Chapter 1719 Crucial Moment <TOC> Chapter 1721 Scent
Translator: SumTLMan
Toby’s eyes suddenly shone bright, murmuring to himself for quite a while. To Shirley and Azaz, this sounded like meaningless chirping. Even using the “Language Analysis”, without an extensive array of examples for validation, they still couldn’t understand what Toby meant.
However, to Angel and Gloria, Toby was clearly expressing intricate and logical sentences.
When Gloria saw Toby so excited, she initially thought that he had overcome the malevolent thoughts in the lucid dream. But only after Toby finished did she realize he hadn’t succeeded this time.
Though he didn’t succeed, Toby was very close to defeating the malevolent thought that manifested as a colossal Serpent-Bird. Toby wasn’t disappointed by the narrow miss, but was rather excited, painting a picture of a promising future.
“Next time, I’ll definitely defeat the malevolent thoughts!” Toby’s eyes at this moment resembled the rising morning star, bright like the star, and also symbolizing the hope it represents as it breaks through the night mist to herald the dawn.
Even though Toby failed again this time, his spirits soared even higher, itching to dive back into another challenge immediately.
However, having challenged consecutively for days, Toby’s heightened enthusiasm could potentially be hitting its limit, leading to a possible rebound. Thinking of Toby’s well-being and giving Shirley a break, Gloria didn’t agree to another immediate challenge. Instead, she carefully took out a brooch from her pocket.
The brooch was adorned with bas-relief. On closer inspection, the face of the brooch was divided into two designs: one resembling a seabird and the other similar to a griffin.
When Shirley and Azaz saw the brooch, a hint of delight flashed in their eyes. Toby, who was initially quite restless, now seemed to calm down.
“Let’s all take a break and continue later.” Gloria softly remarked, gently caressing her brooch. With the touch of her fingertips, an unseen mystical aura gradually enveloped everyone present.
Toby, Shirley, and Azaz simultaneously closed their eyes, their expressions serene and peaceful.
“I’m thinking of taking a break as well. What about you? Would you like to go in and take a look?” Gloria turned and asked Angel.
After a brief contemplation, Angel nodded, “Alright. It’s been a while since I’ve been inside.”
With a faint smile, Gloria’s familiar magical aura from the brooch promptly encompassed both of them. As darkness approached, amidst an eerie sense of weightlessness, they found themselves within a pitch-black mountain range shrouded in night.
“Night vision abilities are stripped away, and sensing magical sources is quite vague here. This place is as domineering as ever.” Shirley said, confidently settling beneath a massive tree. Familiar with the terrain, she adeptly climbed up and after rubbing against the tree for a bit, she jumped down. Simultaneously, she held a self-made transparent pouch in her hand, which housed a flickering firefly.
The firefly’s faint glow, although not bright enough to illuminate their surroundings, still brought a sense of comfort and reassurance.
“The damp air, the earthy scent, and the howling night winds… It’s hard to believe this is just an illusion,” Azaz remarked with a hint of disbelief in his eyes. Even though he had visited this place numerous times, the awe and wonder never diminished.
“Yea, it feels like a real world,” Shirley chimed in.
Suddenly, Toby, perched on Angel’s shoulder, began to chirp, his voice rapidly oscillating in sharp, high-pitched tones. Both Shirley and Azaz were immediately drawn to this, and with the dim light from the firefly, they noticed Toby, with his head held high and chest puffed out, looking extremely proud and smug.
“What is Toby saying?” Azaz curiously inquired.
Angel didn’t respond. Gloria burst into a chuckle and said, “What he means is that this was created by Angel.”
Though Toby claimed that it was Angel’s creation, the smug look on his face suggested it was as if he had a part in the alchemy process, sharing in the glory.
“Is this something alchemized by the Super Dimensional Wizard?” Shirley and Azaz inquired with a hint of surprise.
Gloria paused, “Yes, Toby wasn’t lying. Indeed, Angel made this for me. Furthermore, it was one of his works during his apprenticeship, named——Dream Twins. So, you two are quite far behind in comparison.”
While she spoke, Gloria cast a flirtatious glance at Angel, silently mouthing, “Impressed yet?”
Ignoring Gloria’s playful banter, Angel directed his gaze towards the distant mountains, where there lay a cave.
