Chapter 2711 Mirror Replay <TOC> Chapter 2713 Flower Holding Infant Spirit
Translator: SumTLMan
On the matter of whether to obstruct or not, Aedannis and Ouro failed to see eye to eye.
In the end, Ouro, just as in the past, spoke in a conciliatory tone: “You really should think it over; relying on Nightfall alone is no solution.”
With that, Ouro melted back into the darkness.
Aedannis remained where she was, expressionless, staring at the spot where Childlike Heart Younus had surfaced. She appeared to be waiting for Younus’ true body to arrive, yet within she was filled with misgivings.
She and Ouro had always differed over whether to bar the descendants of Noah. Aedannis did not wish their arrival to alter her present way of life, whereas Ouro welcomed it.
Even so, the disagreement had ever been tacit, lodged only in their hearts: I know your stance, you know mine; not mentioning it is a form of respect.
That tacit understanding had held for a long time. The last time the descendants of Noah came, Ouro behaved the same way. Though Aedannis tried to block them, Ouro never intervened, he would merely convey with a glance: Don’t go too far.
But this time was odd.
Ouro actually tried to dissuade her of his own accord.
Moreover, when Aedannis played dumb, Ouro did not let it slide as before; he circled back and, in gentle wording, exposed her maneuver.
Though his tone was not severe, nor did he force Aedannis to accept his view, it was still mild and accommodating. Yet Aedannis understood Ouro too well, just as he understood her.
Ouro seemed open to negotiation, but in truth he had made up his mind.
He might even interfere.
Not long ago he had told Aedannis that he would support whatever she did, yet now Ouro was plainly acting strangely. The sudden shift left Aedannis wrong-footed and full of doubt.
Why had Ouro changed his mind in less than half a day?
Aedannis had been monitoring the ruin site and knew for certain that Ouro had not left, nor had he entered the Mirror World.
For his thinking to swing so drastically in mere hours, there must be a hidden cause.
What in the world had happened?
Arms folded across her chest, Aedannis tapped her pale fingers rhythmically on her arm. Her brows half-lowered, mirrored pupils veiled by lashes, flickered through a stream of images.
Every scene concerned the ruin site.
The interior held countless mirror surfaces, each one an eye for Aedannis; whatever they reflected could be traced back by her in short order.
Images appeared in succession, then shattered like ice, fracturing into myriad lines.
In that ceaseless cycle of birth and dissolution, the entire day’s happenings in the ruin site were laid bare. When she finished reviewing them, Aedannis looked even more perplexed.
Ouro had behaved exactly as usual, no deviation at all. He had merely wandered the ruin site or slipped over to her side to eavesdrop; his expression betrayed nothing, perfectly ordinary.
Something was clearly wrong; Ouro’s abnormality could not be without cause.
While Aedannis pondered, a faint light emerged in the gloom ahead.
The glimmer grew brighter, and before long a familiar round mirror hovered directly before her.
Within lay the same dusky vortex, only now, compared with the abyss-black swirl from earlier, it was veiled in a slight haze; at its very center a willowy silhouette could be vaguely made out.
Without question, the true body of Younus had arrived.
From the outline it was surely Maternal Heart Younus.
Unlike the clamorous Childlike Heart Younus, Maternal Heart Younus stood quietly in the void, even dimming the mirror’s glow so it would not dazzle.
Perceiving that Aedannis was deep in thought, Maternal Heart Younus suppressed any gesture or movement that might disturb her.
Such nuanced tact was beyond Childlike Heart Younus.
Aedannis, naturally aware, was about to greet Maternal Heart Younus when she suddenly froze.
Staring at the suspended mirror, a rapid succession of images flashed through her mind.
She had overlooked one thing: every odd occurrence had started with Ouro’s appearance. In the past, if he happened upon her conversing with Younus and the others, he would spy and listen from the shadows but never step forth.
This time, however, Ouro emerged of his own volition. The abnormality began there.
Tracing events back from that moment, the fog-shrouded clues seemed to clear.
Ouro seldom engaged with the outside, and thanks to his gift even the Sovereign of Wisdom’s recollection of him was growing faint.
Because he kept apart from the world, Ouro’s mental pattern was one of stable, long-standing constancy, unlikely to change overnight. Only encountering something entirely new could make him shift.
From the mirrors’ memory Aedannis saw that today Ouro had acted no differently and had contacted nothing anomalous.
