Chapter 2571 Shared Perception <TOC> Chapter 2573 Raven
Translator: SumTLMan
After the Black Count cast the Shared Perception spell, Angel faintly felt that the information emanating from Daus had digitized, becoming extremely easy to identify. These data strands, however, did not disperse outwardly, clearly, this was what the Black Count meant by “the subject can control the range of perception.”
Without Daus’ agreement to share data, no matter how clear the data, it could not be further recognized.
Angel’s sensations were this clear, yet he was merely a passive sharer; Daus, as the subject, experienced a feeling even more peculiar than Angel’s.
At this moment, in Daus’ eyes, both Angel and the Black Count had similar data entwining them. However, the difference lay in that the Black Count’s data converged at a single point, which was incredibly profound, resembling a passage that seemed to connect to a vast and distant unknown world.
As for Angel, it was stranger still; the data surrounding him was minimal. The sources of the data were primarily his alchemy items and the earlobe emitting flame fluctuations on his left ear. The only data readable on his body were the faintly encircling illusion nodes, and nothing else could be deciphered.
However, although unreadable, some faint green patterns could be seen, with Angel’s right eye being the most prominently green-patterned. Upon closer inspection, it seemed as though one was gazing into a lavish, opulent world…
Daus dared not observe too closely; though he couldn’t read the data, as the primary subject of the “Shared Perception” spell, he could vaguely feel that the data on Angel, much like that on the Black Count, was filled with mystery and… danger.
‘Indeed, it’s no wonder that Angel has become the most dazzling wizard in recent years, unrivaled, surely harboring great secrets.’ Daus pondered internally, also considering whether these great secrets sometimes signified a fate full of unpredictability. Was his spiritual perception ineffectual against Angel due to this ever-changing destiny?
Daus dared not delve deeper into his thoughts, as he noticed that Angel was already giving him a peculiar look.
As the primary subject of “Shared Perception,” though he could control the range of perception, meaning the flow and non-flow of data, it also made the data on his body more conspicuous.
Even merely looking at Angel a few more times, and thinking about matters related to him, related data began to involuntarily drift toward Angel.
The direction of the data’s movement clearly indicated that Daus was currently thinking about matters related to Angel.
This was also why Angel was giving him a strange look.
Daus coughed twice, hastily reined in his wandering thoughts, and the data on his body resettled into place. Then, he gently placed a finger stained with demon blood into his mouth.
Within the Shared Perception, both Angel and the Black Count noticed that certain information on Daus began to become animated.
And this animated sense of information, Daus did not conceal but rather openly allowed observation permissions, enabling Angel and the Black Count to probe these data.
As Angel and the Black Count assimilated this information into themselves, a wealth of related data naturally emerged from their minds…
After a pause, the Black Count canceled the Shared Perception.
The data information on everyone began to slowly disappear. As Daus sighed in relief, he also looked expectantly at Angel and the Black Count, wanting to know if they could really trace the origin of the demon blood.
The Black Count was the first to speak: “It is indeed demon blood, and it is quite rare in the Southern Region because it comes from a Sphinx Harpy in the Wizarding World of the Western Lands.”
After the Black Count finished speaking, seeing that Daus and Angel seemed unfamiliar with the Sphinx Harpy, he briefly explained the situation of the Sphinx Harpy.
“The Sphinx Harpy is just a name we in the Southern Region Wizards give it. In the Wizarding World of the Western Lands, the Sphinx Harpy is called Haralviara, the ‘Maiden of Misfortune.’ The reason for the name ‘Maiden of Misfortune’ is because Sphinx Harpies almost always appear in female form and are naturally highly resistant to misfortune.”
“I don’t know if you’ve heard of Misfortune Wizards? This is a very special type of wizard in the Western Lands that uses misfortune as their power, and is unpredictable. The existence of the Sphinx Harpy, to some extent, curbs the threat of the Misfortune Wizards.”
After listening to the Black Count’s explanation, Angel suddenly realized why he had previously felt that information related to misfortune was very active in his mind. He originally thought the demon blood was related to the Harbingers of Doom of the Abyss, but it turned out to be a unique magical creature from another Wizarding World.
