NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1180: Immortal Flames
As Anna continued to train her control over the Immortal Flames, the spirit of the secret plane, who was getting bored out of his mind, suddenly descended from the skies.
When the massive tiger witnessed Nielk's arrival, he couldn't help but roll his eyes in exasperation. He knew the spirit's personality all too well, and also knew exactly what he was about to do. After all, the two had spent many years living together inside this secret plane.
The eccentric Joker rested lazily on a small piece of cloud and sipped on some kind of exotic, fruity drink. He then made the cloud hover beside the massive tiger. The Joker's eyes narrowed as he gazed at his friend's bestial visage.
"Oi, Vulcan! What was that look just now?" He asked. "Don't tell me… you don't like my company anymore? It breaks my heart! After all the times we spent together?"
The great guardian of the Soaring Rivers Secret Plane, the flaming tiger, Vulcan, cast a side glance at the Joker and scoffed, "Nielk, what are you planning now? I would appreciate it if you do not disturb the girl's training."
The Joker's eyes gradually widened. "My, oh my, would you look at that…"
Slowly, his lips curled into a wide, unnatural grin. "My dear Vulcan, don't tell me you've taken an interest in her?"
Vulcan murmured, resting his head on the ground, "And so what if I have?"
He suddenly raised his head and glared at the flamboyant spirit. "You cannot kill her! I don't care about the rest, but she's out of bounds!"
Now, the Joker was truly surprised. He had always known Vulcan to be a recluse—just like the other three great guardians. They rarely took an interest in the matters of the secret plane, much less a little human who happened to stumble inside.
But for the great flaming tiger to suddenly be interested in a puny human was quite a fascinating development for the Joker.
"Tell me, Vulcan," said the Joker as he controlled the cloud to hover above the tiger.
The next moment, the cloud disappeared, and he gently landed on the tiger's back. He cralwed towards the beast's head and sat down cross-legged. Resting his chin on his hands, he asked with a curious smile:
"Are you planning to take her as a disciple?"
Vulcan remained silent for a few moments, his gaze fixated on Anna, who was diligently training at the base of the mountain. At last, he said:
"…Well, I wouldn't mind sharing my knowledge of fire magic with her."
"Hmm." The Joker went into deep thought, his gaze drifting towards Anna's figure, and then at the flames she wielded. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed and he murmured, "I see…"
He lowered his gaze and knocked a few times on Vulcan's furry head. "You're interested in those flames, eh?"
Vulcan nodded his head ever so slightly, his golden eyes settling on the flames burning in Anna's hands. Then, he said in a low voice:
"I'm not entirely sure, but… there's something about those flames. They pull me in. I have never seen a fire so pure in my life. And stranger still… those flames don't just burn. They can also heal."
"Flames that heal, eh?" The Joker stroked his chin. "Well, isn't that interesting…"
The next moment, he seemingly lost all interest in the Immortal Flames. He levitated in the air and said in a bored manner, "Well, whatever. I'm going to go tease her a little."
With that said, he flew towards Anna.
Meanwhile, Vulcan raised his head, his golden eyes flashing with slight frustration. But in the end, he simply said, "Don't go overboard."
The Joker's lips curled into a wide grin. "We'll see about that."
***
Anna collapsed to the ground, her mana reserves completely depleted. She conjured a water flask from her storage artifact and greedily drank from it. Suddenly, her eyes narrowed as she felt a presence appear beside her.
She turned to the side, and there he was… the eccentric spirit of the secret plane, watching her with a mischievous smile.
"Sir Joker," she greeted with a respectful nod.
"Oh, Anna dearest." The Joker floated in the air around her, his mood cheerful. "I couldn't help but wonder why you're training so hard. Don't tell me… could it be…"
He arrived before the princess, staring at her with a devious smile. "That you're preparing for the planetary alignment?"
Anna frowned. "Planetary alignment?"
"Fafafa!" The Joker burst into laughter.
"You aren't aware of the planetary alignment? Oh, you know, when all the planets in our stellar system line up perfectly, the ancient path to the worlds beyond our own opens. The mana from every planet converges, fueling the teleportation gate on the moon, and so on..."
He had fully expected Anna to be shocked out of her mind. But when he couldn't elicit the expected reaction from her, he couldn't help but frown. The Joker turned to Anna and saw that she had a pondering expression on her face.
"…This is the part where your jaw drops and your eyes widen," he said.
"Ah, I see." Anna nodded with a flat expression. "So that is how we leave this planet and journey to the Greater Universe. Gathering mana from all the other planets to fuel the teleportation gate… hmm, very ingenious."
In that moment, all the color from the Joker's face drained away. He now looked like a pale ghost with hollow eyes and sunken cheeks. He had hoped that the princess would be stunned by the existence of other worlds, but it turned out to be quite the opposite.
"You… know about the existence of the Greater Universe?" The Joker asked, slightly startled.
"Yes." Anna nodded. "Adam mentioned it to me in passing."
"Is passing?!" The Joker was dumbfounded. "Is this the type of knowledge that one simply mentions in passing?! Oh, goblin's turd! That lad… I told him this knowledge is confidential and not to divulge it carelessly."
"But you just divulged it to me," said the princess with a slight tilt of her head. "And very carelessly, I might add."
"Grrr." The Joker glared at her.
Suddenly, he thought of something and couldn't help but reveal a crooked smile.
"By the way, Anna dearest," he said in a gentle, almost affectionate tone.
"Did you know… from Mana Foundation to Mana Vortex Rank, you're still considered merely an Apprentice in the Greater Universe? What you call Ranks 1, 2, and 3 in Tron are nothing more than Rank 0 out there!"