The only novel stimulus he might have encountered was the outside footage played back by Childlike Heart Younus through a mirror.
That footage showed only two figures: a space apprentice and a formal wizard who, cloaked in shapeshifting magic, hid his face.
Could Ouro have discovered something from these two that made him change his mind and come to dissuade her?
Yet neither of them bore the blood of Noah; they were not descendants.
Aedannis had not paid them much mind before, but now, if Ouro’s shift likely stemmed from them, she had to take heed… especially the wizard who concealed his identity.
In the reconstructed images, the space apprentice was transparent at a glance, almost devoid of anything unusual. But the wizard under shapeshifting magic was hard to pin down: even though the replay replicated all the energies, pheromones, and fluctuations around him, Aedannis could not tell whether he was a space or illusion wizard.
The ability to manipulate mirror space generally appeared only among ice wizards of the water system on the Nature Branch, or space wizards on the Mysterious Branch.
That wizard carried none of the typical ice wizard energy, so space affinity was likeliest. Yet the strands of illusion energy around him were equally odd, coiling ceaselessly.
Could an illusion wizard command mirror space abilities? Hard to say.
For wizards, what counted were foundation and experience, as well as wisdom and time; with enough time, cross-discipline cultivation could also reach its peak.
Thus, judging solely from his facile sealing of a mirror, it was impossible to deduce his discipline.
But Aedannis instinctively distrusted anyone who hid their face, for she herself was a mirror denizen.
She knew well that those who veiled themselves must have an unspeakable agenda, especially down here in the deserted underground sewers, swaddled head to toe. Who would believe he was harmless?
Aedannis strongly suspected that Ouro had discovered something in this person.
Could it be that he masked his bloodline, that he too was of Noah’s line? Yet clearly the scent of Noah’s blood lingered outside; if he were also of Noah, why conceal it?
In Aedannis’ mind, within a very short span, an entire grand drama played itself out: the struggle for family power, fraternal strife, the contention between heirs and bastards, hidden vengeance…
Aedannis did not care whether her conjectures were right or wrong; in any case, this secretive individual had already risen steadily in importance within her heart.
To be able to make Ouro change his mind, this person was certainly no ordinary figure… he must be suppressed!
The thing Aedannis was least willing to see was change. The appearance of that person had already caused Ouro to harbour aberrant thoughts, which, in her opinion, was absolutely impermissible.
With this in mind, Aedannis finally raised her head and looked toward Maternal Heart Younus.
“You should already know the circumstances that Childlike Heart went to investigate, correct?”
Maternal Heart Younus nodded: “So long as it returns to my side, our memories are shared.”
Aedannis said: “As long as you know, we can talk about the others later. Right now I need you to do something.”
The illusory figure within the mirror lowered its head: “Your Highness’ wish is my mission.”
“I want you to help me block their path.” Aedannis paused and flicked her hand lightly; a mirror appeared around them, on which floated the image of that secretive wizard: “Especially this person, and the descendants of Noah, make them the top priority. Do not allow them to reach the ruin site. Do you understand?”
Maternal Heart Younus half-knelt: “I obey Your Highness’ command.”
After a pause, Maternal Heart Younus asked softly: “Your Highness, after I have stopped them, what should be done?”
Aedannis: “All those intercepted are to be cast into the Sea of Void Mirrors. Only after every memory has been washed away by the Sea of Void Mirrors may they be released.”
Maternal Heart Younus nodded: “I understand.”
The Sea of Void Mirrors was an expanse within the Mirror World that drifted in the void, a “sea” that, in truth, contained no water. Only a single sort of thing existed inside it: reflections.
These reflections all came from reality; as long as a place in reality could produce a mirror image, even a reflection in a puddle, it would be poured into this Sea of Void Mirrors.
While in the Sea of Void Mirrors, you would behold countless scenes of reflections, some from ten thousand years ago or even earlier.
At first glance, it might seem that going to the Sea of Void Mirrors was not such a bad thing.
Indeed, so long as you had a way to withstand the omnipresent “tides” within the Sea of Void Mirrors, it was an excellent place from which to observe the myriad worlds.
However, the “tides” of the Sea of Void Mirrors appeared every year, every month, every hour, every minute.
There was not a single moment when the “surface” of the Sea of Void Mirrors was calm. Once you were scoured by those mysterious tides, not only would the reflections within the Sea vanish utterly, but the memories of living beings would be washed away with them.
