Chapter 2428 Scout <TOC> Chapter 2430 Magnificus De Pawel
Translator: SumTLMan
“Are you sure?” Angel’s voice echoed in the mental connection, filled with surprise.
“I’m sure,” Nisi affirmed confidently. “If you don’t believe me, you can go and see for yourself, there’s a marking at its very bottom.”
Angel hesitated for a moment, then lifted his gaze towards the mist above.
The mist still billowed, faintly revealing the colossal silhouette of the laboratory in the sky.
From Angel’s perspective, the laboratory no longer resembled a ‘building’ but appeared as a rounded ‘torso’ with numerous ‘steel tendrils’ formed by attached corridors, resembling a gigantic spider-like mechanical beast.
Because the steel tendrils continually waved, attacking the Ziz cub bound by shadows, the surrounding mist and clouds were also dispersed, revealing its form more clearly.
Angel’s gaze slowly moved from the exterior of the laboratory down to its ‘abdomen,’ a place that, under normal circumstances, was buried in the deepest part of the ground and thus out of sight. However, now that it had risen into mid-air, the structure of its abdomen was clearly visible.
A flat metallic surface, at the very center of which was a design resembling a circular manhole cover.
And on this cover, two distinct numbers were engraved with very bright red paint.
——Number 00.
“Just as Nisi said, Number 00 is indeed the laboratory itself…”
Not long ago, as soon as the mental connection was established, Nisi had asked about Angel’s situation to ensure he was alright, then quickly urged Angel to keep his distance because Number 00 had appeared.
Angel was still pondering who Number 00 could be when Nisi directly provided the answer, it was the laboratory itself!
Now, with confirmation, it was clear that Nisi had spoken the truth.
“You’ve seen it, right? Hah, we were worried that Number 00 was some secret weapon of the laboratory, only to find out we’ve been inside the belly of Number 00 all along,” Nisi sighed. “Come over here when you’re done. By the way, did you run into Reynolds later?”
The Reynolds Nisi referred to was Reynolds’ body, possessed by the shadowy mist.
“I did run into him, and now I have Reynolds’ body with me, though his situation is a bit complicated. I’ll come over later, and you can see for yourself.”
After finishing his statement, Angel searched for the direction and flew towards Nisi’s location.
Before long, Angel spotted Nisi hiding behind a coral reef several kilometers away. He was waving at Angel, signaling him to come closer.
“Where are Lord Canter and Wizard Firo?” Angel asked after landing, looking around and noticing that aside from Nisi and Reynolds, there was no sign of anyone else behind the lonely coral reef.
Nisi replied, “Lord Like the Night went to find Firo.”
“What happened to Wizard Firo?” Angel asked in surprise.
Nisi waved his hand: “Nothing, they’ve been found. They’re both in the mental connection.”
With Nisi’s explanation, Angel understood the situation after their departure.
The reason Firo crushed the crystal given to him by Canter was not because Number 01 had returned, but rather, Number 03 had left the Fire Law Land. Upon emerging, Number 03 found that ‘Sanders’ was missing, immediately attacked Firo, and tried to rush to the lab to activate Number 00.
During the struggle, Firo noticed the appearance of the Ziz cub in the distance, surrounded by a large number of combatants, meaning Number 01 had returned. Seeing this, Firo did not hesitate to crush the crystal.
The moment the planar passage appeared, Number 03 immediately realized something was wrong, and didn’t even wait for Canter to appear before fleeing towards the distance.
Although Number 03 saw Number 01 and others return, she also saw that the Ziz cub was not dealt with. She dared not run towards Number 01 and the others, only to flee in the opposite direction.
Then, Firo chased after her.
By the time they emerged from the passage, they could only see Firo’s back.
“Lord Like the Night followed to check the situation, while I stayed nearby, ready to support you,” Nisi said. The black crystal Angel had received from Canter was actually given to Angel by Nisi in the end.
“With Wizard Canter’s speed, he should be able to catch up quickly, right? Why hasn’t he come back now?”
Nisi replied, “At first, it was because Number 03 is a water witch. She has an advantage of escaping on the sea, so she wasn’t caught immediately. Later, with the addition of Lord Like the Night, although they caught up, a little accident occurred…”
“A little accident?”
“Yes,” Nisi said. “Lord Like the Night mentioned it in the mental connection, but at that time something seemed to have happened on their side, so I didn’t ask for details. Later, from their intermittent communication, I roughly guessed that something strange happened to Number 03. According to their tone, after the Mutation, Number 03 could even resist attacks from Lord Like the Night to some extent. These guys from the Source World are not to be underestimated; they all have magical trump cards.”
During Nisi’s narrative, Angel also heard intermittent communications coming from the mental connection, seemingly conversations during a battle.
Angel initially wanted to ask what happened on Canter’s side but was afraid of disturbing them, so he decided to wait quietly.
