Chapter 1608 What About You? <TOC> Chapter 1610 Phantom Moose
Translator: SumTLMan
Hilary: “At that moment, I began to ponder deeply on those words. Soon after, I felt as if my body had turned into feathers, gently floating down from the sky. The sensation was so comforting, as if I had found where I truly belonged.”
Then, Hilary regained consciousness and found herself in a lucid dream.
“So, I really don’t know what specifically happened at that time. But I am certain that those words triggered the subsequent ripple effects.”
Upon hearing Hilary’s account, understanding flashed in Angel’s eyes.
The whisper Hilary mentioned comes from —The Annihilation of Faith—, a scholarly text discussing various religions. It outlines the plethora of religions that once existed throughout the extensive historical tapestry of the Feran Continent. These religions have mostly faded into oblivion, either gradually forgotten as time rolled on or vanquished by enlightened societies.
Although the book ostensibly discusses religions, exploring their origins, meanings, and some of their ideological tenets, to the upper echelons of society across various Feran nations, it serves more as a guide to governance and political theory. After all, religion, in a certain sense, can also be considered a tool for manipulating the human heart, valuable for statecraft.
This whispered phrase undoubtedly originated from Onassis’s teachings.
It originally belonged to the doctrine of the Temple of Courage, where it implied recognizing one’s true nature and liberating one’s innate disposition, thereby unleashing the inner courage.
Onassis, in quoting this phrase, did not alter its meaning.
It encouraged Hilary to recognize her true self and liberate her natural disposition. Her ‘true self’ was precisely what Hilary wanted to liberate. Naturally, she felt comforted, as if she had found her place in the world.
And if her physical body recognized its true essence and returned to its origin, then even the effects of any substances she had taken could not hinder her.
The approach is very much in line with Onassis’s style, wielding philosophy as his weapon of choice. However, this time Onassis took a simpler route. He exploited Hilary’s weakness for drowsiness and effortlessly dismantled her defenses.
While the entertainment value of the arena match might not be high, resolving the battle with the least amount of effort and emotional strain is, arguably, the best strategy from both a tactical and personal standpoint.
Moreover, it reflects the elevated vision Onassis possesses, far surpassing his peer apprentices on multiple levels.
If he continues to amass enough experience and wisdom, he may even ascend to the realm of a formal wizard before Jiebo does. At least in the realm of cognitive consciousness, he has already earned this merit.
As Angel was lost in thought, Hilary curiously inquired, “Is this another philosophical statement? Did he defeat me with philosophy just like he does with others?”
Hilary had already learned from Coral that philosophy could likely be Onassis’s primary mode of attack, thus the question.
Angel nodded, “Yes, but this time he didn’t speak directly. Instead, he conveyed his message through alternative means.”
This method of communication also emphasized the danger level of facing Onassis — it’s even higher than one might expect. He can manifest his presence without any warning signs.
“What kind of damage will this kind of attack do to me?” Hilary asked with some concern. “Will it make me even more prone to sleepiness?”
“Rest assured,” Angel replied, “as I mentioned before, you weren’t harmed. His statement won’t bring any harm to you either, whether you remember it or not.”
If she doesn’t remember, it would be as if things reverted back to their previous state, making no difference for Hilary.
And if she does remember, it still wouldn’t matter much unless Onassis himself explained the underlying meaning. Of course, if Hilary takes the initiative to decode the hidden meaning and actually succeeds, that would be a different story.
After hearing Angel’s evaluation, Hilary let out a sigh of relief. For her, the stakes were low; losing was inconsequential. Her sole aim this time was to secure eligibility to enter the “Endless Corridor.” She had already accomplished that objective as soon as the preliminary rounds concluded; making it to the semifinals was already an achievement beyond expectations.
More intriguing than the now foregone outcome of the match was the dream realm she found herself in.
She was deeply curious: how did Angel manage to make the dream feel so lifelike?
To this, Angel responded with a knowing smile, intimating that the truth would reveal itself to Hilary soon enough. There was no need to rush.
Subsequently, Angel utilized the Dream Power to control the Gate of Dreams, thus guiding Hilary out of the Wilderness of Dreams.
Angel was the first to awaken and immediately caught the attention of Nausica and Coral.
“Hilary should be waking up soon. For specifics, you might as well ask her directly,” Angel stated. No sooner had the words left his mouth than Hilary, lying in bed, opened her eyes.
Upon connecting with her Mental Space and sensing the abundant Magic Source, along with her innate mastery over the fluid transformations of water, Hilary realized she was back in reality.
Sitting up, Hilary didn’t immediately answer Nausica and the others. Instead, she looked towards Angel at her side: “Was what happened in the dream real?”
Angel nodded affirmatively.
A sense of realization washed over Hilary. This meant that she had genuinely conversed at length with Angel within the dream — a first-time experience for her.
What followed was a conversation between Hilary and Nausica and the others, where Hilary also conveyed the conclusions given by Angel.
Everyone was relieved to hear she was unharmed and decided, as a precaution, to take Hilary back to their residence to rest.
Angel did not go along, but instead chose to stay at Infinite Battle Tower. After all, he was quite interested in the afternoon match between Azaz and Trom.
Though he stayed in Infinite Battle Tower, Angel had no plans to be idle. He intended to find a quiet place to rest for a while and then visit the Wilderness of Dreams to check on Freud’s research progress.
However, before Angel could enter the Wilderness of Dreams, a message arrived on his communicator.
After reading the message, Angel paused for a moment before making the decision to leave Infinite Battle Tower.
Shortly afterward, Angel arrived at the Signal Tower in Sky Mechanical City.
Upon reaching the Signal Tower, he saw Glen sitting idly in the main hall. Beside Glen was a chubby young man with a vacant expression on his face, Alan.
“What’s going on?” Glen was the one who had sent the message to Angel, mentioning that something seemed off with Alan.
Angel’s voice reached Glen’s ears, and his eyes lit up, his previous listlessness vanishing. “Lord Pat, to be honest, I’m not entirely sure myself. All I know is that I contacted him for the Signal Tower, and this is how he’s been since he came out.”
Angel looked at Alan, who seemed utterly lost and confused.
Alan had come to the Signal Tower to contact Morrow regarding Alana’s situation. Could it be that something happened to Alana?
After hesitating for a moment, Angel employed a calming spell to bring Alan back from his stupor.
Before Angel could even inquire, Alan recounted the situation in a somewhat disheartened manner.
Moro had been correct; Alana had indeed come to the Sky Mechanical City to participate in the Novastar Competition. However, she disappeared not long after she left White Coral Island College.
“Disappeared? White Coral Floating Island College has a teleportation connection to Sky Mechanical City. So, you mean she vanished after arriving here?” The first to speak wasn’t Angel, but Glen.
Alan nodded, “According to a friend who came to Sky Mechanical City with her, she said she wanted to go out for a walk on the evening she arrived. She never returned after that.”
Chapter 1608 What About You? <TOC> Chapter 1610 Phantom Moose