Chapter 239

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Chapter 239: Tea and Honey Wine

Sitting in the Alchemy Room brewing tea, watching the boiling kettle, Jesse’s mind was filled with memories of the recent magic mishap.

His hands were still trembling slightly from his excessive excitement earlier.

What puzzled him was that he had clearly recited an Arcane spell, so why did it ignite the Shadowflame?

How could the Shadow obey an Arcane spell’s command?

Unless these Shadow powers were not following the spell’s guidance, but acting on their own will spontaneously.

This reminded him of that night at Stonewatch Keep, where the Shadowflame suddenly grew stronger, eventually burning the entire sword.

If this was true, according to the game’s terms, it wouldn’t be a spell but a "ability."

Priests at the Cathedral of Light also mentioned that negative emotions can trigger and lead to dark powers.

But he only wanted to successfully cast a mysterious magic spell, is that considered negative emotion?

However, being restless, excited, and extremely emotional, extreme emotions are the nourishment for the growing darkness. Perhaps these dark powers, combined with a little bit of magical energy summoned with great effort, created a deep red explosion, ultimately turning into a kind of low-quality Shadow Flame.

It seems that every time he could unleash astonishing power from the shadows, it always came along with the most extreme emotions… Whether facing black dragons or battling Teron Gorefiend.

Even using Fear against Gakin’s Fear that night.

Is this related to the vitality he absorbed from black dragons? Or is he "naturally" like that, as Zardeth suggested? Or maybe both.

Because once he calmed down, he realized that his Scorch Curse was not cast successfully at all, even though he had made progress by being able to manipulate fire with his Arcane powers for the first time.

What truly caused harm was mostly due to the sudden surge of dark powers later on.

After learning the Scorch Curse, could it be possible to ignite a fire with it and then enhance it with shadows, making it stronger than the spell itself?

Just thinking about it sounds quite practical.

Can it be recreated?

The Shadow Power that appeared now was not triggered by him voluntarily due to his sudden emotional outburst.

Is there a way to trigger it stably by oneself? Deliberately make oneself lose control of emotions?

No…

Thinking, Jesse gazed at the flames at the bottom of the kettle and subconsciously reached out his right hand.

His consciousness slowly moved to the flickering flames…

Wait… He suddenly clenched his fingers.

Clatter, clatter, the sound of the kettle lid brought him back to reality from his wild thoughts. He rubbed his eyes and hesitated to even touch the utensils, afraid of unknown energy being mixed inside.

Jesse poured out the hot water, washed the kettle for a while, placed it back, swapped with another kettle, and boiled water again.

After making tea, he carefully sniffed it to make sure it didn’t smell strange, then carried the teapot out the door.

When Malin was drinking tea, he stood next to him and observed his skin, eyes, and so on carefully. He felt relieved when nothing unusual happened.

Daydreaming just now was really dangerous.

After taking care of the old mage and getting permission to leave the study, he looked at the tall sky outside and felt like he had narrowly escaped danger.

At that moment, Greed was already waiting for him in the garden.

The two of them arrived at The Blue Recluse. Jesse found a secluded corner to sit, and Greed quickly asked, looking around to make sure no one was there, "What did that female elf say?"

"I didn’t see her."

"Oh, did she go south?"

Greed scratched his head and said, "That’s troublesome. Jesse, you didn’t have any nightmares last night, did you?"

Jesse said, "That’s true, but I have to wait for her to come back… I have to stay with those things for a while, and it gives me a headache just thinking about it."

Greed said, "Honestly, I think that place full of corpses must have some kind of demonic energy. I had a pretty terrifying nightmare last night, darn it. I just can’t shake off the memories of those things inside from yesterday. I couldn’t eat anything, but I’m feeling a bit better this morning after waking up. I thought it would be nice to have a strong drink with you to relax. I need something stronger."

"Even though I didn’t have a nightmare, I still don’t feel good. I keep thinking about that tent and those bodies," Jesse said.

"Right? It’s just creepy. Do you still want a light beer?"

"I’ll have what you’re having."

Greed called the sommelier over and ordered two large glasses of honey wine. He took a deep breath and said, "I hope all of this ends soon."

Jesse looked at him and said, "I’m going east in a couple of days."

"Eastvale?"

"Probably Lakeshire."

"Do you need my help?"

"I’m just going to help the boss look at something, will be back in two days. Just reminding you, don’t come looking for me in a hurry when you need me."

"Be careful on the road by yourself."

"Haha, I’d be even more relaxed without you."

Greed glanced at him and drew a few circles on the table with his finger, saying, "I still don’t understand, how did that Death Knight die there?"

Jesse said, "From what I see, his body happened to be found by those Gnolls."

Greed asked, "Why did he do that? I mean, did he switch bodies or did he abandon his own body? Like Teron Gorefiend?"

