Chapter 2687: Chapter 2688: Journey of the Heart
As for how to define this range, the answer is actually quite simple.
Initially, the coordinates resonating with the staff were at the end of the left path. But when they arrived at the crossroads, the resonance at the end of the left path suddenly disappeared and shifted to the right path.
At that time, Angel felt very strange. Why did the resonance position suddenly change, and after the change, the coordinate point completely contradicted the original?
It could be said that they were two extremely opposite positions.
After pondering for a moment, Angel decided to first go to the left pathâs resonant coordinates to see what was happening. When he reached the end of the left path, he found that the resonant coordinates were not "on the road", but in the dark void.
To his surprise, on the way to the void, Angel perceived space fissures! Space fissures are a type of disaster that is extremely destructive yet very hidden; once you collide with it, the consequences are endless.
If it were just one space fissure, that would be the end of it, but later, after Angel and Kaier explored the void together, they found that this was actually a deathly path filled with space fissures.
The deeper they went, the greater the danger. Angel had no choice but to retreat in time to minimize losses.
Until the end, Angel never found the resonant coordinate point.
At this time, suspicion had already begun to arise in Angelâs heart: Is the resonant coordinate point a trap or an invitation?
The resonant position on the left path is not one that ordinary people can enter; even an official wizard might easily suffer a setback here if not careful. It doesnât seem like an invitation but rather a trap designed to ensnare.
According to this speculation, if the coordinate resonance is indeed information sent by the Wood Spirit, then perhaps it doesnât want to meet Angel but is preparing to eliminate him.
Thinking this way, the logic becomes clear.
The Wood Spirit is inherently timid; it couldnât possibly want to place itself in a space filled with rifts. It specifically lured Angel to that dangerous area.
However, there were still things Angel couldnât understand.
For example, if the Wood Spirit really wanted to get rid of him, why didnât it firmly execute the plan, but instead changed the location of the resonant coordinates at the crossroads?
And how did the Wood Spirit create the resonant point at the end of the left pathâs void?
The answers to these two questions couldnât be worked out on the left path because of missing necessary pieces of the puzzle. It wasnât until Angel went to the right path that these pieces were found one by one.
At the right pathâs resonant point, Angel first confirmed one thing: what was resonating with the staff?
Ultimately confirmed, it was... a vine sculpture resonating with the staff.
And the material of the vine sculpture came from the Wood Spiritâs derivative objects, which actually proves one thing: the Wood Spirit can perceive its derived objects within a certain range and can make them resonate to transmit "information."
This led Angel to speculate whether the resonant point on the left path was because the Wood Spirit threw its derived object into the void, allowing it to resonate with the staff?
This speculation is actually not rigorous because the left pathâs resonant point would pass by a large number of space rifts, which makes it difficult for the Wood Spiritâs derived objects to precisely avoid the rifts.
Angel did not think deeply about the specifics because the answer to this issue wasnât of high priority at the moment and could be temporarily set aside.
Back to the right pathâs coordinate point.
After proving that the Wood Spirit could perceive its derivative objects, Angel immediately grasped one thing.
The Wood Spirit had actually already sensed that its derived object had been "moved" out of the oil painting after Angel acquired the Round Wood.
The energy within the Round Wood derivative was extremely abundant, unmistakably attracting the Wood Spiritâs attention. However, previously, it had been sealed in the painting, and inside that painting was the "blonde woman," making the Wood Spirit cautious.
Now that Angel had taken out the Round Wood, the Wood Spirit naturally noticed it immediately. Initially, the Wood Spirit probably didnât understand what had happened and dared not make any moves.
Until later, perhaps the Wood Spirit confirmed that the one who took the Round Wood was not that blonde woman, it began to have some subtle ideas.
Hence, there was the initial resonance on the left path.
At that time, it was clear that the Wood Spirit had intentions to eliminate Angel. But later, it suddenly retreated.
This retreat happened when Angel reached the crossroads.
Why did the Wood Spirit retreat and change the resonant point from the left path to the right path? Angel didnât understand at that time, but visiting the right pathâs resonant point made it clearer.
Because the right pathâs resonant point was safe.
The left pathâs resonant point was extremely dangerous, but the right pathâs resonant point was void of danger. The only possibility Angel could think of was that the Wood Spirit gave up its plan to kill him.
