Chapter 2748 Vai’s Reflection <TOC> Chapter 2750 Nightmare Illusion Mark
Translator: SumTLMan
Vai’s shock, plus Daus chiming in at his side, made everyone look toward Angel. Even the Black Count, through the bloodline connection, probed the condition within Vai’s body.
At this moment, Angel, without a ripple, withdrew his hand.
「They, they still haven’t moved.」said Vai. Even though Angel had already withdrawn his hand, the mushroom buttons within his body still dared not stir, as if aware their natural enemy lingered nearby and did not dare be careless.
While the others were still startled and doubtful, Daus, who had once had the good fortune to see Tea Tea, was no longer surprised by Angel’s marvelous methods. He was the first to come back to himself and asked:「Well then, as the Mushroom Master, you should have a way to help him expel those mushrooms that invaded his body, right?」
Angel:「Say ‘Mushroom Master’ one more time, and be ready to use your tavern as collateral for the Sunlight Sanctuary. Of course, the total value of your tavern isn’t worth even a sliver of its hide, at best it’ll count as the first installment.」
After speaking, Angel cast Daus a slight glance.
Although Angel’s tone was very even, Daus could tell he meant it. He really would use his beloved tavern to offset the Sunlight Sanctuary’s debt!
Damn it, threatening me, of all people!
Daus cursed up a storm in his mind, but on the surface he chuckled:「Just kidding, that’s all… Don’t look at me like that. There won’t be a next time, promise there won’t be a next time!」
Daus still chose to back down, and as for the reason,
As harsh as Angel’s words were, he wasn’t wrong. The Cross Bar meant a great deal to Daus, but to Angel it wasn’t worth a penny, not even a scrap of the Sunlight Sanctuary’s hide.
The only reason to count the tavern at all was purely to make Daus stew.
Daus had no wish to lose the Cross Bar over a trifle like this, so when it was time to knuckle under, he followed his heart and did so.
How could Angel not perceive Daus’ inward grousing? Still, since Daus hadn’t voiced it, Angel would act as though he hadn’t sensed it……
「How to expel the mushrooms in his body? We can do that right now.」Angel turned back to the point.
Daus froze, and only after a while reacted:「We still need to pick them out one by one？」
Angel nodded.
Daus:「No quicker way? Like, drink a potion and vomit all those mushrooms out?」
At this point Vai weakly asked:「Why does it have to be vomited out?」
Daus shot him an ill-tempered glare:「Would you rather have it come out the other end?」
Vai’s expression changed, and he fell silent.
Angel:「This is the swiftest and least harmful method for his body. Of course there are even faster methods, but they’ll likely cause a loss of blood energy, how long to recover? Half a month? A month? Or longer?」
Daus still wanted to say more, but Vai hurried to stop him:「This will do. They’re not moving now, much easier to remove than before.」
As he spoke, Vai forced out a dozen or so mushroom buttons like white fluff…… Of course, not by vomiting; rather, on the petrified skin, Vai opened a small pore and let these mushroom buttons drop out from within.
To be able, on the first try, to drive the mushroom buttons out so smoothly, even if the number wasn’t great, was so easy and fluid it made him feel he was dreaming.
Most importantly, there was no itch at all, nor any pain.
Before, when he had yanked and tugged at them, it hurt terribly; and once those mushroom buttons seemed to sense they were about to be pulled out, they swam faster, making Vai itch all the more.
Now there was no sensation at all, and he could readily force out a whole handful, worlds apart!
Having tasted the sweetness, Vai stopped talking, plopped straight down on the ground, and, eyes closed, focused on forcing mushroom buttons out of his body.
At first they fell in tens; later, the numbers grew larger, dozens, even hundreds at a time.
However, the mushroom buttons were themselves tiny; even a hundred falling amounted only to a little tuft of fluffy dog fur.
Compared with the tens of thousands inside him, it was hardly worth mentioning.
But Vai’s momentum was high; at this pace, in about a day he could resolve the mushroom problem in his body, far faster than before.
Once Vai entered the zone, Angel ignored the still-dazed Daus and continued discussing battle tactics with Kael.
The more Kael listened, the more his expression filled with astonishment, he even felt as though his soul had been extracted and placed in an illusory dream. Truth be told, what Angel said was far too fanciful, or rather…… far too outlandish.
Could he really do this?
While Kael was still mired in a fog, the Sovereign of Wisdom in midair announced that preparation time was up; the duelists of both sides were to enter.
In a daze, Kael was pushed onto the platform.
