Chapter 1440 Target Anchor <TOC> Chapter 1442 Sisia's Gossip
Translator: SumTLMan
Angel swiftly turned his head.
But on the gateway frame he had used as an anchor, suddenly, there was an added shadow.
At first, the shadow was as dark as ink, but with a faint chuckle, ripples in space began to appear, and the shadow seemed to dissolve as if water had blurred it, gradually revealing its form.
It was a man dressed in a wide robe, wearing a tall hat.
His attire was adorned with countless gold and silver clocks, turning and interlocking like gears, all gleaming brilliantly.
On his head, he wore a hat that looked like a clock. On anyone else, such a hat would seem comical. But on him, it seemed perfectly fitting.
It was as if he was meant to be dressed this way.
As for his face, it remained pitch black. One could vaguely make out the features, but their specifics were hard to discern.
At this moment, the man was smiling. The corners of his mouth turned upwards, reminiscent of a crescent moon. Against his dark face, those bright white teeth were strikingly noticeable.
When their gazes met, Angel’s expression became extremely serious, his body even slightly trembling.
Even though the man’s attire had changed and even if Angel had never seen the man’s real face, when he heard the man’s voice, Angel immediately recognized him.
“Angel, what’s the matter?” Sanders looked at Angel with suspicion, not understanding why Angel had suddenly stopped and appeared as if he was looking at someone.
Angel returned Sanders’ puzzled gaze, his eyebrows slightly furrowed: “Mentor, can’t you see him?”
“Him?” Sanders, with heightened sensitivity, latched onto that pronoun. Cautiously, he followed Angel’s gaze. But within his field of vision, apart from several gateways, he didn’t see anyone.
“He’s seated on the frame of the target anchor gateway,” whispered Angel.
Sanders immediately looked in that direction, but all he saw was an expanse of emptiness. He didn’t think Angel would lie. With a thought, his eyes were coated with a thin layer of clear light.
Spell: Eye of Dispel.
The Eye of Dispel could strip away all illusions, revealing their truest form.
Yet, Sanders still came up empty. There was no one on the gateway frame — just an echoing stillness.
However, in Angel’s view, a man sat on the target anchor’s gateway frame. His profound eyes nonchalantly glided over Sanders, the corner of his mouth still carrying a lazy smile.
“I never expected to see two seeds at once,” the man said with a smirk, glancing at Sanders and then turning to Angel, “However, today has nothing to do with him, so he can’t see me.”
“So, you’re saying your presence relates to me?” Angel hesitated, “Cassini Lord?”
The man, with twinkling eyes, nodded, not denying Angel’s address.
On the other side, Sanders’ expression shifted. Though he couldn’t hear the man’s voice, he clearly heard Angel’s response: Cassini!
In Sanders’ mind, there were two possibilities: either Angel was deceiving him, and there was no one there, or this person’s power was so great that it concealed him from Sanders’ vision.
Sanders didn’t believe Angel would deceive him. So only the latter remained — the stranger’s power was immense, so much so that even Sanders couldn’t detect him. Combined with Angel’s reference——Cassini.
In Sanders’ heart, an image of a person instantly surged.
In the hush of midnight, he was frequently haunted by a familiar, detestable figure in his dreams.
In the hearts of the wizards of the Southern Region, many longed to meet this individual. Yet, for Sanders, this sentiment was far from favorable. How could one who proudly calls himself a thief, with only a slight favor granted, steal away one’s future? Such a person was truly heinous.
And this individual was none other than Cassini.
The very same Cassini renowned in the Wizarding World as the Time Thief!
Upon confirming the identity of the other party, Sanders’ expression became stern. Facing such a formidable figure, he dared not flee with Angel. When Angel glanced his way, Sanders gravely intoned, “Choose wisely.”
Angel understood Sanders’ message, nodding gently without uttering a word, and continued to focus intently on the Time Thief opposite them.
“Yes, it indeed concerns you.” The Time Thief, unperturbed by the subtle gestures exchanged between Angel and Sanders, responded with an unyielding smile, “Young man, there’s no need to be wary of me.”
The Time Thief sat leisurely on the gateway frame, his feet even tapping rhythmically, exuding a youthful vibe.
“I’m quite keen to be part of your life,” the Time Thief said, his voice clear and melodic, like the refreshing sound of water striking stones on a sweltering summer afternoon, bringing deep-seated comfort.
Despite Angel’s inner guard, in that moment, not a trace of aversion arose.
“If you’d like me to be a part of your journey, why not begin with this very gateway?” The Time Thief hopped down from the gateway frame, pointing at the gateway behind him. “If you find this gateway to be of no use, why not hand it over to me?”
