Chapter 2326 Deconstruction <TOC> Chapter 2328 Two Rooms
Translator: SumTLMan
In the fleeting moments of urgency, Angel did not linger in White Cloud Hamlet, vanishing from the palace clusters atop the Wind Island in a blink. The plan to meet with the wind elemental subordinates the following day was abandoned in favor of an immediate departure to White Sea Bay.
Ignoring the complex gazes of the wind elemental creatures, Angel sought out Lobert, instructing that in his absence, all wind elemental creatures were to temporarily obey Rhine, until their next meeting.
After issuing his orders, Angel, accompanied only by the swiftest Speedling, departed Wind Island.
Initially inclined to use a planar passage to return to the Revelation Continent, Angel reconsidered, deeming it an extravagant waste. The materials required for such a journey were so valuable that they could procure a special ghost or even ample intelligence, given the scarcity of special ghosts.
To open a planar passage merely for Tulas’ Soul Trickery seemed an inequitable trade.
Moreover, the proximity to the exit of the Tidal Realm, and subsequently, the Old Land Continent, which lies close to the Revelation Continent, suggested a more direct route.
Opting for speed, Angel decided against the planar passage, leveraging his abilities with the Gateway of Fantasy and Gravity Lines, complemented by Toby’s capacity to activate Gravity Lines. In moments when their powers overlapped, Speedling could carry them swiftly forward.
This synergy propelled them at unparalleled velocity, allowing them to traverse from White Cloud Hamlet to the Fire Domain in just a day and a half.
Upon exiting the Tidal Realm, Angel bypassed the Shannon Royal Family, using the Gateway of Fantasy to directly teleport to the outskirts of Sambia, the capital of the Goldfinch Empire.
The journey from the Old Land Continent to the Revelation Continent was marked by continuous updates from Freud, reporting that the ghost of the farm owner had not appeared or ascended the mountain in the past few days, its whereabouts unknown. Some knights scouring the mountain speculated it had departed, but Freud, with his acute sensitivity to death auras as a soul, still sensed a profound, mournful death aura near the lumber mill.
It likely remained hidden nearby, possibly biding its time for an opportune moment to strike at Star Lake Castle.
This semblance of calm before the storm, though seemingly peaceful, pressed heavily on Eniya and her companions.
For Angel, however, this was welcome news.
Whatever the farm owner ghost’s intentions, its decision to delay played into their hands, ideally prolonging until their arrival.
On their journey, everything was relatively calm, the only thing that gave Angel a bit of a headache was Dangros.
When Angel left White Cloud Hamlet, he also took Dangros with him. The initial thought was that since he was leaving the Fire Domain anyway, he might as well take Dangros back with him to prevent Sage Magu from worrying.
Unexpectedly, upon learning of Angel’s destination, Dangros insisted on leaving with Angel, claiming a desire to broaden his horizons.
Initially, Angel disagreed, but Dangros was very adamant about his wish, and considering that Dangros had become much more bearable over time, Angel, after much deliberation, agreed to take him along.
It was seen as an opportunity to broaden Dangros’ horizons in advance.
After all, when Sage Magu had asked him to take Dangros along, it was not only for the purpose of having a living map but also in hopes that Dangros would expand his worldview and not be trapped in a small puddle of knowledge.
When Dangros would return to the Fire Domain, he would have much more to share with Sage Magu.
Thus, Angel took Dangros with him. However, what Angel hadn’t anticipated was Dangros’ excitement upon leaving the Tidal Realm; everything was a marvel to him.
Seeing a town would light up his eyes, and he would try to persuade Angel to take him for a stroll.
Angel could only pacify him by saying that after taking care of urgent matters, he would take him to visit human cities. ——This wasn’t really a deception; Star Lake Castle was already close to Saint Seim City, which was renowned as a city of arts. Even Mr. Feng had settled there for a long period, making its atmosphere uniquely distinct from any other city Angel had seen. He planned to take Dangros to Saint Seim City for a visit.
After receiving this promise, Dangros finally curbed his desire to roam, but his curiosity was unending. He would incessantly ask about anything fascinating he saw, cities, buildings, cooking smoke, cruise ships… Along the way, besides traveling, Angel was busy explaining various concepts and meanings to Dangros.
