Chapter 2702 The Wood Spirit’s Course of Action <TOC> Chapter 2704 Letting Go
Translator: SumTLMan
After displaying the emblem on the glove and the emblem on the ornament, Angel’s entire storyline was thus concluded.
However, for the sake of thoroughness, Angel added one more sentence: “Everything I mentioned is based on the clues I’ve found and is my conjecture. Whether it is truly so still requires the Wood Spirit to explain for itself.”
Once Angel finished speaking, he tapped the vine on the cane again, signaling it to come out and say a few words.
Yet, the Wood Spirit remained in its feigned-death state.
Angel said: “Just think about it. That crown of yours, that beautiful ornament originally worn by you, was snatched away by a Wizard Eye Ghost. Doesn’t that make you feel indignant?”
The Wood Spirit trembled slightly but soon subsided again.
Angel went on: “Do you know, when I encountered that Wizard Eye Ghost, it placed the ornament in the most conspicuous spot on its body? It was the most eye-catching presence among all the Wizard Eye Ghosts, at first glance, you’d see it immediately, as well as that lovely ornament. Though it is a Wizard Eye Ghost, it somehow radiated an uncanny beauty; paired with that ornament, it was truly beyond comparison…”
The more Angel praised the Wizard Eye Ghost, the more violently the vine quivered, yet the Wood Spirit still refused to speak.
But the Wood Spirit did manage to convey its faint protest in another way.
It extended a thin tendril onto the table to form a single word: Mine.
Perhaps to intensify its tone, three softly glowing green buds sprouted at the tip of the vine in succession, resembling three exclamation marks.
Written words can be oddly potent. If you looked only at “Mine!!!” on the table, you might think the Wood Spirit was extremely bold and assertive.
But in reality, it was timid to the point that those present could only sigh inwardly.
Nevertheless, the mere fact that the Wood Spirit dared to respond in writing was already progress.
Seizing the moment, Angel pressed on: “I know that ornament is yours. The crown is yours. They’re all yours. But what I need you to tell me right now is whether my story differs from what actually happened.”
In Angel’s view, every living being experiences its own measure of hardships, perhaps survival concerns, feelings of inferiority, environmental challenges, social anxieties, and so forth. Some of these are inherent to the species and cannot be surmounted, but many more are rooted in one’s heart and can indeed be overcome.
Break through once, and the second time comes more easily.
Angel carried the same hope for the Wood Spirit.
Since the Wood Spirit had already expressed itself once in writing, a second time ought to come naturally, right?
Angel gazed intently at the Wood Spirit, yet he still underestimated its timid streak. The minutes ticked by… Two minutes passed, and the Wood Spirit did not reply.
Instead, the “Mine!!!” on the table slowly drew back.
Seeing the vine about to coil back around the cane, Angel caught the tip of the tendril: “Don’t forget our agreement.”
That agreement, of course, was that the Wood Spirit would meet its “master,” Sanders.
Though Angel merely mentioned the agreement without elaborating, sounding almost apathetic, the Wood Spirit keenly heard the veiled threat behind his words.
After much inner turmoil, the Wood Spirit finally extended its vine again and arranged two words on the table: There’s discrepancy.
“There’s discrepancy? Where?” Angel pressed on.
Perhaps the threat was still effective; after pausing anxiously, the Wood Spirit continued answering. Evidently displeased with Angel’s intimidation, it offered its replies in slow, single-word increments.
At length, Angel pieced together what the Wood Spirit meant by “there’s discrepancy.”
In truth, Angel’s version of events was largely correct. However, several details differed: indeed, the crown and that carved ornament were taken by the beauty pursuing Wizard Eye Ghost. But that Wizard Eye Ghost had no interest in the remaining two rings, so it did not take them. It wasn’t the case, as Angel had speculated, that they were taken and later discarded.
Those two remaining rings were extremely precious to the Wood Spirit at the time. Desperate to keep them, it mustered the courage to change its hiding place.
Yet that area was also crawling with Wizard Eye Ghosts. The Wood Spirit then ran into another one, which, perhaps hoping to curry favor with that beauty pursuing Wizard Eye Ghost, plucked another ring from it.
That left the Wood Spirit with only one ring.
Having its cherished treasures stolen, the Wood Spirit, sick at heart, decided at last to flee. That was when it encountered Cecia…
Such was the overall story. In others’ eyes, it hardly departed from Angel’s conjecture, but for the Wood Spirit itself, the discrepancies were huge. After all, it was the party that had directly suffered. Besides, those four missing ornaments were dear to its heart.
The Wood Spirit finished its halting account by vine-writing, and, seeing that Angel had no more questions, it quickly shrank back onto the cane, once more acting as a coiled vine decoration.
Angel then lifted his gaze to meet the eyes of the Sovereign of Wisdom across from him: “Now the story is clear, and it should be evident I do not have any talent in prophecy. I collected these accessories only because of my mentor. At first, I had no idea they also belonged to the Wood Spirit. Later, when Miss Cecia gave me the final silver ring, I compared it with the other silver rings and began suspecting they must all have come from the Wood Spirit.”
