Chapter 2260 Concerns and Limitations <TOC> Chapter 2262 Lost Forest
Translator: SumTLMan
As far as the eye could see, the sky was a clear azure. In the distance, clouds floated lightly, while nearby, the air was tranquil and serene.
Everything appeared as usual.
However, Angel was keenly aware that someone seemed to be secretly watching him. And until now, that gaze had not shifted away.
On the surface, Angel remained calm, but in secret, he had already contacted Eremy.
Two seconds later, before any elemental creature could react, the world within a dozen kilometers abruptly shifted in color. Everything turned desolate, as if moving from a bright, real world into a fog-laden wasteland.
Only the Gondola retained its bright colors, a lone beacon of life in this silent world.
In the moment of sudden change, Angel leaped from the flying boat, standing mid-air: “Who’s there? Show yourself!”
Yet, there was no response.
Near the Gondola, Lobert, startled by the unexpected transformation, looked around: “What’s happened to the sky? Is this an ambush?”
Dangros wore a serious expression but remained calm in the face of Lobert’s astonishment, explaining: “The change in the sky is caused by… someone in the shadows, not an ambush. However, it seems Mr. Pat is searching for something. Could someone be nearby?”
As Dangros murmured, Angel slowly descended from the sky, his brow furrowed.
Lobert: “My lord, is there a situation?”
After pondering for a moment, Angel looked at Lobert: “Did you feel anything unusual just now?”
Lobert recalled the recent events and consulted with his leaders for a moment before shaking his head: “I’ve been controlling the wind, monitoring our surroundings. Apart from occasionally spotting some elemental creatures on the ground, I haven’t noticed anything out of the ordinary.”
Angel’s expression did not lighten upon hearing this; instead, his frown deepened.
Lobert’s response matched the message from Eremy exactly.
Angel had Eremy transform the landscape, using a special domain to replace the sky for kilometers around, in an attempt to trap the entity that had been “watching” him.
However, when the Desolate World unfolded, the watching gaze disappeared.
Angel also contacted Eremy, who reported that everything was normal.
There was no trace of the spy, nor any sign that they had ever been there. The surrounding sky was as clear as it appeared to the naked eye.
But Angel did not believe that everything around him was normal.
Since leaving the Marlaya Mountain, this was the second time he felt observed. The first time, Angel could deceive himself, thinking, “Don’t be paranoid, perhaps it was a mistake.” But this time, he could no longer convince himself it was just paranoia.
The sensation of being watched, which touched his mental senses, lasted nearly three seconds.
Such a length of time was definitely not a misjudgment; there must be some creature lurking in the shadows, watching him.
Yet, the creature’s ability to conceal itself was so formidable that even Eremy’s deployment of the Desolate World domain failed to detect any trace.
Angel could not even determine whether the creature hiding in the shadows had concealed itself or had already escaped the Desolate World.
After a moment of contemplation, he looked at Lobert: “…Stir up a storm in the vicinity.”
Lobert was puzzled, but since Angel had asked him to do so, there must be a reason behind it. Without further questions, Lobert, in collaboration with Speedling, unleashed a terrifying storm upon the desolate, grey world around them.
The magnitude of the storm was so great that it made the invisible wind manifest visible trajectories.
In the ferocity of this hurricane, anything with strength not surpassing Lobert’s was sliced into countless pieces.
The storm raged for a full three minutes without any sign of life appearing.
Angel believed that if there were indeed hidden creatures, they could not remain concealed under such a nearly violent cleansing rhythm.
Thus, there was only one possibility: the creature lurking in the shadows had fled.
Given the creature’s ability to hide and its speed in fleeing, it likely was not enveloped by the grey Desolate World from the beginning. Therefore, after so many minutes, it surely had escaped to an unknown location.
Angel’s gaze darkened, facing such a situation for the first time since arriving in the Tidal Realm.
Based on the current situation, the creature was one that came and went without a trace, stirring no ripples.
Speculating from the perspective of elemental creatures, only those of the wind element could match this description.
However, it was strange that Lobert, being a creature of the wind element, could not detect the other.
