Chapter 110: A Fair Deal

“What did you bring back? Show me!” the wizard Andre commanded.

Grimm quickly bowed, gently placed Mary on the ground nearby, and turned to signal Kabby to bring the cloth bag. Unfortunately, his orders were now useless—Kabby lay sprawled on the floor, unable to rise no matter how hard he tried.

Grimm had no choice but to drag the huge cloth bag himself, struggling to pull it to the center of the hall. Then he dumped its contents in a chaotic heap.

Scattered across the floor were strings of pearls, jade, and agates, dazzling and brilliant magical gems, along with uniquely shaped rose-patterned armor and a magic bow. Among them were the soft, fleshy remnants of a flower spirit’s body and the remaining stalks of its essence—a raw assortment yet to be sorted.

Seeing this scene, the sinister-looking young wizard Andre narrowed his eyes slightly, a playful expression curling on his lips. But as his gaze flicked over the gleaming badge on Grimm’s chest, his smile deepened, and the oppressive atmosphere that had nearly suffocated the room vanished entirely.

“A leader-class magical beast of the wizard rank! I didn’t expect an intermediate apprentice like you to bring back prey of such caliber. No wonder Angus was so eager to bring you into the family!”

“It’s all thanks to Lord Angus’s favor. Honestly, the narrow victory over that terrifying flower spirit was all due to Mary’s desperate fight, and several fallen quasi-wizards also helped a great deal!” Grimm’s face lit up with uncontainable excitement. Without needing Andre’s prompting, he recounted in meticulous detail the entire battle in the corrupted forest.

Uncertain if this wizard had a way to peer into the subterranean truth, Grimm chose caution, offering a completely honest and unvarnished account as if proud to claim association.

Rarely, Andre listened patiently and carefully, nodding with approval from time to time.

To be frank, holding out against a wizard-level magical beast for so long, cleverly luring in several ambushing fallen quasi-wizards, and ending with a bounty so rich—all this showed an astonishing command of the battlefield in such a young apprentice.

“So, after killing a wizard-level monster, this is all you got?” Andre’s gaze lingered on the spellbook at Grimm’s waist. Only when Grimm pulled out an odd, fiery red staff did his expression soften. “Ah, a Flame Lord’s Staff! Not bad. Given your elemental affinity for fire, this staff is truly the most suitable magical artifact for you right now.”

Andre lowered his head in thought before looking up again. “I’m currently conducting magical experiments that require wizard-level arcane materials. I’ll purchase all your spoils. Since you risked your life to obtain them, I won’t take advantage of a mere apprentice. Some of these items are worth more than your monster’s remains. Choose one for yourself.”

With a wave of Andre’s hand, the flower spirit’s remnants mixed among the spoils rose by a mysterious force and vanished into a black rift that suddenly opened before them. From this void emerged three small bubbles, each containing a bizarre magical artifact.

One was a palm-sized slender-necked vial filled with a pale blue, mysterious potion.

Another was a pair of red wings shimmering with a cold metallic luster, glowing with a special phosphorescence.

The third was a token engraved with intricate, enigmatic patterns whose purpose was unclear.

“These three items each exceed the value of your monster’s remains. The first is a novice’s wisdom elixir; with your current mental strength, it can safely boost your spirit by three points. The second is the wing of a wizard-level fiery flamingo—just one simple transplant surgery, and you’ll gain the power to fly through the skies. The third is a pass token; with it, you may visit the Crimson World, a place ideal for enhancing your fire affinity.”

Grimm’s body trembled violently; his eyes widened greedily as the beast within clamored to seize all three treasures.

Clenching his fists with great effort, Grimm forced down the restless urge and, struggling to speak, asked, “Honorable Lord Andre, I... I can only choose one?”

“Of course, only one! Your monster’s value only permits one choice.”

Grimm’s eyes burned red as he studied the artifacts, his mind racing.

