Chapter 2796: Chapter 2797: Outlier
"Leaving already?" Dox mumbled, "All those apologies but no compensation?"
"Why care about compensation?" Angel said softly, "Sometimes, just an apology without compensation is more appealing to me."
Dox glanced at Angel with irritation, "Because when you care about compensation, you care about why there isnât any!"
"I know what youâre thinking, itâs nothing more than getting more sometimes by not compensating... this type of psychological gambling theory."
"But from my perspective, you need tangible compensation to feel satisfied in reality. Who cares about some psychological debt?"
Dox isnât foolish, he naturally understands that Angel cares more about the "debt" than "breaking even."
This canât be considered wrong, but itâs more suitable for those with plenty of surplus and plenty more to spare. For someone like Dox, whoâs often short of funds, immediate benefits matter more.
Angel understands that different situations lead to different viewpoints, and thereâs no absolute right or wrong. So, he didnât argue with Dox but leisurely gathered the array plates on the ground while recounting the matter everyone was most concerned withâ
How he encountered the Child-like You Nu and what happened during that brief time?
The entire mental journey roughly entails an unexpected encounter, followed by a threat, and then realizing the opponent is quite naive.
After Angel finished narrating, he shrugged, "At the time, I didnât know it was the Child-like aspect of You Nu, just thought this creature had some mental issues for self-harming and using its own blood to write a phrase that was neither threatening nor grammatically correct."
"If it werenât for Duo Mu Er mentioning it, I wouldâve almost forgotten that scene."
Saying this, Angel had also retrieved all the external array disks, stood up, and signaled, "Time to go, next weâll likely face the Motherly You Nu... itâs not far from us, probably sensing our presence soon."
The Child-like You Nu was a small incident; their real test would be the Motherly You Nu.
This one is essentially a complete form of You Nu, estimated to be the strongest among the Three Temporal Bodies. Most importantly, the Motherly You Nu is likely what Genggui and Duo Mu Er care about most.
If the Child-like You Nu suffers, they could handle it rationally and offer an apology. But if the Motherly You Nu gets hurt, itâs probably different.
However, they already have a plan to bypass the Motherly You Nu, so they werenât worried.
Angel is more worried about the route after the Hall of Wisdom.
The person who conveyed the message to him, how terrifying are the Infant Spirits they spoke of? Itâs still an unknown factor.
As everyone set off again, this time, their expressions werenât as relaxed as before.
According to Angel, judging by the energy flow of the Magical Energy Array, theyâre getting closer to the Motherly You Nu. Maybe the intersection isnât far ahead; perhaps any corner could hold an ambush from the Motherly You Nu. Consequently, everyone remained vigilant since they were facing an extraordinary creature not even documented in "Where is the Magical Beast."
But actually, the seriousness Angel displayed was more feigned; his supposed determination of the distance based on the energy flow of the Magical Energy Array was false.
The energy flow doesnât signify anything; the reason he could judge the intersection getting nearer was purely because heâd walked that intersection before.
And because Angel knows where the intersection is, he wasnât flustered. He had already calculated in his mind the most suitable time to release the array plate at the setup location.
Compared to the previous hurried placements during Gengguiâs sudden appearances, this time Angel felt more assured. After all, Gengguiâs ambushes are like moving stakes, whereas the Motherly You Nu is a fixed stake at a known position, allowing pre-set arrangements to increase confidence.
However, such things canât be openly said, so Angel, like everyone else, put on a serious demeanor, making a furrowed-brow face, as if pondering calculations.
In reality, Angelâs so-called contemplation was merely simulating various possible situations in his mind and searching for a balance point among all possibilities to use as a basis for deploying external array discs.
That means optimizing the coordinates for placing the external array discs.
During previous ambushes by Genggui, Angel wouldnât have dared do this, fearing even a secondâs delay would expand the pit. But facing You Nu, itâs possible to attempt optimizations for the best effect.
