Chapter 117 : The Greatness of the Sage! The Strong!
Chapter 117: The Greatness of the Sage! The Strong!
Leo Laide.
That originally insignificant little fellow from Blackwater City.
‘Perhaps this rapidly growing little fellow… perhaps it’s him.’ Anthony stood stunned for a long while, as if he had grasped a new clue.
If that were the case, then the Codex was very likely now in his hands.
A trace of speculation arose in Anthony’s mind.
On the other side, Laforin looked at the silent Anthony. “Anthony, you seem even more shocked than I was back then.”
Laforin smiled. “But I didn’t expect this kid either… If you calculate it like this, breaking through to the Knight Realm in less than half a year—he’s even faster than Mia was back then.”
Anthony took another sip of tea and set the cup back on the table. “If that’s truly the case, a genius with such talent will definitely be noticed by the Golden Knight Order very soon.”
“Mm, just like Mia back then.” Laforin nodded, a trace of memory in his eyes.
“Yes, I still remember when Mia was just this tall—she often came to my place to snatch butter pastries.” Anthony’s gaze grew deep.
“Haha, that little girl was a little demon back then, causing trouble everywhere, turning the castle upside down. Only you could handle her.”
“I couldn’t handle her either. I just used sweets to coax her into behaving. If I didn’t give her any, she would eat my chess pieces and make me furious, hahaha.” Anthony laughed as well.
“That girl.” Laforin’s expression turned stern again. “She should be back in about ten days.”
“I wonder what she’s like now.” Anthony narrowed his eyes.
“Hmph, what could she be like?”
“I think you can be a bit stubborn sometimes, Laforin. Children have their own paths to walk.
Just like Eve now—some decisions should be left for her to make herself.
If it were me, I wouldn’t interfere. What, just because she joins the Golden Knight Order, she’ll stop recognizing you as her father?” Anthony spoke more than usual.
“I’m old. I can’t control them anymore. Whatever they want to do is up to them.” Whenever Laforin spoke of this, there was always a trace of loneliness.
Anthony suddenly changed the subject. “But Leo and Mia are not quite the same. After all, he’s only been in Blackstone City for a few months. If there’s a chance, I’ll take a look for you—see what kind of child he really is.”
When mentioning Leo, a faint, almost imperceptible dark glint flickered in Anthony’s eyes.
Cough cough cough.
Anthony took a breath, covering his mouth as he coughed lightly a few times.
Laforin noticed that he had stayed a bit too long. “Then have a good rest. You don’t need to worry about matters in the Knight Hall. I think Tita is managing things very well—everything is in order.”
“What, are you嫌弃 your student for being old and in poor health now?” Anthony joked.
“You—your mind is always thinking too much, Anthony.” Laforin patted his shoulder. “Rest well. These butter pastries were specially made for you by Lady Manta. Eat them while they’re warm.”
“Please thank the lady for me.” Anthony opened the pastry box, took one out, and bit into it, revealing a look of enjoyment. “Mm, fragrant.”
“Then I’ll be going.” Laforin looked at his most outstanding student, his eyes full of concern.
“Mm.” Anthony nodded, his eyes curving like crescent moons.
After Laforin left, Anthony took out a handkerchief from his chest and spat the pastry from his mouth into it.
He glanced outside the door, then picked up the half-eaten pastry.
This kind of pastry, baked with butter, wheat flour, and honey, was something he did not like at all.
Food that was both fragrant and sweet made people feel relaxed.
But he did not like the feeling of relaxation.
He held the remaining half of the pastry before his eyes, turning it over repeatedly.
To make such a pastry required someone to constantly watch the heat—it was actually quite time-consuming.
“Respected Lady Manta, it seems you’ve been idle for far too long, to have time to waste on things like this.”
The previous Beast Calamity had already settled. The next step of the plan could proceed at any time.
Lady Manta, a Level 3 Alchemist, was also a very important piece in his plans.
