Chapter 2593 Black White Gray <TOC> Chapter 2595 Three Way Fork
Next page password is bold portion: bRAp_ufR8Pu2hu
Translator: SumTLMan
At that moment, in the underground labyrinth.
Leading the way, Angel suddenly stopped, casting a thoughtful look back through the narrow darkness.
“What’s the matter, still thinking about that gasping sound just now?” Daus moved up beside Angel, his face mysteriously animated: “Let me tell you secretly, you were actually right earlier, that gasping sound was made by a monster.”
Angel looked at Daus with puzzlement.
Daus raised his head proudly: “Inspiration, true inspiration. Don’t you believe it?”
Angel shook his head: “It’s not that I don’t believe you; I just can’t comprehend why your inspirations always manifest in such trivial matters.”
Daus’ eyes widened: “What do you mean trivial? This is very meaningful. Haven’t I solved your confusion?”
After saying this, Daus couldn’t help but complain: “I saw you looking so solemn, so I decided to help clear your doubt. Otherwise, why would I bother speaking? When I have inspirations, I rarely tell anyone.”
Indeed, Daus seldom shared his inspirations with others. However, here in this place, Daus didn’t realize that he had inadvertently revealed many of his inspirations.
If he knew, given his nature, he would likely feel that he had suffered a great loss and would not emerge from his sullen mood for days.
“I wasn’t thinking about that gasping sound just now; to me, it makes no difference whether it was a human or a monster.” Looking over Daus’ shoulder towards the deep shadow behind him, Angel continued: “What I noticed is that the illusion I left on Marsha has been triggered. Moreover, the guidance outside the magic formation has also been activated.”
Daus was taken aback: “You mean the Traveling Merchants organization is really following us?”
Angel replied: “What’s so surprising about that? It would be strange if they didn’t come. It’s just a matter of when they will dare to enter after seeing the guidance.”
As Angel spoke these words, he was unaware that within the Traveling Merchants organization, there was a rebellious and extremely stubborn Black Merchant who had already reached the building they had explored earlier…
Angel had intentionally set that guidance, merely to see if the Traveling Merchants organization would check the magic formation before following them. If that were the case, Angel would hold a better opinion of them, as they could have easily sacrificed lives to test it.
But life is unpredictable, and variables are everywhere. The Black Merchant was such a variable.
“Let’s continue moving; I feel a cold breeze ahead, which might indicate an exit.” Angel didn’t dwell on the issue with the Traveling Merchants. For them, the organization could only cause minor annoyances. To truly disrupt their plans, only the full mobilization of the Bylron family would suffice.
Unafraid, Angel and his group continued, but Kael and Vai still felt some apprehension. They couldn’t help but move closer to the wizards they were familiar with, so that even if they were caught off-guard by a surprise attack, they would have immediate assistance.
It was rather unexpected that Kael chose to stay close to Daus, while Vai chose to approach… Angel.
Kael’s choice was quite normal; he and Daus were well-acquainted. By all rights, the most sensible choice for Vai would have been to gravitate towards his ancestral lord, the Black Count, but perhaps out of fear of rebuke, he dared not draw near. The next logical choice should have been Daus, a long-time friend, even closer than Kael and Daus’ relationship. Yet, intriguingly, Vai did not choose Daus but instead came to Angel’s side, showing a face of being eager to please and embarrassment.
Angel did not anticipate Kael and Vai’s thoughts and found it somewhat strange that Vai had suddenly come to his side. However, since Vai had come, Angel did not reject him, or rather, Angel generally did not dislike homebody transcendents; what bad intentions could a home-loving person harbor?
Angel nodded to Vai with a smile and then continued walking forward.
Seeing this, Vai assumed that Angel had agreed to his following, and thus, he followed even more briskly.
Behind them, Daus watched his friend Vai’s actions, feeling somewhat puzzled in his heart. When had Vai become so close to Angel?
As everyone harbored their own thoughts and doubts, they finally reached an unusual path.
It was still a high-walled alley with no forks, but the overall direction of this alley was downward, forming a large slope.
The wind Angel had felt earlier was coming up from below.
Standing at the entrance to the slope, the cold wind was even more evident, and the entire alley echoed with a rustling sound.
