Chapter 1481 Opening the Gateway <TOC> Chapter 1483 Murder Cases in Ghust Town
Translator: SumTLMan
When Alex started cleaning the Church early in the morning, he noticed the spectral image of a blond young man hovering above the church.
At the time, Alex didn’t give it much thought.
He assumed it was an illusion of his own making.
Ever since Father Bertrand brought him to the Church of Kruja and adopted him, Alex had experienced intermittent illusions. He would see phantom images flicker before his eyes or witness inexplicable scenarios where he played a mysterious role.
Alex had been troubled by these illusions for a long time and had even sought Father Bertrand’s guidance.
Father Bertrand’s response was to sit in silence for a while, then pat Alex on the head and say with a compassionate tone, “It seems you’ve been through some difficult experiences. Your loss of memory may be a consequence of this.”
Alex also thought the same, speculating that these illusions were fragments of memories from his past.
Faced with this, Alex had two options: either confront his past and search for the lost memories or ignore them and focus solely on the future.
Father Bertrand advised him to forget the past.
And on the surface, that’s exactly what Alex did.
Because of this, when Alex initially saw the blond figure, he assumed it was another illusion. He memorized the figure’s appearance and then disregarded it, without even telling Father Bertrand.
What was strange, however, was that unlike his previous illusions that would flash and vanish, this blond figure had been present for the better part of the day and showed no signs of disappearing.
Initially, a blonde figure was seen scanning the area above the church. Eventually, he descended and lingered near Alex, following him from the moment he and Father Bertrand entered the church to when he counseled Lady Connie.
This led Alex to believe that perhaps this blonde figure wasn’t an illusion but an actual “person.”
However, why couldn’t either Father Bertrand or Lady Connie see this “person”?
Alex covertly observed the blonde figure for a long time and noticed that his expression was consistently contemplative, as if mulling over something. He often scanned his surroundings with a calm, even stoic, demeanor, leaving Alex wondering what he might be thinking.
Given that this was a thinking “person” who exhibited no malice, Alex decided to initiate a conversation.
After Alex had asked some preliminary questions, the blonde figure turned his gaze quietly towards him.
“Shouldn’t you introduce yourself before inquiring who someone else is?”
“But I’ve been observing you all day, and I’ve noticed that you seem burdened, young man. So, I’ll overlook your lack of courtesy,” the blonde figure said casually. “You may call me Pat.”
…
Angel observed the young man before him. After his self-introduction, the youth stood up, took off his gloves, and formally placed his hand on his chest, revealing his name: “Alex.”
Angel had already learned Alex’s name from his observations throughout the day. What he wanted to know were the details beyond the name. The young man seemed polite, but he wasn’t giving away any additional information.
“Mr. Pat, you still haven’t answered my previous question: why are you here? And why can’t others see you? Are you a ghost?”
Raising an eyebrow, Angel replied, “Why am I here? Honestly, I’d like to know that myself.”
Time rewound to a day prior. Angel was in the testing grounds of Black Castle, experimenting with the Gateway Model. The moment he stepped through the gateway, shrouded in a mist of light, a peculiar transformation occurred within him.
Angel felt as though his consciousness had separated from his physical body, turning into a core essence that merged into the mist of light, while his physical form remained in the testing grounds. The instant this core entered the mist, all his memories, experiences, thought patterns, and logic underwent a thorough… re-examination.
This was an uncanny phenomenon, not unlike when he was taken to that bizarre dimension by the Heavenly Eye. His thoughts became not only clear but also operated at an ineffable speed and efficiency.
What differentiated this experience was that Angel’s emotional module had not been omitted this time.
Given that the special energy originated from that bizarre dimension, Angel wasn’t overly surprised. Instead, he silently took mental notes of the circumstances, intending to summarize them in his journal later.
As Angel marveled at the clarity and speed of his own thoughts, something unexpected occurred.
His core consciousness was surrounded and propelled forward by countless points of light.
Startled, Angel immediately began to scan his surroundings. He realized that his core consciousness was in a Mysterious “Passage.”
The term ‘passage’ was merely Angel’s own understanding; he couldn’t really define this place, which was filled with spatial energy and that strange special energy.
