Chapter 2766 Handling Approach <TOC> Chapter 2768 Special Information
Translator: SumTLMan
Did Shrew set her sights on Seamus’ hide?
Angel narrowed his eyes, and a conjecture slowly surfaced in his mind.
Could it be that Shrew handed the Eye of Arcana to Mammoth precisely because she wanted to snatch Seamus’ hide during the duel?
Originally this was merely Angel’s casual guess, but whether out of a guilty conscience or something else, Shrew’s gaze never once met Angel’s, as if intentionally avoiding him.
This made the doubts in Angel’s heart grow stronger.
Could it be…… that he guessed right?
Angel further pondered the likelihood of this inference, and the more he thought the more reasonable it seemed.
According to their prior assessment, the Eye of Arcana was most likely Shrew’s. After all, she alone present was a modification witch.
Because the rules of the duel do not restrict out-of-bounds means, it is not unacceptable for both sides’ wizards to give apprentices some 「assistance」, but producing the Eye of Arcana, such a deadly weapon that could heavily injure even a formal wizard, is far too brazen.
This was the rhythm of killing someone ah.
Even if it did not violate rules on the arena platform, it was equivalent to declaring war on them off the platform.
Shrew already knew the Black Count’s avatar was here, yet still made such a decision, which was truly baffling. Was she not afraid of offending the Black Count?
Previously Angel could not quite figure this out, but now, combined with what Shrew sought, he seemed to understand a bit.
The target Shrew had in her sights was not Vai, but Kael. To be precise, it was Seamus’ hide on Kael.
According to the state of the duel earlier, Kael had a very high probability of fighting in succession; if Mammoth relied on the Eye of Arcana to defeat or kill Kael, then in accordance with Angel’s earlier proposed mode of 「the winner take the spoils」, Shrew would have every reason to take Seamus’ hide from the loser Kael, as a matter of course.
In that case, she would both obtain Seamus’ hide and not offend the Black Count.
After all, Kael had previously come into contact with the shard, and the shard showed no reaction, confirming he was not of the Noah family. Moreover, if one observed with intent some of Kael’s behavior, one would find he looked more like an academic apprentice, or a wandering apprentice.
Whether academic or wandering apprentice, in Shrew’s eyes both count as soft persimmons; if Kael were truly killed, it likely would not cause too big a splash.
Hence the situation of Mammoth taking the arena bearing the Eye of Arcana.
Only, what Shrew did not expect was that Kael did not take the arena; instead, Vai, who had previously been severely injured by incursion of the mycobarrier, returned to full health and mounted the arena again.
And problems also arose on Mammoth’s side; because he held the Eye of Arcana, he was somewhat absent-minded, and as a result Vai seized the opportunity and applied suppression repeatedly.
In order not to be defeated in this very battle, he had no choice but to activate the Eye of Arcana.
Thus the subsequent various situations occurred.
All of the above was Angel’s internal review. Although it was only a supposition, Angel had a sense in the unseen that perhaps this was the truth.
While Angel was thinking thus, Daus’ voice sounded in the mental connection.
「Could it be that Shrew handed over the Eye of Arcana for the sake of Seamus’ hide, and only then gave it to Mammoth?」
Clearly, Daus and Angel had thought of the same thing.
Angel did not answer, and Daus only made that brief remark and then fell silent, but everyone looked at Shrew and fell into thought.
Previously they had not over-associated, but now with Vai’s conjecture and Angel and the Black Count’s 「tacit acknowledgment」, this was equivalent to 「draw the target first and then shoot the arrow」; with the result already known, finding the clues along the way became much easier.
As everyone successively 「awoke to it」, their gazes toward Shrew grew ever more rejecting.
Perhaps because being stared at by everyone made her hair stand on end a bit, Shrew could not help but ask again：「I wonder whether Mr. Eremy would be willing to conclude this transaction with me. So long as the price you name is reasonable……」
Angel：「No.」
「Ah?」 Shrew asked in puzzlement：「What do you mean, sir?」
Angel：「No need. Seamus’ hide, I still have use for it, I will not transfer it.」
Disappointment flashed in Shrew’s eyes, but she still did not give up：「So long as you agree, sir, I can even find a Half-Step Mysterious Object for you.」
When Shrew uttered 『Half-Step Mysterious Object』, everyone except Angel was taken aback. A Mysterious Object is quite rare; even a Half-Step Mysterious Object contains very vast energy within, and sometimes is even more applicable than formal effects.
