socalfunplaces Page 225
Page 225
Then she waved her hand gently, and the various scenes on the map began to change. The streams that had gathered into lakes flowed back to their source, the flattened hills stood up again, the vanished dwarven fortresses grew once more like messy city walls on the ridges everywhere, and the forests slowly rose, once again filled with elves.
Only after all the floating islands returned to the starry sky did Orianna lower her hand, staring blankly at the completely different Atlantis.
Latis understood; Orianna seemed to have created some kind of magical artifact that recorded the changes on the continent of Atlantis over the past few decades or centuries.
He scratched his head, somewhat puzzled as to what this "centenarian" was thinking, so he coughed lightly and tentatively asked:
"Lady Oriana?"
Orianna snapped out of her daze, turned to look at Latis, and gently leaned back on the table where the crystal ball was placed.
She didn't know how old she was this year; time had left its mark on her face, and her deep red hair was interspersed with some silver-white strands, but overall she still looked young.
"Titania, Titania."
Orianna repeated the name several times, sighed, and seemed somewhat melancholy.
Latis thought for a moment, and was about to ask if there was any connection between his ancestors and her, when he heard Orianna suddenly change her tone, muttering through gritted teeth:
"...Could it be that the elf, and Freyco... have already fallen victim to this brat's evil deeds?!"
Latis suddenly sensed something was terribly wrong, and he quickly stretched out his hand and shouted:
"Wait, sir! I think there must be some misunderstanding between us..."
Before she could finish speaking, Orianna looked up, glared at him resentfully as if sulking, threw the "Knowledge Handbook" at him, and coldly cursed:
"get out!"
"I'm innocent! I haven't done anything..."
Latis's vision went black for a moment, and he felt the surrounding scenery change instantly. In the blink of an eye, he was already in the hall of the Mage Association.
He exchanged a glance with the stunned receptionist, suppressed his despair, sighed, tucked the "Knowledge Handbook" under his arm, and turned to leave with a melancholy look in his eyes.
"What, what's going on?"
The receptionist instinctively took two steps forward, watching Latis's figure disappear behind the spire wall before snapping out of her daze. She exchanged a glance with the mage at the front desk, both looking bewildered, and returned to their seats.
"...Do you think it might be because of the close relationship between Mr. Latis and his mentor..."
Hearing the receptionist's uncertain whispers, the monk at the front desk put down the application form in his hand, leaned closer, and asked in a low voice:
"What intimate relationship? It's not like that dog-like mage who said he wanted to be a mentor, is it?"
"Definitely not!" The receptionist shook her head, both amused and exasperated. Seeing that no one was around in the association, she leaned close to the monk at the front desk and whispered in his ear:
“That day, I was registering his information…”
……
"Titania... how come this damned bloodline is still circulating on the continent of Atlantis!"
Orianna downed a bottle of Epper wine in one go, exhaled a long breath of alcohol, and slammed the bottle on the table.
She casually lay down on the chaise lounge, tapped her fingers lightly in the air a few times, and then took out a wooden carving more than 20 centimeters tall from the dimensional gap.
The wood carving depicts a valiant and tall man, dressed in full armor, exuding an imposing aura.
Orianna held the wooden carving up and looked at it for a long time before expressionlessly twisting off its head.
With a flick of her magical energy, she appeared on the roof of the Mage Guild.
The magical clouds of Lundia seemed to sense some danger, slowly clearing a blind spot in Orianna's vision.
Orianna held the wooden sculpture's head in her hands, snorted, blew a breath through the gaps between her hands, and then tossed the sculpture's head upwards with a perfectly executed tossing motion.
The wooden head flew straight into the starry sky, leaving only a faint trail in the air.
Orianna lowered her hand, seemingly having vented some emotion, and smiled contentedly. Then she turned and went back to her room, pausing briefly before muttering to herself:
"The son of an old friend, he really does need to be taken care of, doesn't he? ... But at this age, he must be the grandson of an old friend... or the great-grandson of an old friend."
She shook her head, then suddenly laughed.
"You used to be sworn enemies of magic, but your descendant is an outstanding mage. I really want to see that smug look on your face when you're all crestfallen..."
……
……
"Ugh!"
Latis lay on the rocking chair in front of Frico's hut and sighed heavily.
"Boss, isn't this great!" Frico said, suppressing a laugh as she squatted by the flower field, flipping through the notes on different flower varieties in her "Knowledge Handbook."
"At least Lady Oriana didn't take back the gift she gave you."
"……well!"
Latis howled bitterly for a while, until he heard Serfal not far away also starting to howl like a husky. Only then did he shut up, rock his rocking chair a few times, and say:
“I’m really curious about what’s going on! I haven’t asked about the magic network yet. Lady Oriana has lived for over a hundred years, she must know a lot.”
"Relax, relax, boss."
Frico finally couldn't help but lower her head and laugh twice. She picked a few flowers from the flower field, braided them into a large bouquet, and walked back to the cottage to hand it to Latis.
"What is this?" Latis didn't think that a corporate slave could have any romantic ideas in his head.
