Chapter 2806: Chapter 2807: The Real World
"Adanis appears so strong, even surpassing the former guide in power. And Olao hasnât appeared for ten thousand years; the Wise Sovereign only guessed that he was in slumber and never suspected that he might have met an untimely end?" the Black Earl asked.
Wise Sovereign: "According to the contract, she wouldnât harm Olao."
"A contract, huh." The Black Earl sneered dismissively: "A contract from ten thousand years ago, if it has never been updated, wonât have fewer loopholes than a sieve."
"Moreover, even if there is a contract, wouldnât you suspect Olao to be dead since he hasnât shown himself? Or perhaps consider that heâs been put under house arrest?"
The Wise Sovereign glanced at the Black Earl and said coolly, "Even if I think along those lines, what significance would it have?"
For the Black Earl, a legitimate descendant of Noah, Adanis was by no means a guardian of ancestral legacy; her actions were more akin to an enemy of the Noah Clan. And Olao, although he seemed to accept Adanisâs deeds, who knows if something happened to him? If indeed something did, then Olaoâs behavior would be understandable.
At least, in the Black Earlâs view, Olao might actually be closer to a guardian of the remnants.
However, the Wise Sovereignâs stance and perspective were different from the Black Earlâs. The Wise Sovereign did have some past ties with Olao, but this connection only lasted a few months. Whereas with Adanis, he had interacted for a full ten thousand years.
Compared to Olao, the Wise Sovereign obviously cared more about Adanis.
Furthermore, regardless of whether Olaoâs outcome was death or confinement, it was irrelevant to the Wise Sovereign. Because his value was now far below that of Adanis.
Adanis had sent the You Nu, which helped stabilize the contaminated energy of the Magical Energy Array; Adanis herself was an expert in the Magical Energy Array, and it was her who helped stabilize the situation when the Hanging Jail Stairway faced the Spatial Tempest.
Therefore, Olao is irrelevant now; Adanis is the more important one.
Moreover, through detailed analysis and speculation, the Wise Sovereign could almost confirm that Olao was not in trouble and indeed spent most of his time in slumber.
Also, Adanis absolutely wouldnât harm Olao.
In fact, the Wise Sovereign suspected that the reason Adanis remained in the Underground Aqueduct was precisely because of Olao.
The bond between themâwhether kinship, friendship, or romantic loveâthe Wise Sovereign did not know. But Adanisâs actions absolutely took Olaoâs feelings into account.
Otherwise, from the Wise Sovereignâs understanding of Adanisâs character, if she truly resolved to deal with the descendants of Noah, she would not have shown any mercy.
Reflecting on the past, Adanis can be said to have been considerably lenient with the descendants of Noah. Even those swallowed by the You Nu were physically unharmed. Essentially, they were sent to the Sea of Void Mirror to have their memories erased, ensuring they wouldnât remember anything about the Underground Aqueduct before being released alive.
This might sound easy, but in practice, itâs quite difficult. The Sea of Void Mirror is extremely dangerous; even creatures within the mirror must approach it cautiously. Adanis thoroughly erased the memories of the Noah descendants each time and then released them, which was all considering Olaoâs feelings.
This time is no different; Adanis mainly targeted Angel and barely mentioned the Noah descendants... Of course, this is also because in Adanisâs eyes, the Noah descendants were not much different from before, so she simply overlooked them.
The Black Earl wasnât a fool. When he considered it from the perspective of the Wise Sovereign, he understood his meaning.
He wasnât blaming the Wise Sovereign for being too utilitarian; if he were in his position, he would also consider practical issues first before tackling others.
Yet...
"Since youâve already decided to side with Adanis, why choose to help us?"
The Black Earl had asked this before, but the Wise Sovereign had always given ambiguous answers. Now that the Wise Sovereign intended to show sincerity, did he have a new answer to the same question?
This time, the Wise Sovereign pondered for a while before speaking: "There are many internal reasons, ranging from subjective thoughts to sub-conscious motives, varied and disorganized. Even if I list them all, I might not be able to enumerate them completely myself."
"But these reasons are fragmented, an internal driving force. When you boil it down to a core, there is really just one word."
The Wise Sovereign paused and extended a finger to write a character on the True Words Tome.
ââTransform.
In the common continental language, the basic definition of this character is: to break the existing status quo.
And this was precisely the basic definition the Wise Sovereign wished to convey.
Maintaining the status quo has many benefits, no doubt. But in the long run, it only leads to complacency and a lack of responsiveness to change.
