Chapter 2657: Chapter 2658: Parting Ways

Sure, here’s the translation:

The group continued to walk on the pitch-black void staircase.

With each step, the red mark would light up, turning the step beneath their feet into solid form. As they moved to the next step, the previous one slowly turned into a phantom shadow, eventually disappearing into the darkness.

They seemed to be stepping onto a heavenly ladder with no way back.

By now, they had been away from the platform where Cicia’s box was located for almost fifteen minutes, yet the end of the staircase was still nowhere in sight.

Additionally, the staircase sometimes spiraled upward and sometimes plummeted like a free fall for dozens of meters. The routes, flipping and turning upside-down, had become routine.

If it weren’t for the red mark constantly guiding their direction, they would even doubt if they had gone the wrong way.

Now, they arrived at a large loop of the staircase, alternating between upside-down and right-side-up. The gravitational field here was quite chaotic, even on the upside-down sections, there was no feeling of falling.

Halfway through this large looping staircase, Kaier suddenly questioned: "Why is my mark flying in a different direction from yours?"

Since Kaier was at the back, the others hadn’t noticed anything unusual before. They only turned to look when they heard Kaier’s voice through the Mind Ribbon.

Ten meters away, Kaier stood dazed on the original step, while the red mark in front of him was flickering in another direction.

At the same time, a corresponding staircase phantom shadow appeared in the direction where Kaier stood.

"Does this ticket actually have different routes?" Dox looked at Angel in puzzlement.

Angel had communicated with Cicia the longest among them, and surely knew more than they did.

However, Angel was also a bit perplexed: "I asked about the mark, and Cicia only said this is a rule of the other-dimensional space. Only those who possess a red mark can safely reach the exit. There was no mention of diverging paths along the way."

The Black Earl verified at this time: "I also asked similar questions, and the answers were not much different from what Angel said."

"What should Kaier do now? Should I go back and get him?" Dox asked.

Angel: "Once the mark is activated, it will keep moving forward. If you don’t believe it, try stepping back."

Dox had a strong spirit and directly stepped onto the previous step. Just like Angel said, the red mark did not flicker, nor did it retreat with Dox, remaining suspended in place.

And the step that Dox half-stepped onto became a non-existent phantom shadow.

Dox, being impulsive, thought it was only a few meters. He decided to pull Kaier over first... As for Kaier possibly losing the red mark because of this, Dox didn’t give it much thought, after all, if worst came to worst, he could just stash him in his Exile Space.

But just as Dox was about to dash towards Kaier, Kaier shook his head frantically, looking terrified.

Dox was puzzled, when suddenly he felt a chill in his heart.

Not only Dox, others present also felt something amiss.

"Speedy, quickly pull Dox back!" As soon as Angel sensed something wrong, he immediately instructed Speedy, summoning a powerful wind vortex, instantly pulling Dox, whose two feet had already left the step, back onto the staircase.

Back on the staircase, Dox was gasping heavily with a lingering sense of fear.

"What, what happened just now?" Dox asked in confusion while catching his breath.

However, none of them had seen any specific situation, only sensing something wasn’t right.

At this moment, Kaier’s voice came through the Mind Ribbon: "Shadow, when Red Sword Lord stepped out of the step, I saw a massive shadow rising from the void below."

"A massive shadow? It’s so dark here, are you sure you didn’t see it wrong?" Angel asked.

Kaier: "Absolutely not wrong, the color is completely different from the surrounding blackness..."

"Has the shadow disappeared now?" Dox was a bit worried that he was being watched by something foul.

Kaier: "As soon as Red Sword Lord stood back within the light source covered by the red mark, the shadow sank and vanished."

Upon hearing this, everyone understood why Angel said this red mark can only advance, not retreat.

Once you step back, you encounter this kind of unknown terror.

Angel: "Cicia mentioned there is danger in the void, but I didn’t expect the danger to come so fast. Once you leave the step, the shadow immediately looms overhead..."

Black Earl: "An other-dimensional space shouldn’t be so bizarre, and your void harbors Magic Monsters."

Angel: "Harboring Magic Monsters?"

