Chapter 1562 Fulfilled a Promise <TOC> Chapter 1564 Transformation
Translator: SumTLMan
Aside from Jiebo, Cherie actually mentioned a few competitors she’s particularly concerned about.
These include “The Philosopher” Onassis, “Phantom Moose” Trom, and “Cold-Eyed Cat” Yehi.
Of these three, Angel is familiar with two: Onassis and Yehi.
In Cherie’s words, she’s puzzled by Onassis. She has watched his matches, and each time she couldn’t fully comprehend his tactics, so she’s quite intrigued by him.
As for Yehi, although Cherie didn’t explicitly say, Angel could sense that Cherie clearly harbors a sense of aversion towards him. Moreover, the one with the strongest reaction when Yehi was mentioned wasn’t even Cherie; it was Luna, who was dozing on Angel’s lap.
This is the first time Angel has seen Luna’s fur stand on end outside of combat situations. Her usually languid eyes also momentarily flashed with a glint of anger.
Such a strong reaction from Luna led Angel to speculate: did Yehi do something to her?
Regarding “Phantom Moose” Trom, Cherie casually glossed over him, simply stating that he’s a formidable opponent.
Among these three, the one Cherie is most concerned about is “The Philosopher.”
According to Cherie, so far, among all the competitors, no one has been able to discern precisely how Onassis defeats his opponents. If Onassis’s strategies remain cryptic, she estimates that she will likely lose if she faces him.
Seeing the gravity Cherie places on this “Philosopher,” Angel’s interest was piqued as well.
He glanced at the competition schedule, planning to see when the Philosopher’s next match would be. If he had the time, he might go watch.
However, when he found Onassis on the schedule, he discovered that the man had already won seven consecutive matches. In the re-match stage, he only has one last match left, which happens to be at the wee hours of the following morning.
In line with his original plans, Angel was still occupied with the task of grafting Morphing Softworm skin and dealing with the Scroll of Luck. As such, it seemed he wouldn’t be able to watch the upcoming competitions.
A tinge of regret filled Angel’s heart. It appeared he would have to wait for the final ranking matches and the championship matches to catch up.
After bidding farewell to Cherie, Angel returned to his mansion.
Entrusting Toby to Gloria, Angel retreated alone into a secret chamber to prepare for the skin grafting.
…
Under a night sky devoid of stars and obscured by heavy clouds, the world was plunged into total darkness.
A young girl, around ten years old, frantically made her way through the forest to reach the coast. Dressed in tattered long skirts and barefooted, she attempted to flee across the sandy beach. However, she had barely taken a few steps when she tripped over a seashell.
Not only did she fall to the ground, but a gash was also sliced open on her calf.
The girl gasped, her face twisted in palpable agony.
Just then, the sound of rustling leaves emanated from the forest behind her. She turned her head, her eyes wide with terror.
“Darn it, they’re coming after me. I have to get out of here; I have to find my mom…” Supporting herself on the bloodstained sand, the girl slowly rose to her feet.
She tried to continue running despite the pain in her leg.
However, she had run less than ten meters when she fell once again. This time, she wasn’t tripped. Instead, someone from the direction of the forest had thrown a stone, striking her ankle and causing her to lose her balance and fall.
As she fell, a scarecrow with a crooked neck emerged, hopping out of the forest.
“You won’t escape until you’ve completed all the activities on Toy Island,” the scarecrow buzzed ominously.
The girl’s face showed a look of helplessness: “No, I want to go home, I want to find my mom…”
“You can’t, you must come back with me. Children should be playing with toys, everything else should be set aside,” said the Scarecrow, bouncing towards the girl.
The girl slumped to the ground, continuously backing away. The damp, cold sea breeze tousled her hair, amplifying her forlorn appearance.
“It’s not supposed to be like this. The books say Toy Island is a paradise. Why is it like this?”
“Toy Island is certainly a paradise. You’ll know if you continue to experience it.”
“No, I’ve seen it. Those people are being dismembered by you. The puppets are crying, shedding tears of blood. They’re not toys; they’re people!”
The Scarecrow, whose voice had initially been enticing, suddenly changed: “So you’ve seen… Well, there’s no other way but to take you back to the Toy Pool… To make you one of us. Would you prefer to be a button-eyed rag doll, or a headless doll?”
As his voice trailed off, the curtain of the night was suddenly torn apart, revealing Gloria’s expressionless face.
Gloria yawned and turned off the peculiar box in her hand.
“What kind of abomination is this? It’s completely incomparable to Angel’s alchemically created Illusion Music Box,” Gloria couldn’t help but comment.
The changing scenes from moments ago were actually from an object called a “Drama Shadow Box.”
Earlier in the day, while Gloria was in the main city area, she had stumbled upon a popular alchemy shop that sold these items. According to the shop owner, these “Drama Shadow Boxes” originated as a special drama playback device created through Angel’s alchemy. What they sold were imitations crafted by an alchemist who had attended one of Angel’s lectures.
It started selling yesterday and became an instant hit as soon as it hit the market.
