Chapter 288 Obstruction <TOC> Chapter 290 The Sound of Death
Translator: SumTLMan
The ones blocking his path were Ananda and Wimbledon.
“Great! Finally, we’ve run into you!” Ananda dragged a somewhat reluctant Wimbledon along and approached Angel, bowing respectfully.
“Do you still remember me?” Logically, Ananda should have lost all her memories after leaving the Twilight Deep Well. The fact that she still remembered him was somewhat surprising to Angel.
Ananda nodded and then shook her head: “I had completely forgotten, but thanks to Wimbledon’s reminder, I recalled it. However, even so, there are still many things I’ve forgotten.”
Ananda’s face bore a look of regret, and her gaze unconsciously shifted to the hem of her garment, where a line of words was written in oil.
Angel looked at Wimbledon, who was wearing an unwilling expression and pouting: “You didn’t lose your memory?”
Wimbledon pouted even more, not looking at Angel but muttering under his breath: “Why would I lose my memory?”
Wimbledon displayed a non-cooperative attitude, appearing like a seven or eight-year-old child and acting like one too. Angel thought for a moment, decided not to continue questioning, and turned his attention to Ananda.
“Did you come all this way to find me for something?” Angel asked as he continued walking towards the city outskirts, looking at Ananda.
Ananda, holding onto Wimbledon, followed closely behind Angel.
“Mr. Wizard, are you leaving Shadow Demon City?” Ananda tried to make small talk with Angel while dragging a reluctant Wimbledon along, looking like a mother struggling to care for a disobedient child.
“That’s right,” Angel nodded.
Ananda glanced at Angel’s indifferent face and then at the mischievous Wimbledon. She gritted her teeth, rushed in front of Angel, and knelt down while holding onto Wimbledon.
“Please save Wimbledon, sir!” Ananda said without explaining why, and began kowtowing to Angel. She kowtowed not only for herself but also forcefully pushed Wimbledon’s head down, smashing it against the ground.
Ananda’s kowtowing was intense, and her forehead started bleeding with the first strike.
Angel frowned, thinking to himself: I knew that encountering them wouldn’t bring anything good.
“Stop kowtowing, stand up and talk,” Angel said. But after his words, Ananda continued kowtowing and kept repeating, “Please save Wimbledon.” It seemed like she would keep going until Angel agreed.
He directly used a magic hand to lift Ananda up and said indifferently: “I hate it when people try to morally blackmail me. If you have something to say, say it; if not, leave. Don’t waste my time.”
Ananda shivered and whispered, lowering her head, “My lord, I only found out yesterday when I asked Wimbledon. Apparently, he inadvertently overheard the Duke of Tebicu and learned that he would soon be offered as a sacrifice to the great wizard. That’s why he ran away from home.”
“As a sacrifice to the wizard?” Angel raised an eyebrow, “Wizards don’t usually choose members of the Shadow Servant clan as sacrifices.”
Ananda didn’t know the details, so she looked at Wimbledon.
Wimbledon was uncooperative, but after Ananda pinched and prodded him, he finally spoke: “That day, I used my ability to hide in my father’s study, wanting to scare him, but I accidentally overheard his conversation with my brother. They said they were going to offer me to a wizard called Red Lotus. My brother said that Red Lotus is a ruthless and heartless person, and I would certainly meet a horrible end if I went… I was terrified and ran away.”
Ananda chimed in, “Yesterday, after hearing that the great Red Lotus had already arrived at Nightshade Castle, I realized the seriousness of the situation. So, I hope you can save Wimbledon, my lord.”
Angel rubbed his temples, fell silent for a moment, and then walked past them, leaving.
“Red Lotus is not someone I can provoke. I’m sorry, but I’m powerless to help.”
As Angel’s voice carried back to them, Ananda’s eyes welled up with tears. She trailed behind Angel all the way to the train platform.
“My lord, if you don’t help Wimbledon, he’ll surely die. I know that you have a kind heart, unlike other wizards. Please, save Wimbledon!” Ananda wanted to kneel, but Angel preemptively stopped her with a hand of magical force. There were still some people around the train platform, and Angel didn’t want to attract any attention.
“I’ve said it before, I hate it when people try to morally manipulate me. This is the second time you’ve done it.” Angel’s voice became even colder, and his gaze towards Ananda carried a hint of weariness.
“I have nothing to do with the two of you, and there’s no way I would offend a renowned southern wizard for strangers. The gap between me and the great Red Lotus is as vast as the difference between heaven and earth. It’s impossible for me to save anyone from her, not even an ant.” Angel said bluntly.
Angel’s words were truthful. But to the mischievous Wimbledon, it seemed like a mockery. He jumped out and complained to Ananda, “I don’t need his help anyway. Let’s go, Sister Ananda. We’ll go to the library tomorrow to find a map and locate the Savage Grottoes. I can go there myself!”
Angel glanced at Wimbledon, “Do you think that by going to the Savage Grottoes, you’ll escape the great Red Lotus? With her abilities, it’s useless to run away. She can find you no matter where you go.”
Wimbledon wanted to argue back, but Ananda, worried that his brash words would anger Angel, quickly stopped him, “Great wizard, Wimbledon is going to the Savage Grottoes to find his great-grandfather. He says that as long as he finds his great-grandfather, he will be saved.”
