Badge in Azure

“This isn’t fair, the mark of the Six-Winged Flying Snake is very important to you, and I know nothing about using this equipment. I’m a mage, not a gambler.” Golden runes emerged from Saleen’s blue eyes yet again. Arbola had yet to cast any skills. Saleen was able to handle the situation using only his exuded aura.

“You are right, but from the perspective of the principle of equivalent exchange, you will be able to get your hands on this equipment by trading with the mark. With that, you will be able to take one more replacement equipment from my private collection. As such, you are only allowed to choose one of these two for trading.”

Saleen continued pondering. He took notice, from the corner of his eye, of Jalin’s eyes locking onto the small green crossbow. From behind Arbola he signaled Saleen to select the crossbow.

Saleen took out the mark of the Six-Winged Flying Snake and put it on the table, before taking the ring and putting it on his finger.

Saleen was able to see a tinge of frustration in Jalin’s eyes, and even Arbola seemed rather surprised by his choice. The green crossbow packed a lot of punch, and it was even able to kill a grade-9 sorcerer with a single shot if said sorcerer was caught off-guard somehow. While the ring might have been a more important artifact, it was left with little more than one-eighth of its original powers. When put side by side with the crossbow it became some trinket with mediocre offensive capacity.

“Well then, lord chief, let us go have a look…” What Saleen wanted was to go take a look at Arbola’s private collection and claim his second equipment.

Arbola took the mark of the Six-Winged Flying Snake and rubbed it in her hand, saying, “What’s the rush? We still have unfinished business here.”

Saleen answered immediately, “Better get things done one thing at a time. I’d feel safer having claimed my second item.”

Arbola sighed and said, “You are a true Sikeqinyan indeed. Alright then. Jalin, take Saleen to my private collection.”

“Yes, teacher.” Jalin crooked a finger behind Arbola.

Dikas took notice, and smirked. “I wonder how many who have been marked by Jalin lived to tell the tale.”

Saleen bowed and followed Jalin to the back of the palace. A lone six-floored tower stood behind the palace. Saleen scanned the place with his Elemental Eye and found the place to function similarly to a magic tower. The only notable difference was that wood of unknown kind was used in its construction. Analysis from his Elemental Eye revealed that the material used for constructing the place was considerably stronger than steel rock.

There was no one outside the tower. He saw a guard only after entering the place.

The guard was an old man who looked rather lazy. Saleen dared not underestimate the old man, as while the old man did not seem to bother with personal grooming, his eyes had a spark unlike any other. He deemed such people to be people who either had less than 72 hours to live, or people who were frighteningly powerful, so powerful that no trace of their power was leaked for others to detect. That prevented any weaknesses to be exploited.

Saleen understood why Arbola had such a powerful figure to guard the place. While the contents within might not have all been Arbola’s, it was nonetheless an important place to the Grukos. It was a privilege for him to even be able to enter the place. The fact that Saleen was allowed a tour was some kind of remuneration for him in a way.

Saleen said it himself, no matter how precious the material to be claimed was, he was in no hurry to claim it. The mark of the Six-Winged Flying Snake was however, very important to Arbola. She needed to get her hands on it as soon as possible.

“Uncle Glog, my teacher had me come pick something up,” Jalin greeted the old man. The old man opened one eye and glanced at Saleen. He then nodded without saying a word.

Jalin took Saleen inside, pushing the front door open and walking into the corridor.

The door shut behind him, and Jalin quipped only after that, “Saleen, I was being kind to give you a hint, yet you went and picked that broken ring.”

“Your teacher did say that the ring was of the same level as the elvish crossbow.”

“It’s still broken, so it’s little more than a trinket to bolster one’s mental powers. Do you actually intend to fix it? Well, you’ll have to wait until you reach grade-18 then,” Jalin elaborated rather scornfully, as if both of them had been friends for a long time.

“I like broken things. Not so into complete items myself.” Saleen was very wary of Jalin’s habits. Having spent quite some time around her, he found that he might be enticed by her somehow, making it impossible for him to be hostile around her.

“Saleen, are you afraid of me?” Jalin stopped, turned around, and pushed a door open. “The best ones are in here.”

“What about upstairs?” Saleen pointed above him. He remembered that the place had six floors, and things of higher value were usually placed on higher floors.

“You sure you want to go up?” Jalin asked Saleen seriously.

Saleen shook his head and said, “How about you just tell me what is up there?”

“Broken trash that the Grukos has been collecting throughout the millennium. It’s incomplete stuff. You are a mage yourself, so you should know equipment like that needs to have a set of six to be completed. If you deem yourself lucky, you might be able to find something useful here. None of the ones up there even appeal to me.”

“Is this the only vault?”

“Of course not. This is my teacher’s private vault, so you can pick whichever thing you like in it. If the place was one shared by the family itself, she would have had to ask for the elder’s permission before letting you inside. But of course, if you feel like being greedy, you are practically giving her permission to kill you. She had a really bad time in Alchemy City and wants desperately to vent it out at someone.” Jalin looked as if she was telling him everything as she elaborated.

