Chapter 2595 Three Way Fork <TOC> Chapter 2597 Chimney
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Translator: SumTLMan
They walked for less than half a minute before they saw the “item with a faint extraordinary reaction” that Angel had mentioned.
Previously, Angel hadn’t expended any effort to carefully investigate, only knowing it was a small object, possibly an extraordinary item left by predecessors.
However, when they actually reached the spot, they found it wasn’t some object, but a very small skull.
When they first discovered the skull, since it was the back of the skull facing them, they thought it was a baby’s skull. But when they saw the front, they were stunned.
“Do humans have a one-eyed species?” Kael, looking at the skull with only one eye socket, quietly asked.
“Whether humans have a one-eyed species or not, have you ever seen someone with a jaw that reaches to the ears, interlaced with hundreds of sharp teeth?” Daus countered.
Kael shook his head: “I don’t think so.”
Daus: “Then there you have it, this is actually a demon’s skull.”
Daus picked the skull up from the ground; the small skull fit neatly in one palm. Examining the skull’s details closely, Daus speculated: “There are many one-eyed demons, but with only one skull, I can’t determine what kind of demon it is.”
After Daus spoke, he looked towards the Black Count.
The most experienced and knowledgeable person present was none other than the Black Count.
True to expectations, the Black Count did not disappoint. He merely glanced at the skull with his nostrils, sniffed a few times, and then provided an answer.
“This is the juvenile form of a Flying Skull Demon, which consists solely of a skull without a body. A two-month-old Flying Skull Demon’s skull is comparable in size to an adult’s, and after three months, it’s even larger than an adult’s head. Thus, looking at the size of this skull, it can be determined that this Flying Skull Demon was a month old… perhaps even less than half a month.”
“As for the time of death, judging from the faint to almost non-existent extraordinary energy within the skull, it must have been over a hundred years ago.”
“As for the cause of death, it can’t be determined. The skull is intact, possibly indicating the cranial organs were subjected to a non-physical attack.”
After finishing, the Black Count indifferently said: “Although I don’t mind providing you all with an educational explanation, this thing, clearly unrelated to our objectives, even knowing about it is actually useless, a waste of words.”
The Black Count rarely complained, but Angel could sense that the Black Count wasn’t really angry because of wasted words. He probably felt that he was being treated by Daus as… a tool.
One moment Daus could be scolding him, the next moment, he would come to him with something unknown.
If that isn’t being treated as a tool, what is?
The Black Count also had a temper, he wouldn’t say it directly, only indirectly hint that he was a bit upset.
Angel is quite familiar with people of this sort, whether it be his mentor or the likes of Rhine, and even the powerful figures from the Abyss such as Fafnir, Odeklaes, and Balalaika… They are all essentially of this personality type.
To put it nicely, they are seen as self-respecting and unwilling to express themselves openly.
But to be blunt, they have a cold front but warm back.
In such moments, others might sit upright and refrain from speaking further. However, with his vast experience, Angel took the opportunity to speak up: “You are right, lord. However, the Flying Skull Demon might not be entirely unrelated to our objective.”
If this statement had come from Daus, the Black Count would have ignored him outright, but coming from Angel, he considered it somewhat: “Why do you say that?”
Angel carefully chose his words: “If there are no surprises, traces of the Flying Skull Demon might occasionally be found near our target area.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Angel sensed a fluctuation in the Black Count’s emotions. He quickly added: “As for why I know this, it’s private, and I can’t disclose it to you. However, please don’t fully trust my words; I could also be wrong.”
“Could be wrong?” questioned the Black Count.
After pondering for a moment, Angel responded: “Because reality often differs from what we imagine.”
The Black Count frowned, feeling as if he was on the verge of grasping something, but after careful thought, it vanished without a trace.
Yet, this sudden inspiration made the Black Count somewhat believe in Angel.
Silently, the Black Count asked: “Besides the Flying Skull Demon, are there other characteristics of the target area… I mean, in your imagination?”
Angel hadn’t expected the Black Count to accept his explanation so quickly. This time, he did not hold back and straightforwardly said: “Yes, there might be Demon Eater Flowers around the target area.”
