Chapter 318 The Current Situation at Twilight <TOC> Chapter 320 Awakening
Translator: SumTLMan
In the following period, Lydia began to persistently inquire, attempting to learn the truth from Angel. However, Angel remained tight-lipped like a clam.
Just as Lydia couldn’t help but want to take action against Angel, a female voice suddenly emerged from Lydia’s embrace: “Lydia, you should know when to stop. There’s a reason you haven’t been told. If you really want to know, join the Savage Grottoes, and I’ll tell you personally.”
The speaker was Mirror Lady.
Previously, in Tree Spirit Hall, Sanders informed the others that his method of handling the situation involved sending Angel to Twilight.
As for why, he didn’t say, and Tree Spirit and Mirror Lady exchanged glances without asking, though their gaze at Angel was filled with curiosity.
It was late, and Tree Spirit and Mirror Lady couldn’t leave the Savage Grottoes, so Lydia volunteered to escort Angel to Shadow Demon City. However, though only Lydia and Angel set out, Tree Spirit’s energy was so vast it couldn’t be contained, so they could both see their journey.
“Fine, since even the Mirror Lady has spoken, I’ll let it go.” Lydia snorted and stopped talking.
In the following period, there was a long silence, and Angel could only hear the whooshing sound of the Redback Flying Lizard weaving through the clouds and the howling of the high-altitude cold wind.
An hour later, the Redback Flying Lizard stopped.
Then, under Lydia’s command, the Redback Flying Lizard descended into a chasm resembling a bottomless pit.
When they reached the bottom, Lydia pointed to a platform on the side of the cliff: “We’re here. This is the closest path to the Earth Core World, and wizards usually take this route.”
Lydia instructed the Redback Flying Lizard to patrol outside while she led Angel into the cave deep within the platform.
This was Angel’s first time on this path, and within less than five minutes of navigating through the cave with Lydia, they entered the Earth Core World where Shadow Demon City was located.
Now, they were still miles away from Shadow Demon City, surrounded by dense vegetation, but they could still see the city buried deep in the thick fog in the distance.
Through the flowing grayish-white mist, they could faintly see the magnificent and imposing group of urban buildings.
“This mist is a bit strange; it’s definitely not naturally formed,” said Tree Spirit Lord, whose half-sized phantom appeared beside the two, accompanying them towards Shadow Demon City.
“According to Tepicchio, after the mist appeared, mutations occurred. Therefore, the parasite must be hidden within the mist,” Lydia explained.
“Unfortunately, I cannot physically go there, or else I could discern the substances contained within,” lamented Tree Spirit.
As Tree Spirit conversed with Lydia, Angel remained silent. The gray fog looked no different from ordinary mist, yet Angel felt a faint sense of familiarity and closeness.
If he wasn’t mistaken, this dense fog might be composed of the same substance as the clouds that emerged when he opened the passage between the Nightmare Plane and the world.
Upon this thought, Angel felt a sense of impending trouble.
It seemed that the fall of Shadow Demon City and Twilight Deep Well were indeed related to his reckless opening of the passage to the Nightmare Plane. Although Sanders had not stated it explicitly, Angel felt somewhat uneasy.
Despite the twists and turns, the situation in Twilight appeared to be self-inflicted, but the root cause of it all was his impulsiveness.
Angel felt guilty—guilty for the millions of inhabitants of Shadow Demon City and the innocent mortals in Twilight.
But that was all. If he hadn’t acted as he did during Twilight Crisis, he would have been the one to die on the spot.
He had moral principles, instilled in him by Jon since childhood. But Jon also taught Angel another thing: any self-preservation actions taken in times of danger were instinctual. Moreover, when Angel made that decision, he didn’t know if it would work or lead to these consequences.
Morality, while allowing humans to live better lives and promoting peace, is not innate to human nature. It is, in fact, a restraint taming our instincts. In ancient times, morality was more of a means for the ruling class to maintain stability, although humans gradually recognized its benefits.
Angel cherished his sense of morality, but he wouldn’t sacrifice his life for the greater good of morality. Not even Jon, who taught him these values, would allow it.
After walking with Lydia for about ten minutes, they arrived at a farm outside Shadow Demon City.
The farmland was thriving, but the tenant who tended the fields was dead, not by murder but suicide. The emaciated old man, wearing tattered robes, hung from a beam by a white sash, his feet dangling above a kicked-over chair.
“The time of death was recent, and judging from his clothes, he was not parasitized,” Lydia entered the room and analyzed the deceased. “After all, this place is outside the fog, so not being parasitized is normal. Despite being in good health, he chose death, likely because his mental resilience was too weak. Mortals are just mortals.”
After speaking, Lydia signaled Angel to leave.
Angel was silent for a moment before turning to leave.
As they were about to step into the dense fog, Angel suddenly heard a familiar low rumble near his ear.
“Angel, enter alone,” they had already entered Shadow Demon Castle’s vicinity, and Sanders could use the “Long-range Voice” spell to locate and transmit directly: “As for Red Lotus, wait outside the castle and do not cross into the area covered by thick fog.”
