Chapter 2703 Revealing the True Body <TOC> Chapter 2705 Must Go
Translator: SumTLMan
Was Angel’s arrival truly just a coincidence?
Faced with the Sovereign of Wisdom’s doubts, Angel was still considering how best to respond when, off to the side, the Black Count spoke in a cool tone: “You keep insisting on whether his arrival was a coincidence, Sovereign of Wisdom, and I’m somewhat baffled. Have there been any serious upheavals in the underground sewer in recent years? Has anyone intruded into the underground sewer lately, especially the Hanging Prison Stairs?”
“No, correct?” the Black Count went on: “If not, then why do you suspect his arrival was a coincidence? He’s only been involved in the extraordinary world for less than ten years, and in that time, he’s been honing his abilities and learning various spells, his schedule is hardly free. Why, then, does the Sovereign of Wisdom dwell on whether his arrival was merely fortuitous?
“Besides, what we normally call coincidence is ‘no coincidence, no story.’ Perhaps Angel’s appearance can be labeled ‘coincidental,’ but what is the ‘story’ that must coincide with it? I believe only if the Sovereign of Wisdom makes that point clear can we determine whether Angel’s arrival is truly just happenstance.”
The Black Count’s unexpected show of support left Angel briefly stunned. Yet upon hearing his string of questions, Angel could not help but silently offer him a thumbs-up. As expected from the Black Count, his words were concise and struck straight to the heart of the matter.
Not only did he highlight that Angel’s relatively few years in the field made any “coincidental link” with Nightfall City unlikely, he also challenged the Sovereign of Wisdom’s very basis for suspecting it was more than chance.
If Angel himself had tried to address the Sovereign of Wisdom’s doubts, he could only do his best to show good faith. Should that fail, he would have resorted to carefully skirting around the subject in the True Word Book, writing out everything from the moment he took on Aesop’s task, step by step, until the Sovereign of Wisdom could judge for himself whether it was truly by chance.
In other words, the Black Count’s words were a genuine favor to Angel.
Of course, although the Black Count was helping Angel now, in truth he shared the Sovereign of Wisdom’s reservations. Along their journey, Angel had seemed overly familiar with this place; his many inexplicable actions gave rise to considerable confusion.
Furthermore, from the start, Angel claimed he wanted nothing here. That also roused the Black Count’s suspicions.
Nevertheless, even though the Black Count had his doubts, his way of handling them differed from the Sovereign of Wisdom’s. He chose tolerance and deliberate disregard.
Naturally, that did not mean he was especially broad-minded; it was simply that Angel himself was enough of a reason for the Black Count to overlook any oddities.
Angel’s background was formidable. He was a prominent individual in the Savage Grottoes, valued by Rhine, and a disciple of Sanders, someone the Black Count had shared a push-and-pull relationship with for years. These reasons alone prevented him from doing anything untoward to Angel.
Moreover, Angel had proven, through his own skills during the journey, that he deserved a place in the Research Institute. That achievement caused the Black Count to think highly of him, maintaining a cordial relationship with a talented wizard was far better than alienating one.
So, no matter whether Angel truly had other motives, the Black Count would speak in his favor. In this sense, they found themselves on the same side.
Meanwhile, the Sovereign of Wisdom grew hesitant.
Even Angel inwardly praised the Black Count’s argument, so of course the Sovereign of Wisdom recognized the main thrust of his reasoning.
Indeed, Angel’s age was difficult to reconcile. The Sovereign of Wisdom himself could not explain that away. Yet as to the so-called “coincidental story” side of things, he did still have a few points he could make. But Angel’s earlier explanations had already sown seeds of doubt in his mind.
Maybe he really was overthinking it?
After a period of silent thought, the Sovereign of Wisdom finally spoke. Glancing at the Black Count, he said: “I accept the doubts you raised. But I also have my reasons for believing his arrival here is not mere coincidence.”
He paused, then turned to Angel: “If you agree, then do just one thing and we can leave it at that. I will compensate you for my suspicions: would one of my alchemy journals suffice?”
Angel asked: “What is it you want me to do?”
Slowly, the Sovereign of Wisdom replied: “Write in the True Word Book that you have never known or heard of the woman depicted in that oil painting inside the Hanging Prison Stairs, never even heard her name, and that you never learned of the ruin site from any unknown informant whatsoever.”
The moment he heard the Sovereign of Wisdom’s words, Angel exchanged looks with the Black Count, and both immediately realized the Sovereign of Wisdom believed Angel’s presence here might be linked to that woman.
