Translator: SumTLMan
At this point, the Black Count’s voice took on a strange tone: “By the way, you probably haven’t met Rhine’s daughter, have you?”
Angel knew some details about the daughter of Lord Rhine, which he considered a deep and unhealable wound in Lord Rhine’s heart.
Since this was an internal matter of the Savage Grottoes, Angel preferred not to discuss it further in front of outsiders: “I’ve met her a few times, but she’s not the focus today.”
Angel’s reluctance to discuss the matter was clear, but the Black Count seemed oblivious and continued: “Have you met Samantha? Could it be that she, still harboring feelings for your mentor, went to find him and you happened upon them?”
“Tsk tsk, what a pity. Had Samantha not betrayed the Savage Grottoes, she might have become your mentor’s wife by now.”
Although the Black Count spoke only briefly, his words hinted at “Samantha’s possible affair with Sanders,” “Samantha’s betrayal of the Savage Grottoes,” and most importantly, that Samantha is indeed the daughter of Lord Rhine, the current leader of the Savage Grottoes.
This was hardly a secret among the upper echelons of various organizations, but it was definitely confidential for the two apprentices and Daus present.
Without looking back, Angel could guess that the others behind him were all ears, eager to hear more gossip.
“Lady Samantha’s affairs are the lord’s matters; I am not qualified to comment. If Lord Black Count has any insights, feel free to share them. I will relay your exact words to Lord Rhine, and perhaps your thoughts will coincide,” Angel responded.
Since the Black Count was in a teasing mood, Angel didn’t mind playing the messenger, especially since he didn’t know Samantha personally. Eventually, Rhine and the Black Count would have their own discussion.
The Black Count looked deeply at Angel and said softly: “We’re just chatting casually; why do you look like you’re about to flip the table?”
“However, my mention of Samantha is not without reason. Her most famous spell is called ‘Glazed Paradise.’ Although the concept originated in the Savage Grottoes, it was perfected after she joined the Frost Moon Alliance. The Frost Moon Alliance, although now a super organization, was only founded over sixteen hundred years ago and doesn’t really have a deep heritage. As far as I know, they don’t have niche magic like mirror spells.”
“Without Mirror Lady’s help, it wouldn’t have been easy for Samantha to perfect Glazed Paradise.”
Angel still didn’t understand what the Black Count was getting at: “Does this relate to the Demon God of Mirrors?”
“Don’t rush, let me finish. A few years ago, a rumor was rife that the Frost Moon Alliance discovered an unknown legendary wizard’s site in the Permafrost Tundra. Not long after this rumor, Samantha advanced to true knowledge with the Glazed Paradise spell.”
Angel asked: “Are these two things related?”
The Black Count’s voice was somewhat strange as he explained: “You may not know, but let me enlighten you. The Permafrost Tundra you’re familiar with are now an annexed world occupied by the Frost Moon Alliance. However, according to ancient texts I’ve consulted, it became known as the Permafrost Tundra after merging with the Wizarding World when signs of corruption began to appear in that world. It was originally a substantial plane called… the Ice Mirror World.”
“Do you know what Samantha’s current alias is?”
Angel replied quietly: “…Ice Mirror.”
The Black Count continued: “See, it all connects. The Ice Mirror World has existed for a very long time, but long ago, a group of wizards settled there. It’s said that the name of that world was given by those wizards, and this event happened ten thousand years ago.”
Angel asked: “Are you suggesting that the Demon God of Mirrors might be related to the Ice Mirror World?”
The Black Count replied: “It’s just a hypothesis. However, there is a way to verify it.”
Pausing, he looked at Angel: “I’ve heard that Lord Mengke has promised you access to the Blossom of Frost and Chapter of the Moon. This is a significant reward. If they really found a ruin in the Permafrost Tundra that allowed Samantha to perfect the Glass Paradise, you could take this opportunity to ask to see the ruin. Wouldn’t that confirm whether it was left by the ‘Demon God of Mirrors’?”
Angel: “…” he was silent, thinking how easy the Black Count made it sound, but was he brave enough to go?
