Chapter 2701 Mutual Trust and Balance <TOC> Chapter 2703 Revealing the True Body
Translator: SumTLMan
Originally, the atmosphere was already subdued, but after the Wood Spirit let out that squeaking sound, it became even more stagnant.
Angel truly couldn’t maintain his composure anymore. After much hesitation, he finally said: “Why not let you, Sovereign of Wisdom, question it? It can answer, and I’ll corroborate from the side, making it all the more convincing.”
The Sovereign of Wisdom glanced at the Wood Spirit, which continued to feign death, and quietly sighed in his heart: “No need. You may as well be the one to answer.”
He knew the Wood Spirit too well, there was no way it would speak a complete sentence in front of so many people.
Previously, Angel had already surprised the Sovereign of Wisdom by getting the Wood Spirit to make a squeaking sound. Any further speech would be nearly impossible.
After a brief pause, the Sovereign of Wisdom added: “Just now, you told the Wood Spirit to meet that ‘someone.’ Who were you referring to?”
From what Angel had told the Wood Spirit, the Sovereign of Wisdom had already grasped the key point. Perhaps the Wood Spirit was willing to leave with Angel because Angel had offered it a promise. And in that promise, there was a pivotal individual: “him.”
Who was this person? Why did the Wood Spirit want to see him? It was even willing to leave its safest comfort zone, just to meet him.
“Regarding ‘him’…” Angel did not answer immediately. Instead, he brought up another matter: “Sovereign of Wisdom, do you recall I once asked a question: what is the Wood Spirit’s true body?”
Sovereign of Wisdom: “I remember.”
At the time, his answer had been: he did not know. Because the Wood Spirit had never mentioned its true body, and due to various external factors, plus the Wood Spirit’s inherent disposition, the Sovereign of Wisdom ultimately never inquired. He had only speculated, based on the common traits of spirit births, that it was an object closely related to humans, perhaps a piece of jewelry, a weapon, a work of craftsmanship, and so on…
Back then, the Sovereign of Wisdom believed that Angel’s reason for asking about the Wood Spirit’s true body was to track down the Wood Spirit’s whereabouts within the Hanging Prison Stairs.
But now that Angel had brought up the question again, it was clearly for another reason.
And as to the specifics, after pondering for a moment, the Sovereign of Wisdom developed a faint suspicion in his heart…
Angel: “You must already be familiar with the Wood Spirit’s movements after it came into being, Sovereign of Wisdom. In your view, among its travels, is there anyone who might have profoundly influenced it to the extent that it would be willing to leave everything behind just to meet him?”
Though Angel was posing the question, both he and the Sovereign of Wisdom knew there was only one possible answer.
“No.”
“It was born in a place teeming with Wizard Eye Ghosts. Skulking and stumbling, it eventually reached an alternate dimension space, and then, under the guidance of Miss Cecia, it arrived at the Hanging Prison Stairs. Throughout this journey, aside from meeting Miss Cecia, it encountered no other beings with which it could communicate.”
“If Miss Cecia were the person it was determined to meet no matter what, it would have left long ago.”
“Therefore, the one it wishes to meet must be someone else.”
As Angel spoke up to this point, he looked at the Sovereign of Wisdom, confident that he had already deduced the answer.
Indeed, after a brief silence, the latter quietly asked: “It wants to see the original owner of its true body?”
“Exactly.” Having spelled it out so plainly, it would have been strange if the Sovereign of Wisdom still couldn’t guess.
Angel: “The reason is that simple. I promised to take it to meet its original owner, so it agreed to leave with me.”
That may have been what he said, but the Sovereign of Wisdom did not believe the reason was quite so simple.
The Wood Spirit’s nature was timid, not foolish. If anyone could lure it out with just a few words, that would be too simplistic and would trivialize the Sovereign of Wisdom’s tireless efforts in teaching the Wood Spirit day and night.
Therefore, Angel must have taken additional steps: first, to capture the Wood Spirit’s attention; second, to make it trust him. And that, perhaps, was the real crux of the matter.
Seeing the Sovereign of Wisdom still regard him with suspicion, Angel sighed: “That’s why I said we should let the Wood Spirit speak for itself. You’d surely believe its words. If I’m the one talking… wouldn’t I end up revealing everything?”
Angel’s final remark was spoken softly, almost to himself, but the Sovereign of Wisdom still heard it.
Though Angel had steeled himself for exposing his hidden identity, when the moment actually came, he still felt somewhat uneasy. He rather enjoyed acting under an alias… after all, what did deeds performed under an alias have to do with Angel himself?
“The reason for your mistrust, Sovereign of Wisdom, is the lack of key evidence.” Angel pointed at the cane resting on the table: “This cane is that evidence.”
The Sovereign of Wisdom looked at the cane, and a flurry of thoughts concerning it swiftly flashed through his mind.
He had personally witnessed Angel crafting that cane.
