Chapter 2770 Poet <TOC> Chapter 2772 Rabbit Girl
Translator: SumTLMan
After Luigi vanished.
While everyone was still pondering what exactly this poet, who had arrived suddenly and left just as abruptly, had done.
Daus moved faster than anyone, in a flash of lightning speed he quickly scooped the mask up from the ground.
In his view, the poet spoke with him, had him solve the riddle, therefore whatever was left should be his…… of course, Kael also had some share of the credit, and, well, once they returned to the Sandworm Market he’d provide a bit of help to make up for it.
Daus, beaming with delight, turned the mask over and over in his hands, but very soon, his face sank.
「What kind of piece of junk is this?!」
Cursing under his breath, Daus walked back, hesitated for a moment, then handed the broken mask to Angel.
He truly could not tell what this mask was; there were no traces of the extraordinary at all, the only thing worth mentioning was that he didn’t recognize the material of the mask.
And among everyone present, the one with the strongest ability to identify materials was, without a doubt, Angel.
At first Angel didn’t understand what Daus meant, but after taking the mask and examining it carefully, Angel understood a bit.
Angel: 「This mask is carved from Elderstone.」
Elderstone? When Angel spoke this name, everyone present, including the Black Count, showed looks of confusion, because they had never heard of such a material.
Daus: 「You mean, Oldstone?」
Oldstone is a kind of stone, with its greatest yield in the Stone Sanders Dynasty’s Seventh Province, which is to say, the location of the Steampunk Theme Park. Oldstone is generally used to increase the hand-feel of alchemy weapons; after grinding it into powder and wiping alchemy weapons with water-repellent parchment, you can make your alchemy weapons feel far more handy in battle; in addition, you can also use the same method to maintain transcendent tools.
For ordinary wizards, Oldstone’s function is dispensable. But for bloodline wizards who pursue weapon combat and pushing limits, Oldstone is still rather useful.
The reason Daus asked whether Elderstone was Oldstone comes down to cultural tendencies and modes of expression.
On the Vast Continent, those who dominate naming rights, aside from discoverers and inventors, also include the condition of cultural advantage. For example, all naming related to steel gears and steam machinery is dominated by the Gloriosa Kingdom; the Gloriosa Kingdom has such cultural advantage. Another example is the Noonfield Principality: because it has nearly more than half of the Vast Continent’s cultivated flower breeds, the Noonfield Principality also has naming advantage over flowers and plants.
Countries with cultural disadvantage, besides accepting such naming, have another option: coin new terms.
To put it bluntly, it’s a self-consoling 「spiritual victory」 tactic.
This has led to some items having different names in different regions.
This situation is actually relatively rare in the Wizarding World, because most transcendent items are rare and their naming follows its own rules. However, there are exceptions, things that are not too rare yet can barely be counted as transcendent items; such things will, under geographical cultural divergence, have different expressions.
Oldstone, in Daus’ view, is a very popular product. If translated directly, it could seemingly also be rendered as Elderstone. Hence Daus asked this question.
But Daus forgot to consider that Angel comes from outside the Vast Continent and has not been 「contaminated」 by that set of cultural divergences; what he speaks are standard terms.
If even standard terms become muddled, that can only be called ignorance, not blamed on cultural divergence.
Angel shook his head at Daus: 「Different.」
Pausing, Angel sighed slightly: 「In fact, this is my first time seeing Elderstone as well; I had previously thought Elderstone was a legend, and I didn’t expect it actually exists.」
Angel had seen records of Elderstone in the Nightmare Plane’s Nightfall City, in books inside Margaret’s hidden compartment.
Whereas in reality, Angel had never seen any books with descriptions related to Elderstone. Therefore, he had even suspected for a time that Elderstone was merely a legend.
But when Elderstone lay in his hand, the 「server」 in his Mental Space was quickly activated; through analysis of details, Angel’s dust-covered memories were opened, and information about Elderstone resurfaced.
「What is Elderstone, is it very valuable?」 Daus’ eyes lit up at once. Since even Angel was seeing it for the first time, didn’t that mean Elderstone was highly valuable?
Everyone also looked toward Angel; could this seemingly ordinary 「mundane thing」 in their eyes actually have a great origin?
