Chapter 2247 Six Hundred Years Ago <TOC> Chapter 2249 Monarch Without a Crown
Translator: SumTLMan
“Mr. Feng mentioned that there would be someone following in his footsteps, was this six hundred years ago?” Angel asked in surprise.
Frost Iseth nodded, “Yes, even though Mr. Feng mentioned destiny the first time he came, it was indeed six hundred years ago when he specifically said that there would be someone following in his footsteps.”
Upon hearing this, Angel was struck with contemplation.
The fact that it was only six hundred years ago that it was explicitly stated someone would follow in his footsteps, could it mean that the scheme set by Feng actually began six hundred years ago?
Considering that Feng had also set a scheme in the Abyss six hundred years ago, and Angel was one of those who were meant to respond, could it be possible that he hadn’t stepped into two separate schemes, but rather, the scheme in the Abyss and the Tidal Realm were actually one and the same?
This thought, once it emerged, was like a surging tide, instantly dominating all of Angel’s thoughts.
And the more he pondered, the more plausible this possibility seemed.
Both schemes were set six hundred years ago, and he was a respondent in both. Moreover, there was a direct piece of evidence linking the Abyss and the Tidal Realm, which was——the Ouija Multi-Pattern Cipher Key.
The Ouija Multi-Pattern Cipher Key, originating from the Abyssal Flame Dragon Odeklaes, was explicitly stated to be a legacy from Feng when it was handed over to Angel. At the time Feng passed the key to Odeklaes, he did not specify a recipient, but perhaps through the force of destiny, the key eventually found its way into Angel’s hands.
Upon receiving this key, Angel was uncertain where to use it. It wasn’t until he arrived at the Tidal Realm and passed through a door in the passage that he saw Feng’s message:
“I have left the treasure here. However, without the key, you won’t be able to open it~”
Though Feng did not explicitly state that the Ouija Multi-Pattern Cipher Key was the key to unlocking the “treasure,” the series of coincidences and the waves of destiny deeply convinced Angel that the two were undoubtedly connected.
Because of this key, the situation in the Abyss was now linked with that of the Tidal Realm.
Even though there were uncertainties, such as the necessity for the message on the door to have been left there six hundred years ago, and whether the Ouija Multi-Pattern Cipher Key truly was the key to the treasure; these uncertainties became less significant amidst the myriad of coincidences.
Angel’s intuition almost convinced him that he was still within the extension of the scheme in the Abyss.
“In the Abyss, Feng laid out a plan that was intense, even facing the Flameless Lord in the end. Yet here, the scheme seemed casually mentioned, devoid of danger, not only leading him to discover a subsidiary plane no human had ever set foot on before but also stating outright that there was treasure to be found in this immensely valuable plane…”
“So, the Abyss scheme is a battle map, and the Tidal Realm’s scheme is the reward after clearing the map?” Angel’s words, although a resigned jest as one within the game, upon further reflection, considering Feng’s unpredictable nature, might actually hold the truth.
“What are you muttering about?” Frost Iseth looked over, puzzled.
Angel shook his head: “Nothing, I was just marveling at how Mr. Feng, six hundred years ago, was so certain that someone would follow in his footsteps. Truly, it’s unbelievable.”
Frost Iseth quietly remarked, “Profit-seeking, isn’t that the value of you wizards?”
“Not all wizards seek profit; many are inclined towards it as a choice for better survival,” Angel responded.
“I don’t care if it’s seeking or inclining towards profit, but you’re following his steps for the ‘profit’ he left behind, aren’t you?”
Angel didn’t deny it: “If there’s profit to be gained, I naturally wouldn’t refuse…” after all, he had me thoroughly outwitted.
“However, rather than acquiring the ‘profit’ he left behind, I am more eager to understand why he chose to design the course of destiny in such a manner; and what role do I truly play in this game? Am I just a puppet on strings?”
Frost Iseth gazed deeply at Angel.
Ever since Angel arrived before her, maintaining a demeanor of calm, that innate confidence emanating from within had repeatedly led her into reverie, for in Angel, she saw the shadow of Feng.
It was only at this moment that she finally saw another side of Angel, hidden beneath the facade of calmness, was a heart that was not at peace.