The Wise Sovereign could maintain such a stable status quo... for ten thousand years, but his lifespan couldnât sustain another ten thousand. In fact, without seeking solutions or opportunities for breakthroughs, even a thousand years would be problematic.
The Wise Sovereign couldnât ignore the limit of his lifespan, but besides longevity, he was more concerned with whether he could witness Naraku rekindle its glory.
If it were merely like before, silently waiting for Narakuâs return, the Wise Sovereign didnât believe that he would see any hope within his limited lifespan.
So, he constantly considered whether there was a way to break the status quo.
Until Angel and others arrived, the Wise Sovereign saw a glimmer of hope in their performance along the way.
Perhaps this was the variable he had been waiting for.
"Who are you fooling? I donât believe it." Dox muttered under his breath.
The Wise Sovereign looked at Dox, his expression silent, yet his eyes clearly inquiring.
Dox: "The Dominator expects a variable, but rather than expecting an external variable, why not create one himself? I refuse to believe the Dominator considers us that variable."
In the Wise Sovereignâs words, their importance was infinitely elevated. Is that possible? Itâs not that Dox didnât appreciate it, but the words sounded overly complimentary to him.
Moreover, the most critical point isâ
If the Wise Sovereign truly wished for the millennia-long equilibrium of the Underground Aqueduct to be disrupted and desired change, why choose to meddle with the remnants?
Olao and Adanis, those two "Spirits," in the Wise Sovereignâs earlier words, didnât seem important enough to influence the future path of the Underground Aqueduct.
So, using Qingkong Poetry Room to discuss "change" in the Underground Aqueduct, how could he trust the Wise Sovereignâs words?
The Wise Sovereign: "I know what youâre thinking. And youâre not wrong; in the vast Underground Aqueduct, even if itâs in ruins, finding an appropriate variable is not easy either."
"Iâm aware that some among you have substantial backgrounds. Relying on your patronsâ capabilities alone could turn the Underground Aqueduct upside down."
"However, destruction is easy; breaking through is difficult."
"For me, what I need is a breakthrough, not destruction."
"I never hoped to achieve a breakthrough instantly." The Wise Sovereign murmured, "For me, Qingkong Poetry Room is a fulcrum. As long as it can be leveraged, many rigid stalemates can gradually loosen."
What the Wise Sovereign sought was to lever one point and strategize the entire situation.
As for why Qingkong Poetry Room would become the start of the breakthrough, the reason is simple: because in the entire Underground Aqueduct, only Qingkong Poetry Room was beyond the Wise Sovereignâs control.
Only by completely mastering the Underground Aqueduct could the Wise Sovereign implement the means to "break the status quo" without any worries.
"What you say sounds beautiful, but itâs all idealistic," Dox said. "And ideals are very hard to achieve."
Everyone actually agreed with Dox, but they all remained silent.
After a few seconds of silence, the Black Earl asked, "On what basis do you consider us a variable? What do you expect us to do after we reach the Qingkong Poetry Room? To what extent must we go to move that breaking point?"
The Wise Sovereign replied, "As long as you successfully reach the Qingkong Poetry Room, you donât need to do anything after that. Just go with the flow and let events unfold."
"Huh?" Everyone looked at one another, somewhat baffled by the Wise Sovereignâs intentions in doing this.
One moment he said they were an important variable, and the next, it felt like they were being abandoned.
"Donât be surprised. Fate is not absolutely predetermined. Even a Prophet Wizard struggles to land ashore when the tides of fate surge. Only by adapting at the right time and place can we amend predetermined destiny."
"I had no plan before you arrived. As the situation changes, I also continuously adjust my thoughts. Now, while I donât think my ideas are absolutely correct, they have matured, and Iâm willing to act on them impulsively."
After the Wise Sovereign finished speaking, perhaps seeing the doubts in everyoneâs eyes were still not dispelled, he used a more straightforward tone:
"Just like before, when you did nothing, she already started acting strangely, didnât she? I donât know why sheâs behaving unusually, but I believe your existence is a variable."
"When the variable enters the Qingkong Poetry Room, the beginning of the breakthrough is already poised to unfold."
As the Wise Sovereign spoke these words, the True Words Tome continuously displayed new text, indicating that the Wise Sovereign indeed laid bare his inner thoughts.
Whether this was an honest revelation or a selective one is hard to say. However, at the very least, everyone could understand what he said, and the True Words Tome assured them the Wise Sovereign was speaking the truth.
Since the Wise Sovereign had spoken this much, the Black Earl did not continue questioning this topic but asked, "Besides this, regarding the Legacy site and the Qingkong Poetry Room, does the Wise Sovereign have any other information to add?"
