The Wise Sovereign does not expect Angel to bring surprises; as long as a "change" is brought about, even if it is a detrimental one, he is willing to accept it.
The current remnants, the present Goddess Her Highness, and his current self are like a fixed axis wheel, severely internalized. With his ability, even if he could pry this axis wheel, he is unable to do so... due to rules and promises.
Therefore, if an outsider could pry this axis wheel, even if not heading in a positive direction, the Wise Sovereign believes that with his strategic acumen, he can turn the tide. The worst result would be resetting this severely internalized axis wheel. And resetting means starting everything anew, a new decision-making process during which the Wise Sovereign has the confidence to break this internalized system.
Most importantly, after beginning anew, everything the Wise Sovereign does will not break the rules agreed upon with the Goddess Her Highness and will not betray the promises made to Augustine years ago.
Thus, he looks forward to Angel’s arrival, hoping it will bring the breeze of a new world to this old land inflected with stubborn maladies. Be it a gentle breeze, mild wind, or even a hurricane, as long as it blows in, it signifies success.
"How far will you go?" the Wise Sovereign murmured softly, looking into the distance. His gaze was long, as if penetrating multiple layers of Wall Barriers, watching Angel move step by step towards this place.
Suddenly, the flames in the fireplace trembled for a moment.
The Wise Sovereign withdrew his gaze, gently focusing on the flames. His brows furrowed for a moment before slowly relaxing again.
Closing his eyes and immersing himself for a few seconds, when he opened them again, the emotion in his eyes had disappeared, and the worried expression had reverted to the laid-back appearance of a lazy young man he originally had.
"The Goddess Her Highness has come, why not show yourself?" the Wise Sovereign looked towards the copper mirror above the fireplace.
The surface of the copper mirror was bright and clear, initially without any changes. Only after the Wise Sovereign spoke did a silhouette slowly appear on its surface.
From the outlines, it was a statuesque and graceful feminine figure.
However, she did not reveal her appearance and allowed the shadows within the mirror to obscure her form. Only a glimpse of her resplendent, yet slightly dim, gem and crystal-studded attire could be seen.
"Does the Goddess Her Highness not wish for me to admire your gorgeous face?" Although the Wise Sovereign’s words were filled with honorifics, there was no real respect, and to Adanis, it sounded somewhat mocking.
Adanis snorted coldly, "When did you learn to speak with such sarcasm?"
The Wise Sovereign remained unfazed and replied with a smile, "I dare not. I just didn’t expect the Goddess Her Highness to come looking for me at this time, and coming yet not appearing, leaves me a bit disappointed."
Adanis did not believe a word the Wise Sovereign said, nor did she plan to follow the Wise Sovereign’s lead. Instead, she asked coldly, "Did that woman come over?"
"That woman? Do you mean..." the Wise Sovereign feigned ignorance as he replied.
Adanis replied, "Don’t play dumb. This mirror has no memory residue, blank as a newly made one. Besides her, who subconsciously absorbs surrounding memories, who else could it be?"
The Wise Sovereign did not feel embarrassed about being seen through, and still smiling said, "So Her Highness was referring to her... Yes, she visited, I occasionally have some contact with her, as Her Highness should be aware."
Adanis, through the shadow, quietly stared at the Wise Sovereign, and after a long pause said, "Though I wish nothing more than for you, a two-faced old scoundrel, to stumble, as a collaborator, I still want to remind you not to get too close to that woman."
"If her real body wakes up, this Mirror Domain will inevitably be disrupted again. This is not good news for you or me. You wouldn’t want those three brats from the You Nu family to lose their homeland too, would you?"
The Wise Sovereign responded, "Your Highness seems overly worried."
Adanis countered, "As a being of the Material Realm, you would not understand her significance. Although her Temporal Body seems approachable now, she is a special entity birthed by this Mirror Domain, akin to... the Extreme Sect among you humans. Upon Awakening, she will only perform the act of cleansing, and a stable Mirror Space is not what the rules wish to see."
