Chapter 809: Ancient Path

Chapter 809: Ancient Path

Getting all the ingredients from the vault was fairly easy. There was an abundance of it, after all.

Even if there was a lack of a specific ingredient that Adam required for the concoction, there were several suitable substitutes available for it.

Adam didn’t know whether the Joker was unaware of the true value of these ingredients or that the man thought he should be compensated for the injuries he received from the guardian of the spirit plane. Adam was still ecstatic to receive all the items.

Gazing at the Joker, who was helping him carve the runic formation on the ground, Adam couldn’t help but wonder, Hmm, he’s probably very guilty about me getting injured by the eagle guardian.

“Sir Joker,” he called out.

“What is it?” the man asked absentmindedly as he carved the runes on the ground based on the information Adam had inscribed on the parchment in his hand.

“How come you’re so nice to me all of a sudden?” the youth asked with a smrik.

The Joker paused what he was doing and turned to Adam with an annoyed face. “Would you rather I send you to the tiger guardian? She seemed rather eager to eat you.”

Adam’s smirk froze, and he couldn’t help but purse his lips. “I was just kidding…”

“Hmph!” The Joker focused his attention on the runes, grumbling under his breath. “Making me do all the labor work. Oh, how far I have fallen!”

Adam couldn’t help but roll his eyes, thinking to himself, And he tells me not to be dramatic.

With great difficulty, he sat cross-legged on the ground beside the Joker. Even the tiniest of movements sent pangs of pain radiating throughout his body.

Thus, the reason he requested the man to help him carve the runic formation.

He conjured a large gourd of wine and two flat cups from his earrings. As he uncorked the tightly sealed gourd, the aroma of freshly brewed wine wafted in the air and drifted towards the Joker.

The man couldn’t help but stop what he was doing and turn towards the wine. “A new recipe?” he asked curiously.

When Adam had come to the secret plane the last time, he had left behind a gourd of wine for the Joker as a parting gift. Needless to say, the man very much liked the liquor.

The youth revealed a faint smile as he handed the man the glass. “Peach wine,” he said. “Mild and refreshing.”

The Joker took a sip from the cup, and his eye lit up. “Very nice!”

He would give where credit was due. Moreover, Adam was an expert Herbalist and could brew the finest wines on this planet.

Not to mention, he had countless recipes of wines that were renowned in the Greater Universe. So every wine he brewed was in a class of its own—by Tron’s standards, of course.

The Joker set down the flat cup outside the runic formation and resumed carving the runes, copying them from the parchment.

“Where did you learn rune magic?” he asked curiously.

From what he could surmise from the parchment, he could tell that Adam’s knowledge of rune magic was surprisingly deep.

After all, Magi would spend decades, if not centuries, to even get to the basics of rune magic. Yet, the youth had already done that before the age of thirty-five.

No matter how the Joker saw it, Adam was an anomaly amongst anomalies!

The youth shrugged, “Oh, you know, here and there.”

He took a sip from the cup and continued, “I’m part of a secret order that is probably one of the oldest, if not the oldest, organizations on this planet. They have a vast trove of arcane knowledge. So I complete a few missions for them, and they reward me with knowledge.”

The Joker nodded ever so slightly, not at all surprised—or bothered, for that matter—by the fact that Adam was part of a secret organization.

“Like I mentioned before,” the Joker began, his tone unusually solemn. “A deep understanding of rune magic and ritual magic is necessary if you wish to leave this planet.”

Adam involuntarily straightened his back. His heartbeat quickened, and he couldn’t help but loudly gulp.

Finally! The moment is finally here! He thought excitedly.

“How so?” He tried to appear calm, but his shaky voice betrayed him.

Without even looking up, the Joker answered, “On the smaller moon, Luna, lies a portal.”

He paused what he was doing and then finally turned towards the youth, who had an incredulous expression on his face. “That is the gateway to the Greater Universe.”

Adam’s heart was surging with tumultuous waves. A portal… on the moon?!

No, wait, it all makes sense now!

I can see why the founder of the Brotherhood would write in his journals, expressing his sadness every time he watched the twin moons.

They reminded him of Myrrandor.

Luna had a portal that led to his home! To the Greater Universe!

But despite there being a portal… he was never able to use it.

Adam’s eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly. He knew why the Brotherhood’s founder was unable to use it.

“The planetary alignment,” he muttered with a grave expression. “Why is it so important if one wishes to travel to the Greater Universe?”

The Joker deeply looked at the youth for a few moments before answering, “I shall tell you the way to leave Tron. I shall reveal how my Master traveled to the depths of the Universe in the past.”

Adam’s heartbeat quickened even further, and he couldn’t help but subconsciously clench his fists. He would finally be able to get the answers after all this time.

“The universe is vast, teeming with countless magical civilizations,” the Joker began, his voice low and foreboding.

“But Tron… Tron lies abandoned on the outermost fringes. It is too far away from the Greater Universe. Only when all the planets in our solar system fall into perfect alignment can the ancient path open and the way beyond be reached.”

He paused for a moment, allowing the weight of his words to settle within Adam, who already seemed to be shocked beyond his wildest imagination.

“When all the planets align, the mana converges. It is drawn together to fuel the large-scale teleportation that will allow one to travel to the Greater Universe.

“Without this fuel, the portal will remain dormant…

“And without the planetary alignment, you can never leave Tron!”

Dun Dun Dunnn…

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