Angel was sharing his experiences from the Nightmare Plane, where he first arrived right outside the Demon Eater Flower tunnel. He encountered two Flying Skull Demons there, which scared him into rushing into the tunnel, only to discover at the end of it… a mysterious and enigmatic wall.
“Flying Skull Demons and Demon Eater Flowers, got it,” declared the Black Count solemnly.
Angel replied: “Just take it as you hear it, lord, still the same saying, when illusions project into reality, everything might change.”
“I understand,” the Black Count acknowledged.
The conversation between the Black Count and Angel left everyone else puzzled. It was fine for Kael and Vai to be confused, but Daus wouldn’t allow himself to be so bewildered. Along the way, he approached Angel and whispered: “What were you guys talking about just now? What about these illusions, what about reality?”
Instead of answering, Angel countered with a question: “Are you planning to collect this Flying Skull Demon’s skull?”
By this time, they had continued on their journey, but Daus still hadn’t discarded the smooth skull, continuing to play with it in his palm.
“You don’t understand, the feeling of holding a handful is really quite satisfying,” Daus remarked, his expression meaningful.
Angel raised an eyebrow: “That’s only you.”
Angel was purely contemplating whether Daus’ action was an unconscious act under the influence of spiritual perception, and whether it might relate to what was to follow. However, Daus clearly didn’t grasp Angel’s intention, and Angel couldn’t possibly explain, so he let it be.
“You’ve asked me, but you haven’t answered my question yet,” Daus persisted stubbornly.
Angel did not want to respond, but Daus was the most stubborn and annoying wizard Angel had ever met, completely indifferent to the decorum of a formal wizard, pestering like a child nagging for candy.
After enduring a buzzing journey by his ears, Angel finally sighed.
“Have you heard of prophecy visions?”
Upon hearing Angel’s response, Daus immediately turned into a good child, nodding vigorously: “Images captured from the future?”
“Sort of. I know a prophecy wizard who is best at capturing some images from the past or future.”
“You can understand now that this prophecy wizard I know saw some images and told me about them. These images directly point to the destination, and also include some irrelevant details, like the Flying Skull Demons and Demon Eater Flowers I mentioned earlier.”
“However, the images seen by the prophecy wizard represent only one possibility. They could be real, or they could just be an illusory dream.”
“Now do you understand? What I said might be true, but it could also be false.”
Daus probably understood what Angel was trying to convey. However, his train of thought was more erratic. After listening, he did not dwell further on the issues of the Flying Skull Demons and Demon Eater Flowers but asked: “The prophecy wizard spoke only of possibilities, and the monsters could be variables, which I agree with. But the destination is a fixed fact, so, did you see the true situation of the destination from the prophecy vision?”
Daus’ question precisely targeted the core, even catching the attention of the Black Count.
Angel, massaging his temples, said somewhat helplessly: “As I said, I used the prophecy vision as an example. Whether this prophecy wizard exists is questionable.”
“But setting that aside, you should still know about the destination, right?” Daus asked the question everyone else wanted to but felt awkward asking.
“It’s still the same, I only know where the destination might appear, but I don’t know what’s there.”
To Daus, Angel’s statement actually seemed flawed because it was clear that Angel knew the destination was possibly related to the Noah family. How could he possibly know nothing about what’s at the destination?
However, Daus did not pursue further because he noticed that the Black Count had stopped flying, and although the stone slab faced away from them, it was without a doubt that the Black Count was paying attention to their conversation.
Daus did not want to speak for the Black Count.
Why should I ask if you don’t even ask yourself?
Thinking this, Daus shrugged: “Well, I believe you.”
The little figure in Angel’s mind couldn’t help but roll its eyes at Daus: Who needs your belief?!
The reason he had to explain this again, aside from Daus’ persistence, was also in the hope of dispelling any doubts among the others as much as possible. However, people’s minds change, and Angel wasn’t too concerned about what others thought. If they still harbored heavy doubts about him, it didn’t matter anymore. Because, that was all he could reveal.
After their conversation, no one else approached Angel, and they smoothly reached the endpoint of the right path——
A locked ancient Bronze Door.
From the outside, this bronze door was about two meters tall, and above it was the labyrinth’s wall, with no hint of any structure inside.
Upon seeing this bronze door, everyone’s first reaction was to probe with their mental power.
