Chapter 1978 Duncan <TOC> Chapter 1980 Gears, Destiny, Initial Heart
Translator: SumTLMan
Stepping forward, the scene before them suddenly opened up. The small hill of rubble they had seen before had now vanished. It was as if they had entered another world; what lay before their eyes was a shallow pond.
The pond was very shallow, likely only deep enough to cover the tops of one’s feet. However, the reflective quality of the water was even clearer than that of the outer Fallen Star Sea.
The starry sky overhead was perfectly mirrored in this few hundred meters wide pond.
As Angel stepped into the pond, it was as if he was truly walking upon a sea of stars. Each step he took caused ripples, shattering the trembling stars one by one.
Ripples spread out in circles, reaching the edge of the pond.
A small pavilion, resembling one for stargazing, stood atop this sea of stars. The pavilion had no walls, only twelve slender pillars supporting it. Looking through the gaps of the pillars carved with runes, one could see several figures standing silently within the pavilion.
Among them, Rhine was at the center of the pavilion, while Sanders stood at the edge. At that moment, he turned his head, his profound eyes looking over. The starry sky reflected in his eyes, shimmering exceptionally.
“You’ve arrived.” Sanders didn’t ask about anything else. With a gentle nod, he led Angel into the pavilion.
The view from outside was not very clear, but upon entering the pavilion, one could see that it was extraordinarily luxurious. The entire place was engraved with patterns of stars, exuding an ancient and luxurious romanticism typical of old astrologers.
Aside from Sanders and Rhine, there were two other wizards inside the pavilion: “Firewalker” Firo and “Redemption of the Dead” Nisi. Angel had encountered both before; the former was a resident wizard in Sleepless City, and the latter was a close friend of Sanders.
Although Angel recognized them, he had changed his appearance and did not show any sign of familiarity. He merely nodded to the two, a gesture of politeness based on the presumption of being strangers.
Firo and Nisi, though unfamiliar with the red-haired man before them, understood his significance as Sanders, accompanied by Tree Spirit and even a smiling Rhine, welcomed him; it was clear this man held a unique position despite his comparable strength.
“This is the person I’ve invited to unravel the mysteries of the Nightmare Plane creatures with me. Let’s skip the formalities and get straight to the point,” Sanders said, then turned to Rhine, “I need to clear the area.”
“Clear the area? Just one or all of it?” Rhine asked.
“All of it,” Sanders replied without hesitation.
Before Rhine could respond, Nisi interjected, “Old pal, do you really need to clear out everything? I was hoping to see you in action.”
As Nisi spoke, he laid a hand on Sanders’s shoulder, which Sanders promptly shrugged off, “To clear it, just the two of us are enough.”
Nisi frowned, “But do you need to clear everything? If all three observation pavilions are empty, they might attack.”
“Even if they do attack, with the few people we have at the Star Pool now, it’ll be hard to hold them off. Having a few more or fewer people makes no difference,” Sanders pointed out sharply. Indeed, he was right; currently, the ruin Star Pool has three observation pavilions, each manned by a powerful wizard supposedly suppressing monsters, which in reality, aren’t very effective.
If all the creatures in the ruins were to attack, more people would still mean fleeing is the best option.
Their greater role now is to serve as a warning to each other, to prevent some missed creatures from escaping in different directions, and to monitor the frequency of live wire and parasite eruptions.
“Though that’s the case, having more people is somewhat reassuring…” Nisi muttered under his breath, but knowing Sanders had made up his mind, he understood he couldn’t argue.
Nisi noticed that Rhine had begun to communicate with the guardians of the other two watchtowers, instructing them to temporarily vacate. Nisi’s objections were futile.
As for the other “Firewalker,” Firo, he harbored no thoughts of opposition. Having witnessed how Sanders fought his way out of the fallen Sleepless City, he believed Sanders understood the monsters better than anyone present. If Sanders deemed the situation dire, then it surely was for everyone else.
As Rhine communicated, Angel’s gaze drifted towards the distant pavilions, one southeast and the other northeast, forming a triangle with their western position.
The guardians of these pavilions were “Old Whitehair” Wallace and a silver-haired old lady with a gentle smile.
This silver-haired lady, sensing Angel’s gaze, smiled back warmly, toasting him with her cup of floral tea.
“Iron Armor Granny,” Angel silently recalled her name.
Angel hadn’t expected Iron Armor Granny to be guarding the ruin. He remembered hearing that she hadn’t left the Flowing Source for many years. Her presence indicated the ruin’s extreme danger.
As Angel pondered with a troubled expression, Rhine said to Sanders, “I’ve informed them, and they will leave now. I, too, will depart shortly. Once I’m gone, you must be more cautious. Do not be overconfident or enter the ruin rashly… and if you must, don’t bring him along.”
Sanders nodded, his expression complex. He understood Rhine’s concerns for Angel, but he also knew that even if he perished, Angel would likely survive just fine.
The creatures from the Nightmare Plane possess natural hierarchical barriers; even Yorkshire that once threatened Angel in Sleepless City wouldn’t dare act rashly against him.
However, Sanders, aware as he is, wouldn’t possibly divulge this fact. He nods in understanding, “I get it.”
Rhine looks at Sanders, then at the red-haired man beside him who seems indifferent, exhaling deeply, “Ensure safety is a priority, be cautious. Even if nothing is discovered, don’t be reckless.”
Rhine’s final admonition is to take care of Firo and Nisi as they leave the Star Pool ruin.
Sanders approaches Angel, “What are you thinking?”
Angel subconsciously voices his thoughts, “Didn’t expect Iron Armor Granny to show up.”
Sanders clarifies, “That’s just an avatar of Iron Armor Granny.”
An avatar? Angel looks at Sanders, bewildered, having noticed nothing unusual before.
“That’s her unique spell; it’s both an avatar and the real body. Currently, the one suppressing the ruins is the avatar, while the real body remains in the Flowing Source. However, when real danger is detected, both the avatar and the real body can switch instantly.” Sanders says, a flicker of envy in his eyes.
Iron Armor Granny’s method is similar to having multiple lives. As long as one avatar survives, she can never be truly defeated.
Angel nods in realization, understanding it’s an unique avatar spell. The real body and avatar can interchange, explaining why he couldn’t detect anything unusual.
Angel: “It seemed like Iron Armor Granny recognized me just now.”
Sanders: “That’s normal; Iron Armor Granny’s strength far surpasses what you might imagine. Let’s not talk about this now; I’ll first take you to see this ruin.”
Sanders paused: “However, there’s something else before that.”
Sanders turned his head towards a corner of the observation pavilion, where a sleek Tree Spirit stood in the shadows, pretending as if he didn’t exist in self-deception.
Sanders said nothing, but Tree Spirit understood his intent.
“Really leaving? I won’t pry into anything, I’m just…”
Sanders’ gaze remained firm and unchanged.
Tree Spirit, disheartened, lowered its shoulders: “Alright, alright.”
Muttering to himself, Tree Spirit reluctantly headed towards the exterior of the ruin.
Chapter 1978 Duncan <TOC> Chapter 1980 Gears, Destiny, Initial Heart