Chapter 2724: Chapter 2725: The Gentleman of Yesteryear
"That was fifty years agoâ"
Vay began with a recollection-laden opening, and from the tone, Kaier thought it would be a long, tumultuous, and emotionally stirring story.
But in fact, the time this story took place was very brief, only a few months. Even if Vay described all the details, the story was quickly finished.
To put it bluntly, itâs a story of a trickster and a fool.
The trickster is Yuna, and the fool is Dox... Of course, there was also a spectator, Vay.
Back then, Dox discovered an ancient laboratory through a friendâs information and his own speculation. According to the intel, the laboratory was left by an Alchemist.
Generally speaking, a laboratory left by an Alchemist is the most valuable among the legacies and is the first choice for Wandering Wizards on adventures.
Upon receiving this information, Dox immediately invited Vay to explore it together. However, upon reaching the destination, they found that the so-called laboratory ownerâthe Alchemistâwas actually just an Alchemy Apprentice, and it was within the sub-branch of Potionology, Fragrance Studies.
Although a bit disappointed, they still held some expectations. During their search, they really found a secret room, but outside the secret room was filled with strange aromas that couldnât be dispersed by the wind or washed away by water, penetrating without obstruction, even invading fully armored individuals.
Once affected by the aroma, one would fall into a deep sleep.
To solve this puzzle, they found a self-proclaimed female Apprentice claiming to have researched scents, and that person was Yuna.
After traveling with Yuna, they returned to the ruins, and upon arriving, Yuna innocently stated that her research was limited to mortal scents. This was beyond her scope of study.
Vay and Dox were not fools, quickly realizing that Yunaâs sole reason for joining was to find out the location of the ruins. And Yuna had a secret wind technique, which made her very capable of escape, evading capture, and then finding people to seize the treasure from the ruins.
Nevertheless, knowing Yunaâs intentions, Dox, as the leader, still forgave her. He even directly allowed Yuna to join the team, exploring and sharing the profits together.
Dox acted this way because at the time he was still innocent, influenced by his mother, showing great tolerance and respect for women. He even told Vay that no matter what women did to him, he would never lay a hand on them.
Then, Yuna discovered Doxâs "gentlemanly" trait, starting a series of actions that left Vay speechless.
In just a few short months together, she had already conned half of Doxâs fortune.
Yet Dox maintained his demeanor.
Later, they managed to crack the fragrant magic array outside the ruins and found inside a box enveloped in aroma, which was speculated to contain the Alchemy Apprenticeâs manuscript.
Yuna immediately expressed her need for it, but Dox intended for them to find someone to decipher the aroma once outside, then open the box, each writing a copy.
Yuna agreed at the time, but what happened subsequently was entirely unexpected.
They were surrounded by a group, who turned out to be Yunaâs accomplices. From the start, Yuna had companions; she followed them merely waiting for the ruins to be unlocked, then called her partners to ambush them.
At that moment, Vayâs combat instincts were strong, and upon realizing they were surrounded, he quickly assessed the situation and immediately called forth the Earth Prison to trap Yuna.
However, Yunaâs accomplices seemed completely unconcerned about Yunaâs life, even attacking Yuna alongside.
Seeing Yuna about to be killed by her own companions, Dox, at the cost of serious injuries, shielded her from the attack, and released her from the prison.
But Yuna did not show gratitude to Dox, directly stabbing him in the back and stealing the box.
Then she said a line to the dying Dox: "Remember todayâs lesson I taught you, women and men alike are not worth trusting."
Accompanied by laughter, Yuna and her accomplices left.
As for Vay, those individuals dared not overly target him, presumably because Yuna secretly informed them of Vayâs connection to the Noah Clan. Thus, the only one truly injured was Dox.
Perhaps Doxâs survival was due to his relationship with Vay.
"The end result was that I took Dox to the Wizard Market to find someone to save him." By this point, the story was basically over. The subsequent development was easily predictable.
Kaierâs face was full of emotion: "So Red Sword has such a past."
Vay nodded, speaking in a reflective tone: "Thinking back now, I donât particularly dislike Yuna. At least, Yuna truly taught Dox a lesson. Since that day, although Dox occasionally has gentlemanly manners, when it comes to interest matters, he no longer remains as rigid as before."
Angel silently remarked in his heart: Itâs evident... if he were still as gentlemanly as before, he surely wouldnât have directly ambushed the evil woman.
