Chapter 2346 Skybridge Garden <TOC> Chapter 2348 Ghost Shipyard
Translator: SumTLMan
After discussing Gloria’s matter, Angel inquired about the situation in the Tidal Realm.
Sanders’ expression turned slightly odd: “Not bad, just saw a lot of old fellows whose actions don’t match their words.”
“Actions don’t match their words?”
Prompted by Angel’s curious questioning, Sanders hesitated for a moment before explaining.
They had now arrived at the Wild Stone Wasteland, but they hadn’t followed the route Angel suggested, detouring through several elemental territories along the way.
At each location, Rhine would engage in friendly, sincere, and “honest” exchanges with the local monarchs and sages.
Under the threat of “Witch’s Confession,” various monarchs and sages revealed their true natures. Many who appeared aloof outwardly were actually quite different inwardly, embodying the so-called discrepancy between actions and words.
As Jon put it, it’s like criticizing with words but endorsing with actions.
For instance, the monarch of Toothpull Desert——Sandstorm Sandestorm, was rumored to be capricious and obstinate, imposing strict rules on the Toothpull Desert. Those who disobeyed would be thrown into sand prisons, resembling a tyrant.
But in reality, Sandstorm Sandestorm suffered from severe paranoia.
Under the Witch’s Confession, every time Sandstorm Sandestorm spoke, he would veer into bizarre directions, such as:
“We hope to reach a consensus with Highness Sandstorm, may we know your thoughts?” Rhine asked sincerely.
Sandstorm Sandestorm pondered for a moment, summoning endless sandstorms: “It’s worth considering. ——Consider my foot, this old fellow is a human powerhouse, and powerhouses wouldn’t care about others’ thoughts. He’s here to harm me! He wants to invade the desert, he’ll throw me into the sea, turning me into a lump of mud! Kuplatinum, speak up, hurry and drive him away, I’m scared…”
Angel was also astonished upon hearing this.
He hadn’t met Sandstorm Sandestorm during his last visit to the Toothpull Desert, but through various signs, he had guessed this was someone with obsessive compulsive disorder and paranoia.
However, he hadn’t expected that inside Sandstorm Sandestorm’s heart lived a little princess reliant on the sage.
How should one put it? A mama’s boy?
Angel: “What was Lord Rhine’s reaction at the time?”
Sanders shrugged: “No particular reaction from him, but the others present had quite the reaction, especially Frost Iseth and Gentle Wind Uranos… As a result, Sandstorm Sandestorm left the scene.”
“Fortunately, with Nemeti’s calming presence, along with Kuplatinum’s earnest persuasion, and Rhine revealing the weakness of the Witch’s Confession, Sandstorm Sandestorm was eventually coaxed back.”
Sanders couldn’t help but sigh as he spoke.
Although Angel didn’t go, thinking back on the scene, he couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed for Sandstorm Sandestorm.
This was no longer a matter of character preservation. As a monarch of the territory, there was a danger of losing dignity.
Of course, to outsiders, this might seem quite adorable, but those who were actually in the center of the whirlpool would probably prefer not to have witnessed it. Especially the elemental creatures of the Toothpull Desert, who would definitely be worried about settling scores in the autumn.
Aside from Sandstorm Sandestorm, several other monarchs were also insincere, such as the monarch of the Wild Stone Wasteland where they were now: Fallen Earth Cerny.
Highness Fallen Earth was a composed creature, just too fond of quibbling over words, but unfortunately, the profound vocabulary he used often missed the mark. Angel had experienced this.
However, at the time, Angel did not know what Fallen Earth Cerny was thinking when he used these embarrassing words, but Sanders had decrypted it for him this time.
“The future you depict is a foggy surface; I still find it hard to accept in haste. I cannot imagine how such a giant work, like a giant, can overcome the mediocrity of old times. ——Finally used it, Bortia said before that the gem in his hand fogged up again, now I’m applying it live, he must praise me, right? The foggy surface is an advanced form of vagueness, which also shows my erudition. And the latter sentence, once said by Kalomaches, quoting a famous saying once again demonstrates my depth, these foolish humans must have been overwhelmed by my quotations. Hahaha!”
How to evaluate? Angel felt that Fallen Earth Cerny’s situation was a bit better than Sandstorm Sandestorm. It’s not uncommon to see those who appear composed but are flamboyant inside, like so-and-so.
But thinking of Fallen Earth Cerny’s immense size with such a flamboyant interior, Angel still felt a bit of cognitive dissonance.
However, with these later examples for comparison, Angel felt that his own initial response of liking to drink milk was not so unacceptable after all. Drinking milk is not something to be ashamed of.
