Chapter 177: Auntie
After tossing out a few magic stones and using their power to activate Nef’s Magic Mirror, the three people instantly arrived at a spacious plaza.
Karl swept his gaze across the fabricated illusion, lost in thought:
“A good Nef’s Magic Mirror can be used dozens of times, while a poor one breaks after a few uses. Sometimes, you have no choice but to use them, which means there’s a constant stream of buyers.”
“The Andrew Family can make a fortune just by crafting these mirrors…”
“But the illusions created by the magic mirror are truly lifelike. No wonder their family has remained undefeated for hundreds of years.”
Composing himself, he cast aside his distracting thoughts and addressed the two:
“Spar first and let me see.”
“Yes!”
Grey responded respectfully.
Harvey merely grunted, his face expressionless as he raised his knight’s sword, pointing it at Grey:
“Come on!”
“Alright.”
Grey nodded, drawing the twin swords from her waist.
Her weapons were not enchanted with magic; they were just ordinary forged items. Fortunately, they were still sturdy and sharp.
“Careful!”
With a low shout, Grey lunged forward.
Coming from humble beginnings, she had struggled from a young age at the bottom rung of the Magic Forest. Becoming a Grand Knight was partly due to luck, but her talent was undeniable. Moreover, she possessed rich combat experience from countless battles.
Her twin swords crisscrossed, and a chilling killing intent suddenly surged, like a biting cold wind blowing in one’s face, sending shivers down their spine.
The first time Harvey sparred with Grey, he was startled by the killing intent emanating from her and reacted in a flustered manner.
Now…
“Clang!”
With a gentle lift, his knight’s sword struck the blade with impeccable precision, disrupting Grey’s follow-up move.
“Hah!”
Grey shouted, her speed abruptly increasing. With her twin swords, she coordinated with her footwork to launch attacks at Harvey from various angles.
Angel’s Sting!
She was utilizing certain techniques from Angel’s Sting.
This sudden burst did not faze Harvey; instead, he naturally increased his sword-wielding speed to respond.
The techniques,
also came from Angel’s Sting.
Karl’s eyes flickered.
Both Grey and Harvey possessed considerable talent on the Path of the Knight, at least surpassing him when he wasn’t utilizing the Divine Domain Fragment.
‘It’s only natural. They’re both young but have reached this point. If they didn’t have talent, there’d be a problem.’
‘I just didn’t expect them to reach this level in just two months, relying on some notes I left behind.’
‘Hmm…’
‘Comparatively, Harvey’s talent is better!’
Not only talent, but Harvey’s foundation was also more solid, and he had progressed further on the Path of the Knight than Grey.
In a real fight, at least three Greys working together would be needed to gain the upper hand.
Moreover,
as the young master of the Walker Family, Harvey possessed many good items, which Grey couldn’t compare to.
It’s a pity…
“Stop!”
Karl raised his hand, and an invisible force abruptly separated the two who were sparring:
“Harvey, have you cultivated other holy techniques?”
“Holy techniques?” Harvey’s eyes flickered:
“Are you referring to legendary martial techniques?”
“I learned from Second Grandpa for a while, but I couldn’t truly master it because my cultivation wasn’t sufficient.”
Of course, holy techniques existed in this world, but they were called legendary martial techniques. Karl had momentarily forgotten to use the correct term.
Similarly,
legendary martial techniques were extremely rare. Only Legendary Knights could truly master them, and very few people knew them.
One of the reasons Harvey could endure Karl’s absence for two months was the opportunity to learn a holy technique.
“Hmm.”
Nodding, Karl spoke slowly:
“You have a high talent on the Path of the Knight. Just by reading, you’ve managed to grasp the basics of Angel’s Sting…”
“Angel’s Sting is the name of my holy technique.”
Harvey’s eyes lit up.
“I’ll teach you the true Angel’s Sting. Consider it tuition.” Karl’s voice was calm:
“First, switch to a rapier.”
Hearing this,
Harvey’s face didn’t show joy; instead, it was filled with dejection. He then pulled himself together and nodded.
Soon,
the two bid farewell and left.
Watching their figures disappear into the distance, Karl sighed softly and shook his head, returning to the shop.
“What a pity!”
Both young people had high talent, especially Harvey. However, neither of them possessed inherited bloodlines.
This meant…
without special opportunities, Grand Knight would be their limit!
Grey didn’t mind. She still had a lot of room for improvement, and even with opportunities, she might not become a Legend.
Harvey was different!
