The Shepherd swiftly caught up with Kaier, this time without Wind’s Force, but directly engaging in close combat. With the Wind’s Force boost, the Shepherd’s speed was swift, easily blocking Kaier.
They exchanged a glance, both seeing the determination in the other’s eyes.
Kaier knew that a close-range battle was inevitable.
...
Meanwhile, beneath the arena, Dox once again approached Angel.
"You know what I want to do most right now?"
Angel: "???" What does what you want have to do with me?
Dox clenched his fist and stared fiercely at the Shepherd in the arena: "I want to give that guy a good beating."
If it were before, Vay would definitely retort at this time: "Are you envious of him, or are you jealous of him?"
But now, without Vay to pick up the gag and Angel unwilling to speak, Dox could only talk to himself: "Because that guy did something outrageous!"
Angel gave Dox a suspicious look; the Shepherd seemed to have acted according to the rules, nothing outrageous, right?
Seeing Angel finally paying attention to him, Dox quickly said: "He actually summoned four such ugly sheep!"
Those four black-faced sheep? Angel carefully observed them. In his aesthetic view, the black-faced sheep weren’t ugly. They looked very much like sheep overall, with fluffy and naturally curly fur, pure white and flawless, only their faces were darkened.
Even though the faces were darkened, it didn’t make them look ugly. Instead, due to the color contrast, it covered the protruding sheep nose, making the face seem flat and very cute with fuzzy fur.
Moreover, this color scheme reminded Angel of a certain Earth cat he had seen on the holographic tablet, which added more subjective filters to his evaluation.
However, Angel didn’t argue with Dox; everyone’s sense of aesthetics is different. One’s beauty might be another’s ugliness. So he respected Dox’s opinion.
But if one wants to beat up the Shepherd just because of the black-faced sheep’s appearance, isn’t that a bit of a distorted value system?
As Angel was pondering this, Dox continued: "The worst part is, he actually gave those four ugly sheep such a heinous name!"
Angel recalled the names the Shepherd seemed to call those four sheep: Black One, Black Two, Black Three, Baby? How is that heinous?
"The names themselves are already unpleasant, but they’re not even symmetrical! Forget Black One, Black Two, and Black Three; shouldn’t the last one be Black Four? How did it become Baby? What’s the relation between Baby and the previous ones?"
Listening to Dox’s complaints, paired with his impatient look, Angel felt a guess forming in his mind:
Certain people with OCD go crazy when they notice disharmony in things. Only when everything follows a pattern do they feel comfortable.
Could Dox be such a person?
But Angel remembered that OCD sufferers are very strict about order, and Dox himself doesn’t seem to follow rules that strictly, being more carefree and enjoying freedom. He doesn’t seem like an OCD sufferer?
At this moment, a feeble voice came from beside: "Gold One, Gold Two, Gold Three, Gold Four are the names of his sandworms."
Angel turned to look and found it was Vay, who hadn’t spoken for a while.
Vay’s expression still looked melancholic, and his face was pale, but at least his eyes were more spirited than before.
As long as previous matters aren’t mentioned, Vay should be able to gradually recover.
Angel: "I remember the sandworm he raised, wasn’t it called Little Gold?"
Moreover, Dox still owed Angel a Little Gold.
Vay: "Little Gold is just a nickname; its official name is Gold Three."
Hearing Vay say this, Angel somewhat understood. Dox is a non-typical OCD sufferer, usually showing no symptoms, but when he takes something seriously, it gets the better of him.
He didn’t care much about his sandworms being named Gold One to Gold Four, nor about any nicknames. But upon hearing someone else’s black-faced sheep with names Black One to Black Three followed by Baby, he couldn’t help himself.
Even if he slightly understood, Angel still found it a bit ridiculous. It’s just a name, and perhaps Baby itself has no connection with Black One to Black Three; it might have its own combination, like "Beibei" or something.
Just as Angel was contemplating this, the Shepherd on the stage suddenly called out: "Black One, aid your brother, don’t let that Alchemy Golem break through the wind vortex!"
Angel: "..."
If according to the Shepherd’s naming sequence, Black One is the eldest, Baby the fourth. But now, the Shepherd said for Black One to assist its brother? Brother? Does this mean Baby is the eldest after all? Then why was Baby named last?
Angel’s head was filled with question marks.
He glanced at Dox beside him, who had already gritted his teeth.
At this moment, Angel finally somewhat understood Dox’s feelings. His hands were getting a bit itchy too...
"Angel, what’s going on with your Speedy?" Black Earl’s voice timely sounded from the Mind Ribbon, instantly dispelling the gradually restless atmosphere within.
Angel: "No clue."
Dox also turned at this time, adding: "Isn’t it your Elemental partner? How could even you not know?"
Angel silently looked at the now calm-faced Dox. Wasn’t he just wanting to shout and fight a moment ago, how can he change his face so quickly?
Angel shrugged: "Maybe it thinks those little guys are cute?"
Angel understood what Black Earl and Dox were implying: Speedy surrounded by those four black-faced sheep, never emerging, is indeed odd.
Not to mention them, even Angel himself found it perplexing.
Previously when Kaier contacted Speedy, Angel had sensed it as well, but Speedy hadn’t responded to Kaier, which was also strange.
Angel initially thought Speedy encountered danger, but through contractual connection and Hyper Perception talent, Angel confirmed Speedy was perfectly fine.
However, why hasn’t Speedy, despite being okay, emerged from the black-faced sheep’s encirclement... Angel doesn’t know.
After all, Speedy is merely his subordinate, not a true Elemental partner.