Chapter 2615 Strange Dog Hole <TOC> Chapter 2617 The Black Merchant's Message
Previous page password is bold portion: co2ob4ACHE#p
Translator: SumTLMan
“Regardless of whether it is or not, we might as well go and take a look,” Angel said as he reinforced the purification field in the moving illusion realm.
Although the Black Count had voluntarily released his sense of smell and became emotionally unstable after detecting the stench, he did so to save the team’s time. As the leader, Angel felt he should do something to soothe the team’s emotions; thus, he reinforced the purification field.
However, the moving illusion realm already had a purification field, so adding another layer didn’t make much difference.
But this action did slightly calm the Black Count’s emotions. It’s probably like, even if the result is the same whether you do it or not, the fact that you did it shows you care.
And this care received a response: the Black Count sent Angel a private message.
“I see the shadow of Sanders in you, but I also see yourself. This is a good thing, but if you want to grow to stand on your own, it’s best to abandon imitation.”
This “private chat” could be considered the Black Count’s return.
After listening, Angel thought for a moment and understood what the Black Count meant.
Being a leader for the first time, Angel actually didn’t know to what extent he should perform. Having been Sanders’ follower, Angel began to imitate Sanders consciously or unconsciously. Even when making decisions, he would think: If Mentor were here, what would he do?
It must be said that the Black Count’s insight was sharp.
Angel hadn’t shown any awkwardness as a first-time leader, yet the Black Count still saw through him. The Black Count didn’t mock him for it but gave sincere advice:
Imitation isn’t a bad thing. However, if you truly want to stand on your own, become a decision-maker and leader, it’s best to abandon imitation.
“I understand. Thank you for informing me, lord,” Angel said.
The Black Count snorted lightly and didn’t respond further.
Angel didn’t mind and began discussing the route with Daus.
There were too many Wizard Eye Ghosts here, and once discovered by any of them, or if you killed any of them, you would be surrounded.
Although Wizard Eye Ghosts are low-level monsters, they are extremely good at physical transformation. Killing one or two is easy, but killing thousands is not easy to handle.
Therefore, it’s important to plan the route in advance.
Soon, Angel and Daus each planned a route. Their routes were similar at the beginning but diverged later.
The similarity at the beginning was because, in the vast square, even though there were many Wizard Eye Ghosts, there were paths where you could avoid them. But after crossing the square, with buildings everywhere and intricate alleys, they had different routes.
Daus’ route was to detour far around the twin towers, with two branch routes to choose from, all alleys, and they expected to encounter more than ten Wizard Eye Ghosts.
Angel’s route, on the other hand, went directly past the twin towers, with only one patrolling Wizard Eye Ghost on the path.
After hearing the two completely different routes from Angel and Daus, everyone was quite surprised. According to Daus’ usual behavior, his choice should be more aggressive, such as a direct approach. But strangely, this time he chose a conservative route. This route was winding, and although they would encounter more Wizard Eye Ghosts, they would definitely not attract the attention of the two wizard-level Wizard Eye Ghosts.
As for the usually cautious Angel, he chose to go directly past the twin towers.
“Ancestor, is Daus’ route better, or is Lord Super Dimensional’s route better?” Needless to say, it was Vai who spoke.
As soon as Vai finished speaking, Daus muttered beside him: “He advanced later than me, yet you address him respectfully and just call me by name. You’re deliberately stirring up trouble, kid!”
Vai completely ignored Daus; after all, with the Black Count present, Daus wouldn’t dare do anything to him.
The Black Count said: “Let them decide for themselves. It doesn’t matter which path they take.”
Originally, Angel wanted to hear the Black Count’s opinion, but since he clearly wasn’t planning to get involved, Angel felt a bit troubled.
Usually, listening to Daus’ choices was fine because of his inspiration. But now, Daus’ inspiration was starting to backfire and cause trouble, so everyone was somewhat hesitant to fully trust him.
Although Vai and Kael didn’t say anything, they obviously trusted Angel more. After all, this path only had one Wizard Eye Ghost, and they could avoid it during patrols. As for possibly attracting the attention of two wizard-level Wizard Eye Ghosts? Since Angel chose this path, he should have a plan…
Angel looked at Daus: “Do you have any reason for choosing this route?”
Daus replied lazily: “You go first, then I’ll see if I want to listen to you.”
Angel frowned slightly but still spoke first: “The route I chose is the shortest, and the chance of encountering Wizard Eye Ghosts is the smallest. Even if we do encounter them, they won’t be able to detect us within the illusion realm.”