Angel’s expression shifted for a long time, and eventually, he sighed in resignation, instructing Eremy to retract the grey Desolate World. Since the other party was no longer nearby, staying would only waste time.
“Let’s continue on our way.” After giving the order to Speedling, Angel returned to his seat.
He first communicated with Toby, inquiring about the meaning behind the signal Toby had sent earlier. Toby’s response was that it too had felt someone spying in the shadows.
Toby’s answer made Angel suspicious. Why did only he and Toby feel spied upon? The other elemental creatures on the boat felt nothing.
Lobert’s strength was comparable to Toby’s, yet Lobert felt nothing, while Toby did.
Was it because the spy intended for only Toby and himself to notice the spying?
Or was it that the spy was only interested in him and Toby, indifferent to the other elemental creatures on the boat?
Angel could not determine which it was, but he leaned towards the latter. If the spy had intended for Angel and Toby to notice, then he would have left some clues. However, as confirmed earlier, there were no traces around. The spy indeed was deliberately avoiding detection, which did not align with the mentality of the first scenario.
If it was the latter, why was the spy only interested in him and Toby? Was it because they were not native creatures of the Tidal Realm?
With too little information, it was impossible to speculate further.
All Angel could do now was to raise his vigilance higher. Any slight movement must be taken seriously.
Under these circumstances, Angel also decided not to venture into the Wilderness of Dreams anymore. Sitting quietly in his seat, he seemed silent but was actually coordinating with Eremy, using mental power to observe the surroundings.
Because of this incident, silence prevailed on the Gondola for several hours, with no one speaking.
It was not until later, when Dangros saw Angel’s brows gradually relax, that he tentatively asked, “Mr. Pat, what happened earlier? Was someone hiding nearby?”
Dangros’ question also made the other elemental creatures prick up their ears.
Although they did not know what had happened just now, Eremy’s grey Desolate World and Lobert’s stormy cleansing pointed towards a speculation: Angel seemed to want to use this to block off, or even force out, a hidden entity.
Angel did not conceal anything and shared the events that had occurred.
“Do you know who in the Tidal Realm can come and go without a trace?” Angel asked, not directing the question to anyone in particular, but his gaze rested solely on Cupid and Lobert.
Cupid, having grown up alongside Sage Camus, undoubtedly knew many secrets. Lobert, possessing the demeanor of a sage himself, might also have some knowledge.
“To speak of moving without leaving a trace, it would definitely be a creature of the wind. But along the way, I haven’t felt the presence of any wind elemental creatures near us,” Lobert spoke after pondering for a moment, then added, “Moreover, even if a wind elemental creature was incredibly fast, it would be difficult to escape before the weather-changing event we just caused.”
“The only ones who could achieve such speed might be the lightning monarchs of the Black Thunder Pool and Sparking Mountain Range.”
“However, these two lightning monarchs, despite their speed, also possess an immensely grand presence, making it impossible for them to leave without a trace.”
This meant that even Lobert was unsure who it could be.
Cupid said, “Sage Camus once mentioned that the Tidal Realm also conceals many powerful creatures, some of whom are no less formidable than the elemental monarchs. The Nemeti you’re about to meet is one such being.”
Cupid’s implication was that they might have encountered one of these hidden powerhouses.
Lobert suggested, “If there truly are such hidden powerhouses, they wouldn’t leave without a trace. Once we reach the Green Forest Domain, you could inquire with Highness Lush Groot or Nemeti, which should yield some information.”
Lobert’s suggestion was not without basis. According to what Angel knew, during each elemental tide, the strongest creatures in the Tidal Realm could sense the presence of others at the same level of power, even if they were far away.
Thus, if such hidden creatures existed, it might be possible to get answers from the elemental monarchs elsewhere.
“How far are we from the Green Forest Domain?” Angel inquired.
Lobert surveyed their surroundings and responded, “At most half a day’s journey to reach the Green Forest Domain.”
Angel nodded, saying no more. If the hidden being could continue to conceal their presence for this half day, they would follow Lobert’s advice.
