Translator: SumTLMan
“Did you remember the symbols?” Nisi’s voice suddenly rose, his face filled with surprise and doubt as he looked towards Angel.
Even Iron Armor Granny was taken aback. She had seen similar situations before, where the memories in question possessed very special protective mechanisms and required specific and corresponding methods to be remembered.
When Nisi had consulted her earlier, she was certain that Angel couldn’t possibly remember it. If there was any crucial situation, she might have had to use the planar corridor to check on Angel herself.
However, to her astonishment, Angel actually remembered it. Had he found the corresponding solution?
Facing the doubts of Iron Armor Granny and Nisi, Angel scratched his head awkwardly: “I didn’t remember it, but I brought the stone tablet with the symbols into the Wilderness of Dreams.”
Saying this, Angel took out the relatively thin stone tablet.
When they saw this stone tablet, Iron Armor Granny paused for a moment and then sighed, “I almost forgot, you have the Dream Conch…”
Iron Armor Granny had been viewing the problem through her own experience, so she didn’t think of this at first.
Nisi, who had heard about the Dream Conch, looked at the stone tablet engraved with symbols and couldn’t help but smile, “Granny told me earlier that this kind of memory blockage is a very special security mechanism. Without the corresponding solution, even she might not remember. I didn’t expect you to take such an extraordinary shortcut.”
“The Dream Conch is indeed a Mysterious Object, forcibly pulling even the most special security mechanisms into dreams without logic or reason.”
After their reflections, their attention naturally focused on the symbols on the stone tablet.
The symbols they thought they might need to personally visit to see were now right before their eyes.
Nisi and Iron Armor Granny almost simultaneously locked their gaze on the two symmetrical serpentine symbols within the hexagon.
They were aware that the outermost symbols were not important; the key was this particular symbol.
At first glance, this serpentine symbol seemed unremarkable. But when you looked closely, it seemed to project into your mind, turning into two wriggling worms, constantly swaying and squirming.
Yet, when you closed your eyes, the memory of the dancing worms in your mind would instantly vanish. No matter how hard you tried to recall, there was only emptiness.
Nisi and Iron Armor Granny were very thorough in their observation. While they looked, Angel paid attention to their expressions.
Nisi’s eyes flickered from time to time, as if recalling something, while Iron Armor Granny seemed thoughtful, as if she had found a clue.
After about five minutes, Nisi and Iron Armor Granny raised their heads one after the other.
Iron Armor Granny pondered silently, while Nisi was the first to speak, “This symbol… it has never appeared in my memory. But…”
Nisi hesitated for a couple of seconds before continuing, “I have a strange sense of familiarity with it, as if I should recognize it.”
Nisi looked towards Iron Armor Granny, hoping for an answer from her.
Iron Armor Granny slowly stroked the stone tablet and after a long moment, said, “It’s normal that you haven’t seen it, and it’s normal to feel familiar. Because it comes from that place.”
Nisi was momentarily confused, “That place?”
Iron Armor Granny: “… Qwest World.”
Nisi’s pupils instantly narrowed, and he urgently asked, “Is this the script of Qwest World?”
Iron Armor Granny shook her head, “Even if you haven’t fully learned the script of Qwest World, you should know some of it. This doesn’t have the characteristics of Qwest script; it’s just a symbol, or rather, it represents a certain existence or power in Qwest World.”
“A symbol representing nature.” Upon hearing this, Nisi seemed to understand something, a realization flashing in his eyes.
As Iron Armor Granny and Nisi quietly discussed, Angel, however, was completely puzzled: “What are you talking about? Qwest World, what is that?”
Nisi sighed softly, replying with a serious expression: “Qwest World, the name might be unfamiliar to you, because that’s how we, the soul wizards, refer to that place. Wizards not specialized in souls usually call it… the Soul Plane.”
The Soul Plane is similar to the Dream Realm and Nightmare Plane. It’s called a world, but it doesn’t have a physical manifestation in the material world; it’s like a paradise for energy beings, existing eternally in a dimension unexplorable by the material world.
Some speculate that everyone’s land of souls is intricately connected to the Soul Plane. But this is only a speculation, never proven.
However, various messages confirm its existence as a miracle.
This is what Angel knew about the Soul Plane. His knowledge was limited, as information about the Soul Plane was rarely shared externally.
