Chapter 2774 Time Bodies and Gift-Words

Chapter 2773 Silver-Haired Girl <TOC> Chapter 2775 Forms of Address

Translator: SumTLMan

Her voice was very crisp, pleasant to hear on its own, but when strung together, there was an inorganic mechanical feel, exceedingly cold.

However, the voice was not any big problem, what most puzzled everyone was still her name.

The Poet and the Astrologer, both only announced their own names at the end of the 「test」, whereas this one, in the very opening remarks directly said her own name.

Whether said earlier or later originally did not matter, but within her name were contained the names of that Poet and Astrologer from before, she spoke and reported her name right at the start, as if to emphasize the special nature of this name.

One person simultaneously containing the names of two others, would this be a coincidence?

At the same location, with less than ten minutes between before and after, for such a thing to appear, truly a coincidence? At least Angel did not believe it.

Also, the first-grid name 「Laplace」, Angel extremely suspected, might it be precisely the name of that rabbit girl from before.

This person’s name very likely contained precisely all the names of the three who had shown up earlier.

Very soon, she opened her mouth and confirmed Angel’s conjecture: 「Guests who have come from afar, I beg pardon that I cannot come out in person to meet you. My true body still slumbers in that distant sea, I can only let my three Time Bodies replace me and make contact with you.」

「Time Body?」 Daus caught an unknown term.

「At different time periods, the me refined therefrom, that is the Time Body.」 the silver-haired girl said lightly.

「A body refined at different time periods?」 Daus asked doubtfully in the mental connection: 「Lord Black Count, have you ever heard of such an ability?」

The Black Count’s most adept ability was avatar-division, he distributed his own organs onto his descendants, this also counted as a kind of avatar ability. Therefore, Daus first thought of asking the Black Count.

Yet, the Black Count merely flared his nostrils once: 「I have never heard of the term 『Time Body』.」

If speaking simply of avatars, the Black Count’s avatars also counted as avatars manufactured at 「different time periods」, however, that is just avatars. If what the other party meant was avatars, then she could just use the word 「avatar」 to describe it; yet she deliberately used a new phrasing never heard before. Therefore, the Black Count could not determine the distinction between Time Body and Avatar.

「Time Body and avatar are different, Time Body emphasizes refining different memories, whereas avatars are different bodies possessing the same memories.」 The one speaking was the silver-haired girl.

Daus furrowed his brows: 「Are you spying on our mental connection?」

If not spying, why could she precisely guess their dialogue and give an answer.

The silver-haired girl shook her head: 「No spying, I merely heard it.」

Heard it?  Angel narrowed his eyes; this phrasing was very strange. The exchange between Daus and the Black Count was within the mental connection, and this mental connection’s level was extremely high, cast personally by the Black Count; if it were invaded, the Black Count would perceive it at the first moment.

Previously, when the Sovereign of Wisdom eavesdropped, he was directly called out by the Black Count.

But this time, even the Black Count, upon hearing the silver-haired girl’s answer, betrayed a trace of surprise in his expression, which shows that he too had not perceived any spying by the other party within the mental connection.

This was very telling.

It must be known, the silver-haired girl had not yet come out of the Mirror World; she was still within the prism, and inside the mirror and outside the mirror are two different worlds!

It is hard enough to eavesdrop on a mental connection set by the Black Count while in the same world, let alone to do so across worlds.

Angel believed that the silver-haired girl’s strength certainly would not surpass that of the Sovereign of Wisdom, but she perhaps possessed some special abilities. Such an ability allowed her to 「hear」 the dialogue within the mental connection.

Daus wanted to continue pursuing this question, only the silver-haired girl seemed uninterested in chatting on this topic. And her way of protesting was also quite special, saying nothing, merely using those heterochromatic pupils to quietly fix on Daus; that gaze…… was as if looking at a heap of dust particles.

Clearly the other party had done nothing, yet Daus felt as if he had been insulted again. Why say 『again』, Daus vaguely felt this sensation was somewhat familiar.

Since the other party was unwilling to talk about this topic, after thinking a bit, Daus said: 「You said earlier that you used three so-called 『Time Bodies』 to make contact with us, that is, the three from before?」

「Mm.」

Daus: 「Split apart, your name is precisely the names of those three?」

The silver-haired girl cast Daus a faint glance, still that dust-looking gaze, only with an added tinge of aversion in her eyes, as if saying: You are so annoying.

