Chapter 2695 Developed Sentience <TOC> Chapter 2697 Original Location
Translator: SumTLMan
“Not long ago it was trembling in fear, and now it’s actually playing around with that demon from the Panic World… Was it truly scared before, or was it just pretending?” Daus also took note of the interaction between the Wood Spirit and Eremy and couldn’t help muttering this under his breath.
“It’s probably just drawn to plants, and plants here must be quite rare,” Vai guessed.
“Quite rare?” Daus stroked his chin, thinking back carefully. It seemed they really hadn’t come across many plants. Or perhaps he simply hadn’t noticed them?
“There are actually many plants, but few the Wood Spirit dares to approach,” Angel remarked: “Don’t forget about those bloodsucking vines in the residential zone.”
Those vines barely counted as plants, but their ferocity was no less than that of monsters. Given the Wood Spirit’s timid nature, it would run for its life merely from the scent of such vines, let alone trying to befriend them. But Eremy, who hid all aura inside his shadow, left only that faintly glowing blue lantern flower outside, carrying almost no energy, like a small wildflower growing in the darkness. This made the Wood Spirit drop its guard a little and carefully test out merging its aura with the blue lantern flower.
The whole process was actually quite clear: Eremy was merely teasing the Wood Spirit to cheer it up, in other words, to ease the Wood Spirit’s excessive fear.
The others could see what was happening, but they assumed it was Angel’s doing. After all, it seemed like something Angel would do, so they didn’t pay it much mind.
Only Angel, who knew the truth, outwardly feigned calm while inwardly feeling deeply confused.
After a brief hesitation, Angel secretly contacted Eremy, hoping to figure out what was going on.
At first, Eremy’s replies were just like before: he answered everything in the same dull, methodical way, with no hint of independent thought. But when Angel asked about the Wood Spirit, Eremy’s mind seemed to stall, and the tone of his replies grew noticeably muddled. In the end, from those odd, confusing responses, Angel extracted what might have been the real reason:
“It’s scared. It needs comforting.” That was the logic behind Eremy’s actions.
On the surface, it didn’t sound problematic, in fact, someone with no inside knowledge would have found it quite sweet. But Angel only grew more concerned. Though Eremy still generally followed orders as absolutely as ever, he had begun to form his own ideas.
The emergence of a “thought” and putting it into “practice” are the cornerstones of developing true sentience. Now that Eremy was showing signs of independent thought and had even carried those ideas out, Angel felt a looming headache…
He very much wanted to force Eremy out right now to inspect whether the “Seed of Distortion” had loosened, but the timing wasn’t right. He could only hold off until they’d left. Then he could study the issue more closely.
As for whether this was a good or bad development, Angel couldn’t say for sure yet. His own inclination was that this was bad. The demons of the Panic World were initially guardians protecting humanity from monstrous invasions, but their power actually came from those monsters. Once awakened, they transformed into even more bloodthirsty creatures. Not only were they exceptionally strong, but they also knew every detail about human civilization, instantly becoming the most fearsome beings in the Panic World.
And Eremy was just such an Awakened Demon. Originally, demons were more or less human in appearance. Yet Eremy looked more like a “black leopard with a flower on its head,” which was its form after awakening. That alone showed that Eremy, having been captured, had already awakened.
Given what Angel knew of the Panic World, he found it hard to believe an Awakened Demon would be friendly. They understood languages, writing, disguise, and cunning. They would employ all sorts of methods to achieve their aims of slaughter. They were more terrifying than ordinary demons.
So, seeing Eremy now showing signs of self-awareness, comforting a “fearful Wood Spirit,” Angel suspected even more that it might just be an act.
Angel lowered his gaze and secretly connected with the Seed of Distortion.
Whether or not the Seed of Distortion had loosened in Eremy’s core, Angel could not say, but at least he could still control it. That meant, should Angel wish it, Eremy could perish in an instant.
Confirming that he still held the initiative, Angel let out a subtle sigh of relief.
Putting Eremy’s situation aside for now, Angel walked over to the Sovereign of Wisdom.
The Sovereign of Wisdom slowly pulled his gaze from the Wood Spirit and met Angel’s eyes.
Angel said: “After thinking it over, I believe we’d prefer to have our discussion here. At the very least, we’d like to know what the Sovereign of Wisdom wants of us before we can feel comfortable cooperating.”
