Chapter 2649 The Past <TOC> Chapter 2651 Blazing Sun
Translator: SumTLMan
“Then tell me.” Cecia adjusted herself into a comfortable sitting posture, crossed her legs, propped her cheek on one hand, and looked as though she was all ears.
Angel: “Just now, I heard Miss Cecia speak so much about the Noah ancestor; it seems that your fate with the Noah family isn’t shallow.”
Cecia frowned slightly, not immediately refuting Angel’s words: “Then? What exactly do you want to say?”
Angel: “Don’t you think it’s strange that we suddenly ran into two descendants of the Noah family today? Among them, the Black Count’s true body is even one of the currently top-standing wizards in the Southern Region, yet he joined my team to explore these underground sewers, something acknowledged long ago as an abandoned ruin?”
Cecia understood the implication behind Angel’s words, but she still didn’t see what Angel wanted to express, or what his goal was.
“Rather than finding it strange to suddenly run into two descendants of the Noah family, I think what’s more peculiar is meeting someone who has a Source Fire, and who can also let me meet a fellow Laudsourcian. That’s even more bizarre.” Cecia raised her eyebrows, giving Angel a glance.
Angel: “…It really was just a coincidence on my side.”
Cecia: “Coincidence? Then compared to that, your two Noah teammates, I’d say they’re more ‘reasonable’ than your so-called coincidence.”
Angel: Thinking it through, he really had no retort for that.
Cecia let out a cold snort: “If you have something to say, just say it directly. I hate people who beat around the bush. Going in circles until you tie yourself in knots, what’s the point?”
“Fine, then I’ll say it straight.” Angel no longer tried to use the coincidence to keep Cecia in suspense; as the facts showed, trying to keep others in suspense often backfired.
“Originally, when this ruin exploration was being planned and the team was forming, there were no Noah family members.” Angel continued: “The Black Count and Vai only suddenly joined my team on the day before we set out.”
Cecia: “And so, what’s the part that’s strange?”
Angel: “Miss Cecia has also seen Vai’s black crystal ball, so you should sense it yourself, Vai’s personality is very different from most people. He stays at his own little shop year-round, hardly stepping out of any safe zone.”
Cecia: “Wizards from the academic faction…each is more of a hermit than the next. That’s not a big deal.”
Angel: “It’s different. Vai isn’t unwilling to leave; rather, he’s apprehensive of the Black Count. Just as I told you before, the Black Count split his organs into countless pieces that follow his descendants around, leaving them all worried daily that they might get tricked by him.”
“In our view, Vai might be overdoing his paranoia, but from Vai’s perspective, being in the thick of it, he can’t see the whole board. He and those other descendants absolutely won’t go out unless there’s a compelling reason.”
Cecia thought it over and found this quite true.
“This time, Vai came to the wizard market where we happened to be because of an invitation from his friend Daus. Daus wanted to use Death Scent to judge the risk level of exploring these ruins.”
“Daus? That bloodline branch wizard? Quite the coward,” Cecia sneered.
“Maybe he’s just overly cautious. Anyway, that’s how it all ended. Who knows whether Daus got the answer he wanted, but the Black Count insisted that he and Vai join our team.”
“With the Black Count’s status, I couldn’t refuse.”
Cecia: “And then? Why did they so strongly insist on joining?”
“At the start, I only had doubts about them joining, but I didn’t think too much of it.” As Angel spoke, he kept a straight face. One had to fool oneself first to fool others: “But when we came to the surface ruins of Nightfall City in search of the entrance to the underground sewers, something unexpected happened.”
Next, Angel detailed how they discovered the underground church, how they solved the church’s puzzle to find leftover information inside, and how they found a series of words in the ancient writing engraved on the podium top meant for placing the church bible, these words were in the Uisus Language.
Cecia: “Uisus Language? That does indeed have something to do with the Noah family. It seems it was passed down from the Noah family and was once very popular, but later it gradually fell out of use.”
Angel: “Miss Cecia knows Uisus Language?”
Cecia: “Of course. Back then, the Noah wizard wrote love poems to my friend using Uisus Language.”