Up until now, the Wise Sovereign had spoken a lot about matters of the past, and also touched on some situations of the Qingkong Poetry Roomâs past, but these were all superficial. There was virtually no discussion about the current situation of Qingkong Poetry Room and deeper content.
"I donât know much about the current situation at the Qingkong Poetry Room, but I have already called someone knowledgeable about the inner workings over here."
"Who?"
The Wise Sovereign: "Youâve met them; they will be here soon."
The Wise Sovereign paused before continuing: "In the meantime, you can ask other questions. Or have you no questions left?"
After the Wise Sovereign finished, Dox eagerly raised his hand, saying, "Me, me, me!"
The Wise Sovereign looked at Dox and softly said, "Hmm... limited to questions about the Underground Aqueduct for now."
Dox immediately deflated, putting his hand down with a disheartened expression.
At this moment, Vay timidly raised his hand: "May I ask a question?"
The Wise Sovereign nodded, signaling Vay to speak.
"Why did Adanis involve Olao in playing the role of the Mirror Demon God? And does the Mirror Demon God really not exist, what is the ultimate fate of those believers?"
Vayâs first question still intrigued the crowd, but the second question was considered irrelevant. At least for the current situation, it held no value; after all, this happened ten thousand years ago.
"As for why Olao was also involved in the Mirror Demon God role, this... I donât know either."
Since the fall of Naraku City, the Wise Sovereign had seen Olao only once; the theft by Demon God believers happened later, and ever since then, he lost contact with Olao.
"However, based on information obtained from captured believers, it can be confirmed that Olao did not participate in this Mirror Demon God plan."
"Perhaps Adanis forcibly involved him to declare that everything she did was with Olaoâs consent. And as Olao recovered belongings of Augustine and Margaret, outsiders indeed couldnât argue."
Angel agreed with the Wise Sovereign but added a point: "From the design perspective of this mark, it actually reflects the duality of the mirror."
"A mirror has an inside and outside; correspondingly, the Demon Godâs mark should have an inside and outside distinction. Which is to say, the appearance of the god within the mirror, as well as the god outside the mirror, fits the essence of the mark."
"What Angel says makes sense too," the Wise Sovereign said to Vay. "You can choose to believe whichever explanation you prefer, or both if you wish."
Vay nodded; indeed, both theories were credible and not mutually exclusive. He personally felt both could be believed.
"As for your second question," the Wise Sovereign continued, "to my understanding, there is no mention of a Mirror Demon God in the Abyss, or even a similar Demon God, at least not in the Barren Face... um, you do know what the Barren Face means, right?"
Angel and the Black Earl nodded, but the others looked around in confusion.
The Wise Sovereign sighed and briefly explained the Abyssâs Phase Face, indicating that the Southern Domain Wizard World corresponds to the "Barren Face."
The two apprentices were left bewildered. Their experiences in the Abyss had been on the very surface, and near Stronghold City at that.
They had no idea what deeper levels of the Abyss were like. They certainly hadnât realized the part of the Abyss they knew was just one ordinary Phase Face.
Even though the Barren Face itself was already immense beyond measure, they couldnât imagine that the Abyss held other Phase Faces. And those Phase Faces contained Demon Gods theyâd never heard of...
"Surprised? The Pan-Dimensional Plane is vast, greater worlds than the Southern Domain abound. When you embark on your journey, youâll gradually get used to it," Dox said with the air of a seasoned traveler.
Kaier accepted this advice sincerely.
But Vay coldly mocked, "Havenât you also never heard of the Barren Face? Now youâre just pretending."
Dox: "I just..."
"You just lack sources of information," Vay answered for Dox. "And why is there no information source? Freedom, oh how precious freedom is. Itâs prettily termed freedom, but really, itâs just a fancy cover for ignorance."
Vayâs words struck straight at Doxâs heart.
Indeed, his ignorance of the Barren Face stemmed from a lack of information. Within the Southern Domain, he had his own channels for major and minor events, but once outside it, in the larger world, he was at a complete loss.
And as a wizard, he couldnât confine himself to the Southern Domain forever.
Sooner or later, heâd have to venture out. But without any information sources, he would likely get lost in the vast Void.
After a moment of silence, Dox hummed from his nose, "Itâs normal not to have information now; later, weâll have it."
Though Dox spoke quietly, everyone heard and understood his implication.
He clearly intended to repay Angel with his own efforts.
Vay smirked but didnât speak further, though inwardly he was happy for his friendâs choice.
Angel, meanwhile, merely smiled gently, already considering how best to leverage Doxâs abilities, especially his unique inspiration ability...
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