Chapter 1080: Luxury
“I’ll let you take care of the ten engineering puppets.”
After taking out ten puppets with smaller joints, Abel gave a direct order to the circle spirit to take care of them. Yes, these puppets were from the Lance Continents. The dwarves originally used them to work on high-end, intricate work.
Wizard Hutton was watching. As much as he wanted to ask Abel where he got those puppets from, he didn’t ask. The dwarves had technology that they didn’t leak to the outside world, but this was Master Bennett, a great friend and benefactor of their kind. There had to be a decent level of trust for him to show something like this to him.
As for Abel, actually, no. He didn’t know that these puppets belonged to the dwarves. He just sc.r.a.ped these up as battle trophies since they were so convenient. The ten puppets clicked away, powering through their instructions. They then disappeared after turning themselves into multiple streaks of white light.
Abel had started to realize that short-distance teleportation circles were drawn everywhere on this hard floor. If this was how it was supposed to be for the entire castle, the owner didn’t have to be a wizard to teleport to a different location.
Abel tried to guess the reason for doing this, “They think I’m not a wizard and have no ways of teleporting.”
The dwarves were extremely impressive. To draw so many circles in such a short amount of time must’ve cost an extraordinary amount. Most towers would have one circle on each floor, but this castle was beyond that. Anyone with a permit to access could teleport to any spot inside if they wished to.
Wizard Hutton turned around and made an inviting gesture, “Let’s talk in another place, Master Bennett.”
They then walked out of the underground floor and went to the ground floor, which consisted of one living room, two side rooms, one dining room, and four complete sets of ensuites. It was much bigger than what Abel had expected. The second floor was supposed to be where the master’s bedroom was. There was a study, a training room, and a balcony for looking at the Haden Mountain range. It was big enough to host a ball.
Abel stood on the third floor to look at everything. Apart from the main castle he was in. There were also two other side castles meant to project the main castle. There were walkways that connected all of them to form a complete body. In front of the castles was a meeting ground. It had a fountain and various plants as decorations. The style was elven, as multiple cla.s.sic eleven sculptures were carved all the way to the main path leading to the front door.
The outer layer of the castle was a 15-meter wall with large numbers of small-sized war puppets guarding their own positions. There were about 500 of them. Some of these puppets were operating on large-sized war machines with consecutive ballistas in their hands. If anyone was to make a direct a.s.sault on the fort, these puppets would be the first to defend.
Abel was amazed that the entire structure was made of gold. It was a hard thing to admit, but this really stood out too much.
Wizard Hutton laughed and spoke, “Do you see, Master Bennett? The castle is completely separate from the ground. If there is a portal item large enough to take it, you can just bring it home with you.”
Abel noticed, too. He scanned the area with his power of Will and realized that the bottom had circles drawn over it as well. If he was to get inside the castle from the underground, he would face the same outcome as attacking the walls directly. He had to make sure he was attacking the same parts as the defense. Also, if he was bringing the entire fort with him, he could do whatever he could to bring the items inside. The whole castle was an independent structure. The only problem was that it was too big.
In particular, he was most concerned with the outermost part of the castle. There was a large-size teleportation circle inside. It seemed like the entire construction work was done within the seclusion circle.
Abel bowed with sincerity, “The dwarves were looking after me with this.”
Knowing that the fort was made all of gold, Abel had more than just a thank you for the dwarves. However, actually, this wasn’t the most expensive thing. The hard jade on the ground, the numerous precious ingredients spent on the circles, the various kinds of art pieces, and more made this building so expensive. Combined with the hidden circles, the cost could literally bankrupt an entire empire.
Wizard Hutton said with a smile, “As long as you are satisfied, Master Bennett.”
For this golden structure Abel built, the dwarves went to great lengths to not make the appearance too flashy. That was why they used hard jade to build a floor and purchased a bunch of elven art pieces to create a visual balance. They ended up with a simple, extravagant outlook but a building that was unique to the elves. All the furniture and items had their own origins.
This time, Abel didn’t bring any of his professional elven butlers. It would be too shocking of a thing if they were to realize that everything here belonged to the most prestigious among them.
Abel turned to Wizard Hutton and smiled, “The dwarves have done too much for me this time. Please, just be open about what you need this time.”