At first, he had felt the cane looked somewhat familiar. Later, he discovered that one of its silver ornaments at the head resembled an ornament created by Experiment Subject 6163. This realization caused the Sovereign of Wisdom some concern, worrying that perhaps Subject 6163 had already been killed by them. Consequently, the Sovereign of Wisdom had personally checked on it through a magic formation. Confirming that 6163 was safe and that the silver ornament was still on it, the Sovereign of Wisdom was finally reassured.
Yet now, Angel had explicitly identified the cane as the so-called “evidence,” forcing the Sovereign of Wisdom to reexamine it anew.
The cane’s shaft was refined from an avatar of the Wood Spirit, so presumably there was nothing particularly noteworthy about it.
Could the point of suspicion lie in the cane’s head?
The Sovereign of Wisdom’s gaze fell upon the silver ornament, which Subject 6163 also possessed. The most striking feature of this ornament was the intricately carved emblem in openwork: a knight’s rapier, sprouting wings, piercing through both thorns and roses.
The Sovereign of Wisdom had also seen this same emblem before, on Angel’s gloves.
Back then, the Sovereign of Wisdom had indeed found it curious that the ornament made by Subject 6163 bore an identical emblem to the one on Angel’s gloves. However, given Angel’s peculiar actions at the time and a series of coincidences that even the Sovereign of Wisdom could not explain, this matter ended up brushed aside as just another strange coincidence.
But looking back more carefully now, there was actually much worth discussing here.
Subject 6163’s pursuit of “beauty” was beyond doubt, it gained sentience because of “beauty.” But could it have produced such a fine openwork carving immediately after awakening its spiritual consciousness?
Impossible. That type of openwork carving was the culmination of skills honed over multiple generations. Even if Subject 6163 had an incredible talent for appreciating “beauty,” it could at best recognize its beauty, not create it.
So where did 6163’s ornament come from, and how was it connected to the ornament on this cane’s head?
The Sovereign of Wisdom sensed a faint, connecting thread in his mind, linking all these clues together, yet he still felt that a vital piece was missing.
And that missing piece was inevitably related to the Wood Spirit.
Because Angel would not bring up the cane for no reason, and the most noteworthy part of it was indeed the cane’s head…
Suddenly, a phrase surfaced in the Sovereign of Wisdom’s mind.
What is the Wood Spirit’s true body?
Those were Angel’s very first words on the subject. He had brought it up in the beginning, and at the time, the Sovereign of Wisdom had assumed he was simply raising the idea of the “owner of the Wood Spirit’s true body.”
But thinking about it now, if all he wanted was to mention the Wood Spirit’s true body’s owner, there was actually no need to specifically ask: “What is the Wood Spirit’s true body?”
Because among spirits born in the Southern Region, ninety-nine percent of the time they are tied to humanity. Simply bringing up the nature of the spirit would have been enough to consider who its true body’s owner was; there was no need to ask specifically what the Wood Spirit’s true body was.
From prior observations, the Sovereign of Wisdom knew well that Angel rarely spoke without purpose. He wouldn’t ask a superfluous question for no reason, so that statement must hold deeper meaning.
What is the Wood Spirit’s true body? The Sovereign of Wisdom had speculated before. Undoubtedly, it had to be something connected to humans; his guesses included jewelry, a weapon, or perhaps a piece of furniture or decoration…
But now, Angel was deliberately pointing to the cane and saying: “Here is the key evidence.”
That was no mere hint; it was an explicit statement.
At that thought, the Sovereign of Wisdom spoke up: “The Wood Spirit’s true body is… a cane?”
It sounded like a question, but the Sovereign of Wisdom’s expression was rather certain.
Angel nodded: “That’s basically correct, but you’re still overlooking something, Sovereign of Wisdom. Simply knowing that the Wood Spirit’s true body is a cane doesn’t qualify as key evidence, does it?”
This time, the Sovereign of Wisdom did not venture another guess. It was originally supposed to be a question swap, but now it felt like Angel was guiding him toward responses, putting him in a reactive position, far from his original intention.
Hence, the Sovereign of Wisdom directly asked: “Then what is this key evidence you speak of?”
Angel: “As I said, the key evidence is right here.”
Angel reiterated his earlier words, once again pointing at the cane.
The Sovereign of Wisdom stared at the cane, and a notion he could hardly believe welled up within him, an idea so bizarre it seemed implausible. Yet, seeing how Angel repeatedly emphasized the cane, the Sovereign of Wisdom began to suspect that maybe there was some small chance it could be true.
For the first time, the Sovereign of Wisdom spoke in a hesitant tone: “This cane… is the Wood Spirit’s true body?”
Angel’s lips curved into a smile, and his eyes narrowed into crescent shapes: “Correct.”
Watching Angel as though he was one step away from celebrating with confetti, the Sovereign of Wisdom was thoroughly confused.
“But this cane’s shaft, I saw you craft it with my own eyes. How could it possibly be the Wood Spirit’s true body?” Even though he had hesitantly posed that answer earlier, the Sovereign of Wisdom was in no way confident enough to believe it.
Angel: “The shaft was also made from the Wood Spirit’s avatar.”