"The rules desire all stability to vanish, for all Mirror Spaces to fall into the Sea of Void Mirror so as to maintain purity and establish an absolute separation between the Material Realm and the world within the Mirror. She is the executor, and once awakened, she is unaware of her actions. Memory can be instilled, thought can be self-consistent, logic can be fabricated... that’s her."
"You should understand it better than I." Adanis paused, giving a cold laugh, "Or do you really think you have a debt of gratitude towards her?"
The Wise Sovereign didn’t react to Adanis’ words, he wasn’t foolish, he had long suspected what Laplace’s real body was. However, so what?
Adanis claims the Wise Sovereign, as a being of the Material Realm, could not understand Laplace’s existence. However, Adanis forgot one point: indeed, as a being of the Material Realm, conflict between Laplace and him is hard to structure.
In contrast, it’s Adanis who should be worrying.
Moreover, Adanis believes there is no gratitude between them, that it’s fabricated memory. This is just Adanis’s presumptuous speculation, assuming that since the Wise Sovereign has difficulty accessing the Sea of Void Mirror, he couldn’t have encountered Laplace’s real body. In truth, the Wise Sovereign had indeed encountered Laplace’s real body—whether there is gratitude depends on how you define it.
As for comparing Laplace to the Extreme Sect, that’s baseless. On the surface, the Extreme Sect appears to follow the World Will, but in reality, they reap significant benefits from it in secret.
Even the Extreme Sect can hold a banner high whilst secretly engaging in nefarious activities. Must Laplace truly adhere to the so-called principles of the Mirror Domain?
One could only say, Adanis overestimates Laplace while underestimating the Wise Sovereign.
The Wise Sovereign thought this to himself but didn’t express it: "If Her Highness has only come to discuss this, I feel there’s no need for such worry. According to what I’ve learned, her real body will not awaken in the short term."
After pausing for a while, the Wise Sovereign stated directly: "Your Highness might as well get to the main business."
Adanis surely did not come to just gossip about Laplace; she must have something to impart if she came seeking his audience.
Adanis said, "Originally, I came for one matter, but now that woman has come, there is an additional item."
The Wise Sovereign roughly understood, but he remained silent, waiting for Adanis to take the initiative to speak.
"That woman wouldn’t visit without reason, it was you who contacted her, right? To observe the Reflection of the Heart of those few youngsters, am I correct?" Adanis directly exposed this presumption.
The Wise Sovereign smiled, "Reflection of the Heart, I suppose You Nu took quite a long time to explain this term, didn’t he?"
Adanis did not have much interaction with Laplace, and could not possibly understand her abilities out of thin air, thus there’s only one possibility of who told her — someone from around the Wise Sovereign.
Those who know of Laplace’s existence were only You Nu and its three children, as when the Wise Sovereign initially encountered Laplace, he brought them along. If Cyclops Big Treasure, Second Treasure, or Little Treasure had spoken to Adanis of Laplace, they would certainly report this back to the Wise Sovereign.
But they hadn’t informed the Wise Sovereign about this, so the answer could only be You Nu.
The Wise Sovereign was not surprised by this. He had even guessed early on that You Nu would relay this to Adanis, as after all, compared to himself, You Nu cares more about its true master.
Adanis snorted coldly, "I actually wish Second Treasure of the Cyclops had explained it, next time, perhaps I can have You Nu call for Second Treasure?"
The Wise Sovereign’s words hinted that You Nu was actually dispatched by Adanis to act as surveillance. Adanis did not yield, mocking the Wise Sovereign for attempting to sway You Nu’s three children to his side.
At the same time, Adanis expressed a point: I know you’re trying to win them over, I have seen it, and in not stopping you, I am extending grace. But do not forget, I also have ways to restrain them.
And what Adanis said is indeed true. Although the Cyclops Family listens to the Wise Sovereign, they care more about their mother than the Wise Sovereign.
It can be said that they are currently "hurting each other."
And the one who is more skillful, undoubtedly, is Adanis, who has a tight grip on You Nu.