However, unlike what Ignysyl thought, Ian was more concerned about what he had said about the crystals.
You know, those were Spirit Crystals, much more precious than the few mana crystals he had in his ring.
Those were strategic treasures that could have value far greater than market price. A necromancer might even buy it at an exorbitant cost if he played his cards right.
So, if there was none left, Ian would feel heartache just thinking about it.
How much wealth had been squandered? There were almost 50 of them still remaining after Ignysyl used half of them.
Sure, his making it able to take out the Arcane Grotto was a good exchange, but still, Ian wanted to have something for his upcoming journey.
Something tangible and helpful.
'Why is it so hard?'
He was duped by the black ring before and now this happened again. Ian felt like crying.
He was like the owner of a large house with no money to spare and unable to sell it.
Moreover, he couldn't even rent out this grotto, could he?
"Hm? Oh, those shiny things. How can I make it this small without their help? But they were too low quality and couldn't help much."
Ignysyl was more afraid that Ian would think he was useless.
So, when Ian asked about those worthless crystals—at least in his eyes—he immediately chimed in.
"Hey, do you still have those? If you have more pure ones, then I might be able to control this thing again."
Then suddenly, as if he found a solution, the little dragon's ruby-like eyes shone with color while looking at Ian in expectation.
'This damn stupid dragon.'
Seeing the curious look of the eyes that were filled with anticipation, Ian twitched the corner of his mouth and didn't know what to say.
Now he was basically sure there was none of those crystals left inside this Arcane Grotto.
And from the look of it, Ignysyl seemed to think of them as too low-level.
'Do you still want more and even purer ones? Why don't you just sell me instead.'
"Hey, why are you not saying anything? Do you have those? I am really not lying."
Ignysyl asked again,
"If you can take out a few hundred of them, I might truly control this artifact for you. More pure isn't even that necessary."
"Okay, okay. I don't have such treasures with me here. Do you think they are cabbages, thrown randomly around? You already wasted so much of them and yet you want hundreds?"
The more Ignysyl talked, the more Ian felt irritated.
What the heck was only a few hundred of them? Did he think, he had a mine at home or what?
"Oh... then... I can do nothing. You have to wait for me to grow up."
Ignysyl said in a low mood as if he was really sorry that he couldn't help.
His pitiful look and the fading prongs of flame around his wings, made him look as dramatically innocent as ever.
"Sigh... don't think too much. Who said I need to control it right now? We will think about it later."
At last, Ian didn't want to say anything as Ignysyl clearly didn't know the value of those crystals. He seemed to be only sad because he couldn't control this artifact.
'At least, he made it possible to take this Arcane Grotto away.'
Ian thought while catching the Dark Cube from Ignysyl's hand. From the touch, it seemed quite smooth just like a marble in his previous life.
"Then..., so... what about that promise?"
Seeing Ian taking the Grotto away, Ignysyl didn't feel much as he wasn't interested in this anyway.
What he was concerned about was the promise that Ian gave him. Otherwise, why would he be so anxious just now?
"Hm? Oh, there is that. Don't worry, you can ask your wish."
Ian didn't care and replied to Ignysyl magnanimously while keeping the Grotto inside his pocket.
A space artifact couldn't be kept inside another space artifact of low rank.
If he could make a soul connection with it, he could directly hide it inside his body but now he had to carry it around.
"Really? Good, good. I knew you were a great person just from your smell."
Ignysyl immediately beamed after getting a positive reply from Ian.
He was getting afraid that because of his failure to control that artifact, he wouldn't get his wish as promised.
But now that Ian seemed not bothered, he was elated beyond measure.
"Can you stop being excited at everything already? Why don't you just say it out."
Ian couldn't help reprimand causing the little dragon to stop his unflured wings in a state of excitement.
"Cough... Uhum... okay, okay."
Ignysyl didn't want to irk Ian at the last moment, so he coughed a bit to rein in his excitement and asked Ian with anticipation,
Find adventures on
"So, um... can you... help me leave this tower?"
'Figured!'
Of course, Ian knew what he would ask. It was written all over his face from the moment they met.
'I don't know how this guy became a baby. Is he even Ignysyl?'
Ian had to doubt because, from the way he acted, he was nothing like a monarch. And he didn't even seem to know his previous identity except the name.
Of course, Ian also thought maybe he was acting. Then he thought the possibility of a monarch-level dragon acting with a shrimp at an apprentice level didn't seem great.
"So, what do you think?"
Seeing Ian getting silent all of a sudden, Ignysyl became anxious again. He swore that he hadn't experienced such a rollercoaster of emotion in all his life.
"Although I want to help you, I don't know how?"
Ian shrugged as he really didn't know how to help Ignysyl. Even with his bloodline skill, Primal Bond, he wasn't sure if it was possible.
After all, this was a Mythical Artifact, and it was made up of the very body of Ignysyl itself. Who knew if there were any restrictions?
That's why he was even debating whether to form a bond.
But since the system gave him such skill at such a moment, it was worth a try.
"What? How can you not know?"
However, contrary to Ian's expectation that Ignysyl might propose some method, he instead acted extremely surprised by his remarks.
It was as if Ian had said something completely shocking and contrary to Ignysyl's expectations.