Aesop, Ames, Austin, and Ringo met in a large golden hall, a long table was set where various delicacies from across the universe and from secondary dimensions were placed upon it.
Austin sat at one end, Ames sat directly at the other end of the incredibly long table, causing Ringo and Aesop to sit beside her.
Austin seemed to have anticipated this, with a wave of his hand, the table shrank rapidly, bringing them much closer together. Of course, most of the food disappeared with this, but there was still plenty left.
Ames simply picked up her glass of wine as if she didn't care about the event, and Aesop didn't even blink, old enough to have seen it all.
Ringo, on the other hand, was impressed, mages really are very versatile.
Ringo and Aesop had already eaten, so they barely touched their food, thankfully, neither Austin nor Ames seemed to mind.
After eating, the group quickly turned to the black sphere floating in front of Austin.
-Hmm... a magic padlock, a well-made one actually. Not many mages could open it.- Austin commented, growing more curious. Then his hands moved, several magic circles appearing around the black sphere, spinning at different speeds. It was the black sphere's matrix of magic seals, opening it required a specific code or... a sufficiently good decoding skill.
A Mage specializing in magical seals could take a long time trying to decipher the magical lock, but Austin, despite his "young age", had a very broad knowledge of magic, he loved researching and learning, and it was no coincidence that he had achieved Grade S so "early".
Of course, what was considered young for Austin was relative, even in a child's body, the little Mage was already hundreds of years old. He may even be older than Ames.
Austin seemed concentrated and focused, but it only took a few seconds for a faint clicking sound to be heard, the magic fading smoothly, cracking like a mirror, while the black sphere floated in front of Ringo, now open.
Austin had finished, he hadn't even asked for anything in return for doing this, which surprised Ringo, but he didn't think much of it, he picked up the black sphere and twisted it to open it, without fear of the trio there seeing what was inside.
-This black orb used a Six-Layer Almev Blocking Structure and had three sets of mixed magic embedded in it, a very advanced structure. Finding someone who could open it besides me wouldn't be easy, even among my mages there are few who can do it, and they would still have some trouble doing so.- Austin spoke easily, looking at the sphere with curiosity.
Inside, a small vacuum-sealed glass cabinet was fixed in the center of it, the orb wasn't a storage item, but simply had a shrinking spell applied to the items, which is why it could fit into such a small sphere.
As soon as Ringo removed the item, it rapidly expanded, returning to its normal size. It looked like another black glass sphere, only larger, with the black liquid inside flowing smoothly.
Ringo was certain this was a Mutation Source, but unfortunately there wasn't a gene extractor included, which was a shame, but even so, obtaining the Mutation Source was very useful for Ringo now.
Ames and Aesop were just as curious, but unlike Ringo, who seemed to recognize it instantly, the pair only became more confused, not quite understanding what it was.
Austin, on the other hand, had his eyes shining, literally, perhaps some kind of analysis spell, he couldn't help but comment. - It's alive, I've never seen this before, but it looks like some kind of liquid creature, although it's currently in a dormant state, this glass sphere serves as a cocoon, there's magic preventing it from waking up, although it's not strong, it can be easily broken and that will awaken the creature.
Ringo nodded, he knew perfectly well how the Mutation Source worked, so he simply stored it in his magic bag.
Austin simply stared at it indifferently, his curiosity already satisfied. Ames, on the other hand, asked, -Do you know what this is?
-Something Dark Star wants to use to attract the attention of Godora, a living being that could cause a global disaster, and my own planet will be a target of it.- Ringo said.
No one questioned where he got the information, he was a seer. Even Aesop resolved his doubts, after all, this would involve Ringo's planet, creating a connection with Ringo himself.
-And what are you going to do with it?- Aesop asked curiously, scratching his sparse beard.
-Study.- Ringo explained, but didn't elaborate further. The group didn't dwell on the subject either, none of them were particularly interested in the Mutation Source.
Ames and Austin continued talking, with Ringo and Aesop taking a backseat, but Ringo could sense that Austin sometimes glanced at him, as if he were waiting for something.
Ringo blinked, he sensed that Austin must already know he needed help, but Ringo wouldn't talk about it now, so he ignored the conversation until they were released.
Ames knew Ringo wanted to build a new weapon and mentioned it to Austin as an excuse to go out, which piqued his curiosity again.
-Weapon? Why not ask my Forbidden Sorcerers for help?- Austin asked, more as a suggestion than out of confusion, he himself wasn't going to offer to create a weapon for Ringo just because he had seen a future where he was the man's subordinate.
Well, he wasn't sure if he was actually a subordinate, but that was just one possibility among a myriad of possibilities, Austin had long since become accustomed to not taking predictions as guarantees.
-No need, I met a very good craftsman on your planet, Bradd, you must have heard of him.- Ringo explained.
Austin seemed a little surprised before nodding and sighing. -He's really very good, he's stronger than most of my mages, but unfortunately that guy doesn't like being restrained. I'd really like to be able to recruit him.
Ames raised an eyebrow, finding the situation interesting, not many mages would turn down Austin. She was even more curious about this mage named Bradd.
Aesop, on the other hand, had seen all sorts of people in the galaxy, from civilians to peak BGAs. Most BGAs had an aura of arrogance, the same being true of Ames and Austin, but Aesop didn't even blink in their presence. Instead, he was trying to steal a bottle of wine while Austin paid no attention. The man clearly had nerves of steel cultivated by a long life and countless experiences.
Austin noticed, but only chuckled lightly and didn't mind, most BGAs had heard of Aesop, a guy who, despite being only a Grade B, had held all sorts of positions, from fleet commander to leader of powerful civilizations, to consultant for individuals that even Austin had to be wary of.
Thus, despite Aesop's aura appearing gentle to those who see him, like a grandfather strolling down the street, no one who truly knew him took him lightly.
Whether it was because his predictive abilities were at the peak of the galaxy or because he had too many connections to count, Ames's presence by his side was enough for Austin to respect the old man.
Thus, being escorted by Austin, the trio was sent directly to the planet below by Austin's magic, Ringo was even surprised that Austin sent them directly to the front of old Bradd's house.