Hearing rare information about the Soul Plane, Angel couldn’t help but ask curiously, “From your words, does the Soul Plane have its own script? Are there powers there?”
“Of course, because Qwest World isn’t just a world of souls. There are numerous pure energy beings living there, and the so-called script is passed down by these energy beings… As for powers,” Nisi smiled, his expression suggesting “you find it more peculiar than it is”: “The extent of Qwest World is beyond your imagination. However, most of it is a domain of the dead, and uncorrupted souls can only gather in a few areas. These safe areas for souls are where powers are born.”
“I once visited a soul safe area called Ohcold River, where over a dozen powers resided; I’ve also heard of an even larger soul safe area, called Warsaw, located two dead domains away from Ohcold River. There, due to some special reasons, the number of powers that have gathered is probably in the hundreds.”
After listening to Nisi’s explanation, Angel’s focus wasn’t on the powers, but he curiously asked: “Wizard Nisi has been to the Soul Plane? I’ve heard that the Soul Plane is almost inaccessible to the living?”
Nisi shook his head, “No, no, no. Qwest World is only inaccessible to non-soul wizards because only souls can enter Qwest World. Most wizards’ soul quality doesn’t meet the standard to enter and exit Qwest World, only soul wizards have the chance.”
“I have naturally been there. Otherwise, how do you think the high tower in my Soul Valley was built?”
Nisi’s residence in the Savage Grottoes had a Soul Tower, made entirely of soul stones, stabilizing countless souls in the valley.
Angel had been curious where such a massive amount of soul stones came from, and now Nisi provided the answer: apparently, they were acquired from Qwest World.
After being smug for a while, Nisi seemed to remember something, his expression turning a bit resentful: “However, the only known entrance to Qwest World is controlled by three powerful wizard families. The cost of entry each time is astonishing. Moreover, we must have someone guarding our physical bodies, so even soul wizards can’t just enter as they please.”
Nisi shook his head, unwilling to dwell on the memories of being exploited: “Anyway, back to the point, this symbol likely represents a power in Qwest World, or a powerful entity. But who could it be?”
Returning to the topic of the symbol, Nisi looked at the two twisted earthworms on the symbol, a sense of familiarity rising again in his heart, more convinced of Iron Armor Granny’s speculation.
Iron Armor Granny pondered, “I can’t be certain, but it might be a power from the Steffi Soul Safe Zone because the powers there love to use earthworms as shapes and often use thought interference as their encryption method.”
“Is this the Steffi Safe Zone?” Nisi first showed a hint of surprise, then thought of something and nodded repeatedly: “It’s really possible. The powers in the Steffi area are extremely strong, enough to interfere with the otherworldly realms.”
Nisi explained to Angel, who looked puzzled: “Steffi is a vast Safe Zone where the powers are very powerful. Among these powers, there are mighty existences that can interfere with the material world directly from another realm without descending.”
“Only such existences would descend their power into reality under the guidance of a ritual, to complete a sacrifice.”
Iron Armor Granny then said: “Actually, it’s not too difficult to find out which power in the Steffi Safe Zone is responsible. From the ritual, it’s apparent that this power is hostile towards humans and places importance on the number 36; with these two conditions, along with the details of the sacrifice, we can start asking in the circles of the soul realm.”
Iron Armor Granny then shifted the topic: “However, even if we find out the power, it doesn’t mean much.”
Angel asked, “Why do you say that?”
Iron Armor Granny replied: “During the original sacrifice ritual, the power from the Steffi Safe Zone could have descended in response, but they didn’t, indicating that they most likely just responded to the person conducting the sacrifice, rather than descending on their own initiative.”
“The person who conducted the ritual has obviously left by now, and the altar has been abandoned. It’s difficult to trace why they performed the sacrifice and what they sought… unless we go to the Steffi Safe Zone ourselves and ask that power, but that seems pointless.”
Angel looked at Nisi, who nodded slightly, affirming Granny’s words.
Angel fell silent for a moment: “Then, is Lady Sheila’s appearance related to the sacrificial ritual?”
“I can confirm that Lady Sheila is not from the Qwest World. Although she is a ghost, she is originally from the Central Empire, and her appearance there is within normal limits,” replied Nisi. “However, Lady Sheila becoming so powerful in such a short time is probably related to the Death Aura in the altar. She might have discovered that altar later and used the Death Aura to gradually become stronger, or even transformed into a special ghost because of it.”
