"What, do you have a problem with what I said?" Seeing that Dox hadn’t spoken for a long time, Angel asked.
Dox looked up at Angel, exhaled deeply, and remained silent.
His eyes were complex, with various emotions swirling, so much so that even Angel’s hyper perception could hardly discern Dox’s exact emotions.
Dejection and suspicion, excitement and distraction, helplessness and amazement, sorrow and anticipation.
These opposing and intense emotions flickered in and out of existence like bubbles in a short span of time.
Angel couldn’t accurately gauge Dox’s mood, and even Dox himself didn’t know how to describe his current feelings.
It was as if there were two "selves," tugging at each other. Which one was the true self, and which was the real self? Dox only felt his mind was in chaos.
His thoughts were like a small boat drifting in the sea, at times pushed to the deep sea, and at times pushed to the shallow.
After a long silence, Dox finally murmured, "...no problem."
Angel: "If there’s no problem, then that’s good. You keep this one-time spatial capsule for now, consider it a benefit I’m giving you in advance. Of course, it also contains your portion of the labor fee."
Angel’s words subtly hinted that for the foreseeable future, Dox would be working for him. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be any talk of benefits.
Dox didn’t say anything but did put away the spatial capsule as Angel had suggested.
Whether Dox understood or not, at this moment, he opted to give up struggling.
Angel didn’t say anything further, instead, he looked towards the Sunlight Sanctuary, where Grey Merchant and his followers were gradually emerging.
Undoubtedly, even if they tried hard to keep their expressions in check, the joyful aura around them was hard to conceal. From Grey Merchant to the apprentices, they all carried a sense of relief and joy.
The Sunlight Sanctuary had brought them massive change. Usually, such internal amplifications are hard to feel unless the amplification reaches its ultimate limit. But the Sunlight Sanctuary achieved this; even the apprentices could sense the monumental changes in their Spirit Sea, changes positive enough to influence a lifetime.
With such an opportunity, how could they not be happy?
As for the virago, she was severely injured and needed time to heal, so she hadn’t yet emerged from the Sunlight Sanctuary. However, judging by her blissful expression, and the rapid healing and restoration of her withered body, it was clear she had no dissatisfaction with the sanctuary.
"Since both participants are in place, the second duel is about to begin." At this moment, the voice of the Wise Sovereign came from above.
The virago had already been eliminated, so even if she was still in the Sunlight Sanctuary, it didn’t matter. Grey Merchant’s side would definitely have Grey Merchant himself in the second duel.
As long as Grey Merchant was present, nothing else mattered.
Upon hearing the referee’s voice, Grey Merchant calmed his excited emotions, temporarily setting aside the positive changes the Sunlight Sanctuary brought to his body, and walked step by step towards the center of the arena.
With Grey Merchant’s entrance, naturally, it was time for someone from Angel’s side to enter.
Grey Merchant was curious as to who would show up—Dox? Dox was currently unscathed, but he was naturally restrained by Grey Merchant. Unless there was another trump card similar to the Sunlight Sanctuary, Dox’s likelihood of entering was low.
Excluding Dox, the only other one who seemed capable of entering was the mysterious red-haired, golden-eyed Wizard.
No, perhaps that stone-nosed person could also enter. If that nose indeed came from the family Grey Merchant suspected, the duel would be challenging.
While Grey Merchant speculated, he was unaware that his opponent had already been determined.
According to "her" request, Angel had to enter the match no matter what. Since Dox battled the virago, Angel had to go this time.
Regarding Angel’s participation, aside from Vay and Kaier’s encouragement through the Mind Ribbon, neither the Black Earl nor Dox had much of a reaction.
Dox at least said, "Try to defeat him before he activates his bloodline."
The Black Earl, however, made no comment. In the Black Earl’s view, since Angel could even produce the Sunlight Sanctuary for Dox, he surely had other trump cards?
Earl Mi alone was a force the Black Earl couldn’t quickly overcome personally, and if Earl Mi cooperated with Angel, even the Black Earl himself would have to retreat.
Therefore, there was nothing to worry about.
Victory was assured; it was just a matter of which trump card Angel would show "her," lurking in the shadows.
Angel indeed felt no pressure. Before stepping into the match, his only words weren’t about the duel but a self-directed murmur—
"Following one’s heart isn’t a bad thing, and freedom isn’t limited to a single definition. Constraint is a cocoon. Within the perceived confinement, it is protected, growing safely. When it finally breaks free, thinking it will soon embrace anticipated freedom, in reality, it may face a storm."
"Thus, you choose to stay within a tree hollow that shields from the storm, even in its narrow confines, feeling free."
"But in truth, it’s merely a leap from one cocoon to another Ivory Tower."
"With only one aperture to view the outside sky—this is the Ivory Tower’s perspective. Like a frog at the bottom of a well, the sky it sees is only as wide as the well’s opening."
Angel seemed to be speaking to himself, but everyone understood who his words were intended for.
Previously, Angel had said similar things, but they were merely his opinions without analysis. Now, having noticed Dox’s distracted expression, he elaborated further.
To the Black Earl, Angel’s words contained deviations and were somewhat naive.
But he wasn’t wrong in asserting that simply looking up at the sky from the bottom of the well would never reveal true freedom.
Ignoring existing classes or predetermined perspectives, in a completely new framework, everything seen is different, including one’s understanding of freedom. Thus, Dox’s blind pursuit of so-called freedom had led him astray.
Angel didn’t care if Dox was listening. After speaking, he stretched lazily and headed to the arena.
At any rate, he didn’t name anyone specifically, so Dox could completely ignore those words... However, if Dox truly did, Angel would choose to give Dox the freedom he desired. As for any price, in Dox’s world of freedom, there would certainly come a day for settlement.
Angel stepped onto the arena, walking steadily towards the center.
He didn’t take large strides, but every step was firm, quietly activating his hyper perception.
His focus wasn’t on Grey Merchant’s emotions but on sensing "her" in the shadows.
Since she specifically named him to enter, she would undoubtedly watch from the shadows once he appeared.