Chapter 2432 Shadow Splits <TOC> Chapter 2434 Shepherd’s Melody
Translator: SumTLMan
Upon saying this, Angel finally understood why the Enforcer suddenly appeared.
Enforcers generally cannot interfere with the world’s trend, except under one circumstance when they perform their duty.
The duty of an Enforcer is to observe various worlds on behalf of the Orderly Guild and seek out objects that are becoming out of control.
The reason the Orderly Guild can know about out of control objects in different areas immediately and dispatch Mysterious Hunters to resolve them is thanks to the Enforcers.
Now, with a Mysterious Object on the verge of going out of control appearing, according to the rules, the Enforcer naturally could cause some interference.
“So, it’s a Mysterious Object…” Nisi and Firo, standing behind, had a flash of realization in their eyes. No wonder that attraction exceeded their understanding, even affecting a desireless shadow avatar.
If it was a Mysterious Object, that would make sense. Angel’s Dream Conch, which could pull even stones into dreams, was something that completely overturned their understanding, and could only possibly be a Mysterious Object.
“Lord, is the effect of this Mysterious Object attraction?” Angel curiously asked.
The Enforcer shook his head: “It has just appeared, and I cannot make an accurate judgment yet. Perhaps attraction is indeed its effect, but it’s also possible that attraction is just its pre-uncontrollable effect. After it matures, its effect might change again.”
“To mature means, it keeps absorbing the blood of sea beasts until the fruit undergoes a qualitative change?”
The Enforcer replied: “That should be the case.”
Hearing the Enforcer’s words, Nisi murmured softly: “That means, we must stop the fruit from maturing before it becomes completely out of control.”
The Enforcer glanced at Nisi and said indifferently: “If you can stop it, then by all means try.”
Nisi paused: “Lord Enforcer, aren’t you here to prevent the fruit from maturing?”
The Enforcer shook his head: “Prevent? No. It has not yet become completely out of control. What I can do now is only to observe and assess. Only after it becomes out of control can I act.”
Nisi asked: “What if it becomes out of control and you can’t deal with it?”
The Enforcer replied: “Then I will notify the Orderly Guild, and leave it to professionals for containment.”
When Belos came to the Southern Region, it was because the Enforcer informed the Orderly Guild, and the Orderly Guild sent Belos to cooperate with him to contain the out of control object.
Seeing the Enforcer speak so matter-of-factly, Nisi’s brows furrowed slightly. In his view, the risk of going out of control was very high, and if the problem could be resolved before going out of control ensued, why take a bigger risk? The Enforcer’s approach was too by-the-book.
Although Nisi said nothing more, how could the Enforcer not understand Nisi’s thoughts?
To survive in the Source World, one must abide by rules, even a behemoth like the Orderly Guild is subject to limitations.
Imagine, if the Orderly Guild allowed the Enforcer to see the Mysterious Object and simply plunder it without discerning right from wrong, would other organizations be willing to see other Enforcers permanently stationed across worlds?
It is only the out of control objects, those difficult to control and capable of causing significant harm, that the Orderly Guild can manage without crossing the psychological bottom line of the vast majority of people, by containing them.
Of course, besides following rules, another important point is that the study of out of control objects has always been a subject that the Orderly Guild wants to conquer. Moreover, most of the out of control objects are quite powerful; containing these out of control objects can also increase the foundation of the Orderly Guild. However, there is also a possibility of being backfired by the out of control objects, and the Orderly Guild has been backfired many times, innumerable Mysterious Hunters have fallen, and it is precisely because the Orderly Guild has built up with a series of powerful extraordinary beings, that other wizard organizations have reluctantly recognized the existence of the Enforcer.
This can only mean that the difference in perspective has led Nisi to only consider his own limitations of vision.
The Enforcer can’t be bothered to explain to Nisi, to him, Nisi is actually no different from an ant. Who would care about the thoughts of an ant?
The only one present who could gain the Enforcer’s respect is Angel. Not just because of Frost, but also… the mysterious domain.
The Enforcer said lightly, “If you have the ability to stop it and obtain that immature fruit, then it’s yours. I can also save some effort and not notify the Orderly Guild.”
The Enforcer looked at Nisi: “But do you have that kind of strength?”
Nisi looked embarrassed, not to mention stopping it, once he went out, he would be attracted by the fruit, probably just like his soul servant.