“Great-grandfather? Does your family have an ancestor who can withstand the Red Lotus? If so, there’s no need for you to run,” Angel replied skeptically.
Ananda said, “He told me his great-grandfather’s name is Goode, who serves a great wizard.”
“Goode?!”
…
After a while, Angel boarded the train bound for the Paramjit Plateau. The rhythmic sound of the wheels echoed through the endless caverns, accompanied by the whistling wind, providing a comforting sense of rhythm.
Every now and then, a bright lamp would illuminate the underground tunnel, casting a warm, soft yellow light.
Angel sat by the window, his head resting slightly against the somewhat bumpy glass, lost in thought.
Wimbledon and Ananda sat opposite him. Wimbledon, still a child, had fallen into a slumber amidst the rhythmic sound of the train wheels. Ananda gazed at the sleeping Wimbledon with a gentle expression; at this moment, Wimbledon, devoid of his mischievous demeanor, looked like a fallen angel with his adorable face and fan-like thick eyelashes.
At this point, Ananda lifted her head and looked at Angel across from her.
Outside the window, the lamps came and went, their light flickering. Amidst the interplay of light and shadow, Angel’s face, transitioning from youthful to mature, appeared even more profound and mysterious. With Angel’s gentle demeanor, Ananda couldn’t help but be captivated.
After an unknown amount of time, Angel suddenly spoke: “I can help Wimbledon pay for the airship ticket, in consideration of the help I once received from Mr. Goode, the steward. As for you…”
Ananda’s heart skipped a beat as she replied with a slightly hoarse voice: “I don’t mind. As long as Wimbledon is safe, that’s all that matters.”
Angel hesitated for a moment. Even though he knew the relationship between Wimbledon and Mr. Goode, they were still strangers to him.
He didn’t want to get involved in Lady Red Lotus’s whirlwind, but he didn’t mind spending two magic crystals on airship tickets to bring Wimbledon to Mr. Goode as a small favor.
The atmosphere fell silent again, with only the sound of the train’s horn and Wimbledon’s light snoring filling the narrow cabin.
“Sir, do I really lack the potential to become a wizard?” Ananda suddenly broke the silence.
Angel: “I don’t know. This requires precise testing to determine. However… Wimbledon might have a talent for being immune to the memory-erasing effects of magical runes, which is not something ordinary mortals can achieve.”
Ananda lowered her head, looking at the row of words on her clothes’ hem. She had forgotten when and under what circumstances she had written those words, but she clearly remembered the content they represented.
— Cold Night Potion.
About half an hour later, the train finally emerged from the deep caverns and arrived at the airship platform.
As soon as Angel stepped off the train, he felt an intense cold envelop him.
The inner world was quite warm, so when they arrived at the freezing, desolate plateau outside, even Angel could hardly bear it, let alone Ananda and Wimbledon.
Angel turned around, intending to have Ananda go back to the train first while he took Wimbledon to buy a ticket. However, he noticed that Ananda had removed her coat, revealing her bare shoulders and silky legs, and wrapped the garment around Wimbledon to prevent him from waking due to the cold.
Angel silently glanced at her and did not speak. Instead, he went straight to the ticket counter to buy a ticket for Wimbledon.
Under the shroud of night, the Paramjit Plateau was both strangely desolate and brilliantly dazzling. One didn’t need to look up at the sky; merely gazing at the horizon would reveal an endless expanse of stars, rotating constellations, and twinkling celestial bodies of varying brightness.
Walking under such a beautiful starry sky, Angel couldn’t help but think of the painting hanging in his bedroom, brought from the Nightmare Plane: —Traveler Under the Stars—
Amid the dazzling stars, boundless sky, and desolate wilderness, Angel resembled the white-hooded traveler in the painting, advancing alone towards an unknown destination.
The ticket counter was located near the airship, where a small crowd had gathered. Angel spent two magic crystals to purchase a return ticket, only to be startled by the sight of David’s pockmarked face wearing a bizarre expression as he turned around.
“Hahaha, surprised?” David’s cheek was almost touching Angel’s, giving him a sudden shock.
“You’re already so old, yet you still play such childish pranks to scare people. Immature,” Angel commented mercilessly.
“Don’t be so serious! Besides, I’m not that old, still young!” David laughed heartily. Suddenly, he noticed the ticket in Angel’s hand: “Why did you buy another ticket? Did you lose yours?”
Angel shook his head, pointing to where Ananda was standing: “I bought it for Wimbledon.”
“Wimbledon?” David looked over and indeed saw Wimbledon. He exclaimed in surprise, “I thought we agreed not to meddle in his affairs? How did you… I get it, you must have taken a fancy to that woman named Ananda, right? Her figure is indeed quite impressive.”
“Don’t gossip carelessly,” Angel said irritably.
“I knew it; that’s why you left early. You must have gone to meet her, right? Tsk, tsk, I never thought you’d have a moment of enlightenment too.”
Angel used his magic hand to slap David abruptly: “Stop talking nonsense. I was stopped by them halfway.”
Chapter 288 Obstruction <TOC> Chapter 290 The Sound of Death