“In my bar, there was once a customer who had been to the Western Lands Wizarding World. He talked about some of his experiences after a few drinks, including the Misfortune Wizards. He said that the Misfortune Wizards in the Western Lands are the most bizarre, and their attacks are almost impossible to defend against… I didn’t expect there to be something that could restrain them.” Daus recalled.
“The most bizarre? Not exactly. It’s not only the Misfortune Wizards who can control misfortune; in fact, some prophecy wizards also have the ability to control misfortune, although the sources of misfortune they tap into are different, but the effects are similar. So, it’s just very special.”
The Black Count is indeed a major figure, casually mentioning information that Angel and Daus had never come into contact with before. So, prophecy wizards also have ways to master misfortune?
“Since the Sphinx Harpies so effectively counteract Misfortune Wizards, I suppose the Misfortune Wizards must despise them utterly, right?” Daus speculated: “Maybe this demon blood is from a Misfortune Wizard who was killed and then extracted, eventually making its way to the Southern Region.”
The Black Count snorted softly through his nose, with a sarcastic tone: “You’re still so naive?”
“Don’t just look at the surface of things. Although on the surface, the Sphinx Harpies counteract the abilities of Misfortune Wizards, in reality, Sphinx Harpies are actually closer to Misfortune Wizards and disdain all other humans except for Misfortune Wizards.”
Daus was stunned for a moment, not minding the Black Count’s sarcasm, and wondered: “Why is that?”
“Sphinx Harpies and Misfortune Wizards counteract but also complement each other. Their abilities are complementary, allowing them to mutually restrain and at the same time enhance each other’s powers.”
Translated, it actually means “the more they fight, the tougher they get.” This complementarity allows Misfortune Wizards to control misfortune more powerfully, and the resistance of Sphinx Harpies to misfortune also becomes stronger.
“So, it’s common for the Misfortune Wizards to keep one or several Sphinx Harpies, much like they would with elemental companions, these are their exceedingly close comrades in battle. Conversely, other wizards, once afflicted by the Misfortune Wizards’ curse, think first of transferring their own misfortune onto the Sphinx Harpies. While the Sphinx Harpies are resistant to misfortune, it doesn’t mean they are completely immune. Thus, many Sphinx Harpies end up dying at the hands of other wizards. In such cases, who do you think the Sphinx Harpies would grow closer to?”
Although the Black Count asked Daus, it was Angel who replied: “They can only grow close to the Misfortune Wizards. However, this is also the tragedy of the Sphinx Harpies; even though they can coexist with the Misfortune Wizards, ultimately, it’s still the Misfortune Wizards who are the root cause of many Sphinx Harpies’ deaths, albeit not directly by their hands.”
The Black Count agreed with Angel’s statement, murmuring softly: “That’s why they are both antagonistic and symbiotic.”
Amidst the reflection, they did not forget the matter at hand.
“Since it’s Sphinx Harpy’s demon blood, do we still need to find some and try pouring it into the concavity?” Daus asked.
The Black Count: “I’m just the nose, not the brain. All I can do is confirm this is Sphinx Harpy’s demon blood, but beyond that, I don’t know.”
That statement seemed to make some sense, just the nose, not the brain. But neither Angel nor Daus believed what the Black Count said.
Every organ of the Black Count has its own consciousness, all derived from the main consciousness. Perhaps the brain processes thoughts faster than the nose, but the nose is still part of the main consciousness; it knows what it needs to, just specializes in different aspects.
However, apart from this statement, they still believed the Black Count’s other words.
The Black Count was now on the same side as them; if he had found a clue, he would not hide it. Thus, he might genuinely not know what to do next.
“By the way, I should mention, Sphinx Harpy’s demon blood is very rare in the Southern Region, at least I haven’t seen it circulating for nearly a hundred years.”
In other words, Daus’ idea of pouring demon blood into the concavity was also dead in the water.
Realizing this, Daus showed a look of disappointment: “I thought I had discovered a clue, but it turns out, I’m still at a dead end.”