The corners of Frost Iseth’s mouth gently curved up, and a slow laughter began to escape.
The indifferent expression was softened by this laughter, turning the endless winter seemingly into a chill yet hopeful spring.
“Was there something wrong with what I said?” Angel asked, detecting no malice in Frost Iseth’s laughter, which might otherwise have led him to believe he was being mocked.
Frost Iseth shook her head.
“Why then, do you laugh?”
Frost Iseth: “I just thought, compared to earlier, you seemed less disagreeable.”
Hearing Frost Iseth’s response, Angel looked puzzled: “Does Highness mean to say that I was disagreeable before?”
Frost Iseth waved her hand dismissively, “It’s just that you used to resemble him, so much so that it was bothersome to me. Now, though, you don’t seem as similar.”
Angel slightly narrowed his eyes, “Should I take that as a compliment?”
Without responding and letting her smile fade, Frost Iseth shifted the conversation back on track, “Let’s return to the main topic, what role are you asking about? I can’t provide an answer to that. Perhaps I am also a character in this game, albeit an inconspicuous one.”
After a pause, Frost Iseth continued, “Whether it’s about chasing profit or gravitating towards it isn’t important. What matters is, what is this ‘profit’? I know, that’s why you came to me, right?”
Angel neither nodded nor shook his head, but Frost Iseth didn’t care. She directly stated, “I could tell you, but, you might be disappointed with the answer.”
At this point, Frost Iseth leaned her elbow on her throne, propping her cheek in her hand, lost in memories as she spoke of events from six hundred years ago.
“He once said that he would leave a treasure for those who follow in his footsteps. However, obtaining this treasure requires a prerequisite condition, which he never specified. But later, I heard him mention something related. He said…”
——If the person who follows in his footsteps is the one described in the book, they would naturally be able to unlock the treasure.
Hearing this, Angel’s brows furrowed slightly.
Regarding the situation of the treasure and the prerequisites for opening it, Angel hadn’t really paid much attention. What concerned him was what Feng mentioned: “The one who follows the steps is the person spoken of in the book.”
In the book? This was the third time Angel heard the mention of a “book” in the context related to the theme of “destiny” that Feng had talked about.
The first mention was in White Cloud Hamlet, where Gentle Wind Uranos had said that Feng had mentioned, “My arrival is the chapter of destiny written in that book.”
The second time Destiny previously stated by Frost Iseth: “Had he not opened that book, he would not have come to the Tidal Realm.”
And now was the third time.
Initially, Angel thought that this “book” was a metaphorical representation of prophecy. However, with the “book” being mentioned three times in different contexts, Angel realized his initial understanding might be wrong. This “book” might actually exist.
Moreover, from Feng’s tone, this book was the reason he came to the Tidal Realm, and it seems that this book is also related to the person following Feng’s steps?
“Mr. Feng mentioned a ‘book’ which I have heard about twice from Highness. Do you know what this ‘book’ is?”
Frost Iseth expressed, “I’m not sure either. Mr. Feng indeed occasionally mentioned a book, but what this book is about, he never elaborated.”
Frost Iseth’s response left Angel slightly disappointed. However, he faintly felt that this “book” must be extraordinary.
Because from Feng’s tone, he even had an illusion: it seemed that it was not Feng who was setting the stage, but this book itself.
If this were true, it would be astonishing.
Considering that Gentle Wind Uranos was unaware of Feng’s visit six hundred years ago, the phrase “My arrival is the chapter of destiny written by that book” refers to Feng’s first visit to the Tidal Realm three thousand years ago, not something that happened six hundred years ago.
This implies that if the book was setting the stage, it had actually begun doing so three thousand years ago!
Of course, this is just a speculation by Angel, with no evidence to support it. Moreover, a book planning things out three thousand years ago doesn’t sound very plausible.
And, a book itself shouldn’t have the capability to plan; it should still be the person holding the “book” who does the planning.
Unless, this book is a Mysterious Object.
But if there truly exists such a Mysterious Object, it must be renowned. Records of Mysterious Objects in Culuoli should have mentioned it.
