Chapter 2678 Aedannis and Ouro <TOC> Chapter 2680 Means of Attack
Translator: SumTLMan
Originally, Daus assumed that by “take it away,” Angel meant putting the log into a space item and carrying it off as loot. However, what Angel truly intended by “take it away” was entirely different from Daus’ assumption.
Daus watched as Angel first chopped and hacked away at the log, then proceeded to burn it with fire. In less than half a minute, the once fairly large piece of wood became a thin, short stick.
After that, Angel used Heat Blend and Seal spells for the final shaping and sealing.
In the end, the short stick became smooth and refined.
At this point, Daus had already figured out Angel’s plan, likely to set it into the staff head they had discovered earlier.
Sure enough, Angel’s next move was to embed this short stick into the handle of that four-in-one ornament, turning the staff into a fully solid piece.
And in a certain sense, this staff was the original, or, one might say, an upgraded, more refined version of the original.
After all, the staff’s shaft was made of extraordinary material. Even though Angel merely shaped it casually, it still gave the staff an essential enhancement.
Angel toyed with the staff a bit and, once satisfied with how it felt in his hand, said: “Alright, let’s go.”
Everyone else had already seen the staff’s former appearance, so they were not surprised. Only the Sovereign of Wisdom fixed his gaze on the staff, his eyes reflecting a subtle peculiarity.
When the staff’s shaft had still been an illusion, he had vaguely felt it looked familiar.
Now, observing it again, that sense of déjà vu remained… Where had he seen it before?
“Is the Sovereign of Wisdom interested in my staff?” The Sovereign of Wisdom hadn’t concealed his expression. Angel looked up and noticed the Sovereign of Wisdom staring at the staff.
The Sovereign of Wisdom said: “I’m merely curious whether you know alchemy?”
Setting aside the question of why he found the staff familiar, he was indeed surprised that Angel knew alchemy. Although Angel’s treatment of the log seemed very simple, it actually involved numerous subtle techniques.
In particular, there were specific challenges that demanded a high level of skill, all of which Angel had handled deftly. For instance, how to retain extraordinary properties during material essence extraction? How much of the log’s extraordinary traits could be preserved? These are things that require substantial experience: the more practiced and seasoned the alchemist, the broader the range of materials they can handle, and the more traits they can keep.
Once Angel transformed the log into a short staff, there was no direct display of extraordinary energy, as though no traits were preserved. But in reality, that was not the case. A faint network of dark-gold patterns upon the shaft indicated Angel had locked the extraordinary qualities inside, those patterns drawn from thin air as runes.
Seeing how densely those dark-gold lines covered it, one could deduce that Angel had retained virtually all the log’s extraordinary properties during essence extraction.
He had preserved its most essential qualities, then performed a simple rune treatment. The staff’s shaft now stood in a “half-step alchemy item” state.
For an alchemist, this level of processing is not too difficult, but Angel accomplished it in under two minutes, a feat beyond ordinary alchemists.
Even if the Sovereign of Wisdom had done the exact same procedure on the log, he might have been a bit faster, but not by a significant margin.
Hence the Sovereign of Wisdom’s amazement.
He not only knew runes, but also alchemy of the enchantment branch. And his illusions were remarkably peculiar as well.
This so-called supernova’s depth exceeded every one of the Sovereign of Wisdom’s expectations.
“I know just a little bit,” Angel replied modestly. He continued: “I heard from Lady Cecia that the Sovereign of Wisdom is also proficient in alchemy. If the opportunity arises, I would love to seek your guidance on matters of alchemy.”
Angel’s statement was not untrue. Though Cecia had cautioned Angel to stay vigilant around the Sovereign of Wisdom, that caution was only meant to ensure the Sovereign of Wisdom wouldn’t learn about the Wilderness of Dreams. Because the Sovereign of Wisdom, loyal to Nightfall City, might do anything for its revival, he might scheme if he discovered the Wilderness of Dreams.
But aside from the Sovereign of Wisdom’s personal allegiances, Cecia was deeply impressed by his individual capabilities.
Being a low-rank magical creature by birth, yet managing to rise to ruling stature in Nightfall City by virtue of intelligence and skill, already spoke volumes.
