Chapter 2645 The Variant Form and Cane <TOC> Chapter 2647 Forehead Chain
Translator: SumTLMan
“Does Lord Red Sword’s Holy Light Staff carry any emotional significance?” As soon as Daus walked away, Kael promptly turned to Vai, brimming with curiosity.
Vai hesitated for a moment: “There is indeed a story behind it, but from my position, it’s not really my place to tell. Perhaps you could just ask Daus about it later?”
Kael waved his hands in a fluster: “No, no, that’s not necessary. I was just asking in passing… Really, just in passing! I absolutely, absolutely don’t intend to pry into Lord Red Sword’s personal matters.”
Vai: “…” You’ve basically given your intentions away, you know!
At that moment, Angel, who had just finished placing the final piece of the protective barrier nearby, stood up, patted the dust from his hands, and remarked casually: “In the early to mid-apprentice stage, a Holy Light Staff is quite a good choice. It contains fixed energy structures for Corrective Healing and Medicinal Guidance. Even if your mastery of Healing and Medicinal Guidance isn’t all that great, using the Holy Light Staff to cast them will still succeed without triggering a backlash.”
“If you’ve already learned these two tricks fairly well on your own, the Holy Light Staff can substantially enhance their effects. It’s very useful for emergencies or injuries, an alchemy staff of the healing variety.”
Healing is a first-level trick, while Medicinal Guidance is second-level. Though Healing is lower in level, it requires an in-depth understanding of the human body, encompassing extensive foundational knowledge in various fields. An ordinary apprentice often must spend a long time in study before even a rudimentary grasp can be achieved.
However, investing time to learn Healing might easily impede your own cultivation, so in that sense, Healing is somewhat like Morphing: the level isn’t all that high, yet, due to many complicating factors, even if you admire it, you may still find yourself helpless to learn it quickly.
Still, precisely because of the high learning requirements of Healing, something like the Holy Light Staff, capable of correcting the structural framework for Healing, was eventually created.
Naturally, this might also be a compassionate innovation from “Holy Light Wanderer” Gandalf upon witnessing the predicament of apprentices.
“For an apprentice, the effect of a Holy Light Staff is indeed quite useful… But I feel like that staff doesn’t quite match Lord Red Sword’s personality,” Kael said, puzzled.
The reason Angel explained the staff’s functionality was, in essence, the same point Kael was making. However, it was not so much that the Holy Light Staff was unsuited to Daus’ temperament as that it was completely useless for him.
Why are bloodline branch wizards reputed as the strongest within their realm? Not only for their explosive combat power and terrifying mobility, but also because of the formidable recovery they enjoy upon activating their bloodline.
You could say that once their bloodline is triggered, even if they are merely an apprentice, their rate of recovery greatly surpasses anything that a trivial Healing trick could provide.
After all, no matter how difficult Healing might be, it is still just a first-level trick.
Angel said: “It might be that the Holy Light Staff wasn’t originally Daus’.”
Kael: “Huh?”
Angel continued: “What’s there to be surprised about? That piece of parchment you carry wasn’t originally yours either.”
Scratching his head, Kael murmured: “Now that you mention it… That’s true, I guess.”
After a short silence, Vai spoke again: “My lord’s guess is correct. That staff does not belong to Daus. It belonged to a friend of ours, stored with Daus for safekeeping. And this Holy Light Staff holds great significance for that friend.”
Kael asked: “So does that mean this staff isn’t of much importance to Lord Red Sword?”
Vai replied: “You can’t quite say it that way. It’s just that it carries a lot more meaning for our friend.”
Hearing this, Angel basically understood the situation with Daus. Essentially, it was like “presenting someone else’s flower as your own offering.”
He wasn’t willing to give up any of his own valuables, so he simply brought out someone else’s possession. And from Vai’s tone, this friend was apparently someone quite close to them, who had entrusted that staff to Daus.
Tsk, tsk.
Angel couldn’t help but shake his head inwardly. Though Daus’ methods and way of thinking are often offbeat and bizarre, this move was… well, downright unscrupulous.
Using a friend’s entrusted keepsake as an offering is definitely something Angel would never do.
Kael, after listening to Vai, also showed shock and disbelief, not daring to accept it at first.
Vai hesitated for a second: “There’s more to the story, but it’s not my place to say because…”
Before he could finish, his expression hardened, as though he’d spotted something, and he immediately clamped his mouth shut, pretending nothing had happened.
Kael turned to look and saw that Daus had already returned from the alchemy puppet’s side.
Daus was humming a little tune as he came strolling over in a leisurely mood, looking wholly relaxed. The Holy Light Staff was no longer in his hand. Instead, he was juggling and examining the red-glowing symbol representing their ‘ticket,’ raising it with an energy tendril.
Once Daus got closer, Vai asked: “So, it worked?”
