Chapter 1697: Section 1698: The Crystal Disk
When Angel emerged from seclusion, it was already the morning of the third day.
Pushing open the laboratory door, the first thing Angel saw was Sharley dressed in a full set of magicianâs attire, leaning against the wall in the corridor, absentmindedly teasing the little otter, Gulu.
Upon hearing the sound of the door opening, Sharley had yet to steady herself, but Gulu was the first to react with a startled expression. It leapt from Sharleyâs palm, landing on the spout of a floating teapot adorned with rose patterns, and promptly burrowed inside and disappeared.
Once Gulu had completed this sequence of actions in one fluid motion, Sharley only belatedly turned her head.
"M-Master, youâre out?" Sharley hesitated briefly, but soon flashed her signature professional smile, her tone becoming smoother.
"Why are you here?" Angel asked flatly.
"Iâm here because..." Sharley stole a quick glance inside the laboratory. She had heard that Angel was conducting alchemy experiments there but didnât know what he was refining... Could it possibly be something meant for her?
"Hm?" Angel frowned as Sharley hesitated to answer, closing the laboratory door on his way.
When the laboratory door shut with a loud thud, regret flashed in Sharleyâs eyes. Under Angelâs suspicious expression, Sharley cleared her throat and said, "I came because Lady Greya instructed me to deliver a message to you."
"Did she need me for something?" Angel asked, walking toward the exit.
Sharley hurried to catch up. "Yesterday morning, the witch Melisa visited the manor. She brought the alchemy preferences for the top three candidates of this yearâs New Star Match. But since you were secluded in the laboratory all this time, she handed them over to Lady Greya."
Melisa bore the surname of Beast Emperor Rosen. The only one who could be addressed as the witch Melisa was Rosenâs daughterâMelisa herself.
"Lady Greya instructed me to wait here and relay this information to you."
Angelâs face reflected confusion. "She couldâve simply used telepathy to convey this message to me. Why go through the trouble of sending you?"
Sharley playfully batted her eyes. "I volunteered."
Volunteered? Angel glanced at Sharley, noticing her whole demeanor radiated an unmistakable "Ask me why I volunteered!" signal.
"Oh." Angel offered no further comment, continuing forward.
Sharleyâs expression faltered briefly upon noticing Angelâs lack of response, but she quickly adopted a flattering demeanor, sidling up to him again. "Master, I heard youâll be crafting personalized alchemy creations for the top three candidates of this New Star Match?"
Angel noncommittally nodded.
Encouraged by Angelâs acknowledgement, Sharley promptly seized the opportunity, feigning a tone of admiration. "I didnât expect the research institute to assign such an important task to you for those alchemy customizations. Thatâs absolutely wonderful!"
Sharley initially hoped Angel would ask her, "Why is that wonderful?" Yet, observing Angelâs serious silence, she quickly realized there was no point in waiting. Instead, she began talking to herself. "When I heard this news, Iâve been thrilled ever since. Even though my performance in this yearâs New Star Match was subpar and I regret not ranking in the top three, I remembered you had promised to craft a magician-themed item for me. Doesnât that count as alchemy customization as well?"
"I didnât rank in the top three and yet I get rewards meant for the top three. How could I not be excited?"
After finishing her speech, Sharley maintained a complex expression that balanced gratitude, flattery, and excitement. Angel gave her an assessing look, somewhat impressed by her layered display of emotions.
By now, Angel understood Sharleyâs intentions: she was fishing for information about the alchemy projects. However, he chose not to indulge her curiosity, preferring to see how Sharley would proceed with her solo performance.
Seeing Angel remaining silent, Sharley did not grow discouraged. She pressed on, "Master, since the alchemy preferences of the top three candidates have already been submitted, I was wondering if I should present my own âpreferencesâ to you as well? Or... have you already completed the refinement?"
As Sharley spoke about her âpreferences,â she subtly emphasized the curves of her chest, partially obscured by her magicianâs uniform, using a suggestive tone. However, her real intention was to surreptitiously entice Angel into loosening his lips.
This time, Angel finally granted her wish by speaking, although it wasnât inspired by Sharleyâs antics. Instead, the reason was more straightforwardâthey had already stepped out of the manor, arriving at the courtyard where Greya was waiting nearby.
"I havenât started refining it yet, but I donât go back on my promises. That being said, your talent ability has to genuinely benefit Toby." Pausing briefly, Angel added, "Moreover, you neednât showcase your âpreferencesâ to me; I already have a detailed plan in mind."
Even though Angel didnât disclose specific details about the refinement, this was far from a complete rejection. Sharley shrugged, following Angel closely as they approached Greya.
Upon seeing Angel, Greya handed him an unopened special letter. "Sharley likely informed you about thisâMelisa brought this over."
Angel nodded, taking the letter and storing it in his bracelet without opening it. "Did Melisa mention anything else?"
Greya responded, "She just asked you to contact Antonio when you have time. Heâll fill you in on the details."
After finishing her message about Melisa, Greyaâs curiosity came forth. "By the way, Iâm quite intrigued. These past few days, youâve been secluded in the laboratory without saying a wordâwhat were you working on?"
Sharleyâs curiosity was similarly piqued. Earlier, she had assumed Angel might be crafting her exclusive item... but unfortunately, Angel had already denied that theory.
Angel answered, "Refining the platform to carry âDestinyâs Boiling Tune.â
Greya froze momentarily, surprised that Angel had started refining it so soon. She had thought heâd first go searching for the Demon Flower Sprite Demon Bloodstone... Wait, Greya suddenly realized something. If Angel had already begun refining the Mana-bearing Array platform, did that mean, "Youâve acquired the Demon Flower Sprite Demon Bloodstone?"
Angel nodded. "Yes, the quantity is satisfactoryâitâs enough to support Sharley using âDestinyâs Boiling Tuneâ approximately a hundred times."
"Iâve been asking around for the whereabouts of Demon Flower Sprite Demon Bloodstone these past days, yet I hadnât expected youâd act so swiftly." Greya made an admiring remark while growing increasingly curious. "And the platform for carrying âDestinyâs Boiling Tune,â have you successfully refined it as well?"
Angel didnât respond verbally. Instead, he retrieved an item from his bracelet.
It was a palm-sized crystal disk, which, at first glance, resembled a glass vessel. Upon closer inspection, however, one would notice the disk lacked any concave area for holding liquidâmaking it more akin to a jade bi-disc than an ordinary container.
The crystal disk was unadorned, appearing plain at first. However, when tilted slightly, faint silver patterns could be discerned within the disk, shimmering like molten mercury under sunlight.
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