"Sir, you finally appeared. We thought you..."
As soon as Angel opened his eyes, he heard Vay’s excited voice beside his ear.
Angel first sensed his body to confirm everything was normal, then said to Vay, "Did I disappear earlier?"
Vay nodded vigorously, "Yes, we originally thought that you would, like me, snap back to reality with a blink. But unexpectedly, the red light directly sucked you into that box. We waited outside for a long time before you finally came out."
"Waited for a long time?" Angel felt that although his time in the box was a bit lengthy, it should have been only about half an hour. Is that considered long?
"Actually, you only disappeared for about three minutes." At this point, Dox’s voice came through the reconnected Mind Ribbon: "As for why Vay said it felt long, maybe...[...] maybe his perception of time is different from ours."
Angel furrowed his brows, not understanding what Dox meant. However, it didn’t matter; knowing he only disappeared for three minutes, Angel could roughly estimate the frequency of Cicia’s so-called perception amplification.
"Are you okay? Your Mind Ribbon also disconnected just now; it startled me. If you hadn’t come out, I was about to use my Red Sword to cut through that damned box," Dox said, his expression extremely serious by the end.
"Sir, don’t listen to Dox. When I suggested attacking the box, Dox said something might go wrong; then I proposed sending in another person to see if we could find you by offering treasures, but Dox said we should wait a bit longer," Vay said indignantly. "He acts all bold now, but he was the most hesitant!"
Faced with Vay’s accusations, Dox wasn’t embarrassed at all and instead replied in an experienced tone, "This is typical Academy Faction versus Practical Faction — you don’t understand but still want to criticize."
Before Vay could retort, Dox continued, "Look at your master, does he look worried? Even the Black Earl isn’t worried, so what are you fussing over?"
Vay: "But..."
Dox: "No buts. If you don’t believe me, I’ll let Kaier explain it to you."
After speaking, Dox nudged Kaier.
Kaier didn’t want to get involved in this water battle, but with Dox glaring at him from behind, he could only sigh, "I don’t know what Lord Dox wants me to say, but in my personal understanding, there’s nothing abnormal in our current Moving Mirage, indicating that Lord Chaowei is fine. Therefore, we just need to patiently wait for his return."
Dox: "Exactly, that’s what I mean!"
This back-and-forth left Vay a bit bewildered. But what Kaier said seemed somewhat logical. Since he left the Moving Mirage, he hadn’t considered it.
"I trust Dox will cut through the box the moment anything happens to me; I also believe Vay genuinely worries about me. So, you’re essentially on the same side, no need for further disagreements," Angel sighed. He had just come out, with nothing explained yet, only to become a peacemaker... quite unexpectedly.
"Let’s get back to the main topic. You must have spent quite a bit of time in the box, right? Did you encounter any situations? Did you get a ’ticket’?" At this point, the Black Earl finally spoke, controlling the slate to fly over to Angel.
Angel casually caught the slate and replied, "Indeed, I spent about half an hour in the box, talking with a woman named Cicia inside."
"A woman? Is she the owner of the female voice I heard before?" Vay asked curiously.
Angel nodded, "That’s right, the one who kicked you out earlier was Cicia. To be precise, she used to be a woman but has now become a box. As for why she turned into a box, she didn’t tell me."
"I discussed quite a bit of information about the Wood Spirit with her and got an interesting clue. I’ll elaborate on this when we leave here later."
Pause: "Aside from that, we also talked about various topics, including intelligence about this place. However, Cicia is bound by an oath and couldn’t reveal much, but she hinted at a few things — though... many of her hints went over my head."
Angel’s expression dimmed slightly as he spoke. He couldn’t show his ignorance in the box, but outside, he didn’t have to hold back.
The Black Earl noticed Angel’s expression and had some thoughts but chose not to interrupt.
"Regarding the ticket, I more or less figured it out. Miss Cicia doesn’t want treasures by worldly standards but rather things with ’significance.’ Even if it’s an ordinary item, it could still be considered a treasure."
Dox: "So, is your Gold Coin also a treasure? I don’t mean the Demon Gold Coin."
Angel nodded, "Yes, whether it’s a Demon Gold Coin or another Gold Coin, both count. So now, what we need to do is find your own treasures and exchange them with Miss Cicia for tickets."
"Does everyone need a ticket?" Dox looked annoyed, "If you have one, can’t the rest of us just follow you?"
Angel: "You can try that. However, I don’t know what the consequences will be, good or bad. Of course, you can also attempt to enter my Exile Space if you trust me."
Dox’s expression became conflicted. He had very few items with significance — each was highly symbolic, and he was really reluctant to exchange them for so-called tickets.
But if he didn’t exchange them, unpredictable risks would certainly be present. How high are these risks, and are they life-threatening? It’s hard to say.
As for entering Angel’s Exile Space, Dox trusted Angel wouldn’t harm them, but doing it once was enough — doing it again would be too shameful.
Others showed similar conflicted expressions. Letting go of items with significance required significant courage from them.
Suddenly, Vay asked, "I got kicked out the first time. Can I go back in again?"
Angel: "You can, but you could also stay in my Exile Space, and I’ll release you when we reach the Hanging Jail Stairway."
Vay shook his head, a look of fiery determination in his eyes, "No need, I want to stand by your side and fight, sir!"
Angel: "..." Climbing stairs shouldn’t require combat, right?
Angel turned to Kaier, "What about you, do you want to go to the Exile Space?"
Kaier also shook his head, the emotions in his eyes complicated, "Thank you, sir, but I’ll pass. There’s something I’ve been considering discarding for a long time, but can’t bear to part with... this time, there’s external motivation for me to let it go. I’ll try."
Since Kaier made his choice, Angel didn’t insist, only saying softly, "Letting go doesn’t mean abandoning, nor does it mean forgetting. Farewells are a form of growth."
Kaier hesitated, his eyes slightly red, and nodded lightly at Angel, "I understand, thank you, sir."
After the exchange with Kaier, Vay interjected, "I almost forgot, does my master also need a ticket?"
Everyone paused for a moment — right, the Black Earl is currently just a slate; although it has a nose, it doesn’t constitute a complete lifeform.
Shouldn’t that mean no ticket is needed?
After all, the Black Earl could stay on Angel’s body, like an accessory. Does an accessory need a ticket?
Angel considered this for a moment and replied, "I didn’t ask, but I think it shouldn’t be needed."
However, as soon as Angel finished speaking, the Black Earl interjected, "You all don’t need to worry about my matters. I’ll naturally require a ticket."
The Black Earl’s words carried a tone of determination, and everyone could sense he was adamant about needing that ticket.