Chapter 2654 Emerging from the Box <TOC> Chapter 2656 Four-in-One
Translator: SumTLMan
Angel left the Box of Cecia. The moment he appeared before everyone, his face was filled with apology: “I’m sorry to have kept you waiting.”
As soon as the words fell, Angel saw Vai move in front of him: “It’s fine, it’s fine, we haven’t been waiting long.”
“Close to half an hour. That’s not long on the outside, but inside the Box of Cecia, I’d guess most of the day has passed.” That lazy voice was undoubtedly Daus.
Originally, Daus had been sitting cross-legged on the ground. When he saw Angel appear, he lazily stood up: “Did your transaction take that long?”
Angel: “Actually, I didn’t spend much time in the box. Cecia canceled the time distortion for quite a while.”
Angel spoke quite openly. At least from Daus’ perspective, Angel did not seem to be lying.
“Canceling the time distortion, was that for your transaction?” Daus asked curiously.
Angel did not hide it: “You could say so.”
Daus narrowed his eyes, guessing: “Could it be you crafted something in Cecia’s box that can’t be shown in public?”
Angel: “? ? ?”
Daus looked as though it was only natural: “A woman who’s been lonely for thousands of years certainly needs a little relaxation and entertainment… hey, hey, hey, what’s with that look of yours? Is something I said wrong?”
No one answered Daus’ question. Instead, they all averted their heads, as if to avoid the subject. Even the Black Count used his strange “gaze” , his nostrils’ flaring , to “stare” at Daus for three full seconds.
Occasionally telling a risqué joke was no big deal under normal circumstances, but with the Box of Cecia right there, Daus still dared to speak this way. After all, Cecia had lived for millennia, and her power was unknown… Everyone could only hope that, when Daus was talking just now, Cecia wasn’t sensing the outside world.
The sudden silence was eventually broken by Black Count: “Just a reminder, the Traveling Merchants are moving quickly. They’ve already passed through the Wizard Eye Ghost territory and reached the sewers.”
Vai asked in surprise: “How did they get here so fast? Didn’t they get tangled up by the Wizard Eye Ghosts?”
Black Count: “They did encounter them, and they even attracted the attention of those two Wizard Eye Ghosts at the formal wizard realm.
“However, those who chased after us this time all wore gray masks, Gray Merchants. They’re very familiar with this underground labyrinth. When they meet obstacles, they split up rather than fighting as a group.
“For instance, one of them can use illusions, and another can disturb the minds of Wizard Eye Ghosts. They stayed behind, drawing them away while dodging the wizard-level Wizard Eye Ghosts’ pursuit.
“The others continued forward.
“One group, in particular, has a very clear goal. They’re presumably chasing after us. They’ve already entered the sewers. As long as they don’t make a wrong turn, they’re probably not far from the alternate dimension space.”
Angel rubbed his chin in thought: “It seems we should leave here as soon as possible.
“Let’s go. We already have the tickets, so we can talk on the way.”
Once Angel finished speaking, he spread out his hand. A glowing red symbol slowly rose into the air and hovered there.
Without further words, Angel led the way toward the end of the platform.
This time, the alchemy puppet did not stop Angel and allowed him to step off the platform smoothly, while the glowing red symbol drifted from Angel’s palm to float before him, illuminating the staircase leading downward.
Originally, the staircase had been illusory, but in the red light, it turned solid.
However, whenever Angel stepped onto a new stair, the one behind him slowly became illusory again.
Seeing Angel already stepping forward, the others hurried to follow.
Anyone bearing the glowing red symbol passed the alchemy puppet’s inspection without a hitch. Only Daus, as he went past, suddenly saw a burst of red light beneath his feet.
Daus reacted quickly, but the red light was faster. It formed a hand that grabbed his ankle and, with a slight tug, threw him off balance and sent him tumbling from the platform.
Yet everyone else was right there; naturally they wouldn’t let him fall. A pale blue Magic Hand grabbed Daus’ other ankle and pulled him back up.
That was how Daus managed to return to the platform, while the red, hand-shaped glow slowly faded away. At the same moment, everyone heard a familiar, cold snort.
Kael spoke quietly: “It sounded like that person inside the Box of Cecia…”
Angel: “It’s not just ‘like.’ It really was Cecia.”
When Angel finished speaking, Daus, who had climbed back to his feet, looked indignant, muttering curses and accusing Cecia of burning the bridge after crossing it.
Cecia did not respond.
Everyone exchanged glances, a shared understanding in their eyes. Daus’ casual approach and disregard for boundaries had brought him trouble; this outcome was all too predictable. Maybe that was the “freedom” he pursued, though if your freedom spills over and harms others, is it really freedom?
