Chapter 666 Soul Cage <TOC> Chapter 668 Path of the Soul Realm
Translator: SumTLMan
After not seeing Sanders for more than a month, when Angel saw him again, he was sitting leisurely in a chair by the window in the study, basking in the sun with his legs crossed.
He was dressed neatly, almost identical to his previous attire, with a complicated yet strict black formal suit, black pants and boots, white lace gloves, and a short walking stick and low-brimmed hat.
At first glance, everything seemed normal, but when Angel approached, his brow furrowed.
Sanders’ hat was pulled down low, and from a distance, all that could be seen was his straight nose and distinct thin lips beneath the shadow. But when Angel closed the door to the study and walked to Sanders’ side, he faintly noticed something strange.
A black line ran through the shadowed area beneath his hat, hanging by his ear.
In the past, Angel had seen chains hanging by Sanders’ ear, which represented a monocle, a standard accessory for many noble wizards. But this black line, with an apparent cloth texture, was noticeably different from the metallic monocle.
“Mentor, I’m here,” Angel whispered.
Sanders didn’t look up, still pressing the brim of his hat, letting the sunlight scatter mottled specks of light on him. “Sit down. I was just planning to test the Alchemical Illusion you crafted. Now that you’re here, you can tell me your insights during the crafting process.”
“Of course, by insights, I don’t mean the alchemical spells, but your mental state during crafting. I want to try to find out if there’s any internal connection between the final manifestation of the Mysterious Object and your state,” Sanders said.
Angel nodded.
Sanders didn’t immediately examine Angel’s Alchemical Illusion, still lazily leaning back in his chair. “You came to see me this time not just for the Alchemical Illusion, right?”
Angel nodded again. He originally wanted to ask Sanders about his condition these days, but when the words reached his mouth, he suddenly couldn’t ask. He could only change the subject and whisper, “Mentor, these days I have already mastered the Eye of Nalda, and the diamond-shaped crystal Little Spot gave me has been identified.”
Sanders paused for a moment, finally raising his head, looking at Angel with surprise.
Angel was about to reveal the identification results, but when Sanders raised his head and saw his eyes beneath the shadow, Angel suddenly froze.
A hideous scar ran from Sanders’ forehead, through his right eye, and finally stopped on his cheekbone.
Sanders’ entire right eye was covered in a black eyepatch, and the black line Angel had seen earlier was the strap of the eyepatch.
“Mentor, your eye…”
Seemingly unconcerned, Sanders took off his hat and put it on the table. Under the direct sunlight, Angel could see the scar more clearly. It was not only hideous but also filled with terrifying, violent chaotic energy.
Sanders touched the edge of the wound. “I got a little injury when I went to the Nightmare Plane.”
In a short and unremarkable sentence, Angel felt as if he could see the bloody storm behind him.
As Sanders spoke, the scar on his right eye slowly dripped a drop of blood.
“There is energy residue on the scar, so healing is not ideal,” Sanders said.
Angel now understood that such a terrifying scar had not shown any signs of healing for a whole month since Sanders returned to the real world, which was why Sanders had always avoided going out.
“Mentor, what kind of area is the location of the mysterious attic? What did you encounter there?” Angel asked further.
Sanders was silent for a while before he said, “I didn’t encounter anything.”
“Didn’t encounter anything? Then what about your injury?”
“It’s because I didn’t encounter anything that it’s even more terrifying,” Sanders said with a bitter smile, “The area should not be on the periphery, but I’m not sure if it’s close to the core.”
Angel wanted to ask more specifics, but Sanders waved his hand, “We’ll talk about it later. I’ve got the coordinates. Next time I see Eliza, I’ll give her the wooden lock. You don’t have to worry about the Scarlet Sovereignty anymore.”
Knowing that Sanders was unwilling to speak, Angel nodded and stopped asking about it.
“Mentor, how is your injury and your eye now?”
“The wound is healing, but the healing speed is very slow. As for my eye… I’ve already sent Flora out to help me inquire. I plan to transplant a new eye.” Sanders lowered his head and smiled. He originally didn’t plan to transplant an eye because the eye color was a symbol of his family. But now he had no choice.
“Don’t talk about me, let’s talk about you. The Eye of Nalda is not so easy to learn, and I didn’t expect your progress to be so fast. I once heard a rumor that the strongest alchemist in the Southern Realm’s Sky Mechanical City, the ‘Mediocre’ Muse, took a month to learn the Eye of Nalda. It seems that you are not far behind him.” Sanders put on his hat again and looked at Angel, “Tell me, what is the result of your identification of the diamond-shaped crystal?”