Even though the silver-haired girl displayed aversion, after a moment of silence, she still nodded a little, counting as a response.

This response also proved that Angel’s guess was right: that third rabbit girl who appeared was in fact the silver-haired girl’s first-grid name: Laplace.

Perhaps because the silver-haired girl’s resistant attitude was too obvious, Daus turned his head to look at Angel and, with his eyes, indicated: How about you ask next?

Angel did not refuse; he himself also had many questions he wanted to ask the silver-haired girl.

What he was most curious about was of course the so-called 「Time Body」, but this should be the other party’s ability. Inquiring into the details of another’s abilities, in the Wizarding World, though not an overt taboo, is also a tacit rule acknowledged by all.

After thinking a bit, Angel spoke: 「Since you say your true body is asleep and you let the so-called Time Bodies make contact with us, then who is it standing before us now? Is it not your true body?」

After Angel asked, Daus, with a gloating attitude, began to observe the silver-haired girl’s demeanor.

He had been 「insulted」 repeatedly, and thought that once it was Angel’s turn, he would also see Angel’s expression after being 「insulted」.

Only, to Daus’ slight disappointment, the silver-haired girl did not use that dust-looking gaze to look at Angel, but instead returned to that initial cold expression.

Perhaps…… Angel was asking for the first time?

Daus thought about it and felt that made sense; when he had first asked just now, the other party had not shown aversion either. Thinking of this, Daus was slightly relieved and began to pay more attention to the silver-haired girl’s reply.

But the silver-haired girl did not answer immediately; instead, she quietly gazed at Angel.

No emotional fluctuations could be seen, only pure looking.

Angel also did not know why the other party kept staring at him; his emotional perception could not cross worlds, so he could not read the silver-haired girl’s emotions at this time, and could only stare mutely at each other.

After a long time, so long that Daus felt the silver-haired girl might have fallen asleep with eyes open, he finally saw her pink-white bead-like lips tremble slightly.

Daus thought she was going to speak, but she pursed her lips again and continued silent.

This silence lasted again for a very long time……

Of course, the above was Daus’ sense of time. In reality, from when Angel asked his question to now, it had been only one minute. But compared to when Daus had asked earlier, the silver-haired girl’s reaction speed had indeed shown a clear change.

After another dozen seconds, the silver-haired girl finally spoke: 「It is merely a mirror image.」

Angel: 「So that is to say, this is not your true body?」

The silver-haired girl nodded slightly: 「Yes.」

Angel: 「Then why did you not use a mirror image before, but chose to use Time Bodies? Was it only to test us?」

The silver-haired girl fell into silence again.

If it were merely silence without speaking, that might be unwillingness to answer. But her manner looked as if she were thinking, seeming to have the intention to answer, only not yet having thought out the wording.

Angel could only follow her into silence.

On the other side, Daus saw the atmosphere return to the previous stalemate and could not help letting out a sigh. However, taking the chance now to savor carefully the silver-haired girl’s earlier replies, Daus felt a bit of doubt.

The silver-haired girl’s answers were not so complicated; for such simple exchange, why did she have to ponder so long?

When she had previously looked into Angel’s eyes, was she considering Angel’s question, or simply gazing at Angel?

A faintly odd feeling suddenly rose in Daus’ heart: could this girl be like Vai, yet another fanboy? Oh no, fangirl?

Thinking it through, it did not seem impossible. Just like earlier: clearly the others all had tests, why did Angel have none, and that rabbit girl directly delivered a mask fragment? And the silver-haired girl explicitly said that those three were all her Time Bodies; in a certain sense, the three were all her.

The rabbit girl’s behavior toward Angel, was that not precisely the silver-haired girl’s own behavior?

Moreover, the silver-haired girl and Angel had gone back and forth so many times, yet there was no aversion at all; did this not also seem to say something?

The more he thought, the more he felt this possibility was great, and the more Daus thought, the more he felt aggrieved.

On what grounds, really? If Angel revealed his true face, or held up a placard indicating himself to be a master alchemist, then he indeed had capital to attract people.

But now Angel had used shapeshifting, so that even his relatives probably would not recognize his true visage; anyone seeing him would only think he was a 「passerby」, right? But why was it instead that everyone favored him?