Though the Black Count grasped the Sovereign of Wisdom’s implication, he truly had no knowledge of any connection between Angel and that woman.
His instinct said the two were unrelated. Yet as the seconds ticked away, Angel did not begin writing in the True Word Book but instead frowned in silence.
The Black Count’s heart gave a jolt, could Angel’s strange behavior throughout their journey actually tie back to that woman?
Could the extensive, mysterious knowledge Angel possessed really come from that woman, or from some unknown source?
Seeing Angel hesitate under everyone’s gaze seemed, if anything, to corroborate the notion that he was somehow linked to that woman.
But after about half a minute, Angel looked up: “What do you mean by ‘unknown informant’?”
The Sovereign of Wisdom said: “Anyone who prodded you to come to the ruin site, no matter who it might be.”
Angel responded: “So the Sovereign of Wisdom thinks I’m here at someone else’s instigation, possibly that of an unknown individual or the woman in the painting?”
The Sovereign of Wisdom did not answer, but silence was answer enough.
Angel continued: “I was just considering how broad the scope is for ‘unknown informant.’ If your point is that someone urged me to come here, I can state plainly that no one urged me to come.”
The Sovereign of Wisdom said: “In that case, simply write it in the True Word Book.”
Angel still did not write. Instead, he asked another question: “I can do that, but what if I’ve already deduced the woman’s identity? How then would that be judged?”
The Sovereign of Wisdom paused for a moment: “Deduced… deduced?”
Angel shrugged: “We picked up quite a few clues along the way. Guessing her identity isn’t difficult.”
“If you don’t believe me, ask anyone here.”
The Sovereign of Wisdom hesitated, cast a glance at Daus, then shifted his gaze to Kael.
Though reading Daus’ mind wasn’t any great chore either, Daus’ answers tended toward the unpredictable. Opting for the apprentice would be simpler. An apprentice’s every move would be transparent to him.
Kael glanced around, then pointed at himself, as if to ask, Me?
The Sovereign of Wisdom nodded: “Yes, tell me, do you know who the woman in that painting is?”
Kael shook his head: “I don’t, but we uncovered some clues earlier. Because that oil painting is mirrored, I suspect she’s connected to the Demon God of Mirrors, she could even be the incarnation of the Demon God of Mirrors.”
Kael’s answer made the Sovereign of Wisdom’s brow crease into a deep frown.
“Where did you learn the name ‘Demon God of Mirrors’?” he asked.
The Black Count replied: “We entered through an underground church once built by the Demon God of Mirrors’ devotees. That’s how we became aware of the Demon God of Mirrors.”
When the Black Count finished, Angel added: “Later on, we also discovered the Demon God of Mirrors’ true mark in some ruins. Here, have a look.”
Snapping his fingers, Angel conjured an illusory image in midair.
The emblem was split precisely down the middle: on one side, the profile of a long-haired woman; on the other, a hatted man in profile.
“The woman’s profile in this emblem closely resembles the golden-haired figure in the oil painting, and given the painting uses a mirror surface, plus those references in the underground church to mirrored manifestations, we speculated that she must be related to the Demon God of Mirrors.”
When he finished explaining, Angel looked to the Sovereign of Wisdom: “Up to now, that’s all just our guess; I don’t know if there’s really a connection. But if it turns out our guess is right, then having me write in the True Word Book that I’ve never heard of her or known her name would make me a scapegoat.”
At that point, Angel’s expression seemed to plainly ask: So, is she actually the Demon God of Mirrors?
After a few seconds of reflection, the Sovereign of Wisdom responded: “When you write in the True Word Book, you can add a preface: ‘Before I arrived at Nightfall City, I neither knew of this woman’s existence nor heard her name.’”
Although the Sovereign of Wisdom did not say so outright, allowing Angel to add “before I arrived at Nightfall City” served as a tacit hint that their speculation was correct.
That woman truly was connected to the Demon God of Mirrors. She might even be the long-haired woman in that emblem.
Angel smiled: “All right.”
This time, he wrote precisely as instructed, without hesitation. Not a single character was omitted when he inscribed the statement in the True Word Book.
No reaction came from the True Word Book; the letters glided across its pages without obstruction. It meant everything Angel said was true.
No one had impelled him to come here. Before coming to Nightfall City, he had neither met nor heard of that woman.
Though the Sovereign of Wisdom still felt it was not perfectly airtight, it was enough. As the Black Count had noted, Angel was simply too young; even if a master plot were afoot, it would hardly hinge on him.
And he had not fallen under the Goddess’ sway; he had come of his own accord. Whatever other designs he might have were not the Sovereign of Wisdom’s concern.
