Chapter 2631: Chapter 2632: Wax Mummy
Vay swallowed nervously, despite feeling a bit apprehensive himself, he still said, "Kaier, donât scare yourself."
Kaier remained silent, fearing he might really have a crowâs mouth.
Although heâs just an apprentice, and his inspiration isnât as strong as an official wizardâs, he occasionally experiences some "surprises." And these surprises, to put it bluntly, mean that good things donât actually work, but bad ones do.
Kaier silently prayed in his heart: he was just talking aimlessly earlier, please donât let it come true, please...
"Although Vay might not mean what he says, at least heâs correct." Angel, seeing the two apprentices trembling together, ultimately couldnât bear it and said, "If there really is a side path of normal size similar to that dog hole, itâs actually easier for us to find the clues in it. Never underestimate a wizardâs abilities."
Angel wasnât saying this just to comfort them; it was indeed the truth.
Although they seemed to be moving forward without any caution or fear, both Angel and the Black Earl were observing the surrounding details in their own ways.
For instance, the scent positioning points set by the Black Earl. Also, Angel was constantly observing the magic pattern directions on the surrounding walls and the ground.
If that dog hole truly had an illusionary large size, the corresponding complexity and size would have matching intricate magic patterns. Angel could use the direction of the patterns to determine specific situations, which is easier to judge than the current dog hole.
Angel: "Speaking of which, Iâm actually looking forward to encountering a dog hole of the size you mentioned, to help resolve our confusion. Is it a controlled trap or... some kind of life form?"
If wood can become spiritual, so can walls made of stone. Of course, thinking is one thing; for an object to truly become a spirit requires favorable timing, location, and human assistance. Otherwise, spiritual entities in the Wizardsâ Realm wouldnât be so rare.
Angelâs words were heard in reverse by others, after all, who would hope to encounter unknown dangers during exploration?
However, Angel truly wanted to encounter the large "dog hole." Solving the confusion was secondary; he was more curious about what allowed the "dog hole" to sense their presence?
This isnât the first time.
Even though outsiders only viewed Angelâs main role as an Alchemist, Angelâs own priority is illusion technique first, alchemy second.
Indeed, Angel achieved this. His illusion technique, once infused with the power of nightmare illusion, is difficult even for Sanders to discern. This means Angelâs illusion mastery has already surpassed his own level. Even against true knowledge level opponents, briefly controlling them with illusions isnât hard.
However, this time, Angel unexpectedly faced repeated setbacks in his supposedly most adept illusion technique.
When the dog hole first appeared, Angel didnât pay much attention as he didnât understand its principle.
Later, upon hearing the Black Earl mention that the dog hole opens only upon sensing people present, and closes otherwise, Angel mentally noted it.
Before entering the sewer, Angel under the pretense of adding purifying fields, enhanced the illusionary realmâs concealment abilities. He did it subconsciously but unexpectedly encountered the dog hole a second time.
Yet, even after strengthening the illusionary realm, the dog hole still detected them within it.
This made Angel very eager to understand how the dog hole sensed them. The answer to this question might further deepen his understanding of the art of nightmare illusion. Even if it doesnât, it might at least cover the shortcomings of his illusion technique.
In essence, whatever the answer, itâs a substantial enhancement for Angel.
If not for being the expeditionâs leader, Angel might already have gone to study the dog hole. But this matter isnât urgent; as long as the underground labyrinth still exists, he believes heâs bound to encounter the dog hole again...
Even if reality doesnât present it, thereâs still the Nightmare Realm.
...
Angel restrained his restless thoughts, took a deep breath and returned to his role as the "reliable leader."
"Itâs not necessary to worry about the dog hole for now, thatâs not our purpose this time."
"Letâs keep moving; if we havenât taken a wrong turn, weâre not far from the Hanging Jail Stairway." Angel said, "After all, Iâve been informed that the wood spirit is a bit timid. If it truly fled here, it wouldnât have gone too far."
After all, the terrors of the sewerâs magical creatures are far greater than the Ghosteye Witch above.
Even if the wood spirit can pretend to be a dead object for years to evade magical creatures, Angel believed itâs unlikely to stay in the sewer for long.
This place is filled with darkness, pollution, filth, and unbearable stench. Even Speedy, an energy life form, returns to the purifying field; what more for the naturally pure Wood Spirit?
"Thatâs logically sound, but the premise is weâre not on the wrong path," Dox murmured.
Angel paid no attention to Dox; theyâll know soon if theyâre on the wrong track by proceeding a bit further. If there are visible traces of numerous magical creatures, it confirms theyâre on the wrong path. Otherwise, not.
Proceeding onward.
But this time, the atmosphere was much more subdued.
Until Angel projected a familiar symbol onto the light screen, the tense atmosphere began to dissolve amidst doubt.
