Chapter 1473 Bathed in Light <TOC> Chapter 1475 Only Hope
Next page password is bold portion: Pr_*35=swedR
Translator: SumTLMan
The moment one decides to leave, one can depart at any time. However, before Angel sets off, there’s one more thing he needs to accomplish.
He directs his mental energy into the bracelet he’s wearing.
Unsurprisingly, he finds himself immersed in the same scene as the last time he was here.
Popoca is engrossed in examining the Softworm Nest, while Sparrow Blossom, dressed in a canary-yellow dress, hovers behind him. Her head leans on Popoca’s shoulder, and although they appear affectionate, she is equally involved in observing the Softworm Nest. The two even engage in impassioned debates from time to time, which makes Angel rather embarrassed; he’s the one who should be concerned with this issue but has outsourced it to them instead.
“Big Brother?” Not even a minute after Angel directs his mental power into the bracelet, Sparrow Blossom turns her head, a skeptical look in her eyes.
Accustomed to Sparrow Blossom’s keen intuition by now, Angel replies in a composed manner, “It’s me.”
Upon hearing Angel’s voice, Popoca begins to rise but is stopped by Angel.
“Continue your research; I won’t disturb you. However, I need to discuss something privately with Sparrow Blossom, so I’ll take her with me for a moment,” Angel states.
Popoca’s face instantly turns pale, a glimmer of hesitation in his eyes.
Angel smiles reassuringly. “Don’t worry; I’m not taking her away, just need to consult her on a few things.”
Even so, Popoca’s expression remains somber. During the past few days of bonding with his sister, he’s been quite happy and has purposefully avoided certain subjects. Now that Angel wants to have a private conversation with her, it forces Popoca to confront thoughts he’d rather not revisit.
In truth, whether Sparrow Blossom will be taken away or not, he probably won’t be able to spend much more time with her anyway.
When the flesh crumbles, his soul may no longer be his own.
Popoca’s recent days felt like a sublime dream, yet all dreams must awaken. Now, as he faces reality, his heart is inevitably filled with disappointment.
Sparrow Blossom can see the look on her brother Popoca’s face; she knows what he’s thinking.
Her expression changes rapidly, from one of heartache and helplessness to one of hesitation and indecision. Finally, as if having made a quiet resolution, she takes a deep breath and says to Popoca, “I’ll be back in a moment. Don’t worry; I’ll always be by your side.”
With that, Sparrow Blossom feels her soul being slowly pulled away. She doesn’t resist; instead, she lets this unseen force guide her and vanishes from the bracelet space, leaving behind a distressed Popoca.
When Sparrow Blossom opens her eyes again, she finds herself in a dim, spacious chamber. Besides a long desk and chairs meant for office use, there’s nothing but a black-and-white checkered floor and dim lighting casting a chilly atmosphere.
Angel sits at the desk, a vintage brass lamp in front of him. Its flickering flame casts a muted glow, barely illuminating a few meters around him.
As Sparrow Blossom observes Angel, she senses something different about him compared to their last meeting. The flickering light emphasizes the contours of his face, and his blue eyes seem to glow faintly as if something is burgeoning within them.
While his appearance remains unchanged, Sparrow Blossom feels that he’s become more composed and formidable. She wonders, what significant changes could have happened in just a few days since entering the bracelet space?
While Sparrow Blossom is lost in thought, Angel looks up at her floating in mid-air and says, “You know why I’ve called you here, don’t you?”
Sparrow Blossom snapped back to reality and nodded.
“How are you doing with your decision? Do you have an answer?” Angel looked intently at Sparrow Blossom, awaiting her reply.
Just three days ago, Angel had discreetly conveyed a message to Sparrow Blossom, discussing his deal with Isabelle. Sparrow Blossom was free to choose whether to stay or leave Black Castle with him.
Angel had given Sparrow Blossom a few days to ponder, and now that the Feast of Purification had come to an end, it was time for her to make her choice.
“If all goes as planned, I’ll be leaving Black Castle soon. So I’d like you to make a definite decision,” Angel paused, his gaze softening as it met Sparrow Blossom’s youthful, innocent face. “Believe me, I’m not pressuring you. Whatever choice you make, I will support you.”
Sparrow Blossom lowered her head in thought. Her eyes shifted from hesitance to determination in just a few seconds. She raised her head, her expression unusually solemn; her chubby cheeks gave her a quaintly grown-up appearance.
“Big brother, can you stay a few more days?” Sparrow Blossom countered instead of answering directly.
“Why?”
Sparrow Blossom hesitated for a moment: “I’ve foreseen some scenarios. It shouldn’t take more than a few days to cultivate the Morphing Softworm. So, I would like you to stay a bit longer.”
“Is that the only reason?” Angel’s eyes twinkled.
Sparrow Blossom nodded.