Sanders’ evaluation was high, but Angel knew very well that there was still a gap between him and the alchemy genius Muse, and even a significant gap with Midora. If it weren’t for the calculations of the Universal Axis and the holographic tablet, he wouldn’t have been able to successfully practice the Eye of Nalda in a month.
However, Angel naturally couldn’t reveal the details, and he took the diamond-shaped crystal out of his bracelet and answered Sanders’ question, “There are many questions about this diamond-shaped crystal, and I didn’t identify them. But based on the results and my personal speculation, I think Mentor’s initial guess might be correct.”
Sanders’ eyes narrowed, “What do you mean?”
“It should be a kind of inheritable Soul Spell,” Angel said, and he could clearly feel Sanders’ expression becoming serious.
And so, in an instant, Angel could no longer hear the chirping insects and rustling wind outside the forest.
He was pulled into the Gravity Garden by Sanders.
“In the outside world, anything you say may be recorded by the Strings of the World, the Wheel of Time, and other major forces, so be careful with your words,” Sanders said solemnly.
“Are you sure this is a Soul Spell that can be inherited?” Sanders took the diamond-shaped crystal, carefully observing it. He couldn’t see anything inside, but he noticed a very subtle fluctuation.
“It can be inherited; I am sure of that because this is the lowest common denominator of all the results I have identified,” Angel paused. “But the Soul Spell is something I deduced from the images I saw back in Sleepless City. And in the results of my identification, there was a mention of a Soul Spell.”
Sanders knew about Angel killing Hookedick and also knew that the spotted dog had absorbed Hookedick’s Soul Lines. So he was quite convinced by Angel’s speculation.
“It’s very likely a Soul Spell, but don’t touch it until we know exactly what it is,” Sanders handed the diamond-shaped crystal back to Angel.
Although it is not yet confirmed whether the spotted dog has transformed Hookedick’s Soul Lines, just this inheritable Soul Spell has already confirmed the dog’s powerful ability.
Sanders rarely has regrets, but now he genuinely feels some regret; he should have forcibly taken the spotted dog away when he was in Sleepless City… It’s a pity.
Sanders thought for a moment, “Whether it’s a Soul Spell or something else… just ask Nisi, and you’ll know.”
Sanders is a man of action. As he spoke, he took Angel out of the Gravity Garden directly, “Let’s go and see my old friend in the Soul Valley.”
As he spoke, Sanders’ face suddenly appeared twisted, and the ferocious wound was covered by a phantom illusion, returning to its intact appearance.
On the way to the Soul Valley, Angel took back the five falcon demon figurines with Mysterious Objects from Sanders.
He wanted to try and use the Eye of Nalda to identify the alchemical illusion with Mysterious Objects to see what the result would be.
After a while, Angel returned the falcon demon figurines to Sanders with a thoughtful expression.
“How did the identification go?” Sanders leaned on the seat of the Gondola, looking at Angel.
Angel hesitated for a moment, “When I was performing the calculations with the Nalda Algorithm, I only saw one variable.”
“This variable should be the Mysterious Object, right?” Sanders inquired.
Angel nodded with a puzzled expression, “That should be correct. But it’s strange that there’s only one variable, yet the result of my final appraisal was a failure. When I appraised the diamond-shaped crystal, there were many variables, and in the end, several sets of results emerged… It’s so strange.”
“Can a single variable cause the entire appraisal result to be wrong?” Sanders pondered for a moment, “A failed appraisal doesn’t mean it’s more valuable than the diamond-shaped crystal… A variable equals the unknown, and perhaps the scope of this unknown is larger than you imagined.”
Angel roughly understood Sanders’ meaning.
Suppose this variable is an unknown. Although the diamond-shaped crystal has many unknowns, each unknown has a limited range, such as the range of “X” being from 0 to 5. However, for the Mysterious Object, the unknown “Y” has a range from negative infinity to positive infinity.
Although both are variables and unknowns, their ranges are different, and the success rate of the final appraisal will change accordingly.
According to this reasoning, it does make sense. The Mysterious Object is indeed a completely unknown variable.
“I wonder what kind of results other alchemists would get when appraising an alchemy illusion with a Mysterious Object?” Angel secretly speculated in his heart, would they also fail in their appraisal?
Angel didn’t continue to dwell on this issue, as they had already arrived at Nisi’s Soul Valley.
Chapter 666 Soul Cage <TOC> Chapter 668 Path of the Soul Realm