“I’ll take my pick from here then,” Saleen said as he walked into the vault that did not look all that huge.

The place was filled almost to the brim with stacked slots, making Saleen feel as if he had walked into the nest of some insect. His perception of time and place seemed warped, and Saleen found himself almost feeling like a bug crawling inside a nest that he had built. “Just what is happening here!?”

“Hah!” Jalin walked right behind Saleen, but she did not seem affected at all. She elaborated further, “While the Golden Plains is indeed a safe place, there is still a need to guard the vault nonetheless. My teacher brought everything important with her, but in case something untoward happened, she needed to leave behind quite a lot of things. All you see here is precious stuff like none other. If she happened to perish out there, what is in here is still able to ensure that the chief that succeeded her would have it easier with things.”

“So that was why the magic array was laid?”

“It’s not a magic array, it’s a magic sequence.” Jalin did nothing to hide anything, and Saleen asked only out of curiosity. There was no way he would not have known about magic sequences. Magic sequences were products of amalgamations of countless magic arrays. His own Metatrin City had Dante’s Sequence laid, arming it with formidable offensive powers.

There was no telling of how many slots were set within the small room, and every slot housed one independent object. Saleen went about looking around, and found equipment constructed of materials of mystical origins. It was a pity that none of the equipment was complete, there were some that were little more than a box.

Saleen knew that much of the equipment was required to be kept inside special containers, taken out only when the need arose.

The vault had irregular height in its passages. Saleen went looking around the place, being in no hurry to pick anything. Jalin stayed by his side and reminded, “Saleen, magic sequences aren’t something you can learn just by remembering them.”

“I know that. I just want to get familiar with the place. I might end up coming here again after all.” Saleen’s words rendered someone like Jalin speechless. What Saleen could have meant, after all, was that he intended to tour around the place on his own some time in the future.

Saleen did not care if he was able to actually learn the sequence used there. He knew well that the magic sequence there allowed for space to be expanded to its greatest extent, allowing logical use of the space within. The magic sequence also possessed immense mind-bending powers, greater than the greatest of illusionary spells. There was no way common thieves would be able to even make out the entrance. Saleen might not have been able to master the defensive powers of the place, but he could at least learn how to use space in a logical manner.

Noting that Saleen did not bother to heed her words, she simply followed him about. She was concerned, after all, that Saleen grew too greedy. She suspected he would take away more than he was allowed to. While it was true that none of the equipment housed within was complete. The items were nonetheless made of very high-grade materials. Even if it was confirmed that they would never be able to be completed, they were still capable of serving as fine materials to craft something else.

Saleen took six items quietly after touring around for a bit. He took note of Jalin’s words for the very first time. He did not lack for finished items, and all he wanted at that moment was high quality materials.

It was especially the case when he chanced upon a scabbard. If Saleen had not been bothered with the thunderous noise in his head, he would probably have been unable to keep his glee suppressed, allowing for Jalin to figure something out about him.

It was a scabbard for a short sword, and Saleen was able to tell right away that it held 24 rules. It was a scabbard for none other than the Sword of Rules.

The scabbard was something crafted to fit the Sword of Rules after the sword was made. There was no power of rules infused within.

The scabbard was however, meant to be used with the Sword of Rules in a set. While the Sword of Rules was still quite a practical equipment, the loosening of the powers of the plane would render the weapon unusable by Nailisi.

Jalin had no idea that Saleen had just completed one set of equipment. She got impatient and rushed him. “Hurry up, will you? My teacher is still waiting for you outside.”

“Yeah, noted.” Saleen threw a square-looking piece of jade away and took a huge piece of scale out from a slot. The scale was taken from the skull of a Six-Winged Flying Snake, and the quality looked like it was the same as the mark of the Six-Winged Flying Snake. The upside of the scale seemed to be inlaid with complex magic arrays. Saleen recalled that Nailisi’s bone shield was penetrated. If the shield had been bolstered with the scale, she would not have suffered an injury by Van Gogh’s hand, an injury that almost killed her.

Jalin snorted as Saleen finished picking and took him out of the vault. It was Arbola’s idea to take Saleen to the vault, as she knew well that a mage of Saleen’s level would be more interested in gathering materials.

Arbola had indeed been waiting for Saleen as Jalin returned to the palace with him. Saleen took his seat and Arbola said, “Saleen, are you satisfied with our exchange?”

Saleen nodded, “It is very fair indeed.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Shall we discuss the matter to attack Alchemy City?”

“I’m not going.” Saleen refused without hesitation.

Alchemy City was deemed so dangerous that even if he were to hide right behind Arbola, there was still no guarantee that he would be kept safe. It was just like how no one from Alchemy City would have even thought about kicking up a fuss in Metatrin City, and Saleen was not foolish enough to go kick up a fuss in such a place.

“I’m not saying I need you there. I just need you to help me with something. I’ll gladly give you the manpower you need, but my men have things they need done nonetheless. If you want true help, it’d be best that you help me clear something out along the way.” Arbola elaborated nonchalantly, as if she knew that Saleen had no way of refusing her.