Although the Wise Sovereign did not intend to intervene now, he quietly walked into the depths of the hall—to what he referred to as the bedroom.
Indeed, from its function, this was the Wise Sovereign’s bedroom when he reverted to his original form.
But it wasn’t just a bedroom; it housed a secret chamber containing a core node of the Underground Aqueduct’s Magical Energy Array.
Originally, there was no core node here. But after the Naraku incident, the remaining Dominators gathered their strength and moved the core node of the Magical Energy Array to the Wise Sovereign’s hall.
Because the Wise Sovereign had the longest lifespan and would be the only Dominator to remain conscious in the future.
After completing all this, the other Dominators fell into slumber, waiting for Naraku’s glory to be restored.
As for the Wise Sovereign, he has guarded this core node for ten thousand years.
The Wise Sovereign is currently unable to control the core node of the Magical Energy Array to assist Angel. However, the True Words Tome records their scent, and the Wise Sovereign can use the scent combined with the Magical Energy Array to sense their status and approximate location.
If Angel and the others encounter a fatal attack before reaching the Qingkong Poetry Room, the Wise Sovereign will still step in to help.
Whether it is Angel or the Black Earl, the benefits of helping them far outweigh the gains of leaving them to die.
...
At this moment, the group leaving the Hall of Wisdom returned to the pitch-black passage.
One second they were in the warm and comfortable Hall of Wisdom, and the next they were in a cold and endless passage, leaving everyone with a sense of temporal confusion.
"Well, luckily this passage is dark, but at least there’s no foul smell," Dox muttered.
Everyone agreed. During their journey to the Hall of Wisdom, they could smell a faint stench along the way, especially at the crossroads where one intersection reeked to an extreme degree.
If they hadn’t run fast enough back then, they might have fainted on the spot.
Now, this passage is also pitch black, but there’s no stench, meaning this path doesn’t lead to the sewers.
This experience is especially good for them, particularly for the Black Earl.
Dox’s comment broke the silence, warming the atmosphere that threatened to cool due to the uncertain road ahead.
Dox glanced around and finally focused on Angel: "What did you talk about with the Wise Sovereign alone? Did he give you anything good?"
Angel glanced at Dox without speaking.
Back in the hall, he had sensed Dox’s curiosity about his and the Black Earl’s conversation, seeming to think they had received something valuable, but never had the chance to ask.
Now, just after leaving the Hall of Wisdom, Dox couldn’t hold back. He dared not ask the Black Earl but felt confident enough to probe Angel.
"Come on, there’s nothing you can’t talk about," Dox attempted to shoulder Angel in a friendly manner, but Angel sped up to avoid Dox’s grasp.
"Since it’s a private conversation, it’s naturally not something to be shared," Angel said calmly.
Dox wasn’t discouraged and kept pestering: "Then talk about what you can share?"
Angel wanted to say there was nothing to share, but seeing Dox’s persistence, he thought he wouldn’t give up easily.
After a moment’s thought, Angel said: "Let’s not talk about me, what did you get from the Wise Sovereign?"
"Nothing much. What could I get, just some useless stuff..." Dox quickly changed the subject when mentioning his gains.
Angel: "The Sunlight Sanctuary belongs to me. In other words, what you obtained is actually..."
Dox hurriedly interrupted Angel: "How can that be the same? Haven’t I become your man?"
"Make yourself clear," Angel said, distancing himself from Dox dismissively.
Dox remained unfazed, shamelessly continuing: "Let’s not talk about anything else for now, haven’t I given up my most valuable freedom? That’s mine then."
Angel gave Dox a deep look. This guy previously shouted "freedom forever," but now for a bit of gain, he completely cast aside the so-called freedom.
However, this also signifies Dox formally stating willingness to work for Angel and Illusion Demon Island.
Considering this, Angel no longer inquired about Dox’s gains, saying indifferently: "I just discussed the Sweet Dream with the Wise Sovereign."
At that time, after discussing the Baiyuanians, experiments, and the Snake Cone issues, Angel focused on the Sweet Dream with the Wise Sovereign.
"Sweet Dream? You plan to negotiate Sweet Dream with the Wise Sovereign?" Dox asked in surprise.
Others also looked over.
Angel’s conversation with the Wise Sovereign surely covered more, but other topics were left unspoken, and they couldn’t force Angel to disclose them. Nonetheless, the topic Angel chose to share sparked curiosity.
"A Mysterious Object with positive amplification, do you think the Wise Sovereign would willingly part with it?" Angel replied crossly.
Unless Angel can help the Wise Sovereign rebuild Naraku’s glory, he doesn’t believe the Wise Sovereign would trade the Sweet Dream.
"So you’re discussing... doing research?" Dox asked.
Dox was right about the direction; Angel indeed planned to "research" the Sweet Dream. However, while others suspected Angel aimed at crafting a Mysterious Object for himself, it wasn’t the case.
Angel simply wanted to test if the Sweet Dream, another dream-related Mysterious Object, could connect to the Wilderness of Dreams.
Seeing Angel nod, Dox curiously asked: "What did the Wise Sovereign say?"
Angel: "He said to wait until I safely come out from Qingkong Poetry Room before discussing further."
While Angel phrased it this way, the Wise Sovereign has agreed to Angel’s request. It’s merely a loan, hardly significant for the Wise Sovereign. Yet, the Wise Sovereign also required Angel to detailedly describe the Qingkong Poetry Room’s conditions.
Thus, Angel wasn’t wrong in saying borrowing and researching the Sweet Dream would indeed wait until they left Qingkong Poetry Room.
"Besides that, was there anything else discussed?" Dox continued: "You don’t want to share publicly, maybe tell me privately, since we’re in the same boat now."
Angel: "There’s nothing else to disclose. Oh, I remember, the Wise Sovereign invited me to collaborate."
Dox: "Collaborate? What’s he thinking?"
Angel replied irritably: "How should I know what he’s thinking."
"Did you agree?"
Originally, Angel wanted to scold Dox for incessantly probing, but this time the tone was distinctly different, more solemn, like the Black Earl speaking.
Angel turned and indeed saw the Black Earl’s nose directed toward him.
Alright, it wasn’t merely similar; it was indeed the Black Earl asking.
Since it was the Black Earl asking, Angel dared not lose his temper, responding earnestly: "No, I don’t represent just myself. I’ve got Illusion Demon Island and the Barbarian Cave behind me, so I can’t agree. Also, the Wise Sovereign merely mentioned it without further insistence."
As Angel spoke, he looked toward the Black Earl: "Are you very concerned about this, Lord Black Earl?"
In his heart, Angel vaguely sensed why the Black Earl might ask, but couldn’t speak directly and gently probed instead.
Black Earl: "Because he also proposed the same collaboration to me."
"And I, agreed."