After cursing for a while, Daus finally fell silent and prepared to step onto the stairs once more.
But this time, the alchemy puppet blocked him.
While Daus was still puzzled, Vai whispered: “When you nearly fell just now, that ‘ticket’ in your hand also dropped…”
Daus looked stunned: “Wasn’t the ticket floating next to us the whole time? Yours is hovering in front of you, so why did mine drop?”
Vai hesitated a moment: “Probably because you were treated differently.”
That caused Daus to bristle: “Why?”
The Black Count, who had barely acknowledged Daus all this time, gave a cold snort: “You honestly don’t know why you were singled out? This is what you get for running your mouth. The laws of this alternate dimension space are not decided by you or me, unless you can break them, you’d better follow them. Otherwise, you can only obey.”
When the Black Count finished speaking, Angel followed up: “Right now, you have two choices: buy another ticket, or temporarily enter my Exile Space. I can let you out after we leave.”
Daus had already guessed the reason for Cecia’s annoyance, but he didn’t want to lose face in front of everyone. That was why he had made such a fuss. From how he only complained to the alchemy puppet and never directly at Cecia, one could tell he’d already yielded.
Now Angel plainly offered him two choices. Daus did not want to hold everybody up. After a brief silence, he inhaled and said: “I’ll buy another ticket!”
Angel raised an eyebrow without comment. He wasn’t sure why Daus insisted on paying again, but it was Daus’ choice, and Angel would not stop him.
Daus hesitated over and over, then finally pulled out a beautifully crafted knight’s rapier from his spatial item.
The Rapier looked somewhat like the Red Sword he commonly used, though its energy fluctuations were far weaker. From Angel’s perspective as an alchemist, it was nonetheless a finely forged blade suitable for apprentices. What was more, it had been carefully maintained over many years; unlike a newly forged blade, an older sword like this was easier to handle.
“D-Daus, you’re really using that sword to get a new ticket? Are you sure?” Vai was astonished.
Daus also looked torn but eventually placed the rapier into the Box of Cecia: “It’s of no further use to me, so I might as well trade it.”
As soon as the rapier fell into the Box of Cecia, Cecia’s voice drifted out, audible to all.
“Willing to part with your own sword, at least you have a bit of courage. But you’d be wise to stitch that mouth shut from now on.” Cecia’s tone was icy: “In deference to Noah family’s descendents and Angel, I’ll let you go this time. But not again.”
The moment she finished speaking, a red mark floated out of the box, reappearing in Daus’ palm.
Looking at the ticket that had returned to his hand, Daus cursed inwardly: Not again? I guarantee this is the last time we’ll meet in my entire life.
But he had learned his lesson now and didn’t utter a word.
With ticket in hand again, Daus was not stopped by the alchemy puppet and smoothly stepped onto the once-illusory staircase.
“Let’s get moving,” Daus said: “I don’t want to stay here another second.”
Angel did not reply and continued leading the way.
Vai approached Daus and said softly: “I never thought you’d trade that sword away.”
Kael, standing nearby, overheard and asked curiously: “Does that sword hold special significance for Lord Red Sword?”
Vai glanced at Daus; seeing he didn’t object, Vai explained: “That was the blade he used before he advanced to a formal wizard. He spent all his savings to buy it at an auction in Mesomiya and used it for decades.
“I suspect he’s more attached to that rapier than the Red Sword he wields now.”
Vai hadn’t been trying to hide his voice. Angel, up ahead, heard him and was quite surprised: “You were willing to give up a sword that meant so much to you?”
Daus sounded annoyed: “Of course I didn’t want to. But I had a feeling that if I gave her something trivial or something that belonged to someone else, that woman would make things even harder. So I had no choice but to offer that sword!”
“That was your inspiration?” Angel asked: “Has it returned already?”
Daus replied: “No, just a gut feeling. I could sense that woman scheming.”
Angel: “So this was Cecia’s test for you.”
No wonder, after getting the rapier, Cecia remarked “Willing to part with your own sword, at least you have some courage.” Had Daus tried something else, Cecia likely would have given him even more trouble.
Daus muttered: “That wretched woman… so infuriating.”
Vai whispered from the side: “If you hadn’t said that in the mental connection, it’d have more bite.”
Given the earlier warning, Daus dared not speak freely; if the woman truly could monitor the entire alternate dimension space, it would only bring him new misfortunes.
But Vai’s comment irritated Daus: “You’re one to talk. She said herself that it was only because of the Noah family and Angel that she spared me. Fine, Angel is one thing, who knows what he traded with her, but how is it that your Noah family has connections to that woman?”
