The Devil’s Cage - Chapter 314

Chapter 314

Kieran got out of the car and slowly approached the armed figure at the entrance .

It was an extremely buff elderly man of average height with a long white beard . If he had been holding a battle axe, he would have looked like a dwarf from a medieval tale .

Although he was not holding such a weapon, the dagger at his waist was not to be underestimated . The dagger reeked of a hidden, faint smell of danger that faded one moment and then appeared again at the next one .

Kieran's Intuition had gotten higher, so he trusted it with his life . He was still more vigilant than ever though .

As he was scanning the elderly man, the man scanned him back . Then he grinned .

"2567?" the old man asked .

"Who's asking?" Kieran replied . He was not surprised that the man knew his name .

If he had gone there with malicious intent, then it made sense that he would be prepared . Kieran's nickname was a basic piece of information .

"I'm Charles, your armor specialist and Simones' good friend . "

As he introduced himself, Charles extended his hand for a friendly handshake .

Kieran raised an eyebrow . Simones had said that he would introduce him to a master of alchemy and a craftsman that would repair his armor, but he hadn't described the person in detail . Kieran didn't know whether Charles was telling the truth, so he didn't take his hand .

"A vigilant young man!" Charles commented on Kieran's attitude . Before Kieran could answer, he said loudly, "Did Raul come with you? Raul? Raul!"

Raul instantly replied from behind them .

"Master Charles?" she asked as she approached Kieran . When she saw the elderly man, she gave him a happy hug .

"Master, it's been a while! What are you doing here in Johnny Town? I thought I'd have to go back to the West Coast to see you!" Raul greeted Charles in confusion .

"That old fella Simones called me, so I had to rush to meet you people . He was worried about 2567 not having proper armor and thought I might be of use on this trip . I came here earlier to wait for you, but it seems like you guys were late . Ran into some big trouble, did you?" Charles laughed as he took a look at the wrecked Picard .

"Yes, master! We were in a big pinch!" Raul nodded repeatedly, explaining about the earlier ambush .

Kieran glanced at Raul in surprise .

Maybe it was because of her scars and misfortune, but Raul had always been a quiet person . Most of the time she'd rely on her husband to communicate with others . She would only speak to a few acquaintances she was familiar with, but that was pretty much it .

This was the first time Kieran had seen Raul talk to someone like that .

"Strange, right? Truth be told, I am curious myself, but that's a good thing, right? Although Master Charles won't admit it, Raul treats him like a mentor," Cidney explained softly as he walked over .

Kieran and Schmidt nodded in realization .

Raul's explanation was very detailed . She actually went on for about 10 minutes . Charles asked a question from time to time as she elaborated even further .

"So this is really ancient alchemy!" Charles sighed .

"Ancient alchemy?" Schmidt muttered . This was not the first time he had come across the term .

"You must be the Chief Officer of the West Coast, Schmidt!"

Instead of answering Schmidt's question, Charles asked one of his own, trying to guess Schmidt's identity .

"Yes, that's me . Pleasure to meet you, Master Charles!" Schmidt nodded, greeting the elderly man politely .

"What about now?" Charles turned back to Kieran, extending his hand again with an amused expression in his eyes .

"Nice to meet you too, Master Charles . "

Kieran's face was calm and still . He only smiled faintly as he shook Charles' hand, which surprised Charles .

"Don't you feel awkward?" he asked .

"I didn't know who you were, so I had to be vigilant . Now that I know, my vigilance is not needed anymore . Why would I feel awkward?" Kieran replied with a question himself .

He was a young man who had grown up in a foster house and had been working to make a living ever since he was 14 . He had been through too many embarrassing situations . This was actually nothing in comparison .

"It seems like you are worthy of Rei's prophecy!" Charles praised Kieran . "Wait, are you feeling awkward now?" he asked when he noticed the unusual look on Kieran's face .

"2567 still won't accept his identity . He always feels embarrassed! I'm not laughing on purpose, 2567! I just can't help it every time you pull that face!" Schmidt said, laughing outrageously as he tapped the hood of the Picard .

The Picard was on the verge of breaking down after all that heavy tapping . It was completely wrecked now .

Not only had its engine died, but black smoke had also started to escape from the hood .

