Chapter 936 The Calm Before the Storm <TOC> Chapter 938 Mental Assessment
Translator: SumTLMan
Vonman woke up earlier than Guina.
When he awoke, he was initially bewildered. He had already died; how was it possible for him to awake again, situated still on the Gondola?
Was this reincarnation? Or perhaps a dream?
Vonman maintained his silence for a good while, until something struck him. He glanced down at Guina, who was nestled in his arms, to find her still with eyes closed, her whole body drenched in perspiration. He hesitated, contemplating whether to wake her.
However, as he raised his hand, Angel’s voice echoed in his ear: “Her trial has not yet come to an end. To wake her now would only result in the failure of her test.”
A trial? Vonman lifted his gaze, looking towards Angel who sat in the front seat.
“Lord, the shipwreck, the loss of lives, and the demon’s chase… it was all just a test? A mere test?” Initially, his voice carried a tone of bewilderment, but his tone at the end resembled more of an accusation.
Angel sparingly glanced at Vonman, his eyes imbued with an icy chill.
Vonman shivered involuntarily, only then remembering that the person before him was no ordinary individual. His tone had seemingly disrespected him.
Vonman bowed his head, whispering an apology in a barely audible voice.
“As I stated before, you would be faced with a trial. After all the preparation you’ve had, could it be that you have no courage to face this trial?” Angel retorted coldly.
Vonman attempted to say something but found himself closing his mouth gradually after opening it.
The circumstances were overpowering, and all he could do was suppress his thoughts.
Time slowly trickled by, and Drew had already steered the Gondola to the outskirts of the Paramjit Plateau. Even though they had yet to enter the plateau, the unusual sense emanating from it was already palpable.
“Lord, shall we proceed?” Drew asked in a low voice.
Angel glanced at the rear cabin. Vonman was silent, his head bowed, while Guina, nestled in his arms, was still unconscious. After some thought, she said, “Let’s proceed after Guina wakes up.”
With that decision, another day passed by.
Devoid of sustenance and water for a day and a night, Guina’s physical state was beginning to raise Vonman’s concern. He contemplated seeking guidance from Angel, but before he could muster up his words, Guina’s eyes gently fluttered open.
Unlike Vonman, there wasn’t a shred of bewilderment in Guina’s eyes upon awakening.
She didn’t dwell in thought, but merely murmured in a ventriloquist’s voice, “As expected, was it simply a trial all along?”
“You discerned that it was a test?” A hint of surprise flickered in Angel’s eyes as he looked at Guina. Seeing her nod in agreement, he asked, “When did you realize that it was a trial?”
After a moment of contemplation, Guina answered with tranquillity, “When I realized that I wasn’t myself.”
Guina’s response left Angel intrigued.
Compared to Vonman, not only had Guina refrained from becoming engrossed in the trial, but she had also maintained a clear self-awareness, perceiving it as merely a test, and remained stoic until its conclusion.
The trial Angel had orchestrated for them was identical. Both were assaulted by demons, the boundless world was populated only by the two of them, co-dependent on one another.
Through this arrangement, Angel simply wanted to assess their resilience; to see if they could support each other and persevere until the very end in a world that included only the two of them.
Vonman failed. He perished. Or rather, he concluded that he had perished.
Angel employed a mental illusion spell on them, creating fissures and illusions within their psyche. Despite his unrefined skills in this area, the spell proved adequate when used on these two.
In the realm of the mental illusion, Vonman was portrayed fleeing with Guina in his arms. The demon’s attack would inflict “damage” upon him, but as long as he harbored an unwavering will, believing he wouldn’t succumb, he could persevere until the end alongside Guina.
Regrettably, Vonman’s will was not as stalwart as one would imagine; he was slain by the demon.
Angel merely employed a fundamental mental illusion spell. Death in such a scenario merely results in a brief mental haze. If a more potent mental illusion were used, Vonman’s death in the illusion would equate to true demise.
Vonman’s trial concluded, and Angel’s evaluation of him was mediocre at best. Although he failed to endure till the end, at least he upheld the “bonds of friendship”. From start to finish, he never contemplated abandoning Guina. In the end, it was himself he let go of.
As for Guina, Angel found it hard to assess her.
Her sensitivity was astonishingly high. Once she perceived it as a trial, further evaluation became impossible.
Certainly, one thing is clear; Guina boasts an innate potential that far surpasses Vonman. She possesses an exceptional aptitude for discernment. Were she not currently merely a mortal, she would have been capable of breaking through the illusion they were subjected to the moment she realized it was merely a simulacrum, rather than having to wait for it to run its course.
Moreover, Guina’s previous response had taken Angel aback.
—I am not me.
This single statement strikingly illuminated the flaws in their mental illusion.
If one were to score them, Guina would decidedly outstrip Vonman by a significant margin.
“The test is over.” Angel, choosing not to verbally evaluate their performance, turned to Drew and instructed, “Prepare to enter the Paramjit Plateau.”
Once they penetrated the Paramjit Plateau, not only did Angel sense an oddity; the others, to varying degrees, also felt a distinct ominousness. The sensation, as though a sword were suspended above their heads, kept them in a state of unrelenting apprehension.
This was no mere continuation of spatial anomalies.
Angel glanced downward, observing a significant migration of plateau wildlife away from the area. It was highly likely that the World Will was intervening, issuing a warning to the creatures living on the plateau.
The fusion of planes is not simply a conflict between living creatures but also a collision of different World Wills.