Vai paused, baffled, then looked to the Black Count.
The Black Count remained silent.
Angel spoke up: “Cecia has ties to a certain ancestor of the Noah family. She mentioned it to me earlier.”
The Black Count had long wondered whether Angel would ask about his exchange with Cecia. Now that Angel admitted it outright, it confirmed that he had indeed asked her.
There was no reason for the Black Count to be angry. It was perfectly normal for Angel to inquire using his ‘connections.’ The fact that Angel was frank about it eased some of the Black Count’s unease.
Still, the Black Count wanted to know how much Angel had learned about the Noah ancestors’ matters, which would also show the closeness of Angel’s ‘relationship’ with Cecia.
So the Black Count asked: “Did Cecia talk about that Noah ancestor with you?”
Angel: “She told me a little. I found out their name, and also the name of a daughter of some sovereign. Other than that, not much… But from how Cecia described that Noah ancestor, something else came to mind.”
The Black Count immediately pressed: “What is it?”
Angel shrugged: “Let’s treat it as a secret for now. If it becomes necessary someday, I’ll share.”
Whether Angel shared or not was his choice. But his additional statement, “if it becomes necessary, I’ll say it”, spurred everyone’s imagination.
The Black Count: “Does this have anything to do with our current exploration?”
Angel: “I’m not sure yet. It might be irrelevant. If so, nothing more needs to be said. But if it does happen to be related, then the connection will run very deep.”
After speaking, Angel smiled slightly: “Don’t worry. As soon as I notice anything that ties back to that matter, I’ll definitely speak up. If there’s no connection, mentioning it wouldn’t help anyway.”
Daus mumbled: “You could just tell us so we can broaden our horizons…”
Angel chuckled, his words laden with deeper meaning: “If it’s tied to our present exploration, I’ll share it in the spirit of teamwork. Otherwise, I won’t divulge secrets for free.”
Daus guarded his pouch warily: “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Angel: “Nothing, just equivalent exchange.”
Without continuing the topic, Angel shifted focus: “Earlier, the Black Count mentioned that we could trade information with each other.”
The Black Count: “Yes, but I meant my true body. Are you bold enough to come to the Noah family domain on your own?”
Angel: “Not impossible.”
The Black Count: “Then come alone.”
Upon hearing that, Angel refused right away: “Forget it. I’d have to call Rhine, Iron Armor Granny, and my mentor. Otherwise, I might never make it back. If I can’t bring them, there’s no deal.”
The Black Count: “…”
The Black Count: “Do you know what I’m thinking right now?”
Angel spread his hands, shrugging.
The Black Count: “I’m thinking you share some bloodline with that Wood Spirit. I don’t know which of you is more cowardly.”
Angel didn’t mind the ridicule. He simply wanted to find something like that crystal ball Vai used, something that might help treat Jon. Cecia had mentioned it couldn’t fully heal him, only delay his deterioration. But even that was enough. Angel never thought he could heal Jon at once; any additional way to slow the decline was valuable.
Sanders had already prepared multiple methods to hold off Jon’s worsening condition, so more options could only help.
Yet Angel had no firm strategy for obtaining the crystal ball the Black Count had used. His talk of a ‘trade’ was merely preparatory groundwork.
He suspected he might eventually gain access to the Black Count’s crystal ball through Vai, especially since Vai had used his own crystal ball as a ticket, then asked Angel to craft a replacement, saying Angel could name any price. Perhaps Angel could claim crafting it was difficult, needing a reference from the Black Count’s crystal ball, and plan from there.
“All right, I’ll accept your deal for now. Let’s just hope your so-called information isn’t worthless.” The Black Count ridiculed Angel for a while longer but ended up agreeing to the “equivalent exchange” Angel proposed.
“In that case, I can only hope our expedition has no link to my information, or I’ll be at a loss.” Angel made a theatrical prayer.
The Black Count snorted: “I’m not so petty. If it’s genuinely useful news, I won’t just take advantage of you for nothing.”
Angel promptly expressed his gratitude, wearing a look of earnest flattery: “As expected, you have such broad vision, my lord.”
The Black Count wanted to probe whether Angel had learned anything else about the Noah family from Cecia, but before he could decide how to ask, Angel spoke first:
“Once we leave this alternate dimension space, we’ll be searching for the Wood Spirit. I got some rather interesting information about it from Cecia.”
This time, Angel did not switch to a private channel with Black Count but spoke for everyone to hear.
“Interesting? In what sense?”
Angel said: “Look at this, and you’ll understand.”
He opened his palm as he spoke.
Chapter 2654 Emerging from the Box <TOC> Chapter 2656 Four-in-One