Chapter 2787: Chapter 2788: The Choice Lost
"Have you seen him too?" Laplaceâs tone was filled with surprise, marking the first time everyone clearly heard the fluctuation in her voice.
"âAlsoâ seen him?" Angel looked at Laplace with a doubtful tone.
The others were shocked that Angel had seen the Thief of Time, and before their surprise could subside, another potential seed marked by the Thief of Time emerged!
Doxâs finger trembled as he pointed at Laplace: "You mean, youâve seen the Thief of Time?"
Laplace nodded.
Upon receiving a positive answer, Dox covered his face, murmuring to himself: "Why, why... Itâs one thing for Angel, but why even a creature who might not be human can be chosen by the Thief of Time! Look at me, Iâm so talented, why doesnât he come to steal my choice? No need to steal, Iâm ready to offer it myself!"
Doxâs mournful words only drew complex glances of differing emotions from Kaier and Vay, without attracting further attention from the others.
Angel focused on Laplace, while Laplace stared at Angel.
This subtle atmosphere of eye contact lasted for several seconds, and Angel was the first to break the silence: "Youâve seen the Thief of Time, so he took one of your choices too?"
Laplace nodded: "He took one of my... precious choices."
Angel: "Then surely he compensated you?"
Laplace: "Yes. My ability to move freely in the Sea of Void Mirror is one of his compensations."
One of the compensations? Angel thought to himself, meaning there are other compensations? It seems that Laplace is not exaggerating; the Thief of Time must have taken a choice very precious to Laplace, otherwise he wouldnât compensate multiple times.
Moreover, just the ability to freely move in the Sea of Void Mirror is already very precious, yet itâs merely one of the compensations.
From this, it can be inferred that the Thief of Time must regard Laplace very highly... likely as a focus of observation.
Itâs just unknown, besides the compensations Laplace willingly disclosed, what other compensations the Thief of Time might have given her? Could Reflection of the Heart be one such compensation?
While Angelâs mind was racing with thoughts, he didnât stop speaking: "It seems the Thief of Time values you a lot, but being valued by him isnât necessarily a good thing."
Laplace remained silent.
From Laplaceâs behavior, it seems she is aware of the Thief of Timeâs bad reputation. Although he offers compensation, what he steals is someoneâs life choice. If he truly took the most precious choice, itâs akin to having oneâs life thoroughly ruined by him.
Angel: "Although the Thief of Timeâs actions arenât exactly honorable, many people still flock to him, as he will certainly compensate you when taking your choice."
"You met the Thief of Time and received compensation. Similarly, I encountered him in the Alchemy Omen and also received compensation. My compensation, however, isnât on my own abilities but rather..." Angel pointed to the cloak behind him: "Itâs compensation on this cloak I refined."
"Therefore, Blood Night Shelter seems like a tool to guard against prophecy, but it also conceals the power bestowed by the Thief of Time."
Now, everyone understood why Angel would bring out the Blood Night Shelter.
A tool that guards against prophecy is already a rare item, and Angelâs refined cloak is not only precious, but it also carries the power of the Thief of Time.
Such a powerful entity as the Thief of Time, even if only a sliver of his energy leaks from his fingertips, it holds heaven-defying power. Whatâs more, the power on the cloak was intentionally granted by him.
Previously, most looked at the Blood Night Shelter with envy, but now even the Black Earl had a tinge of greed.
This kind of treasure is rare and hard to find.
However, the Black Earlâs greed was momentary, as he fully understood that the tool Angel refined for himself is certainly like Blood Origin binding. Even if it were snatched away, it would likely only bring misfortune without any benefit.
On the other side, Laplace inside the mirror also understood Angelâs meaning: "The Thief of Time bestowed greater abilities to this alchemy tool?"
Angel nodded: "There are many abilities bestowed, primarily amplifications, but also the added ability to shield against outside probing."
"And this ability to prevent probing... has a very high limit." Angel paused deliberately, looking reluctant to discuss further.
The others understood; after all, this is the ability bestowed by the Thief of Time on Blood Night Shelter, and it involves personal privacy. Angelâs willingness to share its general function was already generous. Revealing detailed specifics could risk exposure if a loose tongue spread around, leading outsiders to plot against Angel, starting with the Blood Night Shelter, essentially trapping Angel.
So leaving some unsaid, or discussing it vaguely, was understandable to them.
