Chapter 20: Nothing is Impossible When You are Young!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
After watching the wandering sorcerer leave, the butler Morris hurried back to the previous living room. The two Master Level beings were just coming in from the next room. The sorcerer dressed in a brown robe was holding up the cup that contained the penny-like tea, scrutinizing it closely and carefully. With his dazzling blonde hair, he appeared to be pretty young.
"So?" The butler asked.
"I don't get it." Shaking his head and putting down the cup, the sorcerer exclaimed, "I did not sense any power in him at all. He looked just like an ordinary person and yet he displayed such an exquisite trick. It seems like he must have used some sort of carmouflage method to hide his power... There is no doubt that this guy is not simple. Such a high level of disguise is extremely rare."
"What about his identity? Any clues?" The butler asked again.
The sorcerer bit his lower lip and then continued, "Well, there are at least hundreds, if not thousands, of sorcerers who has the name Andrew. This name is too common. I can't even find him on the wanted list of The Society of the Sorcerers."
"Is it possible for him to be somebody's Soul Armature?" The Butler asked again. Every time someone mentioned some rare and lost technique or spell, Soul Armatures would be the first thing that came to their mind.
"I don't think it's possible. I did not sense any presence of a Soul Armature nearby at all. Besides, his movements was smooth and natural, there was no stiffness in his movement at all, not even the slightest noise of friction from the metal that a Soul Armature would usually have. The most important thing is, a Soul Armature is the reincarnation of the soul of a supernatural being. Their pride and dignity WOULD NOT allow them to do such a thing at all. It's the practitioner's responsibility to do this." The sorcerer stated his opinion. He would never have thought that Baiyi's body was not made out of metal.
"It seems like we've got ourselves quite the mysterious guest. It was an absolute bargain to be able to send him off with just 50 gold coins," The butler proclaimed as a faint smile appeared on his face.
But the sorcerer shook his head and said, "I rather think that we should have more contact with him. His strength was definitely no less than mine. Look at this trick for example. To do this, the Mana requirement is not too high but extreme control and technique are needed. I am able to perform this trick as well but I won't be as skilled and precise as he was."
"If we could get him to join us, it would definitely help our family to open up the northern trade route. Someone who is powerful but with a slightly tainted background would be the best option for the Dole family," the sorcerer finally added.
The butler, Morris, shrugged helplessly as he said with regret, "You could have told me a little earlier. Now all we can do is wait until he finds us again."
"You don't have to worry about that," the sorcerer smirked as he spread out the palm of his hand to reveal a black Magical Tracing Mark that was suspended and was shining with amorphous blue light. "I placed this on him earlier and I don't think that he noticed it at all. With this trick of mine, even a Legendary being would not be able to detect it. I know exactly where his current location is. Should we go talk to him?" He asked confidently.
The butler pondered for a moment before he nodded gently and said, "Be careful. It doesn't matter if things don't go our way. Just don't get on his bad side!"
"Don't worry, I'm a good-natured person. I'll communicate with him in a friendly manner." The young blonde sorcerer stated as he stood up and strode towards the door. The warrior who had not said a word all along, picked up his heavy shield before following in the footsteps of the sorcerer.
In the meantime, Baiyi who had left the rich men district was standing in a secluded alley with the same black Magical Tracing Mark floating on his palm. Fascinated, he told the group of Voidwalkers, What an exquisite little thing. The placing was quite subtle too. Most people would not be aware that they are being tracked.... Only, I wonder what their intention is? It can't be that they want their 50 gold coins back, right?
"For the paltry sum of 50 gold coins? What can you do with 50 gold coins anyway? The most it can get you is a freaking tree branch! It's not even enough to equip one long-range soldier!"
"I can see that this family is quite rich! They should not be lacking when it comes to money. They probably just want to find you in the future."
"Perhaps they could sense the strong power in you and intend to establish a better relationship with you, Sir Hope... Sigh, these successors of mine... they really do make me worry..."
As the Voidwalkers were expressing their opinions one by one, Baiyi shrugged and said, Anyway, those people are coming now. Isn't it easier if I just ask them directly?
While he was speaking, the two people quietly arrived at the entrance of the alley but Baiyi could not see anyone at all. It seemed like that they had used some sort of stealth barrier to hide themselves. Without beating around the bush, Baiyi turned his head towards them and commanded in a low voice, "Get straight to the point!"
Because he did not sense any hostility from those two people, he decided to be lenient with them.
