“How can you prove these items are yours?”
It’s an intriguing question!
William gazed at Nelson with a playful smirk and retorted, “Do I need to prove anything to you?”
Forget the fact that these items originally belonged to him. According to the old Soulmancer rules, possession was determined by who had the greater power.
Clearly, William had the upper hand.
Nelson gritted his teeth, a flicker of indecision in his eyes, and pushed, “Are you truly the owner of this cave?”
William, without responding, approached Mj?lnir and with a wave of his hand, stored it into his personal pocket dimension.
Unable to contain his curiosity, Nelson blurted, “Was that Mj?lnir?”
“Yes,” William replied, no longer seeing the need to hide his capabilities in front of another Soulmancer like Nelson. “Hanging on the wall were Zeus’s ‘Thunder Sword,’ Apollo’s ‘Sun Sword,’ Athena’s ‘Sword of Wisdom,’ and Ares’s ‘War Sword’. Over there is Odin’s ‘Spear of War’.”
Nelson gulped audibly. Being a member of the Arcane Society, he was fully aware of the significance of these magical artifacts.
Walking over to these items, William effortlessly collected them all, leaving Nelson in disbelief.
If these magical artifacts were genuine, how could William just casually take them all?
“Take this man with you,” William motioned to the unconscious individuals, “I’d rather no one knows I took these items.” And with that, he turned to leave.
“Sir! With you taking everything, how am I to explain this?” Nelson called after him.
William, apparently unconcerned about Nelson’s predicament, responded, “That’s for you to figure out.”
The cave echoed with this dismissive remark as Nelson stared at its emptiness, and the unconscious figures on the ground. Feeling lost.
The raised voices had attracted others outside. When they arrived, they were met with the unsettling sight of Nelson, the only conscious figure amidst the chaos.
“If I told you I didn’t take anything from this cave, would you believe me?”
Everyone stared at him incredulously. Did he take them for fools?
A bespectacled archaeologist adjusted his glasses and sternly said, “Nelson, I invited you here not to plunder our findings. Hand over everything. While I don’t know where you’ve hidden them, if you don’t give a satisfactory explanation today, you won’t be leaving.”
A chill ran down Nelson’s spine. He, a renowned senior Soulmancer with significant standing in the community, was now being treated as a common thief. 𝒃𝙚𝙤𝙫𝒆𝒍．𝙘𝒐𝙢
Bound by William’s final words, he dared not reveal any information about him. With only ordinary individuals before him, it wasn’t in his nature to resort to violence against them.
“All I can say is, I didn’t take them,” he said, grabbing Walker from the ground and disappearing like a wisp into the shadows.
Given his status, if he decided to leave, no one could stop him.
The archaeological team could only watch as he vanished, akin to a phantom.
“Nelson! If you dare return to Ravenwood, we’ll tear down your arcane tower!” one of the professors shouted in exasperation. They were aware of Soulmancers, but this behavior was unacceptable. He had invited Nelson to inspect the cave’s treasures, and now everything was gone!
Hearing the enraged voice trailing behind him, Nelson felt a surge of anger, nearly overwhelming him.
The blame was now firmly attached to him, a stain he couldn’t wash away.
“Kid! Wake up!” Nelson’s temper was usually pretty mild, but now, with his frustrations having no outlet, he stopped halfway up the mountain and slapped Walker awake, who had fainted earlier.
Walker groggily came to, gazed at Nelson, hesitated, and then said, “Sir, everything before was a misunderstanding. I sincerely apologize for any offense!”
“Forget it! Where do you live? I’ll be staying with you for a while.” Nelson didn’t want to return to Ravenwood right now; instead, he wanted to locate William.
If William truly was the owner of that cave, he must be someone exceptional. Today, in a way, Nelson had covered for William, helping him evade responsibility. It seemed William now owed him a favor.
If he had the chance to learn from such a powerful individual as William, perhaps he could significantly advance his own abilities.
In just a few days, Nelson had encountered William twice. Such a coincidence was not something Nelson wanted to miss out on. He decided he’d be spending the next few decades in New York.
“I’m currently living on the goodwill of others, but if you just need a place to stay, that’s certainly possible. Why don’t you come to where I work first, and tomorrow, I’ll rent a room for you?” Walker pondered and then continued, “Given who you are, I can also talk to a friend of mine. If you don’t mind, you can stay at her house. Her family would treat you as an honored guest.”
“Forget it, let’s just stay where you work for now. No need to trouble anyone else.” All Nelson wanted was a quiet place to stay temporarily. Anything else could wait.
Alice had given a set of keys to her bookstore to Walker. Leading Nelson, Walker headed directly to the ‘Cozy Book Haven’.
“There’s a bed upstairs if you want to sleep there.” Walker had never been to the second floor, but Alice had mentioned there were sleeping accommodations.
“No need, I’ll just sit here for a bit.” With that, Nelson sat down on the floor.
It had been over two hundred years, and Nelson had lived long enough. As a high-level Soulmancer, besides the president of the Arcane Society, he hadn’t met anyone with superior abilities. Yet, after coming to New York recently and encountering William, he realized that William was on an entirely different level.
After today’s events, Nelson’s emotions were in turmoil. He needed some time to reflect. If he met William again, what should he say?
Moreover, what level of Soulmancer was William?
And the recent spiritual guidance of the legendary wizard Merlin, what was that about?
If even Merlin’s level paled in comparison to William’s, then just how powerful was William?
Nelson had to contemplate this. Today, William had put him in a tight spot. If they met again someday, how should he approach him?