Chapter 2786: Chapter 2787: Reflection of the Heart
Although Laplace was talking about Earl Mi, Angel noticed that this was the first time Laplace had clearly explained the meaning of "Reflection of the Heart."
Reflection of the Heart and what they imagined as "prophecy" seem to truly be different.
The name "Reflection of the Heart" comes from Laplaceâs perspective, where she sees the desires of everyoneâs heart.
This "heartâs desire" and "whatâs on oneâs mind" are two separate matters.
Whatâs on oneâs mind is a personâs subjective thoughts, things that one can definitely perceive, belonging to the domain of the self.
Heartâs desire, however, is not necessarily perceivable to the self; it resembles fragmented thoughts hidden deep in the Sea of Subconscious. These thoughts may not form complete ideas, but they might touch the core of self-awareness.
Going further, it belongs to the "super-ego," a kind of inexplicable intuition. Itâs the inspiration that allows wizards to seek good fortune and avoid disaster.
Reflection of the Heart is highly likely to reflect precisely those thoughts that lie between the self and the super-ego.
These thoughts donât need your subjective thinking at all. As long as you have vital signs, the fragmented thoughts hidden in the depth of the Sea of Consciousness are bound to be reflected.
Just like Earl Mi, even if he has no subjective consciousness, even if heâs controlled by the Seed of Distortion, those subconscious desires still reflected in Laplaceâs eyes and were interpreted by her.
Angel didnât know if he understood correctly, but from Laplaceâs explanation, Reflection of the Heart is highly likely what he imagined.
"Only in the chaotic cinder flame can one see the faint opportunity for rebirth," Angel muttered this phrase, "Is this the way out for Earl Mi?"
Laplace didnât respond because she didnât know.
Angel thought for a moment: "Are you sure this is Earl Miâs innermost thought?"
This time Laplace nodded: "His external thinking is in the contradiction of chaos and order, but the subconscious is gradually converging, trying to break through the blockade of thought and send out a message of desire to the outside world."
However, what Laplace didnât say was that without her Reflection of the Heart, Earl Mi would have been unable to break through the blockade of thought. The power of the Seed of Distortion was too great, directly sealing off all possible futures for Earl Mi.
Laplaceâs presence, instead, spoke out for Earl Mi, the hopeless desire hidden deep in his Sea of Subconscious.
Itâs just, how to fulfill this desire and let Earl Mi awaken again is currently unknown.
Also, if Earl Mi truly awakens again, what the consequences would be is also unknown.
Angel pondered for a moment, not knowing what decision to make.
Perhaps, just like he thought before, he needs to meet the Boiling Gentleman again for further developments. After all, the "so-called chaotic cinder flame," in Angelâs interpretation, points to the Boiling Gentleman, or rather... Origin of Chaos.
As Angel was contemplating, Laplace said: "Now, itâs your turn to answer me."
Angel snapped back and instinctively wanted to ask, wasnât there a Speedy who hadnât given their words? But on second thought, Speedy wasnât attached to him, but on the alchemy golem, so it was normal for Laplace to consider it an "outsider."
And whether Speedy gave words... it doesnât matter. Probably like Dangross and Wood Spirit, nothing could be reflected. Only those like Earl Mi, who seemed closely tied to Angel but, because of chaotic thoughts, didnât associate with Angel, could get read by Laplace to give words.
So, now how should he answer Laplace?
Previously, Angelâs guesses primarily involved: green patterns, Primeval Flame, Blood Night Shelter, Wilderness of Dreams, and Eye of the Sky.
If Reflection of the Heart has nothing to do with prophecy, then "Blood Night Shelter" might be ruled out.
Blood Night Shelter mainly guards against prophecy...however, Angel calmed his mind and thought carefully, finding it uncertain.
Although the main function of Blood Night Shelter is to guard against being locked by prophetic abilities, it also has anti-spy capabilities; could it be the anti-spy capabilities at work?
