"Hmmm? You have another one?" The elf raised his brow, ready to throw this one also on Liam's face, but when he had a chance to take a closer look at the crystal, his expression drastically changed.
He hurriedly grabbed the crystal from Liam's hand and examined it from all angles. He then sent a sliver of his mana into the crystal and tested it.
"Unbelievable! How the hell did you even get your hands on something like this?" The old elf was visibly shocked.
"I… its a long story." Liam laughed awkwardly as he thought about whether or not he should tell the elf about the stone tablet.
While this crystal was perhaps some sort of treasure, he knew for a fact that the stone tablet was an even bigger treasure. This was why the tower master was tempted to plot an elaborate scheme to trap him.
This elf probably would not do something like that, but Liam did not want to take any chances. He didn't want to tempt fate by revealing all his cards. "What is this, Master?" He cautiously asked.
Thankfully, the elf didn't dwell on the matter. He stared at Liam for a few seconds and then sighed loudly. "Something that you should not have."
"Listen, brat. This thing could be very useful to you, and I am not talking about just inside the game. There is an artifact attached to this crystal, a spatial artifact that has an unfathomable depth."
"It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call this crystal one of the top-tier treasures that you could have obtained from this game. In fact, you are not supposed to have this in the first place. If the news that you possess this spreads, then there will be grave danger to your life."
"So I suggest that you don't take out this crystal until the very last minute. Do you know which last minute I am talking about?"
"When the tutorial ends?" Liam narrowed his eyes as he probed the elf further with this remark.
The elf also glanced back at him sternly, but he neither confirmed this nor denied it. He pretended as if he did not hear it and continued, which essentially told Liam what he wanted to know.
"Bind it in the last minute and then they won't be able to stop you. It will be difficult because only someone who has awakened can bind with this crystal, but on the off chance that you actually manage to do it, then everything inside can be yours outside too."
Liam's eyes widened in shock. Something like that was actually possible?
"Yes. I am not lying. It is a spatial artifact that permanently binds to you once activated. It will be attached to your soul, so you can summon it and dismiss it as per your will. And by doing so, you will be able to access everything inside this too."
Spatial artifact… summoning and dismissing… Liam's mind spun quickly as he connected the obvious dots. Considering where he had retrieved this crystal… could it be?
"Master, could this be a tower?"
"Hmmm? Yes, yes. It could be a tower, a mansion, a palace, anything. That doesn't matter. What matters is that you can store things inside this artifact and keep it with you at all time."
Liam nodded. There was no need to spell everything out for him. He already knew what he was going to do. However, it won't be that easy. He still had to…
"I suggest you forget about this crystal for now. The road ahead of you is paved with difficulties, so focus only on your awakening." The elf warned him about the same thing he was thinking about.
"I will succeed, Master." Liam bowed again.
The elf stared at him for a moment, myriad emotions swirling through his eyes, but the next second he went back to his cold demeanour.
"Go. Get lost. Don't loiter around my residence and crowd the space."
"I will do that, Master." Liam bitterly smiled. "I just have one more question for you. Is it possible for a person to be trapped in this crystal?" He explained a little about what happened to Derek.
However, in the end, the elf shook his head. "Hmmm? I don't think so. It is impossible for a person to be inside an unbound crystal. Even after you bind the crystal, it depends on what type of spatial artifact this is. Chances are low."
Liam nodded in deep thought. He already had a feeling about where Derek might be, so this just confirmed his doubts. "Master, do you think there is a world for weapon spirits?"
"Hmmm?"
"Where the really strong weapon spirits might be born? Just like the spirit beasts?"
The elf once again became puzzled as he looked at Liam, but he immediately responded. "Brat… stop asking about things that are beyond your control. You don't have time now to worry about others. Worry about yourself. Else you will be erased."
He did not give any space for Liam to ask about anything more as he scoffed and started walking away.
At this point, Liam could only turn back and walk away. His instructions were to get lost, and he knew exactly what he needed to do at the moment.
As he took the portal out of the royal residence and returned to the elven common market, the old elf silently observed all of his movements from a distance.
Coincidentally, he also knew where Liam was headed to next.
"I can smell that old witch on you, brat. This will be a test for you. A big test. I hope you can survive."
The elf still looked a little conflicted about not warning Liam, but it had to be done.
If he was not capable of surviving this small catastrophe, then there was no way he would be able to face things in the future.
"Survive and come back. I want to see you succeed."
As Liam stepped out of the elven territory into the Forest of Echoes, the old elf also silently retreated back into his palace.
