Having obtained the access card, Angel bid farewell to Midora, ready to take his leave as his objective for the trip had been achieved.
However, before leaving, Angel followed Antonio for another tour of the Fantasy Mechanical City.
The main purpose was to choose a residence for Angel in the Fantasy Mechanical City.
âAll members of the research institution have their own abodes in the Fantasy Mechanical City,â Antonio said as he led Angel through the city filled with gears and steam, also introducing the residences of other members.
âIf youâre on good terms with a certain member, you can build your abode near theirs to facilitate interaction. Of course, you can also choose not to build your own, as there are many ready-made houses in the city. If you donât like them, you can hand the design drawings to me and Iâll arrange for the Magic Puppets to do the work.â
Angel pondered for a moment; the only person he was reasonably acquainted with in the research institution was Midora, and Midoraâs Magic Potion hut was already in Sky City, so there was no need for him to live in Fantasy City.
Apart from Midora, he was not very familiar with anyone else. As for Muse and Nail Granny, who held a slight fondness for him, Muse was in the Creation Hall and Nail Granny did not reside in Fantasy City, so there was no need for him to deliberately live near them in Fantasy City.
In the end, after weighing his options, Angel chose a somewhat secluded ready-made dwelling, which was not close to anyone, but also not too far from the center.
For Angel, he estimated that he would not be living in Fantasy City for a short period of time, and even if he did take up residence there, it would at most serve as a place to rest. Therefore, there was no need to put in special effort to build, so he casually picked a ready-made dwelling and that was that.
Once the matter of the dwelling was settled, Angel bid farewell to Antonio and left Fantasy City.
Just as he left Fantasy City and arrived back at the headquarters of the research institution, Midora appeared right behind him, having just emerged as well.
âLord Midora, do you have something to look for me for?â Angel asked, looking puzzled.
Midora shook his head, âIt has nothing to do with you, Yeliya asked Tugan to bring me an unfinished potion recipe, Iâm going to check it out.â
Although Midora had no particular business, since they bumped into each other, they simply left together.
âSpeaking of which, that kid Tugan, ever since he read the last issue of âGlowing City Night Talkâ, heâs been making a fuss every day, saying he wants to venture into the Abyss, which really irritated Yeliya⌠sigh.â Midora complained with a sense of helplessness, but his eyes carried a hint of indulgence.
âOh, youâd better change your appearance quickly; if that brat sees you, heâll probably get even more worked up.â
Angel nodded, and without any visible effort, he transformed into a somewhat aged middle-aged man. Even the sharpness of a young man on him disappeared, replaced by a demeanor of refined elegance and solemnity.
âThis Disguise Technique of yours is silent and hard to see through, almost on par with your Mentor,â Midora couldnât help but praise Angel after witnessing his transformation.
âDisguise Technique is but an illusion after all. It would be nice if I could learn the Shapeshifting Technique,â Angel reflected.
Speaking of the Shapeshifting Technique, Midora said, âPliant Worm skins, two hundred years ago, the research institution still had some in stock. But now, not anymore. Tell you what, Iâll keep an eye out for you, and if Pliant Worm skins do show up, Iâll figure out a way to notify you.â
âThank you very much,â Angel replied. Although he possessed a Pliant Worm mother, no one knew if it could hatch into a Transforming Soft-bodied Insect, and having an additional option was naturally best.
Suddenly, they took the âelevatorâ and descended all the way to the ground floor.
As they stepped out of the research institutionâs main entrance, Angel heard a whooshing sound from the sky. Looking up, he saw an orange leopard with a spiral horn on its forehead, falling from the sky like an arrow shot from a bow!
The leopardâs descent was incredibly fast, like a cannonball plummeting from the high sky, with an arresting force.
However, when its soft paws touched the ground, no collision sound was made; it seemed as effortless as if it were merely leaping down from a first-floor balcony.
This skillful transition from rapid descent to a gentle landing, revealing its excellent grasping ability and the balance between energy and physique, was truly exceptional.
After the horned leopard landed, a rambunctious child suddenly stood up on its broad back and waved fervently at Midora.
It was Tugan.
Dressed like a primitive person, feathers atop his head, and painted patterns on his face, his skin mostly exposed, displaying a glow of honeyed color.
Tugan looked very similar to how Angel remembered him, with the only difference being that he had grown a bit taller.
Still, he had the appearance of a child, and his height had yet to reach Angelâs waist.
âGrandpa Midora!â Tugan said, waving a roll of notes in his hand, âThis is what Granny Yeliya asked me to bring to you!â
Tugan jumped down from the leopard, and as he landed, the massive creature slowly shrank in size until it became as small as a house cat, squatting beside Tugan.
Angel recognized it; this horned leopard was Tuganâs âHeaven-sent Magic Petâ, Doodoo.
