Chapter 2642 Blue Fatty <TOC> Chapter 2644 Everyone’s Treasures
Translator: SumTLMan
Cecia: “Sure, I can not only let you see it, if you want it, I can also give it to you directly.”
Angel looked at Cecia warily: “What price do I have to pay?”
Cecia replied impatiently: “You’ve already paid the price, so there’s no need.”
Angel: “What do you mean?”
Cecia explained, without much patience: “To pass through here according to the rules, each person must give me a precious treasure. I took two gold coins imbued with meaning from you, which also count as two precious treasures, so in theory, that little fellow you brought along could have come through together with you.
“But if you want to exchange one of those gold coins for the item the Wood Spirit left here, I can trade it to you. However, then only you alone may pass through. As for that little fellow outside, either he must stay here, or he must use some other precious item to purchase his own ticket.”
“So I’m saying you’ve already paid your price.” Cecia paused: “Also, don’t expect me to give it to you for free. This is the rule; I cannot go against it.”
“I understand. The teammate who came in just now wasn’t deliberately trying to pay with only ten magic crystals. He was only testing the baseline for the ticket. When it’s time for him to pay, he will definitely come up with it; I don’t need to pay for him.” Angel paused: “But I’m curious: Miss Cecia’s box is bound by the rules, does it only have the function of selling tickets?”
“The rules I speak of were set by the warden, not by the rules of the Box of Cecia.”
At this point, Cecia cast a sidelong glance at Angel: “As for what my box can do, this shift of your sensory perception you’re experiencing, this alternate dimension space, all of it is the ability of the Box of Cecia. Still, these are merely the box’s basic abilities. Its primary function…”
When she reached this crucial juncture, Angel couldn’t help leaning in and pricking up his ears to listen closely.
Yet after teasing him, Cecia did not reveal the answer but merely said: “I don’t want to say.”
Angel: “…”
Cecia: “If one day I manage to leave this hellish place, then I can tell you my real function.”
Angel flashed a polite smile, but inwardly he was speechless. Cecia herself hinted that she wanted to leave here, and aside from ‘a dead tree coming back to life’, in other words, Nightfall City regaining its former glory, there was no other possibility.
And could Nightfall City truly be rebuilt? Angel was not optimistic. The current Nightfall City was just propped up by a few old monsters, whose strength might not be that great. Even if Nightfall City really was rebuilt, those who benefited in the end might not be them.
“In that case, I look forward to that day,” Angel said, though internally he saw it as near impossible. On the surface, he still acted eager and sincere.
“Hmph. Hypocrite.”
Cecia snorted a few times and did not continue the topic. Instead, she casually gestured, and a gold coin appeared in her palm.
It was the very same demon gold coin Angel had given.
Cecia brought the coin up to her nose and sniffed lightly: “This gold demon coin was handled many times, even stained with demon blood, but by the time it reached your hands, it had become clean. It’s been infused with your surprise, and you personally invested it with new significance. You no longer used it for trade but instead carried it close to you, so its value in your mind continued to deepen…until you abandoned it and gave it to me.”
Angel wasn’t surprised that Cecia could perceive the ‘meaning’ within objects. She had already mentioned before that objects bearing such significance were precious treasures that could bring a trace of comfort to her lonely world. That alone revealed that Cecia possessed the ability to sense the significance of “precious treasures.”
In a way, this might be connected to prophecy. Cecia herself was a Laudsourcian, so having a prophetic gift seemed plausible. Even having turned into a box, that gift might still come in handy.
Cecia: “Time was too short for me to detect what significance you gave it, but it’s already quite valuable.”
Angel: “I didn’t assign it meaning. Rather, from the moment it came into my hands, it already had meaning. Because this was the very first demon coin I’d ever legitimately earned from a demon.”
Cecia: “So, it’s…a memento.”
Angel neither confirmed nor denied, just nodded.
Cecia toyed with the demon coin for a moment, then gave it a light toss. The coin vanished into the swirling darkness.
As the demon coin was swallowed by the dark mist, a metallic object dropped down in its place, eventually landing in Cecia’s hand.
It had happened so quickly that Angel couldn’t see it clearly; he only felt something about its color looked familiar.
When Cecia opened her palm, Angel’s pupils constricted slightly.
Now it wasn’t just the color that looked familiar, but even the shape.
It was a circular ring in silver-white, exactly like the silver ring Speedling had initially discovered, except this one was bigger by a fraction, and it had a band of long, slender jade-leaf designs etched on it. This silver ring looked more refined because of that engraved pattern.
“What is this…” Angel asked Cecia, puzzled.
Cecia casually tossed the silver-white ring over to Angel: “I got this from the Wood Spirit. Back then, it whined to me for half a day, saying it was ever so precious… Did it really think my identification ability was for show? This thing isn’t worth a copper coin. It bears no meaning at all.”
