Chapter 2487 Reinforce the Barrier <TOC> Chapter 2489 New Combinations
Translator: SumTLMan
Time rewinds to several minutes ago.
Angel, along with the spotted puppy and the Black and White Maids, passed through the mysterious steel gate and instantly teleported a vast distance, returning from the Mist Zone to the Paramjit Plateau.
Once the gate vanished, Angel didn’t immediately depart but turned to the Black and White Maids.
“You two return to Heart Sigh first.”
The black maid furrowed her brows: “What about Highness Shava?”
Angel stroked the spotted puppy’s head gently and said softly, “I have some matters to discuss with it alone, after which I’ll bring it back.”
The black maid began to respond, “But…”
She was cut off by the white maid, who gently grasped her hand, shook her head slightly, then looked respectfully towards Angel and bowed, “We will follow your orders, Highness.”
After exchanging a knowing glance, the Black and White Maids bowed gracefully to Angel and transformed into a streak of black and white lights, descending from the sky like comets.
Once the maids had departed, Angel turned to the spotted puppy.
The spotted puppy’s eyes sparkled with a slight excitement as it barked energetically at Angel.
Angel understood its signals.
“Don’t get too excited. I didn’t keep you here just to let them leave without you,” Angel said tersely as he tapped the spotted puppy’s nose.
The spotted puppy looked down, whimpering sadly.
Angel offered no consolation but instead pulled a baby-fist-sized stone from his bracelet.
At first glance, the stone seemed ordinary, but a closer inspection revealed it was suffused with a silvery luminescence.
Sniffing the stone, the spotted puppy looked up inquisitively: “Woof?”
Angel ignored the spotted puppy’s query and summoned Dangros from his bracelet.
Dangros, who had been secured in the bracelet along with Toby during the recent turmoil involving the Spirit of Disorder, seemed disoriented upon exiting the cramped space.
Weren’t we just over the ocean moments ago? How did we end up high above this vast snowy plain?
Angel had no time to explain. He pinched Dangros’s forefinger, “Don’t daze out. Release a bit of your fire, but mind the temperature.”
Dangros instinctively complied with Angel’s command.
When a stable flame appeared in front of Angel, he casually tossed a stone into the fire, urging Dangros to keep an eye on the heat while he swiftly began to shape the stone using alchemy.
As the stone transformed within the flames, various peculiar illusions also started to manifest around it.
“What’s this? A cat-headed sheep?” Dangros curiously examined a nearby illusion that had a bizarre cat head on a sheep’s body.
“Just ignore it; focus on controlling the fire.”
“Controlling the fire isn’t hard, I can do it easily. Explain this thing to me?” Dangros perched on Angel’s shoulder, inquisitively asked.
Seeing that Dangros was indeed adhering to his instructions and managing the fire with ease, Angel thought for a moment and replied, “I don’t know what it is either; it’s just a random illusion that formed, don’t worry about it.”
“Why are there illusions, then?”
“Because, what you’re currently melting is called a ‘Nightmare Stone.'”
These illusions weren’t any alchemy omens but simply minor tricks activated by the melting of the Nightmare Stone itself. If standard magic power were used to activate the Nightmare Stone, it wouldn’t just produce small-scale illusions, but could potentially create medium-sized illusory realms.
Back when Angel was still a mortal, he traveled to the Vast Continent on the ship named “The Bohemia.” The figurehead of the Bohemia had a small Nightmare Stone embedded in it. Whenever they encountered insurmountable dangers, the Bohemia’s protector could activate the Nightmare Stone to create an illusory realm and escape the peril.
However, Nightmare Stones are exceedingly rare materials in the Southern Region, and using one to create illusions was an extravagant practice, but the Bohemia was backed by Sky Mechanical City, which had ample resources to afford such luxuries.
Angel continued to explain the functions of the Nightmare Stone to Dangros while swiftly shaping the stone in the flames.
Since there was no need to inscribe runes or merge other materials, the shaping process was incredibly fast.
In less than three minutes, the Nightmare Stone had been shaped into exactly what Angel had envisioned——A Bell.
After crafting the silver bell, Angel began to imbue it with the Nightmare Illusion spell, setting up the internal illusion nodes.
Once all this was completed, Angel’s gaze turned to the spotted puppy.
“This object will be my parting gift to you.” Angel said as he placed the small silver bell under the dog’s neck.