Moreover, each alchemist has their unique understanding and coherent logic regarding alchemy. Angel knew many human alchemists’ perspectives, but he had never learned how non-human beings might perceive the craft. Would their viewpoint contrast sharply with human methods, or would both roads lead to the same destination?
Therefore, his intention to ask for guidance was sincere.
“So long as you manage to leave the alternate dimension space safely, there will always be a chance.” The Sovereign of Wisdom gave Angel a meaningful look. If Angel truly escaped the alternate dimension space in one piece, he wouldn’t just entertain Angel’s questions, he might even initiate the exchange himself.
Angel said: “Is that the Sovereign of Wisdom’s way of indirectly warning me that Noah’s alternate dimension space is full of dragons and tigers?”
“You’ll understand when the time comes.”
Still keeping secrets, the Sovereign of Wisdom wore the same look that said: “Wait until you meet the bonus criteria, and then we’ll talk.”
Angel could do nothing but exhale quietly, turning to walk deeper along the void path.
Watching Angel’s receding figure, the Sovereign of Wisdom’s gaze drifted, almost unconsciously, back to that staff that stirred his sense of familiarity.
Then, all at once, his eyes froze… He realized from where that sense of familiarity arose.
It was not the staff itself, but the silver handle.
Specifically, its hollow-carved emblem: a slender knight’s rapier sporting wings, thrust into vines of thorns and roses.
He had seen that insignia recently on Experiment Subject No. 6163, which he had been carefully monitoring.
Experiment Subject No. 6163 was a very special Wizard Eye Ghost. It possessed a distinctly clear aesthetic sense, setting it fundamentally apart from other Wizard Eye Ghosts.
Over nearly a thousand years, the Sovereign of Wisdom had never observed a Wizard Eye Ghost so attentively, not even the two that had reached wizard-level. For its condition reminded him of his own past self.
This Wizard Eye Ghost was not inherently unique. One day, it had simply acquired the notion of “beauty” and, following that, diverged from all the others. It pursued “beauty” and was willing to transform itself for the sake of becoming “more beautiful.”
That was remarkably similar to his own experience long ago.
Once upon a time, in his tribe of Three-Eyed Blue Demons, he had been utterly ordinary. Then, one night, while plucking spider eggs, a venomous arachnid bit him, causing him to fall from the tree and land on his back. Paralyzed, he couldn’t immediately stand, so he just lay there waiting for the toxin to subside.
Flat on his back, he found himself looking up at a sky filled with resplendent stars.
He had seen the night sky before, of course, but never truly paid attention nor cared. Compared to the stars, food mattered more.
But this time, the venom prevented him from moving, so he was compelled to stare upward. At first it only seemed dense and dazzling, slightly hurting his eyes. But soon, he noticed the stars twinkled, as though winking at him in greeting.
He became entranced. From that day on, he raised his head to the night sky every evening. At first, he looked upon it in pure fascination, then he tried counting the stars, and eventually, he began daydreaming about what might lie beyond that starry horizon…
Once his imagination took flight, he was no longer the same as all the other Three-Eyed Blue Demons. He had learned how to think. And with thought, he rose step by step to where he stood now.
That moment of “sudden insight” could not be orchestrated. It was more like a gift of fortune than a conventional notion of talent.
It was something akin to “Enlightenment.”
When he observed Experiment Subject No. 6163, the Sovereign of Wisdom saw the same potential. Thus, he poured significant attention into it, occasionally broadening its concept of “beauty.” By now, No. 6163 not only knew how to groom itself but also understood how to coordinate colors, even regarding “fragrance” as part of what it deemed “beauty.”
The last time he visited No. 6163, he noticed it wore a self-made silver pendant.
The image on that pendant was exactly the same as the emblem on this staff.
Which implied that the staff’s silver handle originally came from that ornament?
Meaning No. 6163 must have encountered these people?
Based on what the Sovereign of Wisdom knew of No. 6163, it cherished the accessories it created. To it, those items were beauty, representations of its ambitions.
Therefore, it would never simply give the pendant away.
So did these people meet No. 6163, fight it, perhaps even kill it…? Otherwise, how could they have seized its ornament?
That scenario seemed highly plausible, for their route would almost certainly have passed through Wizard Eye Ghost territory.
