the red-haired man sensed the energy from a space magic pattern, a distinct energy signature of Esos—neither imitable nor dared imitation.

Undoubtedly, this letter was recently written by Esos, addressed to his disciple Kaier.

"Can you see it? If you still don’t believe, you can open the letter, but whatever secrets you find within are your responsibility. I won’t look anyway." Angel said while methodically preparing recording equipment to document the red-haired man’s process of opening the letter.

The red-haired man observed Angel’s proficient actions and remained silent.

"Want to open it?" Angel raised an eyebrow.

The red-haired man sighed and returned the letter to Angel, "I was a bit rash earlier, please forgive me, Sir."

"My name is Dox." The red-haired man made a slight chest salute.

Angel: "Redhaired Dox, oh, the previous eldest son of the Saint Cruz family."

Dox calmly replied, "I have long separated from the Saint Cruz family; they have nothing to do with me."

Angel naturally knew this, but he intentionally mentioned it.

Dox introduced himself, so Angel had to reciprocate: "You can call me Lyon."

Dox’s eyes flickered slightly; the phrase "You can call me so-and-so" in the Wizards’ Realm often suggested a significant probability of false names.

Furthermore, no renowned wizard named Lyon currently exists in the Southern Domain, so it was almost certain he gave a false name.

Although slightly disgruntled, Dox concluded that Angel, with shapeshifting techniques and an alias, might have his reasons, so he accepted it.

"Esos’ letter is genuine, and I believe Lyon sincerely harbors no ill intentions," Dox continued, "Kaier is indeed in the Sandworm Market; I can take you to meet him."

Dox could have directly informed Angel of Kaier’s location, but even with Esos’ letter, he had to err on the side of caution. Accompanying Angel seemed safer; if a conflict arose, he could protect Kaier.

Angel was agreeable; finding Kaier was crucial, and the mission took precedence.

Dox gestured for Angel to follow him.

Dox did not enter the Cross Tavern, indicating Kaier was not inside the tavern, which relieved Angel, as he encountered Dox first and avoided searching the tavern.

Through the journey, Dox remained silent, and Angel enjoyed the tranquility.

Soon they exited the tenth alley of Sandworm Long Street and headed back, reaching the entrance of Sandworm Long Street to ascend the stairway leading to the outside world.

Once above ground, Angel presumed Kaier would be in some street on the surface of the Sandworm Market.

However, to Angel’s surprise, Dox didn’t head toward the core of the Sandworm Market, but rather towards its exterior.

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