This time, as before, their side went up first, with the Gray Merchant’s party stepping up afterward. But by now it didn’t matter; at present they had only Kael who could take the stage, and the other side had surely already studied countermeasures and chosen who would face him.
So the order of appearance was irrelevant.
Kael’s first match was against Pink Jasmine.
The other side had plainly seen Angel discussing tactics with Kael and had guessed Angel might be of the illusion school; yet they still sent out Pink Jasmine, an illusion apprentice. Likely, as before with Ghost Shadow, they intended first and foremost to probe Kael’s capabilities.
Though repeating this strategy might weary the spectators, the tactic itself was quite sound.
Especially since Vai could not take the field for now and their only opponent was Kael alone, their three apprentices could go with one to probe, one to wear him down, and the last to press a strong attack.
It was the best arrangement, though it was quite possible the strong-attack bout would never be needed, the probing and attrition would be enough to stop Kael in his tracks.
After all, in their eyes Kael was part of the academic faction, too green.
What they didn’t notice, however, was that when Kael saw his opponent was Pink Jasmine he visibly breathed a sigh of relief. For in the strategies Angel had outlined for handling the opponents, dealing with Pink Jasmine was the simplest…… and, to Kael’s ear, the least outlandish, after all, Angel himself was an illusion wizard, most familiar with illusion spells, and had no need for those「flashy」cantrips.
As Kael was rejoicing, the Sovereign of Wisdom’s voice:「Duel, begin.」, descended upon the arena together with the dome.
The duel officially commenced.
……
Kael and Pink Jasmine’s battle was in full swing.
Angel had been watching Kael’s performance as well, when the long-silent「private connection」was suddenly reactivated.
Angel showed no outward anomaly; his gaze remained fixed on the stage, yet in his heart he respectfully said:「Lord Black Count.」
Such a private connection would be either the Black Count or the Sovereign of Wisdom. And since the Sovereign of Wisdom was at the center of the arena, if he used a mind connection, even if those present could not pierce it, they would sense it. So, without thinking, Angel knew the one contacting him had to be the Black Count.
Angel was not surprised at why the Black Count would suddenly contact him in secret.
The Black Count and Vai were, for all intents and purposes:「one body」; whatever Angel did inside Vai, the Black Count would certainly know.
From the moment Angel placed his hand on Vai earlier, the Black Count had purposefully turned the slab and, with a nostril:「looked」at him, Angel then knew the Black Count might come calling.
So it proved: the first thing the Black Count asked when he reached Angel was:「What is that mushroom?」
The others likely had no idea what Angel had done; even Vai might not have detected Angel’s sleight of hand. But the Black Count had.
Yes, the mushroom.
Angel had left a mushroom inside Vai.
And it was precisely this mushroom that puzzled the Black Count. If it were an ordinary mushroom, that would be that, perhaps merely Angel’s method of treatment. What the Black Count hadn’t expected was that the mushroom was very, very peculiar.
It seemed alive, bouncing to and fro inside Vai, as though taking his flesh and blood for a realm it had conquered, patrolling its territory back and forth.
At first, when the Black Count perceived it, he took it for a variant of the mushrooms; later, from the commotion of mushroom buttons trembling whenever it「patrolled」, he confirmed that this mushroom was the true culprit behind their not daring to move.
Only then did the Black Count turn his attention to Angel. Without a doubt, this mushroom was something Angel had produced.
At that time the Black Count, though surprised, had no mind to question Angel; after all, he had previously expressed that he would not inquire into any anomalies Angel might commit in the underground waterways.
However, the Black Count’s thinking quickly changed, because that mushroom seemed to perceive his gaze.
His basis for judgment was this: whenever the Black Count’s gaze swept across it, it went still; but the moment his gaze moved away, it resumed patrolling its broad domain.
For something within Vai to detect the Black Count’s gaze was astonishing. The Black Count observed that mushroom through bloodline connection, and yet through such a complex and distant chain of logic, the mushroom could sense his gaze.
Earlier the Black Count merely felt the mushroom was「as if」alive; now he increasingly thought it might truly be a living thing.
But soon, the Black Count’s idea was slapped in the face.
The one who slapped it was none other than Vai.
When the Black Count tried to have Vai control that mushroom, Vai replied in bewilderment:「What mushroom?」
Only then did the Black Count notice that although Vai was in shock, he was only shocked that the mushroom buttons had suddenly stopped moving; he had no idea there was also a lively, green-spotted tiny mushroom inside him.
Even when Vai probed under the Black Count’s direction, he did not discover the mushroom’s presence.
