Chapter 2738 Shattered Lens <TOC> Chapter 2740 Reflection Within the Mirror
Translator: SumTLMan
「The victor takes the spoils; even Lord Adjudicator tacitly acknowledges this rule. On what grounds do you claim you can just take it at will?」The one backing up was Vai.
Since the one shouting from the other side was Pink Jasmine, it would be beneath them to have a formal wizard argue, so Vai unhesitatingly took the vanguard in the verbal battle.
Of course, Vai hadn’t considered this at all. He stepped forward simply to defend his idol.
「Moreover, on the arena, life and death are unpredictable. The lord could have killed Gray Merchant outright, but showed mercy and only took a single spoil. Not only are you ungrateful, you even dare to snatch by force?」
「Even the Sunlight Sanctuary you previously enjoyed belonged to the lord; your use of it was also his grace. Now that you’ve profited, you turn your back and disavow him?」
「And we had initially suggested that the lord destroy the underground church’s magic formation, yet the lord not only preserved it but even left you clues, worried you might tamper with the formation and fall into a spatial rift. And now, you show no gratitude, even bite the hand that helped you; truly, I’ve never seen such shamelessness as yours!」
Vai allowed the other side no chance to speak, unleashing a barrage of sharp-tongued rebukes.
Yet as Vai cursed, he also revealed some information.
This prompted Daus at the side to rub his forehead and sigh deeply.
Fortunately, that information was not of much importance. At most, it would let the other side deduce that Angel understood magic formations and was suspected to be a white wizard. The rest was acceptable……
Although, combined with the illusions he had used on the arena, people might connect this to Angel. Yet, the outside world’s impression, or rather, stereotype, of Angel was more as an alchemy master. As for combat strength…… a wizard who hadn’t even cultivated for ten years, how could he achieve mastery in other fields after delving into alchemy? Impossible.
So, Angel’s identity should not be exposed yet.
And Vai’s sharp tongue left Pink Jasmine momentarily at a loss for rebuttal.
From the standpoint of「sentiment」, they had no love or hate with the other side, and yet the other party had consistently shown goodwill along the way. More importantly, the other was a powerful wizard, who, rather than using force, had first acted with courtesy, a rarity among those so strong.
From the standpoint of「reason」, the other side had not violated any rules of the arena. Even the spoils taken were kept to a minimum; they had not touched the spatial equipment, a mark of restraint.
So, by both emotion and reason, the other party had done nothing wrong. Even Pink Jasmine, ever one for unreasonable trouble, was stumped and had nothing to retort.
Unable to find a rebuttal, Pink Jasmine nearly ground her teeth to pieces.
Fortunately, at that moment, Gray Merchant awoke and came to the center of the confrontation.
Gray Merchant naturally heard Vai’s series of rational rebuttals, and whatever resentment he had at being toyed with by the other’s illusion dissipated.
From Vai’s words, it could be basically confirmed that White Merchant’s speculation was correct, their initial attitude toward the Traveling Merchants was not malicious. In fact, they had opened with goodwill.
And Vai was right; whether it was Daus or this self-proclaimed Eremy, both had chances to kill, yet neither pressed the attack.
Compared to what the other side had done, they themselves now seemed unreasonable.
With this in mind, the moment Gray Merchant appeared, he approached Pink Jasmine, and with a gentle touch, sealed her mouth with a crystalline layer. Clearly, Gray Merchant was warning Pink Jasmine not to speak further.
Then, he gestured with his eyes for the other apprentices to be silent, and went himself to the side of Shrew.
「This time, it was our abruptness. I apologize on behalf of Shrew to everyone here.」Gray Merchant gave a gentle bow:「I will prepare a small token of apology for everyone, and hope you can forgive our impulsiveness.」
Daus and the others’ reactions to these words were indifferent, but on Gray Merchant’s side, Pink Jasmine kept leaping about, eager to say something. Moreover, Shrew looked at Gray Merchant and said, her tone somber:「Do you intend to break our hearts?」
From Shrew’s perspective, they had acted out of concern for Gray Merchant, yet he now bowed their heads in apology. Was this not a betrayal of their intentions?
Gray Merchant gazed at Shrew caged in the twisted birdcage, and softly said:「White Merchant once said, there is more than one way to achieve one’s aim; violence is always the worst choice.」
Shrew sneered:「You always scorned those words from White Merchant before.」
Gray Merchant:「I understand why my past self despised those words. But I also believe that deep down, even then, I must have agreed with them to some extent.」
Shrew gave him a cold glance but didn’t pursue the topic. She could cite Gray Merchant’s past, but in the end, only Gray Merchant truly understood himself.