Why choose to give up?
By analyzing the Wood Spiritâs character, there are only two possibilities. The first is intimidation by power. It might have realized that Angel was too powerful and possibly couldnât be easily killed, thereby risking hatred, causing it to abandon the initial trap plan.
The second, it saw Angelâs staff.
It can basically be confirmed that the Wood Spiritâs main body is the staff. Regardless of the Wood Spiritâs thoughts about Angelâs self-created staff, there is no doubt that the Wood Spirit cares deeply about the staffâs head ornament.
From Ciciaâs narrative, itâs known that the Wood Spirit would rather stay forever on Ciciaâs platform than surrender the only ornament on its main body, indicating how much it values these seemingly ordinary but actually significant ornaments.
Both scenarios could make the Wood Spirit abandon its plan to kill him.
However, Angel did not make a judgment at the time because there was no clear evidence to rely on.
Regardless of the possibility, they both share a common point: The Wood Spirit saw him.
Due to being intimidated by power, the Wood Spirit backed off. This means the Wood Spirit saw Angel, found him to be powerful, and thus abandoned its initial plan.
If itâs because of the staff, then the Wood Spirit saw Angel up close, or else it would be hard to notice the staffâs head ornament at a glance.
Which leads to the question: Where did the Wood Spirit see Angel?
In Angelâs mind, there is only one answer, which is the crossroads.
Because it was there that the Wood Spirit changed its decision.
Of course, it might be that the Wood Spirit was calculatingly clever, anticipating Angelâs judgment and deliberately setting a decoy at the crossroads. But after thinking carefully, if the Wood Spirit had such cunning and depth, would it have been hiding in the Hanging Jail Stairway for hundreds of years?
So, the only possibility is that the Wood Spirit saw Angel firsthand at the crossroads and made the change immediately.
This also allowed Angel to determine the current range of the Wood Spiritâs whereabouts.
The above deductions were made when Angel was still at the right pathâs resonant point. Thus, when Angel emerged from the room at the end of the right path, he left promptly because he was already sure of the Wood Spiritâs range and prepared to confirm this at the crossroads.
But to his surprise, before Angel reached the crossroads, the Wood Spirit contacted him first.
Earlier, on the road, Angelâs sudden unusual behavior, coupled with frequently calling out "little fellow watching in secret," was not a jest at the group, but rather the Wood Spirit was indeed watching in secret, and had even proactively contacted Angel.
However, the Wood Spirit did not reveal its identity but instead adopted a pretentious tone, indicating to Angel to drop the wooden staff, and it would point out the most valuable treasure here to Angel.
At this moment, Angel finally confirmed that the Wood Spirit did not give up killing him due to being intimidated by power. It was because of the staff.
To make its act more convincing, the Wood Spirit even imitated the voice of the Wise Sovereign. However, what it probably didnât realize was that the Wise Sovereign was actually following Angel through a live broadcast illusionary realm, but the Wood Spirit couldnât see it.
Angel, in order not to waste time, directly exposed its identity and even revealed Sandersâ identity to make the Wood Spirit believe him.
Angel didnât know if Sanders could influence the Wood Spiritâs decision, but he figured he might as well mention it, and if it didnât work, heâd figure something else out.
The feedback from the Wood Spirit was interesting, showing some willingness yet some hesitation. From this feedback, it seemed like it actually remembered Sanders?
Angel immediately began to persuade, but perhaps the Wood Spirit had never encountered such a situation, or perhaps Angelâs enthusiasm made it a bit hesitant.
Then it stopped contacting Angel altogether.
However, Angel wasnât someone who would give up so easily. Although in front of everyone, he acted as if he was ready to leave and not search anymore; in reality, that was just... for show.
In a live broadcast, without ups and downs, twists and turns, thrilling settings, how can there be audience retention?
Thatâs why Angel put so much effort into his performance.
â But whether it was a performance or, as Dox said, "a mischievous nature," it was a matter of perspective.
Since Angel wouldnât give up, he had only one option: If the mountain wonât come to me, then I shall go to the mountain.
The Wood Spirit wasnât willing to face him, wasnât willing to speak, so he would find the Wood Spirit and ask it directly face to face.