As soon as the bell was placed at the designated spot, a transparent small ring emerged from inside it and smoothly clasped around the dog’s neck.
The silver bell, paired with the fluffy spotted puppy, made Angel nod in satisfaction.
He had sent the Black and White Maids away specifically to craft this bell. After all, if he had crafted it in front of them, his carefully constructed persona would have crumbled.
As for why to craft this bell, the reason is not that complicated; it was simply out of fondness that it was made.
Furthermore, since the spotted puppy had previously gifted him a Mysterious Spirit, consider it a return gift… although, the values are entirely incomparable.
“This bell contains some cinematic illusions related to dogs… well, you can think of movies as stage plays. When you’re bored, you can activate it to pass the time,” Angel paused: “Also, I’ve incorporated the Nightmare Dream Entry spell into this bell, so if you come to the Southern Region next time, you can try activating it to contact me.”
In plain terms, this bell is a combination of a ‘drama shadow box + login device.’
To prevent the spotted puppy from wandering in the Nightmare Plane and other creatures detecting this object’s foreign aura causing trouble, Angel specifically chose Nightmare Stone as the material. Otherwise, Angel could have easily crafted it from the most common Demon Blood Stone.
Of course, compared to the spotted puppy’s gift, this object is certainly not precious, but it is also a token of Angel’s sentiment.
After Angel put the bell on the spotted puppy, he passed his hands through its forelimbs, lifting it to eye level.
“How about it? Do you like it?” Angel looked into the spotted puppy’s dark, sticky eyes.
The spotted puppy looked down at the bell, its eyes gleaming brightly: “Woof woof!”
Angel could hear the excitement in the spotted puppy’s barks.
“As long as you like it,” Angel paused, raising an eyebrow: “Indeed, you can definitely make me understand your barking.”
The spotted puppy’s expression froze, then it quickly pretended to be innocent: “Woof woof!”
Well, not understandable again.
Angel laughed and cursed softly, not minding this small detail. He really feared the spotted puppy would disdain the bell, but as long as Woof Woof liked it, then his efforts were not in vain.
“Alright, I’ve given you your gift, now it’s time for you to go home.”
The spotted puppy immediately whimpered pitifully, a look of reluctance on its face.
If it had been before, Angel might have consoled it a bit, but having seen the spotted puppy’s cunning, these pitiful acts were very likely performed just to evoke his sympathy.
Thus, Angel didn’t look into the spotted puppy’s eyes to avoid being beguiled, and simply held it in his arms as he descended from the sky.
The reason for not talking much also had another aspect; Angel was quite worried about the current situation at the Star Pool Ruins.
Although he had instructed the Black and White Maids to return to the Land of Heart Sigh first, who knows if they would encounter conflict with wizards outside the ruins on their way. With the Black and White Maids’ capabilities, ordinary wizards really didn’t stand a chance.
To avoid any mishaps, Angel’s descent became faster and faster.
Like a dazzling rainbow, wrapped in a howling wind, he descended from the heavens.
Just as Angel was getting closer to the Star Pool Ruins, he suddenly spotted several familiar figures standing above the ruins.
In the very center stood Rhine, his presence unmistakable.
Moreover, Rhine was the first to detect the whispering winds above; he looked up and murmured:
“Angel?”
…
A while later, within the now tranquil Star Pool Ruins, Angel sat in the only Observation Pavilion, cradling the spotted puppy.
Across from him were Rhine, Tree Spirit, and Iron Armor Granny. Although their three pairs of eyes were fixed on Angel, their peripheral glances couldn’t help but stray toward the spotted puppy… Had it not been for Angel’s revelation that the spotted puppy was a mysterious creature powerful enough to swallow even legendary wizards, they would not merely be appraising it with veiled looks.
“…Encountered the Enforcer… The Black and White Maids had gone out specifically to search for the spotted puppy; that’s essentially the situation,” Angel briefly explained.
He merely mentioned the matter of the Enforcer in passing, without delving deeper. As for Gruz De Weld and Magnificus De Pawel, he omitted them entirely.
It’s not that Angel was unwilling to elaborate, but now was not the time for such trivial matters.
Since it involved the ruins, it was paramount to resolve the issues pertaining to the ruins first.
“So, you’re taking… it, to the Land of Heart Sigh?” Rhine, after a brief silence, inquired.