Shrew:「Heh, so how do you intend to resolve this? After all, that thing belongs to you, and you cannot be without it.」
Gray Merchant calmly replied:「I will try to negotiate. If negotiations fail…… so be it.」
Gray Merchant turned, locking eyes with Shrew:「Nothing is truly indispensable. I am always myself. The me of the past found a path in the old ways; the me of now may yet blaze a new trail.」
Gray Merchant’s words were free and easy, but Shrew knew how truly difficult this was, something outsiders could never fathom.
A life of near-death had shaped the cold and ruthless Gray Merchant. That experience now lay locked within that shattered mirror shard. Without it, perhaps Gray Merchant would never have become who he was.
「It seems we misjudged the sentiment.」Shrew snorted, turning her head and no longer looking at Gray Merchant.
Gray Merchant, however, fixed his gaze on Shrew for a couple of seconds, sighing inwardly before turning away.
How could he not understand Shrew’s feelings? He too knew the hardships of forging a new path. Yet, circumstances were stronger than people.
This concession from Gray Merchant was indeed partly because of Vai’s words, but more so…… it was because he saw Shrew.
Or rather, because he saw the pitch-black, twisted earthen birdcage imprisoning Shrew.
Gray Merchant’s decision to stand at Shrew’s side was a deliberate choice. At first, he was puzzled: with Shrew caged and uninjured, why did she not struggle? Only upon approaching did he feel the terrifying oppression.
This is at least true knowledge-level pressure!
A nose embedded in a stone slab could actually reach the level of a true knowledge-level wizard?
This is just an organ without any other augmentation, and it already possesses such terrifying energy?!
Moreover, the birdcage imprisoning Shrew clearly uses earth elemental powers.
Combining all these details, Gray Merchant had already deduced the real identity of that stone slab opposite him.
The Black Count! It’s definitely the Black Count!
And besides the Black Count, there must be a descendant of Noah across from them! One organ paired with one descendant, this is simply the standard setup of the Noah family!
What kind of person is the Black Count? He is a pinnacle wizard who, like Lord Mengke, stands at the very apex of the Southern Region’s Wizarding World!
Just one more small step, and the Black Count could enter that legendary realm.
A figure like this, even just an organ, is true knowledge-level. Gray Merchant thought to himself: What could we possibly use to compare with that?
They had already suspected the Black Count’s identity before, but that was just speculation. Now it was absolutely certain.
Even if he didn’t care for Eremy’s goodwill, Gray Merchant still had to watch the Black Count’s attitude. Precisely because of this, Gray Merchant understood that if he clashed with them like Shrew did, he would be the only one to suffer.
Now, all he had lost was his memories, nothing else. But if he kept confronting them, he might lose much more, possibly the lives of everyone present.
The Gray Merchant who had lost his memories was gentle and refined. The one who hadn’t was cold and ruthless. But regardless of which Gray Merchant it was, in this situation, both would choose to recognize the times and adapt.
So Gray Merchant’s concession was not, as Shrew said,「a wasted effort」, but rather…… a form of salvaging.
……
Gray Merchant apologized with gentleness and courtesy, and said he would offer compensation. This even caused Daus, whose brows had been drawn in fierce anger, to soften. Even though Shrew and Gray Merchant were at odds, Gray Merchant was ultimately the one in charge. As long as Shrew’s objections couldn’t sway Gray Merchant, his word was final.
After Daus’ expression relaxed, Gray Merchant respectfully saluted the Black Count, but said nothing more, nor did he mention the Black Count by name. This was, in itself, a sign of good sense.
At last, Gray Merchant’s gaze turned to Angel.
Gray Merchant first congratulated Angel on his victory, and with self-deprecating humor, said he was still unqualified and needed to work harder.
After all the flattery and praise, Gray Merchant finally got to the main point.
「Lord Eremy, I assume you heard my earlier conversation with Shrew. I wonder, may I offer a trade to reclaim the shard you took?」
He paused, then immediately added:「Of course, if you are also interested in the shard, I would never take what another desires.」
Gray Merchant’s attitude left the Traveling Merchants’ group feeling awkward and stifled, but on Daus’ side, things relaxed considerably. So, when Gray Merchant directly asked Angel, Daus and the others didn’t speak up to stop him.
