The Wise Sovereign was somewhat bewildered. What exactly did Angel and his group do?
Most importantly, how did Angel and his group convince Olao to leave as well?
Given Adanis’s power, she could have left much earlier. Although Adanis never admitted this, through the words of You Nu and the one-eyed Daba and Erbao, the Wise Sovereign could basically reach this conclusion.
The only reason Adanis chose to stay was Olao.
Adanis was born after Augustine left, so Augustine’s contract did not bind Adanis; the only contract binding her was the one with the Qingkong Poetry Room.
However, Olao was different; he bore the contract of guarding the Qingkong Poetry Room and also the one set by Augustine.
Although the nature of the contracts was the same, their cumulative effect far exceeded that on Adanis.
Even at the peak of his power, the Wise Sovereign could not break these contracts.
Moreover, Olao was so tightly constrained by the contracts that even his room for progress was severely limited. He was even less likely to break free of them.
So, what’s the situation now?
Has Olao’s contract been broken? Is that why Adanis is willing to leave?
Or is Olao’s contract unbreakable, and Adanis plans to leave to find a way to free him? That seems unlikely; if Adanis really had such a determination, would she have stayed here for tens of thousands of years?
The Wise Sovereign leaned more toward the first scenario, that Olao’s contract was broken, and only then was Adanis willing to leave.
Also, because Olao’s contract is broken, Adanis’s attitude toward Angel has softened, and she is even willing to borrow the Sweet Dream for Angel?
Upon speculation, Angel’s role as a variable played a greater impact than he imagined, even finding a way to break Olao’s contract?
The Wise Sovereign had a multitude of thoughts swirling in his mind, yet his face showed no hint of surprise; he maintained his usual demeanor of "I won’t lend, I have to abide by the contract".
Considering the current situation caused by Angel, the Wise Sovereign could actually make it work for Angel by lending the Sweet Dream to Adanis first.
However, the Wise Sovereign was too curious about what Angel had done. Why and how could he break Olao’s contract?
More importantly, the Wise Sovereign was also testing the limits of Adanis and Angel.
If he insisted on not lending the Sweet Dream to Adanis, would Angel be forced to show up? Or would Adanis offer a larger benefit in exchange?
While the Wise Sovereign was pondering this, Adanis was already a bit annoyed: "I must borrow it, name your conditions now."
The Wise Sovereign pondered for a moment: "When you leave, will you take the You Nu with you?"
"None of your...," Adanis was about to reply when she suddenly realized something, her expression changed drastically: "I don’t know what you’re talking about."
After finishing her words, Adanis waited a long time without hearing a response. She lowered her head and through the mirror saw the Wise Sovereign staring at her with a profound look.
Adanis was all too familiar with that look. Every time the Wise Sovereign saw through someone’s intentions and they refused to admit it, he would stare at them with a "concern for the less fortunate" kind of kindly gaze.
Adanis had been on the receiving end of such a gaze from the Wise Sovereign before, but back then, she would just turn around and leave, too lazy to engage with the self-righteous Wise Sovereign.
But this time, she suppressed her urge to leave, took a deep breath, and said, "How did you know?"
The Wise Sovereign pouted and said nothing.
"Was it something I let slip?" Adanis cursed under her breath; she loathed those who spoke only a few words yet thought tens of thousands of miles ahead. If they were wrong that would be one thing, but the Wise Sovereign was never wrong.
"Since you’ve guessed part of the truth, you should know who sent me here." Adanis decided to let it all go and said frankly.
"So, it was Angel who sent you." The Wise Sovereign revealed a look of realization.
Adanis: "Don’t pretend; how could you not know?"
The Wise Sovereign chuckled, offering no explanation.
He indeed suspected Angel as the root of everything, but whether Angel requested Adanis to come or she came on her own after hearing that Angel promised the Wise Sovereign to relay the information to him, he still didn’t have a clear answer.
Because these were two different concepts.
If Adanis came knowing the situation herself, the Wise Sovereign could largely determine that Angel was bound by contracts and other forces, unable to relay information outside of the Qingkong Poetry Room.
Moreover, Angel was interested in the Sweet Dream, so Adanis came herself to borrow the item to compensate for Angel’s loss.
If Angel requested Adanis to come, it likely meant something happened in the Qingkong Poetry Room, something beyond Angel’s expectation and that he couldn’t share even without contract constraints.
It sounded similar, but there was a huge difference, especially in the process.
If Angel was bound by a contract and couldn’t speak, the changes in the Qingkong Poetry Room were unpredictable and could range from minor to significant.
However, if Angel wasn’t bound by a contract yet chose not to speak, the changes in the Qingkong Poetry Room were enormous, significant enough that Angel couldn’t mention them, or didn’t dare to.
Hence, Adanis’s candid revelation provided the Wise Sovereign with more of the truth.
The Wise Sovereign: "Now I really want to know, is Angel unable to come see me, or does he refuse to?"
Adanis sneered: "So, you think those are the only two options?"
The Wise Sovereign: "Are there other possibilities?"
Adanis: "Of course, he will come to see you. And soon... you will meet."
The Wise Sovereign was taken aback; if Angel was willing to see him, why did he have Adanis come to discuss the Sweet Dream?
While the Wise Sovereign was full of doubt, footsteps echoed from outside the hall.
The Wise Sovereign turned to look and saw Angel and the others, who, unbeknownst to him, had left the Qingkong Poetry Room and returned outside the hall.
Seeing the Wise Sovereign’s gaze, Angel even waved at him with a friendly smile, showing no hint of estrangement.
"When... when did you arrive?"
Before Angel and the others could answer, Adanis’s voice reached the Wise Sovereign’s ears: "When I came here, they had already left the Qingkong Poetry Room. What, didn’t the ’Wise’ Sovereign foresee this?"
Adanis, emphasizing the word ’wise,’ nearly let her sarcasm overflow from the mirror surface.
"What I disliked most in the past was encountering variables, for variables represent uncertainty, and uncertainty is the greatest enemy of order. But ten thousand years of calm has changed my view. Perhaps the Underground Aqueduct needs a variable to break this stagnant pond," the Wise Sovereign said. "So, Angel’s arrival may not be coincidental but rather an inevitability."
"As a variable, his actions and the accompanying influences, perhaps even he couldn’t predict. How could I?"
Having said that, the Wise Sovereign rose from the warm carpet and stepped toward Angel...