Chapter 2647: Chapter 2648: A Marvelous Encounter

Angel didn’t say anything, he just quietly stared at Cicia.

Cicia felt a bit uneasy under Angel’s gaze, sensing that he might have already guessed her thoughts.

Since it was she who suddenly changed her mind, Cicia felt embarrassed to say anything, so she awkwardly turned her head, avoiding Angel’s gaze: "If you don’t want to know anything, then I’ll just take a short rest..." Or rather, calm the sudden feeling of fear.

As Cicia’s voice fell, the dark mist that filled the palace slowly gathered, seemingly about to completely envelop Cicia on the throne.

Just as Cicia’s figure was about to disappear into the darkness, Angel spoke up: "Then let’s talk about treasures?"

"Treasures?" Cicia stopped controlling the black mist and hesitated for a moment before looking at Angel:

"Are you talking about these treasures?"

Cicia waved her hand lightly, and four items materialized in front of her—

A dark crystal ball, a piece of cowhide paper with stitched corners but still somewhat wrinkled, a vine staff emitting a faint glow, and a plain gray stone slab.

These four treasures were the toll fees paid to Cicia by his companions.

"Yes, let’s talk about these," Angel paused for a moment. "Of course, if you want to talk about some particularly meaningful and special treasures from your collection, that’s fine too."

Cicia cautiously said, "To talk about my collection, you need to trade some other treasures with me. Once they belong to you, I’ll talk."

"So to talk about these four treasures, you won’t ask me to trade first, will you?"

"No need for that, but..." Cicia looked suspiciously at Angel: "You don’t seem to know your teammates very well either?"

"The so-called treasures lie in their meanings, and these meanings are hidden in the most secret corners of everyone’s heart. Even the closest people, like family, might not understand the meaning of the treasures."

After saying this, Angel continued in a matter-of-fact tone: "But you’re right, I’m not that familiar with my teammates. The team was formed temporarily, and the person I’m most familiar with has been with me for less than half a month."

Cicia: "...Yet you still pompously said a bunch of nonsense."

Angel: "I was just being logical."

Cicia squinted her eyes: "Are you sure you want to correct logic with a former Prophet Wizard? Even though my prophesizing abilities are lost due to the transformation, certain psychic touches haven’t disappeared."

Angel: "...If you had said earlier that you were a former Prophet Wizard, I wouldn’t have bothered with all the talk."

Prophet Wizards don’t follow logic; they talk cryptically, with jumpy thoughts. What they say now might happen days or months later. What’s logical about that?

"You’re the one disrespecting your elders, talking back, and then blaming me?" Cicia was a bit speechless.

Angel remained silent but his eyes shone brightly. Cicia, upon seeing this familiar expression, almost imagined that sentence in her head—"After all, I’m not even twenty yet."

Cicia quickly waved her hand dismissively: "Forget it, I’m not going to argue with you. But you are bold to explore ruins with people you’re not familiar with."

"Everyone seeks different things, but the goals are broadly the same, all in the depths of the underground aqueduct," Angel said. "As long as there’s an oath binding us, there shouldn’t be any major issues."

Most importantly, Angel also had his own trump card.

"Moreover, the underground aqueduct isn’t considered a major relic in the Wizards’ Realm currently, at least outsiders think it’s not very dangerous."

Cicia: "That’s true. With your team, as long as you don’t actively bring disaster upon yourselves by awakening those sleeping old beings or going to places you shouldn’t go, the danger here is indeed not great."

After a pause, Cicia asked: "That being said, are you asking me to evaluate your teammates or these treasures?"

Angel: "It doesn’t matter, just talk about whatever requires less effort... After all, you’re already very tired. If you expend even more effort, Popota might have to wait longer."

Angel’s tone was serious, but Cicia couldn’t help feeling mocked.

This person’s temperament is like this... He’s barely twenty, full of youthful vigor... Hold back... I was once a big person, I can’t be bothered, can’t be bothered...