In fact, they were quite curious themselves. The Sovereign of Wisdom had clearly indicated「she」didn’t want Angel to take the item, yet Angel insisted on doing so against「her」wishes, what exactly was it?
They made space, leaving Daus and Angel.
Faced with Gray Merchant’s question, Angel did not answer immediately but instead ended the fusion with Eremy.
Eremy was still in the form of a gem giant. The moment the form dissolved, gemstones of various colors emitted a dazzling brilliance, like flying rainbows of light.
After a visible separation of energy, Eremy turned into a black shadow, nodded at Angel, swayed the blue lantern flower on his head, and slowly slipped underground, merging with Angel’s shadow.
Only then did everyone get a clear look at Angel.
He was almost exactly as before the duel, right down to the upturned tuft of hair. The only change was the「trophy」wrapped in leather he now held in his hand.
「A demon from Panic World?」Gray Merchant asked, surprised, looking at Angel.
Previously he had never seen Eremy’s true form, always believing that the transformations into the shadow giant and gemstone giant were just talents or abilities. It wasn’t until Angel and Eremy separated that he realized Eremy was a separate being.
Considering Eremy’s abilities and clear features, he instantly thought of a very, very distant, highly dangerous extraordinary race, the demons!
Hearing Gray Merchant’s question, Angel said nothing, but Daus gave Gray Merchant a sidelong glance:「Your eye for details still needs work.」
He meant that Gray Merchant should have realized Eremy was a demon earlier. The duel was over, and only now did he notice.
Yet just as Daus finished, Vai nearby muttered quietly:「You didn’t recognize it either.」
Daus pretended not to hear. After all, this was in front of outsiders, being corrected by an apprentice was a blow to his dignity.
However, on hearing Vai’s muttering, Gray Merchant said nothing aloud but inwardly confirmed Vai’s identity. To speak so irreverently to a formal wizard, there was no doubt, it must be a descendant of Noah. Only with the Black Count as a backer would Vai dare to be so unrestrained.
Gray Merchant’s conclusion was correct, but his reasoning was off. Even without the Black Count present, Vai would treat Daus the same way.
With the Black Count and the Noah descendant confirmed, they now knew exactly which family the hidden mastermind was targeting.
Still, Gray Merchant had another question: who was this「Eremy」able to control demons?
Was there such a figure among the Noah family?
Gray Merchant’s curiosity was quickly put aside, not because he had an answer, but because Angel finally spoke, bringing up the broken shard.
Angel lifted the leather bundle, weighing it in his hand:「You want to make a trade with me just for the shard inside?」
Gray Merchant nodded immediately:「Yes.」
The item had already been taken by Angel, Shrew suppressed in the birdcage; saying he didn’t care anymore was out of the question. The only way to get it back now was to show how much he valued it and to demonstrate sincerity.
「Lord Eremy, you may name any price. I will do my utmost to meet your terms.」With that, Gray Merchant bowed solemnly.
Angel actually didn’t feel much about Gray Merchant’s many statements.
He still couldn’t figure out why Gray Merchant was interested in the shard Aedannis had given. Wasn’t it simply a medium Aedannis gave them to monitor him?
As Angel pondered, Daus approached.
Perhaps Daus felt he already owed Angel too much, and couldn’t possibly repay it, so he wasn’t afraid to owe him more. While everyone else was curious but didn’t dare ask, Daus stepped forward and signaled with his eyes: What treasure is inside?
Angel glanced at Daus, didn’t reply, and instead opened the leather bundle right in front of him.
Before, with the leather hiding it, no one wanted to probe with energy, so no one knew what was inside. Only when Angel opened the leather and they saw the contents did everyone snap back to attention.
It turned out Angel and Gray Merchant were telling the truth, the so-called「shard」really was just a「shard」.
Lying in Angel’s palm was a broken shard of mirror.
At first glance, there was nothing strange about it, no energy fluctuations, no luster.
It was just a very old, even somewhat cloudy, shard.
This was what both Angel and Gray Merchant wanted? And the Sovereign of Wisdom didn’t want Angel to get it?
Before entering the sewers, perhaps they would have been totally confused. But now, having come to the underground sewers, looking at that shard, a vague guess rose in their hearts.
Most likely, this shard was related to「her」, since it had a mirror surface.
Still, even if it really was related to that one, what value could it possibly have, to make both Angel and Gray Merchant care so much about it?
Chapter 2738 Shattered Lens <TOC> Chapter 2740 Reflection Within the Mirror