It was understandable that the dwarves would do everything they could to treat someone who was a potion master, forger, and a great diplomat to their kind. Still, what they did for this building clearly outweighed what he expected of the arrangements they’ve had.
Wizard Hutton was very direct, “I’ll be honest with you, Master Bennett. I’ve heard that you have a way to prolong the life of a law-defying wizard that is in a vegetated state.”
“Oh that!” Abel laughed, “You’ve got some great informants on your side.”
Wizard Hutton’s eyes flashed, “It’s true, then?”
The dwarves received the news, but they couldn’t really confirm it. They could guess that it had something to do with Master Bennett, which was why they were so invested in this golden castle.
Abel was very quick to say, “We’re friends, so how about 15 s.p.a.ces?”
Wizard Hutton was about to low-ball, but he quickly changed his mind, “Oh… How about, well, a bit more than that? We are willing to pay more if you are up for the offer.”
Abel understood the importance of having a strong ally, “How many in total do you have in a vegetated state? You can just tell me that.”
Wizard Hutton didn’t think twice, “Thirty one.”
The number was deeply ingrained into his mind. He could remember all their names and their pasts. Some of them were his seniors. Needless to say, knowing that they could come back made him feel very happy.
Abel nodded his head and responded, “Bring them over in a few days. Remember to keep things a secret.”
After opening his own herb garden in Blood Moor, Abel had been much more generous with the raw materials he wanted to use. He had an advanced elf to take care of the herbs, and because of the time difference between the dark world and this world, the production rate had far exceeded the rate that he was doing his own brewing.
Wizard Hutton gave Abel a sincere bow, “I thank you on behalf of the dwarves.”
Abel made sure to notify the Potionmaster’s Guild and the Elven Royal Palace. After that, he brought his three followers, Butler Meyer, Luka, and most of the half-elf servants, to move into this castle. The original residence was left with just a few servants who’re in charge of regular cleaning. He also brought with him the research spirit, battle fort, and the battle fort that turned into the steel fort. Even Jean took over the original mission and became the spirit in charge.
The Haden Mountain Range was Abel’s original domain. He was supposed to have absolute authority over it. Since it was the home of the purple world tree, other elves had been strictly forbidden from making entry. Under the disguise of the seclusion circle, the golden castle became something that was not for the regular person to discover. It was his safe haven, and if anyone was to make a visit to him here, they needed access to the teleportation circle with his permission.
When his three followers, Butler Meyer and the elves, saw the golden castle, they quickly shut their mouths. Everything about this castle exceeded their understanding. It was a castle made of gold. Even if all the coins on the central continent were to be smelt into one place, it would still not be enough for what was built here. If the castle appeared in the outside world, they were even sure that it was going to make the gold-based economy collapse immediately. That was just how much of it there was.
And everyone soon made their own discovery. Three followers found out that circles were drawn everywhere inside. In the process of drawing the runes, a lot of ingredients were invested to reach the final outcome that they were seeing. Butler Meyer was looking at everything inside the castle. His eyes were fixed from one art piece to the next. He would turn his head to the half-elves from time to time to tell them to take care of these. Everything here was exquisite in their own terms. He even saw some legendary items. There were pieces with countless stories drawn on them. After granting permission to his three followers and Butler Meyer, they then understood just the real value of this castle.
Druid Joseph spoke emotionally, “I’ve never seen something as outlandish as this, Master Bennett! Not in the thousand years that I lived!”
He had never seen so many short-distance teleportation circles in any building. He had his own room, public room, meeting ground, and walls. All he needed was for his power of the Will to call for the spirit. He also realized that he was no longer a great druid.
Druid Poly seemed to realize the training rooms for each follower were different. She could see that there was even a special circle for gathering nature energy. The three followers didn’t know what to think when they saw this. This was something that belonged to the elven royal family, but now they were getting a personal one for themselves. They couldn’t believe how many resources their master had compared to all the druids living on the continent.
Anyways, because of how the wizards were living in this world, countless circle masters had conducted studies on mana-gathering circles and overcame countless challenges to make the circle what it was today. It wouldn’t be so hard in places where the ingredients originated from, but druids themselves had to be very careful with their own share.