"Interesting." After pondering for a moment, the Black Earl seemed to think of something and chuckled softly.
"Previously, I speculated that those four sheep might have been summoned through a special summoning technique, bringing forth special creatures with special abilities, which is why they surrounded the Speedy."
The word "special" initially signifies phenomena deviating from the norm. These deviations from the norm are rare.
The Black Earl used the word "special" three times consecutively, and the meaning of these three instances is not equal but progressively intensifying. It could be understood as targeting all clams in the ocean, among all clams focusing on those that can produce pearls, and among those, pinning down the clam that produces the most perfect pearl.
It is indeed the rarest of the rare, a selection from the select.
The probability is extremely low, infinitesimally close to zero.
Thus, after speaking, the Black Earl couldn’t help but mock himself: "Thinking about it now, it’s quite laughable."
"And what do you think now, my lord...?" Angel asked.
Black Earl: "It should be unrelated to the summoning technique, but rather the Shepherd’s ability."
"What I can ascertain is that the Shepherd is certainly a Rhythm Apprentice of the Wind Element, but he is not solely a Rhythm Apprentice."
Dox frowned: "Dual-element talent?"
Black Earl: "No, he belongs to the elemental side of the Wind Element, just that his wind is somewhat special."
As the Black Earl mentioned this, he looked at Kaier: "You’ve faced his wind directly; what do you think characterizes his wind?"
Kaier paused for a moment, recalling the sense of the Shepherd’s wind on the competitive stage. That wind could be gentle and also weighty, fierce and also serene. His wind was extremely variable, and it gave Kaier a special feeling...
Kaier pondered over the words and hesitated for a long time before saying: "It always felt like his wind was alive."
Black Earl: "Your sensitivity is sharp."
"Is it really living wind?!" Kaier exclaimed, "I mean, can wind be alive?"
Black Earl: "Why couldn’t it be alive? The Speedy is a living wind."
The Black Earl then looked at Angel and Dox, whose expressions mirrored bewilderment like Kaier’s; while Angel squinted his eyes, seeming to have thought of something.
The Black Earl observed Angel: "Do you have an answer?"
Angel shook his head: "No, I just suddenly thought of someone."
Seeing the Black Earl still watching him, Angel softly said: "It’s unrelated to this matter."
Black Earl: "You’re aware that inspiration doesn’t appear without reason, correct?"
Angel: "I know, but the person I thought of truly has nothing to do with this matter."
After giving Angel a deep look, the Black Earl didn’t extend the topic further, instead returned to the main subject: "Regarding the Shepherd’s ability, I couldn’t be sure initially, but the situation described by the Speedy reminded me of something."
"There’s an interesting wizard in the Frostmoon Alliance who published a paper in the ’Plane Conquest Records.’ This paper is intriguing and is titled ’The Will of Flame.’
The paper ’The Will of Flame’ discusses how to actively give flame a will, and once the flame possesses a will, how to advance into a flame creature."
As the Black Earl spoke, Dox interrupted: "I think I’ve read that issue of ’Plane Conquest Records.’
Dox: "This paper was the featured article for that issue of ’Plane Conquest Records,’ taking up almost half the pages. But it was filled with all sorts of speculation, impossible to realize; even the author of the paper stated that it was his rational speculation."
"Rational? Ha, it should be idealistic speculation."
"Because of that paper, that issue of ’Plane Conquest Records’ received much criticism from many wizards; even people in my tavern mocked this, saying it was published as a favor in ’Plane Conquest Records.’
"Afterward, the subsequent issues of ’Plane Conquest Records’ from Frostmoon Alliance didn’t publish any papers anymore, which helped recover the fermenting public opinion." Dox paused, recalling: "I think it was issue 245 of the Resting Breath supplement."
While Dox spoke, Angel was also reminiscing. Before going to the Abyss, he had crammed a lot of ’Plane Conquest Records’; Wizard Madeline even prepared a series of journal directories for him, indicating which issues were worth reading and which were not.
Issue 245 had the Spring Festival supplement and the Resting Breath supplement, and Madeline only recommended the Spring Festival supplement, excluding the Resting Breath supplement from worthy issues.
Hearing the issue number given by Dox, Angel suddenly realized why he couldn’t recall a paper despite reading so many issues of ’Plane Conquest Records.’ It turned out he happened to skip that issue.
However, hearing the situation described by the Black Earl and Dox, Angel understood why Wizard Madeline hadn’t recommended that issue.
—To give flame a will, let the flame become an elemental creature. It sounds unreliable, and according to Dox, even the author said it’s ’rational speculation,’ to put it plainly, it’s mere imagination, so it’s understandable that Madeline wouldn’t recommend it.
Angel figured even if he had read that issue, he would likely dismiss it. But now, with the Black Earl suddenly mentioning this paper, is it possible the arguments in the paper could indeed be realized?
Black Earl: "You’re correct; the paper faced significant criticism, but as far as I know, the paper wasn’t a favor entry but did produce some results, just that the author didn’t write about it."
"You mean, using the paper’s method could indeed give flame a will?" Dox asked in surprise.
Black Earl: "Whether the paper can give flame a will, I don’t know. But through some control group experiments, the author did discover some flames with unusually high activity, seemingly exhibiting a situation with a will bestowed upon. However, due to the author’s health reasons, he couldn’t continue experimenting, so the study ended there."
At this point, the Black Earl added: "These details should be accurate since Monty mentioned them personally in our conversation."
Conversing with Lord Monty?! The highest Controller of the Frostmoon Alliance?
Dox looked at the Black Earl in surprise, but soon, he accepted it. It seemed reasonable too; the Black Earl was on the same tier as Lord Monty, whose desire to advance to Legend was well-known, thus exchanging ideas with peers for mutual enhancement made sense.
Angel looked at the Black Earl: "Since you can’t ascertain the paper’s effectiveness, why bring it up? Also, how does the paper relate to the Shepherd?"
Black Earl: "I indeed cannot confirm if ’The Will of Flame’ is effective, and I’ve never prioritized that paper. However, upon seeing the Shepherd, I noticed he shares a commonality with the author of the paper."
"The Shepherd appears to be an ordinary Wind Element apprentice, while the author looks like an ordinary Fire Element wizard." Black Earl emphasized the word ’ordinary’ with enhanced intonation: "But are they truly ordinary? How can an ordinary Fire Element wizard bestow a will upon flame?"
At this juncture, Black Earl finally revealed the name of the paper’s author.
"This extraordinary Fire Element wizard, also the paper’s author, is named... Winchester."
Winchester?! Hearing the name, Angel was taken aback.