The memories washed away in this manner would sink into the Sea of Void Mirrors. If your luck were exceedingly great, you might recover them, yet almost all memories would in the end be turned to foam by the tides and disappear completely.
This was the Mirror World’s own self-cleansing mechanism: too many reflections would simply clog that world.
The Mirror World was quite peculiar. It was constructed amid constant shattering and ceaseless rebirth, and therefore was far less solid than one might imagine; there were very few places capable of long-term existence. Congested reflections would only compress the living space of Mirror World creatures.
Even if the tides of the Sea of Void Mirrors did not perform the cleaning, the Mirror World beings themselves would.
Thus, once a living creature fell into the Sea of Void Mirrors, with the exception of certain special mirror beings, all others would gradually become hollow shells bereft of memory.
Fortunately, the Sea of Void Mirrors only washed away memories, not the capacity to learn. If one were willing, one could return to reality as a hollow person and still find ways to begin anew… whether you would still be yourself at that point was, however, a philosophical question.
If the descendants of Noah failed the trial, banishing them to the Sea of Void Mirrors was a tacit understanding that Aedannis and Ouro had long maintained.
In this way, Noah’s problem could be solved without actually killing Noah.
Yet this time, perhaps because of Ouro’s abnormal behaviour, Aedannis could not shake a faint unease.
She pondered for a moment and issued a second order to Maternal Heart Younus: “If they resist violently, I permit you to kill them outright.”
Maternal Heart Younus was slightly taken aback. It was not that it had never received a kill order, but Aedannis had never issued such an order against Noah’s descendants. This time, she was breaking precedent?
Though Maternal Heart Younus found it strange, as Aedannis’ most loyal subordinate it neither questioned nor argued, and nodded: “As you command.”
“All right, go.” Aedannis said no more and waved to Maternal Heart Younus.
Maternal Heart Younus was just about to leave when Aedannis suddenly thought of something and called it back: “Wait a moment!”
The fading mirror regained its lustre, and the graceful figure of Maternal Heart Younus re-emerged within it.
“Does Your Highness have any further instructions?”
Aedannis: “This time, do not send Childlike Heart Younus. You go personally, or… you may go together with Maiden Heart Younus.”
Upon hearing Aedannis’ order, Maternal Heart Younus hesitated slightly: “I have already entrusted the Sovereign of Wisdom’s duties to Childlike Heart Younus. Besides, Maiden Heart Younus is presently with Little Treasure, so perhaps…”
Maternal Heart Younus paused: “May I take Big Treasure and Second Treasure with me?”
Aedannis snorted softly: “Big Treasure and Second Treasure… That old geezer the Wise One has filled their heads with sweet talk; they may not exert themselves fully. If you go with them, they might even become a hindrance to you.”
Maternal Heart Younus: “They will not. Big Treasure and Second Treasure are very obedient.”
Aedannis drew a deep breath, unwilling to argue with Younus over the topic. True, Big Treasure and Second Treasure listened to Maternal Heart Younus, but they certainly did not listen to her.
Although Maternal Heart Younus obeyed her, it was called “Maternal Heart” for a reason.
Toward others, it could be utterly indifferent to life or death, but toward its three children it lavished unrestrained affection.
That indulgence might even outweigh Aedannis’ orders.
That created a vicious cycle, or rather, a strange balance reached with the Sovereign of Wisdom. Aedannis could command Maternal Heart, but Maternal Heart was unwilling to command Big Treasure, Second Treasure, and Little Treasure, and although the three youngsters listened to Maternal Heart, they were far closer to the Sovereign of Wisdom.
This balance had lasted for many years. In the past, the Sovereign of Wisdom had stood on the same side as Her, so Big Treasure, Second Treasure, and Little Treasure could be regarded as listening to Her as well. But this time, the Sovereign of Wisdom was clearly testing the boundaries, and might not be able to control Big Treasure and Second Treasure.
So that Big Treasure and Second Treasure would not influence Maternal Heart in reverse, Aedannis said: “You may let Big Treasure and Second Treasure carry out the attack, but you must not go with them. You are to guard the route they must pass and must not relax your vigilance.”
“Alternatively, do not let them go at all. You go alone.”
“I understand.”
Chapter 2711 Mirror Replay <TOC> Chapter 2713 Flower Holding Infant Spirit