The symbol, though slightly damaged and its colors almost faded, still showed a general outline.
A hollow black circle, divided equally by a diagonal line, with silhouetted human figures within each half.
The facial details were unclear, but the left semicircle had a hat-wearing male, while the right had a long-haired female.
Had it been their first time seeing the symbol, theyâd be puzzled. But not long ago, they encountered an identical and intact symbol.
"Is this... the Mirror Demon Godâs symbol?" Dox asked with a frown, "Where did you find it?"
Angel pointed in a direction, but since it was dark and dirty outside, none extended their spiritual power. Therefore, Angel directly simulated the location through the illusion screen.
The first image showed a dilapidated, weathered wall, typical in the sewer, corroded by darkness and pollution. At the center of the wall stood a raised platform with a wax-sealed emaciated corpse lying on it. The corpseâs dry skin bore the Mirror Demon Godâs symbol.
"Is this a wax seal?" the Black Earl asked.
Angel nodded, "Yes, a posthumous wax seal made from high-grade wax. Judging by the symbol, the wax-sealed corpse mightâve been a disciple of the Demon God sect from back then."
Dox inquired, "If thatâs the case, could it be a near-millennia-old wax corpse?"
Angel: "Given the waxâs high quality, I wouldnât rule out a millennial wax seal. But without physically examining the wax corpse, I canât be sure."
Angel paused and then asked, "Want to go check it out?"
Vay: "Is... is it dangerous?"
Angel shook his head, "I donât know, but Earl Miâs information didnât detect any living entities. However, the corpseâs location is peculiar, intentionally placed on a raised platform at the wallâs center... as if designed specifically for displaying this wax corpse."
Because the wax-sealed corpseâs locale seemed odd, Angel chose not to immediately lead them there but first simulated it through illusions to gather their thoughts.
"Since itâs peculiar, perhaps we shouldnât go? Weâve seen the corpse and learned it might belong to the Mirror Demon Godâs sect, thatâs enough," Vay suggested nervously.
Angel didnât immediately share his thoughts, instead turning to others, specifically Dox and the Black Earl.
Dox uncharacteristically remained silent, but the Black Earl contemplated briefly before saying, "Letâs go and have a look. My prior inspiration hasnât changed; thereâs no danger here to threaten us."
After speaking, the Black Earl tapped Angelâs shoulder with a slate, urging him to proceed.
However, Angel understood perfectly well that the Black Earl was not only urging him to move forward but also implying: there truly is no danger here.
As for why the Black Earl was so certain, perhaps it is yet another prophecy?
Angel didnât care whether the previous prophecy was still at work or if the Black Earl had released another prophecy; since the Black Earl said there was no danger, it wouldnât hurt to go take a look.
As soon as the Black Earl spoke, the previously timid Vay could only change his tune, and Angel also intended to go over; the majority had already agreed. Seeing that the tide had turned, Dox and Kaier could only nod and agree to the proposal.
The location of the wax corpse was actually not far from them, just about thirty meters, but because it was close to the wall, and the wallâs bottom was the sewage ditch, even after Angel layered two purifying fields, the external foul smell was faintly perceptible.
Although a third layer of purifying field could be added, this might lead to the collapse of the light-dark transition illusion, so Angel found a middle ground solution: have Speedy drive all the incoming scents to the farthest edge, and then isolate a small space with a wind barrier.
Since the smell was not very strong, Speedy did not go on strike.
This allowed everyone... or rather, Vay and the Black Earl, to let out a long sigh of relief.
With no scent interference and Angel enhancing the depth of illusion coverage, everyone could directly use spiritual power to investigate the wax corpseâs condition.
After a while, Angel reduced the illusionâs depth again, while maintaining the height and providing space for Speedy behind, making Angel a bit concerned that the Earl Mi as the main body might not be able to withstand it. So, seeing that everyone had almost finished their observation, he retracted the illusion.
After withdrawing the illusion, Angel was about to ask everyone about their discoveries, but before he could speak, the Black Earl took the lead.
"Itâs generally confirmed that the wax corpse is from ten thousand years ago and should have reached the official wizard level before death. The wax seal was made by others after its death, perhaps by other Demon God followers. The patterns on its body existed in life, so it is undoubtedly a Demon God follower." The Black Earl paused: "Besides this, no other discoveries."
Angel looked at the others, including Dox; they all shook their heads, the information they found either overlapped with the Black Earlâs or was nonexistent.
After confirming that the others hadnât discovered anything, Angel spoke up, adding: "I didnât focus on the wax corpse, but rather on observing that protruding platform. Originally, I thought the platform was native to the wall since the magic patterns on it are seamless with the surrounding ones."
"But after careful observation, I noticed that the blood ink used for the magic patterns on the platform differs slightly from the others, with the color tending towards dark gray rather than black. If the Black Earl used his sense of smell earlier, he should have been able to detect the difference in the scent of the blood ink."