Angel asked, “Is the Death Aura in the altar from the Soul Plane?”
Nisi nodded affirmatively: “Yes, the Qwest World is not short of Death Aura, and the ghost zone has a lot of accumulated Death Aura, capable of becoming a continuous source. I suspect that during the original sacrifice, Death Aura from the ghost zone escaped and was attracted by this symbol, continuously releasing a large amount of Death Aura in the cave.”
At this point, Angel had basically reconstructed the entire event from the conversations with Nisi and Iron Armor Granny——
Years ago, a wizard, possibly a
Karabite, might have conducted a sacrificial ritual in the cave, making some kind of deal with a power in the Soul Plane, the content of which is unknown. After the ritual, the person left the cave, the altar was abandoned, and some time later, Lady Sheila discovered the place by chance and slept in the cave, gradually cultivating with the Death Aura until today.
From this event, the key is actually the person who originally conducted the sacrificial ritual.
Now that it is known the person has left long ago, it’s difficult to trace why they performed the sacrifice and what deal they made with the power from the Soul Plane.
Indeed, as Granny said, this matter can only end here.
Moreover, Angel’s concern about this matter was because it was near Borel Town, worrying about Freud being affected. Now that it’s confirmed there is no cause for concern, there’s no point in further investigation.
There are many secrets in this world, and there’s no need to dwell on this one.
Thinking this, Angel made up his mind to no longer focus on the altar.
“It seems this trip was in vain,” shrugged Angel. “But it’s not a total loss. We found a place rich in Death Aura. It should be good for Freud to cultivate his Soul Trickery here.”
Nisi also agreed, for a ghost, training in the Qwest World would certainly be the best, and now Freud using the Death Aura of the Qwest World could indeed accelerate his cultivation to some extent.
Confirming that there were no other issues with the altar, Angel prepared to leave.
However, at this moment, Iron Armor Granny, stroking the symbols on the stone slab, said, “You just mentioned a wasted trip, but actually, it’s not.”
Angel, who had already started to dematerialize, paused and solidified again, asking, “What does Granny mean?”
Iron Armor Granny pointed at the symbols on the slab, “This, is the biggest gain.”
Her words puzzled Nisi, who asked, “Isn’t this just a symbolic representation? What significance does it have?”
“Its significance lies in the fact that it contains a trace of constant fluctuation from the power in the Steffi Safe Zone.”
“Constant fluctuation?” Nisi wondered aloud, then asked, “Granny, do you know the meaning of this fluctuation?”
Iron Armor Granny looked at the twisted, winding symbols: “I don’t know its meaning, but I do know that this constant fluctuation is a special kind of Soul Power, which does not easily dissipate. We can use this to research and locate the coordinates of the other party’s location.”
“Coordinates?” Initially, Nisi didn’t catch on, muttering to himself. However, he quickly realized and looked at Iron Armor Granny with surprise and suspicion, “Does Granny mean…”
Iron Armor Granny nodded: “If we can lock onto the coordinates of the Qwest World, we can create a pathway to this world.”
Nisi stood up with a boom, realizing this was exactly what he had been thinking about.
If they could indeed find a coordinate in the Qwest World, then they could create their own pathway, and he wouldn’t have to pay the three families for access…
This was indeed a matter of utmost importance for Nisi, even for the Savage Grottoes. After all, the Qwest World was known for its abundant soul resources!
But soon, Nisi frowned again: “I understand what you mean, Granny, but to access that power, we need specific ****.”
They must break through its outer encryption mechanism to access its power.
And **** was precisely the issue they were initially considering. Specific conditions and methods were required to decrypt it.
If the decryption failed, the symbol would vanish, and the constant fluctuation would disappear, making it impossible to study, let alone find the coordinates.
Iron Armor Granny said, “Then let’s decrypt it… Have you forgotten about Angel’s Dream Conch?”
Nisi’s eyes lit up again, right, the Dream Conch! The Dream Conch could pull real objects into dreams. If an item in the dream is damaged, it wouldn’t affect the actual item.
He could keep trying different methods until he succeeded. Once successful, they could replicate it in reality!
With this thought, Nisi turned his shining eyes towards Angel.
“You must help me!”