Chapter 2369: Chapter 2370: Chains

As Nausicaa quickly recounted her experiences, Reynaud stared blankly at everything around him.

Before, when Angel mentioned taking him to meet Nausicaa, he thought it would involve navigating the Mist Belt, eventually finding Nausicaa in a dark and gloomy place.

But reality turned out to be completely different from what he imagined.

He finally reunited with Nausicaa in this unprecedented Dreamy City, on the bustling Sky Street.

Even now, he feels as if it’s all a dream.

One moment, he was sinking into the dimness of darkness, and the next, he found himself on the boundless bustling city streets. The stark contrast, the intense reversal.

In Reynaud’s daze, Nausicaa had already reached the end of her story, viewed through her perspective.

After speaking, Nausicaa looked at Reynaud: "I previously thought Reynaud was already dead because he even threw his weapon to me. Fortunately, fortunately, he’s fine."

Nausicaa took a long breath, her eyes filled with relief.

"He’s not necessarily fine; in reality, when we found him, he was just a soul, and his physical body was nowhere to be found," Nis said.

"Reynaud is now a soul?" Nausicaa was taken aback and couldn’t help but pinch Reynaud, but the tactile feedback felt like a normal body.

"This is the Wilderness of Dreams; his body here is constructed based on the rules here. Your body is the same; it is not the one from the outside world," Angel naturally saw Nausicaa’s confusion.

"Does this mean that the body in this world is a constructed consciousness virtual body? As long as you can enter, even a soul can construct a corresponding body?"

Angel: "You can interpret it that way. You could say it’s your own body, but not the one in reality."

Nausicaa frowned, somewhat incredulous: "Doesn’t that mean as long as there’s a consciousness here, isn’t it an alternative form of immortality?"

"For those truly pursuing immortality, this place is just a cage," Angel didn’t answer directly, as he himself wasn’t sure if the Dream Realm residents could be considered immortal. Also, the Wilderness of Dreams hadn’t even existed for five years, so it was unqualified to discuss immortality.

Nausicaa sighed softly: "Indeed, immortality is not just about the endlessness of life, but also possessing strength uninfluenced by the outside. Even so, this world is still terrifying... Is this the world of Official Wizards? I’ve never heard of it before."

Angel: ...In truth, this has nothing to do with Official Wizards. Currently, the Wilderness of Dreams has only a few Official Wizards; most are mortals.

Should he explain this? But if he did, it would feel like self-aggrandizement.

"What world of Official Wizards? Don’t speculate carelessly. Currently, only our Barbarian Cave has the Wilderness of Dreams, and it’s only about a couple of years old. You’re considered an early user," Nis added, without mentioning that the Wilderness of Dreams was Angel’s creation, mainly because Reynaud’s background and stance were still unknown.

"Is that so?" Nausicaa was stunned by this information.

"This is all beside the point; I’ll explain it to you in detail later when there’s a chance. You just mentioned Reynaud gave you a weapon?" Angel asked.

The general flow of Nausicaa’s story was similar to Reynaud’s, only differing in some details.

However, when it came to their escape from the laboratory, Nausicaa’s account was notably richer since Reynaud’s memory was already chaotic and fragmented.

This included the weapon Reynaud mentioned.

Earlier, Reynaud said he used "that weapon" to stop the tracking of the magical creature left by Number 17. Angel and Nis wanted to inquire about that weapon at the time, but Reynaud only remembered that the weapon usually wrapped around his soul body, and he had no idea where it was.

They thought the weapon was in the other half of the severed consciousness, but it turned out Nausicaa said the weapon was with her.

Nausicaa: "Yes, he threw the weapon to me at the last moment."

Nausicaa briefly explained that at the last moment, Reynaud used the weapon to send the magical creature into the Abyss, then thought he was about to die and threw the weapon to Nausicaa, who was already caught in the currents, about to be swept away.

"What is the weapon that can be nurtured within a soul?" Nis asked curiously, as it was the first time he heard of such a thing.

"I don’t know either; I saw symbols in the laboratory before, but I forgot them when I turned my head," Nausicaa said, a bit confused.

