NABC Chapter 44 Esmond's Compensation
Chapter 44 Esmond's Compensation
"Whether they succeed or not, you, as wizards of the Tower of Dawn, as budding wizards, will inevitably be affected when disaster strikes, and may even perish."
"Helping me is also a way of saving yourself."
Leo pondered for a moment, then asked, "Lord Wizard Ess, this concerns our Tower of Dawn. Why do you know so much about it?"
Upon hearing this, Esmond gave a wry smile.
He said, "I can't explain this. My identity is sealed, and even if I wanted to explain, I couldn't answer what my perspective was on how I learned about these inside stories of the Tower of Dawn."
Leo thought for a moment and said, "Wizard Ace, perhaps you could tell me about these wizards hiding in the Tower of Dawn, and I'll find the wizards at our gathering and reveal their identities. Wouldn't that be much easier?"
Esmond shook his head and said, "As I just said, information about them has also been sealed away. Unless they are both formal wizards, I cannot even tell anyone their names."
"If you don't believe me, I can try to tell you the names of the five official wizards who have trapped me here."
Esmond opened his mouth and said the names of five people.
"Uriel, (), (), (), ()"
After speaking, Esmond looked at Leo, and seeing Leo's confused expression, he gave a helpless wry smile.
Leo frowned as well. When Esmond spoke, he had once again fallen into that state where he clearly heard it but couldn't form a memory of it.
Leo asked, "Hughes, did you hear their names?"
Hughes shook his head.
Seeing this, Esmond said, "As you can see, it's not that I'm intentionally hiding anything, but I truly cannot explain everything to you right now."
"Not only sound, but the words I write are also affected by the effects of magic."
"To break this influence and get concrete information from me, one would need to be a certified wizard."
Leo fell silent.
Esmond's words were fairly coherent.
However, Esmond's sabotage of the ship, forcing them to trade with him to leave the island, instilled in Leo a deep-seated distrust of Esmond.
Esmond's actions were less of a transaction and more of creating an opportunity for Leo and his companion to make a deal.
Leo ran the seven-colored dragon scales across his fingertips.
The seven-colored dragon scales did not react at all.
In other words, regardless of whether he lied or not, at least he meant me no harm.
"So, do you two agree to my deal?"
Esmond was unaware of the hostility the seven-colored dragon scales were sensing towards him. He looked at Leo and the other two, a hint of anticipation flashing in his eyes.
Leo said, "Alright, Wizard Ace, we accept your deal."
Leo made this choice out of necessity.
If there were other options, Leo really wouldn't want to make a deal.
After all, the other party is a formal wizard.
However, they really have no other way to go back now.
They didn't say how to leave this vast ocean.
Just the fact that there are official wizards watching the island from time to time means they can't stay here for long.
Making a deal with Esmond is undoubtedly the safest course of action for the time being.
Seeing that Leo and the others were willing to make a deal with him, Esmond breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Leo, Hughes, I don't deny that this mission itself carries certain risks."
"For wizards, equivalent exchange is an important principle."
"Besides one hundred magic stones, you may make other requests of me."
After Esmond finished speaking, Leo and Hughes exchanged a glance.
Then Hughes said, "Master Wizard Ess, I would like a potion that will help me become a wizard."
Upon hearing this, Esmond did not make any move.
There was a bottle of medicine on the table.
Esmond said, "This is a sedative potion. It can stabilize your mental energy, bringing it closer to a more stable state. The more stable your mental energy, the faster the improvement brought by meditation will be. Moreover, the side effects are minimal. Taking just one bottle is enough to ensure you become a wizard, and it won't negatively affect your mental talent or physical health."
"Thank you for your gift." Hughes immediately hugged the bottle of calming potion.
Leo stared at the bottle of mind-nourishing potion, and images of mind-nourishing potions appeared in his mind.
This is one of the potions in the potion encyclopedia I got from the Woodpecker's Hut.
Its price is definitely more expensive than the Dawn Magic Potion that Leo took.
"And what about you, Leo?"
Esmond then looked at Leo.
Various thoughts flashed through Leo's mind.
Spells, potions, encyclopedia, questions...
Leo felt that everything was scarce to him.
However, in the end, Leo's thoughts lingered on the Stone Sea Dragon scales he had previously acquired.
As for the scales of the Seven-Colored Dragon, they are far rarer than those of the Stone Sea Dragon.
If Esmond becomes interested in this, Leo will have no chance of keeping the Rainbow Dragon's scales.
Leo asked, "Master Wizard Ess, do you possess any knowledge of magical mechanisms?"
Upon hearing this, Esmond smiled and said, "Magical engineering is one of my strengths. Would you like me to forge a magical artifact for you, or would you like me to answer your questions about magical engineering?"
Leo said, "I hope you can help me create a magical artifact."
Leo took out the Stone Sea Dragon scales and placed them on the table.
Esmond took it out and said, "This is a stone sea dragon scale. You can find these kinds of scales among the scales of stone fish from time to time."
Esmond immediately recognized the origin of the material.
Whether it's Nova or the formal wizard before us.
These excellent wizards all possess a wealth of knowledge.
Leo said, "Master Wizard Es, I hope you can use this stone sea dragon scale to help me forge a defensive clothing-style magical artifact."
Upon hearing this, Esmond replied, "The type you're describing isn't included in the category of magical artifacts. What you're referring to belongs to the field of tailoring, which we collectively call magical items."
Leo was taken aback and said, "So, you mean, Wizard Ace, you can't forge it?"
Esmond smiled and said, "I was just correcting you. If this is the compensation you're offering, then I can make it for you."
"Please wait a moment."
Esmond removed the stone sea dragon scales, and then he unleashed his magical hand.
The magical hand gathered into threads.
A piece of cloth appeared in Esmond's hand without his knowledge.
Immediately afterward, in the blink of an eye for Leo and Hughes, a long robe appeared on the mushroom table.
Esmond said, "It's done."
"This is Shi Hailong's robe."
"By infusing spiritual energy into it, one can acquire a hard defensive layer without altering its form."
Esmond pondered for a moment and said, "The defensive capabilities of this layer are related to your magical pressure. The higher your magical pressure, the stronger its defensive capabilities will be."
Finally, Esmond emphasized, "Also, this is a wizarding item of perfect quality."
Leo didn't notice Esmond's final emphasis. He picked up the robe and found that its style, color scheme, and everything else were exactly the same as before. He said, "Thank you, Wizard Esmond."
After tailoring compensation to each of them, Esmond handed each of them a letter.