"Golden Cloud Flower" enhances wealth and improves interpersonal relationships.
Frico said with great experience:
"I hope you're alright, boss."
Latis gazed at the petals of the "Golden Cloud Flower," which resembled floating golden clouds, and couldn't help but feel a sense of exhilaration. However, Frico's overly down-to-earth words immediately caused him to put on a grumpy face, and he loudly complained:
"Freiko, as a magical genius, how can you spout such superstitious nonsense!"
Fureike put the "Knowledge Handbook" back to Latis's side, chuckled, and said:
"In short, just like you said before, boss, there's no need to take on too much responsibility. I think that's the same for you, boss."
"As for the issues with the magic network and other secrets of the Atlantic continent, Her Majesty Oriana will definitely tell you when she feels you are capable of handling these difficulties. Until then, it's good enough to take care of your current life, isn't it? If the sky falls, a legendary mage will hold it up."
"……well!"
Latis shook his head, picked up the bouquet from the rocking chair, and couldn't help but smile at Frico's serious expression.
Yes, as a ten-year veteran of the corporate world in his past life, Latis completely shares the same corporate slave spirit as Frico. Although they say they want to slack off, it doesn't stop them from hoping that good things will come through their own efforts.
He looked up at the cirrus clouds on the horizon, bathed in the golden glow of the setting sun, and held up the bouquet of "Golden Cloud Flowers" in his hand, comparing them to the clouds.
Sometimes the clouds are more beautiful, sometimes the flowers are more beautiful, and sometimes... people are more beautiful.
……
The sky gradually became as dark and soft as Frico's unbreakable stockings.
Latis glanced at the "Golden Cloud Flower" floral arrangement on the table, then turned his gaze back to Frico, who was looking at the menu across the table.
Frico kept her word and did indeed intend to treat Latis to a meal. Latis was slightly touched, but then began to wonder if she was being paid too much, to the point that she had spare money to treat her boss to a meal... But there was nothing she could do; the prop shop was owned by Art, and the God of Coins was indeed very generous when paying his own people.
This isn't a restaurant in the inner city of Lundia, but rather one run by a mage's tower in the outer city. Compared to the inner city, restaurants in the outer city are much cheaper, and as a restaurant run by a mage, its dishes are quite unique...
Latis stared at the menu's "Today's Special - Spicy Stir-fried Turtle Head" and "Chef's Recommendation - Nako Salad" in deep thought.
Has the abstract nature of this world finally caught up with me, even when it comes to food?
He couldn't help but feel a deep sadness, realizing that perhaps he himself was the only true sanctuary in the world.
"It's been a long time since I've been here. The dishes here are still as amazing as ever..."
Frico closed the menu and complained nostalgically.
"Oh? Do you often come here to eat?" Latis asked curiously, seeing that Frico had already chosen her dishes, and then handed his own selection to the apprentice beside him.
"Not very often."
Frico shook her head and said:
"When I was a teenager, my mentor treated me to a tour of restaurants outside the city as a reward for developing her idea for the 'Purple Mood Cushion.' Lady Oriana was also there."
"Holy crap, what is that? It sounds a bit shocking..." Latis asked in astonishment.
"Huh? The 'Purple Mood Cushion'?"
Frico tilted her head in confusion, adjusted the napkin in front of her, thought for a moment, and said:
"It was a device similar to a fantasy game. Once you sat on it, you could project your consciousness to the distant starry sky... Of course, it didn't allow you to sit at home and explore the starry sky; it was just for viewing. That was all I could do back then."
She unconsciously rubbed her napkin and continued:
"In truth, it's nothing more than 'Eagle Eye' and some miscellaneous spells, producing only minor effects through the integration of magical artifacts."
"Then why is it called Purple Mood?" Latis was still a little uneasy.
"Uh... my tutor's naming skills have always been like this."
Frico made a blunt remark, then thought for a moment and explained:
"As for why it's called that, I can only recall what she said after she first used this creation: 'My current mood is purple'... It's probably because the color of the starry sky is purplish..."
“Alright.” Latis scratched his head, and just as he was about to say something more, the chef wearing a mage's hat came over pushing a small cart.
"Dear Madam, this is your order."
The chef took a plate from the cart and placed it in front of Frico. After serving all the dishes, he placed a stone resembling lava on the plate and said with a smile:
"Here is your heat-insulating stone. Please enjoy your meal."
Seeing that Frico nodded to indicate that she understood, the chef turned to look at Latis, and his expression suddenly became strange.
"Sir, the dishes you ordered are all our restaurant's specialties, so you may need to try them one by one."
"Huh?" Latis was taken aback. "There's such a thing? Okay then."
The chef politely bowed, helped Latis lay out a mat, and then took a covered plate of food from the cart and placed it in front of Latis.
"Uh..." Latis looked at the chef who was still holding the lid of the dish with a puzzled expression, then glanced at Frico who had already started to chuckle, and asked, "Wh-what's going on?"
The chef took a deep breath and shouted in a low voice:
"Fireball!"
boom!