Chapter 194: The 6 Ring Area (1)
"However, if Isabel fails to reach the next stage within 100 years, she'll have to convert her body into energy form..." Daeron shook his head. The possibility of failing was way too low, he thought. Reaching rank 2 might be hard, but Isabel's talent level and the resources that her family could provide would help in advancing to Crystal stage.
Before entering the carriage, Isabel suddenly turned around and whispered to Daeron. She asked Daeron to give Angele a wooden token that would grant him the trading rights in the area, including the right to purchasing resources and knowledge. Furthermore, Angele could even become a resident of the Six Ring area with this small piece of wood.
Isabel passed some more information to Angele using energy particles before leaving in the carriage.
Angele stood on the deck and watched Isabel leaving with her family members. He slowly climbed down the ladder and stepped onto the ground.
"I wish I could help her." Isabel had told Angele about her situation in the messages she sent. Isabel did not tell her family about her body condition and the usage of the rhino blood. The family thought that she could still live for about 100 years, but the truth was she only had about 20 years left. She asked Angele to keep purifying the rhino blood for her, so she could at least try to reach Crystal stage. The fate of Isabel's family would change if things went south.
'Her mother will find out about the truth soon or later.'
Angele thought for a while and shook his head. The soothing wind was blowing on his face.
The shore became empty after Isabel's crew left.
He glanced around; the only people he saw were several sailors that had just finished unloading the ship.
"So, master Green, can we leave now?" Captain Haw shouted from the deck, trying his best to be polite.
The rank 3 Wizard apprentice and the sailors all stood beside the railing and stared at Angele.
"Sure." Angele nodded. He obviously knew that those people fear his power.
Captain Hawk looked relieved after hearing Angele's response. They pulled up the ladder and started their preparations for sailing.
The ship left slowly after several minutes.
Angele stretched his back and pulled up the collar, walking to the street on the opposite side of the dock.
After about half an hour, a forked road appeared ahead and there was a road sign in the middle. The road toward west led to the public trading area and the way toward the east to the Six Ring High Tower.
Angele checked the sign and turned right immediately.
Although Kuirman was a Wizard of Six Ring High Tower, he still doubted if anyone knew the man was also a member of the cult. People who had known of Angele killing Kuirman all died on the island, so he had nothing to fear.
Even if the organization tried to track Kuirman down, the strange forcefield surrounding the ruin would deter prophecy spells of any type. Not many people knew about the exact location of that island, to boot.
With Isabel's token, there was no point in him worrying about being accused as a murderer at present.
Nola was a huge area.
The Six Ring High Tower's territory was about the size of a province. Several large cities were being controlled by several Wizard families. Some small towns were assigned to contracted Wizards.
The situation was similar for the two other major organizations.
Each of the major organization was operating like a small country, also using the public area as a haven in communications.
Angele walked for about an hour. Vibrant trees stood silently on both sides of the road. Tall black city walls appeared ahead, blocking the path like a long, twisted snake. Angele glanced around, neither could he see the end of the wall nor did he find any entrance on its surface.
By the end of the road, there was a black bunker with a smoking chimney on the top.
Two old men wearing gray robes sat outside the door of the bunker playing chess on a white rectangular table.
It was cold and cloudy; the chilling wind was blowing the old men's long messy hair to the side.
At the right side of the bunker was a large, empty ground. Several white and black carriages with different engravings were parked there.
Angele saw the bunker and walked straight to it.
This place did not look like the entrance of a major Wizard organization.
The two old men noticed his presence and stood up at the same time.
"This is the back door of the Six Ring High Tower. Who're you and why are you here?" one of the old men questioned, looking confused.
Usually, the members would enter the organizations from the private dock since the public dock only led to the back door. That was the reason why there were not many people around.
Angele's original plan was to join the Six Ring High Tower. However, he decided to only trade for rare resources with the organization after obtaining the token from Isabel.
"I'm a Wizard associated with the Jones family." Angele took out the brown wooden token. The character 'S' was painted on its surface with two twisted strings above and below it.
The old men checked the wooden token.
