Chapter 987 Canter's Request <TOC> Chapter 989 Mundane Affairs
Translator: SumTLMan
Sanders, with Angel at his side, made their departure.
Sineva gazed upon Watchtower Fortress, her eyes awash with hues of uncertainty. She pondered if her decision to come here was the right one after all.
Sineva turned her attention back to Bruen, who stood side by side with Madeline.
She was well aware that the two of them harbored the same individual as their objective. However, while one sought instruction, the other craved revenge. Aware of the impulsive nature of their shared target, she realized she had no jurisdiction over the situation. That said, given Madeline hailed from the Savage Grottoes, she felt compelled to alert Sanders, encouraging him to refrain from intervening in Madeline’s affairs.
“Bruen, let’s shelve your plans for the moment. Come with me to see Samantha,” Sineva stated before shifting her gaze to Madeline.
“Madeline, I won’t meddle in your affairs. However, I would advise you to avoid stirring up trouble within Watchtower Fortress. You should understand how hard-won the peace here is.”
Madeline retorted with a cold sneer, “The way you speak, it’s as if peace is a precious commodity here. Yet, isn’t it your Frost Moon Alliance that’s been kicking up a storm in the Abyss?”
Sineva merely offered a smile, her eyes shimmering with an elusive light, “So what if it is? Isn’t Lord Rhine also waiting for a particular outcome?”
If Mengke genuinely could break through to the realm of legend this time, Sineva was confident that Rhine would follow the same path.
Hence, right or wrong boiled down to who truly reaped the most considerable benefit.
With a disdainful snort, Madeline decided not to engage Sineva in a verbal skirmish further. She took to the skies and headed towards Watchtower Fortress.
Sineva was ready to depart with Bruen, but before leaving, she caught sight of Velite off to one side.
Velite’s eyes flickered, evidently lost in thought.
“Velite, you…”
Velite wore a faint smile, “I’m no instigator. I won’t be staying in the fortress for long. My objective is the inner layers.”
Sineva furrowed her brow, “The Abyss is in flux right now, you best tread lightly if you’re venturing into the inner layers.”
With those final words, Sineva and Bruen left Duchess Bel behind. Velite, with a mysterious smile curling up the corners of his mouth, made his departure shortly after.
Having seen that everyone else had withdrawn, Duchess Bel sauntered, her bell tinkling crisply, into Downfallen Forest… She had been weary these past few days, necessitating the location of a secure spot to rejuvenate.
…
Following Sanders, Angel meandered through the fortress.
Its interior was replete with buildings made of reinforced concrete, lending it an initial impression of postmodernist flair. However, Angel barely had the leisure to survey his external surroundings, given the chilling aura he could discern emanating from Sanders.
Angel shadowed Sanders cautiously and was soon led to Sanders’ dwelling. Through the outer living room, Angel was guided into the inner study.
The moment Sanders sat down, his icy gaze was cast upon Angel.
A detailed scrutiny sent cold breezes flying.
“Before you interrogate me, clarify this first—what’s the matter with your right hand?” Sanders’ gaze fixated on Angel’s right forearm. Through illusion magic, he could vividly see the transformations of Angel’s right hand.
“I encountered him again while studying with something,” Angel vaguely replied.
The “he” Angel referred to was naturally understood by Sanders as the individual from the Nightmare Plane.
This answer was conjectured by Sanders when he first met Angel. However, what unsettled Sanders was that before mentioning “encountering him,” Angel had alluded, in a cryptic manner, to “he was studying with something.”
Ah, studying with something?
Sanders, nursing a mild headache, rubbed his temples. Almost every time Angel meddled with something, there would be astonishing repercussions. For instance, nearly reaching the mysterious realm or, as another example, the mysterious concrete object that Sanders had thus far dared not disclose…
He had an inexplicable premonition that what Angel would mention next would likely stir up a storm.
“Cough, don’t tell me that the widely circulated matter of the Devil’s Sea Zone some time ago has to do with you?” Sanders meticulously recollected the significant events of the past year, feeling that the only incident that could potentially involve Angel was this one.
“The matter of the Devil’s Sea Zone? Which one is the mentor referring to?” Angel asked, looking puzzled.
From his tone, could there be numerous incidents? Half of Sanders’ heart suddenly cooled, even beginning to contemplate how to help Angel clean up the mess.
“The incident on Silver Palm Island—it’s rumored that someone entered ahead of time and absconded with the Mysterious Object from within. Don’t tell me that person was you?” Sanders stared straight at Angel, his eyes filled with inquisitiveness.
Angel chuckled lightly, “If I had absconded with the Mysterious Object, how could I possibly return to the vast Feran Continent, let alone venture into the Abyss to meet Mentor?”
This line of reasoning seemed plausible.
Given the profound depth of the ‘Song of the Deep Sea’ and the power of the ‘Sea God’ Florence, how could they fail to monitor Angel? Besides, according to the information he had received so far, the individual who had taken the Mysterious Object had not yet revealed themselves. Thus, it was evident that this person possessed a formidable ability to conceal their actions, which indicated it wasn’t likely Angel.
Upon this realization, Sanders breathed a sigh of relief.
However, in the very next moment, he felt as though he was about to spew blood in exasperation.
