Chapter 1227 Rumors <TOC> Chapter 1229 Zefal
Translator: SumTLMan
Beneath the shadow of the Abyss lies a thriving forest, an oddity in these depths, teeming with bizarrely shaped trees adorned with quaking, dark green leaves.
Adding to the eeriness, a gloomy shroud blankets the sky, transforming this woodland into a haunted grove, seemingly plucked right from a human storybook, inhabited by grotesque beings and terrifying creatures.
In the core of this forest, a mysterious, grey mist begins to spread without any discernible reason.
A pair of shadowy demon butterflies, flapping their wings in the vicinity of this mist, cast an extravagant sprinkle of venomous dust, sparkling like a multi-colored starry expanse.
Caught off guard, the unsuspecting butterflies are engulfed by this rapid proliferation of mist.
Initially fluttering around, the trapped demon butterflies soon lose their strength and drop lifelessly to the ground, caught in the cruel finality of death.
Unfortunately, the mist does not discriminate; it affects not only the demon butterflies but also instigates a drastic change in the surrounding flora.
Tree trunks shrivel up in the blink of an eye, the vibrant green leaves wilt, and the stinking flowers slump lifelessly, losing all signs of life.
Even the formerly fertile ground surrenders to the mist, subtly becoming barren.
The grey mist dissipates after about half a minute, as several silhouettes appear unannounced in the forest, and simultaneously, the source of the mist shuts off.
“Shop owner, the ground is different; I sense a hint of moisture in it. Have we reached our destination?” The question came from Greaves, who had just left the Tan Continent.
Angel nodded, although surrounded by an aura of death, the sense of connection with the earth that he felt within his heart had disappeared. This confirmed their departure from the Tan Continent.
The question that remains, however, is whether they had arrived successfully at the Moliere Land or, to be precise, the Cold Ancient Ruins from another plane.
Angel proceeded cautiously, clutching Kurland’s black feather, leading the way.
Greaves and Popoca promptly followed him. The death aura permeating the surface world originated from the very being called Garm and was considerably powerful. Only the black feather in Angel’s hand could protect them from its onslaught.
After a few steps, Angel came across the deceased demon butterfly on the ground. It was a deep-sea insect highly prized among witches. A pity it was already dead.
Soon, they stepped out of the region shrouded by the death aura.
Angel stowed the black feather and took stock of their surroundings, realizing they were amidst a dense forest.
His feet set upon a path of shimmering black-gold, leading straight up towards the sky. Popoca and Greaves quickly followed suit, looking down upon the earth from mid-air.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen this familiar twilight,” Angel murmured, taking in the long-lost dusky sky and inhaling the fresh scent of foliage in the air, a wave of nostalgia washing over him. After a moment, he turned to Popoca, “Did you notice anything unusual? Do you remember anything about this place?”
Despite being a native ‘resident’ of the Abyss, Greaves had never ventured to its uppermost layer and was thus unfamiliar with this territory. On the contrary, Popoca, due to his unspoken plans, had visited the Abyss multiple times and had intimate knowledge of the area.
Popoca glanced around and soon got his bearings. “We are likely in the central area of the Cold Ancient Ruins. I remember this forest. There’s an underground grotto to the east, a typical resting spot for those who traverse these ruins. To the northwest lies the Sacrificial Ridge, and to the south is the Gray Layer Zone.”
“Where do you plan to go next?”
Angel paused, “Follow me first, we’re heading to Ice Valley.”
Popoca couldn’t possibly leave on his own, so Angel had to take him along first to prevent Popoca from dying halfway.
“As for Ice Valley, it isn’t far from here, flying north will do.” Popoca nodded, indifferent to wherever Angel decided to go, even if it were the cursed Ice Valley of rumors.
Angel turned his gaze to Greaves, “And you? Where are you planning to go?”
A flicker of hesitation crossed Greaves’ face, he took a while before saying, “I’m planning to leave first with Lady Olucia’s soul, to find a safe place to unseal her, and then I should be joining Lady Olucia…”
“I see, I hope everything goes smoothly for you.” Angel nodded, having developed a fondness for Greaves over these past few days.
“How long will you stay in Ice Valley, shop owner?” Greaves asked abruptly.
“For a while, I need to wait until Toby’s curse is lifted,” Angel replied, “Why do you ask?”
“If time allows, I’ll also come to Ice Valley to find you in a few days,” Greaves paused, “You promised me, the Voyage of Experience!”
Angel was taken aback, then nodded, “Alright.”
While they were having their conversation, a commotion suddenly arose not far away.
A dozen or so figures flew low over the ground.
“Catch her! She’s hiding in the forest!” As the newcomers approached, their voices carried over.
Upon seeing the newcomers’ attire, Angel found they were all human, but they wore a variety of wizard robes, their faces were hard to discern. However, judging from their speed and the energy fluctuations emanating from them, they seemed to be just apprentices.
“Huh, there’s a strange grey mist ahead? She’s stopped!” A voice came again.
Angel noticed that this group had stopped mid-air not far from them.