“Meanwhile, I formed another conjecture.”
Angel did not voice that other guess, but the Sovereign of Wisdom spoke up: “The Wood Spirit was born from the cane, and that cane belonged to your mentor.”
Angel nodded: “That’s right.”
The Sovereign of Wisdom sank into thought; yes, it all seemed unbelievably coincidental. Yet, from the Wood Spirit’s explanation and Angel’s recap, the logic did line up.
Above all, if it were no mere coincidence, it would imply a scheme spanning centuries, which would require foreseeing the spirit’s eventual birth, foreseeing that a Wizard Eye Ghost would pursue beauty, and so on.
A centuries-long scheme is possible, but it would take a mighty prophecy wizard to support it, someone capable of seeing through the fog of uncertainty and minimizing variables. In the current Southern Region Wizarding World, only Crown Star Church’s “Immortal Crown Bearer,” La Pluie, and “Judge of the Old Days,” Hastur, could potentially achieve that.
But why would prophecy wizards of such stature plot something here?
As the Sovereign of Wisdom’s thoughts grew ever more elaborate, Angel spoke again: “Sovereign of Wisdom, you may also find all this far too coincidental. I feel the same. Who would have guessed that hundreds of years ago, back when my mentor was only an apprentice, he’d stumble on his first foray into the Underground Sewer Ruins, get chased by a Wizard Eye Ghost, and lose his cane?”
Angel was intentional in mentioning that when the cane was lost, his mentor was merely “an apprentice.”
What could an apprentice orchestrate? What powers could he command to influence events centuries later?
Additionally, Angel pointed out that the cane had been lost because his mentor was pursued by Wizard Eye Ghosts, and who was responsible for cultivating those Wizard Eye Ghosts in that place? The Sovereign of Wisdom himself.
Thus, if this was a coincidence, the Sovereign of Wisdom’s own role had to be counted as well.
“And more incredible still,” Angel added with a sigh: “is that the cane wound up producing a spirit. But yes, all of it really is just a coincidence.”
The Sovereign of Wisdom understood Angel’s implication. He stared at Angel and said quietly: “I can accept all these coincidences. But your appearance here, I find that hard to see as mere coincidence.”
Angel paused and gave a faint chuckle: “Has the Sovereign of Wisdom forgotten the first sentence I wrote in the True Word Book? I am only a passerby, not one returning home.”
The Sovereign of Wisdom kept silent, simply watching Angel. Indeed, Angel had written that, but in an ambiguous manner, leaving space for interpretation.
“I can give a full account,” Angel said: “but that doesn’t really fall under the two questions you raised. Shall we go back to those first two questions, Sovereign of Wisdom?”
The Sovereign of Wisdom did not object and merely nodded.
“Regarding your second question, how did I manage to get the Wood Spirit to follow me? At this point, you probably know the answer.”
“The Wood Spirit’s true body is the cane my mentor lost. I promised I would take it to see my mentor, which is why it came with me.”
The facts were plain, and the Sovereign of Wisdom had no disagreement. It aligned with everything they had seen.
“Now let me address the first question, how did I find the Wood Spirit?”
Angel said: “At this juncture, I probably don’t need to answer explicitly. I’m already wearing the gloves my mentor gave me, carrying a cane exactly like the one he lost back then, its shaft fashioned from the avatar of the Wood Spirit’s original body. The moment the Wood Spirit saw me, of course it would feel curious.”
“And what I said in the void path is not false: the Wood Spirit did speak to me first. All I needed was to give a concise explanation, and that was essentially that.”
From the sequence of the events, the matter seemed to unfold just as Angel described.
But one question persisted: “Then how did you know about the fork in the road?”
Confronted by the Sovereign of Wisdom’s query, Angel spread his hands in exasperation: “I only noticed something was wrong with that fork because of your own questions, Sovereign. Previously, I had no idea at all.”
Under the Sovereign of Wisdom’s suspicious gaze, Angel described how, after entering the second level, his cane sensed two coordinate points, and how those two points led him to believe the Wood Spirit was near that fork.
“As soon as the Wood Spirit reached out to me, it went silent again, so I assumed it had shrunk back in fear. Hence I headed to the place it appeared most, namely, the fork, and tried calling for it there.”
“As for what hidden mischief lurks at that fork that you mentioned, I truly knew nothing.”
Having said this, Angel wrote in the True Word Book: The fact that something was off at that fork was raised by the Sovereign of Wisdom; I had no prior knowledge of it.
The words remained, showing Angel spoke the truth.
By deliberately writing that, Angel evidently intended to convey a further meaning as well…
The Sovereign of Wisdom grasped it. Not only was Angel exonerating himself, but he was also hinting that seeing conspiracies in everything could be self-defeating. Often, the simplest answer is correct; if it gets overcomplicated, the fault lies in one’s own overthinking.
Watching the line in the True Word Book, the Sovereign of Wisdom said nothing.
