Translator: SumTLMan
“I understand,” Angel lowered his eyes, nodding gently.
The white-haired old man thought for a moment, feeling that his earlier admission of powerlessness, although true, somewhat undermined his status. Despite the fact, he was an Enforcer, rarely interacting with native wizards of the Southern Region, and particularly those connected to Frost. If his admission of “being powerless” led Angel to underestimate him, it would be embarrassing if word got back to Frost.
With this in mind, the old man added, “Worrying about the happenings there is futile. Although as an Enforcer, I can’t directly intervene, there will always be a solution.”
“Lord Enforcer, may I ask what the solution might be?” Angel inquired eagerly.
The old man smiled faintly, “The future is uncertain, and hard to predict. It could be a power from the Source World, perhaps the World Will, or maybe a certain individual could resolve it…”
Angel pondered the Enforcer’s words. He understood the first two possibilities, that someone from the Source World might come to resolve the issue, or the World Will might intervene. But the mention of “a certain individual” solving the problem, what did that mean? Who could this individual be?
As Angel was about to ask for clarification, the old man suddenly mentioned something else: “I heard that the Peach Heart Theater is descending soon, arriving in the Southern Region.”
Angel nodded subconsciously; this news had been foretold by Totoro.
The old man continued, “Why would the Peach Heart Theater choose to descend onto the Land of Eternal Night?”
Angel’s eyes widened, “Do you mean…” that the Peach Heart Theater was coming because of the Nightmare Plane’s dome?
The old man shook his finger, “I don’t know, and I don’t have any sources. It’s just a speculation. However, the void merchant group has already spread the news of Peach Heart Theater’s imminent arrival. It won’t be long before various parties come forward. Then, the Southern Region will truly be bustling.”
As the old man’s words fell, Angel seemed to realize something, but before he could reflect on it, the ground shook once more.
This time, the tremor was even more intense.
The corridor where they stood tilted slightly.
However, the tilt did not affect Angel because, at the moment of the tremor, the distorted law domain around the old man stabilized the surrounding space again.
Their bodies seemed to stand in reality, yet also in an awkward crevice between true and false. The surrounding corridor looked like a fake painting, while they themselves were the only real, vivid presences.
Undoubtedly, this was the old man’s power at work.
And this time, Angel could not use his “domain” to shield against the distortion, clearly indicating the old man had taken action.
Being between reality and falsehood, within twisted laws, Angel’s previously somewhat settled heart became anxious again.
“Lord Enforcer…”
The white-haired old man once again made a “silence” gesture and turned his gaze upwards. His eyes, bright as if penetrating all barriers, fixed on the mysterious void above.
After a long moment, the old man retracted his gaze and murmured softly, “Though I didn’t see him, his presence has arrived. I wonder if it will be a bloodline ancestor, a city official, or perhaps…”
His voice was faint, and the rest was hard to discern.
Angel felt a stir of curiosity within. Who could the “he” mentioned by the Enforcer be?
After a moment of introspection, the old man turned to Angel and said, “I had not intended to make my presence known, but since you’ve captured a third-class citizen, I had no choice but to come see you.”
Third-class citizen? Angel was momentarily taken aback, his gaze drifting towards the figure enveloped by the domain… the misty shadow.
“Are you saying that this misty shadow is a third-class citizen? Of the City of Phantasm?”
The old man nodded: “It seems you’re quite knowledgeable. Indeed, it is a third-class citizen of the City of Phantasm, but its name isn’t really misty shadow… Well, let’s just call it that. Knowing their real names would bring you no benefit. It might even alert its elder to your existence.”
Angel remained silent. Although the Enforcer did not specify, merely knowing a name could trigger a sense of presence, indicating a being of at least a Demon God’s level, which is beyond legendary.
“Since you’re aware of the significance of a third-class citizen,” the old man continued, “you must understand what it means for the City of Phantasm.”