Following by Baiyi's words, the young sorcerer who was hiding in the barrier could see the Tracing Mark that was floating above Baiyi's palm. At once, his face turned sour with displeasure. Being able to achieve Master Level, he was still considered as powerful being in this realm. There was no doubt that he was very proud of himself. He did not expect his own Tracing Mark would be so easily discovered. It was also very likely that the opposite party was using this to reverse trace him as well. On top of that, he had totally failed to notice this. Otherwise, that person would not have specifically pick this kind of place to wait for him.
The pride of this so-called young and promising sorcerer had been trampled on completely in front of the group of Voidwalkers that he had to spend some time to calm himself down. Pretending to act as if nothing had happened, he undid the barrier and appeared in front of Baiyi as he said in a modest tone, "I'd never thought that I would be discovered by Master Andrew in such a short time. As expected, your strength is really extraordinary."
"Get to the point," Baiyi barked in a low voice. Then, with just a pinch, the Tracing Mark that was supposed to be difficult for even a Legendary Level being to detect, suddenly burst into a small flame and slowly disappeared. The same thing happened to the Tracing Mark on the person who was standing opposite of him. At once, he started to emit the substantial pressure that he used on the two guards previously.
There were no incantations nor did any runes appeared. Baiyi erased the marks by merely using the force of his Mana. This prompted the experienced and knowledgeable warrior who was silent to instantly become alert. The sense of power that was radiating from Baiyi caused him to involuntarily tightened his hold on the shield as he shifted his feet slightly to stand in front of his sorcerer companion.
At that moment, the young sorcerer appeared to be embarrassed with the turn of events. In accordance to his previous calculation, he should be the one catching Baiyi off guard by appearing suddenly in front of him to show him the Tracing Mark. He would then casually show off his impressive innate capabilities in order to pave way for the negotiations that he assumed would take place next. However, the development of things had completely went beyond his imaginations. It was as if he was still a clumsy student in front of this mysterious wandering sorcerer. In the face of such an overbearing presence, he could only croaked out a response.
"The Dole family value the strength and power of Master Andrew very much and we hope that we could establish a long-term cooperative friendship with you. In return, we will give you a reward that is guaranteed to satisfy you."
Ahh.. So you wanna hire me? Tsk tsk tsk look at that formality. And also, to even make such a huge deal out of it? Baiyi immediately became speechless. In truth, he had no intention of working for the Dole family at all. There was still a Mia-chan that he needed to look after. He answered without even having to think about it, "Thank you for your kindness but I'm not interested."
Having said that, with not a care for the other person's reaction, Baiyi turned around and was ready to leave.
"Please wait, Master Andrew! Please believe in our sincerity..." The young sorcerer pleaded with no intention of giving up. Right now, the doubt that he had regarding the wandering sorcerer had all vanished without a trace. He sincerely hoped that Baiyi would join the crucial North Commercial Route Development Plan. However, Baiyi had zero interest in such a thing.
In desperation, with the intention to persuade Baiyi, the immature young sorcerer unexpectedly made a very rude move. He actually diverted his Psychic Energy to try and probe Baiyi's mind, wanting to investigate his innate capabilities in detail. For two people who are unacquainted, that move is tantamount to provoking someone to fight.
Faced with the probing Psychic Energy, Baiyi did not use his own Psychic Energy to deflect it. Instead, he sneered and said, "Are you that curious? Well then, I'll just let you have a good look inside."
The moment the young sorcerer's Psychic Energy came in contact with Baiyi's mind, he instantly felt as if his head was being smashed by a sledgehammer. His whole brain reverberated with the ringing in his ears. Blood was gushing out profusely from his eyes, ears, mouth and nose. His whole body collapsed onto the floor as he felt weak in all his limbs. Sensing the presence of his warrior companion, he spat out a word before he fainted, "R-run..."
At the moment before he was about to lose his consciousness, he could vaguely remember something that he had felt earlier on in Baiyi's mind. He felt as though he was standing under a towering mountain, like an ant looking up to the black mountain that seemed as tall the sky and mighty as a mountain . Just a tiny glimpse at the innate capabilities of the Fifth Walker caused his Psychic Energy to suffer a major backlash. It looked like it would take a long time for him to recover.
"Do not meddle with things you don't fully understand!" Baiyi growled in a low voice. The reason he had refused to let the teacher back the academy probe his mind using Psychic Energy was not to conceal his innate capabilities but to save the teacher from getting hurt.
Having said that, he shot a glance towards the warrior who was holding the shield tightly to protect his companion even though he, himself was covered in sweat, as he nervously and silently disappeared into the shadow of the alley. After he had long left the alley, the warrior finally collapsed and knelt on the floor. He was almost certain that he was about to die there. Recalling the gaze that Baiyi gave him before he left, his heart trembled with fear.