Chapter 2691 Curtain Call <TOC> Chapter 2693 Bond of the Heart
Translator: SumTLMan
Angel froze for a moment, lowered his head in confusion, and looked down.
Sure enough, he saw that the bottom of his staff was suddenly wrapped by a vine with faint green buds.
A vine… it seemed to remind Angel of something. He turned his head to look.
There was no one behind him.
All that remained was a vine stretching far into the distance, trailing all the way back onto the Hanging Prison Stairs.
Angel stared at the vine, unsure how long it might be or where it ended. He raised his eyebrows slightly. Without hesitating, he turned around and walked toward where the vine originated.
As Angel left, the vine tugged on his staff. But when Angel returned, the vine withdrew like a receding tide.
All that remained was a faint vine shadow with a tender bud, guiding Angel’s direction forward.
With Angel once again venturing deep into the Hanging Prison Stairs, his figure gradually vanished into the gloom.
……
“Why hasn’t the lord come out yet?” Vai craned his neck, looking toward the door.
At that moment, a full minute had passed since the final curtain call of the live broadcast. Even Kael had come out for quite a while, yet Angel’s figure had never appeared. This caused everyone to become suspicious.
Did something happen to Angel? Or did the Sovereign of Wisdom secretly make a move?
But the Sovereign of Wisdom had just mentioned wanting to converse with Angel, so it didn’t seem likely he would suddenly attack right away.
“Could it be that the lord overextended his computational power? Once the live broadcast ended, he might need a bit of time to adjust his state?” Kael said. His words were reserved, but everyone knew what he truly meant.
Could it be that Angel had been holding on this entire time, and once the live broadcast illusion closed, he finally relaxed, causing an accident?
For instance, he might have passed out.
In other words, maybe Angel had only been putting on a brave face for too long.
“I doubt it.” Though Daus really wanted that to be true, from the various details they had observed, Angel shouldn’t have needed to push himself that hard.
“Based on what I know, he’s not the kind of person to strain himself to that degree. Whenever he can save effort, he definitely won’t show off.” He might even deliberately feign weakness to avoid trouble, without caring what others think.
“Do you all really believe his talk of draining his computational power?” Daus shrugged: “Anyway, I don’t believe it.”
At this point, only the two apprentices half-believed it. The rest clearly knew that Angel’s claims of huge computational consumption were highly questionable. If he had truly been that drained, would the structure of his illusion nodes have been so smooth, or the flow of energy so stable? Remember, Angel was conducting the live broadcast from an alternate dimension, and the illusion was practically flawless, even when Daus “died” twice, needing to run back to his body, those illusions were all exceedingly realistic.
If his computational power had truly been so heavily depleted, would Angel have gone out of his way to include that whimsical “corpse run” sequence?
So, for the formal wizards present, it was quite obvious: Angel might consume some computational power, but not nearly as much as he claimed. He was clearly exaggerating.
Moreover, Daus deeply suspected that Angel’s final “farewell performance,” or his statement that “what the host does has nothing to do with me, Angel,” was just to indicate to them that everything had been an act, and that the performance is exempt from blame.
While Daus and the Black Count might not care, who knew if the Sovereign of Wisdom would?
Essentially, Angel’s disclaimer was simply an advanced measure to prevent the Sovereign of Wisdom from faulting him over some trivial matter later on.
Such situations, where major fights erupt over small slights in the Wizarding World, aren’t rare. Some indeed can’t tolerate being deceived, but many more are just capitalizing on the situation, seeking an excuse to reduce the benefit they must pay. It’s essentially a no-loss scenario for them.
“In that case, why isn’t the lord out by now?” Vai asked, puzzled: “Besides, he’s not responding on the mental connection.”
As Vai spoke, he turned his gaze toward the Black Count, because the Black Count was the controller of the mental connection and could vaguely sense Angel’s state and location.
“He’s deliberately isolating himself from the mental connection, and he’s not near the entrance to the zeroth level,” said the Black Count succinctly, solving the biggest mysteries for everyone.
Angel was alive, he wasn’t answering because he had actively blocked the mental connection, and he hadn’t left; he had, in fact, re-entered the Hanging Prison Stairs.
The first two facts were relatively minor, but everyone was deeply concerned about the last one: Why had Angel gone back in?
