Chapter 1545 Interlinked Memories <TOC> Chapter 1547 Ivo and Alex
Previous page password is bold portion: &p0dLWi+Ld+g
Translator: SumTLMan
While there’s no definitive proof that the “Box of Reincarnation” crafted by Ivo is the same Mysterious Object as the “Ghost’s Box of Reincarnation” mentioned by Frost, there are indeed certain striking similarities between the two.
The most glaring of these is the name. It’s rare for two Mysterious Objects to share such similar nomenclature.
However, the resemblance in the names could be a sheer coincidence. After all, Ivo’s “Box of Reincarnation” was clearly marked as a provisional title.
Aside from the names, a second point of similarity is that both objects have gone out of control. In a world replete with Mysterious Objects, those with similar names and errant behavior are a rarity.
Originally, when Frost spoke of the “Ghost’s Box of Reincarnation,” he was using this Mysterious Object to explain the concept of “going out of control” to Angel. Fingernail Granny had noted that the “Box of Reincarnation” manifested signs of law-breaking, strongly indicating it too was in an uncontrollable state.
Such out of control behavior is extraordinarily unusual among Mysterious Objects. According to Fingernail Granny, the Box of Reincarnation was originally crafted in a minor world near the Southern Region; Frost also mentioned that the Ghost’s Box of Reincarnation was found in a world near the Southern Region. The coincidence of both being near the Southern Region suggests certain underlying issues.
Perhaps this evidence still holds a thread of possibility for coincidence. However, if one works backward from the outcomes, the case becomes far more interesting, as more similarities will emerge.
Suppose both objects are, in fact, the same Mysterious Object and that Alex and Ivo are connected, perhaps even the same individual.
Then many things would fall into place.
For instance, Frost had previously explained that the Box of Reincarnation is actually composed of a series of miniature spacetimes. Each spacetime is a scenario, and each scenario is a cycle of reincarnation. External participants, termed as ‘reincarnators,’ have to solve the puzzle of the current scenario and ultimately eliminate the mastermind to move on to the next cycle.
The situation closely mirrors that of Ghust Town, which is essentially a staged setting serving as a cage to trap outsiders——namely, Alex. To escape this cage, one must unravel the mysteries within it: a series of murders.
From the perspective of the context and objective, these two scenarios are almost perfectly aligned.
Moreover, what Frost mentioned about the “Ghost’s Box of Reincarnation” focuses significantly on the prefix “ghost.” In Ghust Town where Alex resides, ghosts appear as well, with the goal of killing outsiders. Fortunately for Alex, Father Bertrand initially shielded him from Sister Tessa’s sight.
Therefore, Angel has reason to suspect that Ghust Town is actually a reincarnational stage within the Box of Reincarnation.
Father Bertrand once said, “Beyond the cage lies a bigger cage, one after another, encapsulating an escalating sense of dread that no one, aside from the Father God, can escape.”
This mechanism is also consistent with that of the “Ghost’s Box of Reincarnation.” Frost has experienced multiple cycles of reincarnation, struggling through various settings, from haunted monasteries to orphanages filled with vengeful spirits, ghost towns, and temples of twilight demons, finally escaping after enduring twenty cycles.
This aligns well with what Bertrand described as “sequential cages of escalating dread.”
Bertrand, being one of the guardians appointed by the creator of the cage in Ghust Town, carries some credibility in his words.
Judging by the outcomes, many aspects are coherent, and the similarities are too numerous to be coincidental.
Angel has every reason to believe that the “Box of Reincarnation” is the same Mysterious Object as the “Ghost’s Box of Reincarnation” that Frost mentioned.
As for the relationship between Alex and Ivo, Angel himself can’t make a determination, but he believes in what Fingernail Granny has said. Too many coincidences might just spell inevitability.
Moreover, during Angel’s time in Ghust Town, his primary reason for staying close to Alex was that Alex was fundamentally different from those around him, in terms of his aura, personality, and the way he conducted himself.
Although he appeared indifferent and detached, he was not ungrateful. He seemed uninterested in everything, but that was only because while everyone else was fixated on the paltry pennies on the ground, he was looking up at the luminous moon in the sky.
His thought process is like a wizard who has been immersed in the extraordinary world for years, vastly different from that of ordinary people. Yet, paradoxically, he is just an ordinary man.
Angel harbored suspicions about Alex’s identity until Fingernail Granny shared her tale. Almost immediately, Angel believed her.
It’s not about whether Alex is actually Ivo, but Angel has always felt that Alex is far from ordinary. Therefore, he trusts Fingernail Granny’s judgment.
Based on her judgment, Angel pieced together all the stories and formulated what he considered to be a plausible truth——
According to Frost, the “Ghost’s Box of Reincarnation” operates by its unique set of laws. Anyone entering it retains only a fraction of their physical strength and loses all other powers.
When Ivo initially fell into the Box of Reincarnation, he perhaps encountered some complications and lost some memories. Coupled with the forced suppression of his wizard powers, he became Alex.
As Alex, he continuously experienced reincarnations within the Box, up to the present day.
This is the truth Angel deduced.
There are some inconsistencies, such as the Box suppressing powers, yet Angel can still use illusions within it. This could imply that the energy level of the Gateway of Fantasy is extremely high, enough to override the laws of the Box. Alternatively, he might not have actually entered the Box in the first place; perhaps he’s merely astral-projecting via illusion, and since the ‘physical’ strength of the illusory body is in the form of the illusion itself, it seems to comply with the laws.
