Chapter 2685 Twin Mirror <TOC> Chapter 2687 Setting the Surroundings
Translator: SumTLMan
“My lord, do we need to go there once again?”
The one asking is Kael. The place he’s referring to is a stretch of ruins and wreckage. They had already searched it once before, and at the time, they found no clues.
According to their usual practice, they normally wouldn’t search the same place a second time. But since Angel had decided not to venture to the third level and was certain that the Wood Spirit must be on the second level, Kael thought perhaps they would thoroughly search the second level once more.
However, as they passed by these ruins, Angel showed no intention of searching them again, which led Kael to voice his confusion.
Angel said: “No need. We’ve already searched it, so there’s no point going back.”
Kael asked: “Then are we not looking for the Wood Spirit anymore?”
“We are looking. Aren’t we looking right now?” Angel even glanced around on purpose, striking a pose as though he were carefully surveying the area.
Yet all around them was a silent void, which only gave the impression of… perfunctory acting.
Seeing this, Kael asked no further questions. In his opinion, Angel had apparently decided to stop searching.
Perhaps he was tired of it?
Kael said nothing more, only pinning his hopes on the next team, Daus and Vai.
…
“You really don’t plan to keep looking?”
The others had given up trying to convince Angel by now, and Daus was even rolling up his sleeves as if he were ready to step in at any moment. But it was at this moment, when the Sovereign of Wisdom, who hadn’t intended to speak, couldn’t help but open his mouth.
Angel’s answer was the same as ever: “I am looking.”
“If you put away that lazy look on your face, maybe I’d believe you,” the Sovereign of Wisdom remarked with a raised brow.
Angel replied: “Is that so? I think that no matter what I do, Sovereign of Wisdom, you probably wouldn’t believe me anyway, would you?”
The Sovereign of Wisdom said: “Muddy water cannot reveal the bottom, nor can one discern whether the shadow beneath that water is a crocodile or just a stone.”
Angel chuckled: “Even if the water were perfectly clear, Sovereign of Wisdom, you’d probably still suspect that the stone beneath it was a trick stone hiding some mechanism.”
What the Sovereign of Wisdom meant was that Angel was shrouded in too much fog, like muddy water: only by clarifying all the murk could one be convinced.
What Angel meant was that someone who sees conspiracies everywhere will always see only plots. A mistrustful person, especially regarding outsiders like them, would never truly trust anyone.
When it comes to who’s right and who’s wrong, it’s actually hard to say. Both sides are speaking from their own Position, naturally leaning toward their own interests.
It’s extremely difficult to reach a consensus on matters of position.
Unless one side completely surrenders to the other, agreeing to every demand, that might achieve unity of position. But neither Angel nor the Sovereign of Wisdom would ever yield.
There was no need to even mention the Sovereign of Wisdom, whose realm was apparent, who still stood on his own turf, how could he possibly yield to Angel?
As for Angel, he truly didn’t care much about the notion of “yielding.” Jon had once cautioned him, when Angel was leaving the Old Land Continent, that in a world where the strong prey on the weak, pride is the least necessary thing. Pride is the easiest thing to trample upon, if you set it up on a pedestal, once it’s crushed, you’ll never rise again. Moreover, pride often provokes death.
In stories, it’s common to see a scene where a powerful figure observes the hero’s willingness to die rather than submit and, deeply impressed, spares him. But such plot devices belong solely to protagonists. Most of the time, refusing to submit simply leads to anger; the wrath of the powerful can only be quelled by death.
Hence, Jon had advised Angel that it’s fine to have pride, but most of the time, one must know how to adapt to circumstances, feigning compliance if needed, aligning with the other side just enough to survive.
Angel has always been practical. When he first encountered Sanders, had he insisted on an unyielding stance and demanded to join White Coral Floating Island College, given Sanders’ temperament, Angel’s fate would likely have been death.
Thus, Angel is not that concerned about whether he appears to yield.
Yet in the face of the Sovereign of Wisdom, he simply cannot yield. The reason is straightforward: the Sovereign of Wisdom is not the sort of person who, upon your surrender, would then approve of you.
Just as Angel implied, a man who sees conspiracies everywhere will see nothing else.
When you are wreathed in fog, he suspects your identity. Once you clarify your identity, he suspects your intentions. If you explain your intentions, he’ll suspect your motives…
With such a person, endless concessions only back you into the most extreme corner. Even if you laid out your soul before him, he would still find fault.
