What exactly is assembled from these silver objects?
While everyone was speculating, Dox looked at Angel and said with a slightly teasing tone: "Do you still think this is a dagger now?"
Dox’s words made everyone freeze for a moment.
Yes, Angel previously mentioned that his mentor lost a dagger while exploring the Underground Labyrinth. And the dagger had the enigmatic emblem found on the special Ghosteye Witch.
Therefore, at the time, Angel was very certain that the silver pendant on the Ghosteye Witch originated from the dagger lost by Sanders.
It was precisely because it belonged to Sanders that Angel spent some time trying to obtain this pendant.
But now piecing it together... there’s no trace of a dagger at all.
If it were the dagger’s hilt, that would also be impossible—too large and cumbersome. Even when taken apart, one cannot imagine it as a dagger.
However, the emblem on the silver pendant is difficult to fake, nearly certifying that it is Sanders’ possession, or a belonging of the Iguro family.
Considering the overall integrity of this item, the Silver Ring should be part of the silver pendant, so it likely belongs to the Iguro family.
Yet according to Cicia, the only object of great value on the Wood Spirit is that Silver Ring.
This becomes intriguing.
Both belonging to the Iguro family and to the Wood Spirit. There is definitely some trickery here.
Angel: "I admit that I guessed wrong before; this indeed doesn’t look like a dagger. As for what it is, I have a guess in mind."
Dox: "What’s your guess?"
Angel extended his hand, gently stroking the bizarre object in the Hand of Magic.
Like the most intimate lover, he slowly slid down, down, until he reached the bottom of the ring, and his hand continued downward.
As Angel’s hand moved downward, a black short staff emitting a faint glow appeared out of nowhere beneath the ring.
The short staff and ring connected perfectly.
At this point, everyone understood what Angel meant to convey.
This peculiar-looking silver object is, in fact, the head of a short staff.
"Saying it’s a dagger is definitely wrong. But saying it’s a short staff has some possibility," Dox said as he looked at the complete short staff Angel simulated with illusion.
It must be said, with the staff added below, the originally strange object suddenly becomes harmonious. The possibility of it being a staff head is very, very high.
Black Earl: "You’re not speculating without reason, are you?"
Angel smiled: "Indeed, Lord Black Earl sees it clearly. I guess so because I previously inquired about the form of the Wood Spirit with Cicia."
Black Earl: "I asked Cicia the same question, and her answer was that the Wood Spirit’s talent allows it to transform at will to better evade danger. Therefore, she didn’t know the specific form of the Wood Spirit either."
Hearing Black Earl’s words, Angel was slightly surprised. He originally thought Black Earl would only inquire about Noah’s predecessors, but unexpectedly, he also asked about the Wood Spirit’s situation. Apparently, Black Earl is very concerned about this exploration of the ruins... or maybe he has already noticed that the destination is certainly related to Noah’s predecessors, hence his active involvement?
"Cicia gave me the same answer as yours, only I asked Cicia in detail about what forms the Wood Spirit transformed into on the platform, and among them, what was the most ordinary and unremarkable form," Angel said.
The birth of the Wood Spirit Fuyi occurred in the working area of the Ghosteye Witch. If the Wood Spirit had changed form at that time, it might have been discovered by those wandering Ghosteye Witches.
Thus, the Wood Spirit’s original form must be ordinary and unremarkable. Moreover, even lying on the ground casually wouldn’t attract much attention.
Later, no matter how the Wood Spirit concealed itself, it must have used the original form as a blueprint for transformation.
With this thought process, Angel finally got an answer from Cicia: "Its most ordinary and unremarkable form was a pitch-black stick. That was its shape when it lay on the platform pretending to be dead."
A black stick is first difficult to distinguish as wooden. Additionally, because of the constant emergence of dark aura in the underground, much of the working area’s surface has been tainted black, turning pitch-dark, and some constructions also stained black.
Thus, a black wooden stick hidden among them is not conspicuous.
Moreover, Cicia explicitly stated that the Wood Spirit transformed into a stick when it pretended to be dead on the platform. At that time, the Wood Spirit must have sensed that Cicia would not harm it, making the platform a safe haven.
Hence, when most relaxed, the Wood Spirit reverted to its original form, a logic that makes sense.
Therefore, Angel treats the form of the stick as the Wood Spirit’s original appearance.
With the Wood Spirit’s appearance identified, attaching this series of silver ornaments forms the present short staff.
The black staff body, appearing unremarkable alone, becomes eye-catching when paired with that splendid and intricate crown authority.
Yet, this doesn’t mean Angel is more thorough-thinking than Black Earl. It merely reflects the differential depth of Angel and Black Earl’s relationship with Cicia, allowing Angel to extract more information from her. Though Black Earl is indeed Noah’s descendant, he isn’t Noah himself. The best he can get are sparse insights from Cicia, certainly not a detailed description of all the Wood Spirit’s appearances.
"According to your saying, the Wood Spirit was birthed from a staff?" Dox asked.
Angel nodded: "Without surprises, very likely. Because when mortals use staves without special functions, solely for personal identity assertion, a wooden staff is often favored for its lightness, making it easier to hold."
"Therefore, it’s likely that the Wood Spirit was birthed from a wooden staff body."
Kaier: "I have often heard that the birth of a Spirit is quite difficult, rumored to be World Will accidentally leaving spirit intelligence in the world. If it’s truly so hard to birth, a mere ordinary wooden staff birthing a Wood Spirit, I still find a bit odd."
Before Kaier’s voice even faded, Black Earl’s voice emerged: "The birth of a Spirit is indeed difficult, a fact. However, given an item resides in a harmonious energy environment long-term, or the item is imbued with heavy meaning, the likelihood of Spirit birth increases relatively."
"And the wooden staff aligns with the first condition. Though this place is abandoned, it’s under the protection of a magical energy array, with an energy environment much better than outside. Coupled with the continuous emergence of dark polluted power underground, all always pervasive around the wooden staff, elevating its potential for birthing spirit intelligence again. Only..."
Vay: "Only what?"
Black Earl: "It’s just that, from this logic’s perspective, there’s a matter I can’t fathom. Regularly encircled by dark polluted energy, a Spirit birthed should be prone to bad habits. Yet that Wood Spirit seems to have no malicious intent apart from a little cowardice?"
Were there truly malicious intent, that Wood Spirit wouldn’t hold such a simple thought, nor would it pretend dead for decades, and definitely wouldn’t desperately refuse when Wise Sovereign extended an olive branch, preferring to quietly abide in the tranquil Hanging Jail Stairway, briefly and silently spending its life.
This is the peculiar point about the Black Earl, the Wood Spirit is a bit too naive.