Chapter 106: Talent and Luck

Crack!

The exquisite wine glass fell to the ground, shards scattering like flower petals.

The alcoholic Old Wizard Apprentice strolled out from the shadows behind a pillar.

"Oh, sorry. Once a person gets old, their hands sometimes seem to belong to someone else, becoming harder and harder to use; seeing something startling makes them prone to trembling." The old drunkard said with a laugh.

Both people's gazes were drawn to him.

That elder of the Fendis Family seemed to recognize the old drunkard; seeing him suddenly intervene, he showed no displeasure, only a slight surprise in his expression.

"Put it away! After several hundred years, the Fendis Family probably doesn't have many of these Seal Stones left." The old drunkard said with a chuckle. "As far as I know, trouble for Fanxing City will arrive soon; there will be times when you are overwhelmed. Good things must be kept in reserve."

"I know what you're worried about. I can discern whether he has been possessed by a Faceless One. You should still be able to trust this old fellow who came back to wait for death." The old drunkard said.

"Of course, your arrival has already brought glory to the Fendis Family."

The Fendis Family elder holding the Light Stone was actually very respectful to this alcoholic Old Wizard Apprentice. Even so, the hand gripping the Light Stone did not relax for a moment, nor did he put the Light Stone away.

The old drunkard seemed not to notice these trivial details; he swayed over to Luge.

Luge, having fully regained his senses, grinned at him. That smile, dripping with blood plasma and minced flesh, made the old man frown deeply.

"Looks like you have quite some status in Fanxing City, and the person who recognizes you should be an older generation power-holder from a major family, not some stupid goods from the younger generation." Luge smiled and raised his foot, kicking Edgar's head flying. The Dragonborn Kobold's strength plus the two Spells Bull Strength and Demon Body's enhancement caused that head to slam into the wall with a *pa*, turning into over a dozen pieces of meat debris that flew splashing out.

"It amounts to nothing. I'm just a failure, an old fellow who fled back to his hometown to wait for death."

The old drunkard said with a smile, then looked around at the chaotic mess in the surroundings.

The old man leaned in close: "I know you weren't influenced by those Faceless Ones. This shows your Spiritual Power is very stable. This makes me even more convinced you can learn that Spell."

Luge smiled watching him, knowing this wasn't the main point.

"These Extraordinaries look utterly Inconspicuous. Perhaps in your eyes they're no different from Ordinary people." The old drunkard surveyed the battle remnants around, speaking slowly. "But in a Ground Cave Domain like this, Extraordinaries of this level — a large Mercenary Group wouldn't have many. Fellows of this level are already the foundation for some Nobles to establish a foothold in a region. Of course the Fendis Family has other, stronger Extraordinaries, but these who died here today are enough to make them pay a Miserable price."

Hearing this, Luge looked around. About thirty to forty people had died by his hand today; the exact Quantity had already blurred into a mess. Actually, if he hadn't gone berserk, even fewer would have died.

"Who are those two fellows?" Luge glanced at the distant elder, then asked the old drunkard beside him.

"Atoners' Bishop-level monsters. They can no longer be called human. Generally, a Ground Cave Domain only has one Bishop. Two appearing simultaneously is very rare." The old drunkard said.

Luge already understood the Old Wizard Apprentice's meaning very well.

But he still couldn't help constantly casting his gaze toward that stone in the Fendis Family elder's hand.

"Don't you get any crooked ideas, brat. These stones were bestowed to stabilize the Ground City situation at the founding of the city, to let the newborn Ground City breathe and develop. At the very beginning, every family's Bloodline was verified. Stealing them is useless for anyone else."

The old drunkard's tone carried much helplessness.

The distant Fendis Family elder was startled.

"Haha, I'm just a little Curious." Luge said with a laugh.

The Spells buffing him were also nearing their Invalid time, so he simply dispelled them all early, and took out a robe to change into.

Seeing the Spells on Luge disappear, gradually returning to a normal Appearance, that withered Fendis Family elder also truly let out a breath of relief.

Action is a statement of stance.