Angel nodded. Although third-class citizens appear to be of a lower rank within the City of Phantasm, being a citizen means protection by the city’s guardian. The case of Number 01 is telling; having killed a third-class citizen, he was driven into a corner with nowhere to run, barely surviving even this barren domain.
This highlights the importance of third-class citizens.
“Moreover, this individual is a third-class citizen, but its elder is a first-class citizen, rumored soon to be listed as a Diamond Citizen by the Lord of the City. Additionally, only these two are known to exist openly from their clan,” the old man paused, “So, do you still decide to capture it?”
Angel: “…No.”
The dire consequences faced by Number 01 for killing a third-class citizen made it clear that meddling with the misty shadow would likely lead to even graver repercussions.
Moreover, it wasn’t necessary for the city’s guardian to intervene; given the scant numbers of their clan, the elder itself might take action.
Angel looked at the misty shadow trapped within the domain, hesitated, and then said, “Lord Enforcer, I was actually just inviting it as a guest… Do you think it will believe me?”
The old man smiled knowingly: “What do you think?”
Angel thought that if it were him, he’d likely not believe it either.
The white-haired old man understood Angel’s concerns, likely fearing retribution from the misty shadow’s elder. With a wave of his hand, the misty shadow on Angel’s hand flew into his palm.
Simultaneously, the domain wrapped around the misty shadow also disintegrated on its own.
As the misty shadow was about to reassemble and soar, the white-haired old man pointed his finger at the center of the misty shadow and lightly tapped, sending a twisted power into the body of the misty shadow.
“I’ve altered its memory from five minutes ago; it will no longer remember you capturing it,” the white-haired old man said, then tossed the misty shadow back into the body of the Gomito not far away. “It will wake up soon. How you choose to proceed is still up to you.”
Angel bowed in gratitude: “Thank you, lord.”
“I just don’t want the Southern Region to attract ‘his’ attention, especially since I’m still supervising here,” the white-haired old man said lazily. This was both a free will justification and a legitimate reason on the surface. Without such legitimacy, his intervention in the affairs of the Southern Region as an Enforcer would be difficult.
Of course, he could tie anything to the principle of free will, which still allowed him many actions, but there was no need.
The overt reason he helped Angel was for the sake of the Southern Region, but the real reason, in secret, was due to Frost. Both he and Frost were members of the Orderly Guild and had previously been Mysterious Hunters, collaborating on numerous occasions with a good relationship. Frost had suddenly descended into the Southern Region last time, staying longer for Angel’s sake. As an Enforcer, he saw this.
He understood Frost’s background and thoughts, mainly believing Angel had the potential to become a mysterious alchemist. He wanted to cultivate Angel because if Angel truly succeeded, he might help him achieve that goal.
The white-haired old man thought it a long shot, but since Frost valued Angel, he was willing to assist.
This was the real reason he appeared and had such a long conversation with Angel.
If it were just for the so-called stability of the Southern Region, he probably would have made a casual remark and left, as he did during his meeting with Firo.
As the white-haired old man spoke, another more terrifying tremor struck, making the entire corridor feel as if it were flipping upside down.
The white-haired old man looked up again: “That guy, really is a madman. Such a commotion will only hasten his end.”
“Lord, what’s happening outside? Why is the whole laboratory shaking?”
“A madman is playing his final Lament for the End,” the white-haired old man said softly.
“Has Number 01 killed Ziz’s cub… already?”
The white-haired old man glanced at Angel: “You seem to know quite a bit. However, he hasn’t killed it yet. If Ziz was that easy to kill, its ancestral bloodline wouldn’t be listed as Diamond Citizens by ‘him’.”
“However, he did not lack opportunities to kill Ziz’s offspring; he is currently attempting to do so. If successful, he could kill Ziz’s offspring. But what this place would become afterward is hard to say… Perhaps, the Devil’s Sea might become even more terrifying.”
The white-haired old man sighed, turning to look at Angel: “You should leave now. You should know what choice to make regarding the matters here.”
Angel: “I understand, thank you for your guidance, Lord Enforcer. May I have the honor of knowing your esteemed name?”