After a few complaints, Cecia added: “Still, if you have a prophecy wizard on your team, you can use it to track the Wood Spirit’s whereabouts. No problem there.”
“Anyway, I used your demon coin to exchange this item from the Wood Spirit. Though there’s a discrepancy in value, it’s something you need, so I’d say it’s a fair trade.”
“Do you have any other questions? Or do you want to exchange for something else as well?” While speaking, Cecia stretched out her fair, slender hand and gently waved it through the swirling darkness. Faintly, one could see a huge hoard of items begin to emerge, in all styles, shapes, and sizes…
“I have quite a few objects with interesting origins or stories. I’m sick of seeing them. If you have any items that bear significance, you can trade with me.”
Angel did not respond. Frowning, he gripped the silver ring in his hand. A series of seemingly connected clues flashed through his mind, leaving a flicker of change in his gaze.
“What’s wrong?” Cecia asked Angel, puzzled.
“Nothing, I just didn’t expect the Wood Spirit to have such a refined-looking item.” Angel slipped the silver ring into his pocket with a casual gesture, acting as though everything were normal.
“Refined? You sure have questionable taste…” Cecia scoffed: “But compared to the Wood Spirit’s bare wooden body, this sole ornament might indeed seem refined.” After that, she gestured to the murky shapes hidden in the fog above and said to Angel: “So, what do you think? Any interest?”
Angel: “…So, this is you acting as a middleman, right? The significance you perceive is the so-called price difference?”
Cecia: “You can think of it that way. Are you going to trade?”
After some thought, Angel felt that if these objects really had intriguing backstories, trading a few might be worthwhile: “Mind showing me what you have so I can see for myself?”
With a wave of Cecia’s hand, the fog-shrouded items slowly vanished: “That won’t work. It can only be a random trade. The Wood Spirit’s stuff was ordinary, so I can freely decide its usage rights, but the other objects are not so ordinary.”
Angel: “Then forget it.”
He didn’t trust the notion of “random.” Ninety-nine percent, that so-called random draw would be entirely up to Cecia’s whim——whatever she felt like giving, she would give. She’d pick what suited her mood.
In the language of the holographic tablet’s games, Angel’s “favorability level” with Cecia wasn’t high. Anything “random” that he drew would be the worst. But if a living, breathing Laudsourcian——like Totoro, were in his place, the random draw from Cecia would likely be top-tier.
Hence, Angel wouldn’t fall for it.
“Are you sure you don’t want to trade? Some of these items were once treasures that even the warden of the Hanging Prison Stairs coveted. If you’re lucky, you might get a treasure the warden himself thirsted for.” Cecia’s tone held a tempting lilt.
Angel: “I’m sure Miss Cecia has plenty of powerful treasures at hand, but it’s too bad that if I draw the lottery here today, I doubt my luck will be good.”
Cecia narrowed her eyes: “You’re implying I would manipulate it behind the scenes?”
Angel: “Of course not. I’m just saying that ‘today’ my luck doesn’t look promising. Next time we meet, I’ll bring a lucky charm to boost my fortune. I’m sure I’ll have better odds in the draw then.”
No doubt, the so-called lucky charm would be Totoro. If Totoro were present, even setting aside how Cecia might act, Totoro’s own abilities would guarantee that Angel wouldn’t lose out.
Though Cecia didn’t grasp Angel’s exact intention, she did eye him with suspicion for a few seconds before waving her hand: “Fine. If you don’t want to trade, then so be it. Now that you mention it, describing it as a ‘lottery’ is quite apt. Maybe I really can start offering that service.”
As she spoke, Cecia started calculating happily in her mind. Angel had clearly inspired her. If, in the future, people wished to pass through, she could absolutely set some random items of moderate value as “prizes” in exchange for treasures. Label it as a ‘lottery.’ It was perfect!
“What a pity that not many people come to see me anyway…sigh.” Cecia sighed and decided she’d have to take as much advantage of each visitor as possible.
“That might not be certain. The Traveling Merchants keep following right behind us, so maybe they’ll show up soon. Then Miss Cecia can have them join your lottery. Have them draw until they’re satisfied.”
Normally, one would assume “draw until satisfied” refers to letting the customer keep drawing until they feel content. But at this moment, Angel and Cecia happened to be on the same wavelength, and they both interpreted it as: keep letting the Traveling Merchants draw until “Cecia” is satisfied.
Currently, Angel didn’t hold much ill will toward the Traveling Merchants, but creating a slight stumbling block for them was no big deal. Moreover, he was only bringing it up, the real trickery would be done by Cecia.
Besides, it was entirely possible they’d be delighted to be tricked. After all, Cecia certainly had no shortage of good stuff. Before reeling in the fish, you’ve got to lay some bait. Who would lose out or come out on top in the end might be hard to say.