However, the Blossom of Frost and the Chapter of the Moon were indeed excellent rewards. He was currently too apprehensive to go, but once he achieved true knowledge and had a way to ensure his safety from Lord Mengke——not confronting him, but safely escaping from him, or perhaps possessing an ability like the Black Count’s avatars, he might indeed venture to the Permafrost Tundra.
Seeing Angel’s hesitation, the Black Count added: “Besides visiting the Permafrost Tundra, there’s another way. When you return to the Savage Grottoes, you could ask Mirror Lady. She should know some inside information.”
Angel sighed: “I understand.”
He wanted to ask Mirror Lady, but unfortunately, she was currently asleep, and no one knew when she would wake up.
…
The Black Count shared all he knew and the information possibly related to this “Demon God of Mirrors.” However, for them, it was all too distant and unverifiable for now.
Meaning, although they had discovered this mural, it brought no progress in their exploration of the ruins.
“There’s not much we can decipher from the mural. Let’s leave it for now; we’ve been in this building for quite some time, and I suspect the Traveling Merchants’ people might be catching up. Let’s leave this place,” Angel said. Although he was quite interested in this group of Demon God of Mirrors followers, as they seemed to have some connection with Augustine, they still had to prioritize completing their mission.
Since they couldn’t figure anything out now, it was best to move on and see if future discoveries might bring more insights.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
“We’re leaving, but what should we do with this mural?” Kael suddenly asked.
Angel paused for a moment before asking: “Do you want it?”
Kael quickly nodded, his interest in such artifacts evident.
Angel pondered for a moment, then glanced at the others who seemed disinterested in the mural, and said: “Take it if you want, but try not to interact with it too much once we’re back. If it really is connected to a Demon God, it could be dangerous.”
Kael nodded without hesitation, quickly stowing the mural into his spatial storage.
After the mural was secured, there was no further need to explore the building. They headed straight for the spiral staircase, climbing to the grand door at the top.
A damp, cold breeze carrying a faint stench from somewhere wafted in, swirling around their noses.
Stepping outside, the rooftop seemed normal at first glance. However, directly in front of the rooftop and connecting to another alleyway was a stone bridge, appropriately marking this spot as an exit.
Looking away from the alleyway and towards the edge of the rooftop, one could see the distant high walls and the bleak ruins nearby.
Judging by the relatively intact structures, this place was less of an underground labyrinth and more of a multi-leveled underground city.
If it hadn’t been destroyed, with lights ablaze and buildings crisscrossing, it surely would have been a bustling scene. Sadly, such beauty now only existed in imagination.
“Where should we go next?” Kael asked excitedly, his eyes lighting up as he surveyed the ruins.
Angel first looked at Daus, who seemed oblivious to his gaze, instead leaning over to peer down an alley below.
Finding Daus unreliable, Angel then turned to the Black Count.
After a moment of silence, the Black Count said: “Although I feel a certain resonance with a distant place underground due to my bloodline, I cannot tell if it’s just my imagination or something real. Moreover, it seems very far from here, and I cannot determine the direction.”
The question thus returned to Angel.
After all, he had promised to lead them to their destination.
Angel carefully surveyed the surroundings but recognized no familiar landmarks. He pointed towards the alley connected by the stone bridge in front of the rooftop: “Let’s head that way.”
Angel chose the forward alley for two reasons. First, during his time in the Nightmare Plane’s underground labyrinth, the paths were always narrow, rarely opening into wide vistas, more reminiscent of a maze than a city.
Thus, he opted for what seemed more like a labyrinth, the alley ahead.
Second, based on a previous translation of the Uisus language by the Black Count, he speculated that the followers of the Demon God of Mirrors were searching for a “holy artifact” possibly located at the Hanging Prison Stairs. Their referred “ruler” might be Franklin, the warden of the Hanging Prison Stairs. The mention of the Noah family could be due to some uncovered connection between Franklin’s daughter, Margaret, and Augustine, which might explain the ambiguous details mentioned.
As they considered the implications of their theory, Angel felt an intuition, if the cultists’ target was indeed the Hanging Prison Stairs, then it shouldn’t be far from here.
Angel was familiar with the Hanging Prison Stairs, and the open vistas here clearly did not match its location. Therefore, proceeding straight ahead into the alley flanked by high walls, which seemed the most labyrinthine, was likely the best course.