The Black Count couldn’t answer that. He could only sense Angel’s general direction. As for why he returned to the Hanging Prison Stairs, only the Sovereign of Wisdom knew.
So they all looked at the Sovereign of Wisdom outside the Earth Rampart.
But that view left them all dumbstruck.
They saw the Sovereign of Wisdom continuously taking out pairs of strangely shaped spectacles from his storage space item. Some had an octopus-shaped frame, others had a small wing attached to the edge, while another was styled like an open book under the lenses… All of them were three-lensed spectacles with very distinct designs that made everyone pause in astonishment.
Yet the unusual appearance wasn’t the main point. The real question was: what was the Sovereign of Wisdom doing?
They watched as he put on one pair of spectacles. All three lenses lit up, then he tossed it aside. Then he put on another pair, the lenses lit up, and he threw it away again.
Were it not for the Sovereign of Wisdom’s solemn and even grave expression, they would have thought he was just showing off his eyewear.
They watched in silence as the Sovereign of Wisdom switched nearly ten pairs of glasses. Finally, when he donned a heart-shaped pair of spectacles, he stopped, lost in thought.
It was a truly bizarre sight, because that heart-shaped frame was even pink.
A youthful figure, sporting three eyes, wearing a pair of distinctly girlish pink heart-shaped glasses with a very solemn expression… even “young men” like Vai, Kael, and Daus found it unsettling, and even the Black Count couldn’t bear to look.
However, based on how swiftly the Sovereign of Wisdom kept swapping lenses, and the direction of his gaze, he might have had no idea what type of frames he was actually putting on.
It was very likely he chose the heart-shaped glasses without noticing.
“Should we ask him, do you think?” Vai asked on the mental connection.
Daus said: “Ahem… maybe wait a little? I don’t think disturbing the Sovereign of Wisdom right now is a good idea.”
If even Daus, normally the first to revel in others’ mishaps, thought so, the others naturally understood that calling attention to the heart-shaped glasses, prompting him to realize what he was wearing, would be a terrible idea.
So they quickly diverted their eyes away from the Sovereign of Wisdom, all silently praying he would discover the frames soon… and not lash out in mortified fury.
Even the Black Count was planning for the worst. If the Sovereign of Wisdom really did lose his temper, maybe he would prefer to die as quickly as possible so his true body could hurry over?
The Black Count put himself in that position: if he were the one whose embarrassing side was witnessed by others, he’d definitely kill them to prevent word from getting out.
Which is why the Black Count was already thinking: if his avatar quickly perishes, his true body can rush over to save the others. Because of that oath he made with Angel, he couldn’t otherwise contact his true body, so letting his avatar die was the only way.
So at this moment, no one was paying attention to Angel; they were more worried about the Sovereign of Wisdom’s actions.
Time slowly ticked by.
They nervously endured five minutes, when suddenly the Black Count spoke up on the mental connection: “He is very close to the entrance.”
Meaning that after five minutes of heading deeper into the Hanging Prison Stairs, Angel had finally returned to the zeroth level. And that he might soon exit, returning to the outside world.
Setting aside what Angel was doing inside, everyone now only hoped…
“Should we warn the lord?” Vai asked on the mental connection.
As to what the warning would be, they all knew it concerned the Sovereign of Wisdom.
But before they could do anything, Daus said: “Too late, he’s already out.”
The next moment, everyone heard a familiar, clear voice by their ears. Yes, actually heard it, not through the mental connection.
“Huh, that’s quite a unique look. I didn’t expect the Sovereign of Wisdom to fancy this style.”
Everyone: “…”
All of them looked down, not daring to face the scene over there.
A few seconds later, they felt a forceful surge of energy. The nearby magic formations buzzed and crackled as they channeled power…
Clearly, the outburst came from the Sovereign of Wisdom.
The Black Count said: “I’ll go reinforce the Earth Rampart. Once the space energy stabilizes, Daus, get ready to open the planar passage.”
In that moment, he didn’t have time for formalities and directly used Daus’ name, prepared to make a stand if necessary.
Daus wore a bitter expression, thinking how expensive the materials for opening a planar passage were, and how the Black Count wasn’t even mentioning reimbursements. That meant Daus would have to pay for them himself.
