Chapter 1817 Onion Head <TOC> Chapter 1819 Influenced
Translator: SumTLMan
Angel nodded in agreement. His own curiosity about this Live Wire was piqued, so he took it without any hesitation.
Regarding Sanders’ decision, both Tree Spirit and Rhine Mute refrained from commenting. Sanders had previously hinted that the Nightmare Soul quality of Angel was even more powerful than his own, suggesting that perhaps Angel might discern something new.
Angel meticulously observed the white fluff placed on the leaf. It appeared to him like a regular yarn, writhing and wriggling continuously.
The more he observed, the more puzzled Angel became.
He was still filled with doubt. Was this truly a product of creatures from the Nightmare Plane?
Up to this point, he had not sensed any aura from the Nightmare Plane.
“What’s your take on this Live Wire?” After Angel’s detailed observation, Sanders inquired. Everyone else turned their attention to Angel, curious about any insights he might have.
Angel’s expression was almost identical to that of Sanders from before, his eyebrows were deeply furrowed, eyes filled with confusion. “It’s a bit odd. The parasites that once wreaked havoc in Shadow Demon City had to maintain a Nightmare Plane aura to stay alive, but this Live Wire doesn’t seem to require it.”
From what Angel knew, all the Nightmare Plane creatures he had encountered, whether it was the parasites, the multicolored dragonflies, the Joker card, or the frog chanter Frogg, the fox harpist Foxx… and so on, they all heavily relied on the aura bestowed upon them by the Nightmare Plane.
If they moved out of this Nightmare Plane aura’s range, their strength would gradually diminish, eventually leading to their demise.
But this Live Wire didn’t exhibit such characteristics.
Hence, Angel was very skeptical. Did this Live Wire truly originate from a creature of the Nightmare Plane?
Moreover, it’s worth noting that while Angel doesn’t appreciate the actions of the creatures from the Nightmare Plane, he undeniably possesses a natural affinity towards them. This might be due to his innate constitution or possibly the influence of Shava. Regardless, these beings from the Nightmare Plane generally harbor no malice towards him.
However, when it comes to this Live Wire, Angel doesn’t feel any connection or familiarity. Hence, his suspicions deepen.
Of course, it’s plausible that this Live Wire truly originates from Yorkshire. To date, Yorkshire is the only entity from the Nightmare Plane that has shown malice towards Angel. Therefore, it’s conceivable that Angel wouldn’t sense any kinship from a Live Wire created by Yorkshire.
Sanders asked, “Have you made any other discoveries?”
Angel replied, “With just the naked eye, I can’t discern much. But perhaps with a deeper sensing, or if I could touch it, I might find something new.”
However, Angel’s proposition wasn’t met with support from anyone. The Live Wire is extremely dangerous. Even a formal wizard could get infected if they touched it without any protective spells. Any wizard attempting to touch it would be stopped by Rhine Mute, let alone Angel.
“In that case, I haven’t discovered much,” Angel shook his head, adding, “This is my first encounter with a Live Wire. Moreover, the fact that this particular one can exist without the aura of the Nightmare Plane already falls outside my realm of knowledge.”
In essence, what Angel was trying to convey was his suspicion that the Live Wire might not be from the Nightmare Plane.
Sanders pondered for a moment and said, “Your main doubt seems to be its origin. For now, I suggest you put that aside. If you compare this Live Wire to the parasites we encountered before, you’ll notice many similarities.”
“Firstly, both the Live Wire and the parasites possess the ability to spread. However, one does so through parasitism and the other through infection. Secondly, neither can be detected by exorcism spells. Since these spells are designed to sense negative energy in the human body, this implies that, in some ways, the Live Wire and parasites might have more positive than negative effects on their hosts. Lastly, based on the second point, while parasites can nourish and strengthen their hosts, those infected by the Live Wire gain heightened senses that ordinary people can’t achieve.”
“On the surface, there are three commonalities. Furthermore, creatures from the Nightmare Plane tend to have an… absurdity that’s hard for ordinary people to grasp,” Sanders said without elaborating on what he meant by “absurdity,” but Angel immediately understood.