And how to find it? They had already deduced the Wood Spiritâs location, and since the Wood Spirit had actively contacted him, it had already exposed itself by seeing the staff up close, so there was no need to think further. It must be at the crossroads. Therefore, Angel went straight there to sense the Wood Spiritâs presence.
This was Angelâs true intention. The Wise Sovereign speculated Angel was there for the Goddess, purely from his own imagination. But this wasnât the Wise Sovereignâs problem; it was mainly due to the difference in information.
The Wise Sovereign thought he had all the information about the Underground Aqueducts, but he didnât know that while the breadth of Angelâs knowledge might not surpass his, Angelâs depth in certain areas even exceeded that of the Wise Sovereign.
Plus, the Wood Spirit was a transformation of Sandersâ staff, something the Wise Sovereign didnât anticipate as a "wildcard." This led to the Wise Sovereign taking a wrong turn in his assumptions.
...
Angel thought he had confirmed the Wood Spiritâs location, and by coming to the crossroads, he would naturally find the Wood Spirit.
But he was still too naive.
Even the frightening olfactory capabilities of the Black Earl hadnât discovered any trace, so how could Angel find the Wood Spirit so smoothly?
Standing at the crossroads, Angel continuously tried to sense the surroundings, yet found nothing.
He even began to doubt if he got something wrong somewhere, and the Wood Spiritâs true form wasnât really here?
After searching in vain, the voice of Kaier reached Angelâs ears.
"Sir, is the Wood Spirit really nearby? Could it be in the Void?"
Kaier had also conducted a thorough search of the surroundings, but found nothing. Seeing Angel showing signs of contemplation, he immediately stepped forward to inquire.
Angel wasnât sure if the Wood Spirit was in the Void, but he couldnât find any trace of it on solid ground, let alone in the boundless Void, making the search even more challenging.
Therefore, Angel couldnât give a definitive reply. But to make the live broadcast more engaging, Angel imitated the Wood Spiritâs pretentious tone, calmly saying, "I can confirm itâs nearby. But where exactly..."
After pondering for a moment, leaving everyone in suspense, Angel said, "Thatâs not important."
"Itâs not important?" Kaier looked utterly confused.
Angel: "Of course itâs not important."
Kaier hurriedly asked, "Then what is important?"
Angel continued with a mysterious air: "Weâve already found it, but whether it agrees to come with us, thatâs the most important thing."
Upon hearing Angelâs response, Kaier became even more perplexed.
Furthermore, not only Kaier, but everyone wore a face full of questions.
What did Angel just say? They had found the Wood Spirit? Where? Wasnât there nothing around?
Or, did Angel indeed find the Wood Spirit but didnât update the live illusion in the Illusionary Realm?
Dox and the others could only look toward The Sage, because if it was really because Angel hadnât updated the Illusionary Realm, then only Kaier and the Wise Sovereign, who knew the internal situation of the Hanging Jail Stairway, would have answers.
Kaier, now just as baffled as them, could only seek help from The Sage.
The Sage finally spoke up, but instead of answering everyoneâs doubts, he looked at Angel and asked: "How did you discover this place?"
The Sage wasnât asking, "How did you discover the Wood Spirit," but "How did you discover this place?" This actually indicated that compared to the Wood Spirit, he was more interested in this location.
This crossroads had anomalies. He wanted to know how Angel found it.
But Angel misunderstood The Sageâs intention, thinking he was being asked how he discovered the Wood Spirit.
To maximize the "live effect," Angel displayed a mysterious smile and then lightly uttered a word that Dox found rather familiar:
"Inspiration."
Inspiration? Viewed from details, it seemed truthful, but the answer was obviously perfunctory and false.
The Sage furrowed his brows, as Angelâs mysterious behavior made The Sageâs analysis of Angel increasingly contradictory and full of mystery.
The Sage increasingly felt that this was a "wildcard."
But whether this wildcard was favorable or detrimental on his scale, further observation was needed.
The Sage, preoccupied with his thoughts, didnât speak again.
When everyone was feeling dejected, Kaier spoke once more: "Then, then Sir, how do we make it willing to come with us?"
Kaier wanted to ask more, about where the Wood Spirit was. Did they really find the Wood Spirit? But Angelâs words seemed so assured that he had no choice but to follow Angelâs lead and ask further.
Angel: "That will depend on its own willingness."
As he spoke, Angel took out the staff, gently placing it beside him.
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