Although Laplace wasnât familiar with human manners, she could also deduce why Angel didnât wish to disclose further. Just like she wouldnât want to reveal all the abilities she obtained from the Thief of Time, as it pertains to her survival.
However, based on Angelâs stated situation, Laplace couldnât determine whether Blood Night Shelter truly is the reason for blocking Reflection of the Heart.
The core of Reflection of the Heart is "reflecting." Through mirror reflection, it displays the deep-seated aspect of oneself that is difficult to self-detect.
Thereâs still a gap between "reflecting" and "probing."
Even though "reflecting" might not equate directly with "probing," if examined closely, reflecting anotherâs inner self overlaps somewhat with "probing."
Hence, although Laplace still feels Blood Night Shelter might not be the true answer, she cannot entirely deny its possibility.
Furthermore, Laplace knows the core of Reflection of the Heart is reflection, not probing, so she can adjust her inner balance accordingly.
But Angel doesnât know; at most, he deduced from his dialogue that Reflection of the Heart isnât a prophecy, but whether itâs probing isnât something he can ascertain.
Laplace put herself in Angelâs shoes, in a situation of complete ignorance about Reflection of the Heart, she might also consider it primarily a "probing" ability.
Thus, Angel using Blood Night Shelter as an answer was indeed sincere. Heâs likely thought about it seriously and selected what he believes to be the most probable answer.
If Angel were more perfunctory, Laplace could dismiss it outright. But given the current circumstances, whether Blood Night Shelter is truly the answer or not, Laplace has to accept it... unless Angel is lying and Blood Night Shelter doesnât have any enhancement from the Thief of Time.
Whether or not itâs a lie can be easily proven.
At this thought, Laplace raised her gaze, her eyes devoid of emotion, staring at Angel.
Initially, Angel didnât notice anything amiss because since Laplace appeared, she had been paying attention to him the majority of the time.
It wasnât until the Blood Night Shelter suddenly emitted a ghostly glow that Laplace abruptly shut her eyes, appearing impacted.
Seeing this, Angel realized that Laplace was likely testing whether Blood Night Shelter has the ability to prevent probing.
Angel didnât mind this, for if it were himself, heâd also be suspicious. But testing directly without any indication was somewhat rude.
Considering Laplaceâs personality, Angel was also understanding; sheâs essentially a recluse who dwells in the Sea of Void Mirror, even though sheâs seen countless memories, "etiquette" is something that canât truly be grasped by merely observing memories floating in the Sea of Void Mirror.
Besides, the memories drifting in the Sea of Void Mirror might not necessarily be "courteous," and chaotic ones might outnumber orderly ones.
Angel also did not speak, just quietly gazed at Laplace.
After a long while, Laplace finally opened her eyes. There were slight traces of blood in them, but overall she didnât seem to have suffered much backlash.
However, Laplace also demonstrated with her actions that the Blood Night Shelter indeed has a strong defensive effect against probing.
Even though Laplace was only a mirror image and not her true self, utilizing the abilities of three Temporal Bodies, along with the innate probing enhancement of mirror species creatures, her probing ability at least reached the level of the Wise Sovereign.
Yet, it was still blocked by that seemingly inconspicuous cloak.
From this, it seems Angel was not lying. If not for the ability granted by the Thief of Time, how could an alchemy tool that wasnât even of High Order withstand her probing?
And Angel, upon seeing Laplace open her eyes, finally spoke: "I wonder if Laplace is satisfied with this answer?"
Laplace pondered for a moment before letting out a long breath: "Itâs acceptable."
Not satisfied, but acceptable.
This means Laplace still had doubts in her mind, but after comprehensively considering, she acknowledged Angelâs answer.
Angel also detected the reluctance in Laplaceâs tone, but their conversation this time was essentially a transaction, and itâs hard to achieve absolute fairness in any trade. As long as both parties agree, he considers this deal completed.
"Since the transaction has been completed, my task is also over... Though not perfect, at least thereâs an account for The Sage." As Laplace spoke, the long hair surrounding her body began to float slowly, gradually enveloping her body bit by bit.
Amidst the interplay of light and shadow, Laplaceâs figure began to blur, and the prisms around her, filled with geometric beauty, also gradually dissipated.
Seeing this, Angel hurriedly called out, "Wait a moment."