After the Enforcer spoke, he glanced at Angel: “Speaking of which, you are quite lucky. It just so happens that Angel’s… domain can weaken the attraction of that Mysterious Object. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be as lucky as that true knowledge wizard above, and you would likely become nourishment for that fruit soon.”
Angel’s eyes lit up: “Does that mean, the true knowledge wizard above wasn’t affected by the fruit’s attraction?”
The Enforcer: “If he wasn’t affected, he would have come back by now. However, his ability to control ‘Nocturne’ has, to some extent, concealed the fruit, reducing its attraction. Of course, your domain weakens it more. But it also gave him a bit of thinking, enough to prevent him from becoming mindless, maintaining a certain combat instinct, and engaging in some form of stalemate with the person controlled by that Mysterious Fruit.”
“But he still lacks clear thinking. He now only has a certain combat ability, but his combat target is also just to snatch the fruit. As the fruit gradually matures, its effect will become stronger, and his Nocturne won’t be able to continue concealing it, eventually, he will still become nourishment for the fruit.”
In other words, although Canter is currently in a stalemate with Number 03, he has already lost his ability to judge, only having a certain fighting strength. Once the last of his rationality is lost, he will, like the previous soul servants and shadow avatars, become a mindless beast, approaching the fruit, to be devoured by it.
“Lord, is there a way to save him?” Angel looked at the Enforcer.
The Enforcer looked deeply at Angel: “You should know the rules of the Enforcer. Appearing before you and talking to you is already the limit of what I can do.”
Angel understood what the Enforcer meant.
Currently, the fruit is still in a semi-uncontrollable state, and the Enforcer is unable to directly intervene. What he can do is talk to them and give suggestions.
“What should we do now?” Firo asked through the mental connection.
Previously, they thought that maybe they could ask for external help, as Like the Night wouldn’t die so easily. But now, after the Enforcer’s explanation, they understand that asking for external help is basically unreliable, not to mention whether there is enough time, and even if there is, it might not solve the problem of the semi-uncontrollable object.
Angel was silent for a moment, then said, “Currently, there are only two methods, either accelerate the fruit’s maturation or stop the fruit from maturing.”
Accelerating the fruit’s maturation means letting it completely become an out of control object, and once it becomes an out of control object, the Enforcer can act.
However, this also has a big flaw, no one knows if Canter can hold on until it becomes an out of control object, maybe Canter won’t last halfway through the fruit’s maturation.
Moreover, how powerful the effect of the out of control object is, is currently unknown, and whether the Enforcer can handle it is also a problem.
Most importantly, is the Enforcer willing to help save Canter?
The Enforcer has the duty to save the lives of the masses affected by the out of control object, and they met the Enforcer for the first time today. Why would they think that the Enforcer would definitely save Canter?
Therefore, the option to accelerate the fruit’s maturation has too many disadvantages, and neither Nisi nor Firo think it is a good choice.
As for choosing to stop the fruit from maturing, it actually also has disadvantages.
Stopping the fruit can to a certain extent delay the time Canter becomes a mindless beast, but even with the delay, it’s not certain that a way to save Canter can be found.
But compared to accelerating the fruit’s maturation, stopping the fruit from maturing has significantly fewer variables, belonging to a controllable category.
So, they still decide to choose to stop the fruit from maturing.
But how to stop the fruit from maturing is another difficult question.
When everyone was at a loss, Dangros, perched on Angel’s shoulder, suddenly said, “Over there, it seems like someone is coming?”
Everyone looked in the direction Dangros was pointing, and sure enough, in the distant fog, a large group of people appeared.
Because they were in the domain and the Enforcer’s twisted domain, the people coming from behind did not notice them.
The group of newcomers was led by a familiar face to Angel, the shadow wizard Number 02, and behind him, was a large number of combat personnel with various numbers.
Firo said, “Judging by their route, they are probably looking for Number 03.”
Nisi stated, “Since they’ve seen us, there’s no need for us to interfere. Let them explore the path; perhaps Number 02 can find a way to contact Number 03.”
After all, the bizarre situation they were currently facing was caused by Number 03. Since Number 02 was a colleague of Number 03, there might be a method to handle this complicated scenario.
Firo agreed with Nisi’s viewpoint and chose to remain silent, quietly observing as Number 02 led people closer.