“Lord, this wind…” Angel had intended to discuss this with the Black Count, but when he turned around, he found that the Black Count had already drifted to the very back.
“There must be a way to the sewer down there; this smell is too pungent.” The Black Count’s nose, now on the stone slab, had deflated into a “convex” shape.
Being a nose, although he could still employ normal spells, his strongest attribute was undoubtedly his inherent sense of smell. It was no wonder that the Black Count’s nose took a direct hit and ran far away.
The so-called sewer was just an internal term among wizards; in fact, it was the accumulated sludge in the sewage system.
Though referred to as a labyrinth, the underground labyrinth had structures and even outlines similar to a city, but it also had a more commonly known name, Sewer Ditch.
What could be in a sewer? Nothing but filth.
Thus, encountering a sewer occasionally was quite normal, but after thousands of years, sewers no longer played much of a role in drainage; they were mostly nests for foul-smelling monsters.
Wizards rarely ventured into sewers because there were no treasures to be found there and one would only end up smelling foul, utterly unnecessary. Moreover, the creatures residing in the sewers should not be underestimated; a sudden onslaught of tens of thousands of creatures could overwhelm even a formal wizard.
“Don’t tell me our destination is in the sewer,” said the Black Count, who, although lacking eyes at that moment, gave Angel the feeling of being stared at directly.
Angel reflected on his journey in the Nightmare Plane, near the alley where the Demon Eater Flower King resided, and distinctly remembered that there were no drains nearby. Close to leaving the alley, there was a hall adorned with a literary air, yet incongruously inhabited by a large blue-skinned monster.
After pondering all the details, Angel shook his head at the Black Count: “I can assure you, our destination is not in the sewers.”
The Black Count’s inquiry had also captured the attention of Daus, who, hearing Angel’s response, couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Daus said: “That’s a relief; I wouldn’t want to be drenched in stench.”
The Black Count sneered: “Don’t rejoice too soon. Angel only said our destination isn’t in the sewers. It’s still possible we might traverse them along the way.”
After saying this, the Black Count turned to Vai: “If we do end up in the sewers, I’ll take refuge in your body. You have no right to refuse, otherwise, keep your distance from Angel now, I can guess what you’re thinking.”
Vai nodded meekly, knowing he dared not refuse even without the Black Count’s latter remark, which only deepened Angel’s curiosity.
However, Angel just glanced at Vai without much thought. After all, what ill intentions could a homebody harbor?
“Don’t worry, lord, we probably won’t end up in the sewers. As long as we locate the institution the Demon God’s followers aim to attack, the rest of the path should become clear,” Angel stated, revealing significant information.
Even the two apprentices were surprised, not to mention Daus and the Black Count.
“It seems you already know which institution the Demon God’s followers intend to attack?” the Black Count asked with certainty.
“I have some guesses. You need not be suspicious; it’s merely a synthesis of existing information and some matters I’m aware of,” Angel replied, still displaying his usual “don’t ask about my business” demeanor.
The Black Count responded: “Existing information, I’m unaware of any that could have hinted at this to you. The Demon God of Mirrors, I’m certain you know nothing about. What other information could there be to make such an inference?”
“Is it the mural we discovered later, or… the information from our Noah family?”
Angel had to admire the Black Count’s sharpness. He had deduced from Augustine that the official institution likely targeted by the Demon God’s followers was the Hanging Prison Stairs.
Yet, this was a question Angel still chose not to answer. He could not explain how he knew about Augustine’s ambiguous relationship with the young lady of the Hanging Prison Stairs.
Angel remarked: “Lord, better not delve too deeply. If every time I divulge something you become overly suspicious, I might as well remain silent.”
“You just need to trust me. I harbor no ill intentions. It’s just that some things, due to certain constraints, I cannot disclose.”
Angel spoke openly, with an expression inviting them to probe his truth if they wished.
No one used a true spell, because similar things had already been said by Angel before the exploration began, and a promise had been made then. This was why Angel could be trusted and lead the team. Moreover, even the key to open the ruin was crafted by Angel. If he had ulterior motives, why would he go through the trouble of crafting the key himself? He could have simply crafted it secretly and let Rhine arrange for some wizards to explore, couldn’t he?
