Chapter 2769 Encirclement Hunt <TOC> Chapter 2771 Elderstone and Star Chess
Translator: SumTLMan
Since the other party was still within the encirclement hunt, then it was simple. As long as the encirclement range was continuously narrowed, that would be equivalent to suppressing the other party’s range of activity; in the end it would inevitably be forced to show itself because the activity range was too narrow.
In order to make that hidden creature lower its guard, Angel had Speedling stay still for the moment; on their side they continued forward with the previous tempo.
At the beginning, the other party had not yet realized that Angel had set up a defensive net behind, so it still only moved at a slow pace.
But as Angel and the others moved faster and faster, the other party also sensed that something was wrong and began to move quickly.
At the same time, the Wood Spirit used tiny vines in Angel’s palm to write a line: It is running.
While the Wood Spirit leisurely wrote out this line, Angel vaguely felt as if the defensive net behind had been touched by something; he looked back, but saw nothing.
At this moment, after writing the previous line, the Wood Spirit began to write new words: It hit and then ran back.
Seeing this line, Angel then confirmed that the defensive net had indeed been struck by that hidden creature earlier. Only, the reaction at the time was completely not in time; as for waiting for the Wood Spirit’s judgment? Even less workable. By the time the Wood Spirit finished that line, several seconds had already passed since Angel felt the defensive net be bumped.
Therefore, the Wood Spirit’s words could only serve as a reference for a replay of old news; wanting live commentary was basically impossible.
Since the other party had already sensed something wrong, Angel no longer had Speedling stand still in place, but had it carry along a defensive net woven from wind, moving forward.
In this way, Angel and Speedling advanced toward each other from both sides, and compressing the hidden creature’s range of activity became faster.
A bit more than ten seconds later, Angel and Speedling were less than twenty meters apart.
And these twenty meters were the 「final circle」 of the encirclement hunt.
Angel stopped his steps, and at the same time signaled Speedling to stop moving as well.
It was not that Angel chickened out, but that a range of twenty meters counted as a relatively suitable distance; if they kept constricting, the sense of pressure on the other side would be even greater.
If the other party really was the 「surprise」 given to them by the Sovereign of Wisdom, then leaving the other side a bit of leeway was also a kind of respect.
As for whether the other side wanted this leeway, that would be known from its next reaction.
After Angel stopped, he prepared to wait for the other party to make a response. However, before waiting for the other party’s reaction, Daus’ countdown came first.
「Ten, nine, eight……」
Angel glanced at Daus; the latter tossed him a look, silently made a 「no problem」 hand gesture, and continued counting down.
Angel also understood Daus’ meaning; this was to deliver a final ultimatum to the hidden creature.
Obviously, Daus knew why Angel had stopped; only, he probably felt that even if you give the other party leeway, it cannot be without any limit. So he proactively added this count of ten, and by the rhythm of the countdown continued to apply a kind of psychological urgency.
Angel did not stop him either…… anyway it could not be stopped, so he let Daus count down.
For the first five numbers of Daus’ countdown, the rhythm was slow and regular, but when it came to the last five numbers, he suddenly changed speed and quickened the recitation tempo.
This method of altering tempo is also a commonly used technique in psychology…… however, the 「commonly used」 here refers to in social settings.
Angel was quite curious: where did Daus learn this technique?
Was he given a lesson by someone, to know shame and then learn? Or did he proactively learn such a technique, wanting to use it on other people?
Whatever the answer, Angel felt that in the future, if Daus followed alongside him, it would be better to let women stay a bit farther away from him……
While Angel’s thoughts galloped wildly, Daus’ countdown entered the last three numbers.
But before Daus could count out these three numbers, everyone heard a strange voice sound by their ears.
「Hunter who seeks treasure, your countdown makes me very confused, do you wish to witness my descent with your own eyes?」
This voice carried a marked intonation, mm…… a very poetic cadence, seemingly intentionally learning a declamatory manner of speech; judging from the timbre, it belonged to a clear young voice.
The other party called out 「hunter who seeks treasure」 and, together with the key detail of the 「countdown」, it could basically be confirmed that he was speaking to Daus.
