Watching Mr. Troka hopping and trying to catch the feather, at least half of the archmages present laughed out loud. The other half, who didn't laugh, gathered around the feather, busy conducting various checks:
"Residual soul fragments... none. Residual emotional echoes... none."
Regarding the magical pet of the younger generation, Archmage Haines took the lead. With each gesture he made, magical fluctuations enveloped the feather. At the same time, his eyes glowed as he scanned it from top to bottom carefully:
"No problems. Absorb it without worry; you won't be swallowed by anything inside."
Standing on the other side, Archmage Byerbo, with his eyes half-open and half-closed, also focused his attention on the feather. He glanced at the feather, then at Mr. Troka, then back at the feather, and finally at the black cat:
"The nature of the power conflicts a bit, so be careful when absorbing it. However, the power inside is strong enough. If absorbed safely, it should be sufficient to compensate for his losses."
"Meow..."
Mr. Troka turned his head, pressing all four paws to the ground, nodded at Archmage Byerbo, and lowered his chin to the ground. He then turned back and continued to pounce on the feather with full concentration.
"Not only can it make up for the loss, but it might also help him advance." Archmage Vicks from the Alchemy School stared intently at the feather, his envy palpable.
If it weren't for saving face and not wanting to snatch something meant for a younger generation's pet, he would have reached out to grab that feather, examining it under magnifying glasses and microscopes, soaking it in various potions, and weighing it...
Even though he couldn't touch it, his expert judgment of unfamiliar materials remained unaffected. His eyes narrowed as he watched the feather, now under the black cat's claws and being bitten vigorously. Reflections of the golden feather glimmered in his pupils:
"The essence level of this feather is extremely high. If its essence is fully digested, this little guy has the potential to advance beyond level 15. But it must be slow... it must be taken slowly, don't rush..."
"Can it be absorbed now?" Garrett stroked the cat's head, asking on behalf of Lynn. The archmages exchanged glances, and finally, Archmage Mansfield from the Conjuration School stepped forward to answer:
"Yes. Start by absorbing a little bit here; it will be safer with us watching."
As he spoke, Mr. Troka had already managed to tear off a small piece of the feather, chewing it vigorously. Then, he leaped into Lynn's arms, curling up into a ball and remaining motionless.
Garrett secretly activated the Detection Spell, closely observing the black cat. He saw a blazing golden light traveling down the black cat's throat, through the esophagus and chest, finally settling in its abdomen. It paused, spun around, and then radiated brightly—
Gradually, the nodes and lines that had been seen last time on Mr. Troka's body began to light up one by one, strand by strand.
The golden light was constrained by the lines, unable to shoot out beyond a certain range, only able to emit a hazy glow outside the array of lines.
The surrounding lines and nodes, like embankments filled with the river's golden water, brightened from a 5-watt incandescent bulb to a 10-watt, and then to a 15-watt bulb...
"Did you see that?" Archmage Byerbo suddenly asked. Seeing Garrett nod, he pointed at the nodes and said:
"Once these damaged nodes are fully repaired, they can extend outwards to repair the missing nodes. Once fully repaired, this black cat should return to its original state and might even advance further."
Garrett let out a sigh of relief, his face finally breaking into a genuine smile. Thank goodness, this trip to the New World had finally achieved its original goals. Lynn was rescued, and Mr. Troka would soon be fine as well—
He reached out and stroked the black cat's smooth fur, then put the feather back in the box and handed it to Lynn. Watching him store the box in his space bag, he couldn't help but remind him cautiously:
"Let him eat it slowly, don't rush. The nature of the power is different; eating too much could cause it to explode—"
"I know." Lynn's face also spread into a smile, scratching Mr. Troka's chin:
"I'll use the feather to tease him. If he catches it, he can bite a bit off; if he misses, he won't get to eat it. Judging by his current state, he probably hasn't digested what he ate last time, so he might not have the strength to catch it..."
So, the feather really turned into a cat teaser?
Garrett was momentarily speechless. Archmage Byerbo glanced at them silently, then turned to the Golden Eagle Warrior who had come to deliver the gift, nodding deeply:
"Thank you for the gift. Since Mr. Troka can recover, this matter is concluded. Next, after settling the payment, we will be leaving."
The face of the Golden Eagle Warrior delivering the gift froze. The face of the attendant of Tlatoani was also covered with a layer of black mist. Garrett didn't need to cast the Mind Reading Spell to read their thoughts from their faces:
"Help!"
"There's not enough gold!"
"Where can we find so much gold?"
However, obviously, such words couldn't be spoken. First, they had already agreed to the terms and couldn't go back on their word; second, the power of the mages was blatantly evident.
The oracles given by the Eagle God and the Serpent God, after fighting alongside the mages, were clear:
Satisfy them!
Satisfy them as much as possible!
Make the warriors, the nobles, the priests, give up all their gold! According to the previous agreement, every mage and warrior visiting would have a life-sized gold statue cast for each Golden Eagle Warrior they defeated!
"We are collecting gold and summoning the best artisans in the country..." The attendant of Tlatoani bowed his head and replied respectfully:
"After all, casting gold statues takes time... When the artisans are gathered and ready to make the molds, we will invite you again..."
Do they use the casting of gold statues to stall for time?
Or should they start negotiations directly?
The archmages discussed in the Mind Link for a moment and decided it would be better to speed things up—such a large war machine as the airship couldn't stay a thousand miles away for too long.
The sooner the talks were finished and the main force returned, leaving a mage to handle local affairs gradually, the better...
Having made the decision, Archmage Byerbo didn't say a word, just gave Garrett a look. Garrett casually said:
"Ah, no need for the artisans. After all, a life-sized gold statue is just a gold statue of equivalent volume."
He casually sketched a light and shadow image:
"Dig a pool, fill it with water, I'll walk in, submerge myself, let the excess water flow out—then pour gold into it until the water level is even with the edge of the pool. Isn't that sufficient?"
As for the gold, whether it contained too much silver or if the gold objects were hollow, these could be supervised when they were thrown in. For now, speeding things up was more important...
The opinion of the Plague Lord must be respected. Early the next morning, in the square between the two pyramids, rocks softened, deformed, and sank down. In full view of everyone, a square stone pool stood before them.
The water summoned by the Water Creation Spell gushed down, filling the pool. Garrett slowly walked down the steps inside the pool, stood at the bottom, and then walked up the other side. He waved away the water on his clothes and pointed to the pool:
"Now, throw in the gold."
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