Given Angel’s importance in the Savage Grottoes, let alone just sending a few people to explore the ruins, even if Rhine himself were to go, Rhine would probably not refuse.
“I trust Lord Super Dimensional!”
During a moment permeated with silence, Vai suddenly spoke up.
“Lord Super Dimensional definitely has his own difficulties. He couldn’t possibly harbor ill intentions.”
Daus stepped forward, turned Vai’s body towards him, and said: “Hey, hey, hey, when did Angel brainwash you? As an old friend for many years, let me remind you, don’t be deceived by his saintly demeanor; he’s very dark-hearted. He even tried to trap me before, getting me involved with that mushroom poison. You really shouldn’t trust people so easily.”
Angel: “So, this is how untrustworthy I am in your eyes.”
Faced with Angel again, Daus made another face: “How could that be? I trust you too. As a friend, after deeply understanding you, acknowledging your rights and wrongs, only then did I truly believe what you said. And Vai, he’s just a follower, so I had to give him a little warning.”
Angel: “Is Vai really just a follower? I feel like he’s more of a pioneer. After all, he was the first to say he trusts me.”
Daus: “Trust doesn’t need to be expressed; knowing it in your heart is enough. Those who express it don’t truly trust.”
Watching Daus’ unashamed expression, Angel wanted to argue a bit more, but decided against it. No matter how much he argued, Daus was always going to be this way.
However, Vai’s support was somewhat unexpected to Angel.
Just as Daus had said, when did Vai start trusting him so much? They had only met a few days ago, after all. Could it be…
He needs something from me?
After all, Angel was an alchemist, a member of the Research Institute. Vai probably sought his alchemy services, which would explain his eagerness.
Being a homebody, Vai didn’t know other ways to express himself, only through such eagerness.
Realizing this, Angel felt both helpless and pity towards Vai. Such eagerness was of no use to him; rather than being eager, a direct and equivalent exchange would be more appropriate.
Although Vai was just an apprentice, he possessed abilities that Angel coveted, such as the Death Scent, which was very interesting. If Vai was willing to exchange uses of the Death Scent, Angel wouldn’t mind providing alchemy services to Vai.
With this in mind, Angel patted Vai on the shoulder, giving him a hint with his eyes.
Vai completely failed to grasp what Angel meant; as a freshly obsessed fan, what Vai imagined was… Angel had acknowledged him.
Vai’s heart surged with emotion.
Indeed, only a superstar like Lord Super Dimensional deserved his admiration!
Two individuals, utterly mismatched in thought, thus completed their first earnest exchange of looks.
At this moment, Angel looked up towards the distant Black Count: “What do you think, lord?”
The Black Count: “Stop the nonsense, let’s keep moving.”
Angel smiled faintly, the Black Count might not have said it outright, but this response essentially meant he was yielding.
That was enough.
With a casual wave of his hand, Angel enveloped everyone in a purification field.
“Let’s go, I believe there should be a fork in the road below; if it’s still just a filthy sewer ditch… well, that would just show how tolerant those Demon God followers really are.”
…
Meanwhile, the Black Merchant was leisurely strolling through this nearly abandoned building.
Under his mask, the Black Merchant yawned: “What a bore, I thought they would have set traps or some other obstacles. But there’s nothing at all.”
“Is this overconfidence in their own strength, or are they just a bunch of innocent little rabbits?”
The Black Merchant squinted thoughtfully for a moment, then suddenly laughed.
“Hope it’s the former…” While he did enjoy dealing with greenhorns, his hot-tempered older brother couldn’t stand seeing him bully the weak.
Stuck with such an absurd brother, what could he say? Of course, it was——lucky me!
Thinking of his brother, the White Merchant, the Black Merchant’s mood inexplicably brightened, no doubt the White Merchant was also mumbling about him. Because it was only when the White Merchant thought of him that he felt an inexplicable joy, a twin’s telepathy.
Humming a tune, the Black Merchant reached the top floor.
He had no intention of checking the surroundings around him; that bothersome task was better left to people like Gray Merchant.
He had only one goal!
Find the person casting illusions and give them a good beating!
However, as the Black Merchant stepped out of the top floor entrance, looking at the vast view before him, he scratched his head in confusion.
Which way would they go?
Chapter 2593 Black White Gray <TOC> Chapter 2595 Three Way Fork