Chapter 956 News and Speculation <TOC> Chapter 958 The Alchemy Workshop
Translator: SumTLMan
Day and night took turns, with stars subtly bobbing up and down at the edge of the sky.
Against a backdrop of thin mists, Piers halted, looking back at Angel.
Angel stood before a background of the night sky sprinkled with twinkling stars, and an all-encompassing, frigid wind sweeping across the plateau.
“We’re a considerable distance from the Wings of Cold Frost now, so this is a good spot,” Piers hovered mid-air, his ebony cloak rustling audibly under the gusts of the nocturnal wind.
Piers didn’t rush to discuss the matters at hand, instead he commented, “I heard the situation in the Abyss is rather murky these days. Angel, if you are to venture into the Abyss, be cautious not to delve too deep.”
Piers spoke just enough to avoid boring Angel, then swiftly turned his attention to the matter of importance.
“I sought you out mainly for two reasons. One, to trade some insider information about Eternal Night Kingdom. Second, to discuss the person you’ve been inquiring about.” Piers wore a solemn expression as he mentioned this.
“Are you referring to Cassini?”
Piers nodded, “Indeed, him.”
“Who is he?” Angel sensed that Piers intentionally avoided discussing Cassini back at the Wings of Cold Frost. He was already on alert, sensing that something about Cassini’s identity might not be as straightforward as it seemed. Therefore, Angel played along with Piers and did not bring up the matter.
Piers queried, “Before I answer that question, may I ask you one first?”
With no suspicions, Angel nodded, “Sure.”
“Could you tell me where you first heard this name?” Piers asked, his countenance serious.
The stern expression of Piers had already given Angel a rough idea. Perhaps, Cassini was not a fictional character in the Vision Space but a real person in existence.
If the existence of Cassini was a reality, Angel somewhat understood Piers’ grave demeanor. Because for Cassini to be able to intervene in Angel’s alchemical visions and possibly cause an unusual effect on the Blood Night Sanctuary, it indicated that Cassini’s prowess was undoubtedly formidable.
Angel recollected his encounter with the disciples of the Crowned Clown in the Savage Grottoes, where items marked with the true name of the Crowned Clown could wield remarkably potent effects.
However, even the Crowned Clown couldn’t directly confer legendary-grade effects. The anomaly of the Blood Night Sanctuary was capable of repelling a legendary-grade gaze, which thereby had to be a legendary-grade effect itself.
Hence, it implied that Cassini might possibly be a being of the same realm as the Crowned Clown, or even higher!
The Crowned Clown was an unparalleled Demon God from the abyss!
The advent of a mere common Demon God could set off an apocalypse in the Southern Region. A Great Demon God could collapse the Southern Region, making it impossible for it to regain vitality for thousands of years. If it were an Unparalleled Demon God…
The idea was too horrifying for Angel to contemplate. If Cassini truly existed on the same level as the Crowned Clown, this would be a terrifying entity beyond belief!
“Can’t you tell?” Seeing Angel in persistent silence, Piers asked further.
Snapping back to reality, Angel pondered a while and replied ambiguously, “I heard of Cassini’s name from others.”
By “others,” he meant Cassini himself.
From a certain perspective, he was not exactly lying.
Upon hearing this, Piers gave Angel a deep, thoughtful glance. He knew full well that Angel was playing a game of words. After all, he himself used this method to dodge questions from full-fledged wizards when he was an apprentice and didn’t want to answer.
Despite seeing through Angel’s ruse, Piers didn’t expose it.
By answering in such a way, Angel had essentially hinted that he was very likely the one marked by Cassini.
While Piers did not make an effort to confirm, he had already accepted in his heart that Angel was marked by Cassini. Standing before a “Seed of Truth,” Piers felt a wave of exhilaration and envy.
Even though Piers was a step ahead of Angel at present, Angel’s recognition by Cassini signified his boundless potential. He might not tread on the Path of Truth, but if he chooses wisely, even legendhood is a plausible future.
Now, in the depths of ambition, Mengke has indeed met Cassini. And indeed, evidence shows that today, the most formidable force in the Southern Region is indeed Mengke.
The potential of Angel is immeasurable, but he himself may have reached a point of saturation, having yet to graze the edges of true knowledge, let alone truth itself.
Why wouldn’t Piers be envious!
However, while a mortal may be clouded by jealousy, as a wizard weathered by trials and tribulations, Piers merely snuffs out the spark of envy within him, and silently resolves to tighten his bond with Angel.
If Angel truly reaches that stage, merely picking up the wisdom shed by the powerful would be endlessly beneficial.
With that thought, Piers set aside unnecessary concerns, casting a somewhat complex gaze towards Angel, “Regardless of where you heard that name, try to refrain from mentioning it in the future.”
Pausing slightly, in response to Angel’s confusion, Piers explained, “The name ‘Cassini’ signifies endless light.”
“But at the same time, it also implies an eternal shadow.”
“Because, he is… the Time Thief.”
