A handsome man in nobles’ clothes walked to the table holding a glass of wine. He was adorned with golden bracelets and a silver necklace. Then, the man greeted Sella and stared right at her.
The man seemed to be Sella’s suitor.
Angele had a blank expression on his face. He knew Mincola was, like him, a member of Dark Wizard Tower. Both of them knew that this organization was much terrifyingly stronger than Elemental Hand.
Angele had doubts on whether Mincola had already completed his first mission. He did not understand how Mincola had time to attend a dinner party like this with Suman.
Suddenly, a black flame appeared on top of a small staircase on the other side of the hall. Within seconds, the flame grew from thirty centimeters to two meters.
The flame did not, in any way, bring warmth to the hall—it was cold and mysterious.
The guests immediately stopped talking, then stood up together and bowed to the black flame.
Angele quickly did the same thing.
He could sense the cold, powerful mentality wave coming from it which had the entire main hall covered.
Soon, the black flame slowly extinguished and revealed a man in a formal black suit.
The man had a strangely pale-white skin and had a deadpan expression on his face, as though he was an emotionless zombie. His black hair, eyes, and suit made his skin stand out even more to make it look even paler.
"Master Shozo!" the guests lowered their heads and said the man’s name aloud.
"I thank you all for accepting my invitation to attend this dinner party. I apologize for my slight tardiness." Shozo slightly bowed and forced a smile on his face.
An old, messy-haired wizard came to him and handed an item over.
Shozo took the item and looked at it, then he immediately turned to Angele and nodded slightly at him.
Angele noticed Shozo’s eyes falling on him, so he gently smiled.
Shozo’s particular behavior drew everyone’s attention.
Mincola soon noticed Angele’s presence finally, resulting in him becoming a bit surprised.
"What happened? Mincola?" Suman noticed that Mincola’s countenance changed. During the trip, he had saved him from many dangers and became more familiar with him.
"Nothing…I am just a bit…tired." Mincola rubbed his temples and smiled.
Shozo asked the old wizard several questions, and the smile on his face disappeared. He quickly questioned several servants and greeted a few of his friends.
"Help yourselves! I must leave for a minute." Once he finished speaking, he left the hall through the back door.
The heavy atmosphere eased up once again after he left, and the guests began to chatter with each other again.
*Crack*
Near Suman’s table, a wine glass dropped to the floor and broke into pieces. The red wine splashed everywhere.
Sella’s suitor was coldly glaring at Suman, with his nose twitching.
Angele’s brow furrowed as he noticed the scene, too.
He quickly activated a white communication rune and was about to communicate through it.
*PA*
Another crisp noise.
Sella, who now seemed angry, had slapped her suitor’s face with great force.
"Sella! Why are you protecting this untalented bastard?!" The man was shocked.
His friends who heard the argument came to Suman’s table as soon as possible.
"What happened? This is master Shozo’s dinner party. We should not start a scene here," a silver-haired man spoke with a deep voice.
"I am Sella’s fiancé! Damn it! Yet she slapped me for the sake of that untalented bastard?!" the man started yelling and he waved his hand. "Guards! Guards! Help me!"
"Something’s not right…" Angele activated the communication rune and listened to the message Mincola had just sent him. His expression soon changed upon listening to Mincola’s explanation.
"Master?" Lyn walked closer and asked.
"I am fine. This man is trying to make a scene at a dinner party held by a rank 4 wizard. He must have a strong background." Angele pursed his lips.
"He is the youngest son of the leader of the organization called Black Earth. Master Shozo is a member of that organization. If I recall correctly, Black Earth’s leader has at least a hundred children." Lyn communicated through energy particles.
"Black Earth? What is the vision statement of their organization?" Angele had never heard of this organization.
"They wish to recreate the world the ancient wizards lived in. In the ancient Rondo language, ‘Black Earth’ means rebirth, which some people nicknamed this organization ‘Rebirth’," Lyn explained. "We, the Watchers, have once served master Shozo during a mission related to Black Earth. It is a powerful organization within Molten River, with a size similar to Elemental Hand."
Angele had heard a lot of rumors about the relationship between Shozo and master Vivian. But after seeing him in person, his opinion on him changed. An emotionless man like Shozo would not spend that much time just to have a romantic relationship with his teacher.
