Because, when he entered within a mile of the spire clock, all motionless clocks’ hands began to move.
Tik-tok-tik-tok—
The sounds of various clock hands moving resonated throughout the sky.
However, these already moving clocks remained illusory; at least Angel could not touch them.
He could only continue forward, accompanied by the ticking sound of time passing, step by step toward the spire clock’s vicinity.
Here, the surrounding clocks notably thinned; where before one could see many clocks every step or two, now it could take hundreds of steps to see any.
Yet, clocks within this giant clock’s vicinity shone brightly and magnificently.
After bypassing these illusory yet magnificent clocks, Angel stood below the giant clock.
When he reached this spot, it was as if triggering a mechanism, the top of the giant clock slowly revealed a deep, towering shadow.
Upon seeing this shadow, Angel froze.
Though unable to see the shadow’s true form, Angel found its silhouette and the casual seating posture incredibly familiar!
When he first encountered the Thief of Time, the latter was just like this, sitting atop the hour wheel in the same posture.
Is he the Thief of Time?
Did the Thief of Time also come into the Dalmatian’s belly?
Has the Thief of Time come for me? Do I need to make some extraordinary choice now?
Angel felt a little confused, as if he didn’t need to make a choice now. Generally speaking, when the Thief of Time reveals himself, isn’t it always to steal a choice?
Or did the Thief of Time foresee that he was about to make a choice, so he came here early to wait for him?
This doesn’t seem to be the style of the Thief of Time... Angel understood from many people that the Thief of Time rarely appears when you make a choice. Once you make a choice, the other option is naturally stolen by him.
This is the Thief of Time’s practice, his style, and also a restrictive rule.
At least, other people had never seen the Thief of Time appear ahead of time before any choice emerged.
So what’s happening before us?
While Angel was suspicious, a crisp bell sound broke through the restrictions, echoing from the distant periphery.
When the bell rang, Angel felt inexplicably that his heart started to beat rapidly.
And the Thief of Time, sitting atop the giant clock wheel, suddenly raised his head to look in the direction of the bell sound.
"A mark triggered a choice." The Thief of Time muttered to himself: "Let me see."
With those words, a circular clock was suddenly pulled by the Thief of Time from the periphery to the vicinity.
It was this circular clock that was making the crisp sound now.
Angel looked at this familiar circular clock, his heartbeat grew more urgent... He always felt that this circular clock had a significant connection to him.
As if that circular clock represented him.
From above, the circular clock in the Thief of Time’s hands suddenly began to pour out golden light. The Thief of Time took a deep breath and said playfully: "Tsk tsk, the overflowing honey of time is truly sweet and luscious... Looks like it’s worth having a look."
Angel also saw the golden light, and for some reason, when his gaze lingered on the flowing golden light, a picture emerged in his mind.
That was not long ago, when he decided to return to the Mist Belt, the parting scene with Sanders—
At the moment, Angel said firmly: "What I mentioned earlier, watching the advancement process of the disorderly thing, was just a hasty reason, but when I said it, I had a premonition that the choice to return was right."
"Even this premonition was so strong... It was as if I was making a choice that could change the course of my life."
Sanders was silent for a moment after hearing Angel’s words, then slowly spoke: "Since you feel this choice is important, then rule out all possible interferences and follow your heart."
The golden light dispersed, and the scene also faded from Angel’s eyes.
Angel looked at the Thief of Time above, then at that golden-gleaming circular clock.
At this moment, he suddenly understood.
Everything he was seeing now wasn’t something occurring in the current space-time.
It was what happened not long ago when he made the choice to return to the Mist Belt.
This is also why previously, when he chose to return to the Mist Belt, a sense of fate arose because that choice activated the Thief of Time’s mark, drawing him to notice.
And that circular clock, Angel felt closely related to it perhaps because it is actually his fate clock, just manifested by the Thief of Time.
Everything became clear.
Angel also roughly understood that the Thief of Time before him wasn’t real. He was merely the manifested past Thief of Time by the Dalmatian.
However, Angel still didn’t understand why the Dalmatian would manifest such a scene.
Was it telling him that the Thief of Time had watched over him not long ago?
But if the Thief of Time really watched over him and stole his choice... the Thief of Time should appear, right? Even if he didn’t show up, at least he should offer some compensation! The Thief of Time stealing others’ choices requires paying a price; this is a balance.
But when Angel made his choice back then, he neither saw the Thief of Time nor received any compensation.
Why was that?
Did the Thief of Time suddenly abandon watching him?
Angel remained puzzled, continuing to watch.
Then he saw the Thief of Time indeed preparing to head to Angel’s location, even witnessing how the Thief of Time manipulated the circular clock to open the clock wheel door above.
But at the critical moment, the Thief of Time suddenly withdrew his hand.
His finger pad was pricked when touching the clock wheel door.
A drop of golden blood fell from his fingertip, dropping into the void...
And the Thief of Time, watching the disappearing golden blood, squinted and said: "Going there gives a bad premonition... Could it be, going there, will meet..."
The following words suddenly blurred.
As if someone was stirring the space-time, not wanting Angel to hear.
Angel could only see that the Thief of Time did not open the clock wheel door. — This might be why, despite Angel making the choice, the counterpart didn’t appear.
When the Thief of Time retreated to the top of the giant clock, the disturbed sound returned to normal.
Then, Angel saw the Thief of Time looking intrigued at the circular clock wheel.
"Let me see, who does this clock represent?"
After speaking, the Thief of Time’s head suddenly slowly turned, looking down at Angel.
At this moment, past time seemed intertwined with the current time.
And Angel’s gaze in the present space-time met the gaze of the Thief of Time in the past space-time without any obstacles.
"Wang Wang—"
At the moment Angel met the Thief of Time’s gaze, Angel heard the familiar sound of a dog barking, apparently from the Dalmatian.
Simultaneously, the surrounding scene suddenly started becoming blurry.
Those Clock Forests, those giant clock wheels, and the drifting golden light with the upright figure of the Thief of Time... all blurred after the urgent barking of the Dalmatian.
Soon, all the surrounding images vanished, including the clock and the Thief of Time.
But Angel still saw, in the last second before the images disappeared, the corner of the Thief of Time’s lips curling up, and amidst the past and future space-time, a soft laugh reaching his ears.
"Yo, it’s you, lad."