Angel: “I just saw Da Vichyssoise at the corridor entrance; I’ll hand the spotted puppy over to Da Vichyssoise, and I won’t go inside.”
Hearing this, Rhine breathed a sigh of relief. If Angel also ventured to the Land of Heart Sigh, given its perils, who knew if he could return.
As for Angel’s ‘status and identity’ in the Nightmare Plane, although Rhine wasn’t fully aware, he had known from Sanders early on that it was false. Being false, it was susceptible to being exposed.
Thus, it was best for Angel not to enter Heart Sigh.
“When are you sending it back?” Rhine asked next.
Angel glanced at the spotted puppy in his arms. Although he was somewhat reluctant, he responded, “Right now.”
“I’ll accompany you there,” Rhine stood up, ready to go with Angel.
Angel quickly waved him off: “No need, I can go alone.”
“But the last time you were in that corridor…”
“Last time I ran into a Void Traveler, and ended up being spotted by Mademoiselle Goldilocks,” Angel explained.
“Can you handle that Da Vichyssoise alone?” Iron Armor Granny, who had been silent till now, finally spoke.
To which, Angel confidently replied: “Don’t worry, it’s no problem.”
If it were anyone else, including the Black and White Maids, Angel would find it somewhat challenging to maintain a false persona. But when facing Da Vichyssoise, Angel felt quite confident.
Da Vichyssoise appeared to be a fierce creature, but in reality, was a very pure being.
Of course, purity does not imply goodness. However, this purity made it easier for Angel to handle.
For example, the previous white maid respected Angel greatly, but interacting with her was actually more exhausting than dealing with the black maid.
He still preferred the kind of “love” Da Vichyssoise offered.
When Rhine saw Angel insisting on going alone, he was silent for a moment before nodding: “Be careful on your own.”
Angel made a reassuring gesture, then prepared to take the spotted puppy to the Maze of Mystlight Corridor.
However, just a few steps out of the Observation Pavilion, he suddenly remembered something and quickly returned.
Under everyone’s puzzled eyes, Angel said, “Oh, right, I just remembered something. My mentor mentioned that many wizards affected by Menavarro are around?”
At the mention of this, everyone’s expressions grew solemn.
Menavarro, the creature covered in tentacles, had previously enveloped the entire Star Pool Ruins in a mist, which it had created. Everyone who came into contact with the mist fell into a state of madness. To this date, they still hadn’t found a cure for this madness.
“Is that so? You suddenly brought this up; do you have a way to treat them?” Tree Spirit asked Angel.
Angel didn’t give a definitive answer but replied, “May I see them first?”
“The madness is contagious, and to avoid widespread infection, those infected are currently confined within my main body,” Tree Spirit explained. “If you want to see them, you’d need to return to the Savage Grottoes.”
Angel was about to speak when Iron Armor Granny interjected, “No need to go back specially; I have one of the infected here. If you’d like to see, I can bring them out.”
Angel quickly nodded his agreement.
Iron Armor Granny signaled for everyone to step back, and as a chill mist dispersed, a special transparent box appeared in the center of the Observation Pavilion.
Inside the box, stood a woman very familiar to Angel.
“Gloria?”
Iron Armor Granny nodded: “Due to the powers of Da Vichyssoise, she insisted on staying in the ruins and was consequently afflicted with the mist. I had no choice but to seal her inside here.”
As Iron Armor Granny spoke, Gloria, within the transparent box, had blood-red eyes and her face was covered with bulging veins, fiercely attacking the glass walls of the box.
She appeared insane, devoid of reason, harboring only a bloodthirsty killing intent towards all creatures, hence they called it the syndrome of madness.
Angel walked around the transparent box once and then briefly sensed Gloria’s condition, his brow furrowed.
He had initially thought that the syndrome of madness, similar to parasitic light particles, might be removed by Nightmare power, but upon closer observation, he realized that this syndrome of madness was completely different from parasitic light particles.
It was a true disease, not just an anomaly caused by a parasite.
“How about it, do you have a way to cure her?” Tree Spirit asked curiously.
The others also looked towards Angel; in their eyes, Angel always worked miracles, perhaps this time he could create another miracle?
However, Angel did not immediately answer Tree Spirit’s question, instead, he looked down at the drowsy spotted puppy in his arms:
“Hey, wake up, don’t sleep.”
Chapter 2487 Reinforce the Barrier <TOC> Chapter 2489 New Combinations