Then, they saw a dense convergence of energy. Upon closer inspection, one could vaguely discern the intricate and complex runes.
The entire bronze door, from top to bottom, was covered with such densely packed runes.
Previously, they heard Angel mention that he had found a flaw in the door’s runes, allowing some Sound Echoes to penetrate inside. At that time, they didn’t feel much, but now, seeing the runes on the door, they all expressed shock from the depths of their hearts to their outward expressions.
Such densely packed runes, they felt dizzy just by looking at them, and Angel, standing at a distance, merely relying on the sensation of Sound Echoes on the magic runes, was actually able to penetrate inside?!
Previously, when they saw Angel letting the Black Count activate the master control rune while he was repairing the faulted runes with an inscription pen, they were already amazed.
Now, they were even more overwhelmingly shocked.
What does it mean to be a big shot? This is a big shot.
His computational power was simply defying the heavens.
Even the Black Count, at this moment, was silently changing his opinion of Angel. Initially, he paid attention to Angel purely because of Sanders and his old friend Rhine, but now, Angel had completely emerged from the impression of “a junior valued by a friend.”
Angel was simply Angel, even if he was just a formal wizard, but in the field of enchantment, he had already reached the pinnacle in the Southern Region.
The Black Count acknowledged that he was far inferior.
And yet, Angel’s cultivation time was still a mere fraction of the Black Count’s. If he did not fall, this would be a truly exceptional prodigy.
The Black Count thought that this might just be the breakthrough needed to end the low ebb of the Wizarding World in the Southern Region and herald a new era. Suddenly, he felt as though he had been bewitched, overestimating Angel’s abilities——after all, how difficult was it to usher in a new era? How could Angel possibly achieve that?
Nevertheless, even if a new era was out of reach, Angel’s current display of talent alone warranted the high regard of the Black Count, and even… a significant esteem.
For a technical talent, it’s not about strength, but skill. And right now, Angel certainly qualified for the Black Count’s esteem.
Under the astonished gazes of everyone, Angel voluntarily approached the bronze door and took on the task of opening it.
Since it was now assumed that places with magic formations were his responsibility, Angel no longer sought others’ opinions. Seeing a magic formation, he simply rolled up his sleeves.
Using the Sound Echo to enter the door meant that the magic formation on the door was within his capability to decipher.
However, the efficiency of deciphering the runes was slower than Angel had anticipated.
The Sound Echo worked by exploiting the gaps and flaws between the runes. But to open the bronze door and enter, he had to find a way to break the door’s runes without alerting the main magic formation, so he had to add a small external modifier.
This effort took a considerable amount of Angel’s time.
By the time the bronze door was pushed open, five minutes had already passed.
People began walking through the door, with Angel and Daus being the last to enter. Daus looked at the complex runes on the door and then at the external formation disc that Angel had made: “Are you sure you don’t want to recover it?”
“This bronze door has been modified by me to operate independently of the magic formation now. Even if it were reconnected to the magic formation, it might be rejected. So, there’s no need to recover that disc; recovering it could even cause some energy interference here.”
Daus sighed: “If this building indeed has a path, and it leads to our target, I always feel like we’ve become pioneers, doing all the technical work. If the Traveling Merchants catch up, they’ll just reap the benefits. Just like the magic formation in the underground church, you fixed it, and after we leave, I guess this passage will be under the control of the Traveling Merchants, taking all the advantages.”
Angel thought Daus had some ideas and had deliberately stayed behind to walk with him. Turns out, it was just to complain.
Angel understood where Daus’ resentment came from, but if he didn’t break the formation, should they wait for someone from the Traveling Merchants to come and do it?
Not even the Black Count had made a move, what kind of rune wizard could the Traveling Merchants possibly bring to break it?
So, they just had to accept their fate.
“Don’t think too much, there’s no such thing as reaping without sowing. The ones who truly reap without sowing are the wizards who have explored these ruins for millennia. We and the Traveling Merchants are just picking up what’s left.”
After saying this, Angel patted Daus on the shoulder: “Come on, let’s go in and pick up the leftovers.”
“Ah, that’s easy to say, but it’s still hard to accept. I just hope there aren’t any other passages inside…”