Chapter 2811: Chapter 2812: The Story Within the Murals
"Naraku." Angel softly repeated the name: "Is the city named after him too?"
The Wise Sovereign nodded.
Quite narcissistic. Angel mused silently.
"So, has he been deified by you?"
Looking at Naraku in the murals, Angel felt he was no longer like a person, but more like the deities worshiped and fantasized by ignorant primitive people.
"Deified? Why canât Naraku be a god?" The Wise Sovereign retorted.
"A god?" Angelâs voice was noncommittal: "Iâve heard of many worlds with gods, so which world does Naraku belong to?"
Angelâs words sounded normal, but anyone not foolish could hear the hint of sarcasm in them.
As a child, Jon taught him science. As he grew, Sanders taught him truth. During this journey, no one ever taught him to believe in deities.
Jon did not believe, and Sanders disdained. For humans in this world, the existence of "gods" is not absent from textual interpretation; in mortal realms, "gods" spreading teachings of truth, goodness, and beauty exist, but essentially they are tools to regulate the lower classes.
In the Wizardsâ Realm, "gods" also exist, but the gods mentioned by Wizards are mostly derogatory.
Demon Gods, Evil Gods, Outer Gods, Evil Fire Deities, Wild Gods... and so on. These are undoubtedly powerful beings deserving respect with "Their" title. Yet, respecting strength, Wizardsâ naming leaves no positive word. Wizards respect the power, not the deific authority.
In Wizardsâ eyes, so-called gods are merely extraordinary beings. If powerful enough, They are laid on Wizardsâ research tables, dissected, experimented upon, turned into piles of records.
Thus, when the Wise Sovereign said Naraku was a god, Angel outwardly remained calm but internally classified Naraku as an Otherworldly Visitor.
For ordinary Wizards, Otherworldly Visitors are ignored with one eye open and one closed. But to Extreme Sect, and the worldâs will, Otherworldly Visitors are useless pests.
"Naraku was born in the Southern Domain; you need not be extreme. What I meant by god is someone reaching the pinnacle in a particular aspect," explained the Wise Sovereign.
Angel: "Oh."
Angelâs reaction was very indifferent; what the Wise Sovereign explained can barely be called "god," but itâs definitely different from the muralâs "deification."
The Wise Sovereign saw Angelâs indifference, sighed inwardly. For Narakuâs evaluation, countless minds have countless views; forcing correction of Angelâs view is unnecessary.
He merely said lightly: "When reaching the pinnacle in one aspect, mortals have a term quite aptly describing it."
"That would be... Miracle."
Hearing the term, Angel felt less composed. He quickly turned to the Wise Sovereign: "Miracle? Naraku achieved a miracle?"
The Wise Sovereign shook his head: "If thereâs truly a miracle, Naraku City wouldnât face adversity. However, in my view, Naraku is most qualified to touch upon miracles."
Angel: "At that time, Narakuâs realm had already reached the peak of legend?"
The Wise Sovereign shook his head: "Still a step away from legend."
Angel momentarily found no words. One whoâs not yet legendary dreaming of miracles; calling it laughable would be generous.
Knowing achieving a miracle from legend involves countless thresholds, let alone not reaching legend at all.
The Wise Sovereign saw Angelâs speechless expression, smiled and said: "Actually, I have a good eye for people; I feel as long as you donât fall, thereâs a high chance youâll become legendary."
Angel: "So, thatâs how Naraku got deceived by you?"
The Wise Sovereign laughed heartily: "I donât have such ability to mislead Naraku... when you reach that point, youâll understand what the stance of a miracle is. Also, arenât you from Barbarian Cave? You could ask your organizationâs three Ancestral Spirits, whoâve witnessed many legends and might know."
"Moreover, if you seriously ask the three Ancestral Spirits, I believe they will make the same judgment as me. Your chance of becoming legendary wonât be small."
Angel: "Do you know of a psychology effect? When you think something might go wrong, regardless of how minuscule the chance, it will invariably happen."