Whether it was Sir Rabbit and playing card soldiers he saw during his initial talent assessment, or the various creatures from the Nightmare Plane he encountered later, they often made Angel feel bewildered, as if he were watching a surreal magical drama.
“Take another look at the people who are parasitized by parasites and those infected by the Live Wire. You’ll find a strange kind of absurdity in them as well,” Sanders suggested.
Sanders’ words unconsciously made Angel reminisce about his earlier experiences in Shadow Demon Castle——
In the midst of a dense fog, parasites within Shadow Demon Castle that sang praises to the Moonlight, the Queen, and Shava moved twistedly on the streets, like comical clowns.
Thinking back to the people they had seen infected by the Live Wire, their expressions varied wildly, resembling puppets manipulated by a puppeteer, acting out bizarre scenes on a stage created by the puppet master.
Indeed, those infected by the Live Wire also had a sense of absurdity.
The observations made by Sanders, although not concrete evidence, were convincing enough for Angel at an intuitive level.
Could the Live Wire really originate from creatures of the Nightmare Plane?
Sanders elaborated, “Assuming that it comes from creatures of the Nightmare Plane, there are only three possibilities for them to remain active without the aura of the Nightmare Plane: refinement, evolution, and adaptation.”
Creatures from the Nightmare Plane may not remain constant. It’s possible they have created the Live Wire, allowing it to function without relying on the Nightmare aura. They might have evolved, or perhaps adapted to the environment of the Wizarding World.
Regardless of the reason, none of these possibilities bode well for them.
…
Angel didn’t make any discoveries, so he prepared to return the leaf in his hand to Sanders. However, Sanders didn’t accept it, instead indicating that Angel should give it directly to Tree Spirit.
However, just as Angel was about to return the leaf to Tree Spirit, Gloria, who was nearby, suddenly exclaimed with a sound of “Eh?”
“Hold on.” Gloria stepped forward, examining the leaf in Tree Spirit’s hand intently.
While everyone looked on in confusion, Gloria spoke, “Esteemed Tree Spirit Lord, could you hand that Live Wire back to Angel once more?”
Gloria’s request seemed peculiar, and the others couldn’t grasp her intention. However, Tree Spirit narrowed his eyes, seemingly noticing something, and then nodded in affirmation, “Of course.”
With a hint of puzzlement, Angel once again took the leaf.
Gloria closely observed the Live Wire on the leaf, her eyebrows furrowing, “Hmm, this isn’t right. It wasn’t like this just a moment ago…”
Angel glanced at the Live Wire in his grasp, unable to spot anything unusual. Just as he was about to ask Gloria for clarification, Tree Spirit suddenly instructed, “Switch to holding it with your right hand.”
At that point, Angel was indeed holding the leaf with his left hand. Heeding Tree Spirit’s advice, he shifted it to his right hand.
Immediately, a spark of realization illuminated Gloria’s eyes, “I knew it!”
“The movement of this Live Wire, has it not slowed down?”
Following Gloria’s observation, everyone’s attention shifted to the Live Wire. Earlier, whether it was in Sanders’ hand or Tree Spirit’s grasp, the Live Wire had been writhing continuously, seemingly struggling to break free from the confinement of the leaf.
But now, when the Live Wire rested in Angel’s right hand, its squirming had noticeably slowed down, and at times, it remained still for quite some duration.
This is clearly not right!
At this moment, Angel himself also realized it.
However, compared to the abnormality that arose from the Live Wire, Angel cared more about, or rather admired, Gloria. Previously, he had always held the leaf with his left hand. Only at the last moment, when Sanders asked him to hand it over to Tree Spirit, did he for the first time transfer the leaf from his left hand to his right, then handed it to Tree Spirit. This entire transition probably only took a second or two, yet Gloria smoothly captured the change in the Live Wire.
In his heart, Angel sighed. Even though his power is now approaching, or even surpassing, Gloria who is without her original body, he is still far behind in terms of many detailed observations.