“The general situation is as such, although some are embarrassed due to insincerity, with Nemeti present, they still gave face,” Sanders said.
The progress so far is not bad, with basically all agreeing. A few monarchs are overly cautious, expressing their views directly, but all agree to further discussions in the Fire Domain. As long as they are willing to talk, there is room for further dialogue, so overall, it is positive.
Of course, there are also some elemental monarchs who are clearly hostile to humans, but they are in the minority. Even if they oppose at that time, under the overwhelming trend, they will still have to kneel.
“Now that Mentor and Lord Rhine have arrived at the Wild Stone Wasteland, will the next step be to go directly to the Fire Domain?” Angel asked. If they were going directly to the Fire Domain, he planned to return to the Tidal Realm.
Sanders nodded, “Indeed, we plan to meet Sage Magu in the Fire Domain. But you don’t have to rush back; after all, we have to wait for the monarchs from various places to arrive. When they are almost here, I will notify you.”
Angel nodded in agreement.
In the following time, Angel and Sanders talked about the situation of the ruins, including the clues found and the missions dispatched by Nisi.
Sanders didn’t pay too much attention to Angel’s pursuit of the ruins, but he sighed with regret upon learning that the Night Butterfly Witch might have already died.
Compared to the situation of the ruins, Sanders was more concerned about Angel’s progress in the practice of the mirror space.
Angel naturally did not hide anything.
He explained the progress of deciphering the mirror space in detail and also shared his current troubles.
“The measurement of space and the arrangement of illusion nodes,” Sanders murmured softly, then said to Angel, “I can’t offer you much advice on this; it still requires your own research. However, the spell I created, ‘Nightmare Double,’ involves some application of space and the use of nightmare illusions. When you come to the Tidal Realm, I will show you some data records of the Nightmare Double, which might inspire you.”
Nightmare Double is Sanders’ signature spell, capable of creating a nightmare that breaks through space, and even allows one to escape dire situations by using the nightmare’s ability to ignore the void.
Although this spell contains spatial abilities, it does not mean that Sanders has complete control over spatial elements as if they were second nature.
The reason Sanders was able to create this spell and even apply the spatial aspects of the Nightmare Double to an extremely high degree is because of the bloodline he integrated into himself, the Black Gold Nightmare bloodline from the Nightmare Plane. This bloodline naturally grants him a partial control over space, a mastery that comes from the bloodline, not from understanding the essence of space.
Despite this, Sanders, with the help of the Black Gold Nightmare bloodline, has researched some spatial abilities, but they all rely on the bloodline itself, which does not provide much inspiration for Angel.
Everything still depends on Angel’s own research.
“I understand, thank you, mentor,” Angel said with a serious bow. Although Sanders only provided the data of the Nightmare Double, it was already very generous, because if Angel had other intentions, he could completely find the flaws of the Nightmare Double from this data. Sanders’ willingness to share the data with Angel represented his high trust in Angel. For this reason, Angel’s deep bow was warranted.
After receiving the bow, Sanders said indifferently, “This is also for my own sake. I too hope to see more research combining space and illusion.”
Angel: “I will do my best to study the mirror space, but the progress may not be fast, as it involves the space system.”
Sanders looked deeply at Angel and said with a smile, “I believe in your speed.”
Angel was about to say, “But I don’t believe in myself,” but before he could speak, he inadvertently met Sanders’ eyes. In this brief eye contact, Angel felt as if there were some unsaid subtext in Sanders’ gaze. However, upon closer inspection, he found nothing.
“Mentor, you…” Angel wanted to ask something.
However, before he could speak, Sanders interrupted, “I’m going offline first. Whether it’s organizing the data for the Nightmare Double or the data for Gloria’s physical location, it all takes time. We’ll talk next time. If there’s anything, you can leave a message in the Tree Group.”
With that, Sanders’ figure gradually became blurry, and along with the fluttering butterflies around, he soon disappeared from sight.
Angel pondered for a moment and then logged off as well.
Time flew by, and two days later.
Angel, accompanied by Sunny, left the mirror space again. He let Sunny go aside to reflect while he returned to Star Lake Castle.
At the entrance of the castle, Drew, with his head full of gray hair and wearing gold-rimmed glasses, immediately came forward to greet them.
“Milord, the matter you asked us to investigate has been looked into,” Drew said respectfully.
Angel stopped in his tracks and said to Drew by his side, “Lift your head and speak.”
“Yes,” Drew lifted his head, “This morning, I received a magical message. A low-level apprentice has arrived in Rhodes. According to the clues you provided, he indeed found traces from the Sands of Time, but he did not see the person. Could it be that the lord has already left?”