He was nearing the end of his path as a Grand Knight. No matter how hard he cultivated from now on, he could only refine his techniques and skills, not increase his cultivation. He would never be able to contend with a full-fledged wizard.
This feeling of seeing the end but being powerless to change it was truly despairing.
That was why Harvey wasn’t particularly happy when Karl agreed to teach him Angel’s Sting.
Even if he learned it, what then?
Without becoming a Legend, he could never truly master it!
“Forget it.”
Shaking his head, Karl shrugged:
“Everyone has their own destiny. As an outsider, I should just quietly observe.”
“Speaking of observing…”
“Something’s wrong with that girl Grey!”
Grey had come in a hurry, and her eyes were shifty.
***
Although she was trying to act natural, she couldn’t deceive the keen perception of a late-stage, first-circle powerhouse.
“What’s she up to?”
“Hopefully, it has nothing to do with me!”
As their relationship was that of employee and employer, it was only natural for them to sign a contract.
And the mark of the Lord of Source Essence on the contract allowed Karl to “see” Grey to a certain extent.
…
Leaving the shop,
Grey walked briskly towards the outer edge of Dream Market.
After carefully avoiding the gaze of others and exiting the market, she cautiously looked around and then took out a letter from her pocket.
“Angley!”
“What could he want with me?”
Although Angley had become somewhat strange after their experience in the secret realm, their friendship hadn’t completely disappeared.
Considering their past relationship, Grey thought it over and finally decided to go.
Arriving at the location specified in the letter, the surrounding trees rustled, but Angley was nowhere to be seen.
After waiting for a while,
Grey shook her head slightly and decided to leave.
“Whoosh…”
The trees in the distance rustled, and a figure darted out, landing silently behind Grey.
“Grey!”
“Swish!”
Grey spun around abruptly, twin swords in hand, instinctively about to strike. She only relaxed after seeing who it was.
“It’s you.”
“You scared me, suddenly appearing like that. What are you doing?”
“Sorry.” Angley’s face was expressionless as he spoke coldly:
“I’m in a bit of trouble right now and can’t show myself. Why did you insist on seeing me?”
“See you?” Grey was stunned:
“Didn’t you call me here?”
Silence fell over the area.
Both of their expressions instantly turned grim.
“Go!”
Angley shouted, abruptly waving his hand. Grey was swept up by a gust of wind and sent flying backward.
At the same time,
rustling sounds came from the dense forest, and figures that had been lying in wait nearby appeared one after another.
“Trying to leave?”
Someone shouted:
“Do you think you can escape?”
Grey gritted her teeth. After landing, she exerted force with her feet, her entire body like an agile female leopard.
The ambushers were targeting Angley; she was just bait, and few people noticed her.
This was her chance!
“Swish!”
Several wind blade chains attacked from the side, wrapping around her waist and abdomen.
Zero-circle magic!
Senior Wizard Apprentice!
Grey’s heart sank. Her twin swords flashed out, utilizing the force techniques of Angel’s Sting.
“Bang!”
The wind blade chains were shattered by her curved swords.
It seemed that the Senior Wizard Apprentice who had attacked wasn’t very strong, at least not enough to pose a significant threat to a Grand Knight.
“Swish!”
Grey was overjoyed and charged forward, but she didn’t notice the earth churning ahead of her, rising abruptly.
Earth Wall!
“Bang!”
Grey’s body collided head-on with the earth wall, breaking through it, but her body was also covered in mud.
Bind!
The mud on her body transformed into ropes, wrapping around her arms and legs.
“Thud…”
Grey lost her balance and fell to the ground, her heart filled with despair.
On the other side,
the former Wizard Apprentice, Angley, erupted with astonishing strength, single-handedly holding his own against two wizards.
Formal Wizard!
He had unexpectedly become a Formal Wizard, and his methods were strange, allowing him to fight two opponents without falling behind.
“Are you Grey?”
Just as Grey’s eyes were filled with despair and the ambushers surrounded her, a gentle voice rang out:
“The girl Harvey often mentions lately?”
Huh?
Grey abruptly looked up and saw a beautiful woman looking at her with kindness, causing the surrounding people to stop.
Formal Wizard!
“I’m Harvey’s aunt.”
The woman crouched down, and her slender fingers gently brushed against Grey’s body, dispelling the magic that bound her.
“I’ve been hearing him talk about you lately, so I was curious and came to take a look. I didn’t expect to encounter something like this.”
Shaking her head with a smile, she glanced back at the scene and grabbed Grey’s hand:
“I’ll take you away first.”