What concerned him more was, what were these points of light surrounding him, and why were they propelling his core consciousness forward?
Involuntarily, Angel tried to control these points of light.
And to his astonishment, they did respond to his mental command.
But just as Angel gained control over these points of light and brought his core consciousness to a standstill, the strange passage abruptly collapsed…
Angel felt as if his consciousness was flipping upside down, like raindrops falling from the sky and sinking into the earth.
It was like a freefall through dimensions.
The space around him swiftly fractured, and Angel’s cognitive efficiency also gradually declined, eventually returning to normal.
By the time his core consciousness began to stabilize, Angel realized that he found himself hovering above a small town.
Instead of immediately observing the situation of the town, Angel first sensed his own condition.
The first thing he noticed was that his core consciousness was actually housed in a body?
Initially confused, Angel carefully perceived his body and found that this so-called “body” was essentially constructed of illusionary energy.
In other words, this was a phantasmal body.
This illusion perfectly mirrored Angel’s appearance when he stepped into the light mist, down to his attire.
Angel could feel his body suffused with the power of illusions. His core consciousness could control this power, but all other powers were unusable.
The second thing Angel discovered also concerned his own energy.
He sensed a special energy within his core consciousness, which seemed like a thread connecting to an unknown void.
When Angel traced this special energy, he quickly discovered a gateway.
This gateway was the same one he had entered.
Angel could even clearly feel that the thread of special energy crossed this gateway, linking to the space behind it — that is, Black Castle testing ground where Angel’s physical body was located.
Angel realized that if he stepped through this gateway at this moment, his brief journey would likely come to an end, returning him to Black Castle.
However, Angel chose not to do so.
Since he already knew that a special energy connected his spiritual core to his physical body, it meant he could return to Black Castle at any time. With a way back secured, he decided to stay put and assess the situation further.
Upon examining his own condition, Angel concluded there were essentially two key points.
First, his current form was an illusion, while his true self remained in Black Castle; second, he could return at any time by following the connection of this special energy.
After confirming these details for himself, Angel’s thoughts turned to the most important matter — the effect of the Gateway Model.
Recalling his experience in that peculiar semi-passage, Angel was certain that the end of the passage was not this small town. The reason he ended up here was entirely due to his attempt to control that point of light.
To use an analogy, the point of light was like a train, his spiritual core was the passenger, and the destination of the train was the end of the passage.
However, because the passenger tried to seize control of the train midway, it ended up veering off course. As a result, the passenger had no choice but to disembark midway, ultimately finding himself in this small town.
Angel had roughly deduced the situation, but what the semi-passage was and where it led remained unknown.
Thus, there were still significant uncertainties surrounding the Gateway Model.
As far as the current situation was concerned, it seemed the effect of the Gateway Model allowed him to traverse spaces with his——illusory form.
Perhaps this was merely a side effect of the Gateway Model. Could its true function be to lead one to the other side of this peculiar semi-passage?
These questions remained unanswered and would require further experimentation the next time he activated the Gateway Model.
Currently, Angel is preparing to explore this small town.
He wants to know where exactly the town is located. Although he, as an irresponsible passenger, got off midway, he could still glean some information about the surrounding area from his current location.
Angel then gently descends into the town. To avoid drawing attention, he employs illusion magic to create a subtle visual barrier around himself.
Ordinary people would likely be unable to see him.
The first place Angel arrives at is the Church of Kruja.
Initially, Angel planned to locate the town’s mayor or a noble estate, as usually only such places would have basic geographical information.
However, when he realizes he’s landed at a church, his eyes light up.
While the mayor or nobles might be constrained by legal formalities and not keep geographical records, a church is different. It’s an area governed by religious jurisdiction, usually having its own autonomous rules. Clergy frequently move in and out, so there should be geographical information here.
So, Angel prepares to enter the church to search for clues.
During this process, although Angel doesn’t find any clues, he comes across an interesting young man.
It’s none other than Alex.
Chapter 1481 Opening the Gateway <TOC> Chapter 1483 Murder Cases in Ghust Town