Chapter 2503 Kael <TOC> Chapter 2505 Desert Temple
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Translator: SumTLMan
“Did you hear anything?” Daus looked slightly puzzled. “What sound are you referring to?”
Angel closed his eyes, seemingly listening intently.
After a long while, Angel’s brow furrowed slightly: “A very faint, very faint repetitive whisper, as if saying something, but I can’t hear the specifics.”
Hearing Angel’s description, Daus’ expression also turned serious.
He too, imitated Angel, closing his eyes to listen. Even, during the listening, his ears mutated, becoming pointed and pitch black, seemingly transplanted from some kind of demonic creature.
After a while, Daus shook his head: “Apart from Kael’s heavy breathing, I didn’t hear anything.”
He paused, then added: “Are you sure it was in this room you heard it?”
Angel shook his head: “I can’t be sure, the voice feels very distant, although unclear, but it seems to be calling my name.”
Hearing Angel say this, Daus’ eyebrows furrowed deeply.
Angel had no reason to lie about such a thing, it was very likely true. And usually, such situations are not good.
Daus had experienced it before, while exploring a ruin with companions, one companion claimed to have heard someone calling, and then while everyone was not paying attention, he left the group. By the time he was found again, he had turned into a skeleton.
Such calls often occur in ruins. The identity of the caller could be a sealed outer god, a ghost, or some kind of monster.
If it’s the latter two, there might still be a chance to confront it, but if it’s a sealed outer god, that would be terrifying.
The reason why Daus instantly filled his mind with so many thoughts was because they were currently inside a ruin!
Although this ruin had been explored by the Lawrence family long ago, who knows if they missed anything?
While Daus was imagining, Angel across from him pondered for a moment, then sent out his mental power, attempting to envelop his forehead.
Seeing this, Daus immediately understood that what Angel was doing was a type of behavior to enhance mental sensitivity.
Daus quickly cautioned: “Without knowing who the other party is, enhancing your mental sense could very likely put you in danger.”
Following that, Daus shared his own past experiences, trying to persuade Angel.
Angel naturally understood that Daus meant well, but one knows oneself best. Although he couldn’t hear what the Whispers From Afar was, he didn’t feel any malice from it.
Of course, the absence of malice was not Angel’s measure of good or bad, it could also be as Daus said, that the sealed outer god was intentionally hiding its malice.
Angel decided to enhance his intuition and listen to the whispers because he faintly felt that the matter seemed related to him, and the Nightmare Aura within him also resonated slightly with a certain direction.
Given it was related to the Nightmare, Angel insisted on hearing the specific sounds.
With this thought, Angel said to Daus: “Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.”
After speaking, Angel continued to wrap his mental power, gathering it at the center of his forehead to enhance his mental sensitivity.
Seeing this, Daus shook his head and sighed quietly, criticizing inwardly: “Academics will be academics, even after living a thousand years, not a bit of alertness. They might as well have lived as dogs.”
Although Daus was internally ranting, he cautiously began to set up defensive and restrictive measures to avoid any real issues.
On the other hand, after Angel enhanced his intuition, he finally heard the whispering voice, albeit vaguely.
Upon catching bits and pieces of the conversation, he basically understood what was going on.
Five minutes later, Angel retracted his mental power.
Daus immediately prepared for the worst and asked loudly: “Tell me, are you still Leon?”
Angel replied irritably: “Of course, I am.”
Daus immediately shook his head: “No, you are lying.”
Daus’ eyes twinkled with a certain truth detection magic. Angel saw this, so he intentionally allowed the truth detection magic to probe him, but to Daus’ surprise, he still accused Angel of lying.
Angel was stunned for a moment before realizing the truth detection deemed it a lie because he had used a false name.
Seeing Daus’ wary look, as if Angel had been possessed by some unknown entity, Angel felt somewhat helpless.
“You can ask in a different way, like if I’m the same person as before, or if I am the original person. ‘Leon’ is just my alias, understand?” Angel explained.
