Chapter 940 The Afterglow <TOC> Chapter 942 Reply
Translator: SumTLMan
Shrouded in a delicate mist, Phantom Island loomed ahead.
Angel was about to reenter the island after a long year apart when suddenly, a pale dove broke into his field of vision.
The dove circled him, clutching an envelope in its beak.
Undeniably, this letter was intended for him. Angel sighed internally with resignation. After leaving Tree Spirit Hall, another group had sought him out, many of whom handed him little slips of paper. This even included messages from official wizards.
In essence, they were all invitations to craft alchemy.
Angel had no immediate interest in alchemy, and so he initially intended to disregard the dove. However, on closer inspection, he noticed the envelope appeared incredibly formal.
Unlike the slips of paper tossed his way before.
The envelope was dusted with a faint layer of gold, shimmering even in the daylight. Most importantly, on the seal of the envelope was an emblem Angel was not unfamiliar with.
—The Rune of Silence.
This was the unique symbol of Rhine Mute.
He could refuse anyone else, but if this letter came from Rhine Mute, he dared not neglect it.
Taking the envelope from the dove, the bird nodded to him. Then, with a “pop,” the dove transformed into countless white feathers that fluttered down.
One of the light golden feathers landed perfectly on the envelope, not only transforming into a quill on the seal but also breaking the seal’s lock.
Such delicate craftsmanship, coupled with such an old-fashioned noble style of correspondence.
Angel, in the Savage Grottoes, could only think of two people: his mentor, and the other was Rhine Mute, who was even more particular about his style than Sanders.
Angel flew into Phantom Island while opening the envelope.
The letter within emitted a fragrance. The scent was not simply applied; instead, someone had held the paper above an incense burner for several days, infusing it with a subtle hint of aroma.
Such attention to detail, even down to the letter, was to be expected only from nobility who lived a refined life from birth.
Angel was pretty sure that this must be a message from Rhine.
With Rhine’s power, he could easily communicate with Angel directly. However, he had chosen to correspond via letter, both as a show of seriousness and as a reflection of his personal style.
Upon reading the contents of the letter, it turned out to be a single sentence: an invitation for Angel to visit his High Cloud Tower.
However, Rhine had left the date of the meeting blank.
At first, Angel wasn’t sure what to make of it. But when he spotted the pale gold feather on the seal of the envelope, he suddenly understood. Rhine apparently intended for him to fill in the meeting time.
After some consideration, Angel took the gold feather pen, dipped it into the seal, and wrote a date:
“Southern Region, New Calendar 7377, early Autumn, seventh day of the month.”
That is to say, tomorrow.
Once Angel had written the date, the golden feather suddenly “poofed,” transforming back into a dove. It fluttered its wings and circled around.
Angel roughly understood Rhine’s intention.
He placed the letter back into the envelope and handed it to the dove. As expected, it took the envelope in its beak and flew towards the highest point in the Mirror World—High Cloud Tower.
Watching the disappearing dove, a hint of profound meaning could be seen in Angel’s eyes.
Although he was unsure about Rhine’s reason for the invitation, he had been planning to find Rhine himself, mainly in order to locate Sanders.
He had asked Tree Spirit about Sanders’ situation during his previous visit to Tree Spirit Grand Hall.
Tree Spirit mentioned that Sanders was currently in the Abyss and probably wouldn’t be able to return anytime soon. When Angel further inquired about how to contact Sanders, Tree Spirit was at a loss.
Therefore, Angel thought of Rhine.
After all, Sanders’ decision to venture into the Abyss was in fact influenced by Rhine Mute’s suggestion. Angel was in deep thought, contemplating if Rhine Mute might have a way to communicate with Sanders.
Thus, even if Rhine Mute didn’t extend him an invitation, Angel would still devise a way to seek him out. Now, at least, it had saved him some trouble.
Actually, Angel was also considering whether he should outright disclose the situation about Jon to Rhine Mute. However, having no understanding of Rhine Mute’s character, he dared not take this risk.
Upon returning to the long-missed Phantom Island, from afar, Angel spotted Butler Goode standing at the entrance of the central manor.
Seeing Angel descend, Butler Goode stepped forward proactively, offering a polite bow, “Welcome back, Young Master Pat.”
“Thank you, Butler Goode,” Angel reciprocated the formalities.
As they exchanged pleasantries, Toby, who was nestled in Angel’s pocket, sprang out abruptly, fixing its gaze on the magical cottage by the lake, a flicker of excitement in its eyes.
The magical cottage was a creation of Gloria, and having been away for so long, Toby had been missing Gloria quite a bit.
But before Toby could fly towards the cottage, it heard Butler Goode saying, “Lady Gloria is currently not on Phantom Island.”
This information stumped Angel—Gloria was still supposed to seek Sanders’ help in retrieving her physical body, why had she left?
Upon hearing this, Toby also drooped its head in disappointment.
The two made their way towards the manor, and along the way, Angel learned about some recent developments on the island from Goode.
On the day Angel left Phantom Island, Sumesh had returned to the Savage Grottoes, and concurrently, Gloria had begun her secluded training. However, Gloria didn’t stay in seclusion for long and emerged soon after. The moment she emerged, she left the Savage Grottoes straightaway, claiming she had matters to attend to.
