Chapter 2720 Test Before the Battle <TOC> Chapter 2722 ‘Fairness’
Translator: SumTLMan
“You say you’re the adjudicator, so that automatically makes you the adjudicator? Who can prove it?“ The one speaking was Pink Jasmine. She had somehow produced a pink stuffed rabbit, and while idly tugging at its ears she leveled her questions at the black‑robed man.
“For all we know you’re the very person who’s supposed to duel with us, disguised on purpose to fool us.“ Pink Jasmine tilted her head and went on.
Had anyone else asked a question like that it would most likely have been taken as provocation, but Pink Jasmine’s face was the picture of wide‑eyed innocence… Even though the Sovereign of Wisdom knew she was acting, he still felt embarrassed to make an issue of it.
“Whether I am the adjudicator or not, ‘She’ will supply the proof.“
No sooner had the Sovereign of Wisdom finished speaking than the Gray Merchant in the distance froze. He once again produced the fractured mirror shard from earlier yet did not unwrap the bundle swaddling it. Even through the extra layer, everyone could sense wave after wave of mental ripples issuing from the shard.
The meaning that unfolded from those ripples confirmed exactly what the black‑robed man had said: he was indeed the adjudicator.
After the black‑robed man’s identity was verified, Pink Jasmine cocked her head and muttered under her breath: “Even if you are the adjudicator, by what right do you expect us to submit to any trial you set?“
The Sovereign of Wisdom still did not take offense and replied blandly: “I am indeed not qualified to present you with a trial. Let us call the trial I mentioned off, then.“
When Pink Jasmine heard the black‑robed man give ground, triumph flashed in her eyes.
The very next second, though, the Sovereign of Wisdom’s words wiped the look right off her face.
“Although the trial is gone, your objective is to duel with them. So let us first locate them.“ When the Sovereign of Wisdom finished speaking, his figure floated into midair and he fell silent.
On hearing this, the Gray Merchant cast a glance at Pink Jasmine and sighed softly, saying nothing.
But Shrew tethered by the Gray Merchant’s “kite‑flying“ bandages gave a sharp laugh: “A moment ago there was at least a little reward for passing the trial; now there’s nothing at all. Is this what you wanted?“
Pink Jasmine’s little face flushed scarlet, and she simply could not refute her. Because Shrew was not wrong: Pink Jasmine had tried to set the other side up, only to be out‑maneuvered herself.
“Enough, this isn’t Pink Jasmine’s fault.“ The Gray Merchant tugged lightly on the bandages at his wrist and said to Shrew: “So‑called rewards are always just words and nothing more, lip service without substance. We’ve run into that plenty of times.“
“Right now our infighting is making a joke of us in the eyes of those hiding nearby. The adjudicator is correct, finding them comes first.“
Shrew snorted but did not argue, which counted as agreeing with the Gray Merchant.
Pink Jasmine let out a long breath, pinched the rabbit’s ears, and darted behind Mammoth at the rear to hide. Thinking back on it, her supposed cleverness was actually humiliating. All she wanted now was some unseen corner where she could calm her mortified heart.
Searching for the people in hiding hardly required Mammoth or Pink Jasmine’s powder at all.
This time the main searchers were the Gray Merchant, Shrew, and Shepherd.
The three adopted completely different methods, remarkably, they did not interfere with one another.
The Gray Merchant relied on the Gemstone Earth Dragon’s command of the land’s rhythms, monitoring every unusual detail of ground beneath their feet. Shrew, having failed to find anyone earlier by firing her bandages at random, now chose to probe with mental perception.
It was worth mentioning that Shrew’s mental strength was formidable. In Angel and the others’ eyes, if Shrew’s mental tendrils were made visible they would resemble the arms of a colossal deep‑sea octopus, countless thick tentacles ceaselessly exploring the surrounding space.
As for Shepherd, his method of seeking was the most interesting. He lifted the short flute in his hand, closed his eyes, and played a lively, bounding melody.
As the tune drifted outward, a troop of sway‑backed, drunken‑looking rats shuffled out of the darkness. Hundreds of rats sniffed about the arena floor, trying to pick up any anomalous scent.
Yet though hundreds sounded like a lot, once scattered they did not seem so many. Shepherd therefore played a new refrain, this time summoning those insects fond of skulking in the shadows.