In Cicia’s heart, similar voices kept oscillating. Though stifled in her chest, she tried to maintain a calm face.

"Although you haven’t spent much time with your teammates, I believe you understand them better than I do. So let’s talk about these treasures instead." Cicia said, "Which one do you want to start with?"

Angel: "Either is fine, whatever."

Angel’s indifferent attitude seemed to Cicia like he was implying she was wasting time, reluctant to face her people... Which was rather annoying.

However, Cicia misunderstood. Angel actually had some understanding of these treasures. What he truly wanted to know was the situation regarding the Black Earl. But he didn’t want Cicia to notice anything, so he simply said "whatever" and decided to take it one at a time, hoping to eventually reach the Black Earl.

Unaware Cicia, silently gritted her teeth, forced a smile: "Then in order, let me start with the crystal ball."

Cicia hovered the dim crystal ball above her palm, and for once, a hint of admiration appeared in her eyes.

"This crystal ball, in my opinion, is much more interesting than your two gold coins."

"It appears to be tainted with a lot of death’s aura, but this aura isn’t true death. Near death yet alive, embracing death to live." Cicia said: "Do you know what this means?"

"Changing fate," Angel ventured.

Cicia chuckled softly: "That’s too grand a term. It can’t change the heavens, nor alter fate. Instead, it gently nudges the strings of destiny, causing the worst outcomes to collapse."

Cicia used one phrase to illustrate Vay’s ability: "Death Sense."

Vay’s Noah Divination Shop was nicknamed the "Death Divination Shop", but those visiting his shop were people who didn’t want to die. They knew their upcoming choices might carry the risk of death, so they went to Vay to avoid such risks.

So, Cicia was right, it was actually Vay using his ability to pluck the "strings of destiny," bending the path of death.

"What does this mean?" Angel asked.

Cicia: "It means the bad outcome is merely a facade, and hidden inside is actually brimming with life."

After saying this, Cicia lightly juggled the crystal ball, and under the dim sheen, Angel seemed to catch a glimpse of purple light.

"Life reversing death, the spinning of fate’s strings. Even without considering the inner meaning of this crystal ball, it qualifies as an excellent transcendent item. If someone near death carries it, masked by the surface’s aura of death, perhaps they can evade doom."

Cicia’s final reflection suddenly quickened Angel’s heartbeat.

Angel thought of Jon.

If Jon had such a crystal ball with him, seemingly filled with a thick aura of death but truly teeming with life within, would he be able to escape his impending doom?

Thinking of this, Angel couldn’t resist asking: "Miss Cicia, are you certain this crystal ball can help the dying evade death?"

Cicia glanced at Angel: "It can, but its limit isn’t high; it’s useful for ordinary people or low- to mid-level apprentices. At higher power levels, it no longer holds much value... Why? Do you have someone you wish to protect?"

Angel: "Yes, an ordinary person who wandered here from the Otherworld."

Angel didn’t mind revealing Jon’s "Otherworld" origin, as wizards hearing this wouldn’t think Jon came from another universe; saying he’s an ordinary person was just a general label, much like labeling abyssal beings, they wouldn’t truly consider Jon a "human," so Angel didn’t bother hiding it.

Cicia, with her vast reservoir of knowledge, immediately grasped the situation upon hearing Angel’s words: "World Will’s erosion?"

Angel nodded.

Cicia: "How advanced is the erosion? If only just begun, finding a way to give him transcendent qualities, leading him down the transcendent path, could evade erosion to a degree."

Angel: "...He’s at death’s door, currently only preserved through an ice coffin."

Cicia frowned slightly: "Has it reached such a stage? If you wished to protect him, why hadn’t you done something earlier?"

Angel: "He was my mentor who enlightened me, we grew up together. By the time he was already skin and bones, I encountered a passing Guide. At that time, my age..."

Upon hearing Angel about to mention age, Cicia quickly interrupted, "I understand, you don’t have to continue. So you met him very early, when you were still an ordinary person, and you didn’t know what was happening or how to save him, right?"