Kieran rolled his eyes at Schmidt . It was Schmidt's turn to feel awkward now .

"I bet there's a car mechanic in town!" Schmidt pointed out, trying to cover up his awkwardness .

"I'll save you the trouble! Come with me! Back when I was young, I had to use a couple of horses to carry all my things every time I went out! Now one car is enough for everything!" Charles said, leading the group into Johnny Town .

The group reached a garage, dragging the Picard with a limo before they stopped there .

The limo was pale blue in color . The car roof formed an arc, and clouds were drawn on the car doors . The rear of the car had a picture of a sun wearing sunglasses and chewing a cigar . It looked as if it had been drawn by a child .

Anyone who saw the limo would think that the owner was a fun person .

"If it's not a problem, I would suggest that we hit the road tonight . What do you say?" Charles suggested .

"That would be great!"

No one objected to his suggestion, as everyone was eager to reach Forende Town .

Raul and Cidney were itching to locate their friend Rukie, and Kieran wanted to discover Nikorei's whereabouts .

Schmidt was just tagging along with the group .

After moving all the stuff of the Picard into Charles' car, the group continued its journey .

Kieran wanted to fix his armor, so he went to the back of the limo .

"I can fix it before we reach Forende Town . "

Charles' words made Kieran feel relieved . Although [Paul's Camouflage] was not some magnificent defensive gear, Kieran would not let it go before he had a better replacement for it .

Having some armor on when facing a group of enemies was a lot better than exposing his bare flesh . Even more so when said enemies ganged up on him .

Kieran unconsciously recalled the Black Knights .

"Master Charles, were the Black Knights created by ancient alchemy as well?" Kieran asked .

"Their creation was based on ancient alchemy and some other hidden knowledge . I never would've thought that such knowledge would be preserved . . . " Charles corrected Kieran .

"What kind of knowledge?" Kieran asked .

Charles just smiled in reply .

The average-height elderly man took a pipe out of the limo's glove compartment and slowly stuffed it with tobacco .

He didn't look around for a lighter . Instead, he just snapped his fingers and the tobacco was lighted .

Kieran squinted his eyes .

Was Charles not relying on Magical items, but magic itself? There had been no incantation or gesture . Just a snap of his fingers and a fire had appeared .

Even though the fire was as small as a lighter's flame, the [Mystical Knowledge] involved had made quite an impact on Kieran's mind .

According to his understanding, this was not possible .

Charles, who was looking at Kieran's puzzled face, took a puff and produced a couple of smoke rings . Then he looped the smoke rings around his hand and dissipated them himself .

His childish behavior might have made people laugh or cry .

Kieran was still recalling the previous scene though .

"Is this the hidden knowledge that you spoke of?" he asked after a while .

"Maybe . . . " Charles said ambiguously . Before Kieran could ask any more questions, the alchemy master added, "Simones was hoping that I could teach you a little about alchemy . I want to educate the king of Rei's prophecy myself . It's just that . . . "

"You need to answer a question for me first . What do you think alchemy is? Think before you answer . I am fair with everyone! You will only get one chance . If your answer doesn't satisfy me, I don't care if Simones begged me, I still won't teach you a thing!"

Kieran shivered silently at the test .

He was not sure if Raul had gone through the same test before getting taught by Charles, but he was sure that Charles was not joking .

If his answer didn't satisfy him, he would lose this opportunity .

After giving it some thought, Kieran said, "Alchemy is…"

Just as he was about to spit out an answer, he held back his tongue .

Swallowing his noble, gracious words, he looked at Charles judgmentally . Charles was smiling . He had set up a trap for Kieran right from the beginning .

A word trap!

Everything had been meant to mess with Kieran's way of thinking and make him anxious about the things he would gain .

Charles had obviously succeeded . His lightning-fast move with his pipe and the snap of his fingers had broken Kieran's concentration completely .

Kieran's curiosity climaxed, making him almost lose his usual cool judgement .

If it wasn't for the mocking expression on his face, Charles might have succeeded in trapping Kieran .

He did not look like he was anticipating a serious answer though . His expression was that of someone about to make a joke!

Kieran drew in a deep breath, forgetting all the answers he had come up with .

He had come up with a new answer .

"Alchemy is…"