Su Ming also looked at the child in front of him. He seemed like an ordinary boy, with short golden hair that looked quite spirited, though he had a short braid at the back of his head and wore a very ordinary linen Magic Robe.
He hadn't yet put on his black silk suit, nor had he put on any eyeliner.
But you could tell from his hairstyle that he was quite trendy...
"Are you the only Survivor?"
Su Ming put away the Weapon planted on the ground, took off his Mask, and lit a cigarette. After slaying a bunch of monsters in the primitive Rainforest, smoking a cigarette felt like a real pleasure.
"It seems so." Kaecilius nodded in agreement, calmly responding, his gaze briefly drifting to the Magic Floating Cloak hovering nearby before returning to Su Ming's face.
Su Ming noticed that he seemed to be imitating the style of The Ancient One, as if he intended to mimic that calm and detached mindset, but his eyes were filled with a longing for power, making it certain that he could never become like The Ancient One.
"Do you know the cause of all this? Where is Master Gu Yi right now?" Su Ming exhaled a smoke ring, extended the cigarette pack to the doctor, who declined, as nicotine would make one's hands shake.
Kaecilius, however, looked at the cigarette pack as if he wanted one, so Su Ming generously tossed him one.
At this age, ten was no longer considered a child. Many kids, seven or eight years old, were already working in factories. Plus, he was a Mage, so secular views were not applicable to him.
"Cough cough..."
But Kaecilius only took one puff before he started coughing, clearly unaccustomed to it.
"Everyone's first time is like that." Su Ming nonchalantly put away his Lighter, as if he hadn't just quickly helped the child light his cigarette.
"New things are worth trying. This stuff has invigorated me quite a bit." Kaecilius took several more puffs in a row and quickly got used to it: "If it's beneficial, it can be used."
"Good thinking, I have high hopes for you." Su Ming nodded with a smile, roughly realizing that this Celsius might be on the path seen in the film world: "Then surely you understand that nothing comes for free."
"Very fair. You're in need of intelligence and Magic assistance, right? The teacher should still be at Kama Taiji. Something has invaded Earth, and our New York Temple was merely affected by the aftershock of a Plane collision." Kaecilius answered seriously without any hesitation.
Su Ming nodded, looking towards the distant jungle, where some strange birds flew in the sky. This place seemed like an unfamiliar Plane.
"So, do you mean that the counterparts at the Hong Kong and London Temples are likely experiencing similar issues?"
"The New York Temple housed some Annihilation Insect Races and a few Demon experiment subjects. I don't know what's inside the other two temples or if anything took the opportunity to escape."
Kaecilius also looked towards the jungle, but his height didn't allow him to see as far as Su Ming, so he walked over to the Insect's corpse and stepped on it.
This way, he could see farther. Being higher up truly had its perks; this was the leverage that power brings.
"We have no control over the other two temples. Can you send us to Kama Taiji?"
Su Ming needed to find The Ancient One. Just offering her a hand would allow her to address many issues efficiently.
"Of course, but I need to find something first."
Kaecilius jumped down from the pile of Insect corpses, sighed longingly, then turned and crouched down, extending his uninjured arm into the Insect's mangled abdomen, searching for something.
The black Insect Race bodily fluid squirted out like a water gun, spraying onto his face, but Kaecilius didn't even blink an eye, continuing to search the corpse intently.
Dr. Holloway gritted his teeth; he had never seen such a terrifying child before, someone who would thrust their hand into a monster, enduring the stench to stir those sticky innards, something many adults couldn't do.
"Are you really comfortable just letting us head to Kama Taiji like this?" Su Ming asked with a smile, finding this version of Kaecilius somewhat intriguing.
"Knowing the teacher's strength, and you still insist on going, no one would seek their own death."
Kaecilius extracted a piece of Insect Race entrails, throwing it aside and moving on to the next corpse, with the black fluids soaking through his Magic Robe.
Su Ming nodded; Kaecilius's mind wasn't bad, at least not at present. Of course, if he followed through with the idiotic plan like in the film world in the future, that would be a different story.
"Found it."
Kaecilius straightened up, brushing off the dirt on him. He grasped something in his hand, wrapped in black organic fragments, with a hint of bronze showing.
He swung it vigorously and slipped the found item onto his hand.
It was a Suspended Ring. The object was evidently too large, and wearing it made it look as wide as a giant pair of brass knuckles.
"Don't you have your own Suspended Ring?"
Su Ming scratched his own beard. This kid didn't even have his own Suspended Ring, yet he was going to use it to create a Teleportation Gate? Could it be relied upon?
Kaecilius looked up at Su Ming, maintaining a deadpan expression: "You recognize the Suspended Ring, so you must know something about Mages."
"I've known your teacher for many years; she even gave me a gift once."
Kaecilius's eyes shifted slightly, seeming to understand something. He nodded slightly: "I chose a different path than other Mages. I have little interest in the Suspended Ring, as it's just an external item."
Su Ming understood; this guy was more focused on close combat and offensive spells, as auxiliary spells certainly couldn't compare to the allure of direct damage for him.
Mages didn't require many spells that needed the Suspended Ring. From what Su Ming knew, only the Teleportation Gate and Mirror Space were among the few.
Other magical feats they used in battle, like 'Red Belt,' 'Shield,' and 'Fan,' didn't require the aid of the Suspended Ring.
"Alright, so is your Teleportation Gate reliable?"
"Naturally, but I've lost quite a bit of blood, and my mind is blurry. Once the Teleportation Gate is open, you must act quickly." Kaecilius replied as he began drawing circles in the air with the hand wearing the Suspended Ring.
Dr. Holloway stood next to Su Ming, having not fired a single shot in the entire fight: "Aren't you coming with us?"
Kaecilius shook his head: "No, I need to return to the New York Temple. I'm the last surviving Mage Apprentice. The place still needs guarding. Without these High Magic Resistance Insects, I can handle the rest of the creatures."
Su Ming shrugged. There wasn't much use for Kaecilius at the moment: "Alright then, good luck."
Kaecilius nodded without saying another word. As he continued casting, a golden light circle appeared in the space before him, spitting sparks like Fireworks, revealing snow-capped mountains on the other side.
"Go."
Su Ming grabbed Dr. Holloway and disappeared into the light circle, while the shoulders of the Magic Floating Cloak drooped down, seemingly sighing, before following them inside swiftly.
The circle quickly closed behind them as the biting wind hit them instantly.