Black Earl: "Besides harboring Magic Monsters, I can’t think of other existences. The design of this other-dimensional space is not right... I have a feeling there are secrets hidden deep in this void that are unknown."

Black Earl gazed into the dark void, a hint of exploration in his eyes.

"If there are secrets here, then the Hanging Jail Stairway probably also hides secrets... because its situation is similar to this place." Angel paused: "But even if there are secrets, they should be unrelated to our journey."

Angel’s curiosity for these "secrets" wasn’t lacking, but the secrets here likely relate to Hanging Jail Stairway, or high-level decisions in Naraku City, matters he couldn’t involve himself with at the moment.

Moreover, Angel didn’t want to cause unnecessary complications in this exploration.

"Indeed, it’s likely unrelated." Black Earl didn’t deny Angel’s statement: "We can leave it aside for now."

"Don’t bother with secrets now. However, Kaier’s situation is urgent, and requires focused attention." Dox said.

"What’s there to worry about? Wherever the red mark guides him, he should follow. Since Cicia said the red mark will lead us out of here, we will eventually meet again." Black Earl said softly at this point: "Besides, we might all have our own roads later."

Upon hearing Black Earl’s words, Kaier, who was furthest away, responded first: "Indeed, if there’s only one path, there’d be no need to buy so many tickets. Since each of us has a ticket, it likely means that everyone will have different paths."

"I’ll follow the red mark going forward." Kaier paused with a solemn tone: "Traveling alone."

Kaier spoke with firmness, making Dox contemplate and softly remark: "That’s good... traveling alone is actually commonplace."

"Not quite alone." Kaier scratched his head: "The Mind Ribbon is still connected, I’ll update you about any situation on my journey!"

After saying this, Kaier took a deep breath and walked in the direction pointed by the red mark.

Everyone watched Kaier’s silhouette as it moved further until it disappeared into the darkness. They silently turned back and continued along the large loop.

Kaier indeed kept his word, occasionally reporting about his situation, indicating he was unharmed.

After walking for a few more minutes, as he reached the top of the large loop, a divergent path appeared in front of Dox.

This time, Dox didn’t say much, just nodded to everyone, and then embarked on his dark journey alone.

Once Dox was far away, Vay sighed and said, "It seems the lord was right, everyone truly has a different path..."

Black Earl: "Everyone has their own path, that’s why when you decided to stay in Mesomyia, I didn’t stop you. Because it’s your own choice, it’s the path you need to walk."

Vay chuckled outwardly, but inwardly he was speechless, taking this chance to teach him a lesson.

Clearly, the paths here aren’t referring to the same road.

Vay felt a bit aggrieved, but this feeling soon disappeared because the red mark guiding Black Earl pointed in another direction.

Black Earl said nothing and left on his own.

Only Angel and Vay remained.

Vay’s mood was unusually good at this time, being able to walk with his idol, this dark long road also became bright.

However, while it’s good to be alone with his idol, Vay didn’t know what topics to bring up. Would his idol be interested in the topics he’s interested in? If not, wouldn’t it be awkward to chat?

As Vay pondered on how to start the conversation, Angel spoke first: "You mentioned you wanted to customize a Crystal Ball, are you sure it’s a Crystal Ball? Are there any other options, or any specific effects you need from this Crystal Ball, any limitations on materials or form?"

Vay quickly responded: "Yes, definitely a Crystal Ball. Because my abilities rely on some inherent traits of the Crystal Ball to perform better... Also, Diviners using Crystal Balls look more professional."

"As for the limitations and effects of the Crystal Ball, personally, I hope the energy input can be smooth, the energy level tolerance should be higher, and most importantly, it should not be corroded by the death aura..."

Angel raised an eyebrow: "Are you sure it’s the death aura?"

Vay instinctively said: "Yes, the death aura."

Upon answering, Vay realized Angel was looking at him with a meaningful expression. Vay pondered for a moment: "Did the lord discover something?"

"I know what the death aura is like. What you have is a death aura on the surface, but inside, there’s another diametrically opposite aura. Hmm... in other words, it’s born from death."