As Angel spoke, he picked up the cane and gently stroked the twining vines around it. The Wood Spirit seemed quite fond of Angel’s touch and moved softly, as though in reply.
“Everything on it belongs to the Wood Spirit. Moreover, isn’t the Wood Spirit currently wrapped around it as well? Calling it the Wood Spirit’s true body wouldn’t be an overstatement, would it?”
To the Sovereign of Wisdom, Angel’s words sounded a bit like sophistry, yet the content still drew his attention.
Everything on it belongs to the Wood Spirit.
At present, the cane comprised three parts: the vine, the shaft, and the head. The first two needed no explanation, they were inherently the Wood Spirit’s. But according to Angel, the silver ornament at the cane’s head was also the Wood Spirit’s?
The Sovereign of Wisdom didn’t dwell on the underlying connections. Pointing directly at the engraved silver ornament, he asked Angel: “This also belongs to the Wood Spirit?”
Angel nodded: “That’s correct. When the Wood Spirit first came into being, this was already attached to it. So it’s no exaggeration to call it the Wood Spirit’s. Of course, from a standpoint of ownership, half of the rights over this ornament belong to its original owner. But since the original owner inadvertently lost the cane, everything on it should naturally belong to the Wood Spirit.”
The Sovereign of Wisdom said nothing, motioning for Angel to go on.
“However, the Wood Spirit was born in an awkward spot, completely surrounded by Wizard Eye Ghosts. In order to safeguard its newly awakened spiritual consciousness, it didn’t dare to move lightly, for fear of attracting their attention. That’s understandable.”
After all, the Wood Spirit was right there, so Angel could only phrase “cowardly” in a more tactful way.
“Even though the cane was in a remote location, there were simply too many Wizard Eye Ghosts. Eventually, one would discover it. However, as most Wizard Eye Ghosts have limited intelligence, a ‘dead object’ would hardly spark their interest.”
“But at that point, a very particular Wizard Eye Ghost appeared. It still had no interest in ‘dead objects,’ but it had an extraordinary pursuit of ‘beauty.’”
By this time, the Sovereign of Wisdom already understood that the Wizard Eye Ghost Angel spoke of was Subject 6163.
So it would seem that the silver ornament on Subject 6163’s body came from the Wood Spirit’s true body. But then why did 6163 still have an ornament on it?
All at once, the Sovereign of Wisdom recalled that Angel had previously crafted a transcendent cane on the spot. Creating an ordinary silver ornament would be a simple matter for him. So had he swapped a new one for the old one?
But no, that might not be quite right… Actually, that silver ornament wasn’t all that valuable. Speaking of fakes and real versions was going too far, it was more like he exchanged a new one for an old one.
Sure enough, Angel soon recounted the subsequent events.
“The Wizard Eye Ghost that pursued beauty saw the small crown at the cane’s head, as well as the silver ornament, and naturally liked them. So it took them. Our poor Wood Spirit didn’t dare resist and could only watch helplessly as its possessions were taken. Right, that Wizard Eye Ghost might have also picked up a silver ring, but finding it not so appealing, tossed it aside. Eventually, a different Wizard Eye Ghost picked it up.”
“That left the Wood Spirit with only one remaining ring, which it treasured dearly. Unfortunately, while in the alternate dimension space, Miss Cecia took it as a toll, so it lost even that final ring. In the end, it arrived at the Hanging Prison Stairs with nothing at all.”
Sovereign of Wisdom: …That did sound rather sad.
“Until we came along, we had good fortune. Not only did we recover the silver ring, but we also found the silver ornament and the crown on that particular Wizard Eye Ghost and in its lair. Finally, we made another trade with Miss Cecia for that last ring, assembling everything into this cane head. So we effectively recovered all of the Wood Spirit’s lost fittings.”
By this point in Angel’s account, the Sovereign of Wisdom fully understood everything.
He chose not to comment on Angel’s other actions. However, merely the fact that Angel had obtained the silver ornament and the crown from Subject 6163 by trading something new rather than taking them through violence was enough to make the Sovereign of Wisdom regard him in a different light.
Still, the Sovereign of Wisdom merely kept these thoughts to himself without voicing them. Similarly, Angel had not specifically mentioned how he had acquired the ornament from Subject 6163.
Sovereign of Wisdom: “Your story sounds full of coincidences, but it should be true. The only thing I don’t understand is why you insisted on collecting those ornaments. Did you already know they belonged to the Wood Spirit at the time?”
Angel placed his hand on the table, motioning for the Sovereign of Wisdom to look at his gloves.
In truth, the Sovereign of Wisdom already knew without looking that the emblem on Angel’s gloves was identical to the one on the silver ornament. He simply did not know what this emblem represented.
“At the time, I didn’t know it belonged to the Wood Spirit. I only knew that the emblem signified my mentor, which meant it was my mentor’s property. Since it was something of my mentor’s, I was determined to reclaim it, no matter what.”
Chapter 2701 Mutual Trust and Balance <TOC> Chapter 2703 Revealing the True Body