Throughout their journey, Angel encountered many transcendent beings wandering the plateau, evidently drawn there by the lure of the so-called “Great Opportunity”.
Angel himself had experienced spatial abnormalities. A mere several-meter-long spatial rift could nearly collapse the energy of several dozen miles around it. Approaching the range of collapse, even Angel might not last a few seconds.
Fortunately, the signs of impending collapse were always evident, enabling them to evade in time. However, it did not spare them from constant trepidation.
As they bypassed yet another massive collapse zone, Guina’s ventriloquism carried an odd question to Angel’s ears: “Lord, is this what the world of the wizard looks like?”
Guina’s question directed the gaze of Drew and Vonman toward Angel in unison.
During Drew’s stint as a crew member of the Cloud Conch, he had visited the Vast Continent more than once. However, his stays were mostly confined to White Shell Sea City, rarely venturing into the continental range. Although White Shell Sea City was already riddled with oddities and wonders, the dangers therein remained within controllable bounds. Yet now, on their very first venture into the interior of the mainland, they were faced with the current situation. Nearly every step they took led them to encounter immense horrors.
This stirred a question within Drew: “Is this what the Wizarding World really is?”
Angel: “What you see before you is indeed the Wizarding World.”
Contrary to fantastical fairytale imaginations, the Wizarding World brims with strife and danger. Peace is ephemeral, beneath the calm surface lurks an undercurrent of turmoil and an unfathomable abyss.
…
Angel has yet to return to the Savage Grottoes, yet the news of his appearance at the Paramjit Plateau has spread like wildfire.
Their encounters with transcendents throughout the journey are largely to thank for this.
Almost all the transcendents who recognized Angel either endeavored to curry favor with him or discreetly gave him a wide berth.
Even if they did have intentions to rob Angel, it certainly wouldn’t be at Paramjit Plateau, which is essentially the doorstep of the Savage Grottoes. It would be patently unwise to attempt to rob a highly noted prodigy in such a place.
Therefore, not only was Angel’s journey unimpeded, he also made a fair number of “friends”.
However, how many of these friends are sincere is a question mark that hangs in the air.
Two days later, as Angel arrived at the deep pit outside of the Savage Grottoes, he saw a lone figure standing quietly amidst the chilling wind.
This was a figure entirely white, appearing like a specter from a distance.
It wasn’t until they approached that they realized this was a gaunt old man, robed in white, with white boots, white hair, white eyebrows, and a white beard.
Angel had the Gondola land in front of the deep pit, and after disembarking, he quickly approached the old man in white, greeting him respectfully, “Lord Wallace, what brings you here?”
The man in front of him was Wallace, one of the few representatives of the academic faction in the Savage Grottoes.
Angel didn’t have much interaction with Wallace. Partly because Angel had a narrow range of activities, and partly because of Sanders’ interference. Sanders believed Angel to be a better fit for the academic faction like Wallace, and in order to prevent his apprentice from being snatched away, he subtly avoided Angel getting too close to Wallace.
Wallace did not directly answer Angel’s question, instead, he scrutinized Angel up and down, his eyes glittering with a sharp light: “Oh, have you already reached the pinnacle of an apprentice?”
Angel nodded in affirmation.
“This speed of cultivation, I fear, now places him as the cream of the crop among the young generation of the Savage Grottoes.” After voicing this sentiment with a touch of awe, Wallace’s gaze flickered with regret, “Alas, it’s such a shame that you’re following Sanders. Why not consider aligning yourself with me?”
Angel awkwardly twitched at the corners of his mouth, unsure of how to respond.
“Unwilling, I presume? Well, how about this—if Sanders ever falls in the outside world, would you then consider following me?” Wallace posited again.
On hearing this, Angel, initially baffled, soon caught the implication, “Lord, is my mentor currently in danger?”
Just as Wallace was about to speak, a flirtatious female voice emerged from behind them.
“Angel, don’t pay heed to his gibberish. This old white-haired man never utters a word of praise when Lord Phantom Master is away. All he ever does is spout curses.” The speaker was a redhead.
“Lady Fire Charm.” Angel greeted the newcomer with a nod.
The redheaded woman waved dismissively, “No need for formalities. Given your current capabilities, I might be the one needing your assistance in the future.”
After a pause, Fire Charm’s gaze moved past Angel to Drew and the others, sending shivers down their spines.
“Ah, so these are the talented ones this time around?” Disappointment flashed in Fire Charm’s eyes. “It’s indeed in line with your mentor’s lineage.”
Last time, Sanders brought back only ten people, including Angel who was personally selected by Sanders, effectively only adding nine new people.
A flush of embarrassment crept onto Angel’s face, “Erm, there are actually six, but three of them had previously registered.”
“Only six? And you have the audacity to mention it!” Fire Charm retorted with a hint of annoyance.
At this juncture, Wallace interjected, “If you think six is too few, how about we delegate the Guide Mission to you next time?”
Fire Charm’s expression faltered, she turned on her heels and briskly walked away, “I initially thought of looking at the new talents to see if any suited me, but it seems there aren’t any. I need to leave, I still have an experiment to finish…”
In the next second, Fire Charm disappeared into the depths of the abyss.
Angel: “…”
After Fire Charm’s departure, Wallace didn’t further pursue his “recruitment” of Angel, instead turning his attention towards Drew and his companions.
“Every talented individual who enters the Savage Grottoes will undergo a comprehensive evaluation. The reason I’m here is to carry out their preliminary assessment.”
Chapter 936 The Calm Before the Storm <TOC> Chapter 938 Mental Assessment