Chapter 2699 Man in the Jar <TOC> Chapter 2701 Mutual Trust and Balance
Translator: SumTLMan
“If the Sovereign of Wisdom suspects that I am lying, you may use the True Word spell on me. Of course, only for this particular question.”
Angel opened his heart with an air of complete transparency, as though inviting anyone to inspect him.
In truth, Angel’s straightforward conduct had already convinced many. It was only that the Sovereign of Wisdom feared he was feigning honesty in order to manipulate them, deliberately retreating so as to advance, so he still offered a mild apology as he cast the True Word spell on Angel for confirmation.
Immediately thereafter, for the first time since encountering the Wood Spirit, the Sovereign of Wisdom opened the third eye on his forehead.
Once that third eye opened, countless slender streams of light emerged in the surrounding air, continuously weaving and intertwining, as though stitching a shining net out of radiant threads, or writing out mysterious runes from nowhere.
These streams of light flitted about, encircling Angel and the Sovereign of Wisdom.
At last, between the two of them, the light formed a leaf that shone with a faint golden hue.
The page was double-sided, presently blank, with only shimmering gold light faintly flowing across its surface.
Light spots reflected from the page flickered upon their faces, lending their expressions a subtle glow.
“Sovereign of Wisdom, is there any need for this? I already said it only applies to this question. Must you go to such formal lengths?” Angel sighed softly.
Others might not have understood what this was, but Angel knew perfectly well.
Because the woven lines of radiance around them were runes, and that book formed by runes in the center was a manifestation of that spell. Rune wizards referred to it as the True Word Book.
The True Word Book’s effect was quite similar to the contract light barrier that the Black Count had previously used, yet it differed in some minor respects.
Inside the contract light barrier, anything you said was compelled to be true. If you did not want to answer, you could choose to remain silent.
Within the range of the True Word Book, however, remaining silent would be met with backlash from the runes; every question demanded an answer.
Yet the True Word Book held one very intriguing characteristic: your answer might be untrue.
But if you placed your response upon the gilded pages, the words recorded there were invariably the truth.
In other words, within the True Word Book’s sphere, you could speak truth or falsehood, but only the words upon the page were guaranteed to be true.
Once that golden page was formed, the Sovereign of Wisdom extended a fingertip, sending out a thread of energy like a swift brushstroke, and it landed upon the page.
A thin haze of light rose across the page’s surface, coalescing into a faint silhouette. Observing it closely, one would discover that the figure was the Sovereign of Wisdom’s true body: the Three-Eyed Blue Demon.
Shortly thereafter, the haze dissipated, and the phantom of the Three-Eyed Blue Demon merged into the page, vanishing from sight.
The appearance of that true body silhouette signified that the Sovereign of Wisdom had infused the page with his own energy. In other words, he had signed the “contract” of the True Word Book.
Having finished this procedure, the Sovereign of Wisdom turned to Angel.
Angel: “Wasn’t a plain old True Word spell enough…?”
Sovereign of Wisdom: “It achieves the same result.”
Indeed, the effect was identical, but the True Word Book was not merely a means to force one to speak truth. In foundational lessons on Mind Heart Illusions in the school of illusions, the True Word Book was even used as an illustration when discussing game theory.
Because the True Word Book possessed a particular feature: so long as any party signed the “contract,” they could inscribe on it some law that was deemed logically permissible.
“Logically permissible” meant that both the True Word Book and the opponent recognized the law as valid.
For instance, if you wrote a law: “If one does not wish to answer, one may remain silent.”
Even if your opponent agreed, the True Word Book would reject it, for that would nullify the very reason the True Word Book existed. It went against its fundamental logic.
Or suppose you wrote a law: “The other party must speak only truth.”
The True Word Book might accept it, but if your opponent refused, then the law would not apply.
This system of mutually establishing laws might seem like a courtesy, yet in reality, it was a tool for strategic maneuvering.
Take “The other party must speak only truth” as an example. If your opponent refused to sign onto that law, it meant they harbored matters they wished to conceal, unwilling to reveal them. Which is to say, they might resort to lying in what they said next.
Though such information might appear of little use, to a keenly observant wizard, it was still part of the game.
Moreover, due to this nuance of the True Word Book, many wizards liked to test each other right from the law-making stage.
So, upon seeing the True Word Book, Angel felt a painful pressure settle between his brows.