“In that case, why not have Miss Cecia take a look at what’s written here?” With an illusion, Angel projected the Uisus text they discovered in the church earlier: “In our team, only the Black Count can read Uisus, and he shared some of its content with us.”
Angel then recapped what the Black Count had told them before continuing: “But he admitted he was withholding some information.”
Cecia: “So you want me to check what he withheld?”
Angel nodded.
For once, Cecia felt a twinge of interest. After all, these events likely happened while she was sealed inside the box, at a time when her consciousness had not yet awakened. She was curious what might have transpired in Nightfall City back then.
Cecia gazed at the lines of Uisus simulated by the illusion, reading them aloud quietly.
But after only a few words, Cecia stopped.
Because most of it was a jumbled set of words with no clear connection, and mostly flattery, praise, in other words. They were so saccharine that Cecia couldn’t form a coherent sentence from them. Finding these sweet nothings too cloying, she simply stopped reading.
“Almost all of it is meaningless praise. The words themselves have no link, and it’s unclear why they were even engraved here together.” Cecia’s brows knitted tight.
Angel: “These words were carved into the podium top used for placing the church’s bible. Perhaps they were meant as a secret hint by the person who preached from that text.”
Cecia: “They needed a prompt even for praise? The followers of that Demon God of Mirrors can’t have been that devout.”
After tossing out that remark, Cecia continued reading.
About one or two minutes later, Cecia lifted her head. She wore a puzzled expression and silently formed her own guesses in her mind.
Angel: “Miss Cecia seems to have gleaned something?”
Cecia: “I more or less know what information the Black Count withheld. There’s a name recorded here, and that name is one of Noah’s ancestors.”
Angel: “Is it that dearest friend of yours, Miss Cecia?”
Cecia hesitated briefly, then nodded: “Yes. Never thought that after ten thousand years, I’d see his name again in such a way.”
“As for the rest, the Black Count didn’t conceal anything else. However, there were some inaccuracies in his translation, probably not deliberate. It’s likely because certain words are unique to the early Uisus Language, and lost their transcendent meaning when Uisus lost its powers. That would explain the mistranslation.”
Cecia continued: “For instance, the Black Count translated one term as ‘someone,’ implying the behind-the-scenes manipulator commanding these Demon God worshippers. In reality, using the word ‘someone’ is inaccurate; the correct translation is ‘an existence among certain ones.’”
“‘An existence among certain ones?’ That sounds even stranger.”
Cecia: “It only seems strange if you don’t read it in context. Once you link it with the repeated mentions of that Demon God of Mirrors as a prefix, you realize it’s actually referring to: ‘the image in the mirror.’”
“‘Mirror Image’? Is that the Demon God of Mirrors’ reflection?”
Cecia: “I’m not sure. Anyway, it’s an image that appears inside a mirror. The Black Count said he felt that this ‘someone’ was unfamiliar with the followers, as if they’d never met in person, and that’s correct, because they communicated with that ‘Mirror Image’ through the mirror.”
“As for the rest, the Black Count’s translation is basically accurate.”
Angel: “The Black Count said a thief stole a sacred object and offered it to a certain sovereign. Are there any explicit clues about who the thief was, what the sacred object was, and who that sovereign might be?”
Cecia: “It doesn’t state what the thief stole or what the sacred object was, and I have no idea either. But that sovereign…you can probably guess, right? The institution nearest the underground church is none other than the Hanging Prison Stairs.”
“The warden? Or perhaps the Wise One?”
“Without a doubt, the one referred to as the ruling power of that institution has to be the warden,” Cecia said: “Though the Wise One dwells near the Hanging Prison Stairs, its status is that of a neutral party and doesn’t belong to the Hanging Prison Stairs.”
Angel: “And what does this have to do with the Noah ancestor?”
At this question, Cecia’s face also showed confusion: “That’s what’s strange. His name was listed separately, marked with symbols denoting it was of special importance.”
“The sense it gives off doesn’t seem like they treated him as a hated enemy, nor as an ally; rather, he’s a completely independent presence…I can’t figure it out.”
