I Am A Wizard Who Can Travel Between Earth And The Other World-Chapter 39 - 41 A Web of Mysteries

"For your efforts," Joseph continued, "twenty million gelt seems far too modest. Name your price. If it's money you seek, I can offer three hundred million. If there's something else you desire, speak, and I'll see it done."

Desmond hesitated, mulling over the offer. At his side, Jay nudged him incessantly, mouthing the word "money." Three hundred million gelt was a fortune most could only dream of, but money held little appeal to Desmond. Wealth flowed freely into his life, and he foresaw even greater sums in his future. This was an opportunity to gain something far more valuable.

"Could you acquire a magical artifact for me?"Desmond asked, his tone measured.

Joseph tilted his head, intrigued. "It's possible, though three hundred million gelt would only buy something rather unimpressive. A proper artifact—one with substantial power—would cost at least two billion."

Desmond shook his head, his smile unwavering. "It doesn't need to be impressive, but it must be genuine. And properly secured."

Joseph considered the request carefully. "Artifacts come in many forms, some of them exceedingly peculiar. Very well, I'll see what I can find. I'll contact you once I locate something suitable."

Jay seized the opportunity to interject. "Contact me directly. I'll handle everything."

Joseph raised a brow and glanced at Desmond for confirmation. The unspoken question was clear: Is this arrangement acceptable?

Desmond nodded. "That's fine. I'm often unreachable anyway."

"Ah, I see," Joseph replied, a hint of curiosity flickering in his eyes. "Very well, I'll be in touch. And if there's more work for you in the future, I'll call."

With a gracious bow, Jay ushered Desmond toward the exit.

Joseph watched them go, his gaze lingering on Desmond's retreating figure.

The more he observed, the more perplexed he became. He, too, possessed magical abilities and could sense the energy within others.

Desmond's magic was far from abundant—just enough to rank him slightly above average in a mid-tier guild. Yet this man had taken down not just a rogue mage but two elite enforcers from Astra's own security team and a pair of mercenaries formidable enough to subdue lesser warriors effortlessly.

No ordinary mage could have achieved such feats, and yet Desmond's power didn't resonate like that of a high-level sorcerer.

A true mage's aura was an intricate maze, nearly indecipherable unless one was of equal or greater mastery.

"I didn't see him fight," Joseph mused aloud. "Perhaps that's the key."

The enigma gnawed at him. How had Desmond subdued them all without sustaining so much as a scratch?

To overwhelm such adversaries spoke not of raw power but of sheer dominance.

His thoughts were interrupted by his assistant's entrance. "Director, the interrogation results are in."

Joseph's expression sharpened. "Have they identified the mastermind?"

"Yes," the assistant confirmed grimly. "It's Merentil Pharmaceuticals."

"Merentil?" Joseph scowled.

That name was not to be taken lightly. Merentil was a corporate titan, far larger than Astra, with a reputation for ruthlessness.

"Are you certain?"

"Beyond doubt. Their goal appears to be the hostile acquisition of Astra."

Joseph snorted incredulously.

"Hostile acquisition? By stealing our recipe and assaulting our security team? That's not business—it's war."

He knew what this meant. Merentil would stop at nothing to weaken Astra, and more attacks were surely imminent. There was no time to waste.

As Joseph reached for his phone to report to the CEO,

his mind wandered back to Desmond. Against an opponent as relentless as Merentil, unconventional allies like him might prove invaluable.

"Merentil…" Desmond muttered under his breath, gripping his phone tightly. "They'll regret underestimating us."

No matter how deeply the city government was swayed, there were limits to what they could ignore. If actions bordering on terror continued, the government would have no choice but to intervene.

Joseph glanced down at the smartphone in his hand, his thoughts drifting back to the image of Desmond 's retreating figure.

There was much to process, but his first duty was to report. Decisions could wait—there was time to act once the path forward became clear.

Desmond sat on the edge of a modest hotel bed, lost in thought. The room was situated near Astra Pharmaceuticals, a small, unassuming shelter chosen out of necessity. Without a stable base in this world, this hotel was his only option.

"A difficult choice…" he murmured.

By all rights, he should have already returned to his home world. But loose ends here kept him tethered. Opportunities through Astra Pharmaceuticals were beginning to emerge, potential contracts tailored for those of exceptional skill. Settling in this city would allow him to build a foothold, a base from which to operate and secure future opportunities.

Yet to stay meant forfeiting certainty. Returning to his world later would be a gamble. There was no guarantee he could find his way back to this place again. The thought weighed heavily on him.

The portal. That was the crux of the problem. He had no way to secure one yet. Though he possessed a detector, it was unclear if it could locate an unclaimed portal. And even if he found one, there was no assurance it would lead back to this city—West Ham.

"The odds are against me," Desmond thought grimly. He had already passed through two portals by chance, both somehow leading here. To expect the same fortune a third time seemed implausible.

"Should I reclaim the portal in that warehouse?" He shook his head almost immediately. It had likely been seized by the organization he encountered there.

Judging by their efficiency, they would have cleared any trace of it.

These were no ordinary individuals; even their team leader had wielded a detector—a rare device Desmond knew, through conversations with Alberta and Michael, was nearly priceless.

"This means I need to find a new portal…" he muttered, pulling the detector from his coat.

With nothing pressing at the moment, Desmond decided to kill time by studying the device. His fingers brushed over the crystalline orb embedded in the detector, its surface laced with intricate magical seals. Fascinated, he began unraveling the layers of enchantments.

Strands of magical energy flowed from his core, threading into the orb's defenses. The seals were complex but not impregnable, and compared to the security layers he had cracked while analyzing Astra 's recipe, this was simpler.

"It feels… unrefined," Desmond mused. If the orb's creators had been more thorough, bypassing its defenses wouldn't have been this easy.

Within moments, the orb's secrets lay bare.

Desmond leaned closer, frowning. "Is that it?" he muttered under his breath. The device contained only two enchantments.

The first enchantment emitted a magical pulse tuned to a specific, highly refined frequency. Whoever designed this pulse was a master—its complexity and precision were unmatched. The second enchantment was equally sophisticated, enabling the orb to mark the location of any energy source resonating with the pulse.

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It was, as Desmond realized, a key and lock system. Two perfectly matched frequencies, one triggering the other. "Why go to such lengths?" he wondered aloud. "Is detection alone not enough?"

The answer struck him like lightning, his eyes widening. "Could it be… these portals are hidden? And they only reveal themselves when the frequencies align?"

If true, the implications were staggering. The portals scattered across the Earth weren't natural occurrences; someone had created them, cloaked them, and left these detectors as the only means to access them. But who? And why? And if these detectors were exclusive to the shadowed corners of this mirrored world, did that mean unhidden portals also existed?

He couldn't shake the question gnawing at him: What is this other world, truly? And how does it intertwine with Earth?

His fingers toyed with the orb as his thoughts spiraled. First, he would need to return to his world, enhance the detector, and locate a portal. Then, he would need a plan—something that allowed for swift travel between cities. A network of movement, independent of this unstable magic.

Air travel might suffice for now, but for that, he would need a solid identity. And for that… Jay's assistance would be essential.

As his thoughts churned, the phone on the bedside table began to vibrate. The name on the screen made him smirk. It was Jay.

The moment Desmond answered, an excited voice burst through the speaker. "Astra already reached out! They want to work with you!"

Desmond chuckled softly, sensing the urgency in the offer. For them to reach out so soon only confirmed his value.

"They're in quite the hurry," he remarked, leaning back against the bedframe, his smile lingering as he prepared for what lay ahead.