Chapter 1226 Purgatory Hound Garm <TOC> Chapter 1228 Liveliness
Translator: SumTLMan
Sky Island.
For four consecutive days, a melancholic ambiance shrouded the entirety of the island.
Ever since Mengke returned to Sky Island, he has confined himself within the council chamber, reflecting the immense impact the failed hunt has had on him.
At the cemetery on the outskirts of Sky Island, Sanders stood atop a cliffside platform, his gaze lost in the inverted waterfall in the distant horizon.
He had been standing there for almost two hours, his thoughts undisclosed.
Wizards passing by would cast glances of sympathy and pity at Sanders… After all, Angel’s reputation had reached its zenith after the previous incident. Yet such a promising seed at the center of attention vanished without a trace. Anyone aware of this could not help but sigh deeply.
Of course, whether these sighs were dominated by pity or concealed joy was another matter.
“Angel only disappeared. Is it possible he’s still alive?” A few wizard apprentices whispered. They had not actually participated in that battle, but gossip had already spread throughout Sky Island. Perhaps it wouldn’t be long before the Wizarding World of the Southern Region would also be aware of these matters.
“How could he possibly be alive? My Elemental course’s instructor, ‘The Widow Witch’, has a good relationship with Lady Rivetta. According to the information she received from Lady Rivetta, not to mention Angel being abducted, a terrifying Demon God was also involved! How could he possibly survive under such circumstances?”
Apprentices who did not participate in the plan were intrigued by the high-level gossip. Some even embellished rumors with their own interpretations of the situation, which were far from the truth.
“It is said that Angel was marked by the Time Thief… I never thought… in this instance the Time Thief also misjudged. What’s the difference between a fallen genius and those fools buried in the cemetery?”
“Hush, keep your voice down! Lady Sineva is nearby, haven’t you heard the recent rumors?”
“Do you mean the rumors about Lord Mengke?”
“Yes, it’s said that Lord Mengke is unable to progress because the Time Thief misjudged. Now he wants to use the bloodline of the Demon God’s Descendant to challenge the legend…”
The group of people gradually moved away from the cemetery while talking, their voices becoming smaller until they completely vanished.
After their departure, a woman with frosty hair and fiery eyes suddenly appeared in the original spot.
It was the Sineva they feared!
Sineva had been busy handling the aftermath of the failed plan in the past few days and had little knowledge about the external happenings. This time she had finally found some free time for official business.
Unexpectedly, she heard these rumors.
Sineva’s expression was somber. With a snap of her fingers, the sky stirred, causing birds to flutter and trees to shake. Two shadows swiftly descended to her feet, kneeling on the ground.
“Investigate who initiated the rumors about Lord Mengke.”
“Understood.” Two figures entirely covered in black robes nodded.
“And also, take those rumormongers from earlier to the disciplinary room for half a month. No one is allowed to release them!”
After Sineva gave her orders, the two shadows disappeared.
At this point, she lifted her gaze to Sanders in the distant cemetery and slowly approached.
Sineva walked up to Sanders, following his gaze into the distance. Apart from the magnificent inverted waterfall, she found nothing else.
“What brings you here?” Sineva inquired with curiosity.
Only after a lengthy pause did an answer arrive.
“Waiting for someone,” Sanders responded succinctly, his tone frosty.
“Waiting for someone? Who?”
No sooner had Sineva’s words dropped, than a hunched old man with a cane appeared in the distant cemetery, slowly approaching amidst the mournful wind.
“Bruce?” Sineva uttered the name of the figure.
Sineva naturally recognized ‘Soul Walker’ Bruce. Although they belonged to different wizard organizations, they were both part of the same wizard alliance. It was said that Bruce had been staying on Sky Island for hundreds of years, dealing with the souls of wizards who had perished in the Abyss.
Was Sanders waiting for Bruce?
“Lady Sineva, Lord Sanders.” Bruce approached and bowed to them.
Sineva merely nodded without a word. Sanders, in contrast, politely returned the gesture. Despite Bruce being significantly less powerful, he was a good friend of Lord Rhine, and hence Sanders respected him.
“So, any clues?” Sanders broached the subject immediately after returning the bow.
Bruce didn’t answer right away but cast a slow glance at Sineva.
Sineva, puzzled about what had transpired, quickly understood when she saw Bruce looking at her. He was about to dismiss her. Without irritation, Sineva admitted that prying into others’ secrets was indeed a bit impolite.
She thought for a moment, then said to Sanders, “I came to see you regarding some supply matters.”