Angel nodded, "Now, is this Crystal Ball still useful to him?"

Cicia pondered for a moment, "It probably isn’t of much use. Initially, when he didn’t have the scent of death, carrying this might have helped. But now the scent of death has penetrated his bones, and he’s opposing the World Will, so with the limits of this Crystal Ball, it’s no longer useful to him."

Although he had anticipated this to some extent, Angel still looked a bit disappointed upon hearing Cicia’s response.

"Do you still want to hear about this Crystal Ball? Or would you like to know about the user of the Crystal Ball?"

Suppressing the gloom in his heart, Angel regained his calm, "Miss Cicia, please feel free to speak."

Cicia: "The significance of the Crystal Ball is not much to talk about. But the user of this Crystal Ball is rather interesting. I can sense that he both cannot bear to part with the Crystal Ball, yet is happy to abandon it; he fears his abilities but is also proud of them."

Angel: "I actually know about that. His abilities are inherited from the Black Earl’s bloodline, the Black Earl being the nose embedded in the stone slab."

"Is he also from the Noah Clan?"

Angel nodded, "Yes, the abilities in the Black Earl’s bloodline are almost all inherited by different descendants, and the Black Earl has created countless avatars around these descendants, supposedly for protection, but it’s inevitable that the descendants might overthink things."

Cicia: "In my experience, in the Wizards’ Realm, things that sound strange at first are generally nothing unusual. If there’s no anomaly, that’s when there might be something unusual."

"In contrast, for mortal families, this level of anomaly can understandably lead to conspiracy theories."

Angel: "Miss Cicia thinks that the Black Earl bears no malice toward his descendants?"

Cicia: "Of course, the Black Earl must have plans if he transfers his bloodline abilities to his descendants. But whether there’s malice involved is hard to say."

At this point, Cicia suddenly thought of something, retrieving the Crystal Ball again, "His abilities come from the Black Earl?"

Angel nodded, "This ability is called Death Sense; it is inherited from the Black Earl, and because it involves scent, the nose that follows Vay is that of the Black Earl."

Cicia: "I see..."

Supporting her chin, Cicia thought for a moment, then said to Angel: "This Crystal Ball has no use for the otherworldly life you want to save. But if the Black Earl also possesses the Death Sense ability and has a medium to release this ability, perhaps a similar Crystal Ball, then maybe his ’Crystal Ball’ could be useful to that otherworldly life you mentioned."

"But that’s just my speculation. Your mentor, who enlightened you, is already in a pre-death frozen state, so even if you had the Black Earl’s ’Crystal Ball,’ it might not bring him back to life."

Cicia’s words were like a shot of adrenaline for Angel. Having initially lost hope, Angel’s passion was rekindled: "Even if it can’t completely cure him, it shouldn’t do any harm, right?"

Cicia nodded: "For someone whose body is unharmed, even fake death scent would have an impact. But for someone already laden with the scent of death, it won’t be harmful, even if it’s not beneficial."

Having confirmed there would be no harm, Angel performed a solemn bow to Cicia: "Thank you for the information."

Cicia: "I initially thought you didn’t understand what etiquette meant. It seems, however, you do understand."

Cicia’s tone bore a hint of teasing, but Angel did not respond. Although he felt he was speaking sincerely, it seemed Cicia always thought he was being contentious, so he remained silent.

"There’s nothing more to say about this Crystal Ball, let’s move on to the next item." With a gentle toss, Cicia threw the Crystal Ball into the Dark Mist, while a crumpled piece of parchment floated down from the air, landing in Cicia’s hands.

Cicia: "This parchment... how should I put it?"

"A small accident started an ordinary man’s path to transcendence. But because of this small accident, he wasted decades."

"If you ask me, just one word: foolish."

Angel silently remarked in his heart: It seems you’ve already used this word to describe Kaier.