At this moment, Reynolds, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up, “I see… The Song.”
Firo glanced at Reynolds but didn’t show much concern, which was understandable since Reynolds came from the same laboratory and recognizing someone from there was normal.
However, Angel and Nisi frowned slightly, seemingly realizing something.
“‘The Song’ you mentioned, is it Number x3?”
Reynolds nodded, his expression clearly hesitant. “The Song” was once his close companion, sharing the same ideals. However, as time passed, “The Song” was also transformed by the laboratory’s experiments, drifting further from Reynolds.
Regardless, “The Song” was still his friend, and he hoped “The Song” could survive.
To ensure “The Song’s” survival, asking for Angel’s help was the only option.
Reynolds was well aware that he might not have the standing to ask Angel to save “The Song.” Speaking up could potentially ruin their last bit of camaraderie. Yet, the bond with “The Song” made it hard for Reynolds to let go, hence his hesitant expression.
“My lord, ‘The Song’ was once my dearest friend. I, I…” Reynolds hesitated for a long time but couldn’t continue.
Angel, on the other hand, was not focusing on Reynolds’ words but was contemplating another matter.
“The ability of Number x3, if I recall correctly, you mentioned it was controlling sea beasts, right?” Angel looked towards Reynolds.
Reynolds, slightly stunned, nodded.
“Controlling sea beasts, controlling sea beasts…” Nisi’s eyes suddenly lit up, and he abruptly looked up, locking eyes with Angel.
Angel understood Nisi’s implication and nodded slightly: “Number x3 might be able to stop the fruit from ripening.”
At this moment, Firo also began to understand.
“It seems we can’t let them explore any further.”
…
Dealing with Number 02 and others wasn’t difficult.
Eremy, despite being weakened due to a shadow avatar being destroyed, still overwhelmingly surpassed Number 02.
As for the others, only one was a formal wizard. Although their combat abilities were decent, enough to match an average Novastar contestant, they were still apprentices at the end of the day. Controlling them was quite straightforward.
It took very little time for Eremy to subdue Number 02. As for the rest, except for Number x3, all were ensnared in an illusion created by Angel. Under the guidance of the illusion, they wandered aimlessly, turning their direction towards the open sea.
This actually saved them, allowing them to avoid the calamity brought about by the fruit.
It’s not that Angel was kind-hearted; he simply thought that since he didn’t plan to use them as expendable scouts, there was no need to send them to their doom. Their deaths would have nourished the fruit, hastening its maturity, which would not have been cost-effective.
After being trapped, Number 02 was handed over to Firo for interrogation to see if he knew anything about the fruit that Number 03 had.
As for Angel and Nisi, they turned their attention to Number x3.
Number x3 was a young girl wearing a green shepherdess’ long dress. At first glance, she appeared quite delicate. However, her gaze seemed somewhat vacant, like a person that had lost their ability to feel thereby becoming an emotionless robot.
Even when facing several wizards, Number x3 managed to remain expressionless and indifferent.
However, everyone present was keenly observant. Number x3 appeared calm and detached, but the slight trembling at the corners of her eyes and her reluctance to meet Nisi and Angel’s gaze head-on revealed that her inner state was not as tranquil as it seemed on the surface.
Nisi said, “We have a task for you.”
Number x3 kept her eyes downcast, appearing as if she hadn’t heard.
Nisi, undeterred, continued, “If you complete it, you can leave alive. Reynolds will tell you the details.”
Nisi did not specify what would happen otherwise, believing Number x3 would understand.
Stepping back, Nisi let Reynolds speak with Number x3.
Facing Reynolds, Number x3 finally lifted her gaze, saying with certainty, “By taking that step, you became a traitor.”
Reynolds’ expression turned complex: “The Song, you understand me best. You should know why I had to do this.”
Number x3 responded with a cold laugh but said nothing more.
Reynolds wanted to say more, but Nisi interrupted, “Reynolds, save your sentimental words for later. We have plenty of time for that after this is over. Don’t dawdle; stick to the matter at hand.”
Reynolds nodded, aware of the importance of the situation, especially since it concerned whether “The Song” could survive. Thus, he no longer engaged in pleasantries and began discussing the urgent matter.
Chapter 2432 Shadow Splits <TOC> Chapter 2434 Shepherd’s Melody