"Panic Realm?" Caroline raised an eyebrow at Angel’s question, "Why are you interested in this gray world?"
After asking, Caroline seemed to realize something: "It’s okay if you don’t want to answer. I’m not trying to pry into your private matters, I’m just surprised that, even after the Frostmoon Alliance labeled it as a barren world, someone is still interested in it."
Caroline became serious, losing her previous wildness, and her tone took on a touch of warmth and subtlety.
Angel: "It’s okay, it’s not a private matter, and the Wise Sovereign knows... The reason is simple, because I raised a Demon Person."
As Angel spoke, the shadow on the ground started to churn continuously, and before long, a panther-shaped Ghostly Shadow with a Blue Lantern Flower on its head emerged and paused beside Angel.
"Huh, is this... an Awakened Demon Person?"
"Yes, this is Earl Mi."
When Caroline first saw Earl Mi, she was a bit suspicious and wary, but then she saw how obediently it stayed by Angel’s side, and she paused for a moment, showing great interest.
"An Awakened Demon Person that actually listens to you? Could it be you’re involved with those Liberators?"
"Liberators?" Angel heard this name for the first time, "I don’t know what Liberators are. The reason Earl Mi listens to me is for other reasons. However, I cannot disclose those reasons."
Since Angel didn’t wish to explain, Caroline didn’t pursue the matter, but her gaze at Earl Mi remained intrigued and amazed.
"You’ve managed something that so many Wizards couldn’t achieve back then." Caroline remarked, "It seems you’re not just an ordinary Wizard with no story."
Angel: "There’s a not very exciting short story, but I’m still a very ordinary Wizard."
The Wise Sovereign quietly said, "An ordinary Wizard that can touch the mysterious realm? Or is it that it’s now mainstream to be humble outside?"
"That’s not a good habit. Modesty is fine occasionally, as part of etiquette; excessive humility is hypocrisy."
The Wise Sovereign was clearly teasing, but Angel quietly replied, "Humility isn’t the mainstream. However, recently in our Barbarian Cave, many big figures like to call themselves newcomers."
As Angel spoke, his mind wandered to the chats in the Tree Group.
Ever since the Tree Group Development Team released the test version, which allowed users to customize their names... or rather, disguise their identities, there have been quite a few big figures pretending to be newcomers. Among them, the one who enjoyed it the most was the Tree Spirit.
The Tree Spirit especially liked to point out and debate research topics published on the forum section of the Tree Group. Even if the topic itself was fine, he enjoyed finding fault just to start arguments. His usual tactic was to pretend to be a newcomer, act like he was in awe, stir controversies, attract attention, then expose the minor flaws, and finally reveal his identity for a dramatic reversal.
The entire process and routine were played out by the Tree Spirit with great familiarity.
Angel suspected that perhaps the Tree Spirit had heard the story of Hidetada from Jon and found inspiration for such a cliché face-slapping moment.
"Then the trend in your Barbarian Cave is quite... interesting." The Wise Sovereign initially wanted to say ’vulgar’, but considering the intimidation of the three Ancestral Spirits in the Barbarian Cave, he held that word back.
Angel replied with a smile but remained silent.
"Touched on the mysterious level? Are you saying he’s a mysterious Alchemist?" Caroline suddenly asked the Wise Sovereign with a hesitant tone.
Wise Sovereign: "Not at the moment, but in the future... who knows."
Caroline paused and murmured, "Indeed, not an ordinary Wizard."
"Well, regardless of whether your backstory is exciting or not, short or long, it’s irrelevant. When I was alive, I might have asked more questions, but now that I’m dead, I’m not interested in the affairs of the living."
Caroline paused and looked at Angel: "Coming back to your question, you said you wanted to know the truth about the Panic Realm?"
Angel nodded.
"This question is too broad, it’s the classic kind that invites scolding."
"I don’t know how you define truth, nor do I know what truth you want to discover, so it’s best you narrow this question down; otherwise, I can’t answer." Caroline said, "Besides, I haven’t been to the Panic Realm, so my understanding of it would be limited. Asking me for the truth is putting too much weight on this question."
Caroline finished speaking and looked at Angel, her eyes conveying "concern."
Though not spoken, those burning eyes said: If you continue asking such questions, don’t blame me for not respecting the Book Elder.
Angel pondered for a moment, then said, "Can Awakened Demon People awaken again? What are Liberators? The Frostmoon Alliance says the Panic Realm is a barren world; is this true? And then..."
Before Angel could finish, Caroline interrupted, "Stop, one question at a time. Since I’ve awakened, I’m not planning to fall back into slumber quickly. You don’t need to ask everything at once. Tell me, what do you most want to know now?"
Angel thought for a moment: "Can Awakened Demon People awaken again? What are the conditions for another awakening?"
Caroline: "They can awaken again. As for the conditions, I don’t know, or rather... nobody knows. Each Awakened Demon Person has different conditions for transcendence. Just like a Demon’s awakening, who knows, maybe after a drink, they awaken?"
Angel: "Transcendence?"
Caroline: "What you refer to as a second awakening is what we call transcendence. Successfully transcended Demon People will shed their monstrosity, revert to human form, and their madness and rebellion are suppressed, meaning they regain wisdom and moral sense. Such Awakened Demon People are called Transcendent Ones."
"I know you’re wondering about the relationship between Transcendent Ones and Liberators now?"
Angel nodded, indeed associating the term Transcendent Ones with the Liberators Caroline mentioned earlier.
"Transcendent Ones are equivalent to Liberators." Caroline explained, "Transcendent Ones is what the twice-awakened Demon People call themselves; Liberators is what Wizards, unawakened Demon People, and ordinary folks of the Panic Realm call these twice-awakened Demon People."
"Whether it’s transcendence or liberation, it’s all about bidding farewell to the past. One is a pretended free-spirited farewell, the other is a necessary goodbye."
Caroline paused, "By the way, although no one knows a Demon Person’s transcendence conditions, the Demon People themselves know, or at least, their subconscious knows how to achieve transcendence."
"However, it’s precisely because they understand how to undergo a second awakening that the Panic Realm becomes even grayer."
Caroline once again pointed out the ’grayness’ of the Panic Realm, which was also her general impression of it.
Similar to the Lofte World, which is a terrifying, crazy world, the Panic Realm, in Caroline’s view, is a gray world.
"The grayness shrouded in sorrow heavily surrounds the Panic Realm. It’s called transcendence and liberation, but in reality, it’s still trapped within, sinking deeper and deeper."
The reason Caroline would say this is because the emergence of the awakened demons is itself a tragedy.
Demons were born to protect ordinary humans, but once demons awaken, they become opposed to humans and may even prey on them.