Chapter 2506: Chapter 2507: Golden-Ring Sandworm

After listening to Abulei’s recount, Angel understood the whole process of the matter.

Old Porter’s urgent intelligence report involved a Guide from the Barbarian Cave.

After accepting the guiding mission, this Guide began a journey overseas to search for Talented Ones, later returning to the mainland, planning to cross the Gumman Kingdom to see if there were any more Talented Ones in the Arley Duchy.

However, unexpectedly, this Guide found a boy covered in wounds and unconscious near Princess Town in the Gumman Kingdom.

The Guide saved this boy, and after testing, discovered he was also a Talented One.

However, this boy seemed to have some unspeakable concerns. Although he agreed to follow the Guide into the Wizards’ Realm, he was always silent, never smiling.

The Guide merely assumed it was youthful worries and didn’t inquire further. Upon learning he was an orphan, she took him along.

When passing by Princess Town, the Guide planned to stay overnight at Old Porter’s place.

Unexpectedly, not long after they entered Princess Town, trouble erupted.

The Guide was surrounded by a group of Royal Knight Group from the Gumman Kingdom. Although not particularly strong, they were numerous. The Guide, only an Apprentice, was eventually captured.

In fact, the Guide was much stronger than Abulei. If she truly wanted to escape at the time, the Knights might not have stopped her. However, she was not alone; behind her were Talented Ones found from various places, some very close to her. Consequently, she didn’t abandon them during the attack and ended up caught.

After being captured, Old Porter investigated through various channels, finally confirming that one of the Talented Ones had offended the daughter of the Princess.

And that person was the boy saved earlier.

Due to his special status, Old Porter couldn’t reveal it, so he had to covertly find connections to intervene. Yet, the Princess, even knowing the other party was a Guide from the Barbarian Cave, showed no fear or intention to release them.

Old Porter was at his wit’s end and could only write an urgent report, hoping for organizational help.

Angel: "Old Porter’s approach is correct; notifying the organization is the simplest and most effective resolution. Why did you intrude into the Princess’s Castle, thinking you could rescue the Guide with your abilities?"

Indeed, Abulei was hunted by the pack of hounds precisely because she intruded into the Princess’s Castle and was discovered.

This marked the beginning of her escape journey.

When there was no room to escape, she sought assistance from Angel.

Abulei appeared sheepish, explaining, "No, I didn’t overestimate my abilities. I... I just wanted to check on their situation."

This time, it wasn’t Angel who ridiculed; the Crowned Parrot had already entered a mouthy mode: "Are you stupid, foolish, or idiotic? To check on their situation, you have to invade enemy territory. How is this different from single-handedly breaking into prison for a rescue? Oh, heavens, I regret it. How did I make a contract with such a foolish woman!"

Abulei knew her explanation was absurd. It’s no wonder the Crowned Parrot criticized her; even Dox covered his forehead and sighed.

Abulei shamefully lowered her head, stammering, "That Guide, actually, is a friend of mine. So, at that time, I acted impulsively..."

"Your ability to make friends is evident, and your impulsiveness highlights your stupidity." The Crowned Parrot mercilessly ridiculed her.

Angel was at a loss as well; Abulei’s action could easily be part of the "Human Baffling Operations Awards".

But since this matter involved the Barbarian Cave’s Guide, Angel couldn’t ignore it. Now that he knew, he naturally had to consider some solutions.

"The Guide, your so-called friend, what is her name?" Angel asked.

Abulei raised her head: "Lady Melo."

Lady Melo? Angel recalled for a moment, then from deep memory found some matters about that name. In terms of seniority, she was Serum’s senior sister, having joined ’Sage of the Night’ Kaylar’s door thirty years ago. At that time, she received a Golden Invitation.

Serum occasionally mentioned Lady Melo in conversation, often with sincere respect. She was an elegant, classical, principled, and rule-abiding Witch.

