Doakes came to the man in black robe, first went to the empty seat next to the man in black robe, and bowed lightly: "Good evening, Mr. Black Earl."
No one answered, but a nose embedded in the stone board jumped from the empty seat to the table and sniffed at Doakes.
Immediately afterwards, the man in black robe said: "You don't have to be like this. I didn't use your adult ears this time, so I can't hear you."
Doakes also saw that there was a nose on the slate instead of ears. He finally breathed a sigh of relief and complained a little: "If you didn't tell me earlier, if you knew you couldn't hear me, I would have come directly to find you."
"Are you so afraid of my lord?" the man in black robe said teasingly.
"Aren't you afraid?" Doakes asked.
The man in black robe chuckled softly but did not reply.
Doakes continued: "The body is divided into countless parts, and each part has its own consciousness. Such a monster makes me shudder just listening to it. You actually dare to take it with you every time you go out.
Just tell me the truth and you won't be afraid?"
The man in black robe drank a glass of wine and said calmly: "Although my master is here with his nose this time and cannot hear you, he can smell your malice."
Doakes was stunned and took a few steps back.
"Can your nose smell malice? Is it true, or are you trying to fool me?" Doakes said cautiously.
Man in black robe: "You can think I'm fooling you. But, do you believe it?"
Regardless of whether it was true or not, Doakes didn't dare to say any more. He walked around in a circle and sat in the farthest position from the man in black robe and the nose.
When Doakes sat down, the man in black robe said quietly: "You asked me just now, are you scared? I am an apprentice and can have the majestic Lord Hongjian sitting across from me. Do you think I am scared or not?"
The man in black robe was worried or not. Doakes no longer cared about it at this time, but he was right. The reason why Doakes talked to this apprentice as an equal, or even sat on an equal footing, was because he carried a part of Lord Black Earl's body.
As long as the "nose" is there, no one dares to be disrespectful to the man in black.
This is also the reason why the Noah family is so famous. There are very few people in the Noah family, but as long as the Noah family members are walking outside, they have a part of the body of the Black Earl. This means that every Noah family member is under the protection of the Black Earl.
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Of course, "protection" is only the understanding of outsiders, but based on the past exchanges between Doakes and this old friend, it is vaguely noticed that the Black Earl seems to have other unknown purposes for doing this. And what is this purpose, Doakes
Si didn't know, but with his strong spiritual perception, there was always a bad omen.
It is for this reason that Doakes asked just now: Aren't you afraid? Aren't you afraid?
Although the man in black robe seemed to use rhetorical questions to express that he was not afraid, but was he really not afraid? He never answered it himself.
"I won't play charades with you anymore, let's get down to business." Doakes glanced at the nose that was still sniffing around, and then turned his attention to the man in black robe: "Wai, are you looking for a convenient place to talk?"
Vai Noah is the name of the man in black robe, Doakes's old friend for many years.
The black-robed man Vai did not move, but closed his eyes for a few seconds. After a while, the nose embedded in the stone suddenly took a deep breath, and then exhaled suddenly, and a line of people appeared around Doakes and Vai.
Absolute barrier.
This is a second-level spell, and shielding sound is only its most insignificant effect. Its terrifying defensive power in battle is its main purpose.
"We can talk now." Vai said calmly.
Among the apprentices, only the Noah family is probably the only one who can use the second-level magic as a sound barrier.
Doakes was silent for a moment: "Were you communicating with Lord Black Earl's nose just now? You didn't say anything bad about me, did you?"
Vai rolled his eyes and was too lazy to answer such a stupid question: "I stayed well in Mesoemia. Why did you find me here?"
Judging from Vai's reaction, Doakes was sure that he probably didn't say anything bad to the Black Earl. Doakes felt relieved and replied: "I'm going to explore the ruins in the near future."
Vai resisted: "Don't call me. I told you before that I hate deserted places. I only like to stay in big cities. The sandworm market makes me feel suffocated."
