"Leaving already?" Dox mumbled, "All those apologies but no compensation?"
"Why care about compensation?" Angel said softly, "Sometimes, just an apology without compensation is more appealing to me."
Dox glanced at Angel with irritation, "Because when you care about compensation, you care about why there isn’t any!"
"I know what you’re thinking, it’s nothing more than getting more sometimes by not compensating... this type of psychological gambling theory."
"But from my perspective, you need tangible compensation to feel satisfied in reality. Who cares about some psychological debt?"
Dox isn’t foolish, he naturally understands that Angel cares more about the "debt" than "breaking even."
This can’t be considered wrong, but it’s more suitable for those with plenty of surplus and plenty more to spare. For someone like Dox, who’s often short of funds, immediate benefits matter more.
Angel understands that different situations lead to different viewpoints, and there’s no absolute right or wrong. So, he didn’t argue with Dox but leisurely gathered the array plates on the ground while recounting the matter everyone was most concerned with—
How he encountered the Child-like You Nu and what happened during that brief time?
The entire mental journey roughly entails an unexpected encounter, followed by a threat, and then realizing the opponent is quite naive.
After Angel finished narrating, he shrugged, "At the time, I didn’t know it was the Child-like aspect of You Nu, just thought this creature had some mental issues for self-harming and using its own blood to write a phrase that was neither threatening nor grammatically correct."
"If it weren’t for Duo Mu Er mentioning it, I would’ve almost forgotten that scene."
Saying this, Angel had also retrieved all the external array disks, stood up, and signaled, "Time to go, next we’ll likely face the Motherly You Nu... it’s not far from us, probably sensing our presence soon."
The Child-like You Nu was a small incident; their real test would be the Motherly You Nu.
This one is essentially a complete form of You Nu, estimated to be the strongest among the Three Temporal Bodies. Most importantly, the Motherly You Nu is likely what Genggui and Duo Mu Er care about most.
If the Child-like You Nu suffers, they could handle it rationally and offer an apology. But if the Motherly You Nu gets hurt, it’s probably different.
However, they already have a plan to bypass the Motherly You Nu, so they weren’t worried.
Angel is more worried about the route after the Hall of Wisdom.
The person who conveyed the message to him, how terrifying are the Infant Spirits they spoke of? It’s still an unknown factor.
As everyone set off again, this time, their expressions weren’t as relaxed as before.
According to Angel, judging by the energy flow of the Magical Energy Array, they’re getting closer to the Motherly You Nu. Maybe the intersection isn’t far ahead; perhaps any corner could hold an ambush from the Motherly You Nu. Consequently, everyone remained vigilant since they were facing an extraordinary creature not even documented in "Where is the Magical Beast."
But actually, the seriousness Angel displayed was more feigned; his supposed determination of the distance based on the energy flow of the Magical Energy Array was false.
The energy flow doesn’t signify anything; the reason he could judge the intersection getting nearer was purely because he’d walked that intersection before.
And because Angel knows where the intersection is, he wasn’t flustered. He had already calculated in his mind the most suitable time to release the array plate at the setup location.
Compared to the previous hurried placements during Genggui’s sudden appearances, this time Angel felt more assured. After all, Genggui’s ambushes are like moving stakes, whereas the Motherly You Nu is a fixed stake at a known position, allowing pre-set arrangements to increase confidence.
However, such things can’t be openly said, so Angel, like everyone else, put on a serious demeanor, making a furrowed-brow face, as if pondering calculations.
In reality, Angel’s so-called contemplation was merely simulating various possible situations in his mind and searching for a balance point among all possibilities to use as a basis for deploying external array discs.
That means optimizing the coordinates for placing the external array discs.
During previous ambushes by Genggui, Angel wouldn’t have dared do this, fearing even a second’s delay would expand the pit. But facing You Nu, it’s possible to attempt optimizations for the best effect.
They walked about another hundred meters, the light ahead grew dimmer, as if the torches were being eroded by some unknown darkness.
Even the surrounding previously smooth walls began to show signs of erosion and pitting.
The air carried a scent of ancient decay.
"We’re probably reaching the intersection, be cautious," Angel warned again in the Mind Ribbon, truly causing the group to become more cautious and serious by the sights and sounds before them.
In reality, Angel knew there was still some distance to the intersection. The sudden change in the surroundings was likely unrelated to You Nu, yet the environmental change made Angel feel slightly more secure.
Because such conditions in the Nightmare Realm were approximately similar.
And if the Nightmare Realm is mirroring Naraku City from ten thousand years ago, was there already ruin here back then? Perhaps something happened in this corridor long ago?
Angel inspected carefully; despite the walls appearing damaged, the Magical Energy Array remained intact, giving him some relief.
If even the Magical Energy Array were problematic, it would be uncertain whether they could continue forward.
The further they walked, the dimmer the torchlight became.
The previously brightly-lit spacious corridor now resembled a tomb path: narrow and shadowy.
This cramped environment is more favorable for transcendent creatures like You Nu, which can create large, long-range, nearly insolvable pits.
The confined space means limited hiding spots, the long passage implies running away can only follow the narrow road, and there’s no other escape route, perfectly suited to You Nu’s abilities.
As long as You Nu hides underground and silently waits for someone to approach, it can easily swallow them.
Even if discovered hiding underground, it doesn’t matter because there’s only one path here: either retreat or continue forward.
Going forward guarantees being swallowed.
Retreat isn’t absolutely safe either, since a large stretch of the path back is narrow with no intersections, allowing You Nu, in pursuit, to easily prevent escape.
You Nu planned well; indeed, it’s an excellent hunting spot.
However, it happened to encounter someone familiar with Magical Energy Arrays, and Angel’s learning came from Margaret’s secret room, an enhanced edition specifically for the Nightmare Realm. The nearby Magical Energy Arrays, including those in the ruins, were all set by Margaret.
So, it seems You Nu ran into an iron wall...
...