Therefore, whether in terms of position or impression, Angel can never concede when dealing with the Sovereign of Wisdom.
Of course, they can’t simply remain locked in confrontation forever. As Totoro put it: “The Wise One is Not a Fool,” and Angel wants to fulfill the goal of this trip, so eventually he must align with the Sovereign of Wisdom on a matter of position.
But how to align if he won’t yield?
They could call in outside help, relying on Savage Grottoes’ might to forcibly suppress everything. That would effectively flip the table, bringing this ruin exploration to a sudden, unhappy end, truly the worst solution.
Apart from outside help, Angel can think of only one way: shared interests.
Only a driving mutual interest can bring both parties to step back enough for the two positions to find common ground. Even if each still rejects the other’s stance, they can at least accept that the other side’s position has reason to exist.
A similar balance exists between Angel and the Black Count. On this journey, Angel has revealed many suspicious details, and the Black Count initially asked about them. Over time, he gradually stopped. Because they share common interests, with benefits for both, there is no need to fall out with each other.
If the Black Count can accept this arrangement, then the Sovereign of Wisdom can as well.
The question is: what mutual interest could exist between Angel and the Sovereign of Wisdom?
At the moment there’s really no answer, at least, it’s unclear.
But that lack of clarity only remains because the Sovereign of Wisdom hasn’t shown his “purpose.” Once Angel learns that purpose, and how he regards Noah descendants, he’s convinced a common interest will emerge.
He’s so sure because, if there were no mutual interest at all, why else would the Sovereign of Wisdom waste so much time dealing with them?
And how is Angel supposed to learn the Sovereign of Wisdom’s objective?
He’s currently working on it.
Once Angel completes the so-called “bonus conditions” and “necessary conditions,” and the Sovereign of Wisdom has gathered enough intel on them, the Sovereign of Wisdom will naturally reveal his own purpose.
It’s precisely because Angel understands this underlying entanglement that he’s unafraid of directly confronting the Sovereign of Wisdom now.
Besides, only by both parties clarifying their positions does dialogue even become possible. If the conversation is completely one-sided, there’s no need to talk at all, it’s just capitulation in disguise.
…
Angel’s remark that “conspiracy theorists are always blinded” indicates that he’s going head-to-head with the Sovereign of Wisdom.
Their gazes locked… or rather, it was a meeting of five eyes.
In that moment of mutual scrutiny, the mood stiffened, and the atmosphere seemed to fill with killing intent.
The Sovereign of Wisdom’s face grew increasingly grim, and everyone present felt a vague unease. It seemed they were on the brink of outright conflict.
But to their surprise, in the next second, the Sovereign of Wisdom’s expression cleared like clouds parting.
He gave Angel a deep look, then spoke calmly: “Let’s set aside this matter of muddy or clear waters for now and speak plainly. You’re certain you’re giving up on finding the Wood Spirit?”
“If you plan to abandon the mission, your bonus condition will vanish.”
Angel replied: “We can talk about abandoning the mission once I leave the Hanging Prison Stairs. Right now, I’m still ‘looking.’”
At that, Daus interjected: “Did you forget me? What do you mean, there won’t be any bonus condition? I haven’t even had a chance to look yet. Maybe in the end, I’ll find it.”
The Sovereign of Wisdom gave Daus a casual glance, then… turned back to Angel.
“In that case, I look forward to your ‘finding’ the Wood Spirit.”
Though these words seemed directed at Daus, the Sovereign of Wisdom never took his eyes off Angel. Without doubt, the words were really for Angel. Daus was ignored once again.
“Such a halfhearted hope,” Angel muttered under his breath, and then added formally: “Well, I’ll do my best to fulfill the Sovereign of Wisdom’s expectations.”
The Sovereign of Wisdom, of course, heard that murmur, but he didn’t mind. Angel was only telling the truth, after all. The so-called “expectation” was nothing more than lip service.
Of those present, only the Black Count had any real chance of finding the Wood Spirit. But he had already come back empty-handed, so it seemed hopeless.
The Sovereign of Wisdom did not believe Angel could locate the Wood Spirit.
As for Angel’s earlier confident claim that “the Wood Spirit is on the second level,” the Sovereign of Wisdom dismissed it outright, treating it as Angel’s final attempt at saving face.