“It seems to be some apprentice wizards from small to medium-sized organizations. I recognize the emblems on a few of the wizard robes, the Moses family, Breezy Valley, and Magic Flute Monastery…” Popoca whispered to Angel.
Angel nodded, recalling Vaudeur’s words from not long ago. Vaudeur had mentioned that Moliere Land was quite lively these days, was he referring to this group of people?
While Angel was looking at the newcomers, the apprentice wizards also noticed Angel.
“Seems to be someone over there?”
“Don’t mind him, his power is about the same as ours, probably an apprentice wizard from some organization on an expedition.”
“The one next to him is a demon, right? The kid with black skin.”
“How could it be a demon? Even a lesser demon’s power is on par with a formal wizard, there’s no way one would be accompanying an apprentice. Probably a half-demon child from a stronghold city.”
They murmured a few words amongst themselves, then ceased to pay any attention to Angel. He, for his part, was rather pleased to be overlooked. Yet, within the crowd, there was an apprentice dressed in green wizard robes who studied Angel intently, a flicker in his eyes suggesting he had pieced together some puzzle.
Angel was clueless as to their actions and had no intention of meddling, planning to simply depart. However, an abrupt explosion from the forest beneath them caught him off guard!
Vigorous flames, accompanied by drifting smoke.
After a moment, Angel lowered his gaze and discovered the formerly lush forest now had a gaping hollow at its heart, numerous trees blasted away, exposing the uneven ground below.
As the trees toppled, Angel got a clearer view of the situation below.
On the cleared ground resulting from the blast, a little girl was surrounded by four or five wizard apprentices. Barefoot and wearing a ragged white dress, her face concealed by a curtain of long black hair. The apprentices’ hands were laced with energy ripples, making it evident that they were responsible for the previous explosion.
The group of apprentices that had been in the sky also descended to enclose the girl further.
Upon seeing this scene, Greaves remarked softly, “Lady Olucia was indeed correct, humans are prone to infighting.”
“Even their young are not spared,” Greaves said, a hint of sympathy in his eyes as he looked at the small girl, who was about his size.
However, Angel didn’t feel sympathy. After all, the little girl had survived such a powerful explosion and seemed to be unharmed, indicating she wasn’t a powerless “youngling.”
“Let’s see where you can run now! We kindly saved you at Thorn Ridge, you didn’t even thank us, and dared to steal our magic crystals, potions, and supplies while we were resting. You truly are an ungrateful wretch!” A female apprentice descended from the sky, landing in front of the little girl, her eyes filled with resentment.
The girl immediately became the target of everyone’s scorn as the female apprentice hurled accusations at her.
Angel then understood the essence of this drama. It was a classic case of catching a thief who had stolen their possessions. As to whether the little girl was indeed the thief, Angel didn’t know… But she had several one-use spatial pouches of different styles hanging around her waist, suggesting they didn’t belong to her.
“It wasn’t me, I didn’t do it,” a timid voice emerged from the little girl.
“All our spatial pouches are on your waist, and you still dare to claim innocence?”
“Return our stuff!”
“Why waste words, let’s just kill her!”
With everyone closing in on her, the trembling little girl backed away, seemingly about to retreat into the deadly atmosphere.
Shaking his head, Angel decided to ignore the matter. He turned to the engrossed Greaves and said, “Popoca and I will be leaving now.”
Angel had no intention of witnessing the so-called “Liveliness” mentioned by Vaudeurs. No matter who was right or wrong, it had nothing to do with him. And as for Greaves’ “sympathy for the young,” it had no impact on Angel, who saw the so-called younglings as nothing more than unruly kids.
Just as Angel was about to turn and leave, a pressure descended from the sky. At the same time, a green vine sprouted from the ground, lunging at Angel!
Was this the pressure from a wizard-level entity?!
Upon perceiving this intimidating pressure, Angel had been overwhelmed and stricken countless times before. A flicker of panic immediately surfaced in his eyes. However, soon, he discovered that although the oppressive force assailed his soul, it seemingly bore no hindrance upon his physical body.
He was still capable of moving!
A notion streaked across Angel’s mind: Could it be that his physical strength had enhanced, thus enabling him to remain unaffected by this pressure?
This thought was but a fleeting one, his immediate priority was to evade the impending danger.
The black and golden runes beneath Angel’s feet flickered in rapid succession. The vines appeared to launch a full-on attack, yet their velocity was not comparable to Angel’s. Several subsequent strikes were futile, failing to make contact with Angel.
Just when it seemed as though he could dodge the vines’ assault, abruptly, countless barbed thorns sprouted from the vine.
The thorns were sharply pointed, shimmering with a gloomy green radiance.
“Poisonous?” Angel instinctively reacted, stepping forward in feigned motion, he seized Popoca, who was immobilized by the powerful pressure, and rapidly fled the scene.
Simultaneously, the barbed thorns scattered in all directions.
They were dense and countless, as though a net cast from the heavens had descended.
Escape was an impossibility. Angel furrowed his brows, hauling Popoca and plummeted downwards.
The ground quaked, stirring a hefty amount of dust.
Angel landed directly in the heart of the group!