Chapter 1461 One Person to the Next <TOC> Chapter 1463 Serpent and Bird
Translator: SumTLMan
Frost had indeed noticed Toby early on and could see that there was something unique about him. However, his curiosity didn’t get the better of him. The world was filled with extraordinary beings; adding Toby to the mix didn’t seem too remarkable.
But now that Angel had presented Toby before him, Frost took a more discerning look.
“An intriguing creature that neither fits neatly into this world nor is it ostracized by it,” Frost mused softly. “Such a being is likely unparalleled, even by the standards of the City of Phantasm, where it would qualify as an upper-class citizen.”
Seeing Angel’s puzzled expression, Frost offered a brief explanation.
The so-called City of Phantasm is an extraordinary city in the Source World, officially named ‘Gruz De Weld’s City of Phantasm.’ In this metropolis, there’s a plethora of magical beings, which Gruz De Weld has categorized into three tiers of citizenship, with the upper class at the pinnacle.
“Although it is called a city of magical beings, from an outsider’s perspective, it more closely resembles Gruz De Weld’s private menagerie. Hence, its reputation isn’t the best. Nevertheless, when anyone from the Source World mentions magical creatures, City of Phantasm is invariably the first to come to mind.”
After elaborating on the City of Phantasm, Frost added, “Gruz De Weld is an expert in researching magical creatures. He’s reportedly a decent person, but he can get extremely greedy when confronted with a rare creature. So, if you ever visit the Source World, it’s best to avoid the City of Phantasm. Otherwise, if he catches sight of your little magical pet, well…”
Frost suddenly broke into a quiet laugh. His smile seemed placid, but Angel felt a chilling sense of unease crawling up his spine.
“Toby is not my magical pet; he’s my friend,” Angel said.
Raising an eyebrow, Frost replied, “Alright then, your friend.”
Frost gently took Toby, softly caressing its dull grey feathers. The contrast between Frost’s alabaster hands and the lackluster plumage, enhanced by the three shimmering rings that graced his fingers, created an oddly dissonant tableau.
“Its condition is quite intriguing,” said Frost, his voice imbued with an elegant languor, after a few soft strokes of Toby’s feathers. “To evolve by overcoming an emotion that has permeated its flesh and blood — this is the first time I’ve encountered such a unique method of advancement. Wouldn’t you agree?”
Angel had not yet disclosed the details about Toby, yet Frost had already discerned much, leaving Angel once again captivated by Frost’s perceptive insights.
Without prevarication, Angel briefly shared Toby’s origins and the ordeal it had faced — The Tribulation of the Five Flavors.
“Do you wish to save it?” Frost inquired, clearly grasping Angel’s intent after hearing the tale.
“Yes, I want to save him,” Angel confirmed.
Frost said, “Its current condition mirrors your previous breakthrough to becoming a formal wizard. This is its own form of advancement, and I don’t mind if you interfere with external forces.”
“But can he survive without external intervention?” Angel questioned.
After a moment of thoughtful deliberation, Frost asserted, “No, it cannot.”
“Then I would rather intervene,” Angel declared resolutely.
Frost tenderly rubbed the softest down feathers on Toby’s cheeks and then gently placed it back on the desk. “If you are set on intervening, then it’s not out of the question,” he conceded.
A glimmer of hope flashed in Angel’s eyes——as this was the only affirmative statement he had heard today concerning Toby’s situation.
“However, meddling with external forces could potentially lead to severe repercussions for it. You should consider that carefully.”
“What kind of repercussions?” Angel inquired, awaiting Frost’s response.
Frost shrugged, “It really depends on how deeply you want to get involved and what choices you make.”
Angel paused to ponder, “May I consult with someone?”
Frost signaled that he was free to do so.
Angel exited through the grand doors. Soon after, an envelope with tiny white wings flew out of the room and discreetly slid into a female apprentice’s waist pouch. Unaware of the newly added envelope, she proceeded towards the lower levels. She came to a halt at the underground fourth floor, the Insect Nest, seemingly contemplating entering.
Just then, a mysterious cold breeze lifted the envelope, nudging it onto another apprentice.
The female apprentice ventured from the Insect Nest to the Ice Cavern. As she stood outside the Ice Cavern, the envelope suddenly whisked past her shoulder. She managed to exclaim, “Did a white figure just flash by?” before the envelope disappeared into the depths of the corridor.
In no time, the envelope crossed the icy hallway and appeared before Gloria.
Before Gloria could even open it, the envelope transformed into a burst of flames. Emerging from the ashes of the fire was the figure of Angel.
“A very clever illusion connection; I was almost fooled,” Gloria marveled, glancing at Sanders, who was sitting across from her.