Daus thought about it and felt it made sense, given he had suspected ‘Leon’ was an alias before. He asked again following Angel’s suggestion, and this time, the truth detection magic confirmed that there was no lie.
To be sure, Daus asked several questions about their previous conversations, and Angel answered all of them fluently.
Seeing this, Daus finally relaxed and inquired about what Angel had discerned through his intuition.
Speaking of this, Angel sighed helplessly: “It wasn’t about some ruin or monster you imagined. It was a person I had cast a spell on before, who activated the energy I left on her to seek my help.”
Although Angel didn’t hear very clearly, and the distance was vast, leading to intermittent communication, he still recognized that the speaker was Aubrey, whom he had parted with just the day before.
He only heard Aubrey continuously and repeatedly pleading with Angel: “Save me, lord, save me…”
Angel guessed that Aubrey must have encountered someone or something she couldn’t deal with and, finding no other help, decided to activate the Nightmare Illusion Dream in hopes that Angel might sense it.
Aubrey’s urgent emotions, combined with her eager calls for help, allowed Angel to faintly sense a mental connection.
In such a scenario, directly invoking the true name of a Demon God is akin to drawing their gaze, a phenomenon that carries a similar mystery. However, Angel’s sensitivity to such phenomena is far less acute than that of a Demon God.
After listening to Angel’s explanation, Daus completely relaxed, content in the knowledge that this situation was not related to any ruins, which was a relief.
“Are you planning to rescue her?” Daus asked.
Inwardly, Angel was reluctant to leave; he preferred to complete his mission first and then hastily return to the Savage Grottoes. He wasn’t keen on getting involved in complications.
Yet, Aubrey was from the Savage Grottoes, and Angel had a fondness for inherently good people.
Based on snippets of information, Aubrey had already fled to the Laxum Duchy, and her plea for help seemed to involve not just herself but other members of the Savage Grottoes as well.
After pondering for a moment, Angel nodded: “I plan to have a look and hope to be of assistance.”
Daus: “What about Kael in this case…”
Angel: “I’ll leave him a message. I believe that after he reads the letter from Lord Aesop, he will patiently wait for my return.”
With that, Angel lightly tapped the void, and a letter magically appeared on the table.
Daus: “Illusion?”
Angel: “Just a little trick.”
Daus wasn’t buying that it was a mere trick. Angel had nonchalantly created a long-lasting and stable illusory node; such a feat could not be achieved without years of immersion. Indeed, he was an ancient marvel.
Angel: “I’ve placed the letter here, but I think that given Kael’s pace, he might not have resolved it by the time I return.”
Having said this, Angel prepared to leave.
Daus called out: “Do you know where the person seeking your help is?”
Angel shook his head: “I can’t be sure for now, but according to her description, she might be on the edge of the Laxum Duchy, near a broken statue of a desert god missing an arm, and a dilapidated temple. I plan to first head to the Sandworm Market to find someone familiar with the area, and then rush over.”
Daus: “No need to look further, I know where that is. I’ll go with you.”
Angel turned to look at Daus, puzzled by his reason for accompanying him.
Daus himself couldn’t articulate why he wanted to go, but as someone with an adventurous spirit who enjoyed experiencing various stories… or accidents, he quite liked meddling in affairs, well, extraneous affairs.
Seeing Angel remain silent for a long time, Daus asked: “What? You don’t want me to?”
Angel shook his head: “If Red Sword Daus is willing to accompany me, then it’s for the best. Perhaps the junior from the organization has stirred up something even I can’t handle; in that case, I’ll rely on you.”
Daus, grinning, said: “That’s fine, consider it a gift for today’s exchange. But next time you ask for my help, you’ll have to pay up.”
With Daus willing to accompany him, Angel was spared the task of finding a guide. The two directly leaped out of Kael’s territory, leaving the black market behind.
As soon as he left the black market, Daus was already rubbing his hands with eager anticipation.
Because he was preparing to unveil a magic carpet vehicle he had obtained from an ancient ruin through numerous perilous escapades, a rarity that money couldn’t buy. Each time he displayed it, it garnered envious glances from onlookers.