…
“Do you have anything else you’d like to ask?”
Angel: “There are many things I’d like to ask, but I’m not sure if Miss Cecia can clear up my doubts.”
Angel began by asking some broad, macro-level questions: for instance, the true story behind Nightfall City’s decline.
Then he honed in on more practical matters: the role played by the Laudsourcians in Nightfall City.
Finally, the questions grew more specific, like why Cecia needed to turn into a box, what experiments were being conducted in Nightfall City, how many Sovereigns remained in the underground labyrinth, why they hadn’t stopped outsiders from pillaging Nightfall City, and what exactly they were waiting for.
The above questions definitely involved oaths that someone like Day, the guardian, could not answer. Cecia couldn’t directly reply to many of them either, but unlike Day, she could offer some hints.
Nonetheless, Cecia’s hints had no explanations. Angel had to interpret them himself.
Trying to interpret these hints, given no context or logic, was extremely difficult.
On the surface, Angel stayed calm and unruffled, but inwardly he was full of question marks. What does this mean? That gesture, was it some hint or just an itch? She tapped her toes five times…was that a habit or a clue?
He ended up understanding very little of what Cecia was implying.
He only gleaned a few broad conclusions: first, Nightfall City’s downfall was man-made, yet also self-inflicted, and every Sovereign and key figure knew all along it was an inevitable outcome.
Second, Laudsourcians indeed had some association with Nightfall City. Apparently one major figure in Nightfall City had a deep connection with the Laudsourcian race, and it was this figure who greatly aided in the race’s official recognition.
Which led to the only time Cecia verbally hinted: “You do know when Laudsourcians were formally deemed part of the human race, right?”
Angel naturally knew the answer. Ten thousand years ago, the Laudsourcians were first recognized as part of humanity, enjoying the same status as humans. They could officially be called “human.”
Though it might seem like just a different label, it was significant. It meant that the Extreme Sect would no longer harass them over their ancestry, and it also meant they qualified to partake in the Wizarding World.
From Cecia’s hint, the reason the Laudsourcians had connections to Nightfall City was that someone of great importance here made sure they were recognized as “human.” That was an immense kindness, leading to ever-deeper entanglements between the Laudsourcians and Nightfall City.
Third, some Sovereign-level entities did still remain in the underground sewer system. Some were in slumber, some were——like Cecia, living in solitude within an alternate dimension space, and others were similar to the Sovereign of Wisdom, roaming the underground labyrinth, repairing magic formations.
But as to precisely how many, Cecia was unsure.
As for why they concealed themselves from the world, it was just like Cecia: they were all waiting for…that day when the dead tree would blossom anew.
From all this, Angel gained only so much. There were also minor irrelevant tidbits, which he didn’t bother with. As for anything else, though Cecia offered vague hints, Angel couldn’t figure them out, so he just let them go.
“I’ve answered all I can about your questions. Now it’s your turn, right? You personally promised that you’d let me see my own kind. I hope you’re not lying to me.” Though Cecia’s voice sounded calm——her emotions oddly placid, it was precisely that calmness that caused Angel to feel a pressure he hadn’t sensed from her before.
Angel: “I wouldn’t go back on my word. Miss Cecia, do you wish to meet them right now?”
Cecia: “Yes, I want to see them now.” She spoke without hesitation. Her earlier civility toward Angel had all been for this moment.
Angel: “All right. However, Miss Cecia, you might have to wait a bit. I need to prepare a few things first.”
Cecia: “How long do you need?”
Angel: “Within twenty minutes, I’d say.”
At first, Cecia had assumed it would take hours, or even ‘days.’ She hadn’t expected only about twenty minutes.
Having endured ten thousand years, she surely could handle twenty minutes.
“Fine. I’ll wait for you.”
Angel: “Before I start getting ready, perhaps Miss Cecia wouldn’t mind using this time to collect my companions’ toll fees first?”
Cecia: “Certainly, as long as they have precious items. And forget about magic crystals; they’re useless to me.”
Angel: “Then please allow me to step outside first, Miss Cecia, so I can discuss this with my companions. I’ll have them come in, one by one, to make deals with you. Once I finish my own preparations, I’ll come right back to see you.”
Cecia frowned: “You’re saying you’ll let me meet my own kind inside my box?”
Angel: “If you’d prefer to meet outside, that’s also possible.”
“No, no, it’s fine. If we can meet inside my box, let’s do it here!” Cecia quickly waved a hand. She really had assumed she’d need to head out in person to meet her kin, but once her consciousness left her box, it would become relatively fragile and face potential risks. Meeting them inside the box was much more secure for her.
“In that case, I’ll see you in a moment.”
Chapter 2642 Blue Fatty <TOC> Chapter 2644 Everyone’s Treasures