He would have preferred to engage with the Black Count’s contract light barrier rather than deal with a True Word Book that demanded so much effort and attention. Most importantly, his opponent in this was the Sovereign of Wisdom. Angel was under no illusion that he could outmaneuver him.
Noticing Angel delay in taking any action, the Sovereign of Wisdom was silent for a moment, then inscribed a law in the True Word Book.
It was also the Sovereign of Wisdom’s only law: Abide by the original laws.
Which meant that the Sovereign of Wisdom had not established any added conditions. The original laws were simply the True Word Book’s standard parameters, without any supplements.
In effect, the Sovereign of Wisdom had relinquished any attempt at law-based maneuvering.
Angel pondered for a moment. If it were just the original laws, it probably wouldn’t be too problematic, would it? He merely needed to address the initial question; for anything else, whether he spoke truth or falsehood, he wouldn’t have to commit it to the True Word Book.
With that in mind, Angel extended his fingertip to feed a thread of energy into the True Word Book.
However, just as Angel was guiding his energy toward it, he hesitated.
Originally, he was about to release the magic from the vortex within his Mental Space, but at the final moment, he halted it. Discreetly, he opened the “gate” in his right hand, where, beneath his glove, the Green Rune System stirred into a lively pulse. A current of power from the Nightmare Plane gradually gathered.
A pale green energy, steeped in the aura of the Nightmare Plane, flickered from his fingertip and merged into the True Word Book.
Everyone saw that faint green energy tinged with a strange aura, yet none of them were especially surprised. Even the Sovereign of Wisdom paid it no real heed.
After all, Angel’s illusions and “live illusion broadcasts” in the past were suffused with that same aura. Clearly, it was Angel’s energy.
Often, when both parties channeled their energy into the True Word Book, they did not have to use unaltered magic power; pure magic could expose certain vulnerabilities. Many would convert their magic into another form, for instance, magic-fueled earth power, nature power, or water power, and thus activate the True Word Book.
So no one was astonished that Angel employed the power of illusions.
What truly startled them was… the instant that pale green energy merged into the True Word Book, a bright emerald glow radiated forth, and within that radiance, a figure became faintly discernible.
One could not say that figure was identical to Angel; in fact, it shared no resemblance whatsoever.
The figure was extraordinarily tall, slim, and elongated, revealing no direct frontal view, only a partial profile.
Because it was formed of green light, the features of that profile were indistinct, though the outline was sharply defined.
What stood out was the figure’s hair: it draped all the way down, concealing his waist. Not only did it appear smooth, but it also shone with a subtle shine.
Overall, he bore absolutely no similarity to Angel.
Though the group knew that Angel’s current red hair and golden eyes were thanks to a shapeshifting spell, they had also seen his real face. Angel was such a hot topic in recent years that magazines of every size had long been plastering his likeness across their covers. Moreover, not long ago, Angel was a judge in the Novastar Competition and had shown his face then as well.
Angel’s true features were golden-haired and blue-eyed, youthful and handsome, with an unmistakable aura of morning light between his brows. His bearing brimmed with the refined elegance of an old aristocracy, leaving a lasting impression.
Now, however, Angel preferred sporting an unkempt style of red hair and golden eyes. In truth, both Daus and Vai agreed that it was a waste of his natural appearance.
Seeing this long-haired figure within the True Word Book left them all stunned.
Did it mean Angel’s real face was false as well?
Daus could not hold back from asking Angel: “Is this how you really look?”
Angel rolled his eyes, offering no reply. Because he himself was surprised. He knew exactly what he truly looked like, and that figure in the True Word Book was definitely not him.
Yet he could not say it was completely unrelated to him, as several parts of Angel’s body originally belonged to “that figure.”
Though the face was not fully visible, between the figure’s long hair and imposing height, Angel recognized who it was.
Shava.
He had been attempting to cheat by using the aura of the Nightmare Plane, knowing that his right hand’s Green Rune System contained the structure of “release, passage, gate,” directly siphoning in energy from the Nightmare Plane.
What he hadn’t expected was that the True Word Book would manifest Shava’s image.
He felt like burying his face in his hands at this turn of events, unsure how to explain.
While Angel silently lamented, he realized that the Sovereign of Wisdom across from him did not appear to care about the image upon the True Word Book. Angel paused, then suddenly understood.
Indeed, the Sovereign of Wisdom had never seen Angel’s real appearance. Observing that same face, he might assume Angel employed shapeshifting again. That would be a logical conclusion.