Rolling his eyes, Daus said: “If your eyes aren’t failing you, there’s no way you’d ask such a ridiculous question.”
Vai was briefly at a loss for words: “I meant, did you really hand over her staff?”
Daus nodded: “Of course. Keeping it served no purpose, and it just took up space in my storage.”
Daus spoke casually, but Vai’s expression was complex. After a long sigh, he dropped the matter.
Daus also had no desire to elaborate about the Holy Light Staff. It was tied to some memories he preferred not to dwell on. Glancing around, he asked: “Hey, where’s Angel?”
Kael instinctively turned toward where Angel had been standing, only to realize Angel had vanished. All that remained was a dome of shadow.
At this point, the others noticed the shadowy dome as well.
While they were still scrutinizing it, the shadow roiled, and a pair of cold eyes emerged from within, staring indifferently back at them.
Under that frigid gaze, Kael and Vai both felt a chill race up their spines. They promptly looked away and dared not glance back. Even Daus sensed a trace of menace.
That shadow was the demon from the Panic World——Eremy.
Clearly, Angel was now inside Eremy’s protective barrier.
“Lord Super Dimensional must be inside, doing alchemy, I’d guess?” Vai speculated. They knew that Cecia and Angel had a transaction lined up, and Angel had the means to prepare on the spot. The only thing they could come up with was that he was performing alchemy.
Yet, while everyone assumed Angel was being shielded by Eremy to carry out alchemy, in truth, Angel was merely yawning and slipping into a light doze…
…
Angel’s “nap” wasn’t actual sleep. He stepped across the Dream Bridge, pushed open the Gate of Dreams, and entered the Wilderness of Dreams.
What he told Cecia about “making preparations in advance” was actually letting Popoca know about Cecia’s background and discussing a strategy.
Yes, for this grand Laudsourcian “reunion” spanning countless millennia, Angel planned to have Popoca represent them in meeting Cecia.
Because Totoro’s situation was somewhat special, even though he was presently the only known living Laudsourcian, Totoro himself didn’t feel much kinship with the race.
In fact, compared to any sense of belonging to the Laudsourcians, Totoro likely cared more about being “Angel’s follower.”
Popoca, on the other hand, had a fervent, impassioned desire for the Laudsourcian race to rise again. From this angle, he and Cecia were completely in sync.
However, too much enthusiasm can also be problematic: it’s easy to be brainwashed in just a few words. In the end, one couldn’t be sure whether Popoca might start acting on Cecia’s behalf.
So Angel had to meet with Popoca first, clarify all the pros and cons, and prevent him from being easily swayed.
Truth be told, Popoca wasn’t the ideal choice. Sparrow Blossom would have been more suitable.
Though she’s Popoca’s younger sister, Sparrow Blossom is far more level headed, calm, and collected than her brother, not to mention her childlike appearance might easily endear her to Cecia. Unfortunately, Sparrow Blossom hasn’t come to the Wilderness of Dreams yet, so the only option was to use Popoca.
…
Angel was currently just outside the Ocean Theatre in Initial Heart City. According to his godly perspective, Popoca was inside.
Indeed, that’s where Popoca spent most of his time.
After becoming Jon’s assistant, Popoca had joined the Tree Group research team, tackling all sorts of technical challenges related to the Tree Group. He was quite talented in this area: Jon merely needed to propose an idea, and Popoca could organize a team and transform that idea into reality.
The forums, image boards, and chat rooms of the Tree Group were all jointly developed by Popoca, Kudou, and a few other promising talents.
Their headquarters was currently located in the backstage area on the second floor of the Ocean Theatre.
After Angel entered the Ocean Theatre, the first thing he saw was Raphaella tirelessly rehearsing vocal exercises onstage, despite the empty auditorium. She practiced with utter seriousness, occasionally bowing with impeccable etiquette as though unveiling a preview. Angel guessed she must be preparing for an upcoming performance at the Ocean Theatre, diligently rehearsing in private.
Not wanting to disturb Raphaella’s solitude, Angel moved under the cover of Shadow and slipped up to the second-floor backstage area.
Through the corridor, Angel found Jon’s office.
Jon wasn’t there at the moment, he was still at the library, completing his routine task of organizing books.
Previously, Jon’s office was the main base of the Tree Group research team, but with the team continuously expanding, sometimes even Tree Spirit would stop by, eventually they moved to a bright and spacious room next door.
Originally, that adjacent chamber had been a dance rehearsal room for performers. Since there weren’t many dancers at the Ocean Theatre just yet, it was left vacant, making it an ideal space for the research team’s new headquarters.
Given the strong performance and popularity of the Tree Group, when the Wilderness of Dreams gradually opens up on a limited basis in the future, there’s no doubt they’ll need a specialized facility. Most likely, they’ll move to New City. But that’s a matter for another day. For now, being in Initial Heart City is more convenient since their only real requirement is staying close to Jon.