The wooden sign started glowing after being stared at. The 'S' pattern on its surface twisted slightly like a living snake.
The two old men were just rank 3 Wizard apprentices. They quickly bowed to Angele after ascertaining the authenticity of the token.
"Can I enter now?" Angele nodded.
"Of course."
The old man responded, untied a short white wand from his belt, and pointed at the empty wall.
*CHI*
A large arched gate appeared on the black wall. Angele could see the green grass on the other side.
Angele kept the wooden token into the pouch and walked to the gate.
More than ten different energy waves rushed through his body as he entered the gate, disappearing after the wooden token glowed again.
'Interesting. I doubt people can enter the back door by force, the defense here is great.' Angele slightly nodded.
At the other side of the wall was an endless dark green sea.
Between the trees, there was a narrow white path leading to the deeper area. It was long and twisted.
Angele was already inside the Six Ring High Tower's territory.
Through the gaps between the trees, Angele could see a white obelisk far ahead, barely visible in the fog. However, it seemed like the obelisk was not the one he had seen earlier in the public trading area; this one was different.
Suddenly, he heard the noise made by birds flapping their wings in the sky.
Angele raised his head and saw about ten humongous eagles flying over his head. Gray robes sat upon the backs of those eagles. It seemed like they had not become formal Wizards yet.
They were not concerned about Angele's presence, but he waited till this group disappeared in his sight before advancing.
Based on the advice given by Isabel, there were many unpopulated areas in the Six Ring High Tower, and by entering the territory from the back door, he could reach one of the trading towers quickly by walking down the path.
The trading towers were Wizards' favorite spots, as they were mainly used for the trading of knowledge and resources. There were two requirements for building a trading tower.
First, a strong organization to help maintain the fairness of the trade.
Second, a huge diamond-shaped crystal for public communication.
Several carriages and horses passed by Angele as he headed to the tower.
Some Wizards of Light were riding horses and some were riding strange beasts that had the body of a bull and the feet of a goat. All of them were traveling at full speed.
Angele also saw Wizards riding flying mounts in the sky heading to the other areas from time to time.
Angele, wearing a gray robe, went past several crossroads as the road widened. More and more Wizards appeared ahead.
He finally had a clear view of the white obelisk standing by the side of the road quietly.
Several carriages were parked on the empty ground in front of the obelisk.
The white obelisk was more than ten meters tall and was surrounded by metal railings. It almost looked like the obelisk had sunk into the grass.
Wizards stood around the tower; Angele was not sure what they were doing. Some of them looked excited but the rest looked disappointed.
There were also several Wizards pressing their palms against the body of the tower with eyes closed for some reason.
Angele slowly walked to the obelisk, still trying to figure out what was going on while checking the surroundings constantly. His behavior attracted some attention.
Three young Wizard apprentices chatting near the tower noticed Angele. One of them whispered to his friend, turned around, and walked to Angele quickly.
"Is this the first time you visit the tower?" the man asked, "Do you need any help?"
Angele glanced around. He tried to show that he knew how the tower worked, yet it seemed like there were many people here acted just like him.
Two other newcomers behind him were being welcomed by Wizard apprentices as well.
He pursed his lips and looked at the Wizard apprentice in front of him. The man was a rank 2 Wizard apprentice. Based on the energy wave he was releasing, Angele determined that this guy advanced to rank 2 not so long ago.
Yellow skin, black hair, and black eyes. The young Wizard apprentice had an average-looking face and probably would not attract any attention in the crowd.
"Who are you?" Angele looked at him and questioned.
The young man bowed and started explaining.
"I'm in charge of this trading tower. Don't worry, I'm one of the apprentices sent here by the organization. I'll explain how to use the tower for you. Also, if you don't mind, I can provide you with many other services." His voice sounded young and energetic.
"Huh?" Angele looked at the people around the obelisk. "So, they're sending messages to communicate? I think I'm capable of doing that."
"You're correct. Let me introduce myself first, my name is Ivan." The young man smiled. "If you know how to send and receive the messages, please follow me to the rank 3 Wizard apprentices. They'll guide you through the trading process here including how to the specific wave channels."