Chapter 659 Monument of the Strange Ring <TOC> Chapter 661 Limitations of Insight
Translator: SumTLMan
Angel was momentarily stunned.
The amount of information in Sanders’ words was astonishing. Just as he was marveling at the Mysterious Object being able to transform into a “Concept,” the next sentence struck him like a thunderbolt, cutting through the rolling black clouds and descending from the sky.
The so-called concept is a cognitive expression of self-awareness. In other words, it’s a way of summarizing and interpreting the common essence of things perceived by the self.
For example, “cold” is a concept.
In general, “cold” is vague, but we can define it through perception. This is what is meant by a concept.
Angel knew that the Mysterious Object could transform into a cat, dog, or human, as well as into stones, plants, or debris. It could even become a hurricane or snowflake. But he never imagined that the Mysterious Object could also transform into an abstract concept.
According to Sanders, the Mysterious Object in the Snow Prairie Illusion was a concept called “Withering.” Upon thinking carefully, Angel finally understood why he had been unable to find the Mysterious Object in the Snow Prairie Illusion. How could one possibly discover the trick in an abstract concept without understanding it?
However, even after discovering this concept, how did Sanders manage to trigger it?
This question weighed heavily on his mind, but his thoughts were soon overshadowed by an even greater shock from Sanders’ words.
—Sanders had just cast the “Withering Spell,” which he had just learned from the Mysterious Object?
“Mentor, the Withering Spell is…” Angel pointed to the Frost Moon Pendant, his face full of disbelief.
“The Withering Spell is something I just named. Although its power is only at the level of a second-level trick, it is indeed something I just learned from the Mysterious Object called ‘Withering Concept.'” Sanders looked at Angel, his eyes filled with both surprise and worry.
He thought Angel would be the most worry-free disciple among those he had taken in. But, quite the opposite, ever since he had taken Angel as a disciple, he had never been at ease.
This young man always brought him some surprises… or rather, shocks.
From suddenly becoming an alchemist, to almost summoning the Queen who would have destroyed the entire Wizarding World in Twilight Auction, to releasing the genius wizard Isabelle from a thousand years ago, to almost becoming a Mysterious Alchemist reported by the magazine, and now creating this Mysterious Object that could enlighten others…
This was nothing short of a rollercoaster of emotions, full of surprises and shocks, but mostly shocks.
“Sigh…” Sanders sighed. It was Angel’s ability to create Mysterious Objects, but unfortunately, his talent could not match his own strength. It was like a baby born with precious treasures. Although the treasures had already recognized their owner in the womb, the wolves spying on the baby had ways to make the baby work for them.
“Can it really help people comprehend tricks?” Angel raised his eyebrows, still somewhat skeptical.
“Don’t you have a clue?” Sanders was also somewhat puzzled; after all, this was crafted by Angel. According to him, he had experimented with many Mysterious Objects and should have some idea.
Angel indeed knew that the massive information flow within Mysterious Objects could bring some insights. He had also imagined that these information flows might enable people to create spells.
But this was just a conjecture, and he never thought it would actually happen.
“I never expected it to happen; it was just my imagination. How could it be real?” Angel murmured.
Seeing Angel’s puzzled expression, Sanders realized that Angel was genuinely surprised.
“Perhaps fate really favors you,” Sanders shook his head, “Anyway, let’s not talk about that. Can you now construct an illusion with Mysterious Objects?”
Angel shook his head: “I can’t create an illusion on its own; there must be a carrier for the Mysterious Object to appear.”
“So, you need to master both alchemy and illusion to create an illusion independently. This makes it even more disadvantageous for you. Your personal value will be higher, and the risks will be greater,” Sanders whispered.
Angel fell silent, realizing the danger of this situation after learning that Sanders had grasped the Prelude of Death from the Mysterious Object.
To possess a treasure was to invite disaster, and that described him perfectly. As an alchemist who had touched the Mysterious Realm, he was already inviting enough trouble. If the existence of Mysterious Objects became known, it would be unbearable.
Sanders asked, “Have you told anyone else about the Mysterious Objects, besides me and Gloria? Or have you given alchemical works with Mysterious Objects to anyone?”
Angel shook his head. He had considered creating an illusion with Mysterious Objects for David not long ago to gain some exposure for his emblem.
However, he later thought that using such a trump card for a pirated version would not comply with market trading principles. Therefore, Angel did not give the illusion with Mysterious Objects to David. Instead, he handed over a more sophisticated music box than —Journey to the Heavens— and another entertaining alchemical illusion he had crafted casually.
