"Mr. Feng mentioned that someone would follow in his footsteps, was it from six hundred years ago?" Angel’s voice carried a hint of surprise.
Frost Iser nodded: "Yes, although Mr. Feng spoke of fate from the first time he came, he mentioned someone would follow in his footsteps only six hundred years ago."
Upon hearing this, Angel’s mind began to wander.
Only six hundred years ago was it explicitly stated that someone would follow in his footsteps, does this mean that the arrangement Feng set up actually began six hundred years ago?
Thinking back, Feng also set up an arrangement in the Abyss six hundred years ago, and Angel was one of the people involved in that arrangement.
Could it be possible that he hasn’t stepped into two arrangements—the Abyss’s arrangement and the Tidal World’s arrangement were actually one and the same!
As soon as this notion was born, it surged like a tide, instantly occupying all of Angel’s thoughts.
Moreover, the deeper he pondered, the more he felt this possibility was significant.
This arrangement was set six hundred years ago, and those involved, they all tied back to him. And, there was also direct evidence linking the Abyss and the Tidal World, which is—the Odeclass Pattern Key.
The Odeclass Pattern Key was obtained from the Abyssal Flame Dragon, Odeclass. When it handed the key to Angel, it explicitly said that Feng left it behind.
When Feng handed the key to Odeclass, he did not specify whom it should be given to, yet perhaps by the force of fate, this key ultimately ended up in Angel’s hands after many twists and turns.
After obtaining this key, Angel had never known where it should be used until he arrived in the Tidal World and saw Feng’s note behind the door of the passage:
"The treasure is left here by me. However, without the key, it cannot be opened~"
Although Feng did not explicitly say that the Odeclass Pattern Key is the key to the "treasure," all the coincidences and the waves of fate caused Angel to believe inexplicably that the two were absolutely connected.
Because of this key, the Abyss’s arrangement was united with the Tidal World’s arrangement.
Although there are still some uncertain things, such as the note on the door must have been left six hundred years ago for it to be true, and whether the Odeclass Pattern Key is really the key to the treasure; but these uncertain things, amidst so many coincidences, have become somewhat unimportant.
Angel’s intuition had almost confirmed to him that he was still within the extension of that arrangement from the Abyss.
"The arrangement Feng set in the Abyss was very intense, even facing the Lord of the Flameless at the end. Yet the arrangement here is so understated, with no danger at all, not only did he discover an uncharted subsidiary plane whose value is exceedingly high, but he outright stated there’s treasure here..."
"So, the Abyss’s arrangement is a battle checkpoint, and the Tidal World’s arrangement is the reward after clearing the checkpoint?" Angel remarked with a self-deprecating tone, but upon thinking carefully, considering Feng’s quirky nature, perhaps this really might be the truth.
"What are you muttering about?" Frost Iser looked over in confusion.
Angel shook his head: "Nothing, I was just thinking, for Mr. Feng to have determined six hundred years ago that someone would follow in his footsteps, it’s truly unbelievable."
Frost Iser quietly said: "Pursuit of profit, isn’t that the ultimate value of you wizards?"
"Not all wizards pursue profit; more often, they gravitate toward it as a choice for better survival," Angel replied.
"Whether it’s pursuit or gravitation, aren’t you following in his footsteps just for the ’gain’ he left behind?"
Angel did not deny it: "If I can acquire gain, I certainly won’t reject it..." After all, he’s played me in circles.
"However, more than obtaining his ’gain,’ I’m keen to know why he designed the fate’s trajectory in such a way; and in this arrangement, what role do I play? A puppet on strings?"
Frost Iser gazed deeply at Angel.
Since arriving before it, Angel had always appeared calm, yet that confidence emerging from deep within made it lapse into reverie multiple times, for in Angel, it saw Feng’s shadow.
Until now, it finally glimpsed another facet of Angel, hidden beneath the calm exterior lay a heart not so serene.
Frost Iser’s lips curled slightly, laughter gently spilled out.
The indifferent visage was smudged by this smile, at this moment, the eternal winter seemingly transformed into the chilly yet vibrant early spring.
"Where did I go wrong?" Angel questioned, and if not for sensing no malice in Frost Iser’s laughter, he might have thought the other was mocking him.
Frost Iser shook its head.
"Then why does Your Highness laugh?"
Frost Iser: "I just feel that compared to before, you’re less annoying now."
Hearing Frost Iser’s response, Angel looked puzzled: "Does Your Highness mean I was annoying before?"
Frost Iser waved its hand: "Previously, you were so like him that it annoyed me. But now, you don’t resemble him as much."
Angel narrowed his eyes slightly: "Should I consider that a compliment?"
Frost Iser didn’t reply but instead retracted its smile: "Back to the main topic, the role you’re inquiring about, I can’t provide an answer. Perhaps I’m just a role in this arrangement as well, and not a conspicuous one."
Pausing, Frost Iser continued: "Whether pursuing or gravitating towards profit isn’t important, what matters is what that ’profit’ is. I know that’s why you came to me, right?"
Angel neither nodded nor shook his head, but Frost Iser didn’t mind, continuing: "I can tell you, but the answer might disappoint you."
When Frost Iser said this, it leaned its elbow on the throne, resting its face on its hand, falling into reminiscence, starting to recount events from six hundred years ago.
"He once said he would leave a treasure for those who follow in his footsteps. However, a prerequisite condition is needed to obtain this treasure, which he did not specify. But later, I heard him speak of related content, he said..."
—If the one following the footsteps is indeed the person mentioned in the book, they can naturally unlock the treasure.
Upon hearing this, Angel’s brows furrowed slightly.
The circumstance of the treasure and the prerequisite condition for opening it were not Angel’s main concerns. What caught his attention was Feng’s mention of: "The one following the footsteps is the person mentioned in the book."
The book? This was the third time Angel heard of "the book" in relation to Feng’s theme of "fate".
The first was in White Cloud Village. Gentle Breeze Ulanus had said, Feng once stated, "My arrival is the Chapter of fate written in that book."
The second time was when Frost Iser previously said: "If he hadn’t opened that book, he wouldn’t have come to the Tidal World."
The third time is now.