If the anti-spy did block the Reflection of the Heart, then Blood Night Shelterâs likelihood is even higher than previously thought.
Apart from Blood Night Shelter, in the other answers, Primeval Flame should be ruled out.
If Reflection of the Heart looks at subconscious thoughts, Primeval Flame likely wonât play a role since it is hidden in the fire mark on Angelâs earlobe. From a certain perspective, Primeval Flame hasnât fused with Angel nor become an ability of Angelâs. It doesnât have a deep connection with Angel; itâs entirely an "external object."
To put it simply, Angel is currently just a custodian of the Primeval Flame.
Since Reflection of the Heart involves the subconscious, external objects are unlikely to have any effect.
Even if Primeval Flame can be ruled out. Eye of the Sky... probably doesnât have a deep link with Angel, so it can be ruled out too?
Now the range of answers is narrowed significantly...
Angel pondered for a moment, and then said: "I have a very special alchemy tool."
When Angel spoke these words, no one present was surprised. Who is Angel? A member of the Research and Development Institute! Isnât it normal for him to have special alchemy tools?
But what kind of alchemy tool is it that can block Laplaceâs Reflection of the Heart?
Laplace also gazed at Angel curiously, seemingly searching for the alchemy tool Angel spoke of.
Angel hesitated for a moment, stretched out his right hand, and pointed to the blood-colored glaze like a teardrop on his left shoulder.
With Angelâs touch, the glaze dispersed like water, exploding from within into a large patch of pitch-black, initially a deep Abyss of Shadow, but soon it grew in the wind, eventually forming a black cloak that seemed to flow.
Black brocade gold pattern, red lining.
The cloak, though not particularly magnificent at first glance, began to subtly change Angelâs presence the moment he donned it.
"Milord seems to become... elusive?" Kaier murmured.
Elusive, a fitting word Kaier strained to find.
To Vay, "More than elusive, I feel like milordâs presence has vanished."
Dox muttered aside, "His presence was inherently lower than others, and now you only notice?"
Under the influence of Boundless Solitude, Angelâs presence has always been rather low. However, perhaps because Vay has always regarded Angel as an idol, the impact of Boundless Solitude has not affected Vay much.
But now, after donning the Blood Night Shelter, the sense of "concealment and alienation" from Boundless Solitude is further amplified. Even as a little fanboy, Vay will immediately disregard Angelâs existence if he slightly averts his gaze from him.
At this moment, Black Earlâs voice reaches everyoneâs ears.
"Itâs not concealment nor diminishing presence; itâs more like entering the interstice of time and space." Black Earl paused and pondered on his wording, "Or perhaps, he has entered a viewpoint neglected by fate."
Black Earlâs words were somewhat obscure, and the two apprentices were still bewildered after hearing them. Meanwhile, Laplace inside the prism spoke quite plainly.
Laplace: "Is this an alchemy tool to ward off divination?"
"Yes." Angel nods while glancing sideways at Dangross, who is happily playing with his cloak. He initially wanted to pick it off, but thinking back, when he opened the Blood Night Shelter, he accidentally woke Dangross from its "training," feeling a bit guilty, he simply turned a blind eye to its mischievous behavior.
Laplace frowned for the first time, showing a displeased expression: "I told you before, Reflection of the Heart is not prophecy. Even if you possess tools or abilities to ward off divination, they canât shield against the reflection of the heart."
Alchemy tools to ward off divination are exceedingly rare outside, considered priceless treasures. Everyone present understands its value, but Laplaceâs words were true; this cloak is rare but only targets prophetic forces, so it does not constitute the answer Laplace seeks.
They all understood, but does Angel not?
The crowd looks at Angel, eager to hear his explanation.
Angel lifts his eyes and directly faces Laplace, looking calm: "I previously said that I had several potential answers in mind at the time, and would choose one to tell you. Back then, I couldnât judge Reflection of the Heart as not prophecy. Moreover, this cloak was indeed among my potential answers."
