Chapter 1558 Exchanging for the Domain Demon Eye <TOC> Chapter 1560 Wild Sand Bear
Translator: SumTLMan
Several hours later, Angel left the Creation Hall with a contemplative expression on his face.
When Angel returned to the estate, Gloria was in the middle of training Toby. Seeing Angel’s furrowed brow, she asked curiously, “You seem troubled. Did something happen?”
“Let me think, your schedule today involved teaching at Achillea Comprehensive College, didn’t it? Were you questioned during your lecture? Would you like me to bake those doubters into pastries to vent your frustrations?”
Angel shook his head. “The lecture concluded without any issues. I’m not particularly troubled, just heard some news at the Research Institute.”
As for what this news was — whether intriguing or shocking — Angel didn’t elaborate.
Although Gloria was curious about the Research Institute, she didn’t want to pry. “If it’s good news, I’d be happy to hear it. If it’s bad, then perhaps it’s best not to tell me.”
“From what I can tell, it’s neither good nor bad. But the scope of its impact is likely limited to the alchemy circle,” Angel said, while smoothing Toby’s feathers.
Gloria understood at this point. The news pertained to those involved in alchemy, so it likely didn’t concern her, an outsider to that world. Since that was the case, she felt no need to inquire further. After all, if it were significant news, she’d hear about it even if she wasn’t directly involved in the alchemy circle.
It was like when Angel, as an apprentice, had produced a high-rank alchemical masterpiece; the news had resonated even beyond the alchemy circle.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries with Gloria, Angel retreated to his room.
Once back, Angel sat by the window and pondered for a moment before taking out his notebook. He flipped to the section about the Gateway of Fantasy.
In the notes of —Gateway of Fantasy Trial Record One—, Angel drew an equals sign next to the name “Alex,” writing “Ivo Shpratt.”
Earlier, after listening to Fingernail Granny’s tale, Angel had already begun to suspect whether Alex might actually be the missing Ivo. However, that was merely a hypothesis of his. Today, Angel finally received a definitive answer.
Let’s rewind to not too long ago.
Antonio informed Angel that Director Muse had invited him to the Creation Hall.
Angel was somewhat surprised to learn that Director Muse had emerged from seclusion. According to Antonio’s previous statements, the Director would be in seclusion for several months, even years. Now, not even a month had passed, and he was out?
When Angel arrived at the Creation Hall, he found that it was not just the Water Ripple Witch present, but also the other ruler of Sky Mechanical City — Mechanical Beast King “Rosen,” as well as Fingernail Granny.
With such a solemn reception, and especially with Fingernail Granny seated in a secondary position, Angel had already started to conjecture that this gathering was likely about Ivo.
As expected, what Director Muse and the others were discussing was precisely Ivo and the “Ghost’s Box of Reincarnation.” The Director called Angel over to witness firsthand the illusions within the Shadow of the Cage, while also reconfirming some details with him.
Later, Rosen invited Hydra to make a prophecy based on some details within the Shadow of the Cage.
Although Hydra didn’t provide a direct and exact outcome, he did receive some answers from the “Serpent of the Tree,” answers that found confirmation in what Fingernail Granny had said.
In other words, it was now essentially confirmed that if Alex wasn’t Ivo himself, then he must be an aspect or fragment of Ivo.
Upon receiving this answer, the Creation Hall immediately burst into animated discussion.
Director Muse and Rosen started to debate, or perhaps more accurately, argue over several key questions: Where is Ivo? How should they go about finding him? And how can they rescue Ivo from the binding constraints of the Box of Reincarnation?
Because both parties were entrenched in their own views, unwilling to yield to the other, the atmosphere within the Creation Hall temporarily devolved into something resembling a bustling marketplace.
The Water Ripple Witch discreetly informed him that they had actually been arguing for several days, yet there was still no unified resolution in sight, suggesting that this state of affairs might persist for some time.
Since the subsequent topics of discussion pertained to the core interests of Sky Mechanical City, Angel chose not to linger and listen, and departed ahead of time.