They walked about another hundred meters, the light ahead grew dimmer, as if the torches were being eroded by some unknown darkness.
Even the surrounding previously smooth walls began to show signs of erosion and pitting.
The air carried a scent of ancient decay.
"Weâre probably reaching the intersection, be cautious," Angel warned again in the Mind Ribbon, truly causing the group to become more cautious and serious by the sights and sounds before them.
In reality, Angel knew there was still some distance to the intersection. The sudden change in the surroundings was likely unrelated to You Nu, yet the environmental change made Angel feel slightly more secure.
Because such conditions in the Nightmare Realm were approximately similar.
And if the Nightmare Realm is mirroring Naraku City from ten thousand years ago, was there already ruin here back then? Perhaps something happened in this corridor long ago?
Angel inspected carefully; despite the walls appearing damaged, the Magical Energy Array remained intact, giving him some relief.
If even the Magical Energy Array were problematic, it would be uncertain whether they could continue forward.
The further they walked, the dimmer the torchlight became.
The previously brightly-lit spacious corridor now resembled a tomb path: narrow and shadowy.
This cramped environment is more favorable for transcendent creatures like You Nu, which can create large, long-range, nearly insolvable pits.
The confined space means limited hiding spots, the long passage implies running away can only follow the narrow road, and thereâs no other escape route, perfectly suited to You Nuâs abilities.
As long as You Nu hides underground and silently waits for someone to approach, it can easily swallow them.
Even if discovered hiding underground, it doesnât matter because thereâs only one path here: either retreat or continue forward.
Going forward guarantees being swallowed.
Retreat isnât absolutely safe either, since a large stretch of the path back is narrow with no intersections, allowing You Nu, in pursuit, to easily prevent escape.
You Nu planned well; indeed, itâs an excellent hunting spot.
However, it happened to encounter someone familiar with Magical Energy Arrays, and Angelâs learning came from Margaretâs secret room, an enhanced edition specifically for the Nightmare Realm. The nearby Magical Energy Arrays, including those in the ruins, were all set by Margaret.
So, it seems You Nu ran into an iron wall...
...
When the torchlight dimmed enough that the shadows from the walls extended into dark grids, Dox suddenly spoke softly in the Mind Ribbon, "Do any of you feel that something is off ahead?"
Of course, Angel knew something was off ahead, as there was a corner in the shadowy area, and just past it lay You Nuâs ambush at the intersection.
Angel was considering whether to use the energy flow from the Magical Energy Array as a pretext to inform everyone that he had already pinpointed You Nuâs location, but it seemed there was no need now.
When Dox quibbles or spouts nonsense, everyone can ignore him; but when he issues a warning, no one takes it lightly.
Along the way, everyone has already witnessed how powerful his inspiration is, so once he starts to warn them, everyone becomes cautious.
Vay asked through the Mind Ribbon, "Could it be a crossroads up ahead?"
Dox couldnât determine if it was a crossroads, but he felt a sense of pressure on his brow, a feeling that grew stronger the further they went.
As the tense atmosphere enveloped everyone, Angel finally spoke, "Vayâs guess might be true; thereâs a high probability of a crossroads ahead."
Pausing for a moment, Angel continued, "If there really is a crossroads ahead, be careful, You Nu may have already discovered us."
Everyone believed in Angelâs judgment because the surrounding atmosphere was indeed becoming increasingly strange.
The dim light sources wouldnât frighten them, but the chill that seeped into their bones made everyone shiver... this was not a good omen.
Just as Angel said, if You Nu is right ahead, it must have already noticed them. Perhaps that eerie chill was caused by You Nuâs gaze.
As for why You Nu hasnât made a move yet, it might be waiting for them to walk into its trap. After all, thereâs only one path ahead, and it can easily wait for its prey.
Regardless of whether You Nu is ahead or not, everyoneâs psychological pressure was already maxed out, and their steps became heavy and slowed.
However, this slowing pace didnât mean they were afraid, but rather... charging up.