The novice wisdom elixir was valuable but only truly useful for apprentices below the quasi-wizard rank. Using it to boost spirit power would be extravagant; its greatest function was intellectual awakening. Not everyone born on the wizard continent was naturally suited for magic study—even the union of two official wizards could produce a child entirely immune to magic. In such cases, this elixir’s power to elevate an ordinary child to the status of a basic wizard apprentice was invaluable.

The flamingo wings offered a compelling magical organ enhancement, notably causing minimal bloodline contamination. With them, Grimm could gain the ability to fly much earlier. These implanted organs were usually marked by a small bloodline imprint invisible externally; only when chanting a simple incantation would the magical wings unfurl from his back. This would be a great advantage for both pursuit and swift escape.

After agonizing hesitation, Grimm finally reached for the third bubble.

Though the first two were rare and precious, with enough magic crystals he could still acquire similar items on the market. But the third, which could enhance his fire affinity, was far harder to find outside.

The bubble burst, and a cold metal token landed in Grimm’s hand.

“Good, very good! The transaction is complete; you may leave now. As for how to use that token, ask Angus,” Andre said, waving his hand. Grimm felt the world spin wildly; when he steadied himself, he found he was back inside his second-floor quarters.

Beside him, Mary slept peacefully; Kabby the goblin was struggling to stand; the open cloth bag spilled glittering gems; phosphorescent rose-patterned armor, the magic bow, and the Flame Lord’s Staff—all were quietly resting on the floor, each radiating a gentle glow.

Heh, it seemed these treasures were still beneath the notice of a second-rank wizard. His earlier worries were for nothing!

Before leaving the wizard tower, Grimm had hypnotized himself to forget all prior conjectures, retaining only some backups in his chip space. Only after breaking free from the second-rank wizard’s control did the data flow back into his mind, restoring the forgotten knowledge.

No choice—when facing a second-rank wizard’s scrutiny, utmost caution was necessary.

Carefully placing Mary on the bed, Grimm packed all the gems into the cloth bag and tossed it to Kabby to handle. He then gathered the magical artifacts and headed straight to Lord Angus’s residence.

Angus’s strange expression upon seeing the mysterious token was indescribable. After hearing Grimm’s embellished tale, though perplexed and frowning deeply, he could find no fault with it.

Under the orders of a second-rank wizard, Angus dared not delay. With a light stomp, the solid bluestone floor beneath their feet shimmered as a vast, mysterious magical array enveloped the entire hall.

“Insert that token into the center of the array!” Angus instructed softly.

Grimm noticed that the elemental energy-formed array had a circular gap in the center, perfectly matching the base of the mysterious token.

Once Grimm fitted the token, Angus slowly activated the array, whispering, “You will be going to the Crimson World, a small space opened inside the volcanic lava beneath the wizard tower. It’s suitable for those with fire affinity to cultivate. Once inside, do not act out of turn—many magical puppets guard the place, and... above all, obey ‘her’ instructions.”

At the mention of “her,” Angus’s tone faltered, his face mixing envy and hatred.

Grimm’s heart tightened involuntarily.

Could there be something unusually strange there?

Before he could ask, the array activated. Grimm once again endured a dizzying, turbulent sensation as all sight warped into a blur—space stretched and compressed like a malleable dough, obliterating all external perception.

Time lost meaning.

According to the chip, only five seconds had passed; yet Grimm felt as if a whole day had dragged by.

When the spatial disorientation finally faded, Grimm staggered out of the array, eyes rolling back, collapsing to the floor, dry heaving violently. Never before had he so loathed such crude spatial teleportation! Unlike a formal wizard with a fully congealed spirit energy, his mental strength was vulnerable; without the array’s protection, he could not resist the assault of spatial forces.

Just as he groaned in private curses, a pair of slender, graceful legs suddenly appeared before him. Then a seductive, playful female voice echoed in his ears.

“Oh? This time it’s a handsome young man? I thought that old geezer Angus finally decided to visit me! Hey there, handsome, what’s your name?”

Grimm looked up in shock!