Chapter 2736: Chapter 2737: Goodwill in the Void

Angel perceived anomalous emotions in the Gray Merchant, and actually, he had already begun to gradually reduce the use of Hyper Perception. After all, Hyper Perception, much like a Supercomputer, requires a considerable amount of computational power, which is a huge burden on Angel’s mental capacity.

However, Angel could not be entirely sure that the anomalous emotions on the Gray Merchant were coming from "her."

So, to be cautious, he only weakened his emotional perception of known sources, remaining highly vigilant about unknown sources.

Because of this, when anomalous emotions came from the void, he was able to detect it immediately.

The so-called "anomaly" actually means "different from the rest."

What’s the dominant emotional tone in the void? Malice, slaughter, bloodthirstiness, cruelty.

What contradicts the main theme, being "different from the rest," is naturally benevolence.

This benevolent emotion even surpassed the Wise Sovereign’s kind intentions towards him. It was somewhat akin to the level of benevolence the Black Earl showed him.

This degree of benevolence was already extremely high, considering that the Black Earl’s goodwill towards Angel was based on his old friendship with "Rhein," with Angel’s talents slowly elevating that goodwill along the way.

It was surprising to Angel that in the chaotic void filled with magical creatures, such a stream of benevolence could emerge.

At first, he thought it was the gaze of Miss Cicia, but the Authority of the "Gate of Dreams" clearly showed that Cicia had not left the Wilderness of Dreams.

So, if it’s not Cicia, then who could it be?

Angel signaled to Earl Mi to continue with his task, while he concealed himself within Earl Mi, unobtrusively looking towards the source of the benevolence in the void.

When he traced the source of the benevolence, Angel’s expression once again became peculiar.

Previously sensing the anomalous emotions on the Gray Merchant puzzled him greatly; now, he sensed anomalous emotions from a magical creature in the void?

Moreover, this void creature was not unfamiliar to Angel.

It was the whale-like magical creature with horns on its head!

Previously, in the void, Angel mostly sensed extremely malevolent emotions, yet there were still some weaker or even absent malevolent emotions.

This whale-shaped magical creature was the only one that Angel previously sensed to have dilute malevolent emotions in the void.

While it leaned more towards neutrality, it did not wish to be an outlier, so it followed the crowd, performing roars, howls, and anger.

But in reality, its eyelids drooped all the time, probably thinking that joining the commotion wasn’t as worthwhile as going back to nap.

Back then, Angel had mused that this whale-like magical creature must be highly intelligent and also a master of acting.

However, it was just a fleeting thought, without much concern.

Yet unexpectedly, in just a few minutes, this whale-like magical creature’s emotions transformed from slight malevolence to benevolence?

Could it have been charmed by Earl Mi’s heroic demeanor in battle and became a little fanatic... whale?

While Angel was speculating, he suddenly sensed another familiar emotion from the whale-like magical creature.

Bearing an indifferent resignation, leaning slightly towards malevolence, its emotions were filled with subdued exhaustion, yet externally expressed as agitation and indignation.

This... wasn’t this the original emotion of the whale-like magical creature?

After a second of astonishment, Angel was taken aback as he realized he had misunderstood before.

The whale-like magical creature’s emotion hadn’t changed at all! The benevolence he perceived was, just like with the Gray Merchant, another emotion attached to the whale-like magical creature.

Are the creatures in the Underground Aqueduct now trending towards possession?

After confirming the truth, Angel became even more confused.

If the whale-like magical creature had generated malevolence, it could be explained as "a little fanatic whale." But the other emotion attached to the whale-like magical creature, that couldn’t be self-explained.

What is the origin of the benevolence, where does it come from, and is there any basis?

These were the areas of Angel’s confusion.

Another point of confusion was... whether the benevolent emotion attached to the whale-like magical creature was the "her" that the Wise Sovereign referred to, or was the malevolent emotion attached to the Gray Merchant the "her" the Wise Sovereign referred to?

If it’s the latter, then who is the former? Couldn’t it be a split personality, right? The same applies vice versa.

Angel simply couldn’t figure it out.

He pondered for a moment and made a decision: since it was incomprehensible, it was better to face it directly.

Previously, when faced with the anomalous malevolence on the Gray Merchant, Angel cautiously engaged. To avoid triggering an unknown "bomb" before reaching the legacy site.

But unlike the Gray Merchant, this time the anomalous emotion was benevolent. Angel trusted his Hyper Perception wouldn’t fail him.

Given it’s benevolence, why not face it directly? Perhaps he could hear an answer directly from the entity?