Under Angelâs reminder, they had already begun constructing various speed-enhancing tricks and spell techniques in their Mind Space.
As soon as any change occurs, Angel will throw the Array Plate, and they will burst with all their strength to charge through the crossroads without hesitation.
...
On the other side, in a corner of a grand stone hall, the fire in the fireplace brought a bit of dim light, and the youth formed by the Wise Sovereign was lazily lying on a soft fur carpet.
Beside him was a book, opened but lying face down on the carpet, suggesting he had been reading before.
But now, his gaze was directed at an oval copper mirror with exquisite frame patterns above the fireplace.
In the copper mirror, a young girl with silver-white hair occupied most of the mirror surface, staring indifferently with emotionless exotic pupils at the Wise Sovereign through the mirror.
If Angel and the others were here, they would immediately recognize that this silver-haired, exotic-eyed girl was the same they had seen before... Laplace Glaipnir Luigi.
The Wise Sovereign said, "So, you didnât give Angel any counsel?"
Laplace replied indifferently, "If you mean that blonde youth named Angel, I indeed did not."
The Wise Sovereign was not surprised by Laplace pointing out that Angel was blonde, not red-haired, because he had seen Angelâs "original appearance" with golden long hair in the True Words Tome.
"Do you know the reason?" the Wise Sovereign asked.
Laplace seemed a bit hesitant, thought for a moment, and then replied, "According to what he himself said, it might be an alchemical tool given by the Thief of Time that concealed the bond."
Hearing the Thief of Timeâs name, the Wise Sovereign slightly frowned, but he did not comment on what Laplace said; instead, he asked, "Do you believe it?"
Laplace said, "Generally speaking, I wouldnât define an uncertain answer, but since the Wise Sovereign asked, I can only give my opinion."
"I believe this possibility is over fifty percent."
The Wise Sovereign said, "So, youâre more likely to trust it."
Laplace hesitated a bit, "I suppose so."
"Since you believe it, then I wonât," the Wise Sovereign suddenly laughed, speaking these rebellious words with a teasing tone.
Laplace asked, "Why?"
The Wise Sovereign said, "Because Iâve always favored the minority."
Laplace let out a light hum, not believing this reason, but she didnât ask further and instead said, "This time, the counsel was unsuccessful, so the Wise Sovereignâs kindness shall be repaid next time."
Even though only Angel didnât succeed, to Laplace, one personâs failure equated to failure.
"If the Wise Sovereign has nothing else, Iâll take my leave."
The Wise Sovereign nodded, "Is your main body alright?"
Laplaceâs figure gradually disappeared from the copper mirror, and just before vanishing, her voice came through, "The main body still needs slumber..."
After her words fell, Laplace completely vanished.
The Wise Sovereign quietly watched the copper mirror, and after a long time, he softly shook his head, casting aside thoughts of Laplaceâs main body.
"A person whose counsel cannot be reflected in the mirror, Angel... heh heh, interesting," he chuckled softly.
He indeed had the intention of further exploring everyoneâs identities by having Laplace offer counsel.
However, what he did not expect was that even an entity as powerful as Laplace couldnât uncover Angelâs true identity.
He didnât feel disappointed by this; on the contrary, he found it even more intriguing.
To be honest, the Wise Sovereign actually thought that this descendant of Noah was no different from the previous ones who came here. Although that "pretender seeking high status" also came, in this relic, what more could he do?
Instead, Angel, this anomaly, piqued the Wise Sovereignâs interest.
Even the Goddess considered him the greatest threat.
He seemed to be shrouded in mist.
And now, Laplaceâs words made the Wise Sovereign even more convinced that Angel was an anomaly.
In other matters, the Wise Sovereign did not like anomalies, because anomalies often lead predetermined things in unknown directions.
But in the matter of the relic, he was delighted with Angelâs emergence.
Because if the relic remained unchanged, under that oneâs control, it would forever be a "relic." And the bygone Qingkong Poetry Room might never return.
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