About a day later, with Dangros still chattering away, Angel finally arrived at the Revelation Continent.
…
In the late autumn, the night fell a bit earlier than usual.
Although there was still a hint of sunset glow in the sky, the sky nearby had already turned a deep blue-black. Consequently, Star Lake Castle had its lights on early.
Usually, Star Lake Castle was very quiet, but on this day, even as it neared evening, the castle was still bustling.
Knights in armor and iron boots walked on the smooth floors, creating a clinking sound. And there was more than one knight; the footsteps in the hall could merge into a chaotic symphony.
These knights were all carrying items, big and small, out of Star Lake Castle.
Upon closer inspection, the items they carried were covered with a layer of red velvet, as if hiding forbidden items, unwilling to reveal their true nature to onlookers.
Little Seim, though young, was acutely aware that beneath the red carpet lay not treasures of any conventional value, but an assembly of mirrors.
In Star Lake Castle, mirrors of all sizes were meticulously wrapped and entrusted to the knights for removal.
The clamor was so overwhelming that even Little Seim, deeply engrossed in —Soul Records—, found himself roused from his immersion.
“Grandpa Drew, where are they taking the mirrors?” Little Seim inquired with genuine curiosity, addressing an elderly man orchestrating the operation nearby, whom he remembered was named Drew, distinguished by his golden chain spectacles.
Drew, casting a gentle gaze towards Little Seim descending the stairs, responded with a warm smile, “First, we’ll take them outside for a collective treatment. In a few days, we’ll replace them with new ones for the castle.”
“Why remove the mirrors? They aren’t broken, are they?”
“The main concern is… they might get dirty.”
Dirty? Little Seim looked puzzled at Drew, hoping for a more detailed explanation. However, Drew merely offered a smile, choosing not to elaborate further.
Feeling somewhat embarrassed to probe deeper, given their rather superficial acquaintance, Little Seim decided to change the subject: “Then, Grandpa Drew, have you seen Alda, or perhaps young master Tyson?”
“I’m not sure about Alda, but young master Tyson has gone down the mountain.”
Realizing he couldn’t glean much information, Little Seim reluctantly gave up. Casting a final glance at the knights carrying away the mirrors from the hall, he sighed helplessly and shook his head, heading upstairs to return to his room.
Upon opening his door, Little Seim halted abruptly.
“I remember not extinguishing the oil lamp when I left.” Little Seim peered curiously into his room.
It was pitch dark inside, making it impossible to discern anything clearly, save for the vague outlines of some furniture.
A chilling breeze wafted through the room into the corridor.
“Did I forget to close the Window?” Feeling the cold air, Little Seim’s suspicion arose anew. His foot, initially poised to step into the darkness, retracted.
Something felt wrong.
Although not yet a formal apprentice, his understanding of the extraordinary world and recognition of his own talents over this period had significantly enhanced his memory.
He could vividly recall events from just a few minutes ago, especially the moment before leaving his room when he sat at the desk by the window, the oil lamp still burning as he perused —Soul Records—. Whether the lamp was extinguished or the window was closed, he knew with clarity.
Had someone entered his room? This suspicion emerged in Little Seim’s mind, for what other reason could there be for the lamp’s extinguishment and the window’s opening?
Could it have been the knights? But hadn’t they already removed the room’s mirrors earlier? Why would they enter again?
Is Alda playing a prank? That doesn’t seem likely. If it were Sunny playing a prank, it might be possible, as Alda rarely does such things. Alda and Little Seim have a close relationship; there’s no reason for him to scare him.
With myriad thoughts in his mind, Little Seim looks into the darkness before him, hesitating whether to go in and check.
Just as Little Seim is indecisive, footsteps echo from the corridor beside him.
Turning around, Little Seim sees Drew leading several knights, coming up from the staircase around the corner.
Drew orders the knights to check different rooms for any missed mirrors, then he himself walks towards Little Seim.
“Your expression looks very solemn, what’s wrong?” Having practiced for over seventy years, Drew, although having reached a plateau in strength, has become increasingly proficient in reading people. He approached Little Seim precisely because he noticed something off in Little Seim’s gaze.
After a moment of hesitation, Little Seim says, “I’m not sure if it’s just my imagination, but I feel like someone has been in my room.”