Daus nodded as he listened, seemingly appreciating Angel’s choice: “What you say makes sense. But since your illusion realm is so powerful, wouldn’t it be safer to take my route? We can bypass the twin towers and avoid the risk of being discovered.”
Angel narrowed his eyes: “Are you suggesting that my illusion realm can’t fool those two wizard-level Wizard Eye Ghosts?”
Daus said: “No, I just think that taking a detour isn’t a big deal.”
After Daus finished speaking, he turned his head to look at the route he had chosen, his eyes flickering slightly.
Although Daus didn’t say much and showed little expression, Angel noticed that his emotional fluctuations were very intense; it could be said that since they entered the ruins, this was his biggest emotional upheaval.
This was just a route choice; why was his emotion fluctuating so intensely? Angel found it somewhat difficult to understand.
At this moment, Daus’ gaze suddenly turned toward the twin towers. Angel noticed that when facing the twin towers, his emotions were actually calmer than when he looked at his own chosen route.
This seemed to mean that Daus agreed with his choice?
But why did Daus still insist on the more roundabout route?
As various thoughts intertwined in Angel’s mind, the Black Count spoke: “Have you decided? It’s just a route; is there a need to think so long?”
Angel closed his eyes and pondered for two seconds. When he opened them again, his gaze was more determined than before.
“Let’s take Daus’ route.” Angel made the decision without giving any reasons.
Although everyone was puzzled as to why Angel chose this way, since he had decided, they would follow. After all, it was just a slightly longer detour.
Daus looked at Angel with a complex expression. He opened his mouth, wanting to ask why Angel listened to him, but in the end, he didn’t speak and silently walked to the front.
“What’s this? Are you ready for battle?” Angel’s voice came from behind.
Daus said: “Bloodline wizards should be at the forefront; it’s the dignity of the bloodline branch!”
“I’ve heard that before, but it seems there’s a premise: it’s in the midst of melee,” Angel said: “So, do you think your choice will definitely involve combat?”
Daus replied grumpily: “Caution, it’s called caution. Don’t you understand?”
Angel chuckled, didn’t respond, and leisurely followed behind Daus.
As everyone moved within the illusion realm, the Black Count’s private communication line connected to Angel again.
“You noticed?”
Angel said: “You mean that Daus is rebelling against the guidance of his inspiration?”
The Black Count chuckled softly: “So, you’ve noticed. The choice that inspiration offered Daus should have been your path. To realize this, you must possess a special talent for observation, don’t you?”
“And how did you discover it, lord?” Angel replied with a question of his own.
“I can sense many things,” the Black Count said: “For instance, the sudden shift in aura and the forcibly suppressed sigh.”
“Perhaps I, like you, detected Daus’ anomalies through changes in his aura?”
The Black Count responded: “The aura fluctuations I mentioned were all contained within Daus himself. I’m quite certain your senses aren’t that sharp.”
Angel smiled: “Indeed, I didn’t rely on aura to uncover it. But don’t forget my specialty, lord. While my skills in heart and mind illusions aren’t as formidable as my mentor’s, sensing the shifts in someone’s heart isn’t too challenging. Moreover, everyone is currently within my illusion.”
Angel had lied, but he genuinely managed to deceive the Black Count. After all, using a truth spell during a conversation is rather impolite.
Besides, what Angel claimed was entirely plausible; the logic was coherent, and he had demonstrated his prowess in illusion magic. Why wouldn’t the Black Count believe him?
“Heart and mind illusion spells are quite rare these days,” the Black Count mused: “They used to be all the rage because controlling people’s hearts can be quite addictive… But after the Demon God descended and wars erupted, illusionist wizards specializing in heart and mind illusions became rather superfluous in battle. So, fewer people began studying them. After all, heart and mind illusions are more useful for support, and nowadays, people prefer aggressive combat.”
“However, my mentor insists I delve deeper into heart and mind illusions,” Angel interjected: “He always says that the human heart is ever-changing, and that heart and mind illusions hold the potential for world-class illusion magic, a promising future awaits.”
Hearing about world-class illusion magic, the Black Count smiled: “Indeed, a promising future. But I wonder, how long will we have to wait for that future?”
At this point, Angel felt it was time to wrap up the topic of heart and mind illusions. If they continued, it wouldn’t be good if his earlier bluff was exposed.
So, he proactively changed the subject: “Daus resisting inspiration this time, is it good or bad? Do you know, lord?”
“It’s hard to say at the moment,” the Black Count replied: “but once we finish following his chosen path, we should have an answer.”
