Badge in Azure Chapter 138

Chapter 138: Badge in Azure (Part 1)
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Even though the flooring of the field in front of the magic tower had been made out of granite, the temperature was not low and there was no trace of chill to it. Lex did not bring out the tent and everyone rested on the floor. Sika had laid down for less than an hour before she sat up and began looking around.
“Sika, what’s up?” Saleen asked.
Sika’s face was red as she pressed her mouth against Saleen’s ears, saying as softly as she could, “My… stomach isn’t feeling well.”
Saleen felt a tinge of embarrassment. Both he and Lex were mages who could reduce their bowel movements as much as possible. Three days was easy for them, and at most, they would experience a decrease in physical strength. Sika, on the other hand, could not. Her natural self-control must have been amazing to have been able to last until now.
However, this had caused some inconvenience. Defecating in front of the magic tower? That seemed disrespectful to the owner of the magic tower, and who knew what it would cause. However, such things could not be controlled and Saleen used a finger to point to the other side of the magic tower, saying, “Go to the other side and stick close to the forest. Do not enter it, or else you will not be able to come out.”
Lex suddenly opened her eyes and said, “Sika, I will follow you.”
Sika nodded in gratitude. If she had known that going up the hill would be so much trouble, she would have stayed at the foot of the hill. Lex had a great amount of army resources with her and taking care of her bowel problems would not be a problem.
The four of them rested for ten hours before Lex and Saleen began to discuss where they would enter the magic tower from.
“From this side.” Saleen pointed at the door in front. It had a large symbol on it that represented the element of water. Saleen was most familiar with Water Magic and his affinity with water elements surpassed even that of grand mages. Entering from here would likely be less dangerous.
“Yes. Sika, Nailisi, do not go too far. Stay within five steps of us.” As Lex finished speaking, she was the first to walk towards the door.
The style of the magic tower was not considered to be too ancient, as the Fourth Dynasty had been within the past few thousands of years. The ruins from the Fourth Dynasty were everywhere in the mainland and there were still magic towers from that era. Lex’s research on magic towers had obviously been much better than Saleen’s, and even though Saleen had a great deal of knowledge in his brain, he hardly had a thorough understanding of them. Most of his knowledge had come through pure memorization.
Lex walked to the front of the door and raised her hand. Just as she was about to touch the magic symbol, the wooden door slid open from two sides. Lex jumped in shock and quickly retracted her hand. She had used her body to shield Saleen and was already prepared to release an Ice Plate Armor spell.
Lex was able to release perception magic too, but there could not have been any living things within this magic tower. It was impossibly difficult for an empty tower to continually maintain revolving magic arrays. It did not matter if there were magic nuclei or special gemstones. They would all be expended sooner or later.
Hence, Lex had dared to test her luck. Especially after navigating through Pan’s Maze, she had become even more certain that the mage within the tower had passed away. Otherwise, had things been under the control of a mage, they would not have made their way through in only three days.
Nothing appeared from within the doors. There were no spells, nor puppets, nor strange magic beasts.
Saleen poked out his head from behind Lex and looked at the interior of the magic tower. He did not see anything either. The space behind the door was empty and had a feeling of emptiness to it.
This was a magic test!
Saleen and Lex did not know whether to laugh or cry. The master of this magic tower had actually been a proud and heartless person in their own mind. They were someone who had dared to build a magic tower ten stories tall to provoke the gods, and yet they had left a test at the entrance of the magic tower for others to solve. If a person could not solve it, he or she would never be able to enter the magic tower. If a person did manage to solve it, he or she would gain the mage’s approval.
They must have been a relatively gentle mage who had been fond of interaction. However, this was on the condition that a person needed to be a true mage and speak the same language as them.
This did not mean that the magic test was safe. There were no emotions when it came to magic, and if one did not solve this puzzle, there was a possibility of dying at the entrance of the tower.
How? Nothing could be seen beyond the door. There were no signs of magic arrays or magic symbols. There was not even any end in sight. They could not see the floor or the ceiling. This was a question that was unsolvable. The only thing that Saleen and Lex could discern was that it was a magic test related to water elements.
“Can we use the god’s ring to solve this?” Saleen walked out from behind Lex. Lex had been shielding him from the front, and he felt ashamed of that. Despite the difference in their grades, he was also a mage, and yet, he had needed another mage to use their body to protect him.
“No. If we use the powers of the god’s ring again, we will never make it back to the Myers Mainland again.” Lex immediately refused Saleen’s preposition. The god’s ring had already used up more than half of its powers in reflecting god’s punishment and needed a year to return to normal. If they used it again, it was likely that it would be destroyed, and if that happened, no one on the Myers Mainland would be able to find the coordinates for this interdimensional space no matter how hard they tried.