Angel: “Then does Miss Cecia know anything about the Demon God of Mirrors?”
Cecia shrugged: “The Black Count asked me this before, too. He even showed me that Demon God of Mirrors emblem carved on the stone slab, but I have no information about it.”
“However, listening to you all, I’m certain that the matter of the Demon God of Mirrors happened after I was sealed in that box. During that time, I wouldn’t have had any memory of it, but if you ever meet the Wise One, perhaps you can ask it.”
Angel: “Will the Wise One be willing to answer? Maybe I should say I’m asking on behalf of Miss Cecia?”
Cecia snapped: “I’ve already told you not to flaunt my name. Whether the Wise One answers or not has nothing to do with me; it depends on whether you can get it to speak at all!”
Get the Wise One to speak…get the Wise One to speak… Angel repeated those words under his breath, recalling the tip from Totoro earlier: “The Wise One is Not Foolish.”
Whether it was Totoro or Cecia, they both mentioned the Wise One. Perhaps Cecia had indeed hit the nail on the head: getting the Wise One to speak might be the key to everything.
But how to get the Wise One to speak…only the Wood Spirit might be able to open that path.
Once Angel had an idea in mind, he became noticeably more relaxed: “Miss Cecia, now you can understand my misgivings, can’t you? At first, it never occurred to me that the Black Count and Vai joining us had any hidden aim. But before we even made it into the underground sewers, we were already seeing the name of the Noah ancestor. The coincidence is such that I can’t help suspecting the Black Count’s motive.”
Cecia pondered for a moment: “You’ll just have to ask the Black Count directly. From what you’ve described, he must have had a premonition that made him follow you. That kind of hunch only he can explain. And since you encountered my friend’s name right away, I suspect it’ll eventually entangle him, too…”
At this point, Cecia spoke again: “By the way, I’ve never asked. Why did you come to explore the underground sewers in the first place, and what are you hoping to get out of it?”
Angel: “So now you’re starting to believe I didn’t come here specifically for you?”
Cecia ignored Angel’s teasing and just stared at him: “Are you trying to evade my question?”
Angel didn’t dodge Cecia’s gaze. He answered calmly: “Our purpose for coming here is rooted in Kael. He loves exploring ruins. Once, while exploring another ruin, he found an ancient book called —Travels of Gaya—. Those —Travel Notes— recorded some hidden secrets about the Garden Labyrinth, and mentioned that something was left in some part of the Garden Labyrinth. Oh, by the way, the Garden Labyrinth is another name for these underground sewers of Nightfall City as it is now.”
“Then Kael came to the Garden Labyrinth according to what was written in the book, seeking out the hidden place that Gaya had described, and indeed found that item.”
“That item was a piece of alchemy design. Once made, it would become a key capable of opening a certain place deep within the Garden Labyrinth. That place is our true objective.”
After Cecia was sealed in the box, she lost her power of prophecy, but her instincts remained. From Angel’s gaze, she could tell he wasn’t lying, though whether he was withholding certain details was uncertain.
Cecia: “So your destination is near the Hanging Prison Stairs, and you’ll have to pass through the Wise One’s domain?”
Angel nodded, which matched what they had told Cecia before.
Cecia deliberated for a moment: “Before I was sealed, I often visited the Hanging Prison Stairs, so I have some understanding of the surrounding area. But I’ve never heard of the place you want to go.”
Angel: “Could I ask a somewhat personal question of you, Miss Cecia?”
Cecia raised a brow: “If it’s about a woman’s biggest secret, I’m not telling.”
Angel had no idea what that “biggest secret” might be, but he believed his question didn’t fall under that category.
“The special-status friend you keep referring to, the lady who had an ambiguous relationship with Noah’s ancestor, who exactly is she, and what is her background?”
Cecia eyed Angel warily: “Why are you asking about that?”
Angel sighed inwardly. He already knew the answer, yet wasn’t sure how to explain how he knew about Margaret.
After some thought, he decided to speak plainly: “Was her identity that of the warden’s daughter at the Hanging Prison Stairs?”