“If the mark is still there, then he should be there. However, he won’t meet with you if you’re not his client,” Angel paused, then nodded at Drew, “I’ve got it. Leave the rest to me.”
Angel casually threw a few magic crystals to Drew as a reward, then said, “I’m going to Rhodes. When Freud comes back, tell him about the situation here. He will understand.”
With that, Angel didn’t return to Star Lake Castle. In a flash, his figure disappeared.
The next second, Angel’s figure appeared thousands of meters in the sky.
Summoning the Gondola, Angel straightened Toby’s feathers in his chest pocket, “Let’s go. The small fish I owe you, I’ll pay back double later.”
After speaking, Angel signaled Speedling to head southeast at full speed.
Angel’s departure this time was to prepare to go to the underwater paradise——Rhodes, to find the Ashen Time Merchant Group, to purchase some materials. Firstly, to buy some materials for Boiling Blood Red Water to test the modified formula; secondly, he also planned to refine some practice works to test the Mad Hatter’s Coronation.
After all, having obtained this Mysterious Object for a while, after these days of settling, Angel’s excited mood had calmed down a lot. It was time to officially study it.
…
In the depths of the sea, on a misty island.
A man whose face was covered with gray beard, revealing only his eyes, nose, and a small part of his cheekbones, looked at the skinny individual across from him, who had a cunning and excited face.
“It’s news from Little Flea, absolutely true,” the skinny individual spat, but in this already cramped and dirty cabin, no one cared about hygiene.
“It’s said to be a foreign woman. The boss immediately took her to the ‘pigpen’ as soon as he got her. Little Flea only got a glance, but with just that glance, Little Flea’s soul was enchanted.”
“She is a very, very, very beautiful woman, with a curvaceous figure, and skin so fair it seems you could squeeze milk out of it… The only pity is that she is covered in wounds, one of which is even as big as a bowl. However, this is also the captain’s fortune. Although the boss took her to the pigpen, he won’t touch her until her wounds heal. Captain, we can take this opportunity to snatch the woman over. Maybe she’s still a virgin.”
Just talking about it, the skinny individual’s eyes glazed over, fantasizing about the perfect goddess.
“Is it really that good?” The man with a full beard was somewhat incredulous.
“Truly, it is the truth!” the slender man exclaimed, “The captain knows too, Flea and I grew up as close as two peas in a pod; there’s no reason for Flea to lie to me.”
“And… how did that woman end up on the island?”
The slender man replied, “It’s said she clung to a plank of wood, drifting here with the currents. Judging by her injuries, she must have been battered by the monsters in the sea, or perhaps by the chaotic, raging torrents.”
The bearded man interjected with a note of surprise, “To drift here on a plank, that’s no small feat.”
This sea area is notoriously terrifying, not only teeming with monsters but also plagued by dreadful storms. Stranded here, they dare not venture even two or three miles out to sea. That a frail woman could make it to the island on a plank, especially in such a battered state, seems almost beyond belief.
“The captain makes some sense,” the slender man continued, “Flea mentioned that the woman was wearing soft armor, perhaps she’s a formidable female warrior.”
As he said this, he shook his head, “But then, what good does strength do here? Stranded on an island that’s practically all men, would she even dare to resist? In the end, there’s no escape from this island; her fate is sealed.”
“Captain, you better decide quickly, are we going or not?”
The bearded captain appeared contemplative, weighing the pros and cons.
“A woman, captain, we’re talking about a woman!”
“And not just any woman, but a beautiful one at that!”
“Hasn’t the captain had enough of these days surrounded by men…”
The bearded captain looked at the slender man with a meaningful gaze, “You’re right, being surrounded by men isn’t ideal. However, the situation is still unclear, and Manfred’s strength is formidable. If we’re to take action, it would require full mobilization… I fear some might be unwilling.”
“Let’s do this, we’ll go have a look first. If the woman is as beautiful as you say, at least the chances of persuading them will be higher.”
The slender man pointed at himself and then at the bearded man, “Cap… captain… wait, just the two of us? Are we going to serve ourselves up on a platter?”
“What do you mean serve ourselves up? We’ll just sneak a peek and then come back.”
The slender man looked reluctant, “No way… how about the captain goes alone? The last time I passed by Manfred’s place from afar, I felt as if a pair of green eyes were watching me, I’m scared.”
“What’s there to be scared of? You dare to encourage me, and now you’re backing out? It’s decided then, if you want a woman, you’ll come with me to have a look!”
With that, regardless of the slender man’s willingness, the bearded man directly grabbed the back of his collar and strode towards the door.
Chapter 2346 Skybridge Garden <TOC> Chapter 2348 Ghost Shipyard