Angel had not found any similar existence, so either it was not recorded by Culuoli, or it simply did not exist. Angel tended toward the latter.
Temporarily setting aside speculations about “the book,” Angel pondered, “What exactly is the treasure Mr. Feng left behind?”
Frost Iseth countered with a question instead of an answer, “Your immediate concern was the ‘book,’ without considering the prerequisites for obtaining the treasure… Does this mean you are quite confident about acquiring the treasure? Do you already possess the necessary prerequisites?”
Angel did not respond, believing that the prerequisite likely involved passing the “Abyss Demon God Stage” and then gaining Odeklaes’ favor to obtain the Ouija Multi-Pattern Cipher Key.
If, by a small chance, the prerequisite was not the Ouija Multi-Pattern Cipher Key, then another solution would have to be found at that time.
Seeing that Angel did not reply, Frost Iseth did not mind and continued, “I do not know what the treasure specifically is. However, I heard from Nemeti that after Mr. Feng placed the treasure there, he was pained for a long time; thereafter, he was unwilling to visit the place where the treasure was placed, fearing he might regret it. When he left, he took a long look in the direction of the treasure. The reluctance in his eyes was unmistakably genuine.”
In other words, no one knows what the treasure is, but its value must be significant.
Angel asked, “If it was hard to part with, why leave it there?”
Frost Iseth said, “Who knows? Perhaps he thought that leaving the treasure for those who come after him held more value than keeping it on his person.”
Angel remained noncommittal.
“Does Highness know where Mr. Feng placed the treasure?” Angel asked the most crucial question.
“The Void.”
This answer was not unexpected, as Frost Iseth had previously hinted, “So, Highness mentioned before that Mr. Feng took you to the Void just to hide the treasure…”
Frost Iseth shook her head, “No, my visit to the Void was later when Mr. Feng left; I asked him to take me outside to see, and he took me to the Void once. That part of the Void was not where the treasure was.”
Angel asked, “Then, the Void corresponding to the treasure, where is it?”
“The Void corresponding to the center of the world,” Frost Iseth replied.
“The center of the world?” Angel quickly reviewed the map of the Tidal Realm in his mind. When he mentioned the world’s center, was he referring to the center of the continent or the center position of the entire world’s map?
Angel voiced his thoughts.
Frost Iseth decisively shook her head: “Neither.”
“Then where is the Void that corresponds to the center of the world?”
Frost Iseth: “I don’t know either.”
Angel: “…”
“Although I don’t know where the center of the world refers to, I do know how to find the Void where the treasure is located,” Frost Iseth paused, and in Angel’s expectant gaze, she slowly continued: “You can go to the Green Forest Domain to find Nemeti. When Mr. Feng placed the treasure in the Void, Nemeti accompanied him.”
Upon hearing this, Angel rubbed his temples with a headache.
He had thought that he could get all the information from Frost Iseth, but unexpectedly, to obtain the complete information, he had to seek out Nemeti.
This was simply like overcoming one obstacle after another, as if one had to meet all the elemental creatures closely related to Feng at the beginning!
Could this also be part of Feng’s Calculation? Advancing step by step, and only in the end, you get the treasure?
Angel, though reluctantly criticizing in his heart, was also prepared to meet Nemeti, as Nemeti had been the one who spent the most time with Feng. Now, knowing that finding the treasure also required meeting Nemeti meant that it was impossible to bypass them, no matter who else was circumvented.
“Well then, my next destination will be the Green Forest Domain,” Angel said. “Before that, Highness, could you talk to me about Nemeti?”
Originally, when Magu mentioned Gentle Wind Uranos, Frost Iseth, and Nemeti, the information about Nemeti was the most vague and cautious, even more so than Frost Iseth.
Angel had also asked many sages and elemental monarchs along the way, and they knew very little about Nemeti.
Only Gentle Wind Uranos had spoken of Nemeti, but not much was said.
According to Gentle Wind Uranos, Nemeti was a very powerful being, whose strength was definitely not inferior to any of the monarchs. The reason for not having a prefixed title was because this held no sway in their heart.
Chapter 2247 Six Hundred Years Ago <TOC> Chapter 2249 Monarch Without a Crown