The Most Arbitrary Wizard

Chapter 36: Chapter 23: Seeking a Dream

The plan was a success, but the performance had to continue.

A flicker of excitement crossed Sean’s face before he feigned hesitation, as if a sudden thought had struck him. "A person of your stature, someone who can access the second floor of the Holy Sanctuary, must have important matters to attend to every day," he said. "If you stay in Old Segal City just for me, won’t it take up too much of your time?"

"It won’t."

Kate was indeed busy, but not to that extent. Besides, so what if he really did have other things to do?

"Nothing I’m doing is more important than Lord Blake’s affairs!"

"Don’t worry about whether I’m busy. Just focus on your book signing."

Seeing Kate’s selfless devotion, Sean was visibly moved. He grasped Kate’s hand and offered his most sincere gratitude.

"Light Attendant, you’re a good man."

"Don’t thank me." Kate looked Sean in the eye and said earnestly, "Everything for Lord Blake."

’Setting the mission aside, they both worked for Lord Blake. They were true comrades, brothers from another mother. Even without direct orders, he would do his best to help Sean where he could.’

’Besides, he had participated in the Dawn Conference, so he knew that Elvire and the others would be attacking Florist Hospital in Holkaydo on that same day. If this could draw away some of the hospital’s armed forces, it would be a good thing.’

Kate wasn’t afraid of Sean deceiving him.

He was actually quite sensitive to emotions, and he could feel that Sean’s devotion to Lord Blake was genuine.

And the book signing wasn’t for another five days. Even if he had his doubts, that was plenty of time to go to the Holy Sanctuary and confirm things with Lord Blake.

As for Sean, now that the book signing was settled, his gaze shifted to the suitcase at Kate’s feet.

’As expected, it should contain the things I need.’

’Forgive him for being worldly—he wanted to have his cake and eat it too.’

Sean looked at the case and asked, "This is...?"

"Oh, I almost forgot." Kate handed him the suitcase. "This should be for you."

’It was all Low-tier Materials. At first, Kate had wondered what Lord Blake wanted them for, but he couldn’t figure it out. He wouldn’t ask, either. Lord Blake had his reasons for doing things; Kate just needed to follow orders.’

’But now, seeing Sean, Kate was beginning to understand—Lord Blake probably wanted to groom this young man.’

’After all, based on Sean’s recent performance, he was one of Lord Blake’s most loyal supporters, just like him. If Kate were looking to groom a subordinate, he would also choose someone like Sean.’

’Loyalty was always more important than Talent.’

’At this thought, Kate suddenly felt a pang of envy for Sean.’

’Sure, Sean was just a Tier One Newborn Wizard and was admittedly a little weak, so he needed to raise his Power quickly, but... he wasn’t strong either!’

Kate had completely forgotten how, just a few minutes ago, his face had swelled with pride at the title of "Light Attendant."

’The Power of a Tier Five might seem like a divine miracle to mortals, but before Lord Blake, he was still just a child in need of care and attention. Why didn’t Lord Blake take the opportunity to groom him a little, too?’

Kate felt a slight twinge of jealousy.

Sean seemed to read his mind. "Light Attendant, rest assured," he said. "The next time Lord Blake summons me, I’ll be sure to report exactly what happened—that you saved me. Without you, I’d be a dead man."

It was his way of putting in a good word for Kate.

Kate’s eyes widened. "There’s no need."

"What kind of person do you take me for?"

"Do you think I do all this to earn a reward from Lord Blake?"

"No! Serving Lord Blake is an honor in itself," Kate declared righteously. "I don’t need any other reward. I do it willingly."

Sean asked, "You really don’t want one?"

Kate replied, "But if you insist on asking on my behalf, I can’t stop you. Just be subtle when you mention my name. Thanks."

Sean was speechless.

"Alright."

"Well... if there’s nothing else, I should get going?" Kate had intended to change the subject, but realized there was nothing left to talk about. Any further conversation might drift toward the typical male interests of fast cars and beautiful women, which would be unseemly. He glanced at the suitcase and asked Sean one last thing, "Do you need me to recommend an Alchemist?"

Sean smiled and politely declined. "No need. I already know one. Don’t waste a favor on my account."

"Alright." Kate nodded.

’It’s just a Low-Tier Magic Potion anyway,’ he thought. ’It won’t make much difference who brews it.’

’These materials aren’t valuable, either. If they get ruined in the process, he could just get Sean some more. It’s a minor issue.’

The two exchanged phone numbers. Then, Kate put on his sunglasses, pulled up his scarf, and, just as he had on his way in, began to get lost as he fumbled his way out of the abandoned factory district.

His identity was sensitive, so it wasn’t wise for him to be seen in public often.

Sean’s next stop was the post office.

When he’d said he knew an Alchemist, he was, of course, referring to Charles.

