Princess Town, inside the secret chamber of Old Porter Tavern.
When Angel opened his eyes, the first person he saw was Old Porter, standing not far away, too afraid to move.
"Why are you standing there?" Angel asked puzzled.
"Is there anything else that the master hasn’t instructed me to do?" Old Porter asked respectfully.
"Is that all you’re here for?" Angel rubbed his temples, helplessly saying: "I already said there’s nothing more, you’re free to do as you please. As for any doubts you have, go online and ask others yourself."
Hearing Angel’s words, Old Porter’s face showed visible disappointment. Clearly, Old Porter was still hoping to get some inside information from Angel.
"You should go out now, I have some things to do." Angel waved his hand to signal Old Porter to leave.
Old Porter could only nod and prepare to leave, taking a last glance at Angel as he walked to the door.
However, just as he was about to close the door, Angel suddenly called out to him: "Oh, I forgot to tell you something."
Old Porter immediately looked up, his eyes shining: "Master, is there something you want to instruct me?"
Seeing the faint excitement on Old Porter’s face, Angel couldn’t help but laugh: "Are you truly eager for tasks, or do you want some answers about the Wilderness of Dreams from me?"
"Both, both..."
Angel: "Then you might be disappointed; these matters can only be discussed in the Wilderness of Dreams. Outside, I won’t say anything. If you meet me in the Wilderness of Dreams, I can tell you, but in reality, there’s no chance."
Angel made a gesture, the meaning simple and clear: Everything for caution.
Old Porter understood, nodded seriously: "I understand!"
Saying this, he made the same gesture.
Angel didn’t care what Old Porter understood. If Old Porter truly wanted to know any information, he would have to go to the Wilderness of Dreams. But meeting Angel there wasn’t up to Old Porter.
"Master, if there’s anything, please instruct." With the mention of the Wilderness of Dreams over, Old Porter’s emotions started to calm.
"In a couple of days, someone from the Barbarian Cave will come to handle matters here. You just need to cooperate with them on the first day, after which you don’t need to be involved, and it’d be best not to investigate." Angel: "If possible, it’s best not to approach Princess Castle soon, or you could leave Princess Town altogether."
"The winds will rise, the nation will be in chaos. Staying here, even someone transcendent might get embroiled."
Old Porter: "But, I still have my own task."
Old Porter didn’t say what the task was, but Angel could guess. It’s either observing the chaos of the Gumman Kingdom or recording the various movements of the Gumman royal family and relaying them to the Barbarian Cave. In essence, Old Porter is a spy planted here.
But what Old Porter doesn’t know is that what he’s investigating is actually trivial. The real chaos, the truth of the Gumman Kingdom, is already known by those at the top of the pyramid.
What Old Porter is doing is merely superficial work to appease those spies in the Barbarian Cave.
And now, with imminent chaos, those superficial tasks by apprentice-level figures don’t need doing. Old Porter doesn’t need to stay here; it’d be better to leave the Gumman Kingdom.
"Your task will be canceled sooner or later."
Seeing Old Porter’s confusion, Angel continued: "If you don’t believe me, when the investigator arrives in a few days, you can ask them whether your task needs continuing."
"Your future is yours to decide, so make your own choices."
Old Porter pondered for a moment, then nodded: "I understand, thank you for the warning, master."
Angel: "Oh, by the way, I’ll leave at first light. Princess Town might turn upside down in the coming days, if you have a place to take refuge, it’s best to do so with Lady Melo. If not, you can stay here in the secret chamber. Before I leave, I’ll set up an illusion here. Unless they’re a True Knowledge Wizard or an Illusionist Wizard, they likely won’t notice anything unusual."
Old Porter sensed a killing intent in Angel’s words. It reminded him of Dox’s queries to Angel earlier.
Could it be that, as Dox said, Angel did something to Princess Castle?
As Old Porter indulged in conjecture, Angel glanced over at him: "Do you have questions?"
Old Porter immediately bowed his head, respectfully: "No questions."
"Then go do what you need to do, and prepare for any scenario. I don’t want you causing a mess and dragging me back to the Gumman Kingdom to deal with trivial matters."
Old Porter nodded seriously, then exited through the door.
Once Old Porter left, Angel took out the engraving pen, blood ink, and various materials, ready to set up a Magical Energy Array in the chamber.
Angel told Old Porter it was an illusion, but if Princess Town really faces unforeseen circumstances, an illusion alone is not secure; thus, combining an illusion and a Magical Energy Array is the optimal solution.
If Old Porter chooses to stay, this chamber can remain hidden for a short time, giving him a chance to log into the Wilderness of Dreams for help.
If Old Porter abandons the tavern and leaves, this chamber can serve as a secret base for the Barbarian Cave. Once registered at the Task Hall, this secret base could provide protection for members inside the Gumman Kingdom in the future.
While taking out various materials, Angel also called out Mandhela.
Mandhela didn’t speak immediately but quietly sat aside, lost in thought.
The obscure and dark aura surrounding her gradually floated, making her entire being seem like a pitch-black shadow.
When Angel had almost finished depicting the Magical Energy Array, Mandhela’s contemplation ended. Yet she still didn’t speak, merely watched Angel intently as he engraved, her expression complex, containing dislike and loathing, paired with indecision and hesitation.
Mandhela didn’t speak, but Angel suddenly turned to her: "I just had an inspiration, borrowing some of your energy."
Mandhela was surprised: "My energy is still mixed, its essence retains the scent of corruption."
Angel: "No matter, it can be filtered once more before use."
Without waiting for Mandhela’s consent, Angel directly controlled his spirit tentacle, extracting a significant portion from the dark aura encircling her.
The loss of external dark aura made Mandhela’s Soul Body empty, needing days to recover. Yet, Mandhela did not resist Angel; to her, this dark aura would once have been fiercely protected, but now, while she longs for power, she doesn’t want it to be something driving her to madness.
After borrowing Mandhela’s spiritual energy, Angel picked up the engraving pen, enveloping this energy, and smoothly engraved it onto the ceiling.