Chapter 2673 Returning After Death <TOC> Chapter 2675 A Forgotten Story
Translator: SumTLMan
Half the usual amount of time had passed, which meant half the distance as well.
In other words, what appeared to be a broken yet unending stairway had actually experienced fractures and gaps in the past, only to be reassembled at a later point.
Reassembling a once-fractured stairway necessarily involves connections in both the material realm and the energy realm, namely, joining the stone steps with the magic formation. That kind of project is no small feat.
Earlier, the Sovereign of Wisdom had cryptically mentioned that he was not the one who repaired the magic formation here. Instead, it was someone they would eventually meet.
Could that person be lurking in the shadows, using the Sovereign of Wisdom to stand in their way?
While Angel was silently pondering this, everyone had already gathered in front of the door.
“It’s actually a wooden door. This doesn’t look like a prison at all,” Daus muttered.
“What sort of door do you think a prison should have?” The Sovereign of Wisdom asked, smiling faintly.
“Well, for one thing, a prison door should at least be tough enough to keep people locked in. This wood doesn’t look sturdy; it’s probably less solid than that Dense Sparse Stone floor we stepped on earlier,” Daus observed, gesturing with his hands: “Look at the platform outside, there’s enough space to place a few Gargoyles on guard. Or even a couple of alchemy puppets, if nothing else.”
Seeing Daus grow more enthusiastic the more he talked, Angel finally couldn’t help interjecting: “Dense Sparse Stone isn’t good enough either. Sure, it endures decently over time, but a void storm would still reduce it to rubble. The best material would be Void Secret Rune Stone: it lasts for ages, resists void storms, and it’s also the primary casting material for planar tunnels. Sure, it’s expensive, but it’s easy to transport and easy to recognize. Don’t you agree, Daus?”
Daus had been nodding along through the first half of Angel’s comments, visibly intrigued. But the moment Angel mentioned “expensive” and “easy to transport,” Daus reacted at once: “I wondered why you suddenly sided with me, turns out there was a catch. You really think I’m that shallow?”
“Mhm,” Angel answered with a casual nod.
Daus scowled indignantly: “Mhm… you worthless sandworm! All I was doing was raising a reasonable doubt about how strange this place is. Maybe, just maybe, it’ll help you discover some new clues.”
“Oh, then I misunderstood you.” Angel’s face remained entirely impassive, delivering the remark so blandly that any trace of an apology vanished, replaced only by a clear air of perfunctory dismissal.
Daus wanted desperately to retort, but he managed to restrain himself in the end. After all, deep inside, he really was thinking the same way Angel suggested… In fact, when he was imagining the material best suited to a prison door, Void Secret Rune Stone had indeed been the very first thing to cross his mind.
How did that fellow manage to guess my thoughts so precisely?
Could it be this so-called “livestream illusion realm” he’s running?
As Daus’ thoughts wandered, the Sovereign of Wisdom’s voice once again broke into his ears: “What you just said is correct. The purpose of a prison is, of course, to confine people.”
“But do you truly need an exceptionally sturdy cage to keep someone confined in the material sense? And confining someone physically in this realm, does that guarantee they are truly contained?”
“Furthermore, do you think that just because every door within the Hanging Prison Stairs is flung wide open, the inmates locked inside would be able to escape?”
“Well, when you put it that way, it’s true that the Hanging Prison Stairs was built in the depths of the underground labyrinth thousands of years ago. If a prisoner tried to run, it would indeed be very difficult to break free,” Daus admitted: “That said, from what you’re implying, maybe the prison cells themselves aren’t strictly necessary, and the Hanging Prison Stairs isn’t strictly essential either.”
“There is absolutely a need for a cage,” the Sovereign of Wisdom said: “Even if its door stands wide open, that door serves as a constant reminder, you cannot escape. This place is your final destination.”
Although he still wore that same narrow-eyed smile, three eyes squinting shut at once, with the triangular frames of his spectacles giving him a clownish look, neither Daus nor anyone else felt inclined to laugh.
They were all clever enough to glean the desolation behind the Sovereign of Wisdom’s words, for it was not mere jest. This vast underground labyrinth was every bit as much the Sovereign of Wisdom’s prison cell. Apart from being anchored in a single spot, he also had to endure a solitude lasting millennia, a punishment even more terrifying than the fate that befell those who died in the Hanging Prison Stairs.
As everyone reflected on the wretched situation of the Sovereign of Wisdom, Angel’s voice shattered the hushed atmosphere: “If you look at this on a bigger scale, isn’t this continent, this entire world, also a kind of cage?”
