Inside the Hall of the Wise Sovereign.
The one-eyed boy, smilingly looked at Angel: "I didn’t expect you to be so bold, daring to speak to her like that."
Angel: "The Wise Sovereign’s demeanor is not the kind of ’unexpected’."
Wise Sovereign: "Not showing any reaction is the biggest reaction. Otherwise, you’d call me flamboyant."
Angel thought for a moment, agreed. If the Wise Sovereign showed surprise or astonishment, that would indeed be strange.
The Wise Sovereign stood up from the plush carpet, tidied his slightly wrinkled robe, then said to everyone: "Let’s go, we’ll talk more in a ’quiet’ place."
The Wise Sovereign specifically mentioned ’quiet,’ and his gaze inadvertently drifted towards the copper mirror above the fireplace, hinting strongly.
"Can she come and go freely even in the Wise Sovereign’s place?" Dox asked curiously.
Wise Sovereign: "Whether she can come and go freely depends on whether the owner here wants to hang a mirror