NOVEL NEXT Chapter 99: An Old Man
As night fell, Louis had to stand guard for the second half after resting for the first half.
The night was quiet, more so than usual.
As he watched the stars bloom above him and the distant moon, he was pensive about what had happened earlier.
He didn't know why, but he felt the three dungeons wanted to tell him something. He just didn't understand it. He had no clues either, but several things were mentioned in those dungeons that alluded to those keys and that cube, as if they had to meet at some point.
The Ancient Vampire said it would bring about the revival of the Ancient Empire, but since a beast had said it in a dungeon, should he take it so seriously?
They could perfectly well be like in video games; they were set up to say something specific.
Despite knowing this, he remained somewhat uneasy.
He pulled out the keys and looked at them. Then he looked at the bucket, turning it over several times, but in the end, he put it away.
'Maybe I'm just thinking too much.'
He then pulled out the Grimoire he had obtained this time.
'Even that explosion didn't scratch it. As expected of an ancient grimoire.' He thought. Its interior was intact as well.
Looking through the pages, he found teachings on different blood magics. There were seven of them, but some were basic and came with their respective power runes.
'Not only does it teach magic with technical touches, but it can also cast magics and is used as a weapon by mages and sorcerers.' He thought.
That was surprising, for it meant that it was a Grimoire of Two Types. Attacking Type and Passive Type.
What little he knew about these types of grimoires was that they were so hard to come by that they were usually kept in the treasuries of nations or great families, as they were the best way to transmit magics of some sort.
And the high cost makes sense. The seven magics it seeks to teach range from the basic to runes of an extremely high level that could be divided into simpler ones that fulfill different functions.
Basically, this grimoire alone could be used to learn and practice a learning art that would allow one to reach higher levels.
Something even more exciting is that, within the Paths of Magic, this grimoire is specifically created for Sorcerers. One of the most important paths that can be traversed by almost anyone who uses ranged magics to attack.
That is why Armamentalists are said to be the most versatile fighters. They can be Armamentalists but also Sorcerers or Warlocks, although they should not be able to be mages.
But that is already a great advantage, at least in terms of research and productivity in battle.
That's why this grimoire was so important. The problem was its attribute. Blood.
It is not well seen, because it is the life of others. That's why Blood Sorcerers usually live in hiding or reign over whole territories. There is no middle ground in this regard.
If you don't rule and let them see you freely, you will surely die.
Despite that, Louis was wondering if he should try to learn these blood magics.
As he wondered that, his eyes moved quickly to the side, and the book in his hand disappeared. Someone was walking by quite close.
Turning around, he saw an old man walking with a cane. He limped a bit and didn't look that old, but his hair and beard revealed his advanced age.
Louis frowned, but the old man spoke first.
"Haha, I didn't expect a youngster around these parts." His old man's voice sounded very kind; he didn't seem to have any bad intentions.
"Sorry for the sudden intrusion. I saw some fire from afar, and since it was in the direction I was going, I decided to stop by to see who it was." He said, taking a step closer before stopping. "No problem if I go over? I'll just eat and be on my way. That way, I don't have to make any more fire." He smiled kindly.
He had a special aura that reflected tranquility, and that aura really didn't exist. Louis couldn't see it, but he felt it.
This man conveyed peace just by standing there.
A peace usually conveyed by good grandparents.
Louis stepped aside and told him he could sit on the stone before him.
"Haha, thank you very much, young boy." Chuckling, he went and sat down.
As he sat, he stretched a little, and his spine rang. That somehow relaxed him, despite indicating that his bones were not in top shape.
Still, there were problems of age—nothing they could do.
As they sat down, he pulled out a lunchbox that contained some food: rice, some bread, and a little fish, but it was very little.
As he pulled it out and noticed the intense look on Louis' face, he smiled at him.
"Would you like some, young man? I may be an old man in days about to die, but few people beat my cooking."
Louis finally sat down and shook his head. "No, actually, I was worried if that would be enough," he said, pulling out a fish they had left over from dinner.
It had been grilled, and he planned to keep it in inventory just to see how long it took to go bad. He passed it to him.
"Go ahead, I made it. You can eat it all."
The old man's eyes sparkled with curiosity, and a gentle smile formed on his lips.
"Haha, thank you very much, young boy. I'll gladly take it then."
Louis saw that he really took it and took a bite as soon as he grabbed it. "Hun. Undoubtedly, it's very good just the way it smells. You're a good cook, boy, hahaha." After laughing, he grabbed his spoon and ate some rice.
Seeing him so calm, Louis felt confused. "Aren't you afraid that the fish has poison in it?" He asked.
The old man finished biting before looking at him and bursting out laughing.
"Hahahaha, we can't live life in fear, Young Boy. Even though you look scary with that wound on your forehead and look like you're holding a wounded woman hostage behind you, I don't see you as evil. Your eyes, though doubtful and thoughtful, have no bad intentions." He spoke.
"Besides." He added. "I'm an old man, I don't think a young boy like you would want to use those cheap tricks to harm me, hahaha. Maybe with a punch from you, I could go swimming with the fish, hahahaha."