Half of Laplaceâs face was already wrapped in hair, only her indifferent eyes still showed, glancing faintly at Angel.
She didnât speak, just used her eyes to ask Angel what he meant.
Angel: "Are you interested in having a private conversation with me about the Thief of Time?"
Angel specifically emphasized "private," meaning just the two of them.
Considering various investigations before, Angel still felt Laplace was suitable to go to the Wilderness of Dreams, so if Laplace agreed to a private chat, he intended to give her the log-in device. As for the Thief of Time, it didnât matter if they talked about it or not.
Hearing Angelâs invitation, Laplace did not stop her disappearing figure, just looked deeply at Angel, leaving a sentence: "I said, I will not leave the Sea of Void Mirror, nor will my Temporal Body go to reality for pointless reasons. So if you really want to talk, come to the Mirror Domain. I will be waiting for you there."
With those words, Laplaceâs figure completely vanished.
The atmosphere, slightly heavy before, now returned to a relaxed vibe.
"Oh, the young man is in love, yet got rejected. Are you angry? Furious? Need to vent?" Doxâs careless voice chimed in from the side, "Why donât I book a spot for you at Elysium Pavillion? Hmm... You like porcelain doll types, and Elysium Pavillion has them too."
Angel gave Dox an oblique glance, casually saying: "Unfortunately, the Barbarian Cave doesnât have an Elysium Pavillion. Among the two Wizard Markets close to Barbarian Cave, one disintegrated in the blood melting incident, and the Elysium Pavillion at the other market, Duskdeep Well, also got closed. Mm... my mentor did that."
"So, you might not be able to reserve a spot."
Dox was initially unaware, but when Angel uttered the last sentence, he immediately understood.
This was arranging his "afterlife"âwhat comes afterward!
Doxâs chest heaved repeatedly, feeling stifled but having no way to retort. If he defiantly said, "I wonât go," Angel would surely mention the debts; if he stayed silent, wouldnât it mean agreeing to follow Angel?
After taking several deep breaths, Dox finally chose "silence."
The inclination of inspiration, combined with recent thrashings in debates on free theory by the Black Earl in various ways, also made him reflect on "freedom," so agreement it is.
Wherever he goes, he can always find ways to eat well and live well!
Seeing Dox not retort, Angel wasnât bothered and instead turned to look at the Black Earl: "What does Your Excellency think the deep meaning of the Wise Sovereign sending Laplace might be?"
Black Earl: "Deep meaning? Nothing more than using surprise as a pretext, further probing for intelligence."
"Clearly signed the True Words Tome already, still doing all this, isnât it a bit unnecessary?" Vay said from the side.
Dox: "Thatâs the result of overthinking, just like you. If you had figured it out earlier, it wouldnât have dragged on for so many years..."
As Dox spoke, he clicked his tongue while staring at Vayâs completely flat face... The absence of a curve was because his "nose" was flying by the side, leaving a black-red-black-red pit where his nose had been.
Dox: "Why not let me use my bloodline to give you a nose first?"
As Dox spoke, he extended his hand. The skin on his palm rolled, eventually revealing an organ in the shape of a nose.
Vay wrinkled his face in disgust: "I donât want that."
Dox clenched his palm, making the nose disappear: "Itâs for your own good; you look so unappealing this way."
Dox turned to Angel: "How about you create an illusion for him so at least he wonât scare the little ones?"
Vay: "...Where would there be little ones?!"
Dox: "What if some One-eyed Big Treasures, One-eyed Second Treasures, or One-eyed Little Treasures show up later, arenât they little ones?"
Vay was about to retort when he saw Angel looking over: "How about making it like your previous nose?"
Vayâs previously high-spirited demeanor deflated quickly, shyly saying: "Then Iâll trouble you, my lord."
Angel chuckled, flicking his fingers casually, and an illusion of Vayâs nose, identical to before, appeared on his face.
If the Black Earl wants to return to it, it wonât disrupt the illusion; it can be said to be tailor-made.
This form of illusion isnât complicated; Sanders uses it to cover his Phantom Mantis hands.
Once cast, it can last several years, and even if the time is up, as long as Vay occasionally channels a little magic power, he can continue to sustain it.
A simple yet practical illusion technique.
After concealing Vayâs nose, Angelâs gaze slowly shifted downward to the silent shadow on the ground.
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