Anyone venturing here was bound to have some personal objective. As long as Angel was not on the Goddess’ side, there was no need to pursue the matter further.
The Sovereign of Wisdom then said: “I keep an alchemy journal in my Grand Hall. I’ll give you the original volume later, along with my early notes. Alternatively, I can reproduce it for you on the spot.”
Angel raised his hands in a flustered refusal, why would he ever want a copy over the original? Even if the text matched word for word, every stroke of the original carried the emotional imprint of its author. As someone adept at sensing emotion, Angel could never prefer a cold duplicate.
The Sovereign of Wisdom found no fault in that. Having promised Angel the journal, he would not renege.
“Well, that settles our misunderstanding over coincidence,” said the Black Count, turning to the Sovereign of Wisdom: “Shall we discuss what’s important now? What exactly do you mean by ‘necessary conditions’ and ‘bonus conditions,’ and what do you need from us?”
Yet the Sovereign of Wisdom did not respond at once: “Yes, there are things we must talk about, but I still need to confirm certain details, and my duel with her has already begun. When she retreats, we can talk.”
A duel with whom?
Everyone regarded the Sovereign of Wisdom in confusion. He merely said: “Soon enough, you’ll see. She won’t let you all off easily.”
Hearing that, they recalled what he had said right at the start: that he was here at another’s request to block their way.
Apparently, while the Sovereign of Wisdom seemed to bar their path, he was also trying to use them for his own goals. They were, it seemed, pawns caught between two competing sides.
The Sovereign of Wisdom did not elaborate further on the duel. Instead, he looked toward Angel.
“I asked the questions before; you answered. Now, do you have anything you wish to ask me?” the Sovereign of Wisdom inquired: “You needn’t ask about the ruin site. I will tell you everything in due time.”
Angel replied: “I do have a few questions. Some I already posed to Miss Cecia, but she said she was bound by an oath and couldn’t speak. I’m wondering whether you can?”
He did not specify what they were, but since Cecia’s oath forbade her from answering, they likely concerned issues left over from Nightfall City’s past.
The Sovereign of Wisdom said: “My own oath is not so restrictive. Even so, there are a few questions I still cannot answer, it depends on what exactly you ask.”
Angel understood: “Then you likely can give more answers than Miss Cecia could, though matters that go too deep may still be off-limits.”
“What did you want to ask? The rise and decline of Nightfall City?” asked the Sovereign of Wisdom, eyeing Angel.
Angel shook his head: “My first question doesn’t concern Nightfall City. It’s about Wood Spirit.”
He glanced down at the cane in his hand: “Sovereign of Wisdom, you already know my mentor is Sanders. Are you willing for me to take Wood Spirit to meet him? After all, when I first brought it out, I promised I would let it see my mentor.”
The Sovereign of Wisdom had indeed thought about this dilemma earlier. Yet now he remained unsure, mainly due to his polarizing impression of Sanders.
Stated plainly, the Sovereign of Wisdom respected Sanders’ expertise and originality but also saw his methods as rather extreme.
And the recent black-and-white wizard distinction meant next to nothing for millennias-old being.
So long as it did not affect him, he did not mind whether a wizard was kind or ruthless.
But Wood Spirit was something the Sovereign of Wisdom had carefully nurtured, personality flaws and all. Right now, it was his most crucial successor.
Since it was a successor, he had to consider what influences it might encounter once it left the underground sewer.
In the outside world, Wood Spirit might be led astray. Particularly under Sanders’ influence, who was known for his merciless style, what might become of Wood Spirit?
Imagining it alone was disheartening. He had brought it up from infancy; how could he bear to see it become cruel or vicious?
At that moment, though, the Sovereign of Wisdom neglected the fact that Wood Spirit’s character flaws nearly ruled out a turn toward brutality.
He nonetheless leaned toward refusing to let it leave, yet considering Wood Spirit was now following Angel, forcibly holding it back would not be quite proper.
As he wrestled with this decision, Angel seemed to notice his conflict and proactively offered a compromise:
“How about this: I won’t take Wood Spirit away. I’ll see if I can have my mentor come here instead?”
The Sovereign of Wisdom’s head shot up. In a decisive tone, he said: “That’s unnecessary. Let Wood Spirit go with you to meet Sanders, it was once bound to him as its original master, after all.
“There’s also no need to trouble Sanders to come here… well, the underground sewer simply isn’t set up to receive him anyway.”
Chapter 2703 Revealing the True Body <TOC> Chapter 2705 Must Go