Nis: "Those are soul texts; it’s normal not to remember. What I mean is, what does that weapon look like, and how powerful is it?"

"It’s a chain, and it’s... very powerful," Nausicaa said. "When I drifted to Ghost Dock Island, without this chain, I wouldn’t have been able to handle the riffraff for quite some time. However, the cost of using it is quite high; it not only consumes soul force, but also absorbs magic power from my Magical Core."

Reynaud asked in confusion: "I remember it only used very little energy when I used it?"

"Perhaps it’s because the chain’s owner is Reynaud. I’ll need to see it to study it further," Nis said, falling into contemplation. He had a feeling that this weapon might be why Dororo sent him here.

While Nis pondered, Nausicaa looked at Angel, her eyes filled with a hint of pleading and urgency.

Although Nausicaa didn’t say it explicitly, Angel understood her meaning: "I understand, I will hurry over as soon as possible. I also hope he can survive."

...

Ghost Dock Island.

When Nausicaa opened her eyes, she heard the hushed whispers around her.

Looking up, she saw a few doctors nearby discussing whether to open the window and let others have a last look at Renko.

They wanted to open the window rather than the door because Nausicaa was dozing right in front of the door. They didn’t want to disturb her, so they were considering letting people see Renko through the window instead.

However, they hesitated; the window opened outward, and if they truly wanted people to see Renko from outside, they would need to build a three-tier ladder outside. This was dangerous, and only one person could go at a time.

"No need to have them use the window." As they whispered among themselves, a hoarse female voice came from behind.

Turning around, they saw Nausicaa standing up from the ground.

"Lord Asberu, you’ve awakened?" It was a question because Nausicaa had only been asleep for about ten minutes, not even close to a nap.

"Did our voices disturb you?" The doctors who had been whispering earlier looked apologetic.

Nausicaa shook her head: "You didn’t disturb me, I wasn’t exactly asleep, I just..."

Halfway through the sentence, Nausicaa found herself unsure how to explain and switched to saying: "I just closed my eyes to recover a bit, and now I’m almost fine."

"So should we open the door to let them in?" someone suggested.

Nausicaa didn’t respond immediately but glanced at the busy little flea around Renko nearby. Clearly, the little flea still didn’t want to give up on saving Renko.

Others also saw Nausicaa’s gaze, and they said after a moment of silence: "We asked the little flea earlier, but he didn’t answer us."

At first, Little Flea was adamantly opposed, but now that Little Flea hasn’t replied, it actually reveals some issues. Perhaps Little Flea also understands that Mr. Renko is beyond saving.

Nausicaa withdrew her gaze and said coolly, "No rush, let’s wait a bit longer."

Everyone exchanged glances, unsure of what they were waiting for. But since Nausicaa, the Transcendent, had spoken, they couldn’t go against her wishes. They nodded and stepped aside to attend to the injuries of Birch and Captain Baro.

Nausicaa moved to the window, looking at the mist drifting in the sky outside, silent and pensive.

Time slowly passed.

Ten minutes, twenty minutes... Renko’s complexion grew increasingly pale at a visible rate, his lips turning black and blue, and his body temperature slowly dropping.

Everyone knew Renko couldn’t hold on much longer. They wanted to allow others to come in for a final look at Renko, but since Nausicaa hadn’t given her word, they could only watch helplessly and sorrowfully as the Knight was gradually dragged into the abyss of death.

Until thirty minutes later, Little Flea slowly approached Nausicaa and said in a low voice, "Shall we let them in?"

Nausicaa didn’t turn around, still gazing at the window.

About half a minute later, Nausicaa’s eyes suddenly lit up. She jumped to her feet and pushed open the window.

Everyone was startled by her sudden action, unsure of what had happened.

"They’re here. They’ve arrived!" Nausicaa exclaimed, her voice filled with joy, as she looked at the streak of light in the mist.

"Who has arrived?" While everyone was confused, a burst of exclamations came from outside the window. Upon careful listening, these voices seemed to be from the people aboard the Moonlit Tanager.

But why were they exclaiming like that?

Just as everyone in the room was puzzled, a streak of light suddenly stopped outside the window. The gust of wind it stirred made the items within the room creak.