As for everyone else, since the figure had not shown its front, Angel could simply bluff that when he turned his face slightly, he looked like that. Possibly so.
With that, Angel’s mood lightened.
“Since the Sovereign of Wisdom has not set any laws, then I won’t set any either.”
Sovereign of Wisdom: “You could if you wish.”
Angel: “If I were to set laws, there would only be two choices: first, the Sovereign of Wisdom must answer questions about himself; second, the Sovereign of Wisdom must answer questions that do not concern himself.”
“Would the Sovereign of Wisdom agree to either choice?”
The Sovereign of Wisdom opened his mouth as though to speak, but in the end said nothing. Whether the first or the second, both were pitfalls. He would hardly consent to that.
“I’ll join, then. If you two won’t set any laws, I’ll propose some!” At that point, Daus waved his arms theatrically.
Angel paid him no mind. The Sovereign of Wisdom also ignored him, instead turning to look at the Black Count, who hovered in midair.
“Will you be joining?”
The Sovereign of Wisdom, disregarding all others, focused on that nose embedded in a slab of stone. Angel dared not speculate too far, but from this choice, perhaps the Sovereign of Wisdom had deduced something of the Black Count’s extraordinary identity.
Though they had been calling each other “Black, Gold, Red,” skipping all social hierarchies, there would inevitably be differences in subtle manner while at the Hanging Prison Stairs.
For instance, Angel might tease Daus in all manner of ways, yet he never traded harsh words with the Black Count.
Also, the two apprentices had been warned not to expose themselves, but the more one strove to hide, the more easily the Sovereign of Wisdom could sniff out clues.
One had to concede that having them visit the Hanging Prison Stairs as “tourists” had proven effective.
Through their interactions, one could glean their relationships, who was close to whom, and who was most important.
Facing the Sovereign of Wisdom’s invitation, the Black Count did not refuse. His nose inhaled sharply, exhaling a fierce gust of wind.
That gust merged into the True Word Book, and emerald-tinted light flared, revealing another silhouette.
This silhouette was even more rough and vague than Angel’s had been. Firstly, it was seated, making its full shape impossible to discern. Secondly, it wore a mask, a plush rabbit mask with blood-red eyes.
Based on those two traits alone, one couldn’t guess anything: not whether it was man or woman, human or monster…
The Sovereign of Wisdom, seeing this, made no remark. That was simply how the True Word Book’s manifested glow worked. It displayed the form one most commonly used. For Angel, it was his long-haired shape; for the Black Count, it was his masked façade.
Sovereign of Wisdom: “Since the True Word Book has now been activated by all parties, how about each of you inscribe a single sentence on the page as a token of trust? Afterward, whether you choose to write on the page or not is entirely your decision.”
Angel and the Black Count had no objections and nodded in agreement.
Because the Sovereign of Wisdom had activated the True Word Book primarily to verify Angel’s words, Angel was the first to write.
Writing was quite simple. One only needed to direct the energy lingering within the True Word Book to form text.
Angel guided the Nightmare Aura linked to the page, hesitated, and then formed these words upon it:
“For this abandoned underground sewer, my arrival is mere observation.”
“I am a passerby, not one returning home.”
Angel chose to inscribe two sentences at once. As soon as they appeared, green light shimmered gently across the page, with not a single hint of resistance.
This signified that what Angel had written was true.
Though it was the truth, Angel left much leeway for himself. He had indeed addressed his purpose and how he positioned himself, yet both points were vague.
“Mere observation”, what exactly was he observing? The ruins of this place, or some particular Goddess?
“A passerby, not one returning home”, that statement did define his stance, but being a passerby did not exclude taking action.
All it really established was that Angel had not come deliberately.
Though Angel had left considerable ambiguity that was easy to question, from the Sovereign of Wisdom’s perspective, these two lines still showed honest intent.
However, the Sovereign of Wisdom’s deeper doubts remained.
If Angel was truly not returning home, why was he so familiar with this place? Once he appeared, a series of coincidences followed. In the Sovereign of Wisdom’s mind, that was clearly wrong.
Yet the True Word Book had not reacted negatively to Angel’s statements, proving them to be true. Whatever suspicions still lingered for the Sovereign of Wisdom had to be temporarily set aside.
After Angel had inscribed his lines, it was the Black Count’s turn to write a sentence upon the True Word Book.
Chapter 2699 Man in the Jar <TOC> Chapter 2701 Mutual Trust and Balance