“Why? I still have living family members inside, and I must go in to rescue them,” Lydia said discontentedly.
“You have not stepped onto the path of true knowledge and cannot resist being parasitized. If you insist on entering, no one will stop you,” Sanders’ voice was indifferent and unsympathetic.
At this moment, Mirror Lady’s illusion also appeared, standing beside Tree Spirit: “Lydia, Sanders is right. You’ve seen it yourself. Among the three great families of Twilight, only Daedweia avoided being parasitized; the others all fell for it. If you go in, there’s a high chance something will go wrong.”
Lydia scratched her head irritably: “I came to Shadow Demon Castle not just to send him off. I signed a contract with the Moya Clan. If they were wiped out, I would inevitably suffer a contract backlash.”
“Didn’t you say that the little shadow servant next to Goode just now was from the Moya Clan?” Mirror Lady questioned, as a backlash would only occur if the clan was wiped out, but as long as the little shadow servant was alive, it wouldn’t count as such.
Lydia shook her head: “He doesn’t count. He has the bloodline of the Mosha Clan. The contract states that it is for the pure Moya bloodline.”
As Lydia spoke, no one knew what to say. Entering Shadow Demon Castle could lead to being parasitized, but not entering could result in a contract backlash.
Although a contract backlash wouldn’t be fatal, sometimes death is not the worst choice for a wizard.
Lydia suddenly asked, “Lord Sanders, will Angel not be parasitized when entering Shadow Demon Castle?”
Lydia’s question aroused the curiosity of both Mirror Lady and Tree Spirit. Although Sanders said that letting Angel go was the best option, he didn’t explain the specifics. Moreover, from Sanders’ tone, it seemed that Angel wouldn’t be parasitized. Aside from wizards on the path of true knowledge, what qualified Angel to avoid being parasitized? They wanted to know too.
Even Angel himself wanted to know the answer.
After Lydia asked the question, the air fell into a long silence.
After a while, Sanders succinctly answered, “He won’t.”
What Lydia actually wanted to know was why Angel wouldn’t be parasitized, but since Sanders answered so concisely, he probably wouldn’t reveal the real answer.
After some thought, Lydia turned to Angel and said, “I have a mission for you. Help me bring out someone from the Moya Clan, even if it’s just one person.”
Angel looked at Lydia and the surrounding Tree Spirit and Mirror Lady, swallowing his anxiety and shouldering the pressure of a formal wizard, “So…what’s in it for me?”
Lydia narrowed her eyes, emitting a dangerous gleam, “Daring to negotiate terms with me?… Worthy of being Sanders’ disciple. You’re the first apprentice to have the audacity to negotiate with me.”
Lydia unleashed her oppressive aura wantonly, the intense pressure nearly forcing Angel to his knees. Mirror Lady and Tree Spirit on the side wore expressions of amusement, showing no intention of intervening.
Angel bit his lip, a trickle of blood sliding down from the corner.
“Fine, I agree.” Lydia suddenly withdrew her oppressive aura, “What benefit do you want?”
Angel gasped for breath, initially intending to ask for the “No-Eyed Man” as a prerequisite when mentioning “benefits,” but he realized he had overestimated his own standing.
The premise of all this was that the Mirror Lady, Tree Spirit, or Mentor would be willing to speak up for him. However, the situation just now had made it clear that even though Shadow Demon Castle was in crisis and his presence was desperately needed, no one regarded him as an equal.
This was the reality faced by those with humble power.
“I hope…huff…huff,” Angel panted, beads of sweat on his forehead, “I hope that Lady Red Lotus would give me an opportunity…huff…”
Upon hearing this, Lydia nearly slapped him across the face. How dare this insignificant person covet her?
Even the Mirror Lady and Tree Spirit exchanged surprised glances; Angel was really bold, daring to flirt with Lydia at this time.
“…huff… I hope to be given a chance to buy back the No-Eyed Man.” Angel finally managed to finish his sentence, still gasping for air.
Everyone: “…”
Had Lydia not felt a cold gaze on her back just now, she would have killed Angel on the spot. Only after hearing Angel’s words did her volatile emotions subside slightly.
“The No-Eyed Man? I see… So the series of troubles you caused at Twilight Auction were because of him, right?” Lydia pondered for a moment, “Alright, as long as you bring out a living Moya clansman, I’ll give you a fair chance to buy back the No-Eyed Man. As for the price, 300,000 magic crystals. If you can hand them over to me, I’ll agree to sell the No-Eyed Man to you unharmed.”
300,000 magic crystals, ten times the original auction price!
This condition was extremely stringent, as many formal wizards couldn’t even produce one percent of 300,000 magic crystals. Yet Lydia offered such a price to Angel.
Faced with this price, which would trouble everyone, even wizards, Angel didn’t hesitate and nodded, “Alright! I agree!”
Chapter 318 The Current Situation at Twilight <TOC> Chapter 320 Awakening