For some reason, Angele was thinking that Shozo might have a similar personality to him.
He sat down in his own chair, wanting to exchange more information with Mincola through the communication rune.
However, the old wizard who talked to Shozo suddenly appeared outside the window.
"Master Angele, master Shozo wishes to see you." The old wizard communicated with him through energy particles.
Angele looked at behind the old man and saw Shozo standing on the grassy field under the moonlight, waving at Angele with a wineglass in his hand.
"With pleasure." Angele bowed slightly and stood up. He went out of the main hall through the side door with Lyn following behind him of course.
He was still a bit concerned about Mincola’s situation but did not care too much about the argument between Sella and her suitor. Angele was certain Mincola could easily solve this problem.
Members of Dark Wizard Tower all had either strong backgrounds or great potentials. All of them were elites of the elites that had been selected from different divisions. Talented wizards from normal organizations were incomparable to them.
Although most of the members never revealed themselves to the general public, they were still considered as the most talented wizards in the normal organizations they joined in.
Angele took a deep breath and walked toward Shozo.
The cold air outside was quite refreshing. It was a tad humid but still perfect for a night like this.
Angele stopped when he was about two meters away from Shozo.
After greeting each other, Shozo immediately went straight to the point.
"Angele, I heard a lot of great things about you from Seth." Shozo looked at Angele as if he reminded him of something. "I was but a rank 3 wizard when you had been taken away by someone. At that time, I was still an assassin in the Watchers. Vivian should have told you about Master Henn, right? Forty years have passed in a blink of an eye…"
"Yes, time does fly. I heard that master Henn and master Arisma were ambushed and killed while they were fighting." Angele nodded slightly.
"Indeed, the situation back then was complicated. I have watched the scene several times using a visualization spell…Master Henn and Master Arisma were two of the strongest wizards in the central continent, so it was…sad. Are you trying to figure out the one responsible? Their faces were blurred in the light screen created by the visualization spell. I cannot help you." Shozo’s voice was soft and gentle, not in the slightest bit of the man Angele had seen back in the hall.
"Yes, it is fine. I am still too weak to avenge Master Henn anyway." Angele shrugged. "I have already brought too much trouble to Master Vivian. I do not want her to worry too much."
"You are Master Vivian’s only son. She loves you more than anyone…she is just trying to protect you from danger." Shozo chuckled.
Angele nodded slightly. "I…understand."
"Take this." Shozo suddenly retrieved an item from his pouch and threw it to Angele.
Angele carefully caught the item. It was a fist-sized, black ball which looked like a strange fruit. "What is this?"
"A Giant Star Grass’s seed from the dark lands. Plant it into the soil and imagine the creature you want in your mind. Human or monster, it does not matter. Cut the bud open when it grows, and you will find the creature you have imagined lying within. The creature is alive but has no soul. You can play with it if you want," Shozo explained.
"Interesting. Thank you, Master Shozo." Angele recognized it immediately after listening to his explanation. This particular seed was often sold as an adult toy in the dark lands. A "toy" without a soul, most people would use it to vent out their sexual desires.
Angele soon asked Shozo the questions he had regarding the Molten Core River technique, and the latter told him everything he knew about the advanced meditation technique.
"Do not hesitate to contact me if you have questions. I think we can become good friends." Shozo took another glass of wine from the table on the side.
Angele did the same and raised it up high.
"Cheers. Thank you for your help, Master Shozo."
"Just call me Shozo. I am Master Vivian’s student, and she is your…"
*BOOM*
An explosion interrupted Shozo.
Angele immediately turned to where it occurred with a frown.
The main hall’s windows had been blown into pieces by the impact. White smoke was drifting out of the doors and broken windows. It nearly looked like the hall had been set alight.
*WOO*
The entire thick smoke was blown out of the hall with the wind spells cast by the wizards inside.
"Let me go check the situation." Shozo narrowed his eyes. His body then turned into a black flame which disappeared into thin air before Angele could say anything.
White communication rune flashed on the back of Angele’s hand.
He checked the message quickly and squeezed the wineglass into pieces. Angele’s expression turned serious.
"Let’s go back to the hall."
Once Angele stopped speaking, he returned inside the hall with Lyn following him quickly.