Laplace can tell that Angel isnât lying, but this explanation still leaves her somewhat dissatisfied, feeling...
"Sophistry."
Angelâs gaze remains unchanged, his tone still resolute: "Iâm merely telling you the facts."
After pausing, Angel initially wanted to see if Laplace would continue to get angry, but unfortunately, Laplace didnât show much emotion and merely looked at Angel with even more indifference than before.
Angel sighed softly in his heart before speaking directly: "I understand what you mean, why I still brought out the Blood Night Shelter is because it holds deeper significance... Uh, Blood Night Shelter is the name I gave to this cloak."
Angelâs sudden twist made everyone show expressions of "as expected."
Laplace, however, froze for a moment: "Deeper significance? What do you mean?"
Angel: "This cloak is something I crafted a few years ago. It was very successful in its craftsmanship; when I engraved the Magical Energy Array upon it, the Alchemy Omen appeared as expected."
At this point, Laplace still hasnât heard anything unusual about it; the only valid information isâthis person before her is an Alchemist.
As for other things like Alchemy Omen, even though Laplace hasnât been to the Wizardsâ Realm, she knows itâs a very common phenomenon.
While Laplace was puzzled, Angel continued: "I thought this timeâs Alchemy Omen was similar to the past, and I had already prepared, based on past experiences, to battle intellectually with the âProphet.â
For any tool related to prophecy, within the omen, some resemblance of a âProphetâ typically emerges. These âProphetsâ arenât always humans, sometimes objects, or even the long stretch of road. They predict you, and you need to be prepared to predict their prediction.
Angel shrugs: "However, I didnât encounter a âProphet.â What I saw was... the River of Fate."
The River of Fate is one of the three main streams of the prophecy system, and since the Blood Night Shelter involves blocking prophecy, it wasnât strange seeing the River of Fate in the omen.
"By the river of fate, I fell asleep. When I awoke, I had turned into a Clock Tower Monster. The time as the Clock Tower Monster was quite hard, the in-between process I wonât describe, but it lasted a full five years... in the omen, the time is different from reality. Five years later, I finally freed myself from the Clock Tower Monster and returned to the outside world..."
"When I say outside world, itâs not reality but by the River of Fate where I slept before."
At this point, Angelâs omen hasnât deviated significantly from reality.
Nonetheless, itâs quite strange that an omen lasted five years. Even five years within the omen is considerable.
Also, spending five years thinking youâd escaped the nightmare of the Clock Tower Monster, yet hadnât left the omen to return to reality is something unheard of.
Are there chain omens within Alchemy Omen?
Angel: "As I stood on the riverbank dazed for a while, the River of Fate rolled away before my eyes. When I came to, the River of Fate was gone, and I had reached an unknown Void, with a giant clock appearing before me. The hands inside the wheel ticked along with the gears."
Dox: "The clock you mentioned is..."
Angel: "The Wheel of Time."
The crowd had been guessing that it might be the Wheel of Time, and indeed it was.
Understandably, both the River of Fate and the Wheel of Time are two of the three main streams in the prophecy system.
In a single Alchemy Omen, Angel encountered both the River of Fate and the Wheel of Time? Could he possibly encounter the Strings of the World next? The three main currents are taking turns for Angel?
If so, this Alchemy Omen is intriguing.
Including Laplace, everyoneâs curiosity was piqued. However, the progression of events differed vastly from their imaginations.
Angel: "On that towering Wheel of Time, I saw a figure."
"He told me I made a choice when becoming a Clock Tower Monster, and he intends to take another choice away."
Initially, upon hearing this, everyone couldnât react until Dox exclaimed: "You mean he stole your choice?"
Stole a choice? This sounds familiar... they think they know who Angel encountered.
If itâs him, things might indeed upheave all "normalcy."
Laplace: "His name is..."
Angel: "His real name is very long... but if youâve seen enough memories, you should have heard his other name. A name that spreads across the Boundless Universe."
"Thief of Time."
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