Just as the others were guessing whether Angel would be moved by this, Angel again shook his head in refusal, and his wording was even more direct than before：「I do not agree.」
「Why?」 Shrew’s voice sank, and the aura around her gradually began to grow oppressive.
Angel said nothing, but gazed quietly at Shrew. At present her aura had not yet constituted a threat, but if this continued…… Angel did not mind dealing with her in passing.
Angel’s silence was taken by Shrew as a kind of provocation; her aura grew ever more oppressive, and when the oppression reached its limit, an explosion would surely follow.
Only, Angel did not wait for Shrew’s outburst; before she was about to lose emotional control, the Gray Merchant stepped in first and pulled her back.
Casting an angry glare at Shrew, the Gray Merchant then bowed deeply to Angel：「On behalf of Shrew I…」
The Gray Merchant’s next phrase 「apologize to you, sir」 had not yet come out before Angel cut him off：「She has done nothing yet; why bow to me? Better to let her vent first, and then discuss what follows?」
Angel’s tone was sincere, but nearly anyone could hear the provocative flavor in his words.
Shrew naturally heard it as well, but perhaps because the Gray Merchant had pulled her a moment earlier to some effect, she restrained her emotions this time, lowered her head, and acted as if she had not heard Angel’s provocation.
Angel had set the stage, yet Shrew did not perform, which greatly disappointed Angel and even sapped his interest in superficial pleasantries with the Gray Merchant.
The Gray Merchant also saw Angel’s impatience and said softly：「I will wait outside for Mr. Eremy’s return.」
With that, the Gray Merchant led the group into a space passage to the side, and in the end they vanished completely.
This spatial passage had been specially opened by the Sovereign of Wisdom for the Gray Merchant and the others; it did not lead directly to the outside world but to the former work area of the Hanging Prison Stairs, the region with many Wizard Eye Ghosts.
The reason the Sovereign of Wisdom did not transmit them out directly lay mainly in the fact that there were still some members of the Traveling Merchants Organization in the work area, entangled with those two wizard-level Wizard Eye Ghosts. Through the surveillance of the magic formation, the Sovereign of Wisdom had already noticed that the situation there was not good.
If the Gray Merchant and the rest did not go over soon, those who had stayed would likely suffer heavy casualties.
The Sovereign of Wisdom had some favorable impression of the Traveling Merchants Organization…… especially of the Gray Merchant and those under his command. In recent years they had helped with the underground sewer’s dark energy recovery, settling and reuse, which had saved him a great deal of effort; this was also a token of the Sovereign of Wisdom’s return favor.
After the Gray Merchant’s group disappeared, Daus finally spoke：「My inspiration tells me I guessed right just now.」
Angel：「So what?」
Seeing Angel’s look of indifference, Daus could not help but ask：「Aren’t you angry? She planned to forcibly seize Seamus’ hide!」
Angel：「But she did not accomplish it.」
Daus still wanted to say more, so Angel added another sentence：「Besides, even if Shrew intended to seize Seamus’ hide by force, what is the problem? Don’t some people also want to mooch Seamus’ hide for free?」
No sooner had Angel’s words fallen than he heard Vai at the side cover his mouth and snicker. The 「some people」 here, without a doubt, referred to Daus.
Daus also heard the subtext in Angel’s words, but he did not feel the least bit ashamed; he even said thick-skinnedly：「Our relationship isn’t the same ah.」
Angel raised a brow：「There is no relationship between you and me.」
Daus leaned in with a fawning face：「Not to mention now; in the future won’t you become my employer?」
This remark from Daus surprised both Vai and Angel a bit.
Previously, Angel had indeed hinted to Daus, but at the time Daus was clearly resistant; even when he finally accepted it, he put it down to 「inspiration acting up」. But now, Daus seemed completely changed, not only not rejecting it, but actively stating his stance.
This still surprised Angel.
However, whether Daus stated it or not, Angel did not actually care. At most the difference lay in whether Daus would choose to work for him at the Cross Bar in the future, or go to the Savage Grottoes to work for him.
Daus：「Moreover, our relationship has at least already counted as bosom friends, right?」
Angel：「There is no 『moreover』; your bosom friend is only Vai.」
Daus：「Even if not bosom friends, we are good friends. Otherwise, why did you not agree to Shrew’s deal just now, yet agreed to deal with me?」
Daus was not really asking Angel but stating his own view, so Angel ignored him.