…
Piers departed, boarding a celestial whale, basking in starlight, vanishing into the embrace of the night.
Angel, however, still felt somewhat stunned. He never expected to hear the story of the Time Thief under such circumstances.
He recalls the time he left Phantom Island last year, intending to return home. Gloria had mentioned the “Time Thief” then, but the conversation was interrupted, and the subject was never broached again.
The next time he heard of the Time Thief was just now.
Piers was somewhat taken aback that Angel was unfamiliar with the Time Thief, and proceeded to give a comprehensive briefing on the greatness of the Time Thief.
When Piers narrated the deeds of this legendary figure, the Time Thief, Angel was almost instantly certain that this was the mysterious person who had bizarrely appeared in his Vision Space while he was crafting the Blood Night Sanctuary.
Angel still remembered that enigmatic shadow, perched on the Wheel of Time, who had addressed him with a grin, “Since you chose to wait, I’ll take away the other choice.”
At the time, Angel didn’t quite grasp the shadow’s meaning. But reflecting now, he had achieved clarity.
The shadow had pilfered the choice he had abandoned and then gifted it back to him at the Blood Night Sanctuary. This was quite in line with the definition of a Time Thief. One might even suggest, the shadow was the Time Thief!
“Does the emergence of the Time Thief imply a potential journey towards truth?” Angel murmured to himself, harboring doubts.
If someone were indeed capable of traversing time nodes and discerning the Seed of Truth, they would themselves be a living embodiment of truth. Yet if they continued to pilfer the truth, it suggested they were still deviating from the righteous path of truth. Consequently, how could they decide who possesses the potential for “truth”?
Of course, Angel was well aware that he was not sufficiently advanced.
According to Piers, the Time Thief was, at the least, of legendary stature, a mighty wizard of the third Miracle Realm. For Angel, now speculating about such an exalted figure was akin to a summer mayfly attempting to discuss about the snow.
Yet, maintaining a healthy skepticism was a part of a wizard’s cultivation. It would not be too late to redefine things when he reached that stage.
Regardless, Angel now understood the implications of “Cassini”.
While “Seed of Truth” might be a beautiful phrase, if your abilities do not match this label, you might well end up as a guinea pig for other wizards.
After all, the Wizarding World was a potpourri of characters. Not everyone could be like Piers, capable of suppressing their jealousy and choosing patience.
“It seems I need to tread more cautiously in the future,” Angel muttered as he rubbed his throbbing temples, spinning on his heels to head towards the Wings of Cold Frost.
In flight, Angel reminisced about a list mentioned by Piers.
The list comprised individuals who had been clearly marked by the Time Thief. Foremost among these was Lord Mengke of the Frost Moon Alliance, followed by others whom Angel had mostly heard of – all colossal figures in the Wizarding World.
Notably, Angel observed the name of Sanders among the rest.
The list curated by Piers only comprised of about a dozen individuals. However, this didn’t imply that the number of individuals marked by the Time Thief was limited to this count. According to Piers, the Southern Region potentially harbors nearly a hundred marked individuals.
Angel could possibly be the weakest among these hundred.
Consequently, this suggested that upon Angel’s revelation, he would likely be targeted.
“Had I known earlier, I wouldn’t have inquired Piers, but directly consulted Sanders,” Angel contemplated in hindsight, acknowledging his previous hasty actions.
Nevertheless, as of the current moment, Piers seemed to be friendly towards him. On the other hand, the stance of Velite was still ambiguous.
While Piers was discussing “Cassini” with Angel, Gauss and Velite naturally made their way into the conversation.
Piers gave Angel an overview of his arrival at Western Demos, and warned, “Velite appears to be friendly with a wide circle of contacts, but nobody can decipher his true inner self. As for Gauss, I don’t have a deep understanding either. However, as long as you possess the alchemical item capable of resisting prophecy, you’re relatively safe for the time being.”
According to Piers, Velite has started to harbor suspicions about Angel, hence he should tread cautiously.
…
Angel’s departure was uneventful.
To his surprise, the circumstances were completely transformed upon his return. Even before he had touched ground, he sensed several scrutinizing eyes upon him.
Furthermore, a few wizards were gathered around Madeline. Prior to his departure, Madeline was isolated, but upon his return, she seemed to have blossomed into a social butterfly.
Angel, puzzled, landed behind Madeline.
Upon his landing, Angel was immediately encircled by those previously surrounding Madeline.
“Are you Angel?” “Master Phantom seems to have found a promising disciple…” “Oh, heavens…The gates of Torch Institute will forever remain open for you…”
Baffled, Angel grasped the situation through their words.
These people were presumably here for him?
Looking into their eager eyes, this seemed to be the case.
Angel had experienced a taste of the popularity that fame could bring during his previous visit to the Savage Grottoes. However, he hadn’t thought much of it at the time, believing that his reputation was only established within the Savage Grottoes.
Now, he truly understood the impact of fame.
Chapter 956 News and Speculation <TOC> Chapter 958 The Alchemy Workshop