Angel pondered for a moment: 「If you say it’s valuable, it counts as such…… but it depends on how it’s used.」
「What do you mean by ‘counts as’, is there some prerequisite condition?」 Daus pressed.
Angel: 「Not a prerequisite, but……」
Angel had just said half a sentence when he suddenly halted.
Daus did not pursue it either, because everyone present was no longer paying attention to Elderstone; instead, they were looking to the left side of the corridor.
A hunched figure slowly surfaced out of the air.
「Presumptuous one who delusionally seeks to ascend to a higher realm, the stars’ whispers tell me you have already prepared to fall into the demonic abyss?」 An ancient-sounding elderly voice, as if from time immemorial, reached everyone’s ears.
As the words fell, an old crone, leaning on a cane, wearing a three-pointed star-and-moon hat, clad in a star-and-moon robe, with skin drooping like chicken skin, appeared before everyone.
And this old woman had the same feature as the previous poet: she wore a mask; however, her mask covered her left eye, exactly complementing the poet’s mask.
After the old woman stood still, she lifted her head and, with a slightly clouded gaze, looked toward…… the Black Count.
As for the Black Count being only a single nose, the old woman showed no surprise, merely gazing at him quietly.
And just like the poet, no one else was in the old woman’s eyes at all, as if they didn’t exist.
According to the previous dialogue with the poet Luigi, this old woman should be about to give the Black Count…… a trial?
「Fall into the demonic abyss? What do you mean?」 the Black Count said faintly.
The old woman tapped her staff lightly; a special sun-and-moon pattern appeared on the ground, and above that pattern, motes of starlight spread.
While everyone wondered at the old woman’s actions, those starlights quickly assembled, presenting a circular star disk before the Black Count.
On the star disk, horizontal and vertical lines formed a mesh, and the light points at the intersections flickered in and out.
When they saw this star disk, everyone froze for a moment. They were not unfamiliar with it at all.
Rather than calling it a star disk, call it…… a chessboard.
This is a form of 「entertainment」 greatly loved by prophecy wizards, called Star Chess.
Each point where lines cross is a star; each time a piece is played, both sides silently intone in their hearts a matter, a question, or an object, the specific type decided by mutual agreement.
After the pieces are laid, one then uses various methods to 「guess」 what the other side has in mind.
Of course, in outsiders’ eyes this is 「guessing」, but for prophecy wizards, it is actually a kind of 「reading」.
Whoever succeeds in the reading can have the other side place one more piece.
The more pieces are placed, the more likely they can connect into an 「astral pattern」, enabling the other side to read out the final answer. And the one who reads out the other side’s 「astral pattern」 is the victor.
Therefore, avoiding plays, and misleading the opponent’s reading, constitute the game’s contest.
Such are the general rules; one might say this is a game exclusive to prophecy wizards. Non-prophecy wizards, once faced with Star Chess, are basically out of luck.
「Play Star Chess?」 even the Black Count’s final tone rose.
It must be known that none of those present were prophecy wizards; playing Star Chess would be groping in the dark. Previously Daus and Kael could lend a hand, but if it was Star Chess, then they could only throw in the pieces and concede.
The old woman did not reply; instead she tapped her staff to the ground again, and starlets fell upon the board.
At the intersections, one after another lit up, and finally formed a row of astral pattern like a rainbow bridge.
「Presumptuous one who delusionally seeks to ascend to a higher realm, listen to the stars’ low murmur.」 With this, the old woman closed her eyes and said no more.
This was the same as with the poet earlier: pose the problem statement, then fall silent. Only when you solved it would she speak again.
「Feels like a puppet, no matter what you ask, there’s no reply.」 Daus muttered softly beside them.
This, in fact, was not only Daus’ thought; the others felt the same. The poet earlier had at least spoken a few sentences, but this old woman was completely talking to herself, and to the Black Count’s questioning she answered irrelevantly.
Now that she had laid out this astral pattern, the meaning was very clear.
She was not going to play a game of wits with the Black Count; rather, she directly displayed her own astral pattern and had the Black Count read it.
Although it still wasn’t the same as true Star Chess and was much simpler…… could a non-prophecy wizard really read it out?
All eyes turned, shining, to the Black Count; the Black Count, meanwhile, looked in silence at the astral pattern on the board.
A few seconds later, the Black Count summoned Vai over, then the nose returned to its place; he signaled Vai to stretch out a hand and tapped the first star that had lit up earlier.
