"What did you just say ’too’... what?" Angel looked at Dox with confusion.
Of course, it’s too wasteful! Did you think I was complementing you for being too smart? Dox held back his continuous urge to retort and changed to a more tactful tone: "It’s nothing. I just wanted to say that using the Plane Corridor should be reserved for critical moments. Before that, we can actually try out some other methods."
Angel stroked his chin: "What you said makes sense, but..."
As soon as Angel had a "but," Dox thought to quickly interrupt, yet this time before he could speak, the Wise Sovereign spoke first.
"You want to use the Plane Corridor method to bypass the trial directly, and while that’s doable, my residence has specific spatial restriction Magical Energy Arrays. Even if I’m the one to handle it, it will take a certain amount of time to lift the restrictions."
The Wise Sovereign mentioned "it will take some time" but did not specify how long it would actually take. Even if Angel asks, the Wise Sovereign can randomly give a number because lifting the restrictions indeed takes time, and he can choose to be fast or slow as he pleases.
"I may not be able to lift the restrictions while you undergo the trial, so this method is temporarily unfeasible."
The use of uncertain language like "may not be able" and "temporarily unfeasible" left room for this method, clearly outlined by the Wise Sovereign.
After a pause, the Wise Sovereign continued: "Moreover, even if I could lift the spatial restrictions now, allowing you to directly traverse to my residence, it wouldn’t end the trial. Instead, it might infuriate her, making the trial’s difficulty increase dramatically."
"Also, it would make her aware that I’m ’allied’ with you." The Wise Sovereign added, "Not a good sign for you all. Considering the Magical Energy Array in my residence, her ability to break it is faster if so desires. This means that once you confront her head-on, she will also be wary of me, and my residence will not be able to provide any more buffering time for you."
Although the Wise Sovereign exaggerated his words, there was inherently no mutual trust between him and the Goddess from the start. If Angel and the others end up in severe conflict with the Goddess, the genuine support for Angel and his group wouldn’t come from the Hall of Wisdom or the Magical Energy Array but rather from the Wise Sovereign himself.
Nonetheless, the Wise Sovereign wasn’t exactly deceiving; he simply withheld the full truth.
After hearing the Wise Sovereign’s words, how could Angel not discern that the Wise Sovereign didn’t desire for them to "cheat" using the Plane Corridor method? His series of words essentially conveyed one message: No matter what, they must endure the trial; skipping it would only breed trouble.
Although Angel perceived the Wise Sovereign’s words as overly vague and unconvincing, he did concur on one point: At present, ’she’ is vehemently opposed to the descendants of Noah. Before grasping the hidden truths, directly bypassing the trial won’t conclude it; it will only empower the mysterious ’her’ behind the scenes.
After all, ’trial’ is only the Wise Sovereign’s terminology; for her, it genuinely is a barricade, or even an eradication!
Attempting to use the Plane Corridor now to swiftly reach the Hall of Wisdom will only heighten her precautions. The best approach is cleverly breaking the barriers, ensuring the opponent isn’t tipped off to their strategic foresight until obtaining complete info from the Wise Sovereign and then gradually advancing or feigning weakness to devise responses.
But this circles back to the original dilemma.
Opting to break the barriers with ingenuity implies that they still must confront You Nu head-on and manage to break through without harming You Nu.
This notion stirred a headache for Angel, prompting him to rub his temples.
Perhaps noticing Angel’s grim expression, the Black Earl consoled through the Mind Ribbon: "Don’t stress yourself too much... If this doesn’t work out, we can leave the ruins first. Exploring the legacy is not something to rush into."
The Black Earl’s idea was that as long as Angel chose to leave, then the oath he’d signed with Angel would be void, allowing him to call upon his true self to handle the aftermath here.
Yet, this still stands as a desperate fallback rather than the primary course of action since the Wise Sovereign isn’t unintelligent; he’s well aware of any change that might occur following their departures. On their next meeting, the Wise Sovereign is unlikely to align with them anymore and is more apt to oppose them.
