Chapter 1774 - 333: Starfall IV_2

What is this saying, 'a feeling in the heart'?

Aleph looked at the other person and couldn't help but say, "If Ade has encountered some trouble, you can fully tell me. You have just helped me greatly, and according to the ways of the Sand Sea, I should repay your kindness."

Fang Hong gave a bitter smile, "I said, it was just an assignment."

He didn't actually want to nod, but otherwise, what should he say? Ask the other person to take him into the Royal Palace, to meet the Grand Princess?

Thinking about it, it was clearly unreliable.

Seeing his unwillingness to speak, Aleph thought for a moment and did not press further, instead discussing matters related to the Magic Guided Reactor they had spoken of previously.

"Ade, after my teacher returned from Kaga, upon hearing that you repaired the Tower-Style Magic Conductor Furnace, especially noting how young you are, has always wanted to meet you."

"He is one of the few masters of the Magic Guided Construct School in Istania and rarely advises outsiders. Meeting him would be beneficial to you."

Hearing about the Magic Guided Construct, Fang Hong grew a bit curious. He had indeed encountered some minor problems in the practical application of the Sea Monster configuration, but after all, he was no longer in Tansnier and Lady Aierna was not constantly available to instruct him on how to use the Magic Guided Constructs. Besides, the 'Stellar Network' skill provided by Delan also contained a lot of knowledge related to Magic Guided Constructs.

However, that was a secondary matter. The main reason was that his current investigation had reached a dead end; with no other options, this was the only path he could take.

Before him was a member of the Royal Household, someone who could enter the Royal Palace of Istania at any time. If he did not seize this opportunity, what else could he do? Since the other person hoped he would meet this Master Berlede, there was no harm in doing so. He had encountered many capable artisan masters in the Artisan Association, but had truly not had much contact with noble alchemists.

Seeing him nod, Aleph couldn't help but seem pleasantly surprised, hurriedly asking:

"So, shall we depart now?"

Fang Hong noticed that the other seemed to genuinely value this meeting, and was a bit surprised, then nodded again.

...

After stepping out of the tavern, two Desert Knights stayed behind, negotiating with the owner about something and did not immediately follow.

Fang Hong glanced back, then suddenly asked, "Does Aleph know Princess Afeifa?"

The young man turned his head, looking at him somewhat surprised, "Of course, she's my half-sister. Why, does Ade know Afeifa?" As he spoke, a gentle expression involuntarily appeared on his face. "I'm on good terms with Afeifa, but of course, it doesn't compare to her relationship with her sister."

Seeing the gentle look on Aleph's face, a flicker of surprise passed through Fang Hong's mind. He inquired about Afeifa, of course, to ask about the Grand Princess, but directly asking about the Grand Princess might be too abrupt, leading the other to suddenly associate it with recent affairs. Unexpectedly, the effect was surprisingly good; the other proactively mentioned Princess Rupert.

However, judging from Aleph's demeanor, it seemed as though he was unaware of matters concerning the Grand Princess.

If the Grand Princess were under house arrest, how could he mention the sisters with such an expression?

Yet Aleph continued, "In fact, today's matters are somewhat related to this."

Fang Hong was slightly taken aback. "How so?"

"You might not know, Ade, the Magic Guided Reactor you repaired is the gift that Afeifa and I were preparing for my father," Aleph said with a somewhat embarrassed smile. "It's about to be my father's fifty-fifth birthday; for the Desert People, it's a special day, as the first King of Sand founded Istania at that age."

"Afeifa prepared for that gift for a long time, but I carelessly broke it, and Master Berlede didn't return in time. If it weren't for Ade, I would have been doomed. So, when I say you did me a big favor, it's no joke."

Fang Hong vaguely felt that Aleph hadn't entirely spoken the truth, such as how Afeifa's prepared gift ended up in his hands. But he wasn't too concerned about these minor details. However, hearing about the King of Sand's birthday, he felt a slight stir in his heart, wanting to ask something, but seeing the two knights approaching, he thought better of it and refrained from speaking.

He simply kept this matter in mind.

Although Master Berlede was a Court Alchemist, he did not reside entirely in the Royal Palace; in fact, Colin's Court Alchemists also did not live in the Royal Palace. Colin's Court Alchemists were even further along; they were directly affiliated with the Artisan Association, with some originally dispatched by the Artisan Association.

This master's residence wasn't far from their current location, just diagonally across from the Adventurers' Guild, explaining why the Prince ran to the Adventurers' Guild to find people originally; it seemed the master would take up positions at the Adventurers' Guild when he had free time.

Though the distance was short, Fang Hong still found an opportunity to subtly inquire about recent court affairs.

To his surprise, whether this young prince truly didn't know or was just feigning ignorance, he asked for quite a while and still couldn't get substantial information.

With just a few words, the two had arrived at their destination.

It was a place that itself was an Alchemy Workshop, but it was normal for alchemists to transform their residences into workshops. Fang Hong wasn't all that surprised. There were guards at the entrance of the workshop, but they clearly recognized Aleph, allowing them to pass without even a glance.