Vai is a very special person. He is actually not very gregarious. Such people are usually very lonely, and Vai is indeed lonely. At least Doakes has never heard of Vai having any other friends besides himself. But although Vai is
He has a withdrawn personality, but he also likes crowded places. Once someone talks to him, he is very resistant and is a very contradictory person.
He seems to simply enjoy seeing other people's excitement.
"I'm not asking you to explore with me, but my premonition seems to have failed during this expedition. I can't sense the good or the bad at all. I want you to help me find out." Doakes's face became more solemn.
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Vai frowned slightly: "If the premonition fails, it means there is a big problem. Just don't go."
Doakes: "But...I'm not willing to give in."
The reluctance was just Doakes's rhetoric, and the failure of spiritual perception was the real reason. He always had a vague feeling that perhaps this exploration could truly turn his spiritual perception into a natural skill.
Vai took a deep look at Doakes and sighed: "I've convinced you, but you like to seek death. I really don't know what the point of exploring is."
"This is the essence of the wandering wizard. Once you gain freedom, you lose the source of knowledge, and adventure is a way to make up for it."
Vai was silent for a moment and took out a transparent glass cup from his robe.
"Remember, you owe me another favor." Vai put the cup on the table and said to Doakes.
Doakes nodded repeatedly: "I remembered that, plus this time, I currently owe you five favors."
Vai raised his eyebrows: "Six."
Doakes waved his hand proudly: "I paid for all the drinks you spent here today. How about returning a favor?"
Vai was silent for a moment and said: "Okay. Five favors."
Doakes immediately came forward happily: "Then let's get started."
Doakes had obviously done this with Vai many times and was very familiar with the process. When he saw the transparent glass cup, he stretched out his hand.
I was thinking silently in my mind: I am about to go to the ruins.
Then, with a slight stroke of the wind blade, a drop of blood from the fingertip fell into the glass cup. A slight light glow appeared in the black-red blood.
Vai glanced at it: "The purity of your bloodline has improved a lot compared to last time."
Doakes: "I'm not as lazy as you. If you stay at the peak of apprenticeship, you won't advance."
Vai snorted and did not retort. Instead, he stretched out his hand and dropped a drop of blood from his fingertips into the glass cup.
The color of Vai's blood is very special, bright red with a faint golden light.
According to common sense, Doakes is an official wizard, and his blood can definitely suppress Vai's blood. But in reality, when Vai's blood fell into the glass cup, it was Doakes' blood that was suppressed.
To be precise, it was Vai's blood that was like a film, tightly covering Doakes' blood.
"Every time I watch it, I feel amazing. Are your Noah family really human?" Doakes said with emotion.
Vai didn't want to reply with meaningless words, but picked up the glass cup and prepared for the last step: smelling it.
Vai has a very wonderful talent, which Vai himself named: the smell of death.
He could smell death in the blood.
From a classification point of view, this talent should probably belong to the prophecy system, because the prophecy system also has the ability to predict death. However, the prediction of death by a prophecy wizard is a way of finding quantification in variables, and this result can be changed.
Vai's sense of death is a death prediction based on an existing quantity. Of course, the result can still be changed.
While Doakes was bleeding, he silently thought about removing the ruins. This was a ration.
What Vai wants to know is whether the smell of death will escape if Doakes goes to this ruins.
However, just when Vai was about to smell the blood in the glass cup, his hand suddenly paused, and then he gently placed the glass cup on the table.
Doakes, who knew every step clearly, wondered: "What's wrong? Why did you put it down before you even smelled it?"
Vai was silent for a few seconds and then said: "My talent is inherited from my family. Since your nose is here, it may be more accurate to let your judgment."
This was the first time Doakes heard that Vai's talent for smelling death was inherited from the Black Count.
Although he didn't know why Vai wanted the Black Count's nose to smell it, Doakes thought about it and nodded. He had already reached this point and couldn't give up halfway.
Soon, Vai picked up the stone slab with the nose on it and placed it in front of the cup.
The Black Earl's nose began to smell.
The two drops of blood in the cup kept rolling because of this, but the strange thing was that no matter how they rolled, Vai's blood still tightly wrapped Doakes' blood.