Luge also understood what the old drunkard's words implied. The Fendis Family still had stronger Extraordinaries, and means like the Light Stone, but they couldn't afford to lose them lightly. Not wanting to pay a greater price, cutting losses in time was the Wise choice.

But Luge felt they were still somewhat baffled by his origins. Even the mastermind behind the scenes might think he had received false information.

Luge decided to tease this fellow a bit more.

He shook out his robe and strode outward. Passing the Fendis Family elder, he reached out and patted the other's shoulder.

"When I reach the Wizard Domain, I'll find that person from the Fendis Family and have a chat. Tell him the Fendis Family is developing very well." He said with a smile.

Having said that, he walked out.

The old drunkard looked at this messy, blood-stinking, foul-smelling Hall, and followed Luge's departing figure.

With the Dragonborn Kobold's powerful Recovery ability, by the time he walked back to the Beast Cart, the wounds on his body had basically all healed.

He stood silently in place, looking at the surrounding streets as night deepened, then raised his head to look at the preliminary star reflections manifesting on the Dome.

"Young person, give me a ride." The old drunkard said, climbing onto the Beast Cart first.

Luge also lifted his foot and boarded.

The Beast Cart slowly started moving, heading toward Young Master Lorigo's Manor.

After Luge entered the carriage, he leaned against a corner of the Beast Cart, relaxing himself into a puddle.

"Is life very hard for Ordinary Extraordinaries?" He said.

In the previous farce, before he lost his reason, he had heard those words of encouragement Edgar spoke to the Extraordinaries. From them he could Infer that some Extraordinaries were not their Family's people, and also Infer that some Extraordinaries were not living very well.

"Hehe, at least stronger than Ordinary people." The alcoholic Old Wizard Apprentice leaned against the other side of the carriage, took out a cup of wine and began savoring it.

Judging by the Appearance of the liquid in the cup, it was still stock from the previous wine party.

"Some people, relying on three generations of grandparents and grandchildren, can only scrape together one Fighter Potion. A junior Fighter, though only the bottom layer of Extraordinaries, is still much more comfortable than a general Mercenary. As long as they don't die too quickly, it's enough to change a family's Fate." The old man downed the wine in the cup in one gulp.

"If it's a Spellcaster like a Gem Summoner, that's even better. I was once a Gem Summoner. Back then I was so happy I couldn't sleep for days..."

The old man tilted his head to gaze at the Beast Cart's roof, seeming to fall into some Memory.

Luge watched him, really wanting to say that in his Hometown, people who constantly fall into memories like this have truly reached the End of their lives.

"You should be a Fifth-Rank Wizard Apprentice, right? Your Talent shouldn't be too bad." Luge said.

The implication of his words: how did you end up becoming a Gem Summoner.

"Who's bad? I'm certainly not bad! I'm a genius. If we're talking bad, it's just that Luck was a little worse." The old man took out another cup, lightly sipping a small mouthful. "In my best years, I inexplicably contracted a serious illness. It took over a year to recover. That illness made me miss the once-in-ten-years Talent Test. After recuperating for another year, the teenage me went off to be a Mercenary, traveling between major Ground Cities. Later I became a Gem Summoner, and things improved a bit."

"By the next Talent Test, I was already an adult in my twenties. Delayed ten years, but I was still the most Excellent. I chased the wasted ten years with my own effort and Talent. The still-young me was the pride of this Fanxing City. The only one among those who walked out of this city to become an Official Wizard. Everyone in the city knew my name. But pity, every time it was just a little short. Always just a little short. Just a little bit away from becoming an Official Wizard."

The old drunkard pursed his lips, carefully savoring the wine in his hand.

"I tried three kinds of Advancement Rituals that assist in becoming an Official Wizard, but all Failed. If I hadn't gotten sick and missed the Test. If I hadn't wasted those ten years. If I had been ruthless the first time and used the Life-force Conversion Ritual that consumes Life Force. If I could have Progressed just a little faster. Perhaps everything would have been completely different."

(Chapter End)