However, on this point Daus had hit the mark. Not to mention Shrew; even if the Black Count came to trade for Seamus’ hide, Angel would refuse.
The only one he did not refuse was Daus; the reason, as Daus had already said, was indeed a matter of 「closeness of relationship」.
Angel’s prerequisite for being willing to part with it was that Daus himself still owed him; Daus would most likely only be able to pledge his own labor as collateral. And this happened to accord with Angel’s original intention; he had already planned to pull Daus into his own circle. If the deal succeeded, trading to Daus would be equivalent to trading to one of his own, expanding the strength of his circle; Angel would naturally be willing.
But if the trade were to an outsider, Angel privately felt it quite unnecessary.
Although he did not care too much about Seamus’ hide, because he could, through Woof Woof’s intelligence network, find traces of Seamus, there was one problem: Angel alone could not hunt Seamus.
If Seamus were truly to be hunted, assistance from others would be necessary; perhaps even Sanders alone would not be enough, it would be best to rope in Lord Rhine or Iron Armor Granny as well.
Even if they would not refuse Angel’s request, Angel himself would feel embarrassed.
When there is no good to be gained, there is no need to do this deliberately.
Put plainly, Daus and anyone else happened to stand on the psychological intersection line in Angel’s heart between 「I am willing」 and 「I am unwilling」.
Daus barely qualifies as acceptable, while others, be it Shrew or the Black Count, barely do not.
Even so, Angel had no intention of admitting it just because Daus had said it right. Ignoring Daus outright, Angel walked toward where the Sovereign of Wisdom was.
The others, seeing this, immediately followed.
Though muttering under his breath, Daus did not fall behind either.
The Black Count had previously been speaking with the Sovereign of Wisdom about the Mirror World and about Younus and the One-Eyed Family; only when the group came over did the Black Count stop.
「Congratulations on your victory.」At this moment the Sovereign of Wisdom had already taken off his hood; his voice was no longer as stern and cold as when he had been adjudicator earlier, and had returned to a relaxed tone.
Daus：「If the tone were a bit more earnest, Vai, Kael, and I would certainly cooperate with Lord Sovereign’s performance and show looks of being overwhelmed with favor.」
The Sovereign of Wisdom already understood Daus’ temperament and knew well his love of quibbling and snark. However, the Sovereign of Wisdom was not Angel; Angel could ignore Daus’ snark, but he would not tolerate it.
「One half.」The Sovereign of Wisdom looked at Daus with smiling eyes.
Daus was stunned：「One half, what do you mean?」
Sovereign of Wisdom：「One third.」
Daus：「Ah?」
Sovereign of Wisdom：「If you speak again, it will become one quarter.」
Hearing this, Daus’ pupils shrank abruptly：「Co-, co-co-could it be speaking of my reward, right?」
The Sovereign of Wisdom nodded with a smile：「Correct, the reward you exchanged with the Sunlight Sanctuary. By the way, it is now only one quarter.」
Daus looked aghast and wanted to argue, but seeing the Sovereign of Wisdom’s beaming expression, he still held back.
He was afraid that if he spoke again, the reward would be only one fifth.
After Daus fell silent, the Sovereign of Wisdom then turned and said to the group：「The duel was splendid, but it was only an insignificant first test. You still need to pass Younus’ trial for it to truly count as passed.」
「As for your next arrangements, I have already spoken with Angel earlier; in a moment you can ask him directly.」
「As for me, bound by an agreement with 『her』, I must return to my dwelling for now. However, I believe with your strength you will come find me soon.」
「I await meeting you all again.」
With that, the Sovereign of Wisdom’s figure began to grow indistinct; only then did everyone realize that the Sovereign of Wisdom had in fact already departed, what was here was merely one of his illusions.
Seeing the Sovereign of Wisdom about to vanish, Daus finally could not help himself：「My……」
「One fifth.」Without even turning his head, the Sovereign of Wisdom delivered a critical hit.
Daus clutched his chest at the point of 「broken defense」 and staggered all over.
Before he disappeared, the Sovereign of Wisdom left one last sentence：「By the way, I arranged a little surprise for you on the road, I hope you will like it……」
Chapter 2766 Handling Approach <TOC> Chapter 2768 Special Information