"But, speaking of coincidences, who wouldâve thought the evil woman actually met Yuna and learned about Doxâs past from her." Vay touched his chin, finding it a bit incredible.
"What coincidence is there? At tea parties, the witchesâ favorite topics are nothing but those few. âMenâ topics are definitely in the top ten." The speaker was Black Earl, who mentioned this with a hint of disdain.
"Have you attended a tea party, my lord?" Kaier asked in surprise.
Black Earlâs nostrils flared slightly but quickly returned to their normal state: "I myself have never attended, but among the Noah offspring, there is no shortage of women."
Kaier nodded in understanding; Noah offspring typically possess a part of Black Earl, tagging along with their kin to tea parties may seem odd, but understandable.
Though Angel perceived the sudden change in Black Earlâs emotions, he slightly raised an eyebrow.
There was no real need for Black Earl to specifically mention he had not attended.
Moreover, tea parties forbid males. And for men to enter, thereâs only one way.
Angel silently mused: Seems like Iâve uncovered some astonishing secrets...
Black Earl, unwilling to dwell on the matter, hurriedly said: "At tea parties, evaluating men is something many witches enjoy doing. So, if the evil woman met Yuna, itâs hardly unusual for them to discuss this topic at tea parties."
At this point, Black Earl seemed to have the intent to stir trouble, turning the slate to Angel: "Soon, the new tea party will begin. Youâll undoubtedly become the center of their focus. If certain mischievous witches drag you into the eye of a storm, youâll be in for it."
Angel remained indifferent; the main venue for this tea party was in the Wilderness of Dreams. Anyone daring to provoke him would face restrictions!
Thinking this internally, Angel said aloud, "It shouldnât happen. In truth, I havenât interacted with many Official Wizards, even fewer witches. I barely know any witches."
Black Earl: "Thatâs true, but youâre certain to become the focus. It all depends on which way the opinion sways in the end."
"However, speaking of which, in this aspect, you might want to consult your Mentor." Black Earlâs tone took on a peculiar shade: "Even though heâs positioned as a Black Wizard, showing no mercy to witches, ironically, his reputation at tea parties is quite high. Not sure how he manages it, probably secretly using Mirror Lady and Evan to influence opinions."
Whenever Mirror Lady participates in a tea party, sheâs a bigwig. Evan, as a resident witch of the City of Truth from Barbarian Cave, wields substantial influence, equally at the top tier.
Angel did not respond because he noticed that Black Earlâs tone was distinctly bitter.
Itâs likely that Black Earlâs reputation at tea parties isnât stellar.
Thinking about it makes sense, even outside of tea parties, Black Earlâs reputation isnât very good. If Angel hadnât preemptively consulted Lord Reine, heâd probably look at Black Earl through a distorted lens.
Although that lens isnât completely removed now...
...
While they were chatting about these uncharted topics, the situation on the field was rapidly changing.
Because Yuna was mentioned, Dox appeared momentarily distracted.
In that brief moment of distraction, Dox was struck from mid-air by the bandages of the vicious woman, crashing directly to the ground.
However, Doxâs physical resilience was quite formidable. He wasnât severely injured and quickly flipped over, revealing the phantom of a large worm along his back.
The moment the worm phantom appeared, a large number of sword spikes shot out from its back, directly targeting the vicious woman.
The bandages on the vicious woman acted like numerous arms, blocking the incoming sword spikes.
However, what the vicious woman didnât expect was that the second wave of sword spikes released by Dox was even more numerous and dense than she had imagined.
They were densely packed like a swarm of black bees.
While dealing with the incoming sword spikes, the vicious woman glanced at the ground from the corner of her eye. She saw that Dox, lying on the ground, had his spine protruding, with sword spikes wrapped in blood emerging from his bones one by one.
Clearly, Dox had activated his bloodline!
Sword-backed Sandworm!
Beyond the inherent bloodline augmentation, the most significant and outstanding feature of the Sword-backed Sandworm bloodline is the unlimited proliferation of sword spikes on its back.
As long as energy and vitality are sufficient, the number of sword spikes can become terrifyingly high.
And a bloodline wizard has been practicing the ability to restore vitality since becoming an apprentice. Coupled with the wizardâs magic vortex that can absorb endless energy, they can control the total number of sword spikes generated each time, achieving permanent generation without any burden on the wizard.