“Still clearly marked by illusionary nodes, hardly noteworthy,” Sanders responded emotionlessly.
Annoyed, Gloria rolled her eyes at Sanders. Though he appeared critical, she could discern a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.
“Cold face, hot blooded.” Gloria thought to herself, redirecting her attention to Angel’s illusion.
Angel succinctly recounted his visits to Isabelle and Frost, and then relayed, word for word, what Frost had said.
Although Angel had already made up his mind internally, Toby was, after all, a creation of Gloria. From a certain perspective, Gloria was a motherly figure to Toby. Therefore, when it came to Toby’s future, a discussion with Gloria was essential.
Upon hearing Angel’s words, Gloria responded almost immediately: “Save him!”
Intervening with external forces could have its repercussions, but it was better than certain death. Faced with these Two Options, Gloria didn’t need to ponder.
“Besides,” she added, “repercussions are not permanent scars; there are ways to resolve them.”
With Gloria’s consent in hand, Angel returned to Frost’s chamber. Frost looked up, the gears on his bronze mask turning slowly as he spoke, “It seems you’ve made your decision.”
“I won’t give up on Toby,” Angel stated firmly.
Frost nodded noncommittally, “Since you’ve made your choice, let’s analyze the situation.”
“His body is unique. Beyond a skeletal frame, even his soul and flesh leave no trace of his own identity. Thus, this so-called ‘Tribulation of the Five Flavors’ can be simplified as enriching this frame by connecting with the internal soul and flesh through these five emotional states.”
“Once he overcomes — or perhaps tames — this tribulation, he should be able to truly transform, without being limited by his original, fleshly body.”
“Therefore, the challenge he faces isn’t just a physical or soulful one; it must be considered from the root.”
This fundamental issue was also what stumped Isabelle and Gloria. At their level, they were unable to consider the root of the problem. For someone of Frost’s caliber, however, pinpointing the root cause was not difficult.
Once the root cause is identified, various methods to resolve it become available.
However, no matter the method, if an external force intervenes, the primary goal is to resolve the “Tribulation of Resentment” within Toby.
“Based on my own risk assessment, I’ve eliminated some of the more hazardous options, leaving you with two options,” Frost said.
“The first option, I believe, carries the least risk.”
Frost then took out a pitch-black flute and placed it beside Toby. “It’s currently in the midst of the Tribulation of Resentment, emanating emotions of bitterness, jealousy, malice, evil… these are all different forms of malevolence. We can use the ‘Dark Sonata’ to aggregate these malicious thoughts into a Persona of Evil.”
This so-called Persona of Evil is the personality formed from the resentment inside Toby… let’s call it Birdcage.
Like Rolando before him, Toby would have two completely different personalities; one normal and the other the Persona of Evil. As long as Frost controls the Dark Sonata, Toby can completely suppress the Persona of Evil, behaving indistinguishably from any regular person. And when facing tough times, this Persona of Evil could provide a substantial increase in Toby’s abilities.
So, in Frost’s view, this is the least risky option.
However, Angel sees it as extremely precarious, as this is like planting a remote-controlled bomb within Toby, with the detonator in Frost’s hands.
Entrusting one’s life and death to another amounts to relinquishing one’s freedom from that point on.
Therefore, if it were up to Angel, he would not opt for the Dark Sonata.
Perhaps understanding Angel’s concerns, Frost continued, “The second option is to directly suppress the Tribulation of Resentment.”
To put it bluntly, it’s a straightforward and brute-force method.
At Frost’s level, he could easily contain all of the tribulation’s resentment and keep it suppressed.
“The animosity of extreme resentment is an issue intrinsic to itself; outside forces attempting to dissolve it are not only faced with considerable risks and lingering problems but could also potentially generate irreversible consequences.”
Frost didn’t deceive Angel; he could alleviate the animosity of extreme resentment for Toby. However, he had also said before that only if Toby conquers the Tribulation of the Five Flavors can he achieve completion.
“If external forces try to dispel this Tribulation of Extreme Resentment, Toby will never find completion. There’s a very real possibility that this could sabotage his future path.”
Therefore, Frost chose a compromise: “Suppression.”
“The risk of suppression is significant, but at least it won’t erase the animosity of extreme resentment. Toby still has the opportunity to resolve this calamity himself, and it won’t have too much of an impact on his future.”
However, the more the resentment is suppressed, the more potent the backlash will be in the future.
“Furthermore, as Toby’s own strength grows, so will this animosity of extreme resentment. If today’s animosity is but a fleeting mayfly, there may come a day when suppression will no longer suffice, and what Toby will then face will be a resentment transformed into a behemoth!”
Chapter 1461 One Person to the Next <TOC> Chapter 1463 Serpent and Bird