Daus could not help leaning over to Kael’s side and earnestly asking: 「Tell me seriously, do you think I am a bit more handsome, or is that redhead over there more dashing?」

Kael did not know why Daus had suddenly asked like this. He was silent for a moment, then said weakly: 「Actually, my lord is also red-haired, and, and……」

Seeing Kael’s shifty eyes, Daus knew that pressing further would yield no clear answer; he could only sigh once and continue lamenting the unfairness.

At this moment, the silver-haired girl, who had pondered for quite a while, seemed to have thought out her wording and finally said: 「A bond.」

「A bond? What do you mean?」

「Time Bodies are the bond, masks are the fate-bridge.」 As the silver-haired girl spoke, she extended a hand from within her long sleeve.

There, steady upon her hand, rested a mask.

Seeing this mask, Angel froze for a moment, summoned the Magic Hand down from midair, and received the previously pieced-together mask.

On careful comparison, he found that the craftsmanship of these two masks definitely came from the same source!

In Angel’s hand was a male human-face mask, whereas in her hand the mask was one with female features. Judging from color and luster, it should also be an Elderstone mask.

Two masks, one male and one female, simultaneously held respectively by Angel and the silver-haired girl, thus facing each other across the prism.

This scene inexplicably had a sense of eeriness.

Even more strange was that the silver-haired girl suddenly lowered her hand. And on Angel’s side, at the same time, he also lowered his hand.

In the next second, the silver-haired girl and Angel again did the same thing, turning the masks around, the grey-white pair of eyes on the masks facing themselves.

In neat unison, it looked just like a real mirror surface.

「Be careful.」 The Black Count warned in the mental connection: if the silver-haired girl’s next step was to don the mask, would that not mean Angel would also wear the mask and receive those surging memories?

However, the Black Count’s reminder was superfluous. Because the premise of all this would be that Angel had become the silver-haired girl’s string-puppet, his body controlled.

But in fact, no.

All of Angel’s movements just now were the expression of his own subjective will; there was no external force intervening to alter his intent.

And precisely because Angel knew full well that he was not being controlled, he felt even more astonished.

Was the silver-haired girl mimicking himself?

Or was it that his own subconscious had been guessed by the other party?

As Angel was in shock, the silver-haired girl suddenly put away the mask and softly sighed a sentence: 「As expected, it still does not work.」

Angel also handed the mask back to the Magic Hand, and with a suspicious gaze looked at the other party: 「What do you mean?」

The silver-haired girl: 「This is the fate-bridge.」

Angel felt he could understand every word the other party said. But combined together, he could not understand at all.

What fate-bridge, what bond? And why mimic him just now?

The silver-haired girl did not reply to Angel’s inquiry, but turned her head and set her gaze upon…… Vai.

Vai, suddenly fixed upon, wore a face full of bewilderment.

Were we not talking with Lord Super Dimensional, how did she suddenly look to me?

Could it be, could it be…… there really is some test for an apprentice?

While Vai’s thoughts were in turmoil, the silver-haired girl said lightly: 「O lonely one hidden in the crowd, only by shedding the shelter of the deep night and setting foot again upon the long road will you not be abandoned by old acquaintances and let star-dust drown you.」

Vai was taken aback for a moment; what does this mean?

「A single gift-word.」 The silver-haired girl paused, and, rarely, added a sentence: 「This was the Wise One’s request; to repay the Wise One’s favor, I agreed, but now……」

The silver-haired girl did not continue, as if there were some hidden story within. However, from the literal meaning alone, they roughly understood the current situation.

They had previously thought that the surprise the Sovereign of Wisdom spoke of was that mask, but in fact it was not. The mask was not the surprise; the so-called surprise should have been that the Sovereign of Wisdom sought out this silver-haired girl to grant them an admonitory saying.

Only, what was the import of this gift-word? Or was it in fact a prophecy?

Vai cautiously asked: 「The meaning of this sentence is……」

The silver-haired girl slanted a glance at Vai, as if looking at a speck of dust.

「I am only responsible for the gift-words.」

After speaking, the silver-haired girl directly turned her head and looked toward…… Daus, beside Vai.

Chapter 2773 Silver-Haired Girl <TOC> Chapter 2775 Forms of Address