"Then I look forward to that moment," said the Black Earl. He didn’t seek an immediate answer, enjoying the process of "anticipation." It had been a long time since he had looked forward to something so much.
He believed that when the end arrived, sharing this insight with his True Body, the True Body would also enjoy this adventure just as much as he did.
...
Angel and the Black Earl were engaged in "encrypted" conversations, leaving the others feeling somewhat defeated; they wanted to hear the gossip too.
Moreover, they were surrounded by mutated carrion squirrels, making it hard to keep their composure without a distraction—not out of fear, but mainly because the mutated carrion squirrels were peculiarly ugly.
Beautiful creatures are all alike, but every ugly creature is ugly in its own way.
Their ugliness was so striking that it was a visual assault, impossible to look at directly, becoming a form of spiritual pollution...
This was the visual assault from the mutated carrion squirrels.
"By the way, how do so many mutated carrion squirrels survive?" Kaier curiously asked, "Earlier, they probably smelled the living scent of Lord Red Sword and chased after it madly. They seem to feed on living creatures, but there don’t seem to be many living things here to meet their needs?"
"Perhaps they’ve retreated back to the sewers. I’m sure there are plenty of Magical Creatures in there," Dox said casually.
"Even though they have a stench, I don’t smell the sewer’s odor," Vay said, sniffing as if to confirm. Of course, he caught no scent as Angel had thoughtfully set up a Purifying Field in the Illusionary Realm.
"Such a large group is surely the result of years of thriving. I’m genuinely curious about how they survive ordinarily."
Just as Kaier finished speaking, the voice of the Black Earl rang out, "Carrion squirrels by nature are omnivorous Magical Creatures. They can eat meat, plants, and even gnaw on stones to stave off hunger and stay alive. Moreover, when food is scarce, they can endure long periods of sleep to reduce energy needs. The Mana Array in the Underground Labyrinth still thrives, and even its dispersed energy is sufficient to support these magical creatures."
Not just the mutated carrion squirrels, but the other surviving magical creatures as well, either fighting each other or becoming parasites to the Mana Array.
Of course, this parasitism isn’t one-sided. Upon their death, their bodies naturally become part of the Mana Array, serving as a new energy source. Though not much, over time, even a mosquito’s flesh accumulates to something substantial.
The Mana Array has lasted millennia, adapting its methods to survive.
"These aren’t secretive matters. It’s easy to find this out at any information point, like the Elysium Pavilion or the Tea Party."
"Isn’t the Tea Party only open to witches?" Vay and Kaier both overlooked the Elysium Pavilion, understandably shy to mention it in front of their elders.
"Shapeshifting Technique, or hire a female apprentice to ask for you. Do I need to teach you these trivial matters?"
After mocking them, the Black Earl remarked blandly, "It seems like there were gaps in your preparations before your exploration."
Though it seemed like a mere concluding statement, the Black Earl looked meaningfully at Dox.
An oversight is excusable for apprentices, but Dox is an Official Wizard and he wasn’t aware of this, nor did he make any preparations. That’s clearly an inadequacy.
Dox felt embarrassed to argue... as the mistake was indeed his.
"In this world, there is no absolute freedom. Pursuing so-called freedom for the sake of a little pride, such ignorance is the price you must pay. You should know that in the Wizards’ Realm, ignorance means..."
Ignorance means you won’t even know why you died.
This statement was evidently directed at Dox. As for whether Dox took it to heart, that was another matter. At least, this time, Dox didn’t retort.
After saying this, the Black Earl leisurely floated back to Angel’s side.
"Everyone has the right to choose their own path. The road Dox takes may not necessarily be wrong." Angel re-engaged the "private chat" state with the Black Earl.
"That doesn’t conflict with what I said." The Black Earl replied, "I only said this much because of his inspiration. He could pursue freedom, but not ignorance."
Angel found himself unable to refute this.
Dox indeed seemed overly nonchalant. Although calling him ignorant might be too harsh, he rarely paid attention to matters from which he couldn’t profit. However, sometimes the interests and the harmful aspects are intricately linked. Ignoring the harm while focusing only on benefits is somewhat biased, leading to inevitable danger.
So, though the Black Earl’s words were harsh, at least they were made with Dox’s future in mind.
Angel thought it over and chose not to say more, simply hoping that Dox wouldn’t treat the Black Earl’s words as mere breeze in his ears.
While they were each lost in their thoughts, a fork appeared in the road ahead.
This was an odd fork, one path was a broad maze avenue, while the other resembled a small, square dog hole.
The window wasn’t at ground level but was several dozen meters high. A glance inside with spiritual power revealed a path that could be taken, though one would likely have to crawl through it.
Worth noting, this small window’s path, perhaps due to its height, was free of any mutated carrion squirrel traffic, while the broad road was still packed with them.
Faced with this fork—assuming it was a fork at all—Angel barely hesitated and immediately looked toward Dox.
However, Dox still wore a dazed expression.
Angel walked over, coughed twice to capture Dox’s attention, and said, "You’re not still mulling over the Black Earl’s words, are you?"
Dox immediately looked disdainful, "I wasn’t mulling over such boring matters. I was just pondering a question."
First intentionally provoking a response, then receiving Dox’s proud retort, Angel continued smoothly, "Pondering? What are you pondering? Could it be that you’re contemplating whether to crawl through a dog hole or continue appreciating the beauty of the mutated carrion squirrels?"
Dog hole? Dox hadn’t understood what it meant until Angel pointed to the small window high above.
"We’re all pondering which path to take. Are you pondering this same question too?" Angel asked.
Dox paused for half a second, then suddenly clapped and threw his arm around Angel’s shoulder, "Of course! I was just considering whether to take the dog hole or continue forward!"
Without a directive from Angel, Dangross had already sensibly hopped onto Angel’s shoulder to remove Dox’s hand.
Angel then smiled and said, "So, what conclusion did you reach? By the way, we’ve already voted, but it’s currently tied two to two; your vote will decide it, so make your choice carefully."