Chapter 2683 Arrogance and Ignorance <TOC>
Translator: SumTLMan
“If it wasn’t originally part of this room, then could it be…” Kael paused, silently whispering a name: the Wood Spirit.
Could that vine sculpture be the Wood Spirit?
After a brief silence, everyone turned their gaze upon the Sovereign of Wisdom. At this moment, only the Sovereign of Wisdom could provide a definitive verdict.
Yet the Sovereign of Wisdom appeared lost in distant thought. After a long while, he quietly spoke: “I do not know.”
“Whether it is the Wood Spirit or not, I must personally enter before I can give a definite answer.” The Sovereign of Wisdom added: “But if you let me confirm it, that means I’m the one who found it, not you.”
Daus frowned deeply: “So we have to not only locate the Wood Spirit but also prove that it is the Wood Spirit?”
The Sovereign of Wisdom replied: “Though your wording is not entirely precise, that’s more or less the idea.”
If they discovered something that might be the Wood Spirit, they would have to prove that it really was the Wood Spirit before claiming it had been found. But that led to another problem: Suppose this vine sculpture truly was the Wood Spirit, and no matter how they tried to coax it, the vine sculpture refused to respond. How could they prove it was the Wood Spirit? Attack it? But doing so right in front of the Sovereign of Wisdom would be obviously inappropriate.
As for such a possibility, the Sovereign of Wisdom’s answer was the same as ever: “That is also your problem to consider, not mine. Assuming too many preconditions will only bring you more confusion. Instead of making unfounded guesses, why not think about how to prove whether this vine is the Wood Spirit?”
Once finished, the Sovereign of Wisdom resumed his lofty, unconcerned expression.
Everyone exchanged looks for several seconds until Vai suggested: “Why don’t we sense the vine’s condition first?”
Angel said: “It’s probably not the Wood Spirit.”
Facing Vai’s and everyone else’s curious looks, Angel did not immediately explain. Instead, he lifted his staff and gently tapped the vine sculpture.
The moment his staff touched the vine sculpture, the vines trembled slightly.
Then they all saw thin layers of dust trickling from the crevices of the sculpture.
“These specks of dust…” Vai stared at the falling gray particles, apparently recalling something, and turned to look at the Black Count.
Right then, Angel provided the answer: “Black has seen this vine sculpture before, and after an evaluation, he decided it probably wasn’t the Wood Spirit. Still, bearing in mind that the upper limits of the Wood Spirit’s concealment abilities are unknown, Black placed a ‘mark’ in areas that remained somewhat doubtful before leaving.”
“These specks of dust are his ‘mark.’ Now that the dust is still here, it proves this is the same vine sculpture he encountered earlier. Since it’s the same one, it means it hasn’t moved an inch from beginning to end.”
“If it were truly the Wood Spirit, it wouldn’t remain here the whole time.”
Hence, based on this reasoning, it was most likely not the Wood Spirit.
Of course, one could not entirely dismiss the possibility, given that their knowledge of the Wood Spirit was so limited and superficial. Who knew if its courage had grown lately and it was brazen enough to hide in plain sight? However, such low-probability scenarios could be set aside for now. If Angel failed to find the Wood Spirit this time and Daus still felt this spot was suspicious, they could revisit it later.
For the moment, it was best to focus on scenarios with a higher likelihood. After concluding that the vine sculpture probably was not the Wood Spirit, they bypassed it and went upstairs.
The second floor contained only a small room, nearly all visible at a glance.
There were also some broken fragments on the ground, but these belonged to external energy tubes, or one might say light sources, and could be ignored. The furniture, however, remained relatively intact.
Most of the furnishings resembled those on the ground floor, forged from extraordinary materials but not especially remarkable.
The only item worthy of special attention was the Dressing Mirror in one corner of the room.
This dressing mirror and its table were integrated, and its oval mirror could reflect more than half a face.
Because of the “Demon God of Mirrors,” everyone paid close attention to any item related to “mirrors,” including the Black Count himself. For that reason, the Black Count had also marked this dressing mirror.
This time, his mark was even more obvious, placed directly on the mirror’s surface.
He had covered the mirror’s surface with a thin layer of dust.
It was still there now. Through that thin dust, one could vaguely see silhouettes moving within the mirror.
