Chapter 2223 Asymmetrical Battle <TOC> Chapter 2225 Oath
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Translator: SumTLMan
“Do you wish for me not to extinguish its existence?” Angel discerned the arrival of Gentle Wind Uranos quite early on, but since the other party remained concealed, he feigned ignorance.
He had assumed Gentle Wind Uranos would stay hidden until the end, but to his surprise, it revealed itself midway.
Given Gentle Wind Uranos’ decision to manifest at this juncture, it undoubtedly had a request. And considering the current circumstances, the nature of this request was not difficult to deduce.
On the other side, upon hearing Angel’s inquiry, Gentle Wind Uranos paused slightly. Although Angel did not explicitly reveal its identity, merely tossing out this statement lightly, Gentle Wind Uranos understood that Angel had indeed recognized it. The question posed, devoid of any emotion and delivered in a flat tone… might represent a choice, or perhaps a declaration of stance?
Gentle Wind Uranos inwardly sighed, regretting not having brought Sage Camus along. With Sage Camus’s wisdom, perhaps he would have known what to say at this moment that would be most appropriate, neither offending Angel nor allowing Harlequin to perish.
Indeed, it did not desire Harlequin’s demise.
Even though Harlequin had arrived with malevolent intentions, Gentle Wind Uranos was well aware that, among creatures of the wind element, conflicts and wars, even if one side succumbs, would not lead to actions against their true core individuals.
This was both a delicate balance and a tacit understanding among kin.
Whether it be Gentle Wind Uranos or Harlequin, both were pillars of wind elemental life, incomparable to other ordinary creatures of the wind. The fall of any one of these pillars would further weaken the already precarious state of their wind element kin. And should their strength further wane, they would inevitably suffer ruthless attacks from other elemental creatures.
By then, even the Green Wilderness, brotherly as it is to White Cloud Hamlet, might turn predator.
This tacit understanding existed not just among wind elemental creatures but other elemental creatures as well.
Gentle Wind Uranos could watch Angel eliminate other wind elemental creatures, but upon seeing Harlequin on the brink of death, it still wished to intervene.
“Yes, as a fellow creature of the wind element, I cannot bear to witness its downfall. I beseech Mr. Pat’s understanding.” As Gentle Wind Uranos spoke, it bowed slightly towards Angel, aware of its lack of eloquence, hoping to convey its sincerity through human etiquettes taught by Mr. Feng.
Observing Gentle Wind Uranos’ bow, Angel’s gaze momentarily faltered. He had encountered several domain monarchs of the Tidal Realm, and while some had peculiar habits, they at least appeared dignified. However, this Highness Gentle Wind lacked the regal aura expected of a monarch.
Moreover, Gentle Wind Uranos was quite unique.
Not only did it bear the closest resemblance to humans in form, but its behavior was indistinguishable from that of humans. This was not only evident in its current bow but also in the harp Gentle Wind Uranos constantly carried, which Angel immediately recognized as human-made. The traces of human life were unmistakably present in Gentle Wind Uranos.
Perhaps it was influenced by Feng?
Seeing no immediate response, Gentle Wind Uranos wondered if Angel had other considerations or demands. Recalling some principles mentioned by Mr. Feng, it seemed to grasp something.
“Of course, it would be impolite to ask you to spare it without offering something in return. I, as the monarch of White Cloud Hamlet, will ensure a satisfactory compensation for you,” Gentle Wind Uranos ventured, attempting to address any potential misunderstandings.
Angel, whose thoughts had momentarily wandered to various tangents, was brought back to the present by Gentle Wind Uranos’ mention of compensation.
Observing Gentle Wind Uranos’ eyes, swirling with countless thoughts, Angel couldn’t help but feel that there might have been some misunderstanding.
He initially approached Gentle Wind Uranos, not expecting Gentle Wind Uranos to take a stand, but simply wanting to do a favor. After all, this was someone else’s territory, and Angel was capable of showing due respect for the host’s opinion; moreover, he had requests of Gentle Wind Uranos and naturally hoped to use this opportunity to curry favor with him, which would facilitate his work later on.
However, what was Gentle Wind Uranos imagining, to think of him as a demanding person?
Although Angel noticed the misunderstanding of Gentle Wind Uranos, he did not correct it. Previously, he just wanted to do a small favor, but now it seemed he could gain even more favor and return, which he was more than happy to accept, merely adjusting his persona slightly.
“Of course.” Angel nodded calmly.