“Then we’ll wait and see,” Angel agreed.
As their private conversation ended, Daus’ complaints immediately followed: “What were you two talking about? Why didn’t you include me?”
“You’ll have to ask the Black Count, lord,” Angel said: “He initiated the connection with me.”
Daus glanced at the Black Count, about to speak, but the Black Count cut him off with a single sentence: “Are you sure you want to know about the matters concerning the Noah Family and the Savage Grottoes?”
The underlying implication was clear: once you heard it, you’d no longer be free. You’d either join the Noah Family or head to the Savage Grottoes.
For Daus, who valued freedom above all else, this was undoubtedly his Achilles’ heel. He didn’t dare continue asking, fearing that learning some secret would forcefully strip him of his liberty.
Seeing Daus’ helpless and somewhat sheepish expression, Angel couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Come to think of it, Daus values freedom so much. Could it also be due to inspiration at work?” Angel privately messaged the Black Count.
“You haven’t been to the Cross Headquarters, have you?” the Black Count asked.
“Isn’t that a gathering place for wandering wizards? I shouldn’t be able to enter, right?”
The Black Count replied: “If you, looking as you do now, walked straight into the Cross Headquarters, would anyone recognize you as the renowned Super Dimensional Wizard? If you claim to be a wandering wizard, who would argue?”
Angel pondered for a moment. It did seem plausible. Determining whether someone is a wandering wizard is actually quite difficult.
“At the Cross Headquarters, those pretending to be wandering wizards, I dare say at least ten or twenty percent. Perhaps among the few old men there, some are spies from the City of Truth.”
The old men at the Cross Headquarters mentioned by the Black Count are actually the most formidable figures there, serving as the very face of the wandering wizards.
“Why are you so certain they’re spies from the City of Truth?” Angel questioned.
“Hmph, if you’d been to the City of Truth, you’d understand,” the Black Count replied: “There are many wizards there you’ve never encountered, yet they possess extraordinary power. They’re secretly cultivated by the City of Truth. So if anyone can produce powerful yet unfamiliar wizards, only the City of Truth is capable of it.”
The Black Count paused briefly: “But I digress. Back to the main point: once you’ve visited the Cross Headquarters, you’ll comprehend why Daus holds freedom in such high esteem.”
“Is that a blessing or a curse?” Angel asked skeptically.
“It’s neither good nor bad, just a difference in values,” the Black Count explained: “You have a well-formed worldview, so there’s no harm in taking a look. Moreover, listening to the wandering wizards’ discourse on freedom might aid you in impersonating one in the future.”
Angel was tempted to ask why he would ever need to disguise himself as a wandering wizard.
But after pondering, he held his tongue. Who can predict what the future holds?
As they conversed, the group had already crossed the square.
With the moving illusion realm as their cover, they advanced smoothly, not attracting the slightest attention from the Wizard Eye Ghosts.
However, from here onward, they would need to exercise greater caution.
They now stood before a structure resembling a colossal bird’s nest. Judging from the weathered lettering on the doorplate, this place was once the Court of Review, likely similar to a courthouse. Through the nest-like openings, they glimpsed rows of circular seating inside, with a podium-like platform at the center.
If this truly was a courthouse, it probably allowed the public to witness the trials of criminals; otherwise, there would be no need for so many seats.
Now, the bird’s nest-like Court of Review was devoid of any signs of life. The entire place was suffused with black miasma seeping from the ground, and countless Wizard Eye Ghosts crouched at the sources of the dark aura, greedily absorbing it.
These black miasmas were both filth and energy, the fundamental reason why monsters have persisted in the underground labyrinth.
It certainly wasn’t like this in the beginning; perhaps the magic formation underwent alterations later on. As to how these changes occurred, Angel was uncertain, but he surmised it might have been the handiwork of that Three-Eyed Blue Demon.
“Earlier, I was considering taking the alley beside this building,” Daus began: “but the outer perimeter of this court doesn’t have any Wizard Eye Ghosts, and there’s a door at the far end. Perhaps we could pass through here instead?”
Adapting to circumstances in this way seemed acceptable.
There are indeed numerous Wizard Eye Ghosts in that alley. Even under the illusion’s protection, they would need to remain vigilant. If push came to shove, they could include them within the illusion realm, but doing so carries a small risk of being detected by other Wizard Eye Ghosts.
Therefore, altering their route to pass through the outer passage of the Court of Review seemed like a prudent choice.
Chapter 2615 Strange Dog Hole <TOC> Chapter 2617 The Black Merchant's Message