Serum previously asserted firmly that while Nanaji and Bates were considered the most dazzling Twins in the current Barbarian Cave, it was only because they chose to be prominent, whereas the low-key Lady Melo would undoubtedly enter the Official Wizard ranks before them.

Overall, Serum held Lady Melo in high regard.

Who was Serum? A pure bookworm with a keen observational prowess, especially towards others. Angel trusted Serum’s judgment.

"So it’s her; it seems you do have some reliable friends." Angel said quietly.

Abulei blushed: "The Lord knows Lady Melo."

Angel: "I’ve heard of her."

After speaking, Angel didn’t delve further into Lady Melo’s affairs but stood up, saying: "Since it concerns an organization’s Guide, I will go take a look."

Guides being captured is a significant event for any organization. Moreover, Lady Melo and Serum had a close relationship, and regardless of that, Angel would help.

Angel looked toward the direction of the Gumman Kingdom, his gaze calm.

After all, it wasn’t far from here to Princess Town...

Angel decided to act, bringing relief to Abulei. She dared not speak much, following closely behind Angel.

Angel glanced at Dox: "Thank you for leading the way. I may not be able to return to see Kaier right away, but I’ll deal with matters here swiftly. I hope you can pass on my message to Kaier."

Dox seemingly didn’t hear, instead asking other questions: "Are you from the Barbarian Cave?"

This didn’t need answering; Abulei had explained clearly before.

Dox knew; he asked merely to speculate on Angel’s identity. He continued asking, "Do you think the famous Red Sword Dox will retreat when it involves the Gumman royal family?"

Angel frowned, suspecting Dox intended to join? Why would he go?

Angel didn’t believe another person would simplify matters, rather making it more cumbersome.

Dox didn’t wait for Angel’s answer, continuing: "I think, more than my departure, you should handle that group of people."

The "group of people" Dox referred to was naturally the Royal Knight Group of the Gumman royal family.

Previously, Angel had only used mirage and sound illusion to trap them in an illusionary realm, causing them to faint, but did not kill them.

Now, since they were preparing to go to Princess Town, naturally, they had to deal with this group first.

But how to deal with them?

While Angel was pondering, Dox suddenly said, "Why don’t you leave the matter of dealing with them to me? I’ll give you a satisfactory reward."

Angel, though unsure of what reward Dox was referring to, thought about it and didn’t stop Dox, indicating that he could proceed as he wished.

Dox approached the unconscious group, waking them up one by one, and somehow extracted information about the princess from them.

After they finished speaking, Dox simply whistled, and a giant sandworm with golden rings, about thirty meters long, leapt up from the ground and swallowed the people whole.

Dox used this method to interrogate one after another, feeding each to the sandworm with the golden rings.

Soon, not a single henchman was left.

Dox walked over. Angel was calm and composed, while Abulei took a few steps back in fright. After all, the scene of Dox summoning the sandworm to devour people was terrifying.

Of course, Abulei’s retreat did not escape the Crowned Parrot’s ridicule. The Crowned Parrot felt quite exhausted, having signed a contract with Abulei; if Abulei was well, it would be too, but Abulei’s temperament gave it a headache, making the path of training long and arduous.

"Based on the compiled intelligence, after excluding the false, the real information is right here." Dox walked over and lightly tapped his finger at Angel.

A not-too-long message was quickly absorbed by Angel. This information included all the intelligence Dox had obtained about the princess and the Princess Castle from these henchmen, even why the princess wanted to capture that young boy was clear.

"Is this the reward you mentioned?" Angel raised an eyebrow.

Dox shrugged, "Of course not. You saw that sandworm with the golden rings; it’s my pet, Little Gold. After devouring these Transcendents, Little Gold now has the energy to reproduce. Once it spawns, I’ll give you one as a reward."

The sandworm with golden rings is extremely precious; their shed skin can be used to cultivate earth affinity spell techniques; their shed teeth are earth spellcasting materials as well as rare alchemical materials—Sandworm Gold. Moreover, they have many other uses, making their entire body valuable. Many parts are reusable, not only precious but also capable of continuously creating value.