Angel turned his gaze ever so gently upon the Sovereign of Wisdom, then said softly: “It’s time to go in and take a look. Unless, of course, any of you believe the Wood Spirit is out here?”
Having spoken, Angel paid no attention to anyone else. He simply stepped through the wooden door to the first level.
Behind him, the Sovereign of Wisdom watched Angel’s departing figure with eyes that flickered momentarily.
…
Daus, shaken out of that sentimental mood, gazed at Angel’s dwindling back with a slight hint of puzzlement.
Angel’s abrupt interruption, just when everyone was immersed in that somber moment, had been rather rude, and as far as Daus knew, though Angel might sometimes indulge in mischievous behavior, he always maintained careful etiquette on the surface. This time, something felt off.
Daus couldn’t help glancing at the Black Count, trying to gauge his reaction. What he saw, however, was that the Black Count’s slab was tilted motionlessly toward the Sovereign of Wisdom.
The Sovereign of Wisdom, in turn, was smiling narrowly back at the Black Count.
Catching Daus’ inquisitive look, the Sovereign of Wisdom smiled at him as well.
A chill ran through Daus at that smile.
He now realized exactly what had been wrong. For a being like the Sovereign of Wisdom, who had spent so many eons in this underground labyrinth, was it possible that he couldn’t rein in his emotions?
All that heartfelt sentiment… their assumption that they had glimpsed the Sovereign of Wisdom’s sorrow… in hindsight, how likely was that? An ancient being crowned with the title “Wise,” seen through so easily?
Which meant the Sovereign of Wisdom had deliberately set that mood.
But why? Merely to deceive them for amusement?
No, that was not the true purpose. The Sovereign of Wisdom had used that tactic to test a certain individual or to gather some specific pieces of information.
As Daus debated in silence, the Sovereign of Wisdom said, smiling gently: “This livestream illusion realm is interesting. And the one casting it… even more interesting.”
“What do you mean?” Daus asked, puzzled.
“This illusion realm seems to faintly probe into the deepest recesses of your emotions. Don’t you think that’s intriguing?” the Sovereign of Wisdom replied. Having delivered these words, he offered no further explanation and moved on through the wooden door.
Daus, on the other hand, suddenly understood: “He… he was testing Angel’s abilities just now?”
He was obviously speaking to the Black Count.
The Black Count scoffed lightly: “You think he was only testing Angel? Did you not have any emotional reactions of your own?”
In other words, the Sovereign of Wisdom had been testing not just Angel but everyone else’s responses as well. By means of a few words, catching them off-guard, he conjured emotional resonance and gathered feedback.
And the only two who had truly seen through it had been Angel and the Black Count. But those very perceptions also exposed how extraordinary they both were, offering the Sovereign of Wisdom additional new clues.
Indeed, at that moment, the Sovereign of Wisdom had grown even less inclined to believe that Angel was a descendant of Noah, while becoming more convinced of the Black Count’s lineage.
…
Elsewhere, Angel felt a faint melancholy. The Sovereign of Wisdom’s probing might have seemed to rely solely on words, yet it was aided by the “livestream illusion broadcast,” subtly binding everyone’s emotions into a shared experience.
Angel couldn’t help feeling regret. Perhaps he shouldn’t have included the Sovereign of Wisdom in the illusions to begin with.
Thankfully, the Sovereign of Wisdom’s main focus had been on testing Angel and the Black Count. The Black Count, being merely an avatar, was fearless; should something happen, he could simply let his avatar perish, prompting his true body to intervene. At that point, the Sovereign of Wisdom, who was confined to this labyrinth and reluctant to abandon millennia of waiting, would inevitably lose the upper hand. Thus, the Black Count had nothing to worry about.
As for Angel himself, he had already given up resisting. The Sovereign of Wisdom would definitely see through the fact that he was no descendant of Noah; right now, he was merely probing Angel’s abilities.
If he knew, then so be it. Angel didn’t really care. The Sovereign of Wisdom had guessed incorrectly, though, about the nature of Angel’s ability to sense emotion.
He likely believed Angel could sense emotions because the illusions blanketed them and the illusion energies were tracking their emotional states. Yet, in truth, that immersive livestream illusion realm really was just an ordinary illusion. Angel’s ability to perceive emotions stemmed from his innate talent.
Thus, although the Sovereign of Wisdom did glean some information, part of it was accurate, part was not, so the net loss was manageable.