Cockroaches rolled in like a black tide, along with geckos and spiders clinging to the walls, and moths flitting through the air. Natural enemies lurked among them, but under Shepherd’s command they abandoned all hostilities and cooperated to hunt for the concealed quarry.
Although still only an apprentice, the commotion Shepherd stirred up was actually the greatest.
Reactions to Shepherd’s behavior were mixed. The Sovereign of Wisdom raised an eyebrow, he had never imagined that a corridor which usually looked quite clean harbored so many filthy vermin. It was high time it was scrubbed out.
Daus, for his part, was wondering whether Shepherd belonged to the mysterious soundwave school or the summoning school.
The Black Count supplied the answer: “Neither.“
Creatures summoned by the summoning school generally come from other worlds; if he were a summoner he would not need to go to such lengths, nor would he employ so many small animals for the search, since many interplanar summons possess prodigious tracking skills.
As for the soundwave school, sound itself can serve as a carrier. Yet the sound waves Shepherd produced used mental power as the carrier to influence the melody’s propagation, which does not accord with soundwave logic.
So what side did Shepherd actually belong to? The Black Count’s answer was: “A rhythm apprentice.“
Rhythm wizards do not belong to the soundwave school but to the elemental branch. Within every elemental branch there are different rhythm wizards. Among them, water rhythm wizards are overall the strongest, for the tidal and periodic variations of water reach their apex, hence the title “Water Rhythm.“
Shepherd, however, was not a water rhythm apprentice but a wind elemental one.
The grounds for that judgment lay not in eyesight but in what Speedling explicitly stated: while Shepherd played, it could sense the air around them stir ever so slightly.
Once Shepherd’s identity and abilities were roughly exposed, the pair of apprentices began to ponder what means they would have to deal with a rhythm apprentice like him.
Leaving aside whatever schemes the two apprentices devised, let us return to the search in the outside world.
After three minutes of searching, the Gray Merchant, Shrew, and Shepherd had combed practically every nook and cranny, yet still found no trace whatsoever.
This made them begin to doubt whether that group was truly hiding here.
Because of Pink Jasmine’s earlier blunder, they dared not question the Sovereign of Wisdom at this moment, but the suspicion was fermenting in their hearts.
Watching the scene unfold, the Sovereign of Wisdom’s lips curled very slightly.
His objective had been achieved.
He had always found Angel’s so‑called “illusion magic“ somewhat peculiar, but with his true body seated safely in the Nightmare Domain he felt awkward about sensing the surroundings himself. So he simply had the Gray Merchant’s party investigate.
Sure enough, the check proved his hunch: Angel’s illusion magic was by no means ordinary.
No matter how cleverly an ordinary illusion is hidden, some energy leakage will escape, it is only a question of degree.
Yet Angel’s illusion magic lay squarely in the center of the area. A normal wizard would most likely employ some stratagem to steer people away from that spot, but Angel had done nothing at all, allowing the crowd to pass back and forth over the center countless times, and still they could not locate a breach. That all but confirmed the Sovereign of Wisdom’s conjecture, Angel’s illusion magic must possess a space attribute.
Was this a fusion of space and illusion?
The Sovereign of Wisdom’s surmise was essentially correct. The Nightmare Domain itself was an intermediate territory created by the Nightmare Plane’s incursion into the real world: it belonged neither wholly to reality nor to the Nightmare Plane, but rather resembled a interstitial space wedged between the two.
The person who undertakes the Nightmare Domain enfolds that interstitial space within their own flesh. Each time they release the Nightmare Domain, they are in fact letting that sliver of space spill out, a concept somewhat similar to a space pouch.
Had the opposition possessed even a single space affinity wizard employing a full-coverage probe, they would probably have caught a few traces.
Unfortunately, space wizards are exceedingly scarce in the Southern Region, and not one of them practices in that school.
After they had searched for about eight minutes, Angel glanced at the Sovereign of Wisdom across from him: “Should we go out and meet them?”
It was an ordinary enough question, yet Angel’s eyes carried another, deeper meaning.
Clearly Angel had seen through the Sovereign of Wisdom’s intent, but he chose not to expose it, allowing the Sovereign to carry out his little maneuvers.
The Sovereign of Wisdom showed no embarrassment; Angel was a clever man, so seeing through him was only natural.
Besides, by sending the Gray Merchant and the others to look for them, the Sovereign of Wisdom had in fact given Angel a chance to observe.
