Ethereal Ascendance: A Journey of Transformation(Vol 4)

Vol 4/ Chapter 138: The Sub-Spatial Seal

"Sorry, this is my last one. These gas containment orbs are one-time use - can't be reused after trapping something inside. To make a new one, I'd need to gather materials again."

As if reading my mind, Reed glanced at me with a reminder, then casually flipped her palm out expressionless before me.

"Your oversight let that one slip through, costing me dearly. Pay up - 10,000 silvers!"

"Woah, that's way too steep!" I was taken aback, practically extortion! 10,000 silvers for a containment orb was "cheap" in a sense, but still painfully pricey for me.

More disappointingly, it dashed my hopes! Without Reed's magic prison, who knew if she had another way to subdue that dragon. Proceeding without involving her would be difficult.

"There are such arrangements? Then I'll cover it for her, plus another 30,000 -"

However, Cyra saw it differently, as if discovering a new continent now that Reed's losses could be bought off. She moved to pay before I could retrieve the coins, even throwing in extra.

"Here's the money from that nuke deal earlier. All settled, so you can't keep dragging me around for your 'assistant services'!"

"Fair enough..."

Eyeing the shiny gold and orange heap, Reed nodded satisfied before turning back to me.

"What about yours?"

"Why didn't I think of this sooner! I heard Reed was dirt poor as a student, relying solely on scholarships. Seeing all this money, she's bound to go soft!"

Cyra covertly leaned over, revealing Reed's supposed weakness and urging me to buy my way out of trouble.

"Of course, here you go!"

This could be considered an investment in her research. After leaving Edenmere, many experimental materials required actual funds, unlike simply saying "ask Lady Elara" to meet most needs back then.

So the current scene seemed rather comical. Reed the two-winged angel was like a rent collector, individually demanding exorbitant sums from Cyra and me, puzzling the others.

"Are angels so wealthy these days? Has Edenmere's living standard risen that much?" Judith asked skeptically.

A century ago, 10,000 silvers was far more valuable than now. Yet Cyra and I readily produced such large denomination coins, startling her.

"Let's get back on topic - have we successfully prevented the seal from being unlocked?" Yulanda asked Judith wearily, shaking her head at our transactions.

"Heh, how would I know?" Judith glanced awkwardly at Reed, who was preoccupied counting coins, before pondering.

"Did you happen to disrupt any of their ritual arrays or anything?"

"Ritual arrays? Didn't see any, just some roasting meat..." I was stumped, pointing to the still-burning campfires by the lake.

From start to finish, we only saw monsters eating, chatting and relaxing. Their behavior seemed more fitting for a picnic outing than unlocking any seal.

"Impossible! For any major seal, there must be empowering arrays at the critical points. Otherwise, element-formed magic effects cannot be sustainably maintained. You must have missed something!" Reed cut in after collecting payment.

"But we scoured this whole area around the lake! Where could there be any arrays?" Brennan said, puzzled as he surveyed our surroundings, finally locking onto the tranquil lake surface.