Inside the treasure vault, filled with countless riches, the Clown patiently explained matters concerning the Sky Elf, while Bai En internally organized and summarized the key points of his narration.
The lengthy explanation ultimately boiled down to three main points:
① The Sky Elf, like Heavenly Canon when fully charged with magic, can serve as a mobile, external source of magic power.
To put it another way... if Bai En were a 6000mA variable-capacity phone, he now had two interchangeable high-capacity batteries: one initially fully charged battery, the "Sky Elf," and another "Heavenly Canon" battery that charges while in use.
Tsk tsk... He instantly transformed from an individual in poverty to the owner of a luxurious package.
It was almost too good to be true.
② The Sky Elf, like the four elemental spirits, can enhance the magic power of its contracted Mage, further amplifying the magical phenomena produced.
For example: the range of Bai En's Magic Conversion is a circular area with a 5m radius; any magic entering this range will be converted into magic power for Heavenly Canon to absorb.
If used in conjunction with the Sky Elf, the radius of the Magic Conversion's coverage would roughly increase to 8m or even 10m.
Of course, this is not absolute; according to the Clown, the Sky Elf has a certain growth period, and as it matures over time, it will become increasingly powerful once it reaches its complete form.
Both the amount of magic power it can provide and the enhancement to magic power will increase exponentially.
③ ...He needed to discover it himself.
In the history of the Clover Kingdom, Mages who formed contracts with fairies were exceedingly rare, and without precedents to refer to, he could only delve deep himself.
Bai En wondered if there would be any unique abilities, like the Tree Elf's foresight... Well, actually, his demands weren't many; being able to provide magic power and enhance magic power was already super great.
Very good~ So, the first step he needed to take was to nurture the Sky Elf, to achieve "assimilation" like Yuno and the Wind Spirit, transforming his 6000mA storage capacity into 15000mA during battle.
But before that, shouldn't he give her a name?
Calling her "Fairy" or "Sky Elf" all day felt a bit awkward.
Xiao Bai?
Xiao You?
Forget it, Bai En still had a headache when it came to naming things.
Perhaps he should ask everyone when he returned to the Aqua Deer Squad?
He suddenly thought of that doting father, Senior Jackey; that guy should be quite good at naming little girls, right?
"Alright, that's about it." The Clown concluded, asking, "Is there anything else you need to ask?"
Bai En shook his head.
After more than ten minutes of detailed explanation, he had a pretty good understanding, but seeing the other party's lingering expression, it seemed he still wanted to talk more?
Was this guy actually a chatterbox? He really hadn't noticed.
His gaze fell on the Clown; extremely fine dust was rising from his shoulders, and where the dust scattered, the previously solid areas became hazy and hollow...
The Clown looked at the shaking head of Bai En, stopped speaking, and lightly waved his small hand.
The surrounding scenery instantly changed; the piles of gold and jewels vanished from sight, replaced by a dark gray circular platform, and Fragil and the other two stood not far away.
They had returned to the Magic Palace.
"You said before that you were the leader of the Winged Vultures, Kavia Silva." Bai En gazed at the Clown, thinking, 'The speed of his body dissipating has increased... Is it due to casting magic?'
'No wonder he suddenly changed the dice-grabbing game...'
The Clown was slightly stunned until he noticed his hand dissipating into fine dust at a visible speed, then he suddenly understood, maintaining a calm smile on his face, which was a mix of red and white ink.
Although he was dressed as a clown, his smile didn't appear frightening; instead, it resembled a moon lotus blooming in the wilderness, giving people a sense of peace and beauty.
"That shouldn't be your real name, should it?"
Bai En continued to ask, "Perhaps I should call you Milton Silvester Ting... or even the Second Wizard King?"
"You guess?"
The Clown did not give Bai En a clear answer; instead, like a mischievous child, he returned the question's answer to Bai En himself.
"Crack—"
Within the vast Magic Palace, deep cracks suddenly appeared on all the surrounding walls, followed by dense networks of smaller cracks, and the Magic Palace began to sway precariously.
"Thud—"
The high ceiling began to drop stones, giant rocks crashing down with a dull hum, and the dark gray circular platform began to shake violently amidst the mighty commotion, as if it would completely split apart at any moment.
"This place is about to collapse; you should leave." The Clown's smile faded, and he said to Bai En in a calm voice.
From afar, Fragil's shouts also rang out, "Mr. Bai En, Mr. Bai En!"
"The Magic Palace is collapsing, we need to evacuate quickly!"
Huge rocks mixed with falling debris from the building plummeted like meteorites, several dull rumbling sounds echoed in their ears, and dust billowed up.
Bai En prepared to turn and leave, but then stopped after a thought.
"My name is Bai En Lancaster."
Having said that, he quickly turned, and a nearly transparent world unfolded before his eyes; magic power surged, and he leaped like an eagle, jumping onto the falling stones.
After several such leaps, he left the gray circular platform and reunited with Fragil and the other two.
The four swiftly fled through the passages that had not yet collapsed.
Bai En looked back at the sky full of falling stones behind him and the motionless Clown standing on the cracking platform, his figure dissipating within the Magic Palace...
"Bai En Lancaster?"
"An interesting kid."
In the center of the collapsing Magic Palace, the Clown's figure completely dissipated into dust, and a ball of light appeared in its place after the dust cleared.
The golden figure was quite tall, nearly 2 meters in height, and appeared to be a gentle middle-aged man.
A spinning dice floated beside him, and the falling boulders and buildings were mysteriously suspended in the air by an unknown force.
Gazing at the disappearing figures of Bai En and the other three, he murmured, "Well then~ I look forward to our next meeting."
The golden light scattered like particles, drifting in all directions, like a shimmering stream of starlight dissipating into the heavens and earth.
The spinning dice stopped rotating and fell to the ground, and the suspended rocks also lost their buoyancy, rapidly plummeting.
The entire Magic Palace completely collapsed.
Outside the Magic Palace, on a pile of boulders, four small black dots lay quietly on the stones, enjoying the long-awaited sunlight, feeling a sense of peace after the ordeal.
They were Bai En and the other three.
Magna wiped the sweat from his forehead with his hand, panting as he said, "We finally made it out! How come I didn't realize the path was so long when we went in earlier?"
"If I had known, I wouldn't have left my Red Zero Disaster Dispeller outside; it's exhausted me!"