Chapter 448 Something Strange
After a while, the poison bug crawled out of Zephyr's ear. Before Elizabeth could react, the little Aether Serpent opened its mouth and swallowed the insect. Its eyes sparkled, expressing to Elizabeth that it found it delicious.
Elizabeth patted its head with a smile. "If you like it, I'll find more for you to eat in the next few days." Stanley came to her voluntarily, so of course, she couldn't let him make the trip for nothing; he had to pay something in return.
The little Aether Serpent happily nuzzled Elizabeth's hand, clearly adoring her.
Seeing this, Zachary was a bit surprised. "It's very close to you," he remarked, noting that such Spirit Beasts were usually wary of human sorcerers.
Elizabeth smiled. "It probably sees me as family." She explained how she had found the little Aether Serpent after its mother and an eagle had perished together. If the little Aether Serpent had hatched first and interacted with its mother, it wouldn't be so dependent on her.
However, she didn't feel fortunate about the situation, preferring that the little Aether Serpent's mother hadn't died.
Zachary guessed that Elizabeth was probably the first person the little Aether Serpent saw after hatching. Elizabeth's luck was extraordinary.
"That's good," he said, then his expression changed, and he frowned. "That evil wizard is heading toward Aevum City." When he was fighting Stanley, he had already captured Stanley's aura. Even though they were quite a distance apart, he could feel Stanley getting closer. "Is he coming to seek revenge on you?" he asked.
Due to the constraints of the city and the limitations of the Celestial Condemnation, Zachary couldn't easily engage in large-scale battles with those of the same level. The more energy he expended, the more the city would bind him. Though the city was inanimate, he had a feeling it wanted to devour him. So, in the end, it was either he refined the city, or he would be swallowed by it.
But Elizabeth had found a way for him to refine the city. If Stanley came to trouble her, Zachary owed her a big favor and couldn't just stand by. He would have to intervene.
Elizabeth noticed a complex look in Zachary's eyes. She smiled meaningfully, "No, I have no grudge against him; maybe we can even cooperate."
"Cooperate?" Zachary was taken aback, then chuckled. "You have so many ideas. So, you had it all planned out. Alright, then I won't meddle."
Elizabeth chuckled. "If I get into trouble, you still have to meddle. Is that evil wizard stronger than me?"
From Zachary's tone, he felt he needed to help, which meant he thought she couldn't beat Stanley.
"From the aura I sensed, he's much stronger than you," Zachary replied truthfully. "You've just stepped into the realm of advanced diviners, but he should be nearing the late stage of advanced diviners. Plus, he's an old guy who's lived for over two hundred years, with plenty of combat experience. Do you think you can beat him?"
Elizabeth smiled meaningfully. "That's not necessarily true. His aura might be stronger than mine, but his methods might not be as varied. If he wants to kill me, or even injure me, he has to be prepared to get seriously hurt himself." She had that much confidence. After becoming an advanced diviner, she could use many techniques and secret methods.
Zachary saw that she didn't seem overconfident. So he laughed. "If there's a chance, I'd really like to see it."
Elizabeth replied with a smile, "We can spar someday, and you'll see." She also wanted to test Zachary's strength. She had noticed before that when Ethan heard her mention Zachary, he showed a look of headache and dread. This indicated that Zachary's strength was significantly above Ethan's.
Zachary shook his head, smiling. "I need to refine this city first; otherwise, expending too much energy and effort will cause me big trouble."
Elizabeth recalled a line Wayne had mentioned in a letter: [This city is a cage, and it's best to avoid it if possible.] This indicated that there was something strange about the city. This time, the city also gave her an uncomfortable feeling. But she felt it might not be the city's problem. However, once Zachary finished refining the city, this issue should be resolved.
"I'll tell you the secret method now," she suggested. "If you refine it quickly, maybe you can come with me to Clifftonshireburg this time." If she brought Zachary back to Clifftonshireburg, she wondered if it would give Ethan a big scare. Thinking about this, she suddenly felt a bit excited.
Zachary was also looking forward to it. He agreed. "Great, I hope I can go with you."
Elizabeth beckoned him over, and he leaned in. She whispered the secret method into his ear. With his strong comprehension ability and many years of experience, Zachary remembered and roughly understood it after hearing it once. However, he still needed to comprehend it further before he could start trying.
"I'll go to my room to comprehend it; he's in your hands," Zachary said, standing up. "If that evil wizard comes to trouble you, just call my name, and I'll come to help." He needed to focus on studying the sorcery, so he might not notice the situation in Aevum City. But if Elizabeth called him, he could sense it immediately.
Elizabeth nodded. "Okay." Zachary was deeply tied to Aevum City, and refining it was something only he could do. She couldn't help with that. Otherwise, unexpected changes might occur, causing him more trouble.
After Zachary left, Zephyr woke up. "Elizabeth, what happened to me just now?" he asked, vaguely remembering Zachary pressing his head, then everything going black. Impressive indeed.
"Zachary made you fall asleep so we could remove the poison bug," Elizabeth explained. "The bug in your brain has been removed, so you won't have any more troubles or dangers."
Zephyr was delighted. He grinned, "That's great. I knew I could count on you."
Elizabeth smiled. "Of course."
After chatting for a bit, they went to the front yard to find Leon and Ruth, who were probably anxious by now. Sure enough, they were pacing back and forth in the yard. Seeing Elizabeth and Zephyr appear, they both looked nervous. "How did it go?" they asked.
Zephyr smiled. "The poison bug has been successfully removed." It wasn't just Elizabeth saying so. He could actually feel that the sense of pressure and danger in his brain was gone.
Leon and Ruth were overjoyed. "That's wonderful." Elizabeth was indeed more reliable than Betty. They thanked Elizabeth profusely and even suggested that she take a tour of the mine. If she found any energy stones, she could take them.
Leon, being a businessman, figured it out after some thought. He guessed that the stones might be helpful to a diviner, which was why Ethan was interested and used Betty to scheme against Zephyr.
They were genuinely grateful to Elizabeth and wanted her to find the energy stones. Elizabeth thought about it and didn't refuse. Having energy stones in the hands of ordinary people was like a child holding a gold brick—it invited envy and brought disaster. If she found them, she could use them herself or feed them to the little Aether Serpent. It would also annoy Ethan, killing two birds with one stone.
Afterward, Elizabeth told the three to return to Clifftonshireburg first, as she had something to do and needed to stay another day. The Anderson family, being considerate, booked an afternoon flight.
In the afternoon, the Anderson family left, and Elizabeth sat cross-legged in the yard. By evening, she suddenly opened her eyes. She looked toward the yard gate; Stanley had arrived.
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