Chapter 1159 Origin <TOC> Chapter 1161 An Encounter
Translator: SumTLMan
The bird adorning the silk painting was none other than the sparrow blossom.
Later, Angel met the spirit of a little girl in a deep well within the graveyard.
The little girl had been dead for so long that she had forgotten many of her living memories. However, she remembered the boy in the silk painting——her brother.
Indeed, the silk painting bore a line of tiny letters, like flies.
The writing, however, was haphazard, akin to a child’s scribble. Angel managed to make out: “…Ninth birthday of my sister… Gift…”
The silk painting, presumably, was a present the boy had given to his little sister.
Apart from her brother, the little girl remembered the bird — her best companion. Though she had forgotten its name, she knew the bird’s suffix was “Blossom.”
The little girl had forgotten her name as well. Angel later named her after the bird, calling her “Hana.”
Angel remembered Hana being stunned. She seemed to recall something, claiming that her name seemed to be Hana, and added that she and the bird seemed to have a similar name.
Today, having learned the bird’s real name is “Sparrow Blossom,” if Hana shares the same name with the bird, she might be that Sparrow Blossom.
Upon confirming that she was Sparrow Blossom, the boy with an indiscernible face in the silk painting might be… Popoca.
“You’ve met Popoca’s sister? Are you sure it’s her?” Sanders curiously asked.
Angel: “I can’t be certain, but later I talked with Hana about where she lived as a child. She didn’t remember much, but her most vivid memory was of it being very cold, that she lived in a frigid place.”
After reflecting for a moment, Sanders commented: “The sparrow blossoms live in the Kashmar Plateau, which is indeed very cold. Its barren, icy terrain made the sparrow blossom’s vibrant colors very appealing to the local inhabitants…and the Kashmar Plateau is indeed in the Fairytale World.”
After a pause, Sanders continued: “So, by your account, both this Sparrow Blossom and Popoca are natives of the Kashmar Plateau?”
Angel nodded, then shook his head: “Perhaps their birthplace was indeed the Kashmar Plateau, but the ‘clan’ I refer to is the one he repeatedly mentioned.”
“Actually, I’ve always felt that Popoca’s accent sounded very familiar,” Angel paused: “However, he seemed to deliberately make his accent closer to that of the general populace, but some of his inflections still revealed a touch of exotic accent.”
As Angel said this, Sanders was also recalling Popoca’s accent. If not carefully examined, there was nothing amiss with Popoca’s accent. But on closer inspection, some parts of Popoca’s accent were indeed quite distinctive. Angel wasn’t alone; Sanders felt familiar with it too… who was it?
Angel: “Popoca was consciously changing his accent, but Hana wasn’t. The moment I heard Hana speak in the graveyard, I was reminded of someone.”
“Totoro!”
In a chorus of overlapping tones, Angel and Sanders utter this name almost simultaneously.
Angel gazes at Sanders with an expression mingled with astonishment and admiration. His intimate familiarity with Totoro’s accent had come from prolonged interaction with him, he even had a grasp of Totoro’s unique colloquial style in handling certain words. But Sanders, who had scarcely heard Totoro speak and was likely not well-acquainted with Popoca, recalled the accent in an instant. The intensity of his memory and his capacity for information processing indeed far outstripped Angel’s own.
“Indeed, it is Totoro,” Angel confirms, lapsing into a moment of silence. He hadn’t fully disclosed certain pieces of information about Totoro to Sanders, such as Totoro’s thousand-year-long immersion in Akeso essence blood, a fact he hadn’t told anyone. He thus found himself weighing which details should be revealed and which should remain concealed.
Sanders, under the impression that Angel had finished speaking, considered the situation. The answer seemed quite clear at this point — Totoro and Popoca were likely of the same clan.
So, what exactly is this clan?
Both Tree Spirit and Maya hinted at Totoro’s extraordinary nature, nudging Sanders in that direction. What Angel was unaware of, however, was that even Rhine Mute had personally met with Totoro.
Indeed, certain key individuals in the Savage Grottoes had formed conjectures regarding Totoro’s origins, but nobody had voiced them outright. Some truths, once revealed, could cause endless trouble.
“About Totoro,” Angel begins, “I am not quite sure of his clan either. But once, Bogula’s disciple — ‘Shadow’ Diavolo — informed me about a clan that was admitted into the human category only twenty thousand years ago. Their initial discovery occurred on a plateau; the clan is known as——”
“Laudsourcian.”
…
Having shared his hypothesis, Angel expected Sanders to react with astonishment. Yet, there was none. Sanders’ demeanor remained calm, his gaze steady as a still pond, not a ripple of surprise disrupting its tranquility.
Sanders nodded thoughtfully, “You mean to suggest, Popoca is suspected to be a Laudsourcian, a clan thought to have gone extinct thousands of years ago?”