Angel deliberately stressed the word “cooperating,” making it clear to the Sovereign of Wisdom that they did indeed have a goal in coming here, but the Sovereign of Wisdom’s series of “tests” must also be for a purpose, one that only they could fulfill. Otherwise, why wouldn’t he do it himself?
He wanted to ensure that they not be treated as ignorant pawns. They sought mutual interests and a win-win situation, not a one-sided ploy behind their backs.
The Sovereign of Wisdom heard Angel’s implication, but didn’t mind. Throughout the journey, he had already sensed that, apart from the two apprentices, no one present was a fool, least of all Angel. Despite Angel’s seeming inexperience, his caution level was sky-high. With someone who bristled like a wary porcupine, devious schemes weren’t as effective as frank and direct negotiation.
Moreover, the Sovereign of Wisdom caught something else in Angel’s words: “After thinking it over, I believe we’d prefer to have our discussion here.” Had Angel said: “We discussed it and decided to talk here,” that would have covered the whole group. But instead, Angel’s reply did not include anyone else. He continued to occupy the lead role in the dialogue.
The Sovereign of Wisdom had already prepared to speak with the “true members of the Noah family.” Yet the Noah descendant still wasn’t stepping forward, leaving Angel to negotiate.
Indeed, the Sovereign of Wisdom had questions for Angel. But the fact that the Noah family, even now, refused to reveal themselves was aggravating… Augustine of the past was so open and straightforward, yet his successors were all shrinking into their shells like turtles.
The Sovereign of Wisdom had basically figured out who was from the Noah line, but since they wouldn’t admit it, he had no reason to point it out. Anyway, in the end, only a Noah descendant could unlock that door. One way or another, they’d have to reveal themselves eventually.
“All right, discussing it here is fine. But there may be A Minor Interlude if you remain in this place,” the Sovereign of Wisdom said calmly.
“A ‘minor interlude’? Why not just explain it clearly?” Angel asked.
The Sovereign of Wisdom tapped a finger to the firmly closed third eye on his brow: “In my present state, I can’t see the details, but rest assured something will happen. And if you stay here, those minor interludes will fall to you to resolve.”
Everyone thought back to how the Sovereign of Wisdom had cut his live broadcast short a while ago, could that be related?
While they were guessing, the Black Count spoke up: “Does it concern the pursuers from the Traveling Merchants Organization?”
The Sovereign of Wisdom glanced at him and nodded: “Yes.”
Hearing that it involved the Traveling Merchants, Angel and the others relaxed a bit. They had already learned from the Black Count that his sense of smell had caught signs of the Traveling Merchants.
They didn’t mind much. The Black Count had stated that whoever was coming wasn’t particularly strong, mostly apprentices, easy enough to deal with.
They also hadn’t truly come into open conflict with the Traveling Merchants yet. In fact, they had helped them discover a new underground sewer entrance, a possible ongoing source of profit. And, crucially, Angel alone knew a secret: Cecia hadn’t gone offline, she was still online!
From the moment Cecia reconnected to the Wilderness of Dreams until now, she had never logged out. It made sense: locked for millennia in that dark box, she wouldn’t be eager to go back and miss out on such a beautiful, liberating world.
Though Angel didn’t know exactly what Cecia was currently doing, her frequent movements suggested she wouldn’t be leaving any time soon.
That meant no one from the Traveling Merchants could obtain a “pass” even if they made it to the platform.
Without that pass, forcing one’s way in would only feed the void monsters.
For all these reasons, they weren’t worried about the Traveling Merchants. If they actually appeared and turned hostile, well, they could always “have a little talk.”
A powerful outsider is usually compelled to yield to the local power, but if you were as strong as the Noah family, you were the one calling the shots. The Traveling Merchants were actually under the secret control of the Bylron family, which, even if it grew tenfold, still paled compared to the Noahs. After all, the Black Count was a true pinnacle wizard of the Southern Region.
Hence, while they didn’t particularly want to run into the Traveling Merchants, they also didn’t fear confronting them. Ultimately, the ones who would lose out were the merchants.
The Sovereign of Wisdom could see their carefree looks and silently shook his head. If this encounter were a straightforward “scare them into retreat,” he wouldn’t have bothered to bring it up.
Though he called it a “minor” interlude, that was only from his vantage point. For these people, it might not be so easy to handle, and besides, the situation itself… wasn’t ordinary at all.
