Chapter 2600: Chapter 2601: Secrets and Expectations
Angel didnât speak, but fell into silence.
The Black Earl thought Angel was weighing the pros and cons and didnât mind, giving Angel time to consider.
After a while, Angel softly said, "Thereâs no need for you to test me, sir. What could I know about the Noah clan? Itâs nothing more than overhearing some little gossip, which wonât affect the exploration at all."
What Angel said was likely true, because if it really had an impact, he wouldnât have agreed to let the Noah clan members come along. As for setting a trap? Thatâs impossible; their arrival was completely coincidental. Besides, with Angelâs current strength, even without malicious intent, his inspiration can easily detect it.
However, even if Angel knew just some trivial information, the Black Earl still wanted to know.
After all, on that table, the Demon Godâs followers clearly recorded the mysterious predecessor of the Noah clan. Perhaps what Angel knows is about this person?
"Are you sure you donât want to know how Sanders managed to create the Moving Mirage? If all youâve heard is small gossip, then exchanging it for this secret is still worthwhile for you."
Angel still shook his head: "No need, even if you donât tell me, I roughly understand the truth behind this secret."
Previously, Angel had fallen silent for a while. At that time, the Black Earl thought Angel was contemplating whether to make this trade. But in reality, Angel was deducing the so-called "secret" the Black Earl mentioned.
Although the Black Earl didnât reveal anything about this secret, itâs hard not to take Angelâs deep knowledge of Sanders into account.
Sanders never taught him the Moving Mirage, and never even mentioned it, there must be a reason.
Moreover, Sanders has no reason to keep such a thing private.
So what could the reason be?
Insufficient strength? Probably not. He is now an Official Wizard, only a step away from True Knowledge. Also, even if itâs due to strength, couldnât he at least give a heads-up?
Now that the Black Earl dares to tell him, it indicates that the issue is not about strength.
Apart from strength, the other reason Angel could think of is that Sanders doesnât want Angel to learn his Moving Mirage.
That is to say, there are drawbacks to Sandersâ Moving Mirage. Significant drawbacks that outweigh the minimal benefits.
Otherwise, Sanders wouldnât even mention it.
Sanders once told Angel that to connect to the Nightmare Realm Portal, he severed his own Nightmare Soul Body talent, gaining access to the Nightmare Realm but losing his chance for further achievement.
If Sanders could talk about that, yet not mention the Moving Mirage, the answer is pretty clear.
Sanders is afraid that even if Angel knows itâs a drawback, he might imitate it for various reasons.
And Angel happened to hear about something...
"Oh? You know this secret?" The Black Earl asked curiously, "Did Sanders tell you?"
Angel: "No, but you mentioned before that my mentor and elemental partner tried to cooperate, but it didnât work out due to various reasons. Whereas I succeeded in releasing the Moving Mirage precisely because I matched the attributes of the Demon People."
"Combining these two factors, one can basically deduce that to perfectly release the Moving Mirage, the mentor just needs to find someone compatible with himself."
The Black Earlâs voice suddenly turned distant: "Do you know who this person is?"
"You just said, âThe person who knows you best is your enemy.â I feel this statement is flawed; the one who understands oneself the most should be oneself first, then your enemy. Otherwise, if you donât even know yourself, wouldnât that be living in vain?"
After saying this, Angel stopped speaking, but the person he referred to was already hinted at in his words.
The Black Earl looked deeply at Angel, and after a long while, chuckled slightly: "It seems Iâve spoken too much this time. I shouldnât have told you so much about the Moving Mirage information before."
"However, I didnât expect that you had met another Sanders."
The Black Earlâs words confirmed that Angelâs deduction was correct. The reason Sanders could perfectly use the Moving Mirage is because of another version of himself within.
A person identical to Sanders, but more sinister and enchanting.
The Black Earl continued, "Unless absolutely necessary, Sanders wonât let him out. You have met him, which means you were once in a very bad situation, facing the risk of death at any moment, and Sanders was unable to reach you, so he sent him instead?"
Angel: "..."
Indeed, this old monster could almost perfectly reconstruct the situation with just a few thoughts.