Despite saying to face it directly, Angel wouldn’t just run straight up to the entity. First, he needed to determine the entity’s attitude before making further plans.

And how to determine the entity’s attitude? To ascertain if the entity desired communication?

The approach was simple—

Angel instructed Earl Mi to halt his actions temporarily, standing still, gradually lifting his head to gaze at the void.

Considering the possibility of provoking the entity due to the discovery, Angel had Earl Mi choose a position aligning Earl Mi, the Wise Sovereign, and the whale-like magical creature into a straight line.

This way, Earl Mi lifting his head would ostensibly appear to be meeting the Wise Sovereign’s gaze, but in reality, it was hinting at the possible presence of a "person" attached to the whale-like magical creature: I’ve found you.

By doing so, it would offer the entity a way to back down, and if the entity didn’t wish to communicate, Angel could deflect by claiming, "he was actually looking at the Wise Sovereign," thus avoiding an awkward situation.

Angel thought through this thoroughly but overlooked the thoughts of others.

In the eyes of the group with the Wicked Woman, those on the opposite side were already colluding with the Honorable Judge, who was extremely biased. Previously, they concealed it somewhat, acting less blatant, and now, they were boldly exchanging glances on the competitive stage?!

Initially, the group’s view of Angel was mostly neutral, but now, their emotions were shifting towards disdain.

And on Dox’s side, Angel’s actions also invoked puzzlement.

Clearly having the upper hand, why was he engaging in dialogue with the Wise Sovereign? Was he really intending to flaunt the shortcut so extravagantly, thereby maxing out the animosity from the opposition?

The spectators’ thoughts were filled with confusion, similar to the Wise Sovereign, who, being in the "direct participant" position, felt no more clarity than they did.

The Wise Sovereign could somewhat surmise Earl Mi’s act of creating severed hands, but didn’t understand why Earl Mi was looking at him now.

Without doubt, Angel was about to secure victory. Furthermore, his act of creating severed hands suggested Angel might have discovered the anomaly on the "Gray Merchant."

Otherwise, why would he have severed hands run towards the Gray Merchant to "search"?

In this context, despite Angel suddenly looking at him... the Wise Sovereign pondered, was Angel inquiring about the specific location of that entity? Or had he figured out why the Gray Merchant was anomalous, asking whether he should release the Gray Merchant’s memories?

The Wise Sovereign could only guess a few possibilities based on the information at hand. But after careful consideration, he still felt off; these matters could actually wait until after the duel to ask, and asking now, besides drawing scrutiny onto himself, the Wise Sovereign couldn’t fathom any benefits.

The Wise Sovereign was also unable to use the Mind Ribbon to communicate with Angel.

Now they were just communicating through eye contact, which could pass as a normal interaction. However, if they used the Mind Ribbon to communicate with the Honorable Judge during the duel, it would be undeniable evidence of their cheating.

Therefore, the Wise Sovereign could only stare into the dual-colored eyes, red and sapphire blue, of Earl Mi.

Angel, thinking of the "other’s" and his own retreat, bypassed the Wise Sovereign and gazed at the whale-like Magical Creature in the Void.

Although he sensed the surrounding emotions seemed somewhat unsettled, he had no time to care now. Besides, the heart’s whims, joy, and dislike are the norm.

Angel continued his persistent gaze at the whale-like Magical Creature.

At first, perhaps the other thought Angel was staring at the Wise Sovereign, but after a while, Angel clearly noticed the benevolent emotions in the Void gently swelling.

The benevolence remained unchanged, but it was tinged with some surprise.

After the surprise, there was a long silence... The other party neither left nor actively invited Angel for a conversation.

As time passed, Angel felt a bit awkward.

Should he speak first? Or maybe not—rarely does one encounter benevolent emotions; if pointing out the other’s presence actively causes distaste, it would not be worth it.

So... perhaps speak casually to the Wise Sovereign, find a way to step down gracefully, and let this matter pass?

Angel thought this method might suit him better, but what should he say to the Wise Sovereign?

As Angel pondered this, Earl Mi sent back a message to him.

Upon hearing this message, Angel’s eyes lit up.

Angel gently coughed twice, drawing everyone’s attention before he spoke: "Honorable Judge, I’d like to ask a question—in a duel, can the victor take spoils from the defeated?"

After hearing Angel’s inquiry, everyone’s reactions varied.

The vicious woman frowned, the disgust on her face becoming more pronounced; meanwhile, the apprentices under the Gray Merchant showed faces full of indignation.