Upon reaching this so-called truth, Angel was indeed surprised.
He has been tracing the whereabouts of Ghust Town not only to confirm whether Alex had eradicated the nun but also to ascertain the capabilities of the Gateway of Fantasy.
He always assumed that the cage was somewhere in the Southern Region, as he didn’t spend much time traveling through the passage within the Gateway of Fantasy.
Based on current speculations, the Shadow of the Cage is most definitely not in the Southern Region. If the “Box of Reincarnation” is indeed the “Ghost’s Box of Reincarnation,” then according to Frost, it might be located somewhere near the Southern Region.
He traversed the Gateway of Fantasy for such a short period, yet he crossed countless worlds and ended up in the Box of Reincarnation?
Then, if he hadn’t disembarked halfway, where would the pathway in the Gateway of Fantasy eventually lead? Could it be the endpoint of everything, perhaps even beyond dimensions?
Regardless of where that pathway leads, one thing is certain: the displacement ability of the Gateway of Fantasy is probably the most powerful form of spatial travel known at present.
Unfortunately, the waiting time for its restoration is too long, and it can’t be used in physical form — only an illusionary self can traverse.
And if you ‘jump off’ halfway, there’s no telling where you might end up.
Like last time, when he recklessly disembarked, he found himself in Ghust Town.
While Angel was internally summarizing his gains and preparing for a new round of assessments on the Gateway of Fantasy, Fingernail Granny, who had been waiting for Angel to draw conclusions, finally couldn’t help but speak first.
“Can we talk now?”
How did you find out about the story within the Shadow of the Cage? How are you sure this tale is real? And… where is Alex right now?
Before this, Angel might not have known how to answer because he genuinely didn’t know.
He has now deduced a rough idea; though he can answer now, many details must remain unsaid due to the special abilities of the Gateway of Fantasy.
After some thought, Angel finally mused, “Actually, this issue begins with an incident at Black Castle.”
With Fingernail Granny listening intently, Angel began recounting the events at Black Castle, elaborating up to the point where he had the Prelude of Reincarnation, helped the people of Black Castle exterminate ghosts, and in that process, discovered a unique ghost.
Upon reaching this point in the conversation, Fingernail Granny had yet to grasp the crux of the matter. She was uncertain as to why Angel was saying all this but refrained from interrupting him, choosing instead to listen attentively.
“… A figure wearing an ancient bronze mask appeared in the sky above Black Castle,” Angel finally mentioned Frost. He then proceeded to obliquely discuss this wizard who seemed to belong to the realm ‘beyond legendary.’
“I’m quite intrigued by Mysterious Objects, and given my past close encounters with the mysterious, Lord Frost eventually divulged some information about these Mysterious Objects,” Angel elucidated, breaking down the concept into controllable, semi-controllable, and uncontrollable states.
After hearing Angel out, Fingernail Granny nodded and said, “Indeed, I’ve heard people categorize Mysterious Objects based on these three levels of controllability. The Box of Reincarnation that Ivo initially crafted may very well have been… uncontrollable.”
“When Lord Frost explained the ‘uncontrollable’ aspect to me, he cited an example of his own,” Angel paused for emphasis before continuing. “The example he used was a Mysterious Object named the ‘Ghost’s Box of Reincarnation.'”
At these words, Fingernail Granny’s pupils contracted and her expression momentarily froze.
After a considerable pause, Fingernail Granny tremulously asked, “What, what… what’s the relationship between this ‘Ghost’s Box of Reincarnation’ and the ‘Box of Reincarnation’?”
Angel shrugged, “I can’t give you a definitive answer, but I personally believe they are the same Mysterious Object. Feel free to judge for yourself as I continue.”
Angel then went on to recount every last detail and intricacy about the “Ghost’s Box of Reincarnation.”
He elaborated on each cycle within the object, clarifying the significance of these miniature spacetimes and how one might decipher their mysteries to eventually escape into the next cycle.
“Lord Frost has been through a multitude of scenarios: haunted monasteries, orphanages filled with vengeful spirits, the ghost town, and even ghost cities…”
At this moment, Angel finally mentioned Ghust Town, which he likened to a cage.
Whether Frost had ever been to Ghust Town, Angel didn’t know, but the odds were likely against it.
He couldn’t possibly admit that he had entered Ghust Town through the Gateway of Fantasy; such a revelation would expose his secrets, potentially extending to matters related to the Heavenly Eye and his mentor Jon.
Nor did he dare to fabricate a lie outright, for given Fingernail Granny’s capabilities, she might very well detect it. Therefore, he chose this more oblique approach, casually mentioning Ghust Town, and letting Fingernail Granny draw her own conclusions:
——The tale of the Shadow of the Cage, the series of events that unfolded in Ghust Town, might have been shared with Angel by Lord Frost.
Should Fingernail Granny press further for details, he could offer a noncommittal smile; after all, this matter involved a wizard of ‘legendary’ realm.
As expected, once Angel had spoken these words, Fingernail Granny filled in the blanks with her own imagination.
“This does make sense as to why Angel knows this story,” Fingernail Granny mused to herself. However, as the matter concerned Frost, she chose not to probe any further, but she was internally convinced that it was Frost who had informed Angel.
Chapter 1545 Interlinked Memories <TOC> Chapter 1547 Ivo and Alex