Chapter 639 Dream Twins <TOC> Chapter 641 Tea Obsession
Translator: SumTLMan
Late in the Month of Gentle Rain, the first day.
Under the faint light of dawn, Angel pushed away the soft quilt, got out of bed somewhat groggily, and walked to the window.
Originally, he had intended to pull down the curtain and continue sleeping, as he had been busy for more than half a month and finally had a chance to rest. However, when he arrived at the window, he found that it had somehow been pushed open. The chilly wind of the early morning rustled into the room.
His groggy mind was instantly cleared by the cool breeze.
Angel yawned, scratching his head where a stray strand of hair had sprung up after a night’s sleep. He gently turned his head to look at the bedside table.
On the exquisitely crafted wooden nightstand, there used to be an extinguished oil lamp. Now, the oil lamp had been replaced by a luxurious, intricately carved wooden bed. The bed was surrounded by white gauze curtains, but the semi-transparent curtains could not hide the “springtime” on the bed.
A warm yellow down comforter covered a small gray bird, whose chest rose and fell rhythmically. If one listened carefully, they could hear some faint snoring.
Seeing the scene before him, Angel could easily guess who had opened the window.
He estimated that Toby must have been scared by Gloria’s abuse on Phantom Island and had flown to the Flowing Source in the middle of the night to sleep. Most importantly, even though he was awake, Toby was still sleeping!
Angel shivered, originally intending to wake Toby up. However, he hesitated halfway through reaching out his hand and withdrew it.
Forget it, sleeping so soundly probably meant that he was exhausted.
Even though he had spent more than half a month at the Flowing Source, he could imagine the miserable state Toby must have been in under Gloria’s whip when compared to the situation at the Blooming Manor.
After letting Toby be, Angel stood on the balcony, feeling the cool morning breeze. Since he was already somewhat awake, he didn’t plan on going back to sleep. However, his thoughts were still a bit hazy just after waking up, so he didn’t rush to wash up. Instead, he pushed open the door next to the window and walked onto the balcony.
He was now standing on the balcony of the third-floor bedroom in the Alternate Dimension Laboratory. Outside was a long path leading to a small stream two miles away. On both sides of the path were undulating dense forests and hollows, and the mountain breeze came from the forest.
Looking at the lush green world, Angel stretched lazily, facing the refreshing breeze and exhaling a long, turbid breath.
Standing on the balcony for a while, gazing at the verdant nature, Angel felt his thoughts gradually returning to normal. He then planned to return to his bedroom and freshen up.
Suddenly, Angel stopped in his tracks, his ears twitching slightly.
It seemed like he heard someone singing on the other side of the mountain hollow? But upon listening carefully, it felt like an illusion, only hearing the rustling sound brought by the mountain breeze.
Maybe it was an illusion? Angel turned around, pushed the door open, and entered his bedroom.
But as soon as his foot stepped into the bedroom, another wave of singing entered his ears.
It wasn’t an illusion! There really was someone singing?!
Angel looked back in confusion, staring into the distance towards the mountains. The range of the experimental labs was vast, with each lab being hundreds of miles apart from one another. The area around each lab, spanning tens of miles, belonged to the master of that particular lab. If an outsider entered without the owner’s permission and got killed, it would be their own fault. After all, those in the experimental labs were usually conducting important experiments, and disruptions could lead to wasted efforts.
Judging from the distance of the singing, Angel felt it wasn’t too far away, probably within a few miles.
Who would dare to enter his territory? Another wizard from an experimental lab? If so, that would be very rude.
Angel thought for a moment, put on a gray-white wizard’s robe, and climbed out of the balcony.
No matter who the intruder was, stepping into his territory meant that he had to be cautious, even if he had no intention of killing.
With this goal in mind, Angel quickly rushed towards the source of the sound.
Two minutes later, Angel stood at the top of a large tree, looking at a mountain hollow a few miles away, a relieved expression on his face.
At the top of that mountain hollow, a tin house with legs was quietly placed. Smoke was still coming out of the chimney on the roof. The singing that Angel heard came from the tin house.
He had thought a stranger had entered his domain, but it turned out to be Iron Armor Fortress.
Iron Armor Fortress was free to move within the experimental labs’ territories, and no one would stop it or dare to. Iron Armor Granny, who lived in the fortress, seemed like a kind old woman, but Angel once asked Sanders about her. Sanders didn’t answer but solemnly warned Angel not to be disrespectful in front of Iron Armor Granny.
It was the first time Sanders had cautioned Angel to be mindful of his manners, even though he knew Angel had never made a mistake in etiquette.
It was evident that Iron Armor Granny’s identity was extraordinary.
Since the singing came from Iron Armor Fortress, Angel didn’t investigate further, thinking perhaps Granny was entertaining guests.
With that thought, Angel decided to return to his room. But before he could take two steps, he heard the singing from Iron Armor Fortress change again, turning into a tune that Angel was incredibly familiar with – Castle in the Sky?!