When Angel first saw Doodoo, he vaguely sensed a threat, but at that time, he merely thought that Doodoo was not as innocuous as it appeared on the outside.
Seeing it again, Angel noticed that the strength of Doodooâs vitality was almost on par with his own!
No wonder Shadow had always tried to coax Doodoo into signing a master-servant contract with him.
Tugan handed his notebook to Midora and then looked at Angel with a curious gaze.
Although Tugan couldnât enter the research institute, having spent a long time in Sky Mechanical City, he had a fair idea about the people in the research institute. He had never seen this middle-aged man before. Who could he be?
Furthermore, Tugan was puzzled because it seemed that DooDoo was also somewhat concerned about this man.
He moved closer, wanting to strike up a conversation with Angel.
However, before Tugan could speak, Angel said to Midora, âLord Midora, since our business here is concluded, Iâll take my leave now.â
Midora nodded to Angel, âGo ahead.â
Angel turned and disappeared from the spot beneath the faint glow of his Night Shadow Traverse, under Tuganâs puzzled gaze.
âDooDoo, do you know who he is?â Tugan stretched out his chubby, lotus-root-like little hand, picked up the coquettish DooDoo at his feet, and asked softly.
DooDoo cried out in a milky voice.
Tugan was startled and turned his head to look at Midora, âGrandfather Midora, he⌠heâs Brother Angel?â
âŚ
Angel, however, was unaware of what happened behind him, but as he was leaving, he heard Midoraâs telepathic message.
In the telepathic message, Midora spoke of matters related to Tugan, not about Tugan himself, but about Tuganâs mentorâthe âPuppeteerâ Bogura.
âBogura stepped into the Abyss of Magic and hasnât come out to this day. I thought he might have met with misfortune. However, just recently, Muse told me that ripples appeared in the Abyss of Magic, and the pheromones emitted were Boguraâs. I estimate that Bogura may not be far from conquering the Abyss.â
The Abyss of Magic is a mystical object transformed from within Sky Mechanical City. Its effects were said to assist in Enlightenment and offered a chance to see the true self and enter the realm of True Knowledge. However, entry into the Abyss is an incredibly dangerous affair, where even nine deaths out of ten could be considered fortunate.
Midora mentioned this to inform Angel that if Bogura truly emerged from the Abyss, there was a good chance he would soon ascend to True Knowledge.
Although Angel had a reasonably good relationship with both of Boguraâs apprentices, he didnât get along too well with Bogura himself. Moreover, Boguraâs decision to take a desperate gamble on the Abyss, resulting in his defeat to Sanders, had certain reasons behind it.
Therefore, if Bogura truly attained True Knowledge, it was quite possible that he would cause trouble for the descendants of the Illusion Demon Island lineage.
Angelâs âgolden hair and blue eyesâ were also one of Boguraâs obsessions. Thus, Midora was giving Angel a heads-up.
Angel solemnly committed this information to memory, even though he felt the likelihood was not high.
Because although Bogura had some twisted obsessions, he wasnât foolish.
Even if he advanced in rank, his strength was still far from matching Sanders, and even if there were grievances, he would need to bide his time. Whatâs more, the feud between him and Sanders hadnât reached the point of life-and-death struggle.
However, it was hard to predict whether Bogura would come after him, so Angel took the warning seriously.
Leaving from the back of Sky Mechanical City, Angel arrived at the front where gravity was normal.
Since he had previously promised Nausicaa, he didnât return to the manor but instead headed toward Champagne Road.
When he stepped back into the bustling streets teeming with people, Angel occasionally heard people around him discussing the recent incident on Manshi Magic Material Street, and his own name was mentioned frequently.
Listening to others describe the incident with embellishments, Angel felt slightly odd.
After all, he still found it somewhat incredible. Even after becoming part of the research instituteâs new blood, he felt somewhat dazed.
Only now, hearing others talk about it, did he get a sense of being back in reality.
âI heard that magazines like âSky of Truth,â âGolden Age,â âWizardâs Secrets,â and several others are going to write overnight just to report the incident on Manshi Magic Material Street!â
âYeah. After all, an Apprentice that could compete with an Official Wizard is truly miraculous! I wonder if thereâs any trickery involved?â
âWhat are you talking about? The real news is the research instituteâs new member! I have a friend who was at the scene, and he heard the Mad Bear Sabo say in person that Angel is the new member of the research institute! Now thatâs a major event!â
âOne thing after another, this Angel really knows how to stir things up.â
âStir things up? If it were you, you probably wouldnât even have the chance to make a stir.â
The report from Manshi Magic Material Street wasnât out yet, but such an atmosphere was spreading like a contagious disease. It was hard to imagine the situation once the magazines were published.
However, Angel was relieved that at least he was about to leave Sky Mechanical CityâŚ
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