Chapter 844 Weaving a Beautiful Dream <TOC> Chapter 846 A Series of Unfortunate Events
Translator: SumTLMan
The carcass of the softworm they had previously encountered still lay within its nest.
This softworm was not a shapeshifting kind, plump and seemingly fluffy to the eye. But the moment Angel pinched it, he discovered it had been reduced to a mere husk, its internal fluids entirely drained by the Dreamweaver Ant.
Though it had perished, this softworm could still provide a rough inference: given enough nourishment from more essence blood, perhaps the other eggs could also hatch.
Angel decided to document the changes within the softworm eggs in the presence of Akeso’s essence blood. He poured a small cup of it onto the eggs, then placed the nest on his desk, ready to observe and record at any given moment.
However, to prevent the eggs from hatching without his knowledge, Angel set up an illusionary realm near the nest, ensuring all possible precautions.
Just as he finished dealing with the nest, Angel suddenly lifted his gaze towards the window.
Outside was a blanket of darkness, the dim light from a distant oil lamp barely illuminating the fluttering tree shadows.
Angel walked over to the window, flinging it open, and the crisp night air immediately filled the room. The cold wind made his brows furrow; there was nothing outside as he had anticipated.
He had sensed a gaze spying on him from outside the window, a sudden intuition that caused him to sharply look out.
Even though he saw nothing, Angel would never dismiss his instincts.
“With her abilities, spying on me undetected wouldn’t be a challenge,” Angel mused. In the entire Pat Manor, only one person possessed such a skill.
He didn’t know why Eureka was spying on him, but the sensation made him uncomfortable.
Even if he had nothing to hide, he disliked being spied upon.
Angel closed the window, sealing off the cold night air, and sat back at his desk. Simultaneously, a faint Nightmare Domain began to rise from within him, slowly covering the entire study…
At that moment, Eureka sat on the balcony of the third floor of the turret. The balcony was originally adorned with orchids, but Eureka had replaced them with vibrant, blooming red roses.
She was gazing at the night sky, but when Angel shut his window, she slowly closed her eyes.
“His senses are sharp, almost at the half-step wizard level,” Eureka suddenly chuckled, gazing at the brilliant stars in the sky, and murmured to herself, “Redhead, a mere mortal who was away for only three years, now has power nearing that of a half-step wizard, possesses the Gravity Lines, and even has a spatial item… Don’t you find such a person strange?”
Engrossed in her own mumbles, Eureka’s voice faded into a hushed murmur. In the wake of her silence, the balcony became the stage for an unfolding marvel. A colossal rose, basking in the sunlight, gradually unfurled its petals, revealing an unexpected centerpiece—a red-haired doll sitting nonchalantly in the heart of the blooming wonder. Suddenly, its eyes sprung open, and from its mouth, came an unfeeling command: “Kill him, torment his spirit. Or capture him, and interrogate him with the Truth Spell.”
Eureka, however, shook her head in disagreement, “He is a disciple of Phantom Master, and most importantly… he hails from the Savage Grottoes.”
The red-haired doll fell silent, contemplating her words. After a moment, it conceded, “If you’re unwilling, wait for my return, and I will do it.”
“But he’s your disciple’s brother. Could you bear to see him suffer?” Eureka countered.
“To gain a foothold in the Wizarding World, one must learn to let go of emotional ties,” the doll mused.
Eureka heaved a sigh, “Every wizard walks a different path. To define others’ paths by your own is to strip them of their potential. And remember, you too have a younger sister.”
The doll fell silent once more, and for a long while, uttered no more words.
Eureka, stretching lazily, turned her gaze back to Angel’s castle, “He’s currently enveloped in some strange illusion. Given my current level of mental prowess, I can’t break through it… The disciple of Phantom Master, his illusion spells are indeed impressive.”
With that, Eureka waved her hand and the rosebud began to close slowly, and the red-haired doll closed its eyes in tandem.
…
At the same time, Angel was deep within the Nightmare Domain, sitting at a lavish round table. He pulled out a holographic tablet and began to pore over the books he had previously copied from the Nightmare Plane or Sanders’ Library.
He had at most two years. He had to find a way to save Jon’s life before his lifespan ran out.
His reading spree lasted for half a month.
Had it not been for Leon’s sudden visit, Angel might have continued to immerse himself in his research.
“Look at you, your face is pale, devoid of any color. It’s not good to always stay in the study. How about I take you out hunting in a few days?” Leon, adorned in his knight’s armor, looked vibrant and full of life, forming a stark contrast with Angel.
The half-month of sleepless study had begun to take its toll on Angel. However, when faced with Leon’s invitation, he still shook his head, “Time is running short, I need to clear my head.”
Leon glanced at the piles of draft papers on the table and sighed softly, “Have you ever considered what if you can’t find a way to save Jon?”
“If I still haven’t made any progress in half a year, I will seek help from other wizards.”
This was a contingency plan Angel had already considered.
After all, Jon’s existence had already been revealed.