She had not returned since.
After hearing this, Angel felt a tinge of regret. He had thought that if Sanders’ path proved fruitless concerning Jon’s matter, Gloria could serve as an alternative… but Gloria had left unexpectedly.
“Do you have any plans after your return, Young Master?” Goode asked as they reached the mansion.
“I probably won’t stay long at the Savage Grottoes either. I have some matters to attend to.” Angel paused for a moment, then asked, “By the way, do you have any way to contact Mentor?”
Goode shook his head, “The Lord has never left any method of contact.”
Regretfully, Angel gave a nod, indicating Goode to attend his tasks, while he retreated back to the sanctuary of his room.
The fact that Goode was oblivious to Sanders’ contact method was understandable, given his role as a butler. Mulling over this, Angel contemplated that a visit to Flora might provide some clues to Sanders’ whereabouts, and failing that, he’d have to tread the path to the distinguished Rhine.
After a brief respite on his bed, Angel noticed Toby still in a state of listless melancholy. Recognising that any comforting words at this moment would fall on deaf ears, Angel suggested, “Why not let me show you the Wilderness of Dreams?”
Toby wasn’t a stranger to the Wilderness of Dreams, but the vast, endless terrain didn’t particularly appeal to him.
“Don’t be hasty to reject,” Angel replied, “The Wilderness of Dreams has become livelier these days. Let’s take a tour, you can pick out a spot and design a scene that you like, and I’ll help you construct it. In the future, you could invite your friends there to play. Who knows? Lady Gloria might even pay you a visit.”
Toby was unaware of the specific functions of the Wilderness of Dreams, but the notion of creating his own little sanctuary where he could invite others in the future sparked his interest.
Upon witnessing Toby’s curiosity, Angel didn’t waste any further words and immediately pulled Toby into the Wilderness of Dreams, following him in shortly after.
Entering Initial Heart City within the dream, Angel leisurely strolled around with Toby. Along the way, there were always eyes following Toby, causing him some discomfort.
Angel understood their intrigue; rarity sparks curiosity. Toby was the first non-human entity they had encountered in the Wilderness of Dreams, so their interest was only natural.
After a while, Toby’s discomfort became evident under the persistent gaze of onlookers.
Seeing this, Angel suggested, “Why don’t you explore on your own and find a spot that you’d like to claim? You can let me know later.”
Without any hesitation, Toby nodded and, without waiting for Angel to reply, swiftly ascended towards the sky, hovered amidst the clouds for a moment, and then vanished from sight.
With Toby on his own, Angel was not worried about his safety. Even without any extraordinary powers, Toby’s inherent speed was not something the ordinary people could catch up with. Moreover, Toby was alive; if he got hurt, he would simply wake up from the dream, posing no significant danger.
After releasing Toby, Angel intended to visit Jon, but Freud came looking for him first.
“I heard rumours about someone accompanied by a bird, and I guessed it must be you,” Freud chuckled, “You must be in Feran Continent by now, aren’t you?”
Angel nodded in affirmation, “I have returned to the Savage Grottoes.”
Freud’s eyes gleamed with excitement, muttering, “As I thought, a stable connection to the Wilderness of Dreams can be achieved even in the Feran Continent! This suggests that the distance restrictions for the Wilderness of Dreams are rather extensive!”
“I do wonder,” mused Freud, his gaze distant, “whether I can still connect to the Wilderness of Dreams once I depart from the Wizarding World and journey through other realms.”
Angel responded, his tone thoughtful, “That is indeed uncertain. The realm of dreams is elusive, a ghostly veil that perhaps swathes countless worlds. However, given that my grounding lies in the Wizarding World, and the Wilderness of Dreams is not truly the Dream Realm, I fear we may need some trials to ascertain this.”
Freud nodded, a glimmer of anticipation dancing in his eyes, “If the Wilderness of Dreams truly knows no bounds, and could still be accessed across numerous dimensions, its value would indeed be incalculable!”
Angel shared the same foresight of that grand spectacle, yet he didn’t dare harbor great expectations. “We’ll have to see when we have the opportunity to venture into other dimensions,” Angel paused, switching topics, “How is Jon faring physically now?”
“There seems to be no issues at the moment,” Freud reassured.
“That’s good to hear.” Angel noted the local denizens of the Dream Realm around them and could safely infer that Jon was likely unscathed. His greatest concern was the rejection by the World Will; it was precisely due to the rejection of the Wizarding World’s World Will that Jon had suffered abnormalities.
Fortunately, the Wilderness of Dreams existed as an interstitial space, only vaguely associated with the Dream Realm and completely divorced from the Nightmare Plane, devoid of any concept of Will. This environment seemed surprisingly suitable for Jon.
Angel had already located Jon; he was on the second floor of Ocean Theatre, diligently creating a book with the elegant Mrs. Marilyn and several other erudite scholars.
Originally, Angel had intended to introduce Toby to Jon during a brief visit. However, observing Jon’s intense focus on his work, Angel ultimately decided it best not to disturb him for now.
At this moment, Freud suddenly recalled something, “Ah, Lord, speaking of visits. That man you mentioned, Rosam, he came to see me on the day you left Borel Town.”