Jesse said, "How would I know, but it sounds more believable than a Gnoll killing a Death Knight."

The dwarf pondered for a moment, asking, "Is this Death Knight really Gorefiend’s lieutenant?"

"I hope so," Jesse said. "Otherwise, it could mean there are more Death Knights in the kingdom, and Elwynn could become darker. By the way, I accidentally injured my teacher this morning while learning magic, it’s just…"

"Why did you hit him?" Greed asked. "Was he charging you too much for tuition?"

"No, I didn’t mean to…" Jesse said. "I was just learning a fire magic spell… He told me to aim it at him with a Barrier Magic spell to protect himself, but I accidentally used my Shadow Power and caught him off guard… I was also quite excited at that time. I need to take a closer look at what happened."

At that moment, the sommelier placed two glasses of wine on the table. The dwarf stared at her as she left and then muttered, "Shadow? Why hasn’t anyone caught you?"

"I told them I was injured by a black dragon, so there’s shadow power inside me. Someone can testify for me," Jesse said, taking a sip of wine. "As long as Vereesa is willing to help me write a statement, and the Magic Defense Department in Dalaran doesn’t go crazy on purpose, and Caro Duchamp doesn’t suddenly lose her memory, I should be able to get through this safely."

"I can also testify for you, Jesse," Greed patted his chest. "Does the former Gryphon Rider’s guarantee carry any weight?"

Jesse looked at him and said, "It means a lot to me, Greed. Thank you."

"It means a lot to you? Then it must not be very convincing to others!" Greed took a sip and said, "Looking down on me… Wait until I become a Mountain King, a legend in Khaz Modan. I won’t need any guarantees then. I’ll write a letter to your little king in the west to grant you a piece of land, so you can be a lord without having to buy a house."

"I’m looking forward to that day," Jesse raised his glass.

"Then you have been waiting." chuckled the dwarf. They clinked glasses and took big sips.

Greed wiped the alcohol off his beard and asked, "So, does this mean you can openly use your magic now?"

"What are you joking about…" Jesse whispered, "Having Shadow Power uncontrollable in my body is one thing, but learning all those messy tricks is another! Be careful, don’t go around blabbering."

"I know, I won’t say anything, after all, I’m also an accomplice." Greed said as he drank, "But, at least it’s a good start. Maybe you’ll restore the reputation of warlocks in the Alliance of Lordaeron in the future, as you are a kind warlock… A kind warlock, sounds even more far-fetched than an Orc scholar."

"Or an Ogre thief is even more outlandish." muttered Jesse.

"Let’s not talk about that far-off matter." Greed said, "When is Vereesa coming back, did she mention anything to you?"

"No." Jesse said, "I took her to my room that day, she didn’t say much and just left. She was in a hurry to sleep, and I didn’t want to disturb her. But she mentioned she was going to investigate in Darkshire. Considering the time we spent traveling back and forth from Raven Hill, going to Darkshire from Redridge is faster, but it’s not possible to make the round trip in a few days, especially since she also needs to investigate the Death Knight matter. It will probably take at least a week or two. I’ll check on her in a few days."

"Are you not going to charge her half a month’s rent?" Greed asked.

"It’s not my house." Jesse said, "And I still need her help. I need to borrow the reputation of her two sisters to intimidate those mages. Would it be wise to pester her for a few silver coins, considering the situation?"

"That’s true." Greed nodded and said, "You really snatch up elves without a second thought, never-ending greed."

"What else can we do?" Jesse said, "It’s not easy to catch one like this, it’d be a waste not to snatch it up properly. Besides, a promise won’t hurt her, I’m not a bad person…"

As he thought about it, he suddenly realized that the promise was also to ensure that the Shadow Power he received wouldn’t cause any harm or chaos.

If his secret as a warlock were exposed in the future, would it affect the person who vouched for him?

With this in mind, the situation suddenly didn’t seem so easy anymore.

"Alright, there are risks involved in vouching for me. If she’s unwilling, there’s not much I can say."

"What kind of risks?" Greed suddenly became anxious, "You fought for Southshore with all your might, protected those soldiers in Stonewatch Keep, and… you’ve contributed so much to these kingdoms. Why do those useless mages think it’s wrong for you to learn Black Magic? I just don’t understand. If some can use the Holy Light to kill, why can’t others use shadow to save? What kind of logic is this?"

Jesse looked at the anxious dwarf and sighed, "After all, they haven’t traveled with me like you for these past few months, Greed. Do you remember how you reacted when you first found out I could use Black Magic?"

Greed hesitated for a moment, then slowly nodded.

"We have to take it slow," said Jesse. "Changing their minds might be even harder than becoming a Mountain King, don’t you think?"

"Changing the opinions of a group of people sounds like a task beyond a mere mortal," Greed chuckled, raising his glass.

"But I will still help you, young Seso, as long as you do your part,".