To make it feel more like a "test," Sean hadn’t specified the quantities of each item in his message to Kate. After all, Kate was a High-tier Wizard who could access the second floor of the Holy Sanctuary; he wouldn’t skimp. And just as Sean had predicted, Kate had brought a ton of materials, stuffing the suitcase to the brim—enough to create twenty servings of Demon Spirit Potion.

Concerned that the package might be intercepted, Sean decided not to put all his eggs in one basket. He planned to mail the materials to Charles in several batches to different locations.

He first returned to the motel, locked the door and windows, and entered the Void Technique Space.

Charles was still at the same stall as before.

When Charles heard Sean had gotten his hands on enough materials for twenty portions, he was stunned. "Did you rob someone? Where did you get so many?"

This stuff might be worthless in Kate’s eyes, but to a Novice Wizard, it was a treasure trove. One only needed to look at Sean to understand why—he had been a Wizard for days and still had no idea where to procure Alchemy Materials. Other than leveraging his former identity, the only method he could think of was to buy them.

As for the price, he didn’t need to guess to know they were expensive—he most likely couldn’t afford them right now.

"Someone gave them to me," Sean answered truthfully.

Charles sized up Sean’s face, a look of sudden understanding dawning on him. "Oh, I get it."

"You didn’t rob someone. You sold yourself."

Sean: "?"

’Seriously? Can people stop focusing on my looks and pay attention to what’s on the inside for a change?’

’It’s not my fault I’m handsome.’ freeweɓnovel.cøm

"Are you taking the job or not? If not, I’ll find someone else." Sean couldn’t be bothered to waste any more time on this guy.

Charles said hurriedly, "I’ll take it! Of course, I’ll take it."

"But let me be clear. Even though I’m an Alchemy Genius, I’m still just starting out. I can’t guarantee a 100% success rate." Charles did a quick mental calculation. "I’m pretty familiar with the Demon Spirit Potion. Conservatively, I’d say twenty sets of materials should yield about fifteen potions."

"That’s fine. That’s not a low success rate." Sean knew a thing or two about Alchemy. The average Alchemist only had a fifty percent success rate when creating a Magic Potion of a corresponding Tier, and exploding cauldrons were a common occurrence. For Charles to manage over seventy percent... if he wasn’t lying, the guy might actually be a genius.

"What’s your fee?" Sean asked.

"We’re friends, why talk about fees?" Charles handed Sean a card. "Here are five addresses. Just mail the materials, and then wait for the delivery."

Sean was suspicious. "It’s that good of a deal?"

Charles gave a sly grin. "When you have a moment, how about you share a little of your experience about entering the Holy Sanctuary?"

He hadn’t forgotten how Sean had shocked him a few days ago. He’d wanted to ask about it then, but he waited and waited, and Sean never came back. Now, today, Sean had finally sought him out again. This was a rare opportunity; he had to latch onto this backer!

’Don’t be fooled by the fact that Sean is only Tier One right now, just like me,’ Charles thought. ’That’s only temporary. As the only known Wizard to have entered the Holy Sanctuary at Tier One, the heights Sean could reach in the future are likely beyond the imagination of any ordinary Wizard.’

’You have to latch onto a backer early. You can’t wait until they’re already rich and famous; you have to get in on the ground floor.’

Charles had already made up his mind: from now on, whenever Sean came to him for a Magic Potion, regardless of the quantity, it would be on the house.

Hearing the mention of the Holy Sanctuary, Sean couldn’t help but roll his eyes. He knew this guy had an ulterior motive.

Still, he didn’t refuse.

"Some other time. When I’m free, I’ll see what I can do, maybe find a way to get you in directly."

Charles: "!!!"

’Get in directly?!’

"Did I hear that right?"

"You heard me, but you’ll have to wait," Sean said. "I’m pretty busy these days."

"No problem, I can wait!" Charles exclaimed, thrilled. "I’ll wait as long as it takes!"

Sean wasn’t just making an empty promise. Since he could control the statue’s movements, he should theoretically be able to use it to grant others access to the Holy Sanctuary. He just hadn’t figured out how to do it yet and needed to experiment.

Actually, the best solution would be to have a dream about the Void Technique Space, the Hall of Truth, and a certain Flame Crow Maiden. That would solve all his problems in one fell swoop. Unfortunately, it wasn’t up to him. Ever since he last dreamed of the Saintess Olivia, he hadn’t dreamed at all for over half a month... Hmm?

Wait a minute.

It suddenly occurred to Sean that Wizards had all sorts of abilities. He might not know how to make himself dream, but maybe someone else did.

He could learn.

"Are there any Wizards in the Void Technique Space who practice dream Cultivation?" Sean asked Charles.

Charles didn’t understand the sudden question, but he answered anyway. "There are."

"He even asked my master for help concocting a Magic Potion."

...