The white-haired old man: “I am currently only an Enforcer, and that is all I can be. When the day comes that a new Enforcer takes my place, if there’s a chance, I can tell you my name then.”
While serving, an Enforcer is a calm, indifferent observer. Even knowing the name might be judged as losing impartiality. Hence, even in the —Culuoli Chronicles—, when mentioning the Enforcer, no name is specified.
After speaking, the white-haired old man waved his hand, sending Angel away from this twisted spacetime.
Angel found himself back in the corridor, which had started to tilt visibly.
The Enforcer was nowhere to be seen, the only thing in sight was the soon-to-awaken Gomito.
This time, he had no intention of confronting Gomito head-on; the creature’s aura was too dazzling, and discretion was the better part of valor.
Angel took a deep breath: “Let’s go.”
If it had been before, Dangros would surely have echoed the sentiment. However, the white-haired old man’s presence had overwhelmed it, leaving it dazed and instinctively clinging to the Blood Night Sanctuary to avoid falling.
On the other hand, Toby, unaffected by the twisted powers, chirped normally at Angel, signaling: time to leave!
Angel immediately released illusion nodes to conceal himself and then started running forward.
But just as Angel took a step, a familiar voice reached his ears.
“Lord Enforcer?” Angel paused.
“It’s me.”
“Do you have any instructions, Lord?”
“Your bird just chirped, reminding me of something…”
At that moment, in the twisted spacetime, the white-haired old man looked through a membrane that seemed both insubstantial and solid, observing the puzzled Angel… and the bird in his chest pocket.
“My bird?” Angel instinctively looked down at his trousers, then silently met Toby’s gaze: “Do you mean Toby, Lord?”
“Yes, the origins of that bird of yours are quite mysterious, and even I cannot see through it. Such a creature could be considered unique in this world.”
After a pause, the white-haired old man continued: “I mentioned earlier, ‘he’ is coming. He has vast experience and is not like this misty shadow offspring, encountering treasures without recognizing them.”
The white-haired old man didn’t speak further, but observing Angel’s next actions from behind the membrane, he understood that Angel had grasped his meaning.
Angel, naturally not lacking in intelligence, understood the Enforcer’s message even without explicit explanation.
“Who is he?” Linking this to the Enforcer’s mention of misty shadows, it was almost certain that the entities referred to were the transcendent beings from the City of Phantasm.
Their arrival was undoubtedly for the purpose of seeking Number 01.
As for why the Enforcer suddenly mentioned “Toby,” the reason was straightforward. Toby’s uniqueness made it a ‘treasure’ in the eyes of a certain individual.
Initially, when Frost discussed the City of Phantasm with Angel, he had explicitly warned him. If Angel were to venture into the Source World with Toby, he must avoid the City of Phantasm at all costs.
Gruz De Weld harbored greed for any magical creature. Toby’s unique existence would undoubtedly attract Gruz De Weld’s attention, who would then try every means to capture Toby.
Whether Gruz De Weld himself would come was uncertain; however, if his subordinates arrived and discovered Toby’s presence, they would likely attempt to capture Toby.
Thus, the Enforcer’s additional warning served as a caution to Angel.
In Angel’s view, if Toby were to be captured due to his own negligence towards details, he couldn’t forgive himself. Hence, this reminder from the Enforcer was more valuable to him than any other information he had obtained previously.
Angel didn’t know the Enforcer’s current whereabouts, so he could only express his gratitude into the air.
Then, he quickly placed Toby into the bracelet space. It was temporarily unsafe outside; hiding seemed to be the safer option.
Not long after doing so, Angel reconsidered and took Toby out, creating a green rune pulsating domain around him before placing him back into the bracelet.
Although uncertain who from the City of Phantasm might come, relying solely on the bracelet for protection seemed insufficient. Adding a layer of the domain for extra security seemed more prudent.
After completing these preparations, Angel heard the grumbling sounds of the Gomito waking up behind him.
It was time for him to leave this place.