Gentle Wind Uranos’ eyes lit up, and he breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried that Angel would drive a hard bargain, considering that someone capable of turning the three great wind generals into illusion nodes didn’t seem easy to negotiate with. Unexpectedly, Angel agreed so readily, which gave him the illusion of having gotten a bargain.
Gentle Wind Uranos’ face brightened: “So, Harlequin will be left to me?”
Angel nodded indifferently.
Without hesitation, Gentle Wind Uranos approached Harlequin. Harlequin, having heard their conversation, also showed a glimmer of hope in his eyes that had been filled with despair. He was fearless in the face of death, but if there was a chance to live, he didn’t wish to die.
While dealing with Harlequin, Gentle Wind Uranos did not speak directly to him but communicated secretly through the wind.
Angel noticed this detail but didn’t care. Even if they were bad-mouthing him, it didn’t matter.
What he was actually more interested in was the reason Gentle Wind Uranos saved Harlequin.
Not knowing the internal consensus among wind elemental creatures, he pondered for a long time and could only attribute it to Gentle Wind Uranos’ personal action.
After all, both Sage Magu and Kuplatinum had described Gentle Wind Uranos as a gentle person.
Being excessively gentle might even turn one into a saint.
In Angel’s view, Gentle Wind Uranos’ decision to save Harlequin might have been due to his overflowing saintly heart.
If Angel knew the real reason Gentle Wind Uranos saved Harlequin, he wouldn’t call Gentle Wind Uranos a saint but would still scoff at it… An internal consensus among wind elemental creatures? Concerned that the collapse of a pillar would lead to invasion by other elemental creatures? These might become the main conflicts or themes of war within the Tidal Realm while it remains closed. But once the Tidal Realm opens up, external conflicts will quickly unify it internally. Then, the disputes among elemental creatures will drastically decrease, and issues between elemental creatures and outsiders will significantly rise.
Even if Angel plans to maintain a good relationship between the Savage Grottoes and the Tidal Realm, allowing humans from the Savage Grottoes to coexist relatively harmoniously with the elemental creatures here, the Savage Grottoes can’t monopolize this world. Outsiders will eventually enter this world, and even if rules are established by the Savage Grottoes, there will always be those who don’t follow the norm and seek to break these restrictions. This will inevitably lead to numerous external problems due to racial traits, interests, civilization, and needs.
The increase in external factors will lead to a decrease in internal strife. Therefore, Gentle Wind Uranos’ worry about Harlequin’s death and the collapse of the wind elemental creatures’ pillar is unnecessary.
However, Gentle Wind Uranos, not knowing the future situation, could only act based on current problems.
…
On the other side, at the center of the black whirlwind.
Perhaps the secret conversation between Gentle Wind Uranos and Harlequin was effective, as Harlequin did not resist. Eventually, the black whirlwind gradually dissipated, and Harlequin’s massive figure was contained within a green translucent small bottle by Gentle Wind Uranos.
This bottle was not a physical object but a special cage constructed by Gentle Wind Uranos using the wind from his own body.
Harlequin has now transformed into a tiny half-bodied figure with black spots inside a bottle, at first glance, resembling the genies locked in lamps from fairytales.
Gentle Wind Uranos approached with the little bottle to express gratitude, displaying it in front of Angel.
Harlequin, enclosed within the bottle, also made eye contact with Angel.
Initially, Harlequin’s gaze was fierce, but upon seeing Angel’s almost unfluctuating eyes, it seemed to cower and lower its head. Harlequin was confident in defeating Angel in a one-on-one fight, thus not conceding to Angel’s victory. However, when it confronted Angel while trapped in the bottle, it realized that this human-like being it had always looked down upon seemingly never regarded it as significant from the beginning.
Harlequin understood that this was not disdain or underestimation, but an indifference from the very core, as if their visions were never on the same plane.
Eventually, Harlequin did not muster the courage to maintain eye contact with Angel and was silently pocketed by Gentle Wind Uranos.
After securing Harlequin, Gentle Wind Uranos’ gaze shifted to Lobert on the other side.
This three-headed lion dog’s eyes were still bewildered, trapped in an illusion.
Gentle Wind Uranos specifically observed one of its heads, recognizing Lobert and aware of the wisdom it held.
The birth of a sage is exceedingly rare; Gentle Wind Uranos wished to plead for Lobert, having already done so for Harlequin. However, their relationship with Angel was not at a stage to repeatedly make requests, lacking the position or the right to plead.
Therefore, Gentle Wind Uranos abandoned the idea of pleading but was still curious about how Angel would handle them, including Lobert and the many wind elemental creatures trapped in the illusion.