Such envious, jealous, and resentful gazes were profoundly satisfying to Daus. This time, he planned to repeat the trick and show Angel that even a wandering wizard possessed magnificent treasures!
However, before Daus could reveal his magic carpet, he heard Angel’s voice from above.
“Come up, we are leaving.”
Daus looked up and was completely dumbfounded. What… what did he see?
A beautifully crafted flying vessel! The intricate runes, the curtains shimmering like starlight… most importantly, beneath the vessel was a powerful creature, nearly at the wizard level, buoying it with wind.
The flying vessel itself was a marvel, and with the wind elemental creature’s support, it was an eye-dazzling combination.
Daus’ hands trembled; he wanted to show off his magic carpet, but damn it, he had to admit that his magic carpet paled in comparison to this flying vessel.
Of course, the most crucial aspects of any vehicle were its speed and stability.
A creature that was likely close to, if not already at, wizard level could fly faster and more steadily than his magic carpet.
He had lost.
Daus’ heart sank into darkness, and in a small, somber internal monologue, he lamented his melancholy and sorrow.
“What? Is there something else?” Angel asked, seeing Daus frozen in place, puzzled.
Daus took a deep breath, feigning nonchalance: “Nothing. I was just feeling the rise and fall of the sand, predicting a massive sandstorm in the eastern Karlas region tomorrow.”
Angel was taken aback: “You can sense that?”
Daus, brimming with confidence: “Of course, it’s the skill of a desert son.”
With that, Daus lightly jumped onto the Gondola, sitting opposite Angel. As soon as he sat down, Daus immediately felt an unusual sense of comfort, constant temperature field, purification field, shielding field… and the soft cushions and backrests.
He… he had lost again. Daus wanted to cry but had no tears left in him.
Angel, unaware of Daus’ inner turmoil, was still curious: “A sandstorm in the Karlas region tomorrow, you really sensed that?”
“It’s true, the wind told me.”
Upon hearing this, Angel immediately called upon Speedling: “Can you sense it?”
Speedling, using the wind energy, created a cyan large hand and shook it, indicating it could not detect anything.
Daus gave a slight smile. “Elemental creatures of the wind are not necessarily familiar with all terrains; the desert is complex, its winds carry a clamorous scent, and decoding this scent is our basis for predicting sandstorms.”
Angel looked amazed, and he believed in Daus’ words. For sailors who ply the seas possess similar skills. He hadn’t expected that desert men could achieve this as well.
This was far more impressive than some mediocre prophecy apprentices.
Seeing the awe in Angel’s eyes, Daus was satisfied. Although he had lost on the vehicle, he had won in knowledge!
However, Daus didn’t tell Angel that the Karlas region is actually the biggest sandstorm area in the Laxum Duchy, with storms occurring daily, varying only in scale.
Having enjoyed Angel’s admiration, Daus coughed twice: “Let’s go, I’ll lead the way. At the boundary between the Laxum Duchy and the Guman Kingdom, there’s only one place with ancient temple ruins, and indeed, there is a toppled god’s statue there. Perhaps, the person you wish to rescue is there.”
Under Daus’ guidance, the Gondola began to set sail slowly.
Previously, when Angel visited the Sandworm Market, he was determining directions and looking for landmarks, so it took a whole day from the Guman Kingdom to the Sandworm Market.
But now, with Daus’ guidance, Angel could operate the Gondola at full speed.
With the full thrust and Speedling’s maximum effort, sonic booms resounded behind them.
However, these sonic booms couldn’t penetrate inside the Gondola, thanks to the shielding barrier. But Daus could see the ripples of air created by the sonic booms.
Without a doubt, this speed far surpassed his magic carpet.
He felt a bit sour inside.
But no matter, the other is a millennium-old monster, whose deep-seated foundations accumulated over a thousand years make such treasures normal. “I, an eighty-year-old prodigy, will surely possess far more than him when I reach his age,” he consoled himself.
The mental victory technique once again salvaged Daus’ crumbling emotions.
The light of positivity shone upon him anew.