“Let me try.” Saleen contemplated for a while before deciding to use the powers of his clan badge. He had considered keeping it a secret. After all, the powers of this badge were a little ridiculous. Even for sorcerers, sticking this onto a person’s body would render them useless. Moreover, this badge could increase his focus, and this was a great temptation for mages. Sorcerers were no exception either.
However, compared to the ten story magic tower, the badge did not seem nearly as impressive. Especially now that Lex had unconsciously protected him, Saleen knew that she was not putting on a guise.
A mage’s reactions were limited and took roughly two milliseconds. Lex had not taken any time to think when she had chosen to use her body to defend him. Saleen was a little ashamed, but was more so touched.
“Is it dangerous?” Viscountess Lex looked at Saleen. This genius of a young mage rarely spoke and was rather low-grade. And yet, after just staying at Bitter Water Prefecture for half a year, she had seen him rise above the rest. Among all those that Faerun had taken the effort to guide, Saleen was the first to have learned the Figaro formula on his own.
Those who were qualified to stay by Faerun’s side were gifted. However, the rest of the mages did not have the determined mindset that Saleen possessed. Such a thing felt similar to the drive she had possessed back when she had been pursuing magic too.
“Learning magic is naturally a dangerous thing.” Saleen laughed as he said, “However, give me some magic liquid. I will use up my focus and will need to replenish it quickly.”
Lex took out a crystal bottle. The palm-sized bottle was filled with green magic liquid. She only had this much left with her and unless she became a Grade 6 mage, she would not be able to create it herself.
Saleen took the bottle and opened the cap, tilting his head back and keeping the liquid in his mouth. Afterwards, he took out his clan badge, and holding it in his hand, he turned and walked through the doors of the magic tower.
Saleen knew that this was a risky move, but he knew even better that if a person wanted something, they would need to give up something of equal value. If he counted on Lex for everything, he would not be able to improve in this interdimensional space. The value of a ten story magic tower was priceless, and seeing that Lex was a Grade 5 mage, she would definitely get a greater share of its rewards.
This was the case everywhere on the mainland. A Grade 3 mage did not have any power during negotiations. Only if he contributed too would he be able to get what he deserved.
Saleen walked through the doors of the magic tower as Lex and the others watched him disappear. Sika covered her mouth, nearly screaming. Nailisi, on the other hand, was calm. Saleen was still alive and was not in danger. If not, she would have been the first to sense it.
Saleen entered a muddy space. The surrounding water elements were so thick that they were nearly about to condense and materialize. There was no ground beneath his feet and no skies above his head. His body was stiff and he could not even blink his eyes.
The only thing he could move was his left hand, the god’s left hand.
After preparing to release a Grade 0 spell, the clan badge within his hand began crazily sapping away at all of the energy. Saleen’s focus was the first to be sucked away, but he realized in shock that the badge had not continued to siphon away the water elements within the space. The water elements had started flowing into his body just like the torrent of elements that Joey had used. They passed through every corner of his body.
The water elements that had entered his body did not stay for long and were soon sucked away by the badge.
The water elements in the space that were keeping Saleen prisoner seemed to be limitless as they passed through Saleen’s body and were sucked into his clan badge. The entire process did not cause the nauseating feeling that Saleen had whenever he used the badge, and it even made him feel at ease.
Lex waited outside the door. Even after more than ten hours, there were no signs from Saleen. She was beginning to grow anxious when Nailisi said, “Saleen is alright. Let’s wait a while longer.”
Lex took a look at Nailisi and for the first time was suspicious of her identity.
The space behind the door had stolen away any senses she had. Could this maidservant have had senses that were even more sensitive than those of a Grade 5 mage at her peak? She had already witnessed Nailisi’s combat powers, and knew that she was a dangerous woman. If she got close enough, even a grand mage’s life would be in danger. How could a woman like her only have been a maidservant?
Saleen was still enjoying the thrill the water elements were bringing him. However, the water elements around him were becoming less dense and the speed at which the badge was siphoning them in was nearly a hundred times faster than usual. At the center of the thick badge inside of the lightning symbol, a blue light grew increasingly clear. At this time, it was like Saleen was creating magic chord medicine again. The shade of blue accumulated and slowly became a pool of liquid.
Finally, the energy absorbed by the badge reached full saturation and Saleen felt the entire space vibrate. The water elements gathering within his body were no longer being sucked into the badge. The fatal part was that the water elements in the space did not stop flowing into Saleen’s body just because the badge had stopped absorbing them. The water elements within his body grew denser, and he felt himself expanding like a ball. The water elements continued to flow in, and he felt as though his body had expanded a countless number of times.
Saleen was not flustered. In the face of death, he was still able to enjoy this wonderful feeling with ease. As a mage, being able to see such an amazing sight before death was a spectacle in itself.