CHAPTER 50: CHAPTER 50: WIZARD GRACE

In the dim basement, several ancient brass lamp holders had a few candles lit, providing some dim yellow light.

In the center of the basement, the ground was etched with grooves that formed a complex circular pattern.

Earl Hardy held a bottle of mysterious potion in his hand, popped the wooden cork, and poured the light golden liquid into the grooves.

The Duke stood silently behind, sniffing but not detecting any scent. The golden liquid emitted no special odor.

Earl Hardy carefully cupped the bottle, slowly pouring its contents without spilling a single drop outside the grooves.

When the last drop of the golden liquid fell from the bottle, the grooves were full of the golden liquid which shone under the candlelight.

Subsequently, Earl Hardy stood in front of the grooves, taking out a dagger to cut his palm, letting some blood drip into the grooves below, mixing with the golden liquid.

"With the bloodline of the Acosta Clan, I request an audience with Lady Grace!"

The summoning ceremony requires the bloodline of the Acosta Clan to be completed; the blood of others is useless.

Earl Hardy had originally prepared for several generations without wizard qualifications, never expecting he would witness the day to perform the summoning ceremony himself.

Watching the blood drip from his palm, he couldn’t feel the pain, only immense excitement.

He had waited twenty years for this day.

After the golden liquid and blood merged in the grooves, it gradually emitted a faint purple glow.

The light turned into purple mist, gradually converging, intertwining as it spiraled upwards.

As the mist ascended above the basement, it gradually spread, forming a faint purple mist area.

In the mist appeared a pair of white, rounded legs crossed. Looking further up, a voluptuous woman wearing a purple bathrobe gradually emerged.

Hidden behind the mist, her specific facial features were indistinct, with some key parts also obscured.

"Little Hardy? Why have you become so old?" A seductive voice came from within the mist.

Earl Hardy was somewhat excited, a wry smile on his face upon hearing this: "Lady Grace, I’m just a mortal; after twenty years, I should be old."

"Mm... has it been twenty years already? The Florence Continent is a lovely place, I’ve had a delightful time there," Grace said lazily.

"The years serving you were also the most important time of my life," Earl Hardy said earnestly.

Grace seemed to be lounging on a sofa, her crossed legs moved to a lounging position on the sofa, her long rounded legs raised: "So, what brings you to me? I recall I gave you one summoning ceremony, there’s no second chance."

"Honored Lady Grace, my daughter Vivian Acosta has become a Great Knight and possesses fourth-level wizard qualifications," Earl Hardy said, kneeling on one knee.

Grace yawned: "Understood, let her come over so I can see the child."

Vivian promptly walked over, lifting her skirt slightly and curtsied; it was a noble etiquette.

"Such a cute little girl, I like her, she can join our Thorn Holy Tower," Grace’s voice came from the mist, filled with affection for Vivian.

Having specially dressed up, coupled with a pitiful expression, Vivian presented an obedient girl image.

"Thank you, Lady Grace! I have a friend too, he also has fourth-level wizard qualifications; may I ask if you could accept him too?" Vivian pleaded.

"Is it the handsome fellow next to you? That won’t do; accepting you was based on a past promise. Though he’s quite handsome, fourth-level qualifications aren’t enough for me to accept him," Grace said slowly, denying Vivian’s request.

Vivian wanted to say more, but the Duke quickly restrained her, smiling to signal her not to act impulsively.

The Duke didn’t want Vivian to miss such an opportunity because of him; it was the result of Earl Hardy’s careful planning over so many years.

If he caused Vivian to anger Grace and lose the chance to join the Thorn Holy Tower, the Duke would bear guilt for a lifetime.

"Eh?" Grace’s voice came from the mist at that moment, "Handsome fellow, don’t you have Black Sail’s token in your hand?"

"Black Sail? Token?" The Duke looked at the brass ring in his hand, feeling puzzled.

Grace said, "The demonized item in your hand is Black Sail’s token, with it, you can directly join Black Sail. Many wizard organizations use this method to recruit, producing batches of demonized items to circulate; those with wizard qualifications often come into contact with these demonized items."

"This is also a hidden principle of our Wizard Plane, I call it the Wizard Aggregation Principle."

"Even a person with wizard qualifications who is of humble origin will, because of their qualifications, eventually come into contact with things related to wizards, and will eventually walk the path of a wizard."

"For instance, your encounter with me now is also a manifestation of this principle..."

The three listened attentively as Grace spoke, even though some terms were not clearly understood, they tried hard to remember them, planning to clarify them when the opportunity arose.

The world they inhabited was called the Wizard Plane, with seven continents.

The continent where the Duke resided was named Florence Continent, a remote land in the Wizard Plane’s southern hemisphere, and the smallest continent.

Due to the lack of resources necessary for wizards on Florence Continent, there was almost no wizard activity, mostly ordinary people lived there.

The most common extraordinary power was the Knights, though the Knights’ power was insignificant before the Wizards.

Grace’s wizard organization, named Thorn Holy Tower, was located on the West Coast of the Appalachian Continent, to the west of Florence, six times the size of Florence Continent.

Black Sail is also one of the Four Great Wizard Organizations on the Appalachian Coast, with immense power.

The Duke looked at the brass ring on his hand, surprised to learn its provenance, and more importantly, its actual purpose was recruitment, automatically attracting wizard-qualified talents worldwide for Black Sail.

Initially, Leo obtained this ring, but due to the lack of wizard qualifications, he didn’t unravel its mystery.

By chance, the Duke acquired this ring and discovered its secrets after having it in his possession.

"Alright, the summoning ceremony time is almost up, I need to quickly initiate a teleportation array to bring Vivian over," Grace’s voice echoed from the mist, with the white legs visible in the purple mist.