After a while, Vai put down the stone slab.
Vai did not speak immediately, but closed his eyes as if falling asleep.
Doakes guessed that Vai was probably communicating with the Black Earl's nose... Actually, he could also be communicating with the Black Earl. Although the Black Earl had "his consciousness" all over his body, it was still the Black Earl's consciousness.
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This exchange lasted longer than expected. Vai's brows furrowed from time to time, as if he was arguing with the Black Earl.
It wasn't until Doakes drank two full glasses of wine in a row and looked out the window that the blue sky was obscured by dark clouds and raindrops were falling, that Vai opened his eyes.
"What was the result? Did Mr. Black Earl say anything?"
Vai still didn't speak, but picked up the glass cup again and smelled it again himself.
After smelling it, Vai looked blank.
Doakes, who was watching Vai's series of actions, was still a little confused: "What's going on?"
After a long time, Vai sighed: "I can't smell anything myself."
The lack of taste does not mean that death will not approach, but that Vai's talent has failed.
"However, my master smells bad luck." Vai lowered his eyebrows and continued.
Doakes: "Smells of doom, meaning, I'm going to die this time?"
Vai shook his head: "I don't know, but..."
After much hesitation, Vai sighed and said, "My lord, let me go to that ruins with you. In this case, I can be sure that you will not die."
Doakes: "In other words, if I go, there is a high probability that I will die; but as long as you go with me, I won't mean any danger?"
"Won't die and not be in danger are two different things." Vai couldn't help but corrected.
Doakes: "Don't worry about these details. Can I confirm one thing? Are you really planning to explore the ruins?"
Vai nodded.
A homebody who never liked exploring ruins was actually going out. Even without Doakes' spiritual perception, he could tell that something was definitely wrong.
"Do you want to go there on your own?"
Vai didn't speak.
As an old friend for many years, Doakes immediately understood what the Black Earl meant.
"Then can I refuse? After all, this is not my decision. There is someone else who leads the exploration of the ruins." Doakes tried to use this method to help Vai continue to return to the life of an otaku.
Vai understood what Doakes meant and said helplessly: "I remember the taste of your blood."
Others didn't understand what the sudden words meant, but Doakes understood.
Even if Doakes rejects Vai, Vai will follow him through the smell of his blood.
Unless Doakes doesn't explore the ruins.
"Also, don't forget, you owe me five favors." Vai said again, "If I use this favor to ask you to tell me who is in charge, you won't refuse, right?"
Obviously, Vai has considered what would happen if Doakes did not go to the ruins.
The Black Earl must have had a premonition that he wanted Vai to go to the ruins so much.
Doakes was silent for a moment: "I can't agree to this immediately. Give me a day and I will give you an answer in one day."
Vai lowered his head, said "hmm" softly, and at the same time silently said to Doakes with his lips: I'm sorry.
Doakes understood that Vai was apologizing for being unable to resist the Black Earl and causing harm to his friends.
Doakes couldn't say anything. He could only sigh and pat Vai on the shoulder: "Don't act like a girl. This is not a big deal."
After a pause, Doakes said again: "By the way, after I leave, you might as well continue to ask the Black Earl if our entire adventure team will be safe if you follow us?"
Vai nodded: "Okay."
After speaking, Doakes patted his old friend on the shoulder again, sighed helplessly in his heart, came to the bar, asked the bartender to take care of Vai more, and then quietly left the Cross Bar.
After Doakes left the bar, he wandered on the street for a long time, thinking about what the Black Earl was going to do.
And how to help Vai.
But the Black Earl is a figure who stands at the top of the pyramid in the southern region, and it is difficult for Doakes to understand his thoughts.
With a sigh, Doakes finally walked towards the black market outside the Sandworm Market. This time it was his mistake that led to the appearance of Vai. In any case, this matter will still have to be dealt with by Angel and Kaai.
I explained and apologized.
Moreover, Angel has his back to the Savage Cave, and he also knows something about that ruins. Maybe he knows what the Black Earl’s intentions are?
After all, the gap in core intelligence between organized and unorganized wizards is still huge.