As for the Black Earl’s side, the reaction was much more subdued. Apart from Dox clicking his tongue in amazement and muttering "I lost" to himself, there was no other response.

The Wise Sovereign then looked down at Angel, then over at the Gray Merchant still entangled in a battle of wits with illusions, completely unaware that his body was covered with severed hands.

He likely knew in his heart that Angel wanted to take something from the Gray Merchant.

Should he allow it? The Wise Sovereign was still undecided.

Angel’s desire was clearly for the Gray Merchant’s "mirror." However, that mirror originally held no special properties, but when the Goddess sealed the Gray Merchant’s memories within it, the mirror began to show a reflected space; and when the Goddess appeared in that reflected space to observe Angel, it meant that it was no longer a solitary space; it connected to the world the Goddess roamed and You Nu’s homeland.

It wouldn’t matter if someone else got the mirror. Without the appropriate method, there’s no way to enter.

But Angel is different; he had previously reached into the mirror and extracted derivatives of the Wood Spirit. He might actually be able to enter the world within the mirror.

Thus, the Wise Sovereign was hesitant about whether giving the mirror to Angel was good or bad.

If Angel simply released the Gray Merchant’s memories from the mirror, there would be no harm. But if he planned to follow the mirror into a deeper world, then that required consideration.

It wasn’t that the Wise Sovereign wanted to monopolize the entrance, but that Strange World was extremely easy to get lost in; once lost, it’s difficult to find the way out. Consequently, even the Wise Sovereign wouldn’t enter rashly.

The Wise Sovereign worried that Angel might not be able to restrain his curiosity and would actively step into the world within the mirror.

After pondering for a moment, the Wise Sovereign said, "It’s not within the rule restrictions."

After speaking, the Wise Sovereign said no more.

According to normal understanding, the Wise Sovereign’s words mean: Because it’s not within the rule restrictions, you can do it.

This was also how the vicious woman’s group interpreted the Wise Sovereign’s statement. In their view, the Wise Sovereign was siding with the other party and would naturally be biased towards them.

But the Black Earl and others, including Angel, understood that for matters not involving secrets, according to regulations, the Wise Sovereign would either affirm or deny outright. Yet the Wise Sovereign had intentionally not given such a straightforward answer and instead only mentioned the first half of the statement.

This likely had another deeper meaning.

Angel pondered for a few seconds; though he didn’t know the deeper meaning the Wise Sovereign intended, he was certain that the Wise Sovereign internally did not support Angel taking the defeated’s belongings.

The victor’s right to claim spoils was a rule present in many places, including the Sky Tower.

But why would this widespread rule cause hesitation for the Wise Sovereign?

Angel further contemplated: Perhaps it was not the rule itself that caused hesitation, but the items he intended to take from the Gray Merchant?

Had the Wise Sovereign already realized what he was going to take? Was this a way to hint, and thereby obstruct him?

...

Initially, Angel didn’t actually know what the Gray Merchant had.

However, he sensed an "anomalous emotion" from the Gray Merchant; lacking another anomalous emotion, Angel categorized it as "her" in the Wise Sovereign’s words.

And how could "she" hide on the Gray Merchant and observe him up close?

Angel hadn’t figured it out until she gradually distanced herself, the anomalous emotion disappearing in a "gradually fading away" manner, allowing Angel to have an epiphany.

He thought of the mirror.

Maybe the other was hiding on an object with a mirror, like the painting in the Hanging Jail Stairway, observing the outside through the mirror.

Hence came the situation where "Earl Mi" used severed hands to search the other’s belongings.

Ultimately, Earl Mi provided Angel with feedback; through the severed hand, they actually found an item closely kept on the Gray Merchant.

—A fragment of a mirror corner wrapped in cloth.

...

Upon hearing the Wise Sovereign’s response, Angel had a general understanding.

Originally, Angel’s search for the "mirror" on the Gray Merchant was simply to validate a hypothesis. Now, the hypothesis chain had been established.

In fact, whether or not to take the mirror fragment mattered little to Angel.

Since the Wise Sovereign intentionally blocked it, it implied the mirror might not be safe... After all, that entity might directly make a move on Angel through the mirror.

With this thought, Angel nodded to the Wise Sovereign: "I understand."

Angel had already made his decision; his statement on claiming spoils was merely a way to subtly shift focus.

Now that the purpose was achieved, giving it up seemed trivial.

However, just as Angel shifted his focus, ready to let Earl Mi retract the severed hand and end the battle, a stranger’s voice suddenly echoed in his ear.

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