Chapter 251 - The Final Reward (2/2)
”Uh…” In response, the Grand Blue Master let out an awkward chuckle as he responded, ”Let me tell you what happened before I told you that your break was over.”
”Just as your three-hour break started, I went ahead and contacted your teacher, the Undying Flame Spirit,” he started to narrate the happenings from a couple of hours ago.
”I then went ahead and talked with her about what happened in the third trial,” he said before adding, ”Did you know that she was ecstatic to hear that you had cleared the third trial without a problem?”
As he listened to this, Argentum could not help but think, 'Eh? We have a spirit contract binding the two of us, so she could just go ahead and ask me directly about it. Why did she go all through that just to hear about my progress?'
'Unless she's just making sure that our relationship as co-owners of the Flame Spirit Inheritance is not known by the Grand Blue Master?' Coming to this conclusion, Argentum could not help but laugh inwardly. Then again, after thinking about it for a bit, he thought that Eleanor's decision did make sense since he did not know if the Grand Blue Master could intercept their conversation.
”Anyways, I then asked her regarding the reward you'd get from clearing the third trial that I purposely made more difficult for you,” the Grand Blue Master continued with his narration. ”I gave her two choices. The choices were to either give you your reward right now or let you go through a fourth trial, but the quality of your reward would be enhanced.”
Argentum pondered over the Grand Blue Master's words for a bit, remembering that he was taking on the facade of Eleanor's student. Just as the Grand Blue Master was about to continue, he interrupted him by asking, ”So…what did my teacher choose?”
In response, the Grand Blue Master let out a short chortle as he replied with just one word.
”Neither.”
”Neither?” Argentum repeated the Grand Blue Master's words with a confused tone.
”Her response to my question was neither of those two choices,” the Grand Blue Master started to explain Eleanor's answer. ”She told me that it was not up to her to choose between the two, but instead, it was your choice to do so.”
”She also told me that it was of your own volition to come to this inheritance,” the Grand Blue Master added. ”Is that true?”
Deciding that there was no use hiding this information, Argentum nodded as he replied, ”That would be correct, Grand Blue Master. Before becoming Teacher's student, I've decided to learn skills from the four foundational elements, knowing fully well that the goal I've set for myself would be a hard one for me to achieve.”
”I see,” the Grand Blue Master said in response, committing Argentum's answer into his mind. He thought that it was weird for a Wind-based Pseudo-Animate to learn skills from all of the foundational elements. He knew that there was a reason for it, but he could not seem to remember what it was.
”Anyways, with her telling me that you should be the one to choose, which choice are you going to pick?” he asked Argentum not long after. ”Are you going to grab your reward right now, or are you willing to trudge through a fourth trial, but the quality of your reward shall be increased?”
”Hmm…” Argentum pondered over the two choices for quite some time. From his perspective, the first reward would allow him to leave the inheritance early, which in turn would allow him to arrive at Verdant Breeze Town earlier than his expected time through the help of Blob. Then again, he remembered that there was still over three weeks until his original body would be finished evolving, allowing him to take his sweet time and continue onward with the fourth trial.
'Now that I think about it, the fourth trial would also be a trial for the sake of keeping up formalities,' Argentum thought to himself while pondering. 'He has already seen everything that I could do, so would there be any point in letting me undergo through what seems to be a fruitless trial?'
'Not only that, but I also have a feeling that I've already obtained the most precious reward from the inheritance. If my guess is correct, then that skill should be the most precious reward,' Argentum continued to mull over the two choices. Eventually, he came to a conclusion. With the conclusion in mind, he unhesitatingly focused his vision on the Grand Blue Master as he said, ”I choose the first choice.”
”Haah…thank the heavens,” the Grand Blue Master said as he let out a sigh of relief, which caught Argentum a bit off-guard. Seeing that Argentum was looking at him with an aura of confusion, he went ahead and explained his response, saying, ”To be honest, my mind is devoid of ideas for your next trial, so you'd have to take another break for you to undergo through your fourth trial.”
”Not only that, but you've also taken the most precious reward from this inheritance already,” he continued to explain. ”The [Azure Wave Art] is a skill I've created and perfected throughout my 26,000 years of living. Of course, I've only given you the most basic version of the skill. Once your understanding of it reaches the peak, I'm sure that you'll come back here and ask if the skill becomes more powerful than that.”
”As expected,” Argentum muttered to himself softly, letting out an inward chuckle as he found out that his thoughts were correct.
”In other words, I have no reward left that's more precious than the [Azure Wave Art],” the Grand Master said after that. ”Instead, I've decided that your reward shall be any single item from this inheritance. As long as it's inside my inheritance, I'll give it to you without hesitation.”
Hearing those words, a thought instantly surfaced in his mind as his memories of what happened in the Flame Spirit Inheritance surfaced as well. Although he had a feeling that it wouldn't be easy to obtain it from the Grand Blue Master, the improvement it would give him would surely be a lot.
Taking in a deep breath, Argentum told the Grand Blue Master, ”I've decided on what I want as my reward.”
”Oh?” The Grand Blue Master was slightly surprised that Argentum had already made his decision. ”What reward would you like from the inheritance?”
”I would like…” Argentum opened his mouth to reply to the Grand Blue Master's question.
”…to become a partial owner of the Grand Blue Inheritance.”
”…”
”…”
”…huh?”