Upon Sanders’s arrival at the Abyss, he had signed a contract with the Frost Moon. His essential mission was to smuggle otherworldly creatures using the Gravity Garden and transport some strategic supplies. In the previous battle in La Sutherland, due to the lack of space for most wizards, the slain demon corpses were accumulated in Sanders’s Gravity Garden. This was the matter for which Sineva had come.
“Alright.” Sanders didn’t say much and began to release the demon corpses one by one.
A mountain of demon bodies appeared out of nowhere. The powerful aura of blood and lingering resentment transformed a several hundred meter radius around the cemetery into forbidden ground.
By the time Sanders stopped, there were already over a thousand demon corpses present.
Sineva, taken aback for a moment, waved her hand, revealing an icy pattern. These demon bodies were all sucked into this frost pattern.
This frost pattern was none other than the infamous Everwinter Garden. The Wizard Garden’s master was Mengke, but it was currently lent to Sineva for managing supply distribution.
After collecting the demon corpses, Sineva turned to leave. However, after only a few steps, she suddenly halted, turning back to say, “Oh, there’s something I need to tell you.”
“Lucci asked the Wheel of Time about Angel’s life and death. The response was that it couldn’t be investigated, as if the prophecy had been blocked.” Sineva added, “So, Angel might not be dead.”
After the battle of La Sutherland, they all understood that Angel possessed an item capable of blocking prophecy. If Angel were dead, then the prophecy block would be ineffective, as even alchemical items require energy to maintain.
Of course, it’s not certain. Perhaps the magic crystal Angel used as an energy source could keep the alchemical item active even after his death. However, this possibility was rather small. Anyone who saw these alchemical items, even a Demon God, would likely take them after killing Angel, instead of leaving them on a corpse.
“I know, Angel won’t die so easily,” Sanders responded, sensing that the blood essence he’d left on Angel hadn’t shattered. Although he couldn’t determine his location, the probability of Angel being alive was high.
“You seem to have quite the faith in Angel,” Sineva chuckled, turning to wave dismissively. “I’ve said all there is to say. Now, I must go. Ah, yes, Lord Mengke is rather concerned about Angel’s life or death, too.” With those words, Sineva vanished from sight.
“The fact that Lord Mengke is concerned about Angel’s life or death is problematic,” a mature voice belonging to Bruce reverberated in Sanders’s ear. “After all, if we know where Angel is, the positions of Source Fire and Olucia will also be revealed.” Sanders sighed, then asked, “Have you found any leads on your end?”
Bruce responded with a slight nod. From his pocket, he produced a small vial and handed it to Sanders. Inside was a drop of blood, a sample Sanders had collected from Angel at the Void Obelisk. Despite the prophecy barrier obstructing the search for Angel, having this blood allowed for far more possibilities.
Bruce commented, “It’s not essence blood, so the information I got is somewhat vague. However, the feedback from the Strings of the World aligns with what Sineva said. Angel should still be alive.”
Whether Angel was dead or alive, Sanders could judge for himself. Therefore, he knew that Bruce still had more to say. “As for Angel’s current situation…” Bruce paused suddenly, “He may be doing better than you think.”
Sanders looked at Bruce, puzzled.
“From some details shown by the Strings of the World, I noticed a rich vitality. His current vitality compared to the blood you gave me has increased more than just twofold.” A gleam flickered in Bruce’s eyes. “Although I can’t pinpoint his exact location, the robust vitality in him even makes me think of Sineva when she first became a formal witch.”
Sineva, being of a bloodline lineage, naturally had strong vitality. By Sanders’s estimation, Angel would need to advance to a true knowledge wizard to reach Sineva’s vitality level at the beginning of her witchhood. However, there were exceptions.
Angel’s Projection Bloodline was one such uncontrollable exception. Sanders’s current research on the Projection Bloodline was like a blind man crossing a river, merely based on Angel’s case. However, before this, the Projection Bloodline had only shown basic and stable effects. Now, with such a sudden surge in vitality, could it be that Angel had integrated another part of the Projection Bloodline?
As Sanders fell deep in thought, he suddenly sensed a vague feeling in his heart. At first, he didn’t react, but when his bloodline started to simmer, he understood.
He could sense the movement of his own essence blood!
At this moment, the only one with Sanders’s essence blood circulating outside was Angel.
Feeling the stirrings of this essence blood meant… Angel’s location had been revealed!
Because of the great distance, Sanders couldn’t pinpoint the exact location of the essence blood. However, he could sense that it seemed to be on the outer surface layer of the Abyss. To avoid the essence blood being shielded again, Sanders’s form suddenly turned into a shadow, disappearing from Sky Island.
Left behind was Bruce, bewildered and rubbing his cane, alone in the emptiness.
Chapter 1226 Purgatory Hound Garm <TOC> Chapter 1228 Liveliness