Chapter 513: No Replica!
Chapter 513
A few minutes later, Grey and Thalos could be seen outside town and this time, for the first time since he came to the Noxarian faction again, he was without his robe.
His face was openly displayed as he walked around with confidence, Thalos strolling beside him.
"Tell me why your face isn’t covered today," Thalos muttered.
"Everybody knows who the Supreme Magus is after the battle with that arrogant brat the last time I came. But nobody knows who Grey is, and that includes Dame. So think of this as an undercover method. This way, I can get what I want in peace without unnecessary drama." Grey replied calmly with a grin on his face.
Now that they were back in the main town, they casually walked around, window-shopping the stalls they passed, looking for something. Thalos didn’t know what Grey was after, but he followed silently, watching his every step.
After a few minutes of casual wandering, the duo finally came across a stall by the side. Surprisingly, for the first time in thirty minutes, Grey stopped, lingering longer than two minutes in front of this one.
"Can I help you, young lad?" the middle-aged man behind the stall politely asked. Grey turned to face him with a small smile.
Grey didn’t immediately reply. Instead, his hands began browsing through the displayed items. These ranged from masks, pendants, rings, and small weapons like daggers and short swords, to bracelets and a few robes.
"And I ask again, how can I help you?" the man repeated, this time with a frown.
"How much for this mask?" Grey asked, lifting an almost plain-looking mask with a few eerie features. Its red eye slits gave the impression that blood was trickling down like tears.
"One silver coin," the man replied, raising a brow at this strange choice.
Grey continued hovering his hands across the items, releasing faint pulses of mana as he moved carefully from one to the next.
After a few attempts, another mask rattled faintly under his touch. His lips curved into a smile.
’Great! My theory is right. Some mundane items react to mana and carry even a trace of concentration compared to others. That means they’re perfect for crafting magical items.’ Grey thought as he picked up the second mask.
It was plain, white, with no design at all, but he didn’t care.
’The first mask will be for my personal use. Wearing a robe with a hood all the time is risky. What if it gets pulled off mid-battle? Then my identity would be exposed. So this mask will serve as a contingency, a plan B of sorts.’ he mused while weighing both masks in his hand.
His hand drifted toward a pair of crimson gauntlets. As usual, he sent out a pulse of mana, and to his delight, the gauntlets rattled ever so slightly.
Luckily for Grey, the stall attendant remained oblivious to what he was doing, though he was clearly baffled by this lad’s poor taste in items.
Grey picked up the chosen pieces, glanced briefly at a few more, then shook his head. He had found exactly what he needed.
’These will have to be enough for testing, but just in case...’ he thought as he quickly snatched up two daggers that didn’t even go through his mana testing.
Then, sending a pulse through two robes, he was pleasantly surprised when they responded. Without hesitation, he snatched them up as well before finally glancing up at the stall owner with a satisfied smile.
"I’ll be taking these. How much for them?" Grey asked, flashing the sweetest smile he could muster as he presented the collection of items.
Two masks, two robes, two daggers, and a pair of gauntlets.
Ironically, the ones that had responded to his mana touch were the worst-looking of the bunch, with designs so awkward and plain that they seemed like a poor man’s collection of rejects. Anyone with a sense of taste would have avoided them.
"That will be six silver coins," the man replied flatly.
With a long sigh, Grey pulled out the coins from his pocket and handed them over. The man carefully packaged the items before passing them back.
’Sheesh! That leaves me with just four coins from the ten Dame gave me. Damn it! I really hope he comes back soon so I can sell those pills and recover fast. This is draining me already.’ Grey thought, clutching his bag of items before heading off.
Thalos followed at his side, casting one last glance at the stall owner before the two disappeared into the bustling street, their shopping trip now complete.
---
Meanwhile, in an unknown location still within the Noxarian faction, Alba was making her way into a medium-sized warehouse. On the outside, it appeared plain and unremarkable, tucked away as though it were meant to be forgotten. Yet inside, the reality was different.
As she walked through the entrance, she saw several people moving about, busy with their tasks. The moment they noticed her, they immediately bowed respectfully and greeted her, their voices carrying both caution and reverence.
Contrary to its modest exterior, the warehouse stretched wide and tall within, a hidden space designed to conceal secrets. Alba moved through it with calm steps until she reached a particular metallic door. Even before she touched it, she felt waves of heat seeping from beneath the frame.
Knocking twice, she waited. After a few seconds, the door creaked open, revealing a sickly looking man with pale skin and tired eyes.
"Oh, Alba. Hi," Ash greeted faintly, forcing a small smile.
"I came to check on the process. The pills—did you manage to dissect and replicate them yet? I don’t want us relying on Dame or that so-called Supreme Magus for supplies," Alba replied, her voice sharp with urgency.
Ash’s smile faded as he closed the door behind him with a heavy sigh. "Bad news. I managed to dissect the pills and identified several ingredients, but there’s one element I can’t figure out.
It’s like a binding force, something that holds everything together. Without it, the pills are nothing but ordinary trash. And I’ve searched everywhere—there’s no herb or material in the entire Noxarian faction that can replicate this effect."
Alba’s brows furrowed. "So what are you telling me now?"
"I mean to say," Ash admitted, his voice laced with exhaustion, "I’ve been working relentlessly since you gave me those pills, dissecting, testing, failing, trying again. But the truth is, these pills can’t be replicated. Not by me, not by anyone else. The creator alone knows the missing element and how it works."
Alba’s fists clenched tightly, her teeth grinding in frustration. She wanted to lash out but restrained herself, forcing a deep breath before shaking her head.
"Then that leaves us with only one option. No matter what it takes, we have to bring the Supreme Magus to our side. We cannot afford to lose him. We need him."
Her voice was steady, but the fierce determination burning in her eyes told Ash that this was no mere statement. It was a declaration of intent.