“By the way, didn’t you say you got the mascot’s body? How is it now?” Nisi asked. “Was his skull exploded? If he’s dead, that’s good too.”
As Nisi spoke, Reynolds’ face turned increasingly pale on the other side.
“He’s not dead, but the injuries are severe.” Angel took out the ice coffin from the bracelet, “You can see the specifics for yourself.”
Nisi examined the almost unrecognizable body in the ice coffin and clicked his tongue: “How did he end up like this? Actually, it might have been better if his skull had exploded, to end it all.”
Nisi expressed his sentiments with a clear sense of regret.
Upon seeing his own physical body, Reynolds initially startled, but he quickly relaxed, taking a deep breath of relief. Being alive was enough for him.
Even though his body appeared badly damaged, with limbs intact but questionable in functionality, as long as he was alive, there was a way to mend things.
As someone with extraordinary abilities, there were always methods to heal, it just depended on the resources and time required.
“Wounds from blades, burns, energy contamination, and poison… What exactly has his body been through? Did you engage in combat with his body?” Nisi eyed Angel with suspicion.
Angel replied, “He was already like this when I found him, which is quite fortunate for him.”
This statement was made because, had Angel encountered Reynolds possessed by the misty shadow, Reynolds’s destiny would have been a burst skull. From this perspective, Reynolds was indeed very fortunate.
Angel briefly explained the situation.
After listening, Nisi was also surprised, “So, being possessed by the misty shadow brought misfortune? The change in his destiny is quite intriguing. Despite the many afflictions his body suffered, it was eventually abandoned by the misty shadow willingly. Would you say that’s good or bad luck?”
After some thought, Nisi commented, “It should be considered good luck, at least that’s the outcome.”
With his words trailing off, Nisi’s gaze towards Reynolds carried contemplation. Previously, his frequent references to “mascot” were more in jest, harboring some disbelief in the concept of “luck.” However, after hearing Angel’s narrative, Nisi’s view on Reynolds’s lucky talent grew more thoughtful.
Miracles do happen in the world, and ordinary people sometimes exhibit exceptionally rare talents.
Perhaps Reynolds truly possessed an incredibly rare gift of luck?
If that were true, Nisi’s interest in Reynolds only grew.
“Do you want to possess your body now?” Angel turned to Reynolds.
Reynolds, having been away from his physical form for a long time, actually desired to return, but after some consideration, he shook his head, “Never mind, returning now would be of no use and might even hinder the lords. I’ll continue in my soul form for now and possess my body once we’re in a safe location.”
“Would it be too much to ask for you to keep my body for now?” Reynolds asked.
Angel nonchalantly nodded in agreement.
At this moment, Nisi spoke up, “How about I take the ice coffin and keep it for him?”
Nisi appeared very earnest, with a demeanor suggesting he was eager to help.
Angel glanced at Reynolds, who hesitated for a moment before quietly saying, “Actually, I think I can still be saved.”
Nisi glanced at Reynolds, “You mean, if I keep your body, you won’t be able to come back?”
Reynolds didn’t respond, but his expression and eyes conveyed that he indeed felt that way.
Angel thought for a moment and decided not to heed Nisi’s offer of “help,” instead opting to store the ice coffin away. Reynolds’ speculation wasn’t without merit; entrusting it to Nisi might result in his unfortunate demise by accident by the time he was released.
…
After Angel met up with Nisi.
Elsewhere, over a tranquil sea veiled in a thin mist,
Firo stood on the back of a bird made of flames, gazing at a distant battlefield.
The night suddenly swallowed the insignificant twilight, and immediately after, the calm sea began to surge with waves hundreds of meters high.
Above the sky, Canter, draped in a cloak of night, fixed his narrow eyes intently on the waves below.
Atop the crest of the wave stood a humanoid creature. From the details in her eyes and the numbers appearing on her face, it was almost certain that this humanoid was Number 03.
However, Number 03’s form had completely changed from before.
Her originally fair skin had turned into brown-green bark, and her slender limbs had transformed into strong branches. Her long hair had become a protective canopy of branches, with a red fruit glowing at the very top of this crown.
From afar, this red fruit resembled a ruby atop the crown, incredibly striking.
But what was even more dazzling was the aura emanating from the red fruit.
It was… the aura of the mysterious.
…
In the dark void, a small, pink octopus with a pair of sapphire eyes leisurely swam about, seemingly having made the void its ocean.
It appeared very content, yet its speed was astonishing. Nearly every movement it made covered a significant distance, not quite on par with high-dimensional traversal but comparable to the speed of ordinary Void Travelers.
Its destination was clear… the Southern Region.
As it continued to reduce the space-time distance, it drew ever closer to the Southern Region. Its sapphire-like eyes began to emit a hazy glow.
Within this halo, it faintly saw a sea obscured by fog.