Angel nodded, “It’s a common belief that they were wiped out millennia ago. But there have been rumors, suggesting that, even a thousand years ago, there still existed a small population of Laudsourcians in Akesacresia, the Kingdom of the Great Serpent. Therefore, I suspect that Popoca might be a descendant of this line of Laudsourcians.”
Although this remained a conjecture on Angel’s part — after all, an accent couldn’t be counted as tangible proof — framing Popoca as a Laudsourcian seemed to solve many puzzles.
For instance, the origin of the Laudsourcians, as per the records, reads: ‘Upon the banks of the Source Fire, a blessed group was born into this world. They are the Laudsourcians, the pursuers of the Source Fire.’
From this account, it’s evident that the Laudsourcians have an intimate relationship with the Source Fire. It can even be said that a Laudsourcian’s life is a constant pursuit of the Source Fire.
This alludes to the current situation.
With the ascension of Lord Night, a Source Fire will be born, and it’s highly likely that this Source Fire is the reason for Olucia’s trip to La Sutherland.
If Popoca indeed is a Laudsourcian, his arrival for the Source Fire seems plausible.
Furthermore, Popoca often mentions: ‘The fire of my people will soon be rekindled.’ This fire of his people likely refers to the Source Fire.
“Judging by this, it is indeed possible for Popoca,” Sanders reflected for a moment after listening to Angel’s explanation. “The Laudsourcians, blessed by heaven, are subject to human jealousy. This is not only due to their talents, but also because in the Laudsourcian tribes, some sparks of Source Fire are preserved. Many seek this Source Fire, but until now, no one has discovered this spark in the Laudsourcians.”
“I’ve heard a legend among the Laudsourcians that the Source Fire they guard will never be extinguished, and the heritage of Laudsourcians will not be interrupted. Now that the Laudsourcians are nearly extinct, Popoca’s idea to rekindle the Source Fire and revive the Laudsourcians seems plausible.”
Sanders’ words served to fill in some gaps in Angel’s conjecture. If Popoca truly sought to rejuvenate the Laudsourcian clan, some of his spoken phrases could indeed provide answers.
“But if his goal is indeed the Source Fire, then… why would he want to disrupt the master rune node?” Angel harbored further doubts in his heart.
Sanders replied, “I don’t know, but the temporary impact of this is not significant. Moreover, the destruction of La Sutherland could also be seen as a good thing for humanity.”
“Impact is not significant? Now that Popoca has disrupted the teleportation formation and caused the collapse of La Sutherland, we still have no means of escape. How can that be not significant?”
“There will always be a way to escape,” Sanders answered calmly.
Angel paused, noticing the conviction in Sanders’ expression. He seemed to have made up his mind already. Angel, after some thought, no longer troubled himself with this matter. It appeared that there had been a plan for escape all along.
…
For now, what could be deduced and speculated about Popoca’s background was limited to this information.
Throughout the process, Sanders maintained a calm demeanor, showing no disturbance even upon learning about the Laudsourcians. This confused Angel.
Finally, after a period of silence, Angel asked somewhat impatiently, “Don’t you find it surprising, Mentor, that both Popoca and Totoro are Laudsourcians?”
Sanders chuckled. “In fact, folks like Tree Spirit and Maya already have a grasp on Totoro’s identity. His origins and his gifts have already explained everything.”
Totoro hailed from Fairytale World, and the last known location of the Laudsourcians was the predecessor to the Whiskas Royal Court, Akesacresia; moreover, the most famous talent among the Laudsourcians was the power of prophecy, which fits Totoro perfectly. It wasn’t difficult for a wizard to speculate about Totoro’s origins.
“Compared to these, I am more surprised by you.”
Sanders suddenly turned towards Angel. Previously, due to the attack by Popoca, the discussion had been centered on him, but what intrigued Sanders more was Angel’s experience.
“Me?”
Sanders gave a slight nod, casting a fleeting glance at the Frozen Seal spell suspended over Angel’s shoulder. His gaze rested momentarily on the dragon scale of Bina Jonis, then turned back, “How is Toby doing now?”
“Fairly well, one more day and the Frozen Seal spell will be successful. Then, I can keep him within my bracelet,” Angel responded, remembering only after his response that he hadn’t yet explained the origin of the Frozen Seal spell. As he was about to do so, Sanders waved it off.
“We can discuss that later… What I want to know more urgently now is how you arrived here after falling into the passage earlier. What, if anything, transpired during that time?” Sanders’ expression suddenly turned solemn. His previous insistence on using an untested spell to reach Angel at the Void Obelisk was due to an irregularity he had sensed while interacting with his essence blood on Angel.
From that essence blood, Sanders had faintly perceived a terrifying aura of an intensity he had never experienced before. Although it was but a fleeting sensation, it was something Sanders could not afford to ignore.
Moreover, upon encountering Angel, Sanders noticed a peculiar aura faintly surrounding him — an aura which had been absent before Angel’s fall into the passage.
Angel admitted, “Indeed, certain events transpired.”
After a pause, Angel slowly produced a miniature sculpture from his pocket.