However, Daus’ expression was one of confusion: 「Ah?」
「Hunter who seeks treasure, I will realize your wish, but can you pay the price of this wish?」
As the words fell, Daus was just about to say 「My wish is not to witness your descent」, but before he could speak, a figure appeared before everyone.
It was a young man dressed in a green robe, holding a harp in his hands and wearing an elegant flat hat.
At a glance at his outfit, it was the guise of a bard.
As for his appearance, it wasn’t seen too clearly, because he wore a mask. The mask was not complete; it only covered the right eye and one-third of the face. Of the parts not covered, he looked all right, seemingly a handsome youth.
After the harp-holding Poet appeared, his gaze still stared straight at Daus: 「I have descended; now it is my turn to demand the price.」
Daus, face full of disdain: 「Who ever wanted to witness your descent; that is not my wish.」
The poet, however, completely ignored Daus’ refutation and continued: 「The price you need to pay is……」
Pausing, the poet casually strummed the harp, and everyone saw, before Daus, the appearance of a complex formula derivation.
This formula had already undergone at least sixty derivations, densely filling an entire wall of light.
At the end of this formula there was an equals sign; after the equals sign was a big question mark.
「Solve this formula and give an interpretation. That is the price you must pay.」 When the poet finished speaking, he leaned against the wall and closed his eyes without speaking.
Only Daus was left staring dumbfounded at the wall of light before him.
「What on earth is going on? Is this bard the hidden creature from just now?」 Daus asked within the mental connection.
Angel: 「Yes, but not entirely.」
Angel’s answer was full of contradiction; not only did Daus not understand, everyone else looked at Angel in puzzlement.
Angel: 「According to the Wood Spirit, when this bard appeared, that hidden aura disappeared.」
Daus: 「What can that show? That the poet is the hidden creature?」
Angel shook his head: 「I further inquired into where that hidden creature disappeared and discovered an abnormal point: at the place where its aura vanished there were signs of a magic formation being activated.」
Daus: 「Magic formation? You mean……」
Angel: 「Most likely the Sovereign of Wisdom made a move. Only the Sovereign of Wisdom can activate a magic formation from a core node; and a magic formation activated from a core node can restrict the transmission of energy fluctuations. This is also the reason we did not previously feel the magic formation be activated.」
If Angel had not carefully examined it, even then it would have been hard to discover this point.
「The Sovereign of Wisdom acted, what connection does that have with this poet?」 Vai also asked curiously.
Angel: 「Although the Sovereign of Wisdom activated the magic formation, the place where the hidden creature just disappeared cannot conduct spatial traversal; that is to say, the other party is very likely still nearby.」
「However, there is no aura of Wood Spirit branches around, so the other party’s location may be in the seam between the magic formation and reality.」
「As for this poet, because there is no aura of Wood Spirit branches, he is not that previous hidden creature, or to be precise, not entirely.」 Angel: 「But he cannot have appeared out of thin air, so with high probability he is a method produced by that hidden creature.」
「And this method is to make me solve a problem?!」 Daus’ astonished emotion could even be felt by everyone through the mental connection.
Angel was also somewhat at a loss about this, so this time he chose silence.
It was Vai who spoke at this time: 「I noticed just now that this poet, from beginning to end, conversed only with Daus; he didn’t look at anyone else.」
Daus: 「So what?」
Vai: 「So I think he came specifically for you.」
Daus still did not understand; at this, the Black Count said: 「If we want to know the truth, solve this riddle and we will know. If we have no interest in the truth, then we simply continue forward.」
What the Black Count said was not wrong; they could completely ignore this poet and continue forward.
However, if this poet was exactly the 「surprise」 spoken of by the Sovereign of Wisdom, Daus did not want to miss it so muddle-headedly.
For wandering wizards, 「missing it」 is something that can be remembered for a lifetime.
To put it plainly, Daus wanted to fish some benefit from the poet. If he missed it, then in the future, deep at midnight and in dreams, he would probably keep starting with 「If back then I had not missed it」 to begin long sighs of self-critique.