He couldn’t save him, but perhaps his mentor could, and if he couldn’t reach his mentor, Gloria might be able to assist. If all else fails… he’d be willing to plead with Master Midora.
Deep down, Angel yearned to devise a solution on his own, or at least make contact with his mentor, Sanders. Given his understanding of his mentor, Sanders would likely side with him, considering the significance of the Nightmare Plane.
The rest, they were merely desperate last resorts.
“Actually, everyone has their day to die…” Leon wanted to interject with some comforting words, but was abruptly cut off by Angel.
“I won’t. If you, brother, also embark on the path of pursuing truth, you won’t die either.” Angel declared, swiftly changing the subject without waiting for Leon’s reply. “Apart from calling me for hunting, you must have other matters to discuss, right?”
Leon intended to continue the conversation about Jon, but ultimately followed Angel’s lead. “In the past half month, thirty-three refugees have been arrested in Grud Town, fifteen of whom have a history of theft. I plan to dispense justice tomorrow, executing the three most disruptive, and after whipping the others, I’ll send them back to the refugee camp… Tomorrow, I would like you to join me.”
Angel shook his head, outright refusing the invitation. “I will not attend. But I am interested to know, after this punitive action, how do you plan to settle the refugees?”
Leon pondered for a long while, “The rest are innocent victims of the war. If they wish to leave, I will provide them with some provisions. If they wish to surrender, they can be granted the status of tenant farmers, allowing them to build homes and establish roots in Grud Town.”
Angel didn’t comment on Leon’s plan but continued with his line of questioning, “What’s the response from Watford? Are they still insistent on diverting refugees to Grud Town?”
Leon nodded, looking troubled, “Yes, according to the message Jordan brought back, Watford is overwhelmed with people. Too many refugees have flooded in, they have no choice but to divert them.”
Angel mulled it over, “As the population of Grud Town grows, do you have the means to manage these refugees?”
“Grud Town is spacious enough to accommodate, so that’s not an issue. The real headache is the food supply. Moreover, the more refugees, the more troublemakers there will inevitably be,” Leon sighed heavily at the thought.
Angel suggested, “For the food issue, if you’re truly out of options, you can seek help from the moon bellflower fairy. As a flower fairy, it instinctively knows how to accelerate the growth of common plants. However, solving the food problem in this way might potentially fuel human greed.”
Leon contemplated. If the moon bellflower fairy could indeed solve the food problem, it would be a godsend. But as Angel pointed out, humans are complex creatures, capable of descending from virtue to vice, from innocence to greed, in a heartbeat.
Even if they were freely given food, the possibility of it leading to malicious greed couldn’t be ruled out.
“How then should I choose?”
Angel shrugged his shoulders, smiling: “Actually, you could choose to withdraw from the world. I can set up an illusionary realm outside of Grud Town for you, a place where ordinary people cannot tread, and naturally, troubles will vanish.”
“And beyond that?”
“Impose constraints on them.” Angel paused, knowing Leon understood his meaning and also anticipated what Leon wanted to say, so he added: “Don’t be overly kind-hearted, war will eventually end one day.”
Seeing Leon still looking troubled, Angel sighed, putting down the pen in his hand: “Regardless of the choice you make, I will support you.”
Leon sighed: “Alright, I will think about it.”
As Leon left, Angel thought back to Jon’s words from before: “Iron-camp, water-soldiers.” The current refugees were the transient stream resulting from the unexpected fall of petals, Grud Town would always remain in its place, but if the refugees were left without constraints, they would eventually flow away. Being too kind-hearted would end up hurting oneself.
On the other hand, after reflecting for a moment, Leon arrived at Sheriff George’s home.
“I have thought about it, giving the refugees the status of tenant farmers seems inappropriate. Maybe we should change it to…”
“Slavery?!” George exclaimed suddenly.
“Not exactly slavery. In Grud Town, they need to give back five times what they receive. Once they have repaid, they can reapply for citizen status.”
George hesitated for a moment: “Actually, I think even if we gave them the status of tenant farmers, they might not want to stay.”
“Why?”
“This morning I received news that General Monne died in battle on the Northern Oil Coast.”
The Northern Oil Coast was on the edge of the Elegant Plum Province. The reason why so many refugees chose to run to the Elegant Plum Province was because the backbone of the empire – the Monne family’s army was stationed there. If even General Monne suffered a defeat and fell there, then these refugees naturally wouldn’t want to stay in the Elegant Plum Province.
George wore a worried expression: “Actually, I was planning to report to the Viscount earlier, but I haven’t seen Head Maid Mana come out today… Lord, should we inform the townspeople about this news and choose to retreat?”
Leon shook his head: “No need, continue according to my previous instructions.”
“But if the Elegant Plum Province also falls, our Grud Town…”
“Grud Town will be fine, I assure you.” Leon said decisively.
George was taken aback for a moment, then suddenly remembered the Moonlight Rain that Angel had conjured half a month ago, as well as that miraculous craftsmanship, and he began to somewhat understand.
Chapter 844 Weaving a Beautiful Dream <TOC> Chapter 846 A Series of Unfortunate Events