Gloria also observed that a large formation of apprentices were flocking inside to make purchases. Although the shopkeeper wasn’t explicitly marketing the products under Angel’s brand, it was evident that Angel was the focal point of the sales gimmick.
The so-called “Illusion Music Box” closely resembled “Shadow of the Cage,” corroborating at least some of what the shopkeeper had said. Clearly, the alchemist who crafted it had been inspired by “Shadow of the Cage.”
Having experienced “Shadow of the Cage” herself, Gloria couldn’t deny that it was a fascinating experience. However, what she found less satisfying was the story it told, which didn’t particularly appeal to her.
So, her curiosity piqued when she saw this Illusion Music Box.
Upon closer inspection, she found that the stories within these music boxes were quite varied. The most popular among women was —The Holy Maiden’s Twelve Knights—, while men favored —The Phantom of the Misty City—.
Based on her own preferences, Gloria selected a popular fairytale story: —Toy Island’s Bloody Nightmare—.
She watched it with high expectations, but found herself increasingly bored as it progressed.
The illusion was definitely not crafted by a wizard specialized in illusion spells. It appeared to be the work of a jack-of-all-trades, someone dabbling in illusion magic but for a short time. The illusion was riddled with inconsistencies, driving someone as perfectionist as Gloria to the brink of madness.
The sea breeze gently blew, strands of hair fluttering in the wind and sweeping past her lips. Coupled with the girl’s crystalline tears, the scene did look beautiful… BUT! There must be some basic logic! The hair merely swept past the lips, not sticking to them. What is this girl secreting, glue instead of saliva, that could adhere for half an hour?!
Also, if your hair is fluttering, indicating strong winds, how is it that your skirt doesn’t move at all? Is it made of iron?
Gloria had no words for these lapses in basic logic. One such instance might have been forgivable, but there were multiple such issues, diminishing the immersion factor instantly.
The transition between scenes and camera angles was in no way comparable to that of “Shadow of the Cage.”
Though the title was —Toy Island’s Bloody Nightmare—, the storytelling capability was utterly out of sync with the quality of the illusion itself.
If Gloria hadn’t read the fairytale —Toy Island’s Bloody Nightmare—, she might not have even understood the plot.
Of course, there are advantages—the real theater couldn’t offer such grand sets. But beyond that, Gloria didn’t see any artistic value in it.
Moreover, it ruined one of her favorite fairytales.
Gloria was deeply displeased and wished she could storm up to Angel right away to show him what he had actually been teaching.
However, Angel was currently engaged in a crucial operation involving the skin graft of a Morphing Softworm, so Gloria suppressed her urge.
Just as she was stewing over it, the butler announced from outside the hall, “Welcome home, master.”
Gloria looked up to see Sanders walking through the door.
Since Horus had arrived in Sky Mechanical City, Sanders was mainly stationed in the Savage Grottoes and rarely appeared at the estate. On the rare occasion that he returned, Gloria narrowed her eyes and approached him.
“I have an alchemy illusion here. Would you like to take a look?” Gloria opened her hand, revealing a “Drama Shadow Box.”
Gloria deliberately left out that the Drama Shadow Box was not crafted by Angel. She wanted Sanders to assume it was Angel’s work… and then scrutinize it through the lens of the “Phantom Master.” She thought it would be interesting.
However, after a brief glance at the Drama Shadow Box, Sanders casually said, “This isn’t crafted by Angel.”
“Huh?” Gloria paused, puzzled at how Sanders had seen through it so quickly.
“He wouldn’t choose such expensive materials for crafting an alchemy illusion. It’s wasteful.”
Even so, Sanders took the Drama Shadow Box and began asking about its origin.
Gloria shrugged, “It’s likely someone learned it during one of Angel’s classes. The craftsmanship is actually decent. Are you sure you don’t want to take a look?”
After some thought, Sanders decided to open the Drama Shadow Box and watched the entire performance.
Once it was over, Gloria looked at Sanders with hopeful eyes, only to find him impassive. After pondering for a moment, he said, “The alchemy behind it isn’t bad.”
Gloria: “? ? ?”
“If the target audience is novice apprentices, it would be hard to detect any incongruities. Moreover, there’s room for improvement,” Sanders stated candidly.
Gloria: “…” She felt like she had set herself up for disappointment, especially since she watched it again specifically so that Sanders would see it.
Sanders was genuinely praising it because, in any form of artistic expression, achieving greatness isn’t an overnight endeavor.
Perhaps the alchemy was unimpressive, but the Drama Shadow Box has cracked open a door in this new form of art. The future holds endless possibilities for various artistic blooms.
Gloria felt uneasy, but she recognized it was due to her preconceived notions. Viewing it with a long-term perspective would mitigate that discomfort.
Sanders was optimistic about the future.
Handing the Drama Shadow Box back to Gloria, Sanders shifted the topic, asking, “By the way, where is Angel now?”
Chapter 1562 Fulfilled a Promise <TOC> Chapter 1564 Transformation