Chapter 478 Clear Distinction <TOC> Chapter 480 Flying Fish
Translator: SumTLMan
Coral propped her chin with both hands, tilting her head as she watched snowflakes fall one after another.
As the snowfall grew heavier, Coral looked at the thick and low clouds in the sky and whispered: “The deadline is approaching.”
“To be precise, there’s a quarter of an hour left,” Nausica said, exhaling smoke and hiding her slightly excited expression.
“Aren’t you worried that Angel won’t show up?” Coral asked.
“Why should I worry? Whether he comes or not is up to him,” Nausica replied. “Instead of worrying about him, we should find a way to wake Hilary up.”
Coral: “I’ve ranked him as a future husband candidate, if he doesn’t show up, his rank will probably drop by two levels in my heart.”
Nausica: “If Angel heard that, I guess even if he did show up, he would want to leave now.”
Coral snorted in annoyance, turning her gaze to Hilary beside her and gave her a push: “Hilary, wake up quickly, it’s time to go!”
“It sounds like we’re going to our deaths.”
“In a sense, we are indeed going to our deaths.”
After a while, with Coral’s insistent pushing, Hilary finally opened her blurry eyes.
…
Five minutes left until the deadline. No one climbed over the metal wall on the highlands. The vast valley within the wall was as quiet as a graveyard. Everyone’s initial excitement had turned into silence. However, at least there was no despair in their eyes.
Perhaps the journey to the Purification Garden was dangerous, but as wizards, which adventure wasn’t? As long as the risk brought enough rewards, they would accept it.
As time slowly passed, a hooded figure in a black robe, hidden among the crowd, suddenly furrowed his brows.
“Could Totoro’s prophecy be wrong?”
Just as he thought that, a whooshing sound accompanied by a faint flame suddenly came speeding from the distant sky. The hooded figure looked up at the figure in mid-air.
As he looked up, the figure’s hood slightly lifted, revealing half of his face. If Coral were there, she would have greeted him with a smile, for the hooded figure was none other than Angel, whom she constantly mentioned!
Angel, having said he would come, naturally would not go back on his word. In fact, he was one of the first people to arrive in the valley. However, as Nausica had said, he did not like to show off and didn’t go to the valley’s right side to seek attention. Instead, he found a secluded place to rest.
Of course, he saw Nausica and the others, as Gank’s size was too conspicuous. However, he did not intend to approach them and chat. He had made all the necessary preparations and given all the necessary instructions. His thoughts were strikingly similar to Nausica’s: the rest depended on their own luck, as others could not help them for a lifetime.
So, Angel just glanced at them from a distance and then focused on something else.
As the time approached the hour, Angel noticed people arriving in waves, but he hadn’t seen Cherie yet. Thinking about Totoro’s prophecy, he thought to himself: Could it be that the future scene Totoro saw wasn’t actually the Purification Garden?
Just as he thought this, Cherie suddenly appeared.
In the sky, a girl in a deep blue dress riding a broom descended into the valley. She took a lantern from the top of the broom, its orange-yellow flame looking fragile in the falling snow. Her face, illuminated by the light, seemed somewhat pale.
As soon as she landed, the little black cat on the end of the broom jumped down and crouched on the soft snow.
As everyone speculated about her identity, she suddenly took a step forward with her red dancing shoes, walking towards the right side of the riverbank. With each step, a cold ice flame appeared beside her.
At the same time, Jiebo, who had been leaning against a tree playing with a small blue whale, suddenly stood up straight. With a serious expression, he watched the girl approaching step by step, surrounded by boundless ice flames.
As the girl approached, rolling waves appeared behind Jiebo.
Everyone was puzzled, even Angel, who wondered why these two looked as if they were about to fight.
Moreover, daring to fight against the Son of the Ocean, this girl’s identity seemed anything but simple.
“I didn’t expect to meet you, a lunatic, here,” Jiebo said, water swirling around his hands as the blue whale began to expand visibly.
Cherie coldly responded: “Today, either you die or I live.”
Jiebo sneered: “If it weren’t for your immortal Mentor protecting you in the past, would I not have been able to kill you? Don’t flatter yourself. Today, only you will die, and I will definitely be alive and well!”
Cherie was not good with words, and what difference would it make if she won the verbal battle? As far as she was concerned, killing him would put an end to everything.
Just as the two were about to clash, the metal gate at the top of the mountain slowly closed. A young man in a black robe suddenly appeared in mid-air, and an immense pressure instantly enveloped everyone.
The conflict between Cherie and Jiebo was forcefully suppressed under this pressure.
“The time has come, and Lord Rosen has appeared. It seems the Purification Garden is about to open.”
“What a pity, we won’t be able to see these two fight. It’s strange, though, that three women wanted to kill Jiebo today. What deep hatred does Jiebo have with them?”