Seeing Angelâs silence, the Black Earl realized he was right: "Since you know this secret, we canât exchange information about it, so letâs just drop this matter."
The Black Earl hadnât anticipated that Angelâs thinking could be even more nimble than he assumed.
If it had been another student of SandersâSumishe answering, even if Sumishe had seen the other Sanders, given his character, he wouldnât have connected the dots.
He now truly acknowledges that Angelâs rise to becoming the most dazzling new star in the Southern Domain in a short time isnât just by chance.
Angelâs achievements may have been aided by opportunity, but that doesnât change the fact that this is an inevitable result.
While the Black Earl was lost in thoughts, Angelâs voice came from the other end of the Mind Ribbon: "You told me about the Moving Mirage earlier, which counts as information exchange. I can tell you this: I donât actually know what ties this place to the Noah clan, it was purely by happenstance that I found out there used to be someone with the last name Noah here."
The Black Earl was slightly taken aback; he thought Angel would certainly keep the secret, but unexpectedly he revealed it?
"This person with the last name Noah, who is he?"
Angel: "The name should already appear in your mind, right? I wonât say it, for I am an outsider. If this Noah clan member hasnât perished, calling them directly by name would surely be sacrilegious."
Angel didnât specify who it was, but that didnât hinder the Black Earlâs confirmation.
It surely was him, the most mysterious and legendary predecessor hung proudly at the very top of the Noah family treeâAugustine Noah.
Black Earl: "The âhappenstanceâ you mentioned, you probably wouldnât want to share it with me, would you?"
Angel: "It can be shared, but not now."
Angel could share some things about Augustine with the Black Earl, but not things from within the Nightmare Realm, rather when he encountered Augustine while refining that key. Of course, this is all on the premise thatâwhatâs behind the wall is related to Augustine.
If the destination associated with that key has nothing to do with the Noah Clan, then thereâs no need to mention it. However, this possibility is slim, after all, Augustine personally oversaw the Alchemy Omen. If it had nothing to do with him, it would only mean... Angel has once again unluckily encountered the hardest Alchemy Omen.
"Then I look forward to that moment," said the Black Earl. He didnât seek an immediate answer, enjoying the process of "anticipation." It had been a long time since he had looked forward to something so much.
He believed that when the end arrived, sharing this insight with his True Body, the True Body would also enjoy this adventure just as much as he did.
...
Angel and the Black Earl were engaged in "encrypted" conversations, leaving the others feeling somewhat defeated; they wanted to hear the gossip too.
Moreover, they were surrounded by mutated carrion squirrels, making it hard to keep their composure without a distractionânot out of fear, but mainly because the mutated carrion squirrels were peculiarly ugly.
Beautiful creatures are all alike, but every ugly creature is ugly in its own way.
Their ugliness was so striking that it was a visual assault, impossible to look at directly, becoming a form of spiritual pollution...
This was the visual assault from the mutated carrion squirrels.
"By the way, how do so many mutated carrion squirrels survive?" Kaier curiously asked, "Earlier, they probably smelled the living scent of Lord Red Sword and chased after it madly. They seem to feed on living creatures, but there donât seem to be many living things here to meet their needs?"
"Perhaps theyâve retreated back to the sewers. Iâm sure there are plenty of Magical Creatures in there," Dox said casually.
"Even though they have a stench, I donât smell the sewerâs odor," Vay said, sniffing as if to confirm. Of course, he caught no scent as Angel had thoughtfully set up a Purifying Field in the Illusionary Realm.
"Such a large group is surely the result of years of thriving. Iâm genuinely curious about how they survive ordinarily."
Just as Kaier finished speaking, the voice of the Black Earl rang out, "Carrion squirrels by nature are omnivorous Magical Creatures. They can eat meat, plants, and even gnaw on stones to stave off hunger and stay alive. Moreover, when food is scarce, they can endure long periods of sleep to reduce energy needs. The Mana Array in the Underground Labyrinth still thrives, and even its dispersed energy is sufficient to support these magical creatures."