Yet something was off: he had planted a mark on No. 6163 to monitor its “enlightenment” process, if it were severely disrupted or killed, that mark would have activated. But so far, the Sovereign of Wisdom had sensed no activity from that mark at all.
Could the mark have failed?
He pondered a while, then split off a fragment of mental power and slowly guided it into the underground sewer’s magic formation.
A moment later, he withdrew that mental power with a slight frown.
He had just seen No. 6163, calmly training with other Wizard Eye Ghosts, completely unharmed. From a distance, it even appeared to still be wearing the same ornament.
Which would mean that Angel’s staff likely had nothing to do with No. 6163’s pendant after all.
As he mulled it over, his gaze shifted once more to the staff. At first, he intended to look more closely, but this time he noticed another emblem.
It was identical to the one on the handle, yet it wasn’t on the staff itself, but on the glove Angel wore.
That marked glove certainly did not belong to No. 6163. Which suggested that the staff’s emblem probably had no link to No. 6163 either.
Still, something about this whole affair felt odd.
Were it anyone else, he wouldn’t dwell on it. But around Angel, multiple coincidences kept piling up, and the Sovereign of Wisdom felt compelled to wonder.
Though No. 6163’s emblem, by all appearances, carried no special meaning, could such a coincidence truly be coincidence? No. 6163 had that emblem, and Angel bore an identical one?
At that moment, the Sovereign of Wisdom recalled something Daus had said earlier.
A single coincidence is merely that, but two or three might be something else; what if there were eight or ten? Could it be the hand of destiny?
When Daus raised that notion before, the Sovereign of Wisdom regarded it as sheer nonsense. Even now, he still thought it nonsense. Yet nothing in this world is absolute, and sometimes nonsense has a stray chance of being right.
“…If he truly knows the Wood Spirit, then I’ll consider all of this just a coincidence,” the Sovereign of Wisdom murmured in his heart.
Since he couldn’t explain these contradictory, absurd coincidences, he might as well let them be.
Still, he did not believe Angel could really know the Wood Spirit. The Wood Spirit was born in the underground sewer; how could it possibly have formed a connection with an outsider?
Though his mind teemed with fleeting thoughts, the Sovereign of Wisdom did not question Angel about the emblem.
He might ask about other topics, but he would not out of nowhere demand to know about some emblem that, at the moment, appeared insignificant. That was beneath him.
Nonetheless, the Sovereign of Wisdom found himself growing ever more intrigued about Angel’s identity.
…
Meanwhile, Angel’s own thoughts were swirling.
But not about the emblem. He was speculating about the person behind the Sovereign of Wisdom and whether that person might be the “human” within the alternate dimension space.
Amid his musings, Daus’ voice sounded in his ear.
“You alright?” Daus waved a hand in front of Angel’s eyes.
Angel returned to himself: “I’m fine, what is it?”
Daus shook his head, wearing an odd expression: “Nothing, I just wanted to see if you… are sure you’re okay? Really okay?”
Angel stared at Daus in puzzlement. Was the man having another episode?
“No, I mean I’ve been touching loads of things all the way here, and you don’t seem bothered at all? Didn’t you say it costs a great deal of computational power? Were you lying?”
Hearing that, Angel realized why Daus looked so mystified.
“Let me tell you, right now I’m barely holding it together just to talk to you. Would you believe that?” As he spoke, Angel’s face took on a faint pallor.
Daus shook his head at once: “Nope.”
“Then forget it.” The color in Angel’s cheeks returned to normal instantly, and he turned to continue onward.
Such talk of “consumption” was subjective. If Daus refused to believe, then there was no real way to prove it. Hence, Angel saw no need to keep up the charade.
His abrupt change in demeanor was not because of Daus’ remark, but rather that he vaguely sensed the staff in his grip growing slightly warm.
Somewhere deep in the void, something seemed to be resonating with it.
Right now, the staff could only be considered a half-step alchemy item, though it contained extraordinary qualities, they were locked within, offering almost no outward effect.
So this sudden resonance was almost certainly not caused by the staff’s own properties. Something else out there must be calling to it.
The only possibility Angel could think of was the Wood Spirit.
Chapter 2678 Aedannis and Ouro <TOC> Chapter 2680 Means of Attack