A flash of surprise crossed Cecia’s face: “How did you know?”
“Seems I guessed right.” Angel: “As for how, well, it’s a straightforward deduction.”
Cecia’s expression turned even more puzzled. A straightforward deduction? He deduced it?
Angel coughed twice to get Cecia’s attention, then solemnly explained his so-called ‘deduction.’ “Arriving at this conclusion only required a few preconditions and a bit of logical association.”
“First, the Black Count’s sudden decision to join us doesn’t make sense, which I’ve analyzed with you before, Miss Cecia.”
Cecia nodded: “And next?”
Angel: “After the Black Count joined, we discovered the name of the Noah ancestor in the underground church right at the beginning. This implies he possibly sensed something and joined us deliberately. Miss Cecia, what do you think he might have foreseen?”
Under Angel’s guidance, Cecia mulled it over, then said: “Perhaps your destination contains something related to the Noah family? Or more specifically, something related to that dear friend of mine among the Noah?!”
Satisfied at her train of thought, Angel continued guiding her: “Next, Miss Cecia has mentioned two things to me: first, your dear friend and that Noah ancestor had an ambiguous relationship.”
Cecia nodded: “Yes.”
“Second, after learning our destination was on the other side of the Wise One’s domain, you once mentioned a particular sentence.”
“You said that even ten thousand years ago, passing through the Wise One’s domain wasn’t easy, and only the Warden’s daughter was an exception.”
“Yes, I did say that,” Cecia confirmed.
“All the conditions are here now: our goal might be a secret place of that Noah ancestor; the location is on the far side of the Wise One’s domain; crossing the Wise One’s domain, even in ancient times, was difficult for anyone but the warden’s daughter; that same Noah ancestor had an ambiguous relationship with a high-status ‘caged bird.’”
“Putting all that together, what does that make you think of, Miss Cecia?”
Following Angel’s persuasion, Cecia’s own reasoning aligned with those preconditions: “You’re implying there was a meeting place between Noah and my friend on the far side of the Wise One’s domain?”
“Exactly. Given that scenario, the only one who fits your description for that friend with a special status is indeed the warden’s daughter, right?”
Cecia nodded unconsciously, going along with Angel’s logic, then continued thinking: “Now that I recall it, after I was sealed away, with no one left to carry messages for them, they surely would’ve needed another way to correspond.”
“And Margaret…” Cecia accidentally let that name slip before abruptly realizing it and pausing.
After a moment’s consideration, she simply told Angel directly: “Well, you’ve guessed it anyway, so I might as well tell you. The warden’s daughter was named Margaret, and the one from the Noah family was named Augustine.”
Angel appeared pensive, though inwardly he finally exhaled in relief: at last, these two names could be spoken openly.
“Margaret and Augustine would indeed have looked for…someone to replace me as a voice between them. And that person was probably none other than the Wise One…”
Cecia reflected thoughtfully: “Margaret possessed a very strong talent for alchemy, and her father, the warden, gathered plenty of rare alchemy texts for her so that she could continue honing her craft.”
“When I first met Margaret, her alchemy was already quite impressive. Though her level of power limited how far she could progress in her alchemical achievements, theoretically, she had the capacity to converse with the Wise One.”
“The Wise One certainly knows more than just alchemy, but if Margaret could maintain a conversation on that topic alone, it’s something to behold.”
“The Wise One also very much enjoyed discussing alchemy with Margaret. Because they studied different branches of alchemy, Margaret leaned toward metal-stone works, while the Wise One leaned toward potionology, their differences sparked many collisions of thought, letting them each learn from the other.”
“Later, it’s rumored the Wise One chose to reside near the Hanging Prison Stairs precisely to keep conversing with Margaret.”
“That means Margaret and the Wise One were on very good terms. The Wise One’s identity is by no means ordinary, as special in its own way as mine was at that time.”
Cecia went on: “So after I was sealed in the box, Margaret seeking help from the Wise One to contact Augustine is extremely likely.”
Pausing, Cecia looked at Angel: “From the sound of it, your deduction is correct.”