As Daus sighed, Angel spoke up: “This is indeed a clue. Just now, Lord Black Count explained the situation with the demon blood, so I’ll add what I can.”
Angel’s words immediately caught the attention of Daus and Black Count.
“I just got some information through Shared Perception, but this information has nothing to do with the origins of the demon blood. If not for Lord Black Count’s explanation, I wouldn’t even know about such a marvelous creature as the Sphinx Harpy.”
“As for the information I received, it’s actually related to my side profession.”
Daus: “Side profession? You mean illusion wizard?”
Angel replied softly: “…Illusion wizard is my main profession, I meant it’s related to alchemy.”
“Tell us boss.” Despite his words, Daus didn’t necessarily agree; he was unaware of how skilled Angel was in illusion magic. In fact, most of the wizards in the Southern Region were unaware. However, his alchemical abilities had been recognized by the Research Institute. Now, when one mentions Angel, the first thing that comes to mind is a genius in alchemy, not illusion magic.
Yet, Angel himself considered being an illusion wizard as his true profession, so he let it be.
Angel didn’t want to argue about this topic and continued: “Under Shared Perception, I can clearly feel that the demon blood is not that pure; it contains some impurities.”
“Isn’t it normal for impurities to exist after all these years?” Daus asked, puzzled.
Ignoring Daus, Angel went on: “I tried to reconstruct it with the Eye of Nalda, and it gave me a familiar sensation, not an external impurity, but a specific mineral.”
At this point, both Daus and the Black Count realized what he was getting at.
“Are you talking about demon blood ore?”
Angel nodded: “The stains in this indentation should be remnants from the Sphinx Harpy demon blood ore.”
“Even if we confirm this is demon blood ore, what does that prove?” Daus still didn’t quite understand.
Angel pointed to the indentation on the ground: “This indentation, unless inexplicable, is the fixed position of the podium. The traces of demon blood ore within it, barring some hard-to-imagine brainstorms, the only possibility is that the material used for the original podium was this Sphinx Harpy demon blood ore.”
“The worst quality demon blood ore also has a long shelf life, after all, its formation itself spans years.”
At this point, the Black Count understood Angel’s implication: “You’re saying that this ‘podium’, being forged from Sphinx Harpy demon blood ore, couldn’t have been eroded by time, but was taken away by someone?”
Angel nodded: “Although it’s demon blood ore, I didn’t feel any traces of alchemy. The wizards who explored this before, unless they were alchemists, would find it difficult to determine the podium’s material. Even if they figured out it was demon blood ore, the value of the ore is hard to determine, so it’s not certain that they would take the podium.”
The Black Count added: “So, there remains a possibility that the podium was taken by adventurers.”
Angel nodded in agreement.
After receiving the clue, the Black Count did not hesitate and immediately contacted Vai via the mental connection.
“Ask Old Tireless, at the hall’s podium, whether it was still there when he arrived?”
When Vai received the message, he was on his way to the cellar with Old Tireless and others. Old Tireless and his group were preparing to first meet Marsha and her son, while Vai was gathering information as they walked.
The sudden transmission from the Black Count left Vai somewhat puzzled, not fully understanding what had happened, but he naturally did not dare disregard the orders of his ancestor and promptly posed the question to Old Tireless.
Upon hearing this, Old Tireless looked at Vai with some surprise, as Vai had been with them and still knew the situation inside the building, truly, the capabilities of the extraordinary are hard to estimate.
Old Tireless did not dare to inquire how Vai came to know this information. After pondering for a moment, he replied: “It was still there when I arrived, but…”
After a while, through the mental connection, Angel and the others heard Vai’s response.
The outcome was pleasing.
The podium was still there when Old Tireless first arrived. Due to a special incident, they discovered that the single-column podium was of excellent quality, so much so that even the sharpest blade on their side couldn’t cut through it.
Therefore, at that time, a brash man in their adventure group pulled the podium from the ground.
After some modifications, it was directly used as a weapon to bludgeon people.
As time passed, the brash man had already left the adventure group, but his weapon remained, left to his disciple, who happened to still be in the Hero Squad, and he is Marsha’s husband.