It was as though the mushroom existed in a state between real and illusory.
At this point the Black Count truly became curious about the strange mushroom; taking advantage of Kael’s duel, when the others were not paying attention here, he sent Angel a private connection invite.
「As expected of Lord Black Count, what I did so covertly still could not deceive you.」Angel offered a compliment.
The Black Count:「At a time like this I’d prefer you learn from your mentor, under any circumstances, don’t speak nonsense; get straight to the point.」
Angel:「……」
After two seconds of silence, Angel said:「What does Lord Black Count wish to know, what effect that mushroom will have on Vai, or the origin of that mushroom?」
The Black Count:「Both. Say what you deem fit.」
What the Black Count meant, in truth, was: you may conceal as you see fit; I won’t press.
This also accorded with the Black Count’s initial promise.
Angel pondered for a moment:「This mushroom will have no effect on Vai. Once the spore remnants within him are entirely eliminated, it will naturally vanish.」
To this the Black Count had no objection. He had never believed this mushroom would affect Vai; otherwise he would have put a stop to it at once.
From his observations of Angel in this period, Angel was not a bloodthirsty sort, still less one to strike at Vai without cause, what’s more, the Black Count himself was at hand; Angel would not dare so much.
The Black Count:「And?」
Angel:「As for the mushroom’s origin… my lord should have noticed: this mushroom is in fact merely an illusion, yes?」
The Black Count did not speak this time. Though he had felt the mushroom to be somewhere between real and illusory, it was so much like a living thing that even if he had suspected illusion, he had not truly confirmed it.
Only now, with Angel’s words, did the Black Count clearly grasp that the mushroom really was an illusion!
Angel continued:「The mushroom’s original body seems to possess an innate suppressive effect against fungal lifeforms inferior to itself, much like a wizard’s oppressive aura.」
「On that basis, I used a special illusion to produce its phantom and infused it with the mushroom’s true intent, achieving the effect of passing the false for the real. That’s what created the obvious restraining effect on the mushroom buttons within Vai.」
The illusion Angel described sounded to the Black Count somewhat like true illusion. But could an illusion wrought by true illusion perceive his gaze? For the phantom to display reactions only a living thing could manage, this still differed from true illusion.
This puzzled the Black Count, and he very much wanted to press further.
But when describing this illusion, Angel had explicitly noted that it was a「special illusion」.
If it weren’t special, Angel would likely have given its name and type outright. Since he hadn’t, it meant he was disinclined to reveal the illusion’s truth.
Even if the Black Count pressed and Angel answered, it would likely be reluctant and unwilling.
Though surprised, the Black Count did not wish, over a small matter, to add a rift between him and Angel.
So he did not pursue the illusion further, but asked directly about the mushroom’s original body.
「The mushroom’s body itself can move? What category is it? Was it cultivated by Regina?」
Angel:「The mushroom’s original body is called Mystlight. As to what category it is, where it originates, and what effects it has, I think it would be clearer if you asked Lord Rhine.」
What Angel had actually made was a phantom of Mystlight.
Previously, from Regina’s research, Angel had learned that this wondrous living fungus, Mystlight, exerted a suppressive effect on its kin, especially parasitic types, an effect markedly pronounced.
For Mystlight’s effect is itself parasitic; perhaps in competing for hosts, Mystlight developed this curious oppressive aura.
Therefore, when Angel learned that mushroom buttons had invaded Vai, his first thought was to rely on Mystlight to suppress them. But Mystlight’s body could not be exposed and was under Regina’s study; so Angel simply took another path, casting a Nightmare Illusion Spell to create a Mystlight phantom.
Earlier, when Angel touched the mushroom buttons on Vai, he had deliberately used his right hand because it made casting the Nightmare Illusion Spell more convenient.
The effect was indeed as Angel had expected, most effective.
He just hadn’t expected it to be so effective that even the Black Count took note.
「Mystlight? Never heard the name.」said the Black Count.「You mention Rhine, he has something to do with this ‘Mystlight’?」
Angel nodded:「Yes. So it would be better for you to consult Lord Rhine. If I were to speak, it might be somewhat presumptuous.」
The Black Count pondered a moment and ultimately accepted Angel’s account.
Angel would hardly dare lie and drag in「Rhine」; thus this peculiar mushroom likely did indeed have something to do with Rhine.
In that case, there was no need to make things difficult for Angel.
When matters here concluded, he could find time to ask Rhine.
Chapter 2748 Vai’s Reflection <TOC> Chapter 2750 Nightmare Illusion Mark