His original plan was to use these alchemical illusions to generate some buzz, and once public opinion settled, he would slowly release new things. But now, it seemed that unless his power was strong enough to protect himself, he’d better not reveal Mysterious Objects.
“That’s a little better,” Sanders paused, his expression still serious, “However, it’s still not entirely safe. From the moment this thing was born, even if no one has heard or seen it, someone will eventually notice it.”
Angel understood Sanders’ point – there was no perfection or absoluteness in this world.
For example, prophecy wizards might see it, or, if there were a Mysterious Object capable of detecting other Mysterious Objects, it could expose Angel as well.
This is a world full of wonders, where anything can happen.
“Even so, for now, you should not have drawn the attention of others. Your main priority now is to improve your strength, and not to consider anything else for the time being.”
“What about the Dream Twins I crafted for Lady Gloria…”
“Don’t worry about that, I will talk to Gloria. When she decided to let Toby continue to follow you, she had already made her choice. She is a pragmatic witch who knows what is best for her. Since she has already invested in you, she will not stand in your way.” Sanders spoke frankly.
“Remember these unrelated matters, and I believe you don’t want to become someone else’s captive.” Sanders changed the topic and continued on the Mysterious Object issue: “Since it must be made into an alchemical illusion to have a Mysterious Object, do you have any other alchemical illusions now? I want to do a comprehensive data collection on this Mysterious Object.”
“I don’t have any at the moment, but creating this alchemical illusion is not difficult, I can do it now.”
Sanders: “Creating this illusion is not difficult?”
Angel nodded.
Sanders: “If someone discovers the alchemical illusion with the Mysterious Object, you must never say it is easy to create.”
Sanders thought for a moment and added a seemingly irrelevant sentence: “Gloria’s Genesis Spell has a cooldown of fifty years.”
Angel was stunned for a moment, then understood: “I see.” Getting it too easily would attract more attention.
“Mentor, should I create the alchemical illusion now?”
Sanders was silent for a long time before saying, “No need to create it now, maybe later.”
When Sanders said this, he was almost suppressing the devil in his heart that was about to burst out. He warned Angel to be careful not to become someone else’s captive, but the World Will knows, he himself had a restless desire in his heart to completely confine Angel in the Gravity Garden, crafting Mysterious Objects for him alone.
But Sanders’ self-control told him that doing so would not only ruin Angel, but also himself.
The Mysterious Object seems good, but who knows what side effects it may have. Moreover, if he relies solely on the Mysterious Object, it would be equivalent to destroying his own foundation of true knowledge.
By using the grand information flow as a side door, he could create new spells, but are these spells truly his own creation? This is also an unknown.
For example, with this Withering Spell, although it draws on his own knowledge, the final trick has nothing to do with Angel himself. This, in turn, gives him a sense of unreality.
If he were creating a new spell and the spell reached a bottleneck that could not be broken through, he could accept it by breaking through the bottleneck with the vast information flow of the Mysterious Object. However, obtaining a spell out of thin air, any wizard with a little pursuit of the path of true knowledge would probably have self-doubt.
It is because he understands these principles that Angel has restrained himself.
If he really indulged the devil in his heart, he might not be able to live up to Angel’s trust in him.
Just like his evaluation of Gloria, he himself is the same. Since discovering Angel’s uniqueness in the Nightmare Plane, he has also been investing in Angel’s future. He has an intuition that perhaps Angel could help him truly embark on the path of legend, or even beyond.
Therefore, he is even less likely to fail this bond.
In the following time, Angel obtained some data about the Mysterious Object from Sanders. This data was Angel’s own detection, mostly focusing on the duration of the Mysterious Object being triggered, without too much real exploration. Therefore, in order to obtain more information, Angel has to wait for Sanders to craft a new batch of Alchemical Illusions.
After Angel rested, Sanders finally had time to ask, “Mentor, how did you trigger the Mysterious Object in the Snow Prairie Illusion?”
Since it is a concept, how can it be triggered?
“Mental power,” Sanders explained, “A concept that is not in the same dimension naturally requires a triggering mode of the same level. Mental power can trigger it.”
Sanders explained the triggering process in detail, and Angel finally understood.
“Since the Mysterious Object of the Snow Prairie Illusion is the concept of ‘Withering,’ what is the Mysterious Object on the Mysterious Mountain?”
Chapter 659 Monument of the Strange Ring <TOC> Chapter 661 Limitations of Insight