"This parchment carried Kaier’s obsession. Aside from the obsession, does this parchment have any value?"

Cicia: "You could say that. However, I’ve sensed some things about the original owner, which are quite interesting. Would you like to hear about it?"

"The original owner of the parchment? Who are they?" Angel asked instinctively but immediately regretted asking.

Before he could take it back, Cicia glanced at Angel, "How would I know who? I can only sense the connotation of the parchment and a little memory and emotion, but can’t directly see past events."

"Moreover, this parchment is only a few hundred years old. Do you think I’d know someone from ten thousand years ago?"

Angel: It seems my intelligence has gone offline... No, it’s my mouth that’s faster than my mind.

"Ahem, let’s talk about the original owner, shall we?" Angel awkwardly changed the topic.

"I think that ’foolish’ also applies to you." Cicia scoffed before beginning, "Before discussing the original owner, I want to ask, is the formula on the parchment a Space Series energy formula?"

Angel nodded: "It’s a variation of the Bazel Biphasic Formula."

"Bazel Biphasic Formula?" The ancient relic from a thousand years ago looked puzzled.

Angel created an illusion to simulate a line of the original form of the Bazel Biphasic Formula: "This is the original form, a formula created by the Twisted Great Wizard Bazel a thousand years ago..."

Angel spoke fervently, but Cicia was filled with confusion. Having once been a wizard from the prophecy system, her understanding of Space Series knowledge was limited, not to mention how space knowledge had developed over the years, with old formulas being overturned or revamped. It would be surprising if Cicia could understand.

After a while, Angel stopped, and Cicia weakly asked, "You study the Space Series too?"

Angel: "A bit of study."

"...Alright." Suppressing her discomfort, Cicia praised, "I didn’t expect you to know so much at your young age..."

Angel: "It’s all thanks to the pioneers; I’m just picking up their scraps."

Fearing Angel would go on about "I’m not yet twenty, so I need to work harder and babble on..." Cicia swiftly steered the topic back on track.

"The reason I asked about the formula on the parchment being a Space Series energy formula is because the original owner of this parchment wasn’t from the Space Series." Cicia continued, "The original owner was a Food Wizard."

"A Food Wizard?" Angel had only heard from Kaier that he discovered the relic of a White Wizard, but didn’t expect that White Wizard to be a Food Wizard?

Then again, are there Black Food Wizards? In the Northern Territory Wizard World, where the tradition of sacrificing demons exists, a Black Food Wizard might appear, but in the Southern Domain, Food Wizards are practically always White Wizards.

"Why would a Food Wizard research Bazel’s Biphasic Formula? Was it out of curiosity?" Angel wondered.

"If it was purely curiosity, then this story wouldn’t be interesting." Cicia explained, "That Food Wizard consumed some kind of hallucinogenic food and was suddenly inspired, becoming inflated with the belief they knew everything and could do anything, randomly picking up a book and starting to derive the formula inside."

Angel: "And then?"

Cicia: "The next day, when the hallucination wore off, they saw the variation they had derived, remembered last night’s events, and felt embarrassed. So they slipped it into a book, out of sight, out of mind."

"Later on, the Food Wizard left, forgetting about that book, and even more so about that piece of parchment. Fast forward to the present, and you get your teammate Kaier’s story."

Having heard the whole story, Angel wasn’t showing it, but inside he was filled with astonishment.

No one would have thought Kaier’s parchment had such an unexpected, ridiculous backstory.

If Kaier knew that the Transformation Technique he’d been studying for decades was just random graffiti from a Food Wizard "junkie" on a high, he’d probably be so stifled he’d spit blood on the spot...

Nonetheless, although Kaier had spent decades doing futile work, at least it set him on the path of the wizard, and through this variation, he learned a lot about the Space Series.

From this perspective, the Food Wizard also deserves some credit.

A few centuries ago, a junkie’s fantasy laid the foundation for a Space Series successor centuries later.

What can I say? This too is a rather wonderful encounter.

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