Even had Angel not written it, the Sovereign of Wisdom would still believe him. After all, it matched all the strange things Angel had done since arriving on the second level, why he roamed that void teeming with spatial rifts, why he headed solely for two distinct points, each step guided by the Wood Spirit.
Realizing this, the Sovereign of Wisdom felt a rare flicker of awkwardness.
He had whipped up countless theories involving Angel conspiring with the “Goddess” behind the scenes.
But now, with Angel plainly presenting the truth in the True Word Book for all to see, the Sovereign of Wisdom felt even more embarrassed.
He half regretted resorting to the True Word Book at all. Other methods would have sufficed…
After a long silence, the Sovereign of Wisdom rallied and spoke to Angel once more: “I am satisfied with your answers to these two questions. But there is one more matter left unaddressed.”
Angel sighed internally. Here it comes, he thought. This is when my mask finally slips.
And indeed, the Sovereign of Wisdom’s next statement revealed precisely that intention: to uncover the identity of Angel’s mentor, essentially forcing him to disclose the hidden details of who his mentor really was.
“As the Wood Spirit’s mentor, I am willing to respect its desire to meet its former master. But before I consent, I must know who that individual is and assess the situation myself.”
Angel wanted to retort: The Wood Spirit should have its own freedom of choice.
But he knew reality didn’t allow that. In the Southern Region Wizarding World, absolute freedom is already a rare luxury, especially for the Wood Spirit, burdened by significant personality flaws. From another angle, you could say it needed constant care and companionship like a patient.
And having tended and tutored the Wood Spirit for centuries, the Sovereign of Wisdom did have the right to speak on its behalf.
Understanding the logic, Angel did not argue. Still, the thought of revealing his “mask” stirred complicated feelings within him.
Under the Sovereign of Wisdom’s unwavering gaze, Angel finally revealed his mentor’s name.
“Sanders Iguro.”
The Sovereign of Wisdom paused, pondering: “So it’s him…”
Angel asked: “Does the Sovereign of Wisdom know my mentor?”
The Sovereign of Wisdom replied: “Though it’s been a long time since I ventured out, I still gather news from the outside. He is known as the Phantom Master, the Southern Region’s God of War, and has been especially prominent in recent years. I’ve heard his illusions are quite distinctive. Judging by your illusions, that seems to be true.”
After a brief pause, the Sovereign of Wisdom continued: “However, from what I’ve heard, the one among Sanders’ disciples who inherited his illusions is a formal wizard called Sumesh.”
Now that everything was out in the open, Angel felt no need for further concealment: “Sumesh has since advanced to a true knowledge wizard and is effectively my senior. I only came under my mentor’s tutelage a few years back.”
He added: “Ah, a formal introduction might be needed. I’m called Angel Pat, from the Savage Grottoes.”
Daus muttered off to the side: “Word is the Phantom Master snatched him away partway.”
Angel merely smiled. It was common knowledge and required no further explanation.
The Sovereign of Wisdom was less interested in the story of Sanders’ ‘snatching’ than in the fact that Angel genuinely only became extraordinary in the last few years… Even in ages past, such a swift rise remained exceedingly rare.
Leaving aside Angel’s uniqueness, the Savage Grottoes itself carried formidable weight. It now made sense why Angel’s background was so profound. Even a millennium ago, the Savage Grottoes was an enormous wizard organization, Nightfall City’s heritage could hardly compare.
After all, the Savage Grottoes had produced legendary wizards scattered across the Multi-Dimensional Planes in times long gone. If you were from the Savage Grottoes in those days, you’d be welcomed by wizard circles almost anywhere.
Even now, during an era seeing fewer legends, it still stands as a mega-scale wizard organization.
Moreover, its ancient keeper of knowledge from centuries past, referred to as Book Ancestor by some, still lives, safeguarding the Savage Grottoes’ great legacy.
Hence raising a talent like Angel comes as no surprise.
Given Angel truly hailed from the Savage Grottoes, many prior suppositions, like a carefully orchestrated, hundred-year plot, were all but impossible.
The Sovereign of Wisdom knew well how matters stood with the Savage Grottoes a few centuries ago. As a broad and inclusive wizard organization, it boasted strongholds in all three major branches yet distinctly lacked two types of wizards: gourmet and prophecy wizards.
Without a prophecy wizard offering powerful support, dissipating future uncertainties and reducing the fluctuations, a centuries-long plot of that magnitude would be unworkable.
Besides, the Savage Grottoes was far from here, and for many years no key figures from there had stepped foot into the Underground Sewer Ruins. If they genuinely harbored designs against Nightfall City, the Sovereign of Wisdom would find it rather implausible.
With such a grand palace of their own, who would covet a leaky shack?
Thus, the confusion around the Wood Spirit, Sanders’ cane, and so forth was essentially resolved.
Still, the Sovereign of Wisdom could not fully quell his final doubt: was Angel’s arrival truly, as he claimed, just a coincidence?
Chapter 2702 The Wood Spirit’s Course of Action <TOC> Chapter 2704 Letting Go