…
They continued onward, returning the same way they had come. As before, only drifting heaps of ruins would float by from time to time. Angel showed no intention of investigating these ruins again, not even making a show of looking for the Wood Spirit.
Seeing this, any lingering doubts disappeared. Everyone was convinced that Angel no longer intended to search.
“Young folks can be so impulsive,” sighed Daus: “Hot-headed, deciding not to search just like that. Looks like you’ll all have to count on me.”
No sooner had Daus said this than a cold snort sounded beside him.
He turned to see Vai glaring at him angrily. Just as he began to wonder what was wrong, he heard the Sovereign of Wisdom’s voice at his ear:
“‘Young and impulsive’? You’re older than he is?”
Daus froze. Only then did he realize that he’d just accidentally revealed some information about Angel.
A silent groan flitted through his mind, but outwardly he was composed: “Yes, he’s younger than I am.”
“I see,” the Sovereign of Wisdom murmured: “Your age is around eighty, so there aren’t many formal wizards in the Southern Region younger than you. And from the way you talk, he must be significantly younger, perhaps even under fifty. A wizard that young who can use illusions and also perform alchemy… that information should suffice to determine his identity.”
Because the Nightmare Illusion’s shroud and Eremy’s defenses, coupled with the Black Count’s Earth Rampart, had kept the Sovereign of Wisdom from confirming Angel’s age, he couldn’t see it clearly before.
But when the Sovereign of Wisdom withdrew from the live illusion broadcast earlier, forcing Daus and the Black Count back into reality, Angel wasn’t outside maintaining the illusion anymore. This led to Daus’ true form being revealed to the Sovereign of Wisdom.
Given the Sovereign of Wisdom’s keen eyes, discerning Daus’ age was a simple matter. Thus, he knew that Daus was about eighty years old, very young and gifted for a wizard.
Now Daus had let slip that Angel was younger still, which meant Angel’s age range was revealed as well.
Looking at how earnestly the Sovereign of Wisdom was analyzing all this, Daus felt a twinge of awkwardness.
In fact, claiming Angel was younger than him had been a deliberate remark aimed at reverse psychology, hoping the Sovereign of Wisdom would doubt him and so also doubt Angel’s real age.
What he hadn’t expected was that the Sovereign of Wisdom… actually believed it!
Didn’t Angel hint earlier, openly and otherwise, that the Sovereign of Wisdom trusted nobody? Then why was he now taking Daus at his word?
It seemed there was no way to alter the Sovereign of Wisdom’s line of thought now.
With a helpless look, Daus turned toward Angel, wanting to offer a slight apology.
But at that moment, he noticed Angel was no longer paying attention to them. Instead, Angel had come to a halt, eyes closed in concentration, as if searching for the Wood Spirit.
Back to putting on an act?
At first, Daus assumed Angel was going through the motions again, but with a closer look, he realized Angel’s expression was more serious than ever.
The surrounding energy was shifting rapidly in response to Angel’s sensing.
“What’s going on?” Vai, who had been fuming at Daus for revealing Angel’s information, was also drawn over by the commotion around Angel.
Even the Sovereign of Wisdom was watching Angel in curiosity, unable to guess what he was doing.
Suddenly, just as the energy in the vicinity peaked at a certain extreme, it all came to an abrupt halt.
At the same moment, Angel opened his eyes.
After letting out a long exhale, Angel became aware that everyone was staring at him.
Facing their gaze, Angel seemed perplexed: “What’s the matter?”
“That’s what we should be asking you, right?” Daus said in reply.
“Weren’t you all discussing my age? You’re done with that?”
At the mention of age, Daus’ eyes darted aside: “Ahem, age… well, age isn’t that important. Right now we’re interested in you. We’re asking what you were just doing.”
Angel shrugged: “Nothing in particular.”
He paused, then added: “I was just thinking about how to coax that little fellow hiding in the shadows to come out on its own.”
That little fellow in the shadows?
Who was he talking about? The Wood Spirit? Had Angel already detected the Wood Spirit?
While everyone was still unsure, Angel turned around and looked into the darkness.
“Hey, it’s just the two of us here. Are you really not planning to come out?”
Chapter 2685 Twin Mirror <TOC> Chapter 2687 Setting the Surroundings