However, based on the information currently at hand, Ivo was indeed confirmed to be Alex. Given the self-evident significance of Ivo, both Director Muse and Lord Rosen had reached a consensus: the Research Institute would undoubtedly mount a rescue effort for Ivo.
Angel was uncertain about the ramifications of this news, but once it got out, it would surely cause a seismic ripple within the alchemy circles.
Nevertheless, as Angel had mentioned to Gloria, whether this news was good or bad remained to be seen.
Due to the insidious nature of the Box of Reincarnation, it’s impossible for anyone who has never experienced it to fathom its depths. Even Angel hasn’t truly experienced the dread encapsulated in the Box of Reincarnation, especially since Ghust Town where Alex was located constituted a lightweight reincarnation scenario.
Yet Fingernail Granny, being one of the creators of the Box of Reincarnation, might have some specialized methods to counteract it.
Only after the Box of Reincarnation is actually located can one know whether this news is for better or worse.
…
Under the twinkling stars in the night sky, Angel was still hunched over his desk, engrossed in theoretical comparisons.
After two weeks of experiments and investigations, Angel had by and large ironed out the finer details of grafting the Morphing Softworm’s skin, and could actually move into the practical phase now.
However, there were still aspects that Angel found worrisome.
Which part should the transplant go to?
Although the Softworm’s skin allows for transformation throughout the entire body, its size is only palm-sized. Achieving a full-body transformation requires a proportional energy expenditure. However, localized transformations consume less energy, and the chosen site for the transplant hardly uses any energy at all.
Angel studied the experiences of many predecessors and eventually ruled out private areas, listing 36 possible sites for the transplant. After various considerations, Angel finally opted for the hand.
Since the hand is the most frequently used part of the body, transplanting the Softworm’s skin there would mean that energy consumption for hand transformations could be virtually ignored, thus saving some energy.
However, a new issue arises: should the transplant go on the left hand or the right hand?
Angel primarily uses his right hand, so a transplant there would be most beneficial. But his right hand also represents his Projection Bloodline and is marked with a green rune. Angel is uncertain whether the Softworm’s skin would conflict with this rune if transplanted onto the right hand.
The left hand is also a possibility, but Angel harbors another concern. What if he unexpectedly encounters “Shava” again and he integrates his left hand with his? Then the transplanted Softworm skin on the left hand would be rendered useless.
So, this is where his hesitation lies.
Left hand? Or Right hand?
Caught in the dilemma, Angel began to list the pros and cons for both hands, along with the weight each point carried in the decision-making process.
When summarizing, Angel noticed that transplanting to the right hand had many advantages and held greater weight in favor than the left. However, the downside is the uncertainty surrounding its potential impact on the green rune — a variable with a wide range of unknown consequences.
If transplanted to the left hand, would the advantage in weight distribution be lesser than that of the right hand? Its greatest drawback is the concern that the Morphing Softworm skin will be rejected over time.
Despite this drawback, which would directly result in the loss of shape-shifting abilities, Angel is actually willing to bear it.
Because there are solutions, such as transplanting a new Morphing Softworm skin; or alternatively, learning shape-shifting spells directly without external assistance. Having had prior shape-shifting experiences, learning this spell would yield twice the results with half the effort.
Both Sanders and Fingernail Granny have advised Angel that after the Morphing Softworm skin is transplanted, he can attempt to learn the orthodox methods of practicing shape-shifting spells.
Angel himself harbors this thought; after all, conventional training in shape-shifting spells is definitely better than relying on external forces.
Therefore, after weighing the pros and cons, Angel still decided to go ahead with the transplant to his left hand.
After resolving this final issue, Angel is ready to proceed with the transplantation process.
Although skin transplantation is not a major surgery like limb modifications, it still requires very delicate operations. Angel has no assistants to help, so he must complete the entire process himself.
Thus, he has set aside three days for practice and implementation.
Chapter 1558 Exchanging for the Domain Demon Eye <TOC> Chapter 1560 Wild Sand Bear