Chapter 1816 The Source <TOC> Chapter 1818 Unusual Changes
Translator: SumTLMan
Angel’s puzzlement was something that Rhine Mute couldn’t answer either, because his knowledge of the Nightmare Plane mainly came from Sanders.
But what Rhine Mute could confirm was that the creature spewing Live Wire was definitely from the Nightmare Plane.
“Live Wire, puppets, madness… Creatures of the Nightmare Plane?” Sanders’s fingers unconsciously tapped the tabletop. The crisp rhythmic sound that entered his ears was like a melody unlocking a memory box, bringing back certain recollections.
Events that transpired in Sleepless City.
“Could it be… Yorkshire?” Sanders whispered a name under his breath.
Everyone present recognized this name, including Gloria. Back then, she too was in Sleepless City and had witnessed Yorkshire firsthand.
That powerful entity from the Nightmare Plane.
Naturally, Angel also had memories of this. Although, compared to Yorkshire, his memory of the little spotted puppy was even more vivid. This was because the little spotted puppy had “swallowed” him, granting him a close encounter with the source of the mysterious. Since then, he had constructed an embodiment of the mysterious in the illusionary realm.
At that time, Yorkshire had brought the little spotted puppy from the Nightmare Plane. However, even Yorkshire couldn’t control the spotted puppy, for its true master was someone else.
Angel still remembered that Yorkshire was a puppeteer.
When Sleepless City was enveloped by a dome, Yorkshire had kidnapped many people. Using puppet threads, he crafted numerous puppet blanks. These puppet blanks were essentially vessels capable of accommodating the Interstitial Space.
“Little Demon” Grak became a puppet blank, and as a result, was forced to change his physical form, transforming into the present-day Spivey. Moreover, back then, Nausica also narrowly escaped becoming a puppet blank.
This Live Wire turns these afflicted individuals into something akin to “puppets.” It strongly resembles the methods used by Yorkshire.
Gloria pondered, “I recall that Yorkshire, in the end, was frightened away by Lord Phantom Master’s Grudge Doll and headed to the central district of Sleepless City. Could it have left Sleepless City and come to the ruins of Paramjit Plateau?”
Sanders asked, “Lord Rhine Mute, what does this creature that spews Live Wire look like? And what shape does the Live Wire take?”
Sanders had encountered Yorkshire up close before. Thus, he wanted to ascertain, through these external characteristics, whether the Live Wire was the handiwork of Yorkshire.
Rhine Mute gracefully waved his wand, and a vision materialized before everyone.
Within the vision was a peculiar creature, or perhaps… a plant? It somewhat resembled an onion bulb magnified countless times, small head, round body. The so-called “head” is merely an upward transmission tube.
This onion bulb, though already large, continued to expand. When it reached its maximum size, there was a loud “pop,” and a large amount of white fluffy substance began to drift out from its transmission tube.
It fluttered like catkins, carried by the wind to distant, unknown lands.
“This represents the entire process of the Live Wire’s eruption,” Rhine Mute stated calmly, “It’s a precious scene we obtained at a great cost.”
While Rhine Mute didn’t specify the exact price paid, the fact that he, a formidable being of his caliber, highlighted it indicates that the cost was indeed significant.
Rhine Mute then turned to Sanders, “That white fluffy substance is the Live Wire. Once it enters the human body, the aforementioned madness symptoms manifest.”
The invasive nature of the Live Wire is potent, making it challenging for apprentices to defend against. Even formal wizards, if they were to remove their innate mental barriers, could be exploited by the Live Wire. Thus, every time the Live Wire erupts, a tremendous amount of energy must be expended to construct a binding zone for the Live Wire to prevent them from spreading.
“However, some still slip through the net,” Rhine said, looking in the direction of the ward. The patients there were the ones invaded by the Live Wires that escaped containment.
“We’ve studied the Live Wire, but unfortunately, we haven’t been able to gather any effective information in a short period,” sighed Rhine. Since they couldn’t devise a method to counteract the Live Wire promptly, the only option was to keep them contained. Given the terrifying contagious nature of the Live Wire, Tree Spirit was appointed as the caregiver.
Rhine turned his gaze to Sanders and asked, “What impression do you have of this creature?”
Sanders shook his head, “This is not the Yorkshire I’ve seen.”
Yorkshire was a golden python with countless floating threads near its scales, making it distinctly recognizable. This ‘Onion Head’ in question, however, was starkly different from the python.
Yet, Sanders couldn’t confirm that the ‘onion head’ had no relation to Yorkshire.
“Regardless of its relation to Yorkshire, our primary concern is to address this ‘Onion Head’ or solve the Live Wire issue,” Gloria chimed in. “Otherwise, the consequences of the Live Wire’s rampage are unimaginable.”
Rhine glanced at Gloria and said, “Lady Gloria is right. While the Live Wire has yet to penetrate the Mirror World, the human world is already encountering problems. If they rampage unchecked, we might end up like the Eternal Night Kingdom and be forced to relocate.”
For now, they were at an impasse, placing their hopes on Sanders, who had researched the Nightmare Plane.
Sanders pondered, “Speculating solutions won’t work. We need to observe the Live Wire firsthand.”
“I don’t have the Live Wire here,” Rhine said, his lips moving slightly as he began communicating mentally with Tree Spirit.
Before long, a leaf blew in from outside the window, transforming into the form of Tree Spirit.
Tree Spirit approached with a cheerful grin and extended its hand to Sanders. In its palm appeared a curved green leaf, and on it lay a constantly twisting white fluff.
“This is the Live Wire.”
Sanders took the leaf and carefully examined the so-called Live Wire. True to its name, it seemed to be alive, writhing, twisting, and morphing as if trying to escape the binding of the green leaf.
With a naked eye, one couldn’t glean any clues from this Live Wire.
So, Sanders tried probing it with his mental power.
Upon completion of his examination, Sanders’ eyebrows remained furrowed.
“Did you find anything?” Tree Spirit asked curiously.
Sanders shook his head, “I couldn’t discern any characteristics of creatures from the Nightmare Plane. However, I noticed that it’s highly responsive to mental energy. I can’t delve directly into its internal structure. I wonder if forcibly probing might reveal something…”
Rhine interjected, “That’s not possible. Once you channel your mental energy into it, it will reverse-infiltrate you through that connection. If you don’t sever that mental link immediately, your sea of consciousness will become tainted to varying degrees. It’s not worth it.”
If he couldn’t observe its internal structure using mental power, then perhaps they might need to collaborate with a prophecy wizard for an exhaustive approach.
But that would be time-consuming and might not necessarily yield results.
As Sanders pondered, he noticed Angel’s curious gaze from the side. He handed the leaf to Angel and said, “You take a look.”