“After all, the Traveling Merchants Organization is coming for us, so it’s only right we handle it,” Daus said with a light shrug: “Given how we’ve been dawdling here to fulfill your bonus condition and necessary conditions, they’re just wandering around your territory. You’re really not going to step in at all?”
Familiar as ever, Daus’ brand of sophistry made its appearance.
The Sovereign of Wisdom replied: “If you’d like to abandon the ruin site and leave now, you’re free to do so. If you insist on going there, you must meet the conditions I set.”
If they took it further, the Traveling Merchants had come merely to chase them, while they had come specifically to entreat the Sovereign of Wisdom’s help in reaching the ruin site. The merchants were passive, while they were active, so in any case, the Sovereign of Wisdom would trouble them rather than the other side.
In short, Daus’ argument failed once again.
“If we follow you back to your residence, will this minor interlude still happen?” Angel asked.
“It will,” said the Sovereign of Wisdom: “However, as my guests in my territory, you wouldn’t need to handle intruders yourselves. I, as the host, would deal with them.”
He paused, then fixed Angel with a meaningful look: “So, do you still plan on dealing with this interlude personally?”
“I hold no malice toward you. If I had wanted you dead, I’d have done it already. Besides, if you really plan to go to the ruin site, you’ll eventually pass my residence anyway. So, why remain here to discuss matters?”
The others acknowledged the sense in the Sovereign of Wisdom’s words, but none of them spoke. The Black Count had placed Angel in charge of decisions. Since Angel had decided they would talk here, they would stick with him over the Sovereign of Wisdom’s suggestions.
Meanwhile, Angel was focused on something else entirely. He wasn’t concerned about any so-called interlude, but rather on how the Sovereign of Wisdom had responded.
Angel’s question was seemingly casual: If they went to the Sovereign of Wisdom’s Great Hall, would the Traveling Merchants still come? Beneath that, however, he was trying to find out if the Traveling Merchants’ appearance was truly inevitable.
Because the Sovereign of Wisdom didn’t know Cecia was in the Wilderness of Dreams and thus unable to handle subsequent passes, he had inadvertently revealed that the Traveling Merchants would inevitably show up here.
If that was certain, it meant they were being guided by some power other than the Sovereign of Wisdom.
Angel said: “May I ask you one more thing, Sovereign of Wisdom?”
“Ask.”
“That being hidden in the mirror, does it refuse to enter your hall?”
The Sovereign of Wisdom’s grin froze, then slowly returned to normal. He’d expected Angel’s next question to concern the interlude. Instead, Angel had brought up that “being” directly, even referring to them as someone in the mirror.
“How do you know?” the Sovereign of Wisdom asked.
Angel shrugged: “I don’t know anything. If I did, why would I bother asking you for confirmation?”
Seeing that the Sovereign of Wisdom did not believe him, Angel added: “I merely combined a few pieces of information and came up with that guess.”
“What pieces of information?” the Sovereign of Wisdom pressed.
It wasn’t just the Sovereign of Wisdom. Everyone else was curious how Angel’s train of thought had jumped so far.
Angel did not hide it: “After we left, I deployed a small trick. Because of that, Miss Cecia is temporarily unable to process subsequent passes.”
Angel offered no further explanation, but that alone was enough for the Sovereign of Wisdom to infer the key points.
If Angel truly had locked Cecia in place, the situation would be drastically different from what the Sovereign of Wisdom assumed. He had thought Cecia would keep up her usual job of collecting treasures and granting people passage. Thus, unknowingly, he had exposed that the Traveling Merchants were sure to appear.
If the Traveling Merchants were certainly arriving and it wasn’t by the Sovereign of Wisdom’s doing, that left only someone else behind the scenes.
Whoever it was, they didn’t care about the Sovereign of Wisdom’s opinions or authority. Nor did they require Cecia’s help with the alternate dimension magic formations. This person obviously understood how the alternate dimension space was arranged.
Putting the two observations together, Angel had concluded that it was likely the one behind the Sovereign of Wisdom, the “man in the mirror.”
In short, it was the Sovereign of Wisdom himself who had let the truth slip.
He might have been observing them all along, but they, in turn, were carefully observing him.
Chapter 2695 Developed Sentience <TOC> Chapter 2697 Original Location