But what worried Anthony was that Mia.
At such a critical juncture, her return to Blackstone City—this girl was still as annoying as ever.
However, it wasn’t all bad news.
His gaze once again fell upon the chessboard not far away.
It was clear that the black side was missing a piece.
The rook that had originally represented Zoro had already been thrown into the chess basket.
But now, a new candidate had appeared.
A candidate that seemed extremely suitable.
“Born in a small place, without any family background.”
“Earns money through his own business, accumulating resources.”
“Extraordinary talent, with rapid growth in strength.”
These were all of Anthony’s impressions of Leo.
For a young man like this, who had to rely entirely on himself for all resources—once he encountered an insurmountable obstacle in cultivation—
When he saw his own limits, he would fall into self-doubt, begin to resent the heavens and blame others, and ultimately walk into the trap of power.
That had been Zoro’s path.
And now, Anthony had discovered a piece even better than Zoro.
“A perfect piece.”
Anthony pinched the half piece of pastry between his index and middle fingers, extending his hand and placing it onto the chessboard.
He once again took out the book from the hidden compartment behind him and slowly began flipping through it.
Though called a book, it was actually a notebook—a notebook from a Sage.
Sage Kaja was a person with no physical strength whatsoever.
Yet he was able to control the vast Punk Family and become its true ruler.
Ultimately, through the operation of family resources, he found the entrance to the lost world.
And became a great wielder of magic.
“Compared to knights who only know how to fight and kill like brutes, mastering mysterious power—that is true greatness, the greatness belonging to sages.”
……
Meanwhile, in the dungeon on the other side.
A short figure wearing a ghost-faced mask suddenly appeared inside the dungeon.
Ever since Leo accepted the hunting mission,
Lady Manta had directly arranged for her student Green to temporarily take over duties in the dungeon for a few days.
During this period, there wasn’t much work in the dungeon, but Green still found it exhausting.
At this moment, Green covered his nose, holding a rake as he cleaned a recently vacated cell.
“So stinky…”
It had been a while since he had done such heavy labor.
He hadn’t expected to fall back into doing this kind of dirty and tiring work again.
“I can only blame myself for not being capable enough.” Green stuffed two balls of cotton into his nostrils, then used the rake to gather all the excrement together.
The moment he returned here, Green recalled his poor performance the last time he assisted Lady Manta in Alchemy.
But there was nothing he could do—Lady Manta was his teacher.
Whatever she said, he would obediently listen and carry it out.
At least this much, he understood clearly.
Crack crack crack crack.
Green twisted his waist, producing a series of joint popping sounds.
He had originally been stretching, but as he looked at the Gnoll in the opposite cell,
he suddenly felt that something was off.
In his memory, these creatures were always extremely noisy.
So why did all the Beastkin feel so quiet today?
For example, the Gnoll in the opposite cell was crouching in the corner, completely motionless, like a guard dog—looking strangely well-behaved.
As he was thinking, he suddenly felt a chill at the back of his neck.
Immediately after, a wave of drowsiness struck him. His legs went weak, and he slowly slumped to the ground.
A towering figure appeared behind Green.
“My lord, we are on official duty. Why have we come here?”
“To take a look around. Didn’t you smell an unpleasant odor?” A small figure stood in the distance, leaning against the cell bars.
“You mean the smell of the Beastkin?”
“No, not that.” The short figure shook their head. “A disgusting smell.”
She turned around, her gaze landing directly on the Gnoll in the opposite cell.
The Gnoll, as if it had seen a ghost, didn’t even dare to breathe. It silently turned around and stood facing the wall obediently.
What it had just seen were two people—one tall, one short.
The tall one was likely over three meters in height, taller even than itself.
Dressed in a black robe, wearing a ghost-faced mask—just from the physique alone, one could sense his immense strength.
As for the short one—
Though she appeared to be less than half his height, only about 1.6 meters tall, thin and small—
Yet in front of her, it didn’t even dare to breathe.