Not just the mutated carrion squirrels, but the other surviving magical creatures as well, either fighting each other or becoming parasites to the Mana Array.
Of course, this parasitism isnât one-sided. Upon their death, their bodies naturally become part of the Mana Array, serving as a new energy source. Though not much, over time, even a mosquitoâs flesh accumulates to something substantial.
The Mana Array has lasted millennia, adapting its methods to survive.
"These arenât secretive matters. Itâs easy to find this out at any information point, like the Elysium Pavilion or the Tea Party."
"Isnât the Tea Party only open to witches?" Vay and Kaier both overlooked the Elysium Pavilion, understandably shy to mention it in front of their elders.
"Shapeshifting Technique, or hire a female apprentice to ask for you. Do I need to teach you these trivial matters?"
After mocking them, the Black Earl remarked blandly, "It seems like there were gaps in your preparations before your exploration."
Though it seemed like a mere concluding statement, the Black Earl looked meaningfully at Dox.
An oversight is excusable for apprentices, but Dox is an Official Wizard and he wasnât aware of this, nor did he make any preparations. Thatâs clearly an inadequacy.
Dox felt embarrassed to argue... as the mistake was indeed his.
"In this world, there is no absolute freedom. Pursuing so-called freedom for the sake of a little pride, such ignorance is the price you must pay. You should know that in the Wizardsâ Realm, ignorance means..."
Ignorance means you wonât even know why you died.
This statement was evidently directed at Dox. As for whether Dox took it to heart, that was another matter. At least, this time, Dox didnât retort.
After saying this, the Black Earl leisurely floated back to Angelâs side.
"Everyone has the right to choose their own path. The road Dox takes may not necessarily be wrong." Angel re-engaged the "private chat" state with the Black Earl.
"That doesnât conflict with what I said." The Black Earl replied, "I only said this much because of his inspiration. He could pursue freedom, but not ignorance."
Angel found himself unable to refute this.
Dox indeed seemed overly nonchalant. Although calling him ignorant might be too harsh, he rarely paid attention to matters from which he couldnât profit. However, sometimes the interests and the harmful aspects are intricately linked. Ignoring the harm while focusing only on benefits is somewhat biased, leading to inevitable danger.
So, though the Black Earlâs words were harsh, at least they were made with Doxâs future in mind.
Angel thought it over and chose not to say more, simply hoping that Dox wouldnât treat the Black Earlâs words as mere breeze in his ears.
While they were each lost in their thoughts, a fork appeared in the road ahead.
This was an odd fork, one path was a broad maze avenue, while the other resembled a small, square dog hole.
The window wasnât at ground level but was several dozen meters high. A glance inside with spiritual power revealed a path that could be taken, though one would likely have to crawl through it.
Worth noting, this small windowâs path, perhaps due to its height, was free of any mutated carrion squirrel traffic, while the broad road was still packed with them.
Faced with this forkâassuming it was a fork at allâAngel barely hesitated and immediately looked toward Dox.
However, Dox still wore a dazed expression.
Angel walked over, coughed twice to capture Doxâs attention, and said, "Youâre not still mulling over the Black Earlâs words, are you?"
Dox immediately looked disdainful, "I wasnât mulling over such boring matters. I was just pondering a question."
First intentionally provoking a response, then receiving Doxâs proud retort, Angel continued smoothly, "Pondering? What are you pondering? Could it be that youâre contemplating whether to crawl through a dog hole or continue appreciating the beauty of the mutated carrion squirrels?"
Dog hole? Dox hadnât understood what it meant until Angel pointed to the small window high above.
"Weâre all pondering which path to take. Are you pondering this same question too?" Angel asked.
Dox paused for half a second, then suddenly clapped and threw his arm around Angelâs shoulder, "Of course! I was just considering whether to take the dog hole or continue forward!"
Without a directive from Angel, Dangross had already sensibly hopped onto Angelâs shoulder to remove Doxâs hand.
Angel then smiled and said, "So, what conclusion did you reach? By the way, weâve already voted, but itâs currently tied two to two; your vote will decide it, so make your choice carefully."
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