Before unraveling the legacy’s truth, becoming adversarial with the Wise Sovereign isn’t beneficial.
Even if the Black Earl understands this rationale, he posited such words because, in his eyes, the legacy site is significant but so is Angel, whose importance might eclipse even the legacy.
This is because what exists within the legacy remains a question mark, while the value of Angel is distinctly present before him. Simply rescuing Angel accrues great merit to Rhein, not to mention Angel’s innate substantial value.
Moreover, the key to the legacy site lies in Angel’s possession.
"Pressure?" Upon hearing the Black Earl’s console, Angel merely shook his head, "I’m not feeling pressured, just suddenly missing a certain mucus monster..."
Missing the mucus monster? Everyone glanced around, puzzled by whom Angel referred to.
Angel’s mention of the mucus monster was naturally reminiscing about the Void Traveler’s leader, ’Wang Wang.’ Realizing spatial traversal wasn’t viable and the Plane Corridor was restricted, Angel promptly thought of Wang Wang’s void traversal abilities.
The creature’s void traversal differed from other Void Travelers, representing a higher dimensional traversal. If Wang Wang were present, Angel might not even need to go to the Hall of Wisdom, potentially getting whisked away directly to the legacy site.
Furthermore, even if they were engulfed by You Nu, Wang Wang could likely traverse out unharmed.
While Angel contemplated the "possibility," his inner conviction was strong due to the overwhelming nature of such dimensional travels, bypassing everything he currently understands—virtually unstoppable.
Sadly, Wang Wang wasn’t by his side.
Angel could theoretically contact Wang Wang through Heideland, but doing so, he’d perceive as embarrassing.
Hence, Angel could only cherish the nostalgia and covet Wang Wang’s traversal abilities. If only he could maneuver across high dimensions, that would be ideal...
Angel didn’t particularly conceal his emotions, leaving the onlookers, confused by his reflective mood, topped with question marks over their heads.
As the crowd speculated over what creature Angel missed, Angel diverted the topic, asking: "Wise Sovereign, will Little Trespasser, Second Trespasser, and Big Trespasser partake in the trial?"
Wise Sovereign: "I believe I made it quite clear before. Do you doubt it?"
Angel: "I don’t have doubts, but... I indeed hope the one-eyed Little Trespasser or the other two might join the trial. Well... preferably before we encounter You Nu."
When Angel brought this up, the crowd was stunned but quickly grasped his intentions.
Clearly, the Wise Sovereign previously implied Angel should employ the Magical Energy Array to resolve the trial. However, You Nu can perform limited actions within the Magical Energy Array. Once confronted with You Nu, analyzing the array might not reveal its flaws promptly.
The optimal plan would be having a pre-strategy rehearsal.
Observing how You Nu maneuvers within the Magical Energy Array, what privileges do they possess? There are privileges that counter You Nu’s actions as well. By pinning down the patterns corresponding to these privileges, Angel is confident about breaking through.
Yet, You Nu belongs to ’her,’ responding more to ’her’ than the Wise Sovereign. Upon encountering them, You Nu surely won’t offer rehearsal time; hence Angel surmised relying on You Nu’s three offspring.
The Black Earl sighed relief at Angel’s inquiry, originally suspecting Angel was close to conceding. Fortunately, he hadn’t despaired, and Angel’s proposed method provided substantial reference.
However, the premise is the Wise Sovereign approving You Nu’s children to pre-"trial" them and the trial’s leniency in moderation.
At that moment, everyone’s gaze turned to the Wise Sovereign, awaiting his decision.
The Wise Sovereign pondered briefly before softly stating: "I never mentioned they’re not part of the trial."
While lacking direct answers, this statement essentially indicated the Wise Sovereign’s stance. Big Trespasser, Second Trespasser, or Little Trespasser might appear shortly.
With the Wise Sovereign’s response, Angel felt a bit relieved.