“I understand,” Angel nodded in agreement with Sparrow Blossom’s request. Staying just a few more days to acquire the transformative Softworm was a no-lose situation.
However, Angel also understood Sparrow Blossom’s stance: she had chosen not to leave with him. She wanted to stay in Black Castle.
Otherwise, she could have just let Angel stay behind and come with her. Couldn’t that have also accomplished the nurturing of the Morphing Softworms?
Although Angel is quite concerned about nurturing Morphing Softworms, what piques his interest now is, “Why do you want to stay?”
Whether Sparrow Blossom chooses to stay or leave with him, Angel would respect her decision. Even Angel himself thinks that it would be better for Sparrow Blossom to stay with Isabelle, who is an order-aligned soul wizard.
However, according to Angel’s speculation, there’s a high likelihood that Sparrow Blossom would choose to go with him, especially since Popoca is still within his bracelet. He couldn’t possibly leave Popoca in Black Castle. So, Angel is quite curious: What could be Sparrow Blossom’s reason for choosing to stay?
“I want to change,” Sparrow Blossom said unhesitatingly, her clear eyes filled with resolve. “Lady Isabelle told me that if I cooperate with her experiments, I will become much stronger.”
“So, you merely want to grow stronger?” Angel was quite surprised by Sparrow Blossom’s answer.
Sparrow Blossom nodded, “Yes, but… that’s just one reason.”
“What are the other reasons?” Angel was somewhat curious.
Sparrow Blossom then fell silent. After a while, she lowered her head and hesitantly said in a somewhat embarrassed and even ashamed tone, “Can I make a trade with you, Big Brother?”
Angel was waiting for her to say the other reason but didn’t expect Sparrow Blossom’s words to shift into a completely different dimension.
“A trade?” Angel looked at Sparrow Blossom’s obviously guilt-ridden expression and found it somewhat amusing. “Why don’t you go ahead and tell me?”
Sparrow Blossom’s little face twisted into a knot, the area around her nose wrinkled.
Angel laughed, “I don’t know why you’re making that face, but there’s no need to feel embarrassed. I believe that during this time, you’ve probably learned a fair bit about wizards. In the Wizarding World, there’s a universally accepted rule——Equivalent Exchange. So wizards are a group who are quite willing to trade.”
“You don’t have to feel guilty due to emotional factors. As long as I approve of the trade you propose, the deal can be made,” Angel remarked.
Upon hearing Angel’s words, Sparrow Blossom still felt somewhat uncomfortable, perhaps feeling somewhat ashamed for making further requests after Angel had already done her many favors.
However, upon reflection, there was no clear imbalance in what either Sparrow Blossom or Angel had given or taken.
When Angel first encountered Sparrow Blossom, she provided him with information about Gloria and even offered to give him the Soul Bead that sustained her soul. In exchange, Angel took pity on her and created an illusionary realm for her.
Later, a necklace Sparrow Blossom left with him turned out to be the key item that helped him narrowly escape from Popoca.
As for him introducing Popoca to Sparrow Blossom, it was because he had promised Popoca, although there was also the aspect of his pity toward Sparrow Blossom.
The flow of goodwill between them was indeed hard to quantify; there was no question of who gave more or who gave less.
After some moments of hesitant fidgeting, Sparrow Blossom finally stuttered, “I…um… the Morphing Softworm, I’d like to…”
Cutting off her stammering, Angel summarized, “You’re trying to say that you want to trade the birth of the Morphing Softworm with me?”
Sparrow Blossom’s eyes flickered anxiously as she nodded.
Angel pondered for a moment. He had found it rather amusing when he first saw Sparrow Blossom and Popoca working together on the Softworm Nest. He had given them time to bond as siblings, but they ended up researching insect nests. Later, Sparrow Blossom had told him not to blame Popoca; studying the insect nests had been her idea.
Angel asked her, “Why did you choose to research insect nests?”
At the time, Sparrow Blossom’s answer indicated a willingness to help Popoca, but it was quite ambiguous, leaving room for interpretation and clearly hiding some ulterior motive.
Reflecting on it now, Sparrow Blossom must have already been contemplating some form of trade.
“Is it possible?” Sparrow Blossom inquired somewhat uneasily.
“Of course, it’s possible,” Angel responded without hesitation. The value of a Softworm capable of Morphing was beyond dispute. One could argue that it would be challenging to find another such Softworm anywhere in the Southern Region at the moment.
Moreover, what Sparrow Blossom offered was not just a single living Softworm. As long as the Worm Mother was still present, new Softworms could continually be born.
This was an incredibly substantial benefit.
As a bargaining chip, it was unquestionably substantial. Now, the question was, what did Sparrow Blossom want to trade for?
Sparrow Blossom’s timing in proposing this trade must have come after careful consideration. Angel was quite curious about what terms Sparrow Blossom would propose.
Angel looked at Sparrow Blossom, awaiting her response.