“There are many wind elemental creatures from Stormridge within this cloud sea; how does sir plan to deal with them?” Gentle Wind Uranos inquired.
Angel was somewhat surprised by Gentle Wind Uranos and began to associate him with the saintly archetype. According to the saintly character and behavior, shouldn’t he be pleading right now?
Yet, from Gentle Wind Uranos’ implication, it seemed he intended to leave How to Dispose of these trapped wind elemental creatures in Angel’s hands.
Was he truly willing to let go, or was there a saintly scheme hidden beneath?
Angel was uncertain of Gentle Wind Uranos’ intentions, but he had already decided on how to deal with these wind elemental creatures.
These creatures had initially shown strong hostility towards Angel and his companions; had their own strength been lacking, their fates could have been reversed. Thus, while Angel could forgive one or two on account of Gentle Wind Uranos, he never considered pardoning all.
Since Gentle Wind Uranos hinted at leaving them to his judgment, Angel decided to act according to his own will.
Angel did not hide his thoughts and shared his method for dealing with these wind elemental creatures.
Killing them outright would not only be wasteful but also unnecessary.
Utilizing their remaining value was what Angel sought.
Initially, Angel thought of selecting an elemental companion from among these wind elemental creatures. Although he was in more need of a fire elemental companion, preparing a wind elemental for future cross-domain research seemed appropriate.
However, upon reflection, he decided against it. Elemental companions require a connection of souls, and sometimes, when wizards aim to cultivate an elemental body, they must merge with their elemental companion to grasp the essence of the elemental body, a process that demands a high degree of trust.
Naturally, this situation is exceptional, often involving wizards slowly nurturing their elemental sprites before daring to merge with them; but it also underscores a point, the necessity for harmony and trust between wizards and elemental creatures.
Angel did not believe he could find such an existence among the group of wind elemental creatures.
After shelving the idea of searching for an elemental companion, Angel pondered for a while and ultimately decided to exploit their value by signing a contract with the group of wind elemental creatures.
It was not the kind of soul symbiosis contract for elemental companions.
Instead, it was the Merck Soul Source Oath.
The core essence of the Merck Soul Source Oath is: “To fulfill all demands posed by the other party while preserving personal freedom and the potential for future development.”
Under the influence of this oath, Angel could have the group of elemental creatures act according to his will, and gradually infuse his personal will and the value of the Savage Grottoes into the elemental creatures of the Tidal Realm.
Even, if needed, he could use them as a blade in his hand to complete some cleaning tasks.
Upon hearing Angel’s words, Gentle Wind Uranos slightly relaxed, grateful that Angel did not intend to kill these wind elemental creatures, which was already very commendable.
However, upon learning the specifics of the Merck Soul Source Oath, Gentle Wind Uranos frowned slightly and couldn’t help saying, “I appreciate your mercy, sir, but I doubt many wind elemental creatures would agree to this contract.”
“Why?” To Angel, the Merck Soul Source Oath seemed quite lenient already, and not directly resorting to the Oath of Luo was already a form of magnanimity.
“Because they are wind…”
As Gentle Wind Uranos explained, Angel also began to understand Gentle Wind Uranos’ point.
Wind elemental creatures are the most freedom-seeking among all elemental creatures. The Merck Soul Source Oath might appear lenient, but for these freedom-seeking existences, it is absolutely a torture of the spirit. Even if Angel doesn’t arrange for them to do anything, it’s like a shackle, heavily restraining their lives and continuously eroding and wearing away their pursuit of their nature.
When this oppression reaches a certain moment, they might prefer death over being bound by the oath.
“In other words, even if they agree to this oath now, without seeing a hopeful future, it will become a burning candle, constantly burning away their will until the day they can no longer bear it.”
Gentle Wind Uranos was not pleading but stating a fact that Angel had not considered.
After pondering for a moment, Angel felt there was some truth to Gentle Wind Uranos’ words.
His understanding of the leniency of the Merck Soul Source Oath was due to “preserving personal freedom and the potential for future development,” but in reality, for wind elemental creatures, their nature is the desire for absolute freedom. Although it’s hard to say absolute freedom exists in the world, such a pursuit can exist. Once subjected to permanent restraint, the longing for freedom is cut off, and when nature is suppressed, where does “future potential” come from?
It can be said that using the Merck Soul Source Oath on wind elemental creatures is no different from the Oath of Luo.
Angel thought for a moment and finally said, “Let’s keep the Merck Soul Source Oath, but this time I’ll add a time limit to the oath.”
“Twenty years.”