Little Seim shares his suspicions and judgments.
“Is that so? Then I’ll ask around to see if any knight went into your room and forgot to mention it.” Drew responds with a smile on his face, but his heart instantly goes on alert.
He is well aware that the rampant ghost’s target is Little Seim.
Although he hasn’t sensed anything amiss at the moment, it’s a critical time, and no matter concerning Little Seim is too small.
To avoid any real oversight, he immediately calls over a few knights and inquires once again.
However, the knights responsible for searching this floor all deny entering Little Seim’s room.
No knight went in, could it really be related to that ghost? But isn’t it still below the mountain? And with the mountain covered in defenses, how could it have gotten in?
Drew harbors some doubts, but without concrete evidence, he needs to check the room himself.
For caution, Drew orders three powerful knights to enter the room first to investigate.
The knights, wearing light armor and carrying an oil lamp, walk directly into the pitch-dark room.
After a wait, light shines from the room.
Looking inside, Little Seim sees the three knights have lit all the oil lamps in the room and are inspecting something nearby.
After a while, they come out and report to Drew: “We didn’t find anything. The window was indeed open, but we saw no signs of human presence; it might have been opened by the wind.”
Drew turns to Little Seim: “Didn’t you lock the window latch?”
After recalling for a moment, Little Seim’s expression becomes slightly embarrassed: “It seems I didn’t…”
With confirmation, Drew breathes a sigh of relief in his heart: It seems it was a false alarm.
Despite the precautions, Drew decided to personally inspect the room, carefully sensing his surroundings for a moment, but found nothing wrong. The wind tonight was indeed strong, with the castle backed by mountains and near a lake, where mountain breezes combined with lake winds could naturally blow open windows.
The oil lamp on the table also had an air vent, conveniently facing the window, making it common for the wind to blow in and extinguish the lamp.
After confirming everything was in order, Drew then stepped outside.
Little Seim, however, felt somewhat embarrassed, feeling as though he had made a fuss over some trivial details. He thanked Drew and the knights, his face flushed with embarrassment as he returned to his room.
The room was brightly lit, showing no signs of malevolence.
The —Soul Records— on the table was also flipped open, with the window still open, the cool night breeze flipping the pages continuously.
Little Seim hurried over to close the glass window and secure it with the latch.
The moment he closed the window, the flipping pages of the —Soul Records— on the table finally came to a stop, coincidentally stopping on a page.
This page featured an illustration, in which a ghostly figure with crimson eyes was reflected in a lavishly carved floor mirror.
As Little Seim turned around after closing the window, he happened to see this illustration.
“Huh, I remember this seems to be from the special ghosts section…” Only the special ghosts section would have illustrations. Lady Sheila, who had turned into a spider ghost, was also a prototype that Little Seim had found in this —Soul Records—.
Curious, Little Seim looked over, wanting to clearly see the words next to the illustration.
But as he approached the table, he suddenly felt a chill down his spine, as if someone was staring at him with a cold gaze from behind.
Yet, behind him were only the wall and the window.
Outside the window, where there was neither a balcony nor a landing, how could someone be staring at him with their gaze?
Was it an illusion?
Little Seim wanted to turn around to check the situation, but a dangerous premonition rose from the bottom of his heart.
Earlier, outside the door, when he looked at the pitch-dark room, he had a similar feeling, which was later confirmed by the knights and Drew to be normal. Now, with the same dangerous premonition coming again, Little Seim thought he might be overly suspicious.
Thinking this, Little Seim ignored the premonition in his heart and looked back.
Then, he saw a face.
A ghostly face with red eyes reflected on the glass window.
Little Seim’s eyes widened in shock; this face… this face was all too familiar to him…
It was the owner of the Saint Echo Farm!
Also, the very person Little Seim had personally ended the life of.
He was supposed to be dead, and moreover, dead by his own hand, so why would he appear here?
Little Seim felt as if his brain had partially crashed, retreating repeatedly. In the process of retreating, because he did not notice the corner of the desk, he stumbled and fell to the ground.
When Little Seim raised his head again, the face reflected on the window had disappeared.
“Could it have been a hallucination just now?”
Just as this thought emerged in Little Seim’s mind, a strange rustling sound came from behind him…