“Maybe he led them on and then abandoned them? Hahaha…”
The young man in the black robe floating in mid-air was none other than one of the two city lords of Sky Mechanical City, known as the “Mechanical Beast King,” Rosen!
After Angel stood still, the already quiet valley became even more silent. No one dared to speak, all staring at the person hovering in midair.
Angel didn’t even look at the people below, but simply said: “Time’s up, the Purification Garden is open, everyone get ready to enter.”
With that, Angel waved his sleeve and prepared to turn around and leave. His arrival seemed like just a walk-on part.
At that moment, the pressure on everyone was lifted, and someone suddenly shouted: “Mechanical Beast King, please give us an explanation, what is going on?”
Angel’s steps suddenly stopped, and he turned his head coldly: “Those who should know, already know. Those who shouldn’t, knowing is useless. Do your best to survive, and in the end, you will naturally get what you want, and even… a chance to ascend to the heavens.”
After Angel finished speaking, his figure disappeared into the valley.
Everyone looked at each other, even the elite apprentices on the right side of the valley were puzzled for a moment. They knew the inside story of the Purification Garden, but no one had ever spoken about its mechanism. How would it cut down ninety percent? Would it be through fighting, slaughter, or other tricks?
They originally thought that before entering the Purification Garden, someone would address their doubts.
But Angel didn’t say it, and the other wizards didn’t seem to have any intention of speaking up either.
For a moment, everyone’s gaze was focused on the ten core apprentices selected from the Sky Mechanical City… Since Angel didn’t say anything, the only ones who knew the secrets inside were these ten!
These ten apprentices, dressed in silver-white uniforms, were not afraid of the stares of the crowd, and some even had mocking smiles.
However, when facing the elite apprentices, they restrained their arrogant expressions and were on guard.
Suddenly, a giant door about thirty meters high appeared on the cross-section of the cliff on the right side of the valley.
“The Gate is Open, please enter. As for the exit… When it’s time to come out, you will naturally come out.” The voice of the enforcer wizard reached everyone’s ears.
The ten apprentices from Mechanical City looked at each other, moved in unison, and rushed toward the giant door.
“Capture them! We must find out the blood sacrifice mechanism of the Purification Garden!” someone shouted, and countless figures rushed into the giant door along with the apprentices of the Mechanical City.
The dark crowd surged forward.
Cherie stood up and looked at Jiebo opposite her: “The Purification Garden will be your grave. I will kill you this time, and next time, I will kill your Mentor—Florence!”
After speaking, Cherie turned around and left. Under the watchful eyes of the many enforcer wizards around her, she didn’t dare to actually use lethal force. But in the Purification Garden, she wouldn’t have a choice!
Jiebo’s eyes became dazed, and as the fragrant wind passed by, Mein walked past him: “Guess who will kill you first, Cherie or me?”
After Mein finished speaking, she giggled, spread her wings, and dove headfirst into the giant door.
Nausica, Coral, and Hilary walked towards the entrance of the Purification Garden. Just as they were about to step in, Nausica suddenly furrowed her eyebrows and looked around.
Coral asked with confusion: “What’s wrong?”
“I feel like someone is staring at me.” Nausica caught a glimpse of a graceful figure in the corner of her eye, but the person was wearing a thin veil, making it hard to see her face.
“Looking at you? Are you afraid of being seen?”
“No, I sensed strong malice in that gaze.” Nausica turned back to Coral and said: “I suspect it’s my enemy.”
“Your enemy? Where? I’ll remember her appearance, and when we enter the Purification Garden, if I bump into her, I’ll help you beat her up!” Coral immediately chimed in.
“She’s…” As Nausica was about to point at the person, she found that the figure had disappeared from her sight. The crowd was dense, making it difficult to discern her again.
Nausica shook her head: “Nevermind, let’s go. If she really is my enemy, I’ll deal with her.”
With that, the three of them entered the gate.
On the other side, after Cherie harshly spoke to Jiebo, she didn’t immediately head towards the giant gate. Instead, she followed the little black cat, which quickly led her to a hooded man.
“Angel!”
Angel looked up at Cherie’s cold expression.
Cherie’s mood wasn’t great, probably due to Jiebo. But remembering her Mentor’s instructions, she suppressed her discomfort: “You’ve done well over the past half month, not bothering my Mentor and me. So, I can fulfill my promise to protect you.”
Angel replied without hesitation: “That’s not necessary.”
However, as a stubborn and paranoid girl, Cherie chose to only hear what she wanted to. She didn’t consider Angel’s opinion and said:
“After entering the Purification Garden, I’ll find you as soon as possible. You’d better stay in a safe and hidden place without wandering around. If you die because you’re wandering around, it’s none of my business.” After saying that, Cherie picked up the black cat Luna and leaped away, disappearing into the snow.