Chapter Thirty-Five: An Unexpected Encounter

Watching Raymond stride away with his usual decisiveness, Merck could only sigh and shake his head. Qi Xiao, too, felt a sense of helplessness. He took out his cane from his wristband and entrusted it to Merck, saying, “Grandpa Merck, could you please keep this cane for me and give it to my teacher when he returns? I’ll be leaving soon for the Letta Federation to deliver the auction item for him, and I’m afraid I’ll have to depart before he comes back.”

Merck accepted the cane and replied in a deep voice, “Rest assured, young master.”

After bidding farewell to the butler, Qi Xiao returned to the main hall. The two young blood servants seemed to be in the middle of a discussion, but as soon as they saw Qi Xiao, they hurriedly saluted. Qi Xiao didn’t mind their idleness—after all, there wasn’t much to do at the moment—but he was a bit surprised. “You can speak now?”

One of the little blood servants began buzzing out a string of sounds. Having spent enough time with them, Qi Xiao recognized this one as Xue Ruo. After listening for a while, he smiled and said, “It’s already impressive that you can manage a few syllables. Keep it up. I hope that when I return, I’ll hear you say a complete sentence.”

Encouraged, the two little blood servants joyfully withdrew, and Qi Xiao, still smiling, returned to his room to meditate.

Early the next morning, Qi Xiao boarded the newly crafted Azure Veil and set off for the Letta Federation.

When the Azure Veil reached the very edge of the Allspirit Vault, it felt as though it had brushed against an invisible membrane. Qi Xiao produced his identity card, infused it with magic, and slowly pressed forward.

As his body slipped into the membrane, darkness shrouded his vision, but before long, the world brightened again, though the scenery around him had utterly changed.

He took a deep breath of the outside air. The quality was not quite as good as within the organization, but this was Qi Xiao’s first time venturing out into the world since his arrival, and naturally, he felt a surge of excitement.

Surveying his surroundings, he sat atop the Azure Veil, floating in midair. Below lay a human town, which, judging by the occasional comings and goings of wizards, seemed accustomed to such sights. Some people gazed up in awe at the Azure Veil, but none showed fear.

Qi Xiao opened his map. He already knew that the Allspirit Vault was located within the Tyrell Empire. At the moment, he was above Dawn City, still some seventy thousand kilometers from the Letta Federation.

The wizarding world was far larger than the Earth of his previous life. Yet it didn’t seem to be a spherical planet, but rather resembled a world with a dome above and a flat land below.

For his first journey outside, Qi Xiao was full of vigor, keenly observing the scenery. By day, without the aid of starlight, the Azure Veil’s mist and foam were less striking, serving instead as a subtle cloak, making it less resplendent than at night.

During the past half-month, Qi Xiao had pored over countless books and gained a basic understanding of the wizarding world’s beasts and landscapes. But as the saying goes, seeing is believing—only by witnessing it with his own eyes did he truly sense how different this world was.

For instance, he had read about the “Luminous-Feathered Bird: its talons sharp and strong, bronze in hue, its beak finely carved and pale gold, keen and powerful; its feathers said to emit the radiance of sun and moon.” Qi Xiao had been intrigued by this description. The book claimed these birds were common in the south, with some found in the north as well. Yet their feathers, despite their supposed brilliance, were of little value in alchemy—a fact he found perplexing. After all, feathers that could emit the light of sun and moon should be extraordinary.

It was only upon seeing the bird for himself today that he understood: the feathers merely reflected light like mirrors, rather than emitting any radiance of their own. Some things, he realized, were easily misinterpreted from written descriptions alone.

Nonetheless, he was quite taken with the bird. Using his Attraction Spell, he coaxed a luminous-feathered bird over, then cast an Enchantment for Birds. Instantly, the bird ceased to struggle, perched obediently on Qi Xiao’s shoulder, and began to sing.

Chuckling, he stroked the little bird’s head and examined its feathers.

Yesterday’s auction had gone smoothly. Besides acquiring two first-level spells and two orbs of magic, Qi Xiao had also obtained another first-level spell—Mental Suggestion.

These newly learned spells were nothing remarkable, but they were better than nothing, and now was a good time for Qi Xiao to practice.

Once he confirmed that the luminous-feathered bird had no extraordinary qualities—not even a trace of supernatural power—he ended the enchantment and released the bird, then lay back on his carpet to bask in the sun.

He thought that perhaps one day he would capture a luminous-feathered bird that had attained the supernatural for further study, when suddenly the sunlight above was swallowed by dark clouds, heralding an imminent storm.

Qi Xiao frowned. He was on a tight schedule, and though the Azure Veil’s protective shield made him unafraid of rain or lightning, he was always wary of unforeseen dangers.

Soon, with a clap of thunder, the scattered raindrops turned to a steady downpour, the rain intensifying rapidly until it became a curtain that blurred his view.

Qi Xiao quickly sat up, his eyes glowing faintly as he stared ahead. He placed his hands on the controls, channeling magic into the Azure Veil to ensure it had ample power.

In the midst of the downpour, the Azure Veil floated forward at a steady pace, seemingly untouched by the storm, as if isolated from the world. A faint, invisible magical barrier shimmered atop the magic carpet, causing the raindrops to slide away without dampening the luxurious fabric beneath, only enhancing its beauty.

Soon, Qi Xiao ceased channeling magic manually and switched to using a magic crystal as the power source. He needed to keep himself in peak condition, simultaneously extending his mental senses to probe his surroundings.

Perhaps it was Murphy’s Law at work: what he feared most came to pass. A streak of brilliant light shot straight toward the carpet. Fortunately, Qi Xiao had remained vigilant. He pressed the acceleration button on the control panel, triggering a rune to flare, and the Azure Veil shot forward, narrowly evading the attack.

His mental probe, focused to a single point, swiftly revealed the assailant in his mind’s eye: a wizard shrouded in a massive black cloak, possessing the strength of an advanced wizard’s apprentice.

Even so, Qi Xiao felt no fear. Not only had he prepared several alchemical devices for self-defense, but he’d also brought along all his magical scrolls, having taken them out of his wristband and placed them on the Azure Veil before leaving the organization.

The assailant was less than a hundred meters away, rapidly closing in. Qi Xiao tore open a scroll, and two massive vines shot forth—one to bind, the other to lash.

These attacks were far from trivial. The black-robed wizard quickly began chanting a spell to resist the vines.

But Qi Xiao gave him no chance. He tore open five scrolls in succession—vines, earth spikes, withering beams, bramble bindings, and toxic pollen—all launched at the assailant, who, even with the rain weakening the spells, was clearly overwhelmed.

Bound fast by the brambles and seeing Qi Xiao ready another scroll, the black-robed wizard hastily raised his hands high, signaling surrender.

Qi Xiao drew him closer, but remained wary. He tore open two more magic scrolls inscribed with sleeping powder, sending the black-robed wizard into a deep slumber.