The Black Earl remained silent; he had not used his sense of smell earlier, mainly because his olfactory sensitivity was too high, even though Speedy had driven away all penetrating scents, but once he activated his smell, he could still clearly detect them.
"Through the difference in blood ink, I can confirm that this platform is not native. It was built by outsiders, and whoever did it understood magic patterns well."
Doxâs face was skeptical: "Who would be bored enough to specially build a platform for placing a corpse?"
Angel: "I never said the purpose of building the platform was to place the corpse. However, your guess is most likely correct."
"As for why a high platform was constructed, perhaps because the identity of the corpse was familiar to the builder, who couldnât bear to see it exposed to the ground, polluted, and consumed by magical creatures."
Dox: "Why bother building a platform when you could just take the corpse away?"
Angel shrugged: "I donât know, perhaps the entity that built the platform never left the underground labyrinth either."
Dox keenly picked up that Angel did not mention the builder as "human," but instead referred to them as an "entity," directly suggesting that the builder might not have left.
This was almost no longer insinuation, but rather a clear indication that the builder of the platform might be some ancient creature, adept in alchemy, that roams the underground maze and frequents the Hanging Jail Stairway?
Dox: "So, itâs possible that the platform builder knew the Demon God follower?"
Angel: "Itâs not certain if they knew the Demon God followers, rather they knew this person. For example, like how you know the Alchemist Angel, but not the Illusionist Angel."
Humans are inherently multifaceted, often only displaying one side to the outside world. However, some people differ; they prefer to adopt different identities in different facets. The wax corpse might be one such individual; his identity could be an executioner at the Hanging Jail Stair or another renowned figure in Naraku City, yet simultaneously, he was a disciple of the Mirror Demon God.
Of course, it canât be entirely ruled out, perhaps he was a spy planted by another organization within the Mirror Demon God sect.
So, one canât just look at one side.
The entity might be acquainted with the Demon God follower, or it might not even know the wax corpseâs identity as a Demon God follower.
The specific answer can only be found from the entity. However, Angel hopes they do not encounter this entity.
Angel: "Without other findings, letâs leave here first. Or, if anyone is interested in the wax corpse, they can take it along; the wax seal has sealed most of the energy, capturing it doesnât result in serious energy loss, so it might be quite valuable."
Angelâs remarks were primarily directed at Dox. Vay and Kaier visibly held disgust for the wax corpse; it was evident they wouldnât carry a corpse with them.
Nonetheless, Dox also declined this tempting offer. If Angel hadnât hinted that the wax corpse might be related to that entity, Dox might have really taken it away.
But as they might face the entity shortly, under such circumstances, itâs best not to seek trouble.
Since Dox refused as well, Angel didnât hesitate further and signaled for everyone to move forward.
The fact that Demon God followers appeared here confirmed Angelâs long-standing suspicion that their target was the Hanging Jail Stairway, making him even more certain that he was on the right path, and the Hanging Jail Stairway should not be far.
With determination, everyone swiftly departed from the platform, disappearing into the darkness.
However, Angel didnât notice that shortly after they left, a faint green light suddenly flickered on the wax corpse on the platform.
And the source of the green light was precisely the pattern on the wax corpseâs skin, which seemed to be that of the Mirror Demon God.
...
Meanwhile, in a secluded dark space within the underground maze.
A teasing voice sounded: "Sleep-loving Adanis, wonât you come take a look at what Iâve found?"
After a moment of silence, a slightly lazy female voice replied: "Just Noahâs descendants, and their bloodlines so weak, they probably donât even have the qualifications to step in here. I donât know what youâre so excited about?"
Over the years, many Noah clan members explored the underground labyrinth, but none of them ever reached here. Thus, Adanis held no hope for these diluted bloodline Noah descendants.
"Compared to the Noah descendants, Iâm more looking forward to Narakuâs return."
"Narakuâs return, Narakuâs return, everyone repeats those words. But does he truly have a way to return?" the playful voice suddenly turned deep.
"Who knows, but those Obsessors keep chanting, it actually seems possible." The lazy female voice paused: "Alright, Iâm going to continue practicing. Before Naraku returns, donât bother me."
"Is this really practice? Youâre just sleeping!"
"I once met a spirit who told me that training can also be done in dreams. Since I have time, Iâm putting it into practice now."
"That spirit was deceiving you."
"It doesnât matter; even if it was deceit, I still enjoy this feeling of practice."
"To put it simply, you just love sleeping... Once youâre asleep, Iâll be lonely, having no one to talk to."
"Shut up, say one more word and Iâll smash you, besides, I donât want to talk to someone with a mouth with no restraint!"
Afterward, amidst a mumbled complaint, the dark space returned to silence.
A long and distant silence.
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