Although the sword spikes are an excellent talent, they require extremely high spiritual power and a certain talent for swordsmanship.
Dox, being known as the "Red Sword," has exceptional skills in swordsmanship, rarely seen in the world. Combined with the Sword-backed Sandworm, the benefit is more than simply additive.
Currently, Dox is probably the only person so well-suited to the Sword-backed Sandworm bloodline.
Facing the unending tide of sword spikes, the vicious womanâs bandages were ultimately limited. A large number of sword spikes broke through the barrier and pierced directly into, even through, the vicious woman.
Accompanied by screams, countless blood flowers sprayed out.
The vicious woman fell from the sky, dragging her long hair.
Seeing this, Kaier appeared excited, and though Vay didnât speak, his eyes couldnât hide their excitement.
However, Angel and the Black Earl showed no emotional reaction.
The Black Earl was always like this.
As for Angel, he had sensed something was off. The vicious womanâs miserable condition was indeed horrifying, but the group across from them, including the Gray Merchant, showed no emotional fluctuations.
Something is amiss.
Angel continued watching with caution.
Sure enough, though the vicious woman fell to the ground, after the screams came a sinister laughter, starting off soft and growing louder, increasingly rampant and unrestrained.
The head the vicious woman had previously lowered, slowly lifted amidst the laughter.
As the sharp laughter echoed above the arena, her knee-length hair began to grow wildly, even covering her entire body.
Dox probably noticed something was wrong as well, not stopping the sword spikes, which became even denser.
Some sword spikes were entangled and blocked by the hair; others sliced through the hair but lost momentum deeper in; still, others pierced through everything, hitting the center of the hair, although aside from a bit more blood on the ground, the vicious womanâs laughter did not diminish at all.
Contrarily, the more severe her injuries, the more blood she lost, the more excited she became.
"Are you crazy!" Dox exclaimed, seeing the growing pool of blood on the ground while the vicious womanâs laughter grew wilder, feeling a bit chilled even as an opponent.
Though the vicious womanâs laughter persisted, a peculiar voice suddenly echoed outside of it, in everyoneâs ears.
"You...na..."
"Yuna..."
It seemed to be the vicious woman speaking, but also like a mournful moan emerging from an endless abyss.
As Angel and the others listened, they felt something strange. On Doxâs side, however, an unexpected change occurred when the voice appeared.
The dense swarm of sword spikes started to decrease at a visible speed.
Initially as dense as a bee swarm, every wave of sword spikes was decreasing, and as the call of "Yuna" became more frequent, the sword spikes became fewer.
Eventually, Dox could control barely a hundred sword spikes.
And these sword spikes couldnât even get past the bandages, let alone break through the cocoon-like hair.
"Whatâs happening?" Kaier exclaimed in shock, "Why, why are the sword spikes decreasing?"
Kaier looked at Vay, who too was dumbfounded: "Could it be Dox still has feelings for Yuna? No, even back then, Dox never liked Yuna. Besides, isnât the one in front of him the vicious woman, what does this have to do with Yuna?"
As they were talking, the situation on the field kept changing. The vicious woman once again rose into the air, but now her entire body was shrouded by hair as like waterfalls.
Blood dripped drop by drop from the vicious womanâs hair.
The chilling voice of the vicious woman came from behind the hair: "Do you know why I always wrap myself in bandages?"
Before Dox could answer, her sharp laughter interrupted, followed quickly by her voice: "Because..."
As she spoke, an energy blast emanated from within the hair, scattering it in the air, revealing the "miserable" state of the vicious woman inside.
Yes, truly miserable. Her entire body was bloody, especially with countless pieces of shredded meat hanging off it.
Yet, the vicious womanâs face showed indifference, breaking into a perverse smile: "Because, under the bandages are all wounds, the ones he left, the ones she left, the ones it left... the ones you left, and... the ones I left myself!"
"Hahahahaâ" The laughter was piercing, making the vicious woman appear even more terrifying.
With the laughter came the collection of blood from all the wounds on the vicious womanâs bandages, transforming into a bloody light spear shooting straight towards Dox.
Dox tried to block it with sword spikes, but the peculiar voice echoed again: "Yuna... You...na..."
Dox was momentarily distracted.
And this distraction proved fatal, becauseâ
The bloody light spear had already reached Doxâs chest!
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