Soon, a message floated above the board: The Far Shore.
Next, the Black Count tapped, one by one, all the moves the old woman had made.
Each one was a place name, but not a place name in the traditional sense.
For example: The Far Shore, the Horizon, the Starry Sky, Where the Sun Sets, the Sea the Bright Moon Reflects Upon……
According to the standard way of playing Star Chess, these place names should have been one-by-one 「read」 out by the Black Count, but now the old woman directly gave the answers.
What the Black Count needed to do now came down to one thing: by means of what these pieces represented, read out the meaning of the astral pattern.
From start to finish the Black Count remained calm, which gave everyone a bit of confidence, perhaps the Black Count really could read it?
However, not long after, they heard Vai asking over the mental tether: 「Daus, has your inspiration been stirred? Hurry over and take a look; what do you think?」
Although Vai spoke the words, there was no doubt that this was at the Black Count’s indication.
Daus very much wanted to say that he didn’t understand either. But he knew that this time it wasn’t Vai’s request; it was the Black Count’s order, so he could only bite the bullet and step up.
As time ticked by, Angel, watching Daus scratching his head over there and hearing Vai’s continual sighs, knew that this astral pattern was likely extremely difficult to read.
In fact, Angel did have a way to read it; he could go up to the Wilderness of Dreams to seek outside aid.
With outside aid, the answer read out would certainly not be wrong. However, it would be hard for him to explain how he had read it out.
He couldn’t very well claim he had cross-discipline training in prophecy spells, could he?
Therefore, Angel could only quietly watch from the side.
He actually also wanted to know what the result would be if they couldn’t solve it. Angel glanced at the old crone with eyes closed and lips sealed, and secretly speculated that perhaps she would simply never open her eyes?
Regardless of what the old crone would do in the end, what could be known was that if they failed to read it, the 「surprise」 spoken of by the Sovereign of Wisdom would surely be missed.
This also left Angel somewhat puzzled, could it be that the Sovereign of Wisdom did not know that none among them were prophecy wizards? Why arrange a Star Chess trial?
While Angel silently waited for the Black Count to give up, a turning point appeared instead.
The Black Count let out a soft sigh: 「Forget it.」
Angel thought the Black Count was ready to give up; but the Black Count’s next words made Angel start.
「The astral pattern’s meaning is…… the Abyss of the Evil God.」
As soon as the Black Count’s words fell, the old woman opened her eyes: 「Correct reading. Since you have decoded the Abyss of the Evil God, you should understand what I mean. This is the message I gift to you.」
When she finished, the old woman gently stepped back, and her figure began slowly to fade.
At the same time, the old woman’s last sentence reached everyone’s ears: 「Presumptuous one who delusionally seeks to ascend to a higher realm, remember my name, Astrologer, Gleipnir.」
The old woman vanished from sight, leaving only the broken mask she had worn.
Vai walked over, picked up the mask, returned to the group’s side, and handed the mask to Angel.
From beginning to end, Vai did not speak.
Everyone was filled with doubt at this moment; but their doubt was not why the Black Count suddenly knew the astral pattern’s answer, earlier the Black Count had used prophecy spells, and though he said he had borrowed someone else’s ability and had already used it up, who could know whether that was true or false?
What puzzled them was: what did Gleipnir’s so-called message to the Black Count actually mean?
Why was the「Abyss of the Evil God」 the message given to the Black Count?
Judging from the Black Count’s taciturn attitude, this message truly seemed to have touched him?
Although everyone was extremely curious, looking at the silent aura emanating from the Black Count, and at how even Vai wore a bitter face and dared not speak, in the end they did not voice their questions, and instead shifted their gaze back to Angel.
Angel at this moment held half a mask in his left hand and half a mask in his right; the masks respectively represented the left eye and the right eye.
He tried fitting the two masks together.
A perfect match, it could be called seamless.
That is to say, these two broken masks should come from the same source.
However, even with the two masks joined, a portion was still missing.
What was missing was the nose and the lower half of the face.
According to the prior pattern, if nothing unexpected happened, a third 「person」 would likely appear soon, and that person should be wearing the remaining portion of the mask.
Angel looked up at everyone: 「Shall we continue talking about Elderstone, or wait a bit longer?」