However, if this hidden being harbored ill intentions towards them, Angel believed they would attempt to act sooner rather than later.
Thus, although Angel did not overtly do anything, he had heightened his vigilance to the utmost.
Half a day passed in the blink of an eye.
The journey was remarkably calm, without any incidents. During this time, Angel did not feel any prying eyes.
He did not know if the hidden being had left.
But that was no longer important because——
They had arrived at the Green Forest Domain.
The Green Forest Domain, nestled among towering mountains, was an endless dense forest unlike any other. Despite all being called forests, a glance was enough to notice a clear difference.
Firstly, the forest was enveloped in a thin mist, not caused by weather but by a rich, almost tangible nature aura.
Under this aura, not just plant creatures but even ordinary beasts and monsters would thrive robustly. A nature wizard here could grow just by breathing.
Furthermore, the plants in this forest were exceptionally tall and ancient. It was an untouched, genuinely primal forest.
Moreover, the biggest difference from other forests was the countless plant creatures.
Even before Angel stepped foot inside, he had already seen numerous elemental creatures: running treants, twisting vine creatures, floating reed creatures, and dancing butterfly flowers…
These plant elemental creatures, shrouded in a thin mist, not only rid the forest of any semblance of death but also imbue it with an ever-increasing vitality.
The only thing that puzzled Angel was why they were getting closer to the Gondola.
Before long, a creature resembling a dandelion, fluffy in appearance, stood at the prow of the Gondola, swaying as it conveyed something.
“…That’s the situation, Highness Lush has been waiting for you all at the lakeside of the Sunlight Lake.”
After listening to the explanation from the plant elemental creature who called itself Dadi, Angel understood why this group of plant elemental creatures was heading in their direction.
It turned out that just a few days ago, when Angel was still at the Marlaya Mountain, a visitor had come to the Green Forest Domain.
This visitor came from the Stone Forest Canyon and was a sage of the Stone Forest Canyon.
The sage brought news: the monarch and sages of the Stone Forest Canyon had received an invitation from Mr. Magu to go to the Fire Domain.
Since the Stone Forest Canyon was not far from the Green Forest Domain, the sage came to the Green Forest Domain specifically to discuss matters with Highness Lush.
In short, one of the messengers sent out by Magic Fire Midir had delivered the message to the Stone Forest Canyon. And the sage of the Stone Forest Canyon brought the message to the Green Forest Domain.
Therefore, Lush Groot of the Green Forest Domain was already aware that Angel and the others would bring the invitation to the Fire Domain shortly. Thus, Dadi was dispatched to wait at the outskirts of the Green Forest Domain, to guide them to the core of the Green Forest Domain: the Sunlight Lake, upon discovering Angel.
After pondering for a moment, Angel inferred from the information that Dadi was waiting outside, that their intentions were probably benevolent.
Moreover, with the assistance of the sage from the Stone Forest Canyon, it saved him the time to explain, which was quite convenient.
With this thought, Angel said to Dadi, “Then please lead the way.”
Dadi swayed its fluff: “It’s my honor, please follow me.”
With Dadi accompanying them, they didn’t need to disembark; they directly drove the Gondola deeper into the Green Forest Domain.
During the journey, Angel gave Dangros a meaningful glance. After spending some time together, Dangros immediately understood Angel’s intention.
Dangros coughed to catch Dadi’s attention, then, with a look of curiosity, subtly began to probe into how Lush Groot had reacted after meeting the sage from the Stone Forest Canyon, to ascertain what Lush Groot’s thoughts were.
Dadi, having heard of Dangros’ name, showed evident goodwill towards this fire elemental creature born from the ashes of Kalomaches.
Dadi did not conceal anything in response to Dangros’ inquiries, sharing everything it could.
Listening on the side, Angel concluded that the information was essentially in line with his judgment. Since Lush Groot was willing to send someone to greet them, it indicated a lack of opposition.
However, whether Lush Groot’s inner thoughts were as consistent as they appeared would only be known after meeting it.
Chapter 2260 Concerns and Limitations <TOC> Chapter 2262 Lost Forest