NOVPUB
Chapter 135: Leave It to Me
Aldrian felt puzzled by what the figure said. He looked behind him, wondering if the figure was talking to someone else, but all he saw was darkness. The only visible area was the ground they were standing on. He turned back around and was stunned to see a completely different scenery.
Now, he stood in the middle of a green garden, and in the center was a pyramid-shaped platform with a flat top. On the side of the platform was a large symbol that he recognized — the same symbol he had seen in some of his visions and on the golden box he had touched in the treasure vault. Atop the platform floated a sword.
Aldrian walked toward it and stopped just before reaching the sword. This was the exact same sword that the Forgeheart Kingdom had been trying to complete for so long. As he moved closer, he inspected the floating sword. Although it had the same shape and pattern, Aldrian could sense that this one felt more ’genuine.’ He could even feel its power coursing through him, despite this not being his physical body.
After a few moments of admiring the sword’s craftsmanship, he tried to touch it, but as he expected, his hand passed right through. He sighed in frustration, wanting to feel its details more closely. Suddenly, the sword trembled, and before he knew it, he was whisked away to another place — a dark space.
He frowned, feeling disoriented after being transported again so quickly. As he took in his surroundings, he finally realized where he was.
"This is my being’s essence!" Aldrian thought as he gazed at the solitary ’star,’ the only source of light in this dark space. He sensed something different.
"Is it just me, or is that star much closer now?" In the past, whenever Aldrian tried to move toward the ’star,’ time seemed to slow down, and his mind was always drawn back to memories of the past. No matter how far he flew, the star never seemed to get any closer — it felt like he was chasing it endlessly.
But now, the star seemed nearer, and with it, Aldrian felt he was making progress in unraveling the mysteries of his past. He concluded that the figure from earlier and the sword must be strongly connected to one of his true selves from the past like the Heavenly Demon and his wife. He was tempted to fly closer to the star and learn more about his past, but after some thought, he decided against it. The last time he stayed in this mindscape, it had kept him in cultivation for months!
He closed his eyes, a smile forming on his lips, feeling as though he had gained something important. When he opened his eyes again, he was back in the treasure vault, where the golden box containing the sword’s blueprint was. The symbol on the box was now slowly fading away, and after that something new had been embedded in his mind — a fresh knowledge.
"This is how to create the sword," Aldrian realized. He now had the knowledge to craft, and even complete, a peak divine-grade sword. He felt invigorated, but a voice suddenly interrupted him.
"What just happened?" came the voice of King Douwin from behind him. Aldrian turned to see the astonished faces of King Douwin, Queen Alsanda, and Duke Valiard. Xin Haotian, Sylphia, Eleine, and Baek Ji-Min were all watching him curiously as well.
"Why is the symbol disappearing? What did you do?" the king’s voice sharpened with suspicion.
Aldrian, noticing the king’s shift in mood, remained calm as he replied. "Relax, Your Majesty. The symbol is reacting to my presence, and after inspecting it, I believe this symbol holds the key to our current problem." His tone was composed, showing no sign of worry, an attempt to ease the king’s suspicions.
"What are you talking about?" the king asked, still on edge.
"This symbol is a type of complex formation that transfers information if someone is able to decipher it. Fortunately, I was able to crack it during my inspection. The formation vanished once I decoded it," Aldrian lied smoothly. He didn’t want to reveal that he recognized the symbol, as that would complicate things and potentially lead to misunderstandings. What if the king assumed Aldrian had connections with some unknown group? He’d have to explain everything, which would be troublesome. It was easier to make up a lie and avoid unnecessary problems.
"Wait, you’re a formation master too?" King Douwin exclaimed, clearly shocked, while Duke Valiard and Queen Alsanda mirrored his expression of disbelief.
"Yes, I am, and luckily, I have a high level of mastery in formations. Although this one was quite complex, I was able to decipher it in this time. By the way, how long have I been inspecting the symbol?"
The king seemed want to ask more questions, but he still answered. "It’s been 15 minutes... That’s also what I wanted to ask. You deciphered this formation in such a short time? And wait—are you sure the symbol is actually a formation? We’ve examined it countless times and never found anything that suggested it was a formation, so we interpreted it as just a symbol."
Aldrian nodded internally, agreeing with the king’s assessment. "Well, that’s true, it really is just a symbol," he thought, but he continued his lie. 𝖓𝔬𝔳𝔭𝖚𝖇.𝔠𝔬𝖒
"Yes, Your Majesty. The formation itself is incredibly thin, and the symbol is merely the outer pattern of it. It’s so delicate that the formation’s pattern can’t be sensed, and ordinary energy isn’t able to detect it. Fortunately, my special energy is well-suited for this situation," Aldrian explained.
King Douwin remembered the golden energy Aldrian had used earlier. It was an unfamiliar energy, one he had never encountered before, and its properties were unknown to him.
"Perhaps it was true," the king thought. He then heard Aldrian continue.
"With this formation, I’m certain this symbol wasn’t left by Mardred Valiard."
"Why do you thi—ah," King Douwin started to ask, but suddenly realized something important.
"Mardred Valiard wasn’t a formation master," the king said, understanding dawning on him. There was no way Mardred could have created a formation this complex. Sword patterns were one thing, but formations required the manipulation of surrounding energy, forming points, formation eyes and connecting them to establish a complete formation. From what King Douwin knew, Mardred was no expert in formations, and even if he were, it was doubtful he could craft something so intricate that even the royal family’s experts couldn’t detect it.
Aldrian remained silent, letting the king arrive at his own conclusions. In truth, Aldrian had other reasons for claiming that Mardred didn’t leave the symbol. The symbol had a strong karmic connection to him, and it had reacted the moment he touched it. From his experience, anything with such a deep connection to his karma was something that had existed since ancient times.
His gaze shifted to the golden box, and he asked the king, "Your Majesty, was the blueprint always inside this golden box when it was first discovered by your ancestors?"
"I’m not entirely sure, but most likely, yes. This golden box has been here for a long time, serving as the container for the blueprint," the king answered.
"If my elder brother didn’t leave this symbol, then who created it?" Duke Valiard suddenly asked, his brow furrowed.
"I don’t know, but I believe the creator had good intentions." Aldrian replied.
"And why do you think that?" King Douwin asked.
"This formation, besides giving me the knowledge to create the divine sword, also revealed the location of the blueprint. I can sense its presence from here, though it’s quite distant," Aldrian explained. His karmic connection with the bluprint had strengthened after his recent experience, allowing him to pinpoint the blueprint’s general location through the laws of karma, even though the signal was faint and far away.
King Douwin and Duke Valiard were taken aback. In a rush, King Douwin said, "Then what are we waiting for?! Let’s head there immediately! I’ll have the royal knights prepare to follow you. We must be ready for any situation when retrieving the blueprint."
"Wait, Your Majesty," Aldrian interrupted, his tone calm. "I have a better approach for this situation. Deploying the royal knights could be risky. We don’t know the exact location of the blueprint yet—I can only detect the general direction of it. If it’s hidden within the territory of a faction hostile to us, sending a large force could compromise the blueprint safety. And let’s not forget we still don’t know the true cause of Mardred Valiard’s disappearance."
The king paused, thinking carefully about Aldrian’s words, before nodding. "Then what are you suggesting?"
Aldrian smiled. "Leave it to me. I’ll retrieve the blueprint with a small team. Myself, Duke Valiard, and him," he said, gesturing toward Xin Haotian, "will be enough to secure the blueprint."