By normal reasoning, the figures inside the mirror were simply their own reflections. However, after witnessing the sudden change in the blonde woman in the oil painting, everyone now suspected the images in the mirror.
Were those really their own reflections, or were they someone else?
With that lingering doubt, they unconsciously gathered in front of the dressing mirror, peering through the misty surface for any suspicious signs or subtle anomalies.
While the others were investigating the mirror, Angel did not step forward. Instead, he moved toward the doorway, for at that moment, the Sovereign of Wisdom stood near the entrance.
Noticing Angel’s approach, the Sovereign of Wisdom gave him a sidelong glance: “What, you have no questions about that well-preserved mirror?”
Angel said: “I’m certainly curious, but before that, I wish to confirm something.”
“And what would that be?” The Sovereign of Wisdom turned to fully face Angel, calmly gazing at him. From Angel’s viewpoint, the Sovereign’s third eye on his forehead, angled downward, gave an impression of lofty arrogance.
“That vine sculpture,” Angel replied.
The Sovereign of Wisdom said: “I already answered that. I do not know.”
“No, I’m not asking if it’s the Wood Spirit. I want to know if that vine sculpture was presumably left there by the Wood Spirit,” Angel continued: “Is it also a derivative created by the Wood Spirit?”
Looking mildly surprised, the Sovereign of Wisdom regarded Angel: “What makes you think it was left by the Wood Spirit?”
Previously, the log’s strong life energy made it plausible to guess it was a remnant of the Wood Spirit, since the log itself constituted an extraordinary material.
But that vine sculpture was different. It was merely a piece of wood tinged with some energy, a bit special for resisting decay, but otherwise unremarkable.
It diverged greatly from the log, and its internal energy felt entirely different. The Sovereign of Wisdom was puzzled at how Angel had linked two fundamentally different pieces of wood.
“Because it’s strange in and of itself to carve vines out of wood,” Angel explained: “I can think of two possible reasons: either someone was extremely idle or they were practicing and honing their craft.”
“Earlier, Lady Cecia mentioned you had a fondness for the Wood Spirit and taught it many things. As a master alchemist, you certainly have skill in carving, so it’s possible you taught that to the Wood Spirit, too.”
“In my view, either explanation could fit the Wood Spirit.”
The Sovereign of Wisdom fixed Angel with a penetrating stare before speaking: “The more I see you, the more I suspect your presence here is no coincidence. Your knowledge of many matters cannot be explained by a few flimsy excuses. Don’t claim that Cecia told you all these details; she didn’t know much of this herself.”
Though the Sovereign of Wisdom’s words effectively confirmed Angel’s guess, that the vine sculpture was indeed left behind by the Wood Spirit, he also grew more suspicious of Angel.
Evidently, he did not believe Angel’s so-called ‘explanations’ and considered them too contrived.
In truth, the Sovereign of Wisdom was not wrong. Angel hadn’t concocted those reasons blindly; they were deductions based on known outcomes.
From the moment Angel stepped into this chamber, he had surmised that if the Wood Spirit were not present itself, it must have left something behind, either its main body or some related item. Creating a resonance without any medium would be exceedingly difficult, so the Wood Spirit had to provide one.
When Angel ventured into the void, he did not fully believe the Wood Spirit would be there. However, if it was absent, it must have left a medium behind; otherwise, would it create “resonance from thin air?” Angel found that highly unlikely.
Hence, even while going into the void, Angel had been searching for a potential medium. Unfortunately, external factors had prevented him from reaching the resonance coordinates, so he never found it.
That left this room as his next target.
After checking the two floors, Angel concluded that the vine sculpture was the likeliest candidate. From that outcome, he worked backward and offered the Sovereign of Wisdom his explanation.
In response to the Sovereign of Wisdom’s mistrust, Angel merely shrugged: “Yes, my arrival here was not purely coincidental. After all, this place was left behind by my forebear, the greatest of Noah, and as one of his descendants, I ought to visit.”
Though the Sovereign of Wisdom did not believe Angel’s claim of being a Noah descendant, he chose not to argue: “Do your goals truly coincide with those of the Noah bloodline? You need not answer; I’ll watch with my own eyes.”
With that, he said no more and signaled Angel to do as he wished.
The Sovereign of Wisdom never directly stated it, yet Angel’s question was answered through his hints. Satisfied, Angel returned to the dressing mirror.
