Chapter 869 Stone Chrysanthemum Shrimp <TOC> Chapter 871 Freud's Method
Translator: SumTLMan
Since departing from Rhodes, Blaire maintained an air of quietude. It wasn’t until Angel began to rise from the ocean floor that Blaire finally broke the silence, “Sixty years ago, during the Conference of Truth in the City of Truth, Master once saw a wild Demeter for sale. She considered spending all her wealth to purchase it, but in the end, the price was too steep, and she couldn’t make the purchase. I remember that it was eventually bought by someone from the Council of True Knowledge.”
“So, I am truly curious. How were you able to afford the Demeter?”
Blaire didn’t suppress its doubt, but continued, “Moreover, I noticed something else. Captain Piers of Ashen Time seemed to treat you differently. Even when the my master arrived, he wasn’t as cordial. Why is that?”
Angel’s attention at the moment was entirely focused on the surrounding obsidian environment, on guard against any potential ambush. Consequently, when faced with Blaire’s puzzlement, he simply responded, “The answer to your first question is that I happened to have enough magic crystals. As for the second, I honestly don’t know.”
Blaire very much wanted to continue its inquiry: Where did your magic crystals come from? How can a mere apprentice afford so many?
However, it understood that these questions likely touched upon Angel’s privacy, and it wasn’t its place to inquire. Thus, it could only temporarily suppress its curiosity.
Until they left the range of the Senna Trench, Angel encountered no one attempting to intercept him, which left him somewhat puzzled. Clearly, those buyers had developed malicious thoughts towards him; why did none of them take action?
However, the absence of anyone making a move was a good thing, at least it didn’t waste any time.
By the time they emerged from the ocean’s surface, the sky was still light, though the sunset had already painted the horizon a golden red.
“We’ve just reached dusk. If we rush, we should be able to make it back by tomorrow night or early the day after,” Blaire calculated the time and announced.
“There’s no rush to return. I need to make a detour to the Revelation Continent.”
Upon hearing this, Blaire naturally objected vehemently. However, Angel paid it no heed and headed directly towards the Revelation Continent. As an owl, Blaire’s endurance for long-distance flight wasn’t strong. The idea of continuously flapping its wings to return to the Old Land Continent from here was practically impossible. Thus, seeing that its objections were futile, it reluctantly followed by flapping its wings.
The distance from here to the Revelation Continent wasn’t far. Even a simple ride on the Gondola would only take a few days.
After Toby transformed into a griffin to expedite their journey, they had sighted the coastline of the Revelation Continent from afar before dawn.
Toby was the pathfinder in the ocean, but Angel didn’t have this issue on land. Soon, he had determined the direction towards Borel Town near the Central Empire and rode the Gondola in that direction.
“Why have you come to the Revelation Continent? Could it be that you’re intending to betray my master and relay a message to King Guman here?” Throughout the journey, Blaire relentlessly inquired.
“I’ve never been on the same side as your master, so where is the question of betrayal?” Angel paused momentarily, with an intention to curb Blaire’s incessant nagging, he continued, “As of now, Jon hasn’t awakened, my elder brother is still growing, I have no necessity to expose Lady Eureka’s location by sending out messages; moreover, I’m not in need of that meager bounty.”
“So, what brought you to the Revelation Continent?”
“I came looking for someone…or rather, a soul.”
……
When the airship once again docked at Borel Town, the artistic aura of the place seemed almost unchanged from months ago, still intensely vibrant.
However, Borel Town wasn’t entirely static, at least Angel noticed the presence of imperial knights guarding the entrance to Tyson Lane, forbidding any outsiders from approaching.
Yet, these imperial knights were only ordinary people. They might deter commoners, but they were utterly helpless against transcendents.
As if strolling through an uninhabited territory, Angel confidently made his way into the location of the orphanage.
Before he could enter the orphanage, he could already hear high-pitched screams emanating from within, along with monstrous roars and eerie laughter carried by the wind.
Listening to the sounds from within, all the feathers on Blaire’s back stood on end, her eyes revealing a sense of caution.
Angel projected his mental tendrils into the orphanage for a brief look. He discovered that the “Dawn of Slaughter” illusion he had left here was operating at full force. A variety of uncanny incidents were occurring to a group of about twenty ordinary people.
They were frantically escaping from the main building controlled by “Butcher” Sunny, all rushing towards the playground, as it was their only hope of survival – the safe zone controlled by Alda.
However, even if they managed to reach the playground, it was not the time for the safe zone to activate, and the area outside the main building was teeming with terrifying creatures from the illusion, making it even more dangerous.
Many people were on the brink of collapsing within the illusion.
Those screams were the prelude to their impending breakdown.
“Huh, in just a few months, Freud really turned this place into a horror park?” Initially, Angel thought Freud was merely jesting, he didn’t expect him to actually go through with it.