Only when the wind subsided a bit did they dare to peek outside.

The so-called streak of light outside was actually a giant creature with eyes that blazed like fire! Its body and claws were like those of a lion, while its head and wings were like those of an eagle.

Its mane shimmered with flames, distorting the air around it.

As they retreated in fright from the creature, it quickly deflated like a leaking balloon, eventually transforming into a small, harmless-looking bird.

Once it had shrunk, they saw several figures behind it.

With gentle leaps, they entered the room.

"Lord Byron, Lord Pat, it’s wonderful that you’ve finally arrived." Nausicaa eagerly welcomed the newcomers. Although she would usually address Angel casually, she maintained a sense of propriety in the presence of others.

Angel nodded to Nausicaa with a smile. Although he had already seen Nausicaa earlier in the Wilderness of Dreams, seeing her in reality brought him true reassurance.

However, the sight of Nausicaa in reality genuinely shocked Angel.

She was covered in wounds, her clothes stained with blood, and her customized prosthetic arm from Angel was 90% damaged, with only a few metal wires still attached.

This was the first time Angel had seen Nausicaa in such a dire state, even more than during the toughest battles of the New Star Tournament.

Moreover, Angel noticed Nausicaa’s mental fatigue and the heavy state of magic power around her.

The damage was not just external but also internal.

Angel took out two potions from his bracelet. One was a standard vial containing milky-white liquid, and the other was a delicately crafted triangular flask with a silver cap handle and a silver chain hanging from it, holding a pale green liquid inside.

"The white one is the Glowing Fluff Potion, the pale green one is Lawless Rhyme." Angel handed the potions to Nausicaa.

Nausicaa took the Lawless Rhyme but pushed the Glowing Fluff Potion back to Angel.

"The injuries to my body aren’t severe; there’s no need to waste it."

The Glowing Fluff Potion treats external injuries, accelerating healing, while Lawless Rhyme can restore some spiritual power injuries.

The Glowing Fluff Potion is relatively cheap, but Lawless Rhyme is extremely expensive. Nausicaa didn’t reject the costly Lawless Rhyme but declined the Glowing Fluff Potion, showing she wasn’t being polite to Angel but genuinely didn’t need the Glowing Fluff Potion.

Angel didn’t say much more and put away the Glowing Fluff Potion.

Nausicaa didn’t immediately consume the Lawless Rhyme, as taking such spiritual power potions is strictly forbidden to be disturbed. Clearly, it wasn’t the right time. She put away the Lawless Rhyme and led Angel and the others to Renko’s side.

Because Angel and the others’ entrance was so shocking, even though they had restrained their aura, the doctors present dared not approach. As they came over, the crowd of doctors backed away.

Little Flea was also pushed to the back, but he secretly observed the newcomers.

A handsome young man, a hunched old man, and a semi-transparent figure hovering in the air.

Who were they? Were they friends of Lord Asberu?

While Little Flea was pondering, Angel began to inspect the frozen Renko.

From Angel’s actions, the others guessed his intention.

Everyone fell silent, eyes filled with hope, wondering if the esteemed figure whom Lord Asberu respected could save Mr. Renko.

After a brief moment, Angel withdrew his hand from the ice, not speaking immediately, but instead looking at Nis.

"Wizard Nis, what do you think of his condition?"

Nis: "His soul force is stronger than that of ordinary people; after death, he should be able to form a soul body. However, judging from the mental power value, he hasn’t reached the standard of a Talented One yet, but he’s close. For a non-Talented One to form a soul body, that’s quite impressive."

Angel: "...I wasn’t asking about what happens after his death."

Nis shrugged: "Then I have nothing more to say."

Hearing Nis’s words, everyone’s heart sank instantly. Was this elder implying that there’s only something to be said about after death, meaning there’s no hope for now?

The atmosphere steeped in sadness.

Yet in the next second, Nis’s words swiftly dispelled the mood.

"Reviving him is so simple, what’s there to discuss? It’s better to let him die. Once he becomes a soul, I might even take him back to the Soul Valley, living just isn’t that interesting."

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