「Then solve it and see? But the problem statement…… I can’t understand it.」
Daus directly avoided the option of 「continuing forward」; everyone also guessed his mind. But no one called it out, because they too were very curious what this so-called surprise would be.
「The problem statement is a variant of the Riddle of Tomyheba; it’s not too hard.」 The speaker was Kael, who had been silent before.
Daus turned his head, his eyes shining as he stared at Kael.
Although Daus did not speak, the meaning had already been conveyed to Kael through that longing gaze.
Kael hesitated for a moment: 「Then shall I give it a try?」
Daus: 「Alright, you speak and I will write.」
What followed was Kael calculating in his head, while Daus copied; after copying, he continued idly waiting for the next derivation.
「This happens to hit Kael’s specialty.」 Angel sighed softly at the side.
The Riddle of Tomyheba is a number-theory problem that appeared long ago; in fact it can be categorized within arithmetic. However, if applied to extraordinary structures, then this is a typical space studies riddle.
The space school is not as carefree as outsiders imagine, because this is a discipline that values arithmetic talent extremely highly.
When space wizards fight, regardless of where they are, they must adapt to the locale and do a huge amount of mental calculation; only then can they construct sound and well-fitting spatial structures.
And once there is a problem with the spatial structure, the consequences are far more frightening than backlash in other disciplines; it can even trigger a local spatial backlash.
This has led to space wizards each being geniuses in calculation.
And those who are not geniuses have all been eliminated……
「However, even without Kael, you could help, right?」 The Black Count asked.
The Black Count was not speaking without basis; Angel’s ability to analyze space is very strong, previously he even stepped together with Kael into dangerous void riddled with rifts.
Added to this, Angel’s use of instantaneous spatial shift spells, these details show that Angel is certainly no stranger to space studies.
Also, among the major disciplines proficient in arithmetic, besides the space school there are metal-and-stone studies and runic studies; Angel directly encompasses the latter two.
Angel, however, did not directly answer the Black Count, but smiled with narrowed eyes and said: 「The poem is written neatly enough, only it’s a bit forced and far-fetched.」
The Black Count also smiled: 「Does this count as poetry?」
Angel: 「As long as one can break lines, any expression can become poetry.」
Always listening in on the chat, Vai at this moment only felt his head was a fog. He could understand Angel and the Black Count at first, but ever since Angel, with no beginning and no end, started talking about 「poetry」, he completely could not comprehend it, as if it were entirely two worlds conversing.
As Vai strained to think what connection there might be here, Kael’s delighted voice came through the mental connection:
「Solved it; this is the final expression. Now only the parsing remains!」 After a moment, Vai suddenly made a 「Huh」 sound: 「……This seems like a line of poetry?」
「The wind lifts his smooth long hair, blows, blows that moving melody.」
「Go listen, that is the wind chanting.」
「Go cheer, that is the ballad the wind wrote.」
「For that ever-flourishing soaring purity, together, chant…… Luigi’s Song in the Wind.」
While Vai parsed, Daus copied.
At the same time, Daus was also griping: And this is called poetry? Moaning without illness, right? And what is Luigi’s Song in the Wind?
When the final stroke fell, water ripples appeared on the wall of light before Daus; after the ripples undulated, the wall of light vanished, and an aria sounded by the ears.
The singer was precisely the poet who had suddenly appeared before, and what he sang was precisely this…… poem? that Vai had parsed out.
Very quickly, the poet used his beautiful voice to sing the final line: 「For that ever-flourishing soaring purity, together, chant…… Luigi’s Song in the Wind.」
At the instant the words fell, the poet lightly flicked the vertical flute, ending this chant.
Then, holding the vertical flute horizontally, with one hand over his chest, he bowed lightly toward Daus: 「I accept your price; that such a beautiful poem could be born under your pen, you should also feel honored, right.」
Daus: …… No, not honored at all.
「Lastly, I hope you can remember my name, I am called…… Luigi.」
As the words fell, the poet named Luigi dissolved into countless particles of light and disappeared.
On the ground only a broken mask remained.
Chapter 2769 Encirclement Hunt <TOC> Chapter 2771 Elderstone and Star Chess