Finishing his statement, the Time Thief grinned mischievously at Angel.
In his heart, Angel silently thought: Here it comes.
Every appearance of the Time Thief is to “steal” your decisions. He is like a janitor hovering over the temporal nodes, whether it’s from the past, present, or future; any decision you abandon, he’ll surreptitiously whisk away.
If life is likened to a long and winding journey, every choice you make in life paves a new path. Sometimes you may feel the new path is not up to your expectations, and so you might backtrack to take another route. However, not every decision in life comes with the privilege of a second chance.
For instance, when the Time Thief presents you with a choice, once you’ve decided, he offers no room for regret.
Even if your decision leads you down a dead-end, there’s no turning back.
Now, it seems the Time Thief intends to offer Angel such a binary dilemma.
Choose the gateway, or relinquish it.
Deep down, Angel’s instinct shouts: He won’t let go of the gateway.
But before Angel can voice his thoughts, the Time Thief, with a mischievous grin, says, “Don’t let your inner biases blind you. If you reject me merely because of his influence…” The Time Thief gestures towards Sanders, squinting slightly, “…because of his sway over you, I’d be quite disheartened.”
“Why not ponder on what this gateway means to you?”
Angel furrows his brow. Upon deeper reflection, he can’t pinpoint any significance this gateway holds for him. Often, spatial anchors could easily replace this gateway, so why not trade it?
The Time Thief doesn’t rush Angel. Leaning against the gateway frame, he waits with an amused smile, “Young man, this isn’t a profound choice. Why not give it a try and let me partake in your life’s journey?”
Despite the Time Thief’s words, Angel is indifferent, as he’s currently immersed in a pool of memories.
In the depths of the Abyss, he spoke to Sanders about the Time Thief.
Sanders said to him, “When you can’t break free from the Time Thief’s binding, faced with the choices he presents, always heed your inner voice.”
Listen to your heart.
For it was Angel Making Choices for his future.
With this in mind, Angel looked up and said to the Time Thief, “I won’t hand over this gateway.”
Time Thief asked, “Even if it’s of no use to you?”
Angel remained silent.
“This gateway means little to you. Your description is spot on; it’s simply a target anchor with no other effects. Are you really not considering handing it over to me?” asked the Time Thief.
Angel nodded in refusal.
Unperturbed, the Time Thief continued smiling, then subtly snapped his fingers.
Before Angel’s eyes, the gateway began to fade and vanish.
Angel’s expression remained unchanged. While it seemed the Time Thief had taken the gateway, Angel sensed that it still remained in its place. However, the Time Thief had done something to conceal it.
“You chose not to give me the gateway, and that’s a choice. Since it’s so, I’ll grant you a wish~” said the Time Thief. “You wanted it hidden; I’ve done that for you.”
With that, the Time Thief’s figure began to gradually fade away.
“Right or wrong, truth or deception, reality or illusion, past or future. Countless choices give rise to innumerable paths. Among these myriad paths, one always leads to the truth. My visit, young one, is it to help you rule out the wrong choices or to pilfer the right ones from you? This is a question of choice.”
With those words, the Time Thief’s silhouette vanished entirely beyond the horizon of time.
It seemed as if nothing had happened at all.
No ripples, no disturbance in the air.
However, through Sanders’ eyes, it wasn’t so. Upon witnessing the disappearance of the gateway, he suspected that Angel had struck a deal with the Time Thief.
As Sanders puzzled over this, Angel suddenly stepped forward.
With a gentle touch in the void, the gateway that Sanders thought had vanished reappeared. No energy ripples, no traces of illusion magic. It appeared as if it had emerged directly from the depths of time.
“He’s gone? You didn’t hand over the gateway to him?” Sanders inquired.
“Yes,” Angel nodded in affirmation. There was a hint of bewilderment in his heart. Even if he had refrained from giving the gateway to the Time Thief, was he still granted a reward?
Sanders probed deeper into the events that had transpired.
After listening, he said to Angel, “That’s just how the Time Thief operates. Regardless of the choice you make, even if he gains nothing, he still bestows benefits.”
That’s one reason many wizards are so drawn to the Time Thief.
However, often, the immediate choice isn’t the Time Thief’s true objective. It’s what’s hidden behind every decision made. Even if you receive his favor now, when you repeatedly fall into his honeyed traps, what the Time Thief truly desires might just be stealthily taken without you realizing.
After all, by the time you realize time is a thief, it has already stolen all your choices away.
Chapter 1440 Target Anchor <TOC> Chapter 1442 Sisia's Gossip