He wondered if those struggling within the “Dawn of Slaughter” were talented individuals being tested, or bored nobles seeking some thrill.
In the ethereal landscape of the orphanage, an innate force existed to obstruct outsiders. Yet, as the architect of this illusion, Angel held absolute authority, rendering all barriers null against his presence.
Without concealing his identity, Angel stepped directly into the orphanage.
At this time, Freud was in a room beneath the orphanage conversing with Eniya about the issue of the talented individuals’ quality. When Angel crossed the threshold of the orphanage, Freud’s countenance shifted abruptly, and he rose to his feet.
Eniya looked at Freud with astonishment, “What’s the matter?”
“An outsider has entered the orphanage,” Freud pronounced gravely, “I will assess the situation.”
Upon hearing this, Eniya’s expression tightened. She had proposed to the organization that the talented individuals of this cycle’s Hurricane Tower be tested here. If an outsider’s intervention caused a problem, she would be held fully accountable.
After a while, upon sensing the newcomer’s aura, Freud’s facial expression gradually relaxed. To Eniya’s puzzled look, he replied, “It’s fine, Lord Pat has arrived.”
Simultaneously, Angel had reached the door.
Upon the door being pushed open, Angel saw an excited Freud and a composed Eniya, her eyes unmistakably filled with a desire to please.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Freud couldn’t help but ask, “Lord Pat, did you come here because…”
Freud didn’t finish his sentence, but Angel understood what he wanted to ask.
These days, Angel had been entirely focused on Jon, leaving no time to research the Dream Conch, thus Freud was bound to be disappointed.
Seeing Angel shake his head, Freud’s eyes dimmed slightly.
“I have come here because there are some matters I would like to inquire about,” Angel looked at Eniya in the room, indicating for Freud to come out with him.
Freud nodded, excused himself to Eniya, and followed Angel outside.
Here, Angel also sent Blaire away. Blaire gave them a suspicious look, but considering that Angel had previously explained his reasons for not “betraying” Eureka, she said nothing and simply flew off to one side.
Together, they arrived at the rooftop of the main building, where the screams from below continued.
Angel glanced below where, under Sunny’s compulsion, the men and women, oblivious to the fact that they were in an illusion, displayed different personality traits. The true beauty and the utmost depravity of human nature were in each one of them—Embodied.
However, goodness is in the minority. Under extreme fear, those long-suppressed malevolent insanities finally break free of moral restraints, like a violent river unleashed after the floodgates are opened.
Angel had already fathomed the wickedness of human nature. Thus, he paid little heed to the condition of these mortals.
Instead, he glanced at the little girl in a red dress wielding a massive scythe, murmuring, “Sunny, as a butcher, has made much progress from the time I was training Drew.”
When Drew was fighting for survival in this illusion, Sunny’s aura of slaughter was yet to fully dissipate, making her prone to rage and impulsion. After spending days with Freud, Sunny, despite appearing terrifying and shocking as a butcher, had greatly improved in controlling her temperament and murderous intent.
“Sunny is just a bit obsessive; she needs to be handled with the grain,” Freud replied.
“It depends on who’s doing the handling. If it were anyone else, the doomed would still meet their fate,” Angel joked before asking, “Are all these people talented?”
“Yes, they are the first batch of talented individuals from Hurricane Tower,” Freud pointed at the apparitions in the sky, who were holding alchemical devices for recording imagery. “To secure future client resources, this talented trial is being recorded in its entirety, documenting these talented individuals breaking free from their cocoon and undergoing a complete metamorphosis.”
Freud, having read numerous Earth novels, had not only changed his vernacular but also seemed to have learned Earth’s entertainment-style marketing strategies.
“Indeed, a metamorphosis, summoning the beastly side of humanity,” Angel shook his head wistfully, then stated his purpose of visit.
“I’m here to learn the Dream Reading spell,” Angel stated. “Of course, you can make a fair request in return.”
Angel’s request took Freud by surprise.
“Lord, you’ve helped me a lot. Even if we consider the value of mere reciprocation, I’m still more in your debt. Thus, I can give you the Dream Reading spell.”
“An imbalance in trade is normal; you don’t need to fret about our previous transactions,” Angel wasn’t keen on quibbling over who owed whom more. If it were about feelings, perhaps such nitpicking could be justified, but this was trade, and trades are always settled with a single stroke.
Freud contemplated for a moment, “May I ask you a few questions? If any are overstepping bounds, feel free to disregard them.”
“If that’s your request, I can agree.”
“Do you want the Dream Reading spell for your own learning, Lord Pat? Does this mean you’ve already mastered the Dream Entry spell?”
Chapter 869 Stone Chrysanthemum Shrimp <TOC> Chapter 871 Freud's Method