But he had no choice: refusing would mean death. Even if he didn’t care about others, he still cared about his own survival.
So Daus reluctantly nodded, as though in silent lament for his wallet. At the same time, he made up his mind to see if he could get compensation from Angel. Then again, that might not be possible if Angel couldn’t even survive… or perhaps he could seek reimbursement from Sanders at the Savage Grottoes?
Though Daus resented it, in the face of life or death, he swiftly retrieved his supplies and prepared the mental model for the planar passage within his mental space. In order to complete the opening as quickly as possible, Daus directly activated the Rainbow Hearthstone, sending ribbons of rainbow light twisting through the air, weaving the beginnings of a prismatic bridge.
“The Rainbow Gate,” the Black Count remarked in mild surprise. He had assumed Daus would open the ‘Illusory Tunnel’ using Void Gems, which was comparatively cheaper, though the passage it opened would connect to an internal layer of the world, limited in scope and easier to track.
But the Rainbow Hearthstone’s Rainbow Gate opened to the external layer, leading into the void, which is effectively infinite and much harder to pursue.
Additionally, the Rainbow Hearthstone is faster and more stable for opening up space, far more so than illusions produced by Void Gems.
“I do have some resources,” Daus said with a forced grin.
“If it’s the Rainbow Gate, I’ll try bringing Angel along,” the Black Count said: “If it’s possible, we’ll try saving him.”
Seeing that Daus had little reaction, the Black Count continued: “Angel will compensate you for your losses.”
At that, Daus finally perked up, replying solemnly: “Understood.”
Even without the promise of reimbursement, Daus would have tried to help Angel; he had spent quite some time planning to get close to him. He wouldn’t watch that relationship burn. With the compensation guaranteed, he was even more determined.
Angel was presumably very wealthy, so he likely wouldn’t quibble over the materials… probably?
Now the Rainbow Gate had taken shape; once the space stabilized, Daus could open the planar passage at any moment.
On the other side, Angel was stunned by the sudden commotion.
Were the Sovereign of Wisdom and Daus at odds? Had some violent conflict broken out while he was still inside the Hanging Prison Stairs?
While Angel looked puzzled, the Black Count went straight to the Earth Rampart, preparing to break through the Sovereign of Wisdom’s energy blockade and pull Angel into the Rainbow Gate.
But before the Black Count could act, they heard a wretched scream of “Ah!” from somewhere.
That howl ended in an instant, and simultaneously, the Sovereign of Wisdom’s raging aura froze in place. The abrupt shift was like boiling water turning to ice.
While the Black Count stood in confusion, out from the entrance to the Hanging Prison Stairs came a figure they recognized… a giant humanoid matchstick.
The screamer was the matchstick man.
And now, he was retreating in utter terror, with one foot still inside the Hanging Prison Stairs.
Seeing this, Angel quickly turned back and hurried to the matchstick man, grabbed it, and, catching it off guard, yanked it away from the doorway.
But the matchstick man was immensely strong, so Angel only managed to pull it half a step away. At any moment, it seemed ready to bolt back inside.
Angel swiftly tried to soothe the matchstick man. Then he looked toward the Sovereign of Wisdom and said:
“I’ve genuinely brought the Wood Spirit out this time. If the Sovereign of Wisdom frightens it into going back, don’t blame that on me.”
The moment Angel finished speaking, the frosty atmosphere began to thaw.
From afar, they saw the Sovereign of Wisdom exhale deeply, discreetly remove his heart-shaped glasses, and put them away without betraying any hint of awkwardness.
Angel said: “Huh, why did you take them off? I assumed you were wearing them specifically to greet the Woo…”
Before Angel could finish, the Black Count interrupted him: “That’s irrelevant. First, explain what happened on your end. How did you bring it out?”
The Black Count’s gaze landed on the Wood Spirit.
They understood now why the Sovereign of Wisdom had abruptly curbed his anger, it was clearly because of the Wood Spirit.
This alone showed how much more the Sovereign of Wisdom cared about it than they had imagined.
That was a small silver lining. Without the Wood Spirit, the Sovereign of Wisdom might have truly flown into a rage… even if those glasses were his own doing.
Chapter 2691 Curtain Call <TOC> Chapter 2693 Bond of the Heart