Chapter 1580 Chaos <TOC> Chapter 1582 Sharu's Metamorphosis
Translator: SumTLMan
After the tumult subsided, the room reverted back to the original three occupants.
“What did you just discover?” Sanders, who had been sitting on the sofa, abruptly inquired.
Freud also looked at Angel with curiosity.
When Labu had left earlier, Angel had suddenly called him back, and there seemed to be a glint in his eyes, clearly suggesting that something was amiss.
Angel mysteriously smiled and said, “I’ve discovered something quite intriguing.”
Angel’s thoughts wandered back to a recent moment when Labu had entered the room. In that dark world, a towering tree was suddenly met with a gentle breeze that set a point of light hanging from one of its branches swaying.
And this point of light represented the “Sin Fog” under the pseudo “All Things Law”.
“What’s so intriguing?” Sanders raised an eyebrow, waiting for Angel’s clarification.
However, Angel didn’t answer immediately but deflected, “I’ll touch on that later. For now, let’s continue discussing the matter of Sinful Monsters.”
Upon hearing about Sinful Monsters, Freud immediately sat up straight.
Sinful Monsters pose a severe threat to everyone in Initial Heart City. Freud had initially thought that the black fog was more than a thousand miles away from Initial Heart City and, given its rate of spread, would take hundreds of years to reach the city. Therefore, there was ample time to deal with it.
However, when he found out that the Sin Fog was not fixed in location and could appear anywhere at any time, he became extremely anxious, as though his heart had risen into his throat.
For Freud, Initial Heart City lived up to its name. It was not only his original aspiration but also his sanctuary, the importance of which goes without saying.
For Angel, even though he doesn’t care as much as Freud does, as long as Jon is in Initial Heart City, it is his duty to ensure the safety of the area.
Thus, upon learning about the Sin Fog, Angel immediately began pondering ways to deal with the Sinful Monsters.
“Sinful Monsters, in and of themselves, are harmless to the Wilderness of Dreams, but for those of us living here, they pose a significant threat. Therefore, whatever the reason, we need to think of a solution as soon as possible,” Angel said.
Everyone looked towards Angel, waiting for his elaboration.
“A permanent solution is not only impossible but also not permitted by the Wilderness of Dreams. Hence, my approach to the issue is to think from our perspective,” he continued.
If the source of the Sin Fog couldn’t be eliminated, then the only alternative was to find a way to fend off the Sinful Monsters it created.
Angel himself could control Sinful Monsters through the Power Tree, but this was not a long-term solution. If more people came into the Wilderness of Dreams and more cities were built in the future, he couldn’t always run off to fix things every time someone was controlled by a Sinful Monster.
Even a god can’t look after all of their followers.
“Jon once taught me that it’s better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish. So, I think the best solution is to enable the residents of the Dream Realm to solve the problem themselves,” Angel proposed.
“Solve the problem ourselves?” Freud looked puzzled. “But the power structure of the Wilderness of Dreams hasn’t been established yet. How can we deal with it?”
“It’s not about ‘us.’ It’s about the new inhabitants of the Wilderness of Dreams,” Angel responded. “Besides, it has nothing to do with the power structure. Even if we could bring our real-world abilities in, it would only benefit those with exceptional powers, not the residents of the Dream Realm — unless they plan to rely solely on outsiders.”
Freud understood Angel’s point: betting on others was never as reliable as having power in your own hands.
However, the residents of the Dream Realm were ordinary people. Even though there were some powerful figures like Knight Sabel, they were the minority. And Freud did not believe that even a strong character like Sabel could triumph over the elusive Sinful Monsters.
Freud’s confusion was swiftly resolved by Angel’s explanation.
“Use the power of Sinful Monsters to contain Sinful Monsters,” Angel revealed his strategy.
This remark from Angel piqued the curiosity of Sanders, who had been a bystander all along.
Angel didn’t keep them in suspense and elaborated on how to suppress these Sinful Monsters in straightforward terms.
After listening to Angel’s explanation, Freud was still bewildered, but Sanders quickly grasped it. After a moment of reflection, he said, “Your approach somewhat resembles the ‘Demon People’ of the Panic World.”
The Panic World is documented in some large wizard organizations, but practically no one has visited it. It’s because this world is exceedingly distant from the Southern Region and, according to records, the power levels in this world are almost identical to those in the Wizarding World.
Here, when referring to the Wizarding World, it’s not merely the Southern Region but also includes the other three foundational worlds as well as the Source World.
The fact that the Panic World’s power levels are comparable to those of the Wizarding World is telling.
