Chapter 74 - What’s Glowing (1/2)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
To be honest, Gawain had neither guessed this start nor had he expected this ending. He never thought that he would actually build a connection with a ball, and even more surprising was that the ball would be so in need of a beating…
If it wasn’t because there were people watching and he had to maintain his dignified ancestor image, he would probably have immediately split this unlucky ball into two halves with a champion slash. Though the Sword of Pioneers wasn’t with him, it did not stop such a thought from emerging…
Making great efforts to calm his mind, Gawain resisted the urge to curse and adjusted the ball before him from a ‘frightened young child who needed help’ to a ‘naughty child in need of a beating who deserved to be locked in a laboratory and studied’. He controlled his impatience and said, “What good do I get from lying to you? The laboratory used to lock you up back then has been abandoned for a thousand years. It’s been a thousand years, do you know?”
The ball kept silent for a while, seeming to be in thought. Following that, it replied especially firmly. “Don’t try to fool me into leaving my shell!”
“I’m speaking the truth! If you don’t believe me you…”
“Don’t try to fool me into leaving my shell!”
All the veins in Gawain’s forehead were bulging. “It’s your business if you love to stay in this shell! First, release my men before anything else!”
In the connection of consciousness, the ball sounded a curious voice, “Your men? What men?”
Gawain was stupefied by this curious attitude of the other party that didn’t seem to be faked. “You attracted three of my soldiers to your body. Are you still trying to deny it?!”
The ball stayed quiet for an even longer period; then, it was ‘sounded’ utterly shocked, “So there were also people coupled with these steel-plate pieces?!”
“…”
“It must be because my perception has been affected!” This unlucky ball had simply admitted its mistake. As its words fell, he heard a clatter, the three soldiers had been instantly released and fell from the surface of the ball.
They wore looks of apprehension and terror. The first thing they did after landing was to frantically dash to a spot further away from the ball and dump their armors, weapons, and all sorts of metal belongings on the ground.
Gawain still believed that perhaps this strange ball could be communicated with. Hence, he asked, “Why did you attract all these armors and weapons?”
The ball’s response was in a bold and justified tone. “Can’t I get something to defend myself? Heavens know what other vile tricks you mad barbarians have!”
“I have said, the research facility from those days is long gone. How would I know how those people who captured you had—”
“Don’t try to fool me into leaving my shell!”
“…”
For the first time in his life, he had lost so terribly when debating with another. And what made this former know-it-all especially dispirited was — he’d actually lost to a ball!
If this ball was really a dragon’s egg, he would have lost to a zygote…
Subsequently, regardless of whatever he said, this rock ball suspected to be a dragon egg refused to respond directly. Even when it was driven into a corner, it would only respond with “don’t try to fool me into leaving my shell”. This even had Gawain suspecting whether the essence of this ball was a damn repeater.
And no matter what its essence was, the interaction could not be continued.
Gawain removed his hand from the surface of the ball with a somber yet odd expression. At the same time, he ended the magic sensing. Lifting his head, he saw Amber and Pittman staring at him with curious gazes.
Amber had just stood by and watched as the three soldiers gained their freedom a while after Gawain started interacting with the ball. Following that, Gawain entered a state of having his mind elsewhere as his face alternated between a fuming purple and a pale white. This had this half-elf girl thinking that this old dumpling1 was about to pass away again due to excessively utilizing magical power and losing control. She had been in dilemma in the past few minutes, deliberating for a long time whether to run out immediately and announce the division of belongings and disband or to strip everything valuable on Gawain and run away… In the end, before her inner struggle ended, Gawain had ‘revived’.
And he looked furious.