That said, through all this, Angel had become more deeply aware of the Sovereign of Wisdom’s resourcefulness.
He was not referring to destructive spells but to the Sovereign of Wisdom’s eloquence and acting prowess.
Exerting virtually no energy, he performed an almost clownish routine, yet remained utterly tranquil within, sharply observing every subtle reaction in those around him. With a deft turn of phrase, he orchestrated the atmosphere into one of mutual emotional resonance.
Truly, the transformation brought about by tens of centuries of accumulated wisdom made an ancient like the Sovereign of Wisdom formidable indeed.
As Angel mused on this, commotion arose behind him, signalling that the others had recovered from their trance and were making their way through the door.
Setting aside his mental contest with the Sovereign of Wisdom for the moment, Angel turned his attention to this room, which was by no means unfamiliar.
…
The first observation shared by nearly everyone who entered through the wooden door was the same:
“Is it just me, or is this room… tiny?”
Indeed, it was roughly the size of a single-occupancy room at an inn. At a glance, that might not sound too cramped, but this was supposed to be a prison. Daus and the others had envisioned a long corridor of cells; yet, here they found only this narrow chamber right behind the door, with no corridors leading anywhere else.
According to the Sovereign of Wisdom, this was indeed a prison cell, specifically, the first layer of it. And, in actual fact, the entirety of the first layer contained nothing beyond these few square meters.
Staring at this cramped space, even Kael, who had mostly been preoccupied operating his recording stone, couldn’t help remarking: “They built such a long stairway… just for this little room?”
Talk about a waste of resources.
“Could it be that the other rooms here have already collapsed?” Kael wondered aloud.
The Sovereign of Wisdom heard Kael’s question but merely smiled, not deigning to answer. His gaze drifted faintly over the claustrophobic cell.
Angel, however, spoke up: “There’s only this one room. And there’s a reason it’s so small.”
With everyone’s eyes on him, Angel explained softly: “This chamber is one of the crucial nodes in the Hanging Prison Stairs’ internal magic formation.”
The Sovereign of Wisdom raised an eyebrow: “How did you figure that out?”
“I didn’t ‘figure it out.’ I simply thought it was odd, so I took a guess. Now that I’ve seen your reaction, I’m more or less certain I guessed right.” Angel glanced at the Sovereign of Wisdom, whose subtle shift in demeanor confirmed Angel’s hunch.
The Sovereign of Wisdom gave a light laugh: “So, you were tricking me to verify it?”
Angel let the question go unanswered. He had been probed, so he probed in return, an exchange of tests, after all.
He walked to one side of the cell, looking around: “A bed made of sea cypress, a table made of sea poplar, and a floor made of sea birch… everything here is composed of Deep Sea Wood.”
“Isn’t it strange to see Deep Sea Wood in a place like this?”
“What’s so strange about it?” The Sovereign of Wisdom feigned ignorance: “Deep Sea Wood has a high yield, so it’s not too expensive, and it conducts energy decently well.”
“It’s the timeline that makes it strange.” Angel replied: “Deep Sea Wood’s greatest feature is promoting the flow of similar energies. But have you ever heard of it possessing immortality?”
Just then, Kael, apparently struck by an idea, touched the bed he was standing beside, running his fingers curiously over the Deep Sea Wood.
His movements were hardly gentle, and the bed did shake a bit from the force. Nonetheless, the wood showed no sign of rot or decay.
“How is it still intact? After all these millennia, there’s not so much as a blemish,” Kael murmured.
“That’s precisely the anomaly. We all know Deep Sea Wood, grown in that particular environment, is far sturdier under external pressure compared to other lumber. Yet no matter how pressure-resistant wood might be, it can’t escape the ravages of time. But here, time has left no mark, nor did our rather forceful prodding reduce it to splinters. Even more remarkably, not even a void storm could destroy it.
“From that alone, I suspected something. Deep Sea Wood remains incorruptible under only a few conditions. One of them is exposure to a large amount of energy that shares its own properties. When thoroughly suffused with that energy for a prolonged period, it significantly pushes back its usual point of decay. Which leaves us to guess: what kind of energy would be powerful, stable, and enduring, not to mention able to resonate so perfectly with Deep Sea Wood? The only thing that comes to mind is a node for the magic formation.”
As Angel concluded, the others still harbored plenty of questions, but the Sovereign of Wisdom’s reaction, saying nothing to refute him, showed that Angel’s theory was indeed correct: this was an important node in the magic formation.
Chapter 2673 Returning After Death <TOC> Chapter 2675 A Forgotten Story