…
Angel had also wondered if the dressing mirror might be the medium left by the Wood Spirit. But recalling the earlier oil painting, there were obviously potential issues with that painting, and the Wood Spirit clearly seemed wary of anything involving “mirrors.” It would be unlikely to remain near a mirror by choice.
Hence, Angel ruled out the dressing mirror as the medium.
Nevertheless, this dressing mirror was indeed bizarre. A glance at the shattered energy conduits scattered on the floor showed how battered the surroundings were, and yet the mirror’s surface remained utterly smooth and flawless. That alone felt suspicious.
Everyone had just about finished examining the dressing table and found nothing. They turned their attention to the mirror, which seemed the most likely source of trouble.
“How about wiping off that ‘mark’ first, Kael?” Daus suggested, eyeing the dust covering the mirror.
Uncertain whether or not to do so, Kael glanced back at the Black Count for confirmation.
The Black Count gave no direct reply, merely pivoting his stone slab to indicate Kael should consult Angel instead.
During his investigation, the Black Count had found nothing unusual, yet he had also found nothing wrong in the oil painting before, but it still reacted dramatically under Angel’s touch. Thus, he could not guarantee the mirror was safe.
Given that Kael was currently accompanying Angel inside the Hanging Prison Stairs, it made sense to leave the final decision to Angel: should they wipe away the dust to see whether it truly reflected them or someone else entirely?
Angel said: “I don’t think it matters much whether we wipe it away. I’m fairly certain the Wood Spirit isn’t hanging around the dressing mirror.”
As for why the Wood Spirit would avoid the dressing mirror, Angel offered no explanation. But everyone understood.
It was reminiscent of the oil painting: even after its derivative was removed, the Wood Spirit still refused to approach anything mirror-related. That alone spoke volumes.
“Our mission is to find the Wood Spirit. As for uncovering the truth behind the mirror, it’s not a priority.”
He glanced at the Sovereign of Wisdom: “Of course, if the Sovereign of Wisdom is using mirror-related discoveries as a bonus condition, that changes things.”
The Sovereign of Wisdom kept silent. Angel then turned back: “Seems it isn’t a bonus. Shall we continue, then?”
He directed the question at the Black Count.
If the “mirror” anomaly was linked to the Demon God of Mirrors, it might also connect to Augustine’s affairs, something that might interest the Black Count. If he wished to pursue answers immediately, Angel would not interfere.
The Black Count pondered a moment: “Let us first focus on our objective.”
Since the Black Count said so, there was no need to linger on the dressing table any further.
They scouted the room a little longer, confirming there was no sign of the Wood Spirit before one by one heading back downstairs.
Angel was the last to exit, and as he reached the door, preparing to return to the first floor, he noticed the Black Count floating outside.
“What did you see in that mirror?” the Black Count asked softly.
Angel remained silent for several seconds, then smiled faintly: “…So I failed to conceal it after all.”
The Black Count seemed certain Angel had indeed wiped the mirror. He had deliberately arranged for Kael to leave first, with himself bringing up the rear, precisely for that reason.
Although Angel appeared not to touch the mirror at all, they were operating within an illusion. In truth, Angel and Kael were inside the real Hanging Prison Stairs. Once Kael departed, Angel, now free of onlookers, could easily hide his actions with illusions.
It looked like he did nothing, but in fact, he had already done everything, right in front of everyone’s eyes.
“I didn’t see myself in the mirror,” Angel said.
The Black Count replied: “You saw the blonde woman?”
Angel shook his head: “No. There was no person at all. Instead, it was like a black hole leading into the depths of an abyss.”
“A black-hole-like abyss?” the Black Count asked: “Could someone pass through it?”
Angel answered: “I’m not sure. I didn’t extend my mental tendril into the mirror. Yet it was plainly an ‘invitation.’ I think one could indeed go inside.”
The Black Count said: “You made the right choice not to enter.”
Such an unknown phenomenon warranted caution, especially one possibly linked to the “Demon God of Mirrors.”
If it truly was a “Demon God,” the risk could be catastrophic.
Angel likewise understood this perfectly: “Yes, no sensible person would stand beneath a crumbling wall.”
He paused for a moment: “One more thing, right as I was leaving, a hand reached out from within that darkness…”