"Thus, the issue of probabilities; let it stay in the clouds named probability."
The Wise Sovereign looked surprised at Angel: "Your words are quite interesting."
Angel: "After chatting this much off-topic, shouldnât we discuss the main topic?"
The Wise Sovereign: "Arenât we discussing the main topic now? I thought youâd be interested in these murals."
As he spoke, the Wise Sovereign walked near another wall, lightly tapped a mural on the wall, gesturing for Angel to look.
Following the Wise Sovereignâs finger, Angel saw the muralâs content and frowned slightly.
The mural depicts a figure bathed in light with four pairs of raven-winged wings. Below them, a group of similarly raven-winged individuals kneel, with wings numbering either two pairs or one pair.
If looking solely at these raven-winged individuals, the mural seems to depict a community of raven-winged beings worshipping a strong figure within.
But beside the figure with four pairs of raven-winged wings, a flag is flying.
Observing the flag closely, Angel saw a familiar emblem.
Snake entwined awl!
A black snake coiled around a golden awl.
Though the awlâs color differs slightly from the snake entwined awl Angel saw previously, everything else is nearly identical!
"Is this... snake entwined awl?" Angel asked the Wise Sovereign, seeking explanation.
"You previously asked me what experiment Naraku City was conducting?" The Wise Sovereign didnât directly answer Angel but instead began another topic: "The muralâs scene depicts part of the experimental results, and the subjects are individuals eager for strength."
"Are you saying these raven-winged individuals? Were they originally ordinary people?" Angel questioned frowning.
The Wise Sovereign: "Not necessarily ordinary, many Transcendents tremendously longing for strength."
The Wise Sovereign didnât deny some among them were ordinary, which made Angel somewhat uncomfortable.
Wizards resolve Wizard matters themselves, avoiding implicating ordinary mortals is an unspoken rule of the Wizardsâ Realm. Using mortals for live experiments is directly labeled taboo in the Wizardsâ Realm.
"I know what youâre thinking, some things are indeed taboo, but even the most forbidden things need exceptions. In moments of despair, whether ordinary people or Transcendents, all wish for a rope to grasp, pulling them out from the Abyss of death."
"And these people, without exception, are those who have experienced despair and yearn for transformation."
Those who yearn for transformation? To Angel, they are actually people filled with obsession.
But sometimes, it must be said, in the depths of despair, the force that can support you most is your obsession.
Angel: "The result of the experiment was giving this group of people yearning for transformation wings?"
The Wise Sovereign: "Wings are merely a symbol of the Transcendent; the true transformation is of their body and spirit."
"So, this experiment can be considered successful?"
"It can barely be considered a success, but all the successful ones are right here." The Wise Sovereign pointed to the wall painting of the raven-winged individuals, saying there were not many, yet not too few either.
"So more people were given hope, only to be pushed back into despair?"
The Wise Sovereign could hear the sarcasm in Angelâs tone, but he didnât care: "Reality is always cruel."
He brushed it off lightly.
Angel felt some frustration within, but couldnât articulate any grand reasoning. He was speaking for these people from millennia ago, often taking the moral high ground in his mind, yet he understood that itâs difficult to grasp the matters of the present without being in the present context.
After taking a deep breath, Angel suppressed his feelings and asked, "Then what does this have to do with the snake mark?"
The Wise Sovereign said plainly: "Do you know what the snake mark represents?"
Angel thought for a moment, then said: "Iâve heard of the snake mark being called the Eternal Serpent emblem; also, it has some relation with the Baiyuanians."
The Wise Sovereign: "What youâve mentioned is only partially understood."
"The snake mark is a faction among the Baiyuanians, much like the Carabits, Xis, Hoggs... all have so-called pure bloodline factions. The snake mark is the faction composed of the purest Baiyuanians bloodline."
The Wise Sovereign: "A side question, you should be a Wise Man, right?"
Angel nodded. If categorized by type, he is human. But if categorized by lineage, he belongs to the Wise Men.