A “ding-ding” sound echoed from within the cave. Simultaneously, everyone felt a slight tremor in the ground beneath them.
Initially engrossed in the revelation that Angel was the alchemist behind the illusion, both Shirley and Azaz were now distracted by the vibrations.
As the “ding-ding” sound grew louder, two beams of light, bright enough to pierce the darkness, shot out from the cave.
Then, a swift and agile figure emerged, quickly making its way to the group. It was only then they realized that the agile figure was actually a large orange-striped cat. Its eyes shone brightly, reminiscent of headlights. The cat was hollow inside, with patterns that resembled car windows.
With a soft “vroom” sound, it halted and announced, “Dear passengers, the Catbus is at your service~.”
Having been there numerous times before, they adeptly boarded the Catbus. Nonetheless, astonishment still subtly gleamed in the eyes of Shirley and Azaz.
“Where should we rest?” Gloria pondered for a moment as she sat on the plush seat, “Let’s head to the Bathhouse.”
With Gloria’s decision made, the Catbus began its journey. It darted through the mountain ranges of the dark night until it vanished from sight…
The Bathhouse is a station within the Dream Twin illusionary realm. Its name bears some resemblance to the “Women’s Soup House” of the Bliss Pavilion located in various territories, yet their functions are markedly distinct.
This particular bathhouse serves as a significant hot spring gathering area. Due to Angel leaving traces of nightmare aura that calms the mind and soul here, everyone soaking in these hot springs can quickly alleviate their fatigue.
The Bathhouse offers numerous hot springs, and everyone disperses to soak in different ones.
Angel, accompanied by Toby, indulged in a hot spring at the mountain’s peak. As Angel caressed Toby’s feathers, they lounged by the pool enveloped in white mist, relishing the rare tranquility.
The sound of flowing water, coupled with the bubbling of steam, was like a lullaby. Toby, feeling at ease, let out a yawn and, leaning against Angel, let his mind wander, drifting into a light slumber.
Such moments of peace were infrequent for Angel, and they took this opportunity to close their eyes and rest.
After an indeterminate amount of time, Angel’s eyes abruptly opened.
A delicate, fair hand was placed on Angel’s shoulder. A faint, pleasant fragrance wafted into Angel’s nostrils.
“Would you like me to give you a hot spring massage?” A seductive voice said, accompanied by her hand, which slowly caressed Angel’s shoulder.
Angel frowned, “Why are you here?”
“I told you I’d come over and give you a massage, didn’t I? If you want more in-depth services, I actually also…” Her words trailed off, leaving much to the imagination.
Angel paused for a moment, then turned his head to look at the woman behind him… Gloria.
“Don’t forget, this is just an illusion,” Angel said calmly.
The sensation of the hot spring and the romantic ambiance were all created by the illusion.
Gloria’s expression froze for a moment. She set aside her playful demeanor and gave Angel a cold look. “How boring,” she remarked.
Gloria stood up and walked to the other side of the hot spring. She wore a bandeau top, and without consulting Angel, she submerged herself in the hot spring. “That scene just now, you should be familiar with it, right?”
Angel pondered, “Is it —Guest on a Snowy Night—?”
—Guest on a Snowy Night— is a play. In it, there’s indeed a scene where the male lead is taking a bath, and a snow woman seduces him from behind. Angel had previously crafted many Drama Shadow Boxes for the Breezy Magical Materials Shop, among which —Guest on a Snowy Night— was included.
“It seems you’re well-aware,” she teased. “So, acting along with me wouldn’t put you at a disadvantage.”
Inwardly, Angel thought: If I were to play along with this scene, the next moment in the story would be when the snow woman assassinates the male lead. How would you play that out?
Instead of dwelling on the contents of the play, Angel inquired, “How do you know about —Guest on a Snowy Night—? I recall giving it to the Breezy Magical Materials Shop, didn’t I?”
Gloria glanced at Angel, “Who knew you would craft so many Drama Shadow Boxes, yet you only gave me one —The Princess Who Slayed the Dragon—? Of course, the more Drama Shadow Boxes, the better. So, I had no choice but to go to that store and buy one myself. And as if that wasn’t enough, you even mandated that each person could only purchase one…”