Vay’s expression showed some surprise, but his eyes were sparkling: "As expected of Lord Chaowei, he could detect such deeply hidden traits. My lord said unless it’s a Wizard leaning towards the death aspect of the Soul Sect, other sects’ Wizards wouldn’t sense it, unless they reach the True Knowledge realm."

"Dox never detected it."

Looking at Angel, Vay’s face was full of admiration.

Angel felt a bit embarrassed under that gaze, actually, Black Earl was right, he couldn’t tell just by himself. His previous words were just a patchwork of Cicia’s statements.

Angel certainly had a purpose in bringing it up.

"Although this unusual death aura can be treated like an ordinary death aura, using materials such as the bones of the deceased, Soul Soothing Stone, Departed Soul Crystal, and so on to ward off its corrosion on Alchemy Tools."

"But since it’s not a true death aura, if you can let me specifically sense this aura, I should be able to refine it to better fit your requirements."

After a pause, Angel added: "I don’t know if you understand, as a newer member of the Research and Development Institute, all tools I refine have to be top-notch... I won’t say the specific reasons. Because of this, I don’t wish for any blemishes in my alchemy career."

Angel’s words first laid out the facts, followed by gentle persuasion, and lastly with an emotional leave-out, giving Vay space for imagination.

Vay was already completely immersed in Angel’s rhythm, energetically said: "Lord needs to observe my Death Sense ability? I can cut off my nose for lord to study!"

Angel: "..."

Do all you Noah Clan members have a habit of dismantling organs? Always talking about cutting noses. Besides, why would I study your nose? The Bloodline powers were inherited from Black Earl, the nose is just a medium.

Angel thought this inwardly, outwardly he calmly shook his head: "No need for such trouble, if you could have something similar to that Crystal Ball before, allowing me to sense its emitted aura, that would suffice."

"Something similar to the Crystal Ball?" Vay thought, unable to immediately think of anything similar to his Crystal Ball.

Seeing Vay’s confused appearance, Angel had to guide him again.

"Speaking of which, are you the only Noah descendant who inherited the Death Sense? Were there no other Noah descendants who possessed the Death Sense before?"

With Angel’s hint at this level, how could Vay not understand.

"Right! I remembered!" Vay’s eyes shifted from confusion to realization: "My lord used to have a Crystal Ball, it’s said to have been given by an old friend of his. But it wasn’t used later, he said the Crystal Ball didn’t look good. But I think, the Crystal Ball perfectly fits the abilities of Death Sense, and relatively has a presence, also it would make the clients at the divination shop more trustworthy."

After self-talk, Vay assuredly patted his chest and promised: "Whenever lord needs, I’ll definitely bring the Crystal Ball to lord then."

Angel: "Anytime after we leave here."

Vay’s eyes lit up, feeling slightly touched. As a member of the Research and Development Institute, he definitely receives many requests for refining, yet now putting his refining request as a priority, it seems he is concerned that without the Crystal Ball, the divination shop couldn’t continue.

Really thoughtful!

Angel observed Vay with slightly watery eyes, puzzled, what’s going on with this guy... why the emotional ups and downs are so big?

Angel was considering whether to say something to comfort Vay.

Vay didn’t give him the chance, spoke to Angel with an excited expression: "I, I surely won’t fail lord’s care!"

Angel: "???"

Angel hadn’t yet figured out what emotion Vay was going through, when the red mark before him started to flutter and flew towards another direction.

Angel glanced at another slowly appearing Phantom Shadow stairway beside him and said to Vay: "It seems it’s time for us to part ways. I’ll go first, see you at the door of Hanging Jail Stairway in a moment."

Angel waved to Vay and walked in another direction.

Under Vay’s reluctant gaze, slowly disappearing.

Angel’s departure was rather carefree, also because he had said what needed to be said, and set the stage. As for whether he could eventually get Black Earl’s Crystal Ball, it’d depend on Vay’s own performance.

However, speaking of... Vay mentioned that Black Earl’s Crystal Ball was given by a friend? Before?

Black Earl’s friend? Crystal Ball? These two keywords sparked some associations in Angel’s mind.

Angel had a sense of inexplicable foreboding, Black Earl’s friend... could be the one he knows.

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