Except for Mammoth, Pink Jasmine, and Ghost Shadow, who never made a move, they now had a rough idea of the abilities of the Gray Merchant and Shrew. It was not a complete understanding, but at least they had grasped one facet.
The more intelligence one possesses, the greater the advantage in battle; therefore, even though Angel understood the Sovereign of Wisdom’s aim, he had no intention of stopping or exposing him.
Now that they had learned all they could, continuing would yield little else; hence Angel suggested it was time to confront them.
They could not avoid it forever; in the end they had to face the trial.
The Sovereign of Wisdom nodded indifferently: “Do as you think best; no need to ask me.”
Angel nodded and looked at the others: “Ready?”
Daus and the Black Count nodded casually; Kael and Vai felt less sure of themselves, yet remembering Angel’s support they still gave solemn nods.
Without another word, Angel tapped the tabletop lightly with his knuckle. The Nightmare Domain around them began to change, its solid form turning translucent like a curtain of water until the watery veil vanished altogether.
…
After the Gray Merchant and the others failed to find anything, their moods began to waver.
Hiding behind Mammoth, Pink Jasmine could not keep silent any longer: “Are they really hiding here, or is this a plot to wear us down on purpose?”
Gray Merchant and Shrew did not stop her this time; after half a day of searching they also wanted an answer.
“You really do ask a lot of questions,” the Sovereign of Wisdom teased: “I have no reason to deceive you. They are indeed here, watching your every move.”
“I can give you a hint: this pink-haired little girl who asks the most questions might just be able to pick up a few clues…”
The pink-haired girl with all the questions was, without doubt, Pink Jasmine.
Everyone turned to look at Pink Jasmine. She wore a bewildered expression, pointed a finger at herself under their gazes, and asked: “Me?”
The Sovereign of Wisdom: “Exactly, you can try… looks like you won’t have to. They’ve already decided to come out,” said the Sovereign of Wisdom.
As the Sovereign of Wisdom’s words fell, everyone turned at once, assuming guarded stances while their eyes roved, eager to see where Angel and his companions were hiding.
Yet when Angel and the others appeared, their faces all showed a trace of blank surprise.
They had imagined Angel’s group was concealed somewhere utterly beyond their guessing, but to their amazement the group stood right at the center of the field, less than ten meters away in a straight line.
Most importantly, they were facing them head-on.
If what the black-robed adjudicator had said was true, and the other side had been watching them from the shadows the whole time, did that mean all their expressions and movements had been taken in?
The thought left everyone feeling a bit awkward, especially the three who had been actively searching. Save for Shrew, whose face was wrapped in straps, the other two could not hide their embarrassment.
Still, their mental fortitude was strong; the awkwardness faded quickly.
They had long been curious about the outsiders’ identities, and White Merchant had judged that the newcomers might harbor more good will than ill. All the more they wished to know who had found the entrance to the underground church, who had unraveled the church’s intricate magic formation, and who had left them those signs along the way.
Now every one of them stood in the open.
There were four in total: a red-haired, golden-eyed youth in noble attire and a red-haired young man with a sword at his waist, clearly two formal wizards. The remaining two were apprentices who strove to appear brave, yet the fear in their eyes was not fully concealed.
No, there was yet another, unmistakable aura of a formal wizard.
A stone slab encasing a nose? Was that an opponent to be faced, or someone’s method?
While they puzzled over it, the Gray Merchant spoke softly: “Red Sword, Daus?”
Daus paused, then threw his head back and laughed: “My fame really is widespread, people recognize me wherever I go.”
After laughing, Daus looked at the Gray Merchant: “I know you’re the Gray Merchant. Since you know me, I ought to know you as well. How about you take off that mask and let me see who you are? Might you be an old friend of mine?”
“I don’t know you,” the Gray Merchant replied coolly: “I’ve only heard a few rumors. As for my true face, it is of no importance. For now I have but one identity: the Gray Merchant of the Traveling Merchants.”
Daus shrugged: “If you’re unwilling to show your face, you must be someone I know, have seen, or at least heard of. Whatever, tell me, what rumors have you heard? That my swordsmanship is peerless, or that I’m irresistibly handsome and dashing?”
“Neither. I merely saw an article you submitted in a leisure magazine,” said the Gray Merchant: “I recall its title was,”
“—On the Meadow Manifesto’s Significance for Pure Blood Wizards— and —Are Bloodline Wizards the Best Choice—.”
Chapter 2720 Test Before the Battle <TOC> Chapter 2722 ‘Fairness’