Chapter 280: A Temporary Resolution
“Thank you very much, you’ve been a great help. But why did the Spirit go out of control…?” The bespectacled man conveyed both gratitude and confusion.
“It seems that Lord Leonard was the first to lose consciousness, so the outburst is likely due to his Spirit…” I glanced at Dinoss for confirmation.
“During our journey, it appeared calm, always staying close to its master. But at the crucial moment, it was focused on the Earth-Burrowing Serpent. I only noticed the outburst when all the surrounding Spirits began to act strangely,” Dinoss replied. The zabuton had merely been absorbing magic power quietly.
The bespectacled man was aware that his Spirit had behaved oddly. He probably wanted to shift the blame onto the robe. Dinoss’s words, being Gold Rank, carried weight.
Since Dinoss only stated the facts, it seemed the bespectacled man was left without a solid argument.
This bespectacled fellow was the type to pretend he couldn’t see Spirits, or rather, he simply didn’t mention it.
In the end, aside from the robe who had already been unconscious, the only one who collapsed was this bespectacled man, who had absorbed magic power from “Visible to Non-Participants.”
Noticing that he was being munched on by the White Snake, it seemed he mistook it for a Ball of Light. Contracted Spirits often reveal themselves, yet…
As I looked at the White Snake, it was perched happily on the bespectacled man’s shoulder.
It wasn’t that the White Snake wasn’t fond of him; rather, it seemed to understand that being less visible allowed it more freedom of movement. The White Snake was clearly the cleverer one here. It seemed to have grown a bit larger after its feast.
The zabuton should have already exited the labyrinth and returned to the Temple in the Fortress City. It didn’t seem like it intended to possess anyone there, but it appeared to have a long-standing Spirit companion and had gone to greet it.
“I heard that Retze also lost consciousness while nearby, so I thought that might be the case…” The bespectacled man smiled awkwardly.
I could let him think that. It was a good thing he hadn’t noticed the vines outside.
The robe had been lightly brushed off by Dinoss and returned to the other party members who were fawning over him, aside from the Guardian who was doting on him.
Perhaps realizing that the zabuton wasn’t attached to the robe, the bespectacled man seemed to keep a bit of distance. Though, he might have done that from the start. Even without the zabuton, he was still the son of an important figure, so his tone remained polite.
It seemed that even before the zabuton was bound by contract, treatments for bodily injuries had been conducted at the Temple, which was a relief. However, it was said that rituals using the Magic Circle required people, catalysts, and time. It would likely cost double to heal!
Since the robe also seemed to possess a lot of magic power, he would probably end up working at the Temple. Unless he could borrow power from other Spirits, I doubted he could do anything without a Magic Circle. And I couldn’t imagine the robe being able to draw one himself, considering he had relied on the zabuton.
When I asked the bespectacled man—though it was actually Retze who asked—he mentioned that when healing injuries, if the caster is careless, they often end up losing the same part they are trying to heal. Thus, they use a Magic Circle like the one the bespectacled man keeps in his pocket.
The bespectacled man could use magic without a Magic Circle, but for slightly advanced spells or those that require a price other than magic power from the Spirit, he would use a Magic Circle.
I decided to show him a similar Magic Circle I had tucked away.
The Earth-Burrowing Serpent had its heart removed first, and Dinoss and the others received its horn, venomous fangs, and skin, while the rest was to be divided among everyone else. The bones and eyelids were said to sell for a high price.
By the way, the serpent’s eyelids had a transparent pattern. It turned out they were always in a state of being closed. The White Snake attached to the bespectacled man had eyelids and could blink, though.
The meat also seemed to have increased in value since the heart was removed first. Something about the blood remaining in the body…
Currently, the characteristics and dissection data of the demon beasts in this labyrinth extend up to the sixty-first layer and are available for purchase. There are viewing restrictions based on rank, and when Retze rose to Silver Rank, he was able to access not only the data from here but also the guild’s archived materials. He was too diligent.
Incidentally, the data on demon beasts from the fifty-seventh layer onward was mostly researched from what Dinoss’s party had brought back in the past. However, he himself didn’t know the optimal dissection methods derived from that research. Too vague.
It was decided that everyone would retreat for now, and we were to head back first. The others had to clean up here. The robe’s party seemed eager to get outside as well, but they were reluctant to climb the cliff and were waiting for the iron cage to be repaired.
Since there was talk of rewards, it seemed we would be staying in the Fortress City for about a week. But I planned to sneak away!
I wanted to defeat the demon beasts in the labyrinth. Since we had come all this way, I wanted a refreshing and exhilarating demon hunt. But then again, I needed to check on the island and was worried about the fields.
It was a dilemma.