The larvae are already quite expensive, and adult worms are priceless.

Dox said he would give a Little Gold as a reward, which was an offer Angel could hardly resist.

Although raising the larvae of a sandworm with golden rings to maturity is quite difficult, Angel had the "Insercott Manuscript" from Nis! Insercott was known as the "Heart of the Swarm," and the amoeba was originally raised using this manuscript.

Angel swallowed the words of "refusal" several times, but ultimately did not voice them. Little Gold was too tempting; how could he resist?

Dox didn’t know Angel’s internal thoughts; he had decided to give Little Gold a long time ago. Although a sandworm with golden rings is valuable, larvae can still be bought. Compared to that, the group of henchmen reaching the level of intermediate apprentices was even more valuable collectively.

So, Dox giving Angel Little Gold was, in a way, an equivalent exchange. After all, it was Angel who had subdued the henchmen.

"Alright, now that these scoundrels are dealt with, we should move on. The next stop is Princess Town." Dox, hands behind his head, assumed a leisurely posture.

Angel: "You’re really going to follow along?"

Dox grinned, "I wouldn’t want to miss anything interesting."

"I don’t think this will be that interesting."

Dox: "That’s because you haven’t found the interesting part. Don’t you think that the daughter of the Grand Princess is intriguing, having developed so many tricks and styles at such a young age? Ah, youth is formidable, the future promising."

Angel: "...Are you being serious?"

Dox: "Of course I’m serious. Don’t you find it interesting?"

Angel, rather than responding, summoned the gondola and signaled for Abulei to get on.

Though he didn’t call for Dox, Dox shamelessly jumped on himself, sitting across from Angel. Angel didn’t drive him off; if Dox wanted to watch the excitement, he could follow along... for the sake of Little Gold.

After boarding the gondola, Dox continued his chatter.

"That Grand Princess’s daughter, could she be a regular at the Elysium Pavilion? Or simply someone from the Elysium Pavilion?" Dox was full of wistful thoughts when mentioning the Elysium Pavilion. "Do you think, with her penchant for using whips for excitement, she could be a student of the ’Whip Witch’ Lexa?"

Angel ignored Dox.

But Abulei quietly asked the Crowned Parrot, "What’s he talking about?"

"If you were under eighteen, no, thirteen or younger, asking this question, I’d think you’re just naive. But you’re not a young girl anymore; hearing the name Elysium Pavilion should clue you in, yet you still ask such questions. No wonder Gu Yina could easily fool you." The Crowned Parrot taunted.

"I’ve heard of the Elysium Pavilion, but it seems to involve unpleasant matters, so I never delved into it." Abulei remarked matter-of-factly. As a recluse, she preferred reading things she liked. Anything disliked or sinful, she often skimmed over.

"It’s not like you’re being sent to the Elysium Pavilion. You just simply deem it unpleasant and choose ignorance and retreat. You keep yourself locked in a little world, no wonder you’re so naive." The Crowned Parrot concluded, raising its head in a pretentious manner: "My servant will not be allowed to remain such a fool. I’ll conduct a 360-degree transformation starting today!"

"Huh?" Abulei was puzzled, questioning how her inquiry turned onto herself and led to a transformation?

Seeing the excitement in the Crowned Parrot’s demeanor, Abulei had no choice but to seek Angel’s help with her gaze. She had noted before that Angel seemed capable of subduing this parrot.

However, Angel, seeing Abulei’s plea for help, simply glanced past it casually.

The Crowned Parrot’s initiative to transform Abulei was precisely what Angel hoped for, and he had no intention of interfering. If he didn’t further support the idea, Abulei should be grateful.

In Abulei’s bewildered gaze, the gondola soared into the sky under Speedy’s lift, speeding through the air and leaving only a light arc behind.

Before long, they saw the Sand Prevention Forest of the Gumman Kingdom.

Beyond the Sand Prevention Forest was lush forest and rolling high mountains.

And Princess Town lay within a certain valley in this area.

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