"Speaking of which, compared to the examples I just gave, you Wise Men are the least concerned about the so-called pure bloodline among humans." The Wise Sovereign said.
"The trait of Wise Men is having no traits. With no traits, why care about being special or not." Angel replied casually.
"Youâre not wrong there, and thatâs probably why the Wise Men became the mainstream in the Wizardsâ Realm within just ten millennia. Millennia ago, Wise Men had no numerical advantage over other humans, but now, more than half in the Southern Domain are Wise Men."
The Wise Sovereign: "Iâve digressed, back to the snake mark. The snake mark is a faction of the Baiyuanians, and as for the name of their faction, I donât know it."
"The Baiyuanians with pure bloodlines are quite exclusive; they can collaborate and make excellent partners, yet forming close relationships with them is extremely difficult. Moreover, it seems the Baiyuanians internally donât wish for complete openness. They want to be recognized as humans, yet want to maintain their seclusion, a very contradictory stance."
"In Naraku City, those who know the real name of the snake mark faction are very few. Iâm among those who donât."
"The Baiyuanians marked with the snake mark call themselves the âmedical teamâ, but they are designated by Naraku as the âexperimental groupâ."
"By now, you should understand why this wall painting has the flag of the snake mark, right?" The Wise Sovereign said blandly: "Because they are the ones conducting these experiments."
After saying this, the Wise Sovereign moved Angel on to the next wall, pointing to a corner of a wall painting.
This wall painting had no people, only a large tree bearing blood-red fruits. On the trunk of the tree, there was also the snake mark!
"This was another experiment by the experimental group, researching life extension. The effect was quite good, a minor success. However, during the catastrophe millennia ago, this tree was uprooted, and its current whereabouts remain unknown."
The Wise Sovereign pointed to the other side of the painting, which depicted a floating garden in mid-air.
"The Demon Plant cultivated in this Sky Garden is also a masterpiece of the experimental group. But you wonât find the snake mark here, just as you wonât see the Demon Plant inside."
In the subsequent time, the Wise Sovereign almost continuously explained the various details within the wall paintings to Angel.
And these details were either directly related to the âexperimental groupâ or indirectly tied to the Baiyuanians.
By now, Angel had a clear understanding of why the Wise Sovereign stated that the wall paintings were the main topic. All the questions he inquired about, whether about the experiment, the snake mark, or the Baiyuanians, could find answers within the wall paintings.
"This is the Hundred Hands experiment, the outcome is not optimistic. This is the Illusion Separation experiment, mainly researching the brain; the results are reportedly good, but thereâs no record here. Otherwise, I think this record would have been very useful to you. And this is..." The Wise Sovereign was explaining, but suddenly his voice halted.
Angel looked at the Wise Sovereign in confusion, only to find his gaze fixed on a particular wall painting.
The painting showed a familiar silhouette, with naturally "floating" hair and a haloed background. Without a doubt, it was Naraku.
In the painting, Naraku had his back to them, and in front of him was a horizontal slit.
It looked like a space rift, but subtly different, seemingly exuding a dark aura from within.
Furthermore, the slit, thin at both ends and swollen in the middle, appeared as if it were... as if it were...
An eye.
And at the center of this painting, just above the slit, appeared the familiar snake mark.
"Is this too connected to the âexperimental groupâ?" Angel asked: "Did the City Lord of Naraku also personally participate?"
The Wise Sovereign chuckled softly: "Indeed, this is related to the experimental group. But as for the specifics of this experiment, I cannot disclose, this is a confidential experiment."
Previously, when signing the True Words Tome contract, the Wise Sovereign had mentioned that some experiments he would not disclose to Angel, so Angel was already prepared for this.
Nonetheless, Angel was genuinely intrigued about what kind of experiment Naraku personally participated in.
Angel carefully scrutinized this wall painting, committing every detail within to memory.
Although the Wise Sovereign was unwilling to divulge more, clues were present, and the answer could eventually be uncovered.
If worst comes to worst, wasnât Dororo still around?
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