After all, all their ideas still come from Jon’s brilliant mind.
Angel pushed open the ornate double doors and stepped into the rehearsal room that now housed the Tree Group research team.
To his surprise, the scene was actually quite serene, not bustling with activity.
Only two people were inside.
One was Popoca. The other… was Totoro.
…
Roughly ten minutes later, Angel opened his eyes and returned to reality from the Wilderness of Dreams.
He did not immediately dismiss Eremy’s barrier. Instead, he sat in contemplation for a short while.
Angel had always known how formidable Totoro’s talent of prophecy was, yet after witnessing it again today, he couldn’t help feeling astonished. It seemed to surpass even his previous estimates.
According to Totoro: “I was in seclusion today, but during a routine prophecy session, I beheld a vision of you conversing with Popoca, and Popoca appeared somewhat unusual. After examining it more closely, I made my way here…”
Just this simple statement was already astounding. Totoro precisely divined the time Angel would approach Popoca.
And what Totoro called “careful analysis” yielded an even more shocking result:
He spelled out to Angel: “You have encountered a Laudsourcian who should have perished long ago, yet endures in some alternative form.”
When Totoro said this, Angel almost broke his composure. His mind was roiling.
One must remember that Angel had met Cecia inside the Box of Cecia.
That box had blocked the Black Count’s mental connection, even though the Black Count was just a nose avatar, his mental connection definitely exceeded that of ordinary wizards. Yet Totoro’s vision seemed to pierce through the box across countless kilometers of distance.
It was proof enough that Totoro’s powers of prophecy were at least on par with wizard-level ability.
It implied that Totoro’s personal strength was likely on the verge of stepping into the formal wizard realm.
The public often calls Angel a genius. However, Angel himself finds Totoro perhaps even more gifted. Totoro’s time spent cultivating was shorter than Angel’s… though Totoro might actually be far older in terms of actual age.
In any case, thanks to Totoro’s premonition and his timely arrival, many matters became more straightforward.
Totoro’s purpose wasn’t merely to warn Angel, but specifically to caution Popoca: “Speak not too much. Only wait.”
This lined up almost exactly with what Angel had meant to convey: Popoca, fixated as he was on reviving the Laudsourcian race, would easily fall in line with Cecia’s vision, so Angel had wanted to remind him to remain wary and avoid disclosing more than necessary.
Originally, Angel expected to spend considerable effort explaining the pros and cons to Popoca. Yet, because Totoro had already warned him, Angel’s job turned out to be much simpler.
All Angel needed was two or three minutes of clarifying the finer details to Popoca, and the “preparations” were complete.
Popoca wasn’t dull. Cecia may be an ancestor, but she is, in the end, not truly alive. She can’t resurrect the Laudsourcian race. The only real possibilities for that are Totoro and Angel.
Hence, it was obviously more reliable for Popoca to work with Angel and Totoro than with Cecia.
With that handled, Angel turned to talk with Totoro about other matters.
They chatted about Totoro’s cultivation, as well as the current situation in the ruins.
Angel discovered that though Totoro saw Cecia, he couldn’t discern much else about the underground labyrinth and was largely unsure about the relationship between the Laudsourcians and Nightfall City.
Totoro’s prophecies seemed to revolve around Angel at the center, spiraling outward. They did not adopt a grand vantage of the entire “chessboard” from above.
Hence, Totoro didn’t know much about Nightfall City, but he did foresee some of Angel’s experiences.
——“The Wise One Is Not Foolish.”
Angel silently repeated Totoro’s lone piece of advice for his journey.
When pressed for details, Totoro himself struggled to explain the true meaning behind this phrase, describing it as a feeling in his mind. That was more than enough for Angel, however, Totoro’s assistance had already been immeasurably helpful.
Besides, their ultimate destination this time may very well be connected to that ancestor of the Noah family, who was at least a Legendary realm figure. It was perfectly logical for Totoro’s foresight to be blocked at such lofty heights.
As for interpreting “The Wise One Is Not Foolish,” well, Angel was the one on-site; he’d figure it out eventually.
The Wise One Is Not Foolish… The Wise One Is Not Foolish…
Does “The Wise One” refer to the Three-Eyed Blue Demon in the underground labyrinth? It’s the only entity repeatedly called “Wise One” in the sewer. But “The Wise One Is Not Foolish” almost sounds redundant.
Or perhaps the Three-Eyed Blue Demon knows something critical, yet feigns ignorance? Thus “it may appear ignorant, but it is not?”
Angel shook his head, deciding not to dwell on it for now. He called out to Eremy and dispelled the barrier.
His “preparations” were more or less done. It was time for that long-overdue meeting with Cecia.
Chapter 2645 The Variant Form and Cane <TOC> Chapter 2647 Forehead Chain