Moreover, given that the Panic World is incredibly dangerous and currently offers no benefits worth risking lives for, wizards naturally refrain from venturing into this perilous world.
The “Demon People” Sanders mentioned were actually ordinary citizens in the Panic World. The world is so hazardous — monsters roam freely, and oddities abound — that to survive, the citizens devised a method.
Specifically, they sealed monsters within themselves. Using the monsters’ powers, they carved out a precarious existence in their dangerous world.
Those who accept this monster sealing are called ‘Demon People.’ They are both protectors of their towns and yet despised by all.
That’s because, if the power of these Demon People exceeds its limits, they will fully “awaken,” their demonic nature overtaking their humanity and transforming them into killers.
Yet, without the guardianship of these Demon People, the towns would be anything but peaceful.
Because of this, although the Demon People hold a high status, there’s also the fear that they may “awaken,” leading people to harbor both love and dread towards them.
In this regard, Sanders drawing a parallel with Demon People is quite apt, and Freud immediately grasped the essence of the comparison.
Freud muttered softly to himself, “In that case, it does seem feasible. However, following the Master’s method still carries risks.”
“Every endeavor comes with risks. If life were entirely comfortable, humanity would likely lose its ambition,” Angel retorted.
Freud nodded in agreement. After weighing Angel’s suggestion, he found it fairly credible. Utilizing his own power to resolve the crisis menacing them undoubtedly seems like a sound approach.
The sole regret lies in the fact that only Angel has the capability to restrain the Sinful Monsters. The population of Initial Heart City is currently sparse, so Angel may have the time and energy to help in this restraint. However, if more cities arise in the Wilderness of Dreams and the population increases, it would become impracticable to care for everyone.
Just as Freud was internally lamenting this shortfall, Angel suddenly interjected——
“As for restraining Sinful Monsters, it doesn’t necessarily have to be me who does it.”
Freud’s eyes shot up at Angel. If this shortfall could be addressed, then the entire approach would essentially form a nearly perfect, executable loop.
“While I can’t fully control the Sin Fog powers, I can, through the Power Tree, grant authority to control the Sinful Monsters to others,” Angel continued.
Freud’s eyes sparkled. If the authority could be granted, then by extending it to multiple individuals, wouldn’t handling the Sinful Monsters become much easier?
However, Freud’s budding optimism was swiftly punctured by Angel.
“I can indeed grant them this authority, but it’s predicated on the recipient possessing a level of compatibility with the Sin Fog,” Angel paused, “If the compatibility doesn’t meet the criteria, I won’t be able to grant the authority.”
Freud then recalled a previous incident where Marilyn had shown compatibility with the Gatekeeper’s powers when Angel had integrated with the “Gatekeeper.”
In logical terms, to control and suppress Sinful Monsters, it’s essential to have someone who has a high affinity with Sin Fog to grant the authority. Finding such a person is not an easy task.
Therefore, Freud’s idea of restraining Sinful Monsters by “Granting Authority” to multiple individuals is currently unfeasible.
“Is there anyone now who meets the affinity requirements?” Freud asked without much hope.
Angel replied, “There wasn’t before, but now, one has appeared.”
Freud seemed momentarily dazed, then as if recalling something, he abruptly said, “My Lord, the person you’re talking about, could it be…”
Freud silently mouthed a name.
Labu?
Angel nodded without hesitation: “Correct, it’s him.”
Earlier, when Angel had seen Labu, the light point representing “Sin Fog” on the Power Tree had flickered. Angel, curious, analyzed the related information and discovered that it was a prompt for granting authority.
So, Angel cautiously checked Labu’s affinity.
Astoundingly, Labu had a 98% Affinity with the “Sin Fog”!
According to the information Angel had gathered, as long as the affinity exceeds 90%, authority can be granted. Of course, a lower affinity would result in both the quality and quantity of the granted authority diminishing.
With Labu’s affinity reaching 98%, it’s almost certain that granting authority to him would effectively suppress the Sinful Monsters!
Initially, Freud thought this mission was impossible, but Labu filled that missing link, making him quite thrilled.
Angel cautioned, “However, granting authority is a very serious matter and requires careful consideration to determine if he is suitable.”
Freud nodded, “I understand.” Although he’s quite familiar with Labu, granting authority is not something that can be bestowed based merely on familiarity. It also depends on whether one is suitable or not.
It’s not just about one’s nature, but also about the willingness to assume responsibility, as well as possessing the willpower and execution skills that match this status.
Freud concluded, “I will conduct a thorough investigation on Labu.”