Angel looked puzzled in the direction of Iron Armor Fortress, which had a music box depicting the Castle in the Sky, which was now with Mirror Lady, Lydia, and Toby. Why was there still this music in Iron Armor Fortress? Could it be that Iron Armor Granny was hosting Mirror Lady?
As Angel was guessing, Iron Armor Fortress seemed to notice him.
Iron Armor Fortress turned its head, opened its long, slender limbs, and hopped toward Angel’s direction, accompanied by a “woo woo woo” steam whistle sound.
Angel initially planned to leave, but since he had already been discovered, he did not leave immediately, but stood in place waiting for Iron Armor Fortress to arrive.
Iron Armor Fortress stood in front of Angel, and then a wooden ladder slowly slid down from above.
Angel obligingly climbed the ladder and opened the door to Iron house.
Standing at the door, Angel could hear the music of the —Castle in the Sky— more clearly inside. Moreover, the more Angel listened, the more strange it seemed. The —Castle in the Sky— had lowered its tune in some rhythms and added some strange musical accompaniment. It did not seem to be the original version of the music.
Angel raised an eyebrow: This modification actually made it more meaningful than the original version.
With a subtle emotion, Angel stepped into the door.
The interior of Iron house was unchanged, still a small house full of things. There were flowers, potted plants, bookshelves, neat and warm, with fruit and tea on the table, full of the feeling of “home.”
The Mirror Lady he thought of was not in the house, only Iron Armor Granny was closing her eyes, slowly savoring her tea.
In front of Iron Armor Granny, the original crystal ball cabinet now had an octagonal music box, and the —Castle in the Sky— was playing inside.
“Good morning, Angel.” Iron Armor Granny opened her eyes and showed a kind smile to him.
“Granny, good morning.” Angel returned the courtesy.
Iron Armor Granny gestured for Angel to sit across from her. After Angel sat down, she poured him a cup of hot tea.
“Have you been staring at this music box? Do you like it too?” Iron Armor Granny stood up, bent over and walked to the display cabinet, took the music box, and placed it in front of Angel: “Your eyes are about to fall into it. If you want to see it, just look. I know you alchemists are interested in these curious things.”
Angel gave an embarrassed smile, “Granny, this music box is…”
“Don’t ask me, I don’t know much about alchemy, just take a look and you’ll know.”
Angel originally wanted to ask about the origin of the music box, but Iron Armor Granny seemed to mistake his interest in the music box itself.
Angel didn’t explain, picked up the music box, and carefully examined it.
This music box is different from the one Angel initially crafted, but there is a familiar button at the bottom – a button to toggle the illusion. Some people simply enjoy music, while others prefer music combined with ambiance. So, Angel set up a switch to toggle the illusion. Surprisingly, this standard octagonal music box also has the same switch. Angel cautiously pressed it.
In an instant, the surroundings transformed into blue sky and white clouds. Angel looked more puzzled, not expecting that someone would have pirated his music box after pondering over the piracy issue in the Wizarding World just last night. What was even more astonishing was that the illusion was pirated as well. However, the illusion was somewhat lacking; the blue sky and white clouds were moving but appeared ordinary, without the immersive feeling.
Moreover, as the music from —Castle in the Sky— reached its climax, the floating island that should have appeared was not materialized by the pirate. Angel silently praised the pirate’s work in his heart, even though the illusion was not as good as expected. But being able to achieve this was impressive, as it showed that the pirate had a certain level of alchemy and illusion skills. Most importantly, the pirate had modified the —Castle in the Sky— song to sound even better.
Angel felt a bit embarrassed, realizing that there were many artists in this world. With the wizards’ long lives, even without talent, a prestigious artist title could be achieved. As the song ended, Angel wanted to ask about the origin of this music box when it suddenly jumped to a new song. The next song was one Angel had never heard before, but the melody was undoubtedly a masterpiece, in no way inferior to —Castle in the Sky— and even surpassing it in many aspects.
Furthermore, as the music played, the illusion changed again to match the music. However, the illusion was still somewhat weak, not as attractive as the music, which is why Iron Armor Granny only listened to the music without activating the illusion. But the continuous playback of songs made it somewhat similar to a music player in a holographic tablet, which could be considered a secondary innovation by the pirate based on Angel’s music box.
“Granny, where did you get this music box?” Angel asked softly, taking advantage of the break in the music and turning off the illusion.
“Why? Do you want one too?”
Angel smiled and said, “Just curious.”
“Hehe, you alchemists like to get to the root of things. Well, I don’t mind telling you.” Iron Armor Granny pointed to the distance: “The owner of Laboratory No. 7 gave it to me. According to him, this music box was purchased from Twilight Deep Well, and I heard it’s quite popular recently. If you want one, you can inquire about it at Twilight Deep Well.”
“Twilight Deep Well.” Angel narrowed his eyes and murmured softly.