He saw Angel stammering, “Though I didn’t take the Mysterious Object, I indeed ventured into the dark space of Silver Palm Island a bit earlier…”
“You!” Sanders pointed at Angel, unable to utter a single word for a long while. He felt a surge of anger building up in his chest, impossible to alleviate.
Indeed, he should not have expected Angel to carry out mundane missions!
Right now, he fervently wished he could retract his initial impression of Angel when they first met at Barbie Restaurant: Angel seemed to be a promising scholar with a predominantly orderly and kind disposition, unassuming yet easily mistaken for being mediocre.
Where was the mediocrity? On normal days, Angel remained unassuming, but Unceasingly Stirring Up Trouble, each issue he created was even more shocking than those incited by Sumesh and Flora.
Looking back, his composure, maintained over centuries, had been shattered on nearly every occasion due to Angel in recent years.
Sanders took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his impulse to turn around and storm off, “So, this affair that you’ve been meddling in, is it this one?”
Angel blinked his eyes, and then… shook his head.
He actually shook his head!
Sanders gripped the armrest of his chair tightly, his grip so intense that the wooden armrest crumbled into splinters under his hand.
The affair Angel was meddling in, it wasn’t the same as Silver Palm Island incident?! It seemed that Angel was still gathering strength for his trump card, yet to be deployed.
Sanders swallowed hard, daring not to inquire about exactly what Angel was meddling in. Instead, he decided to address one issue at a time. The first one was the matter of Silver Palm Island.
“What exactly is the situation with Silver Palm Island?” Sanders questioned, his face grim.
“Actually, it really has nothing to do with me.” Angel wore an innocent look, ready to explain, when he noticed the sudden change in their surroundings.
From the confines of one study, he found himself in another. However, this one was not enclosed within walls but instead lay under the open sky.
Angel was no stranger to this place — it was Sanders’s Gravity Garden.
Sanders had previously set up safeguards to ensure their conversation couldn’t be overheard. Still, in the unlikely event a prophecy wizard was peering in their direction, it wasn’t impossible their discussion would be compromised. So, just to be safe, Sanders escorted Angel into the Gravity Garden.
“Please, continue,” Sanders invited, resuming his position at his desk.
Angel began, “By sheer coincidence, I found myself within. The story starts with a peculiar ship I encountered in the Mist Zone of the Devil Sea…”
He narrated his experiences since setting sail. His focus was the so-called “prophecies” written in the ship’s logbook; he painstakingly recounted every doubt and detail he found intriguing.
Instances such as the Tearful Flower Sea, the God Islands, the Wishing Tree, and more — Angel detailed them all.
These accounts served as a prelude to the real point of his story: the appearance of these prophecies piqued his curiosity. Hence, through various clues and records in the ship’s log, he discovered the Well of Snowlay Garden.
His curiosity ran too deep, and upon seeing the teleportation formation at the bottom of the well, he couldn’t resist exploring. That, in turn, led to the series of events that followed.
Throughout his narrative, Angel made it a point to mention, “I haven’t forgotten the mission you assigned me, Mentor — to unravel the —Irrefutable Theory of Ghosts and Souls—. After I found the ghost of Tulas in the dark space, I managed to capture it. Now, it has successfully been converted into a soul.”
“However, unfortunately, when Tulas became a soul, his ability to spatial shift disappeared. Perhaps this is a limitation of that Mysterious Object.”
Having finished his explanation, Angel looked at Sanders, whose face remained impassive. Hurrying to clarify, he stated, “Aside from taking Tulas with me, I didn’t take anything else from that dark space. Therefore, the disappearance of that Mysterious Object has absolutely nothing to do with me.”
Sanders could discern that Angel was speaking the truth, his anxiety subtly dissipating.
Reflecting on Angel’s circumstances, Sanders was struck by the drama of fate. A chain of coincidences eventually creating an unexpected outcome.
Especially the teleportation formation located deep within the well, unprotected, remaining unnoticed in the world of mortals for millennia. None of the wizards, even those with true knowledge, had discovered it. However, Angel, by chance, was the one to stumble upon it.
A string of coincidences eventually formed a distinct pattern.
Perhaps, was this the prophecy of that Mysterious Object associated with the “Law of Cause and Effect”?
Sanders felt a pang of contemplation, yet he remained attentive enough to caution Angel, “You must never mention your journey to that realm to anyone.”
In truth, Sanders felt a tinge of regret, after all, it was an object of the “Law of Cause and Effect” that had yet to be revealed to the world. But then again, what’s lost is lost. Furthermore, had Angel indeed obtained that object, he would inevitably have been found by the Song of the Deep Sea. In light of this, the current outcome seemed to be more favourable.
“Did you say you reverted Tulas back to his soul form, and is he still with you now?”
Angel nodded, retrieving the Cathedral of the Dead from his bracelet, subsequently releasing Tulas from it.
Tulas, engrossed in the novel about his triumphant conquest of the boundless sea, found himself rather perplexed as his surroundings abruptly altered.
Relief washed over him as he set his eyes on Angel.
The very next moment, Tulas rushed to Angel’s side, pleading pitifully, “Lord Pat, when can I return to Initial Heart City? My duel isn’t over yet, my reputation…”
Chapter 987 Canter's Request <TOC> Chapter 989 Mundane Affairs