Angel didn’t share his complete analysis but simply indicated the direction to go.
The others followed without question; after all, they were content to let him lead.
As they stepped onto the stone bridge, they glanced down to see an alley below, previously visible through a window, at the end of which lay a dark shadow.
“That’s a dead creature, almost completely devoured; it’s hard to make out what kind it was. I was looking down at it just now,” Daus explained.
“It’s the corpse of a Greedy Demon, also used as bait for fishing. Greedy Demons have a habit of cannibalizing their kind and using the remains as bait to trap other creatures, so there are likely more Greedy Demons lurking nearby,” the Black Count identified, offering insight into the creature.
Despite the bones being nearly stripped clean, the Black Count’s recognition demonstrated his vast experience, far surpassing that of the others.
Upon hearing there might be monsters hiding nearby, Daus began to get ready for a fight: “Should we go kill them?”
Angel reminded him: “You seem to have forgotten what I said earlier. Let me repeat: avoid creatures if possible, use memory stones for studying ruins, don’t waste time dealing with threats directly.”
With that, Angel crossed the bridge and entered the alley ahead.
Daus muttered something under his breath but ultimately scurried after the group.
As they entered the alley, they felt a distinct difference.
There was some light from luminescent stones outside, so it wasn’t too dark. But inside the alley, it was pitch black, devoid of any light.
The alley walls were high, connected at the top with a magic formation, preventing them from climbing over; they had no choice but to follow the path.
This confined and narrow darkness, where one couldn’t see their own hand in front of their face, made Angel feel as though he was back in the Nightmare Plane’s underground labyrinth, filled with uncertainty about the path ahead and irrational fears about the unknown.
Of course, back then, Angel was barely more than a novice, not even a proper apprentice. Now, as a formally recognized wizard, such darkness was trivial.
After all, he had braved the underground labyrinth of the Nightmare Plane, what was a real-world underground labyrinth compared to that? The dangers of the Nightmare Plane were hundreds, if not thousands of times more perilous than anything here.
After a short walk, a soft glow of light appeared.
It was Vai casting an advanced light spell, an enhancement of the basic illumination spell, lighting up the surroundings as bright as day.
When everyone looked over, Vai puzzledly asked: “Did I do something wrong? Is it not allowed to use the light spell?”
Angel replied: “No, you can use it.”
Vai: “……? ? ?” Then why did none of you use it just now?
Perhaps noticing Vai’s confusion, Daus said: “I wanted to use it too, but since Angel didn’t, I didn’t either. So, you were planning to compete with me in night vision, huh?”
Angel: Who has the leisure to compete with you in night vision.
Kael: “Me too, since none of you used it, I didn’t dare to either.”
The Black Count remained silent.
Being watched by everyone, Angel: “……” He was just reminiscing the feeling in the Nightmare Plane and was lost in thought; he never even considered the lighting issue, and now it seemed like he was being blamed.
Angel pondered for a moment, then set a serious expression: “Do I have to give commands even on whether or not to use a light spell?”
“Same as always, within the agreement, as long as it doesn’t waste everyone’s time, do whatever you want.”
With that, Angel simply walked forward.
He really didn’t want to fuss over such a trivial issue.
However, Angel hadn’t walked far before he stopped. He faintly heard someone gasping.
After the others caught up, they too noticed the faint gasping sound.
They looked at each other, none speaking, instead communicating through the mental connection.
Kael: “Seems like it’s coming from behind this wall? There’s someone back there, injured? Is it someone from the Traveling Merchants organization?”
Daus: “Can’t penetrate with mental power, can we smash the wall?”
Angel: “……No.”
After a pause, Angel said: “The gasping wanting to pass through this wall enchanted with magic isn’t that simple. Whether it’s a person or a monster behind there is still unknown. Let’s not worry about it and keep moving forward.”
They were obviously in a labyrinth by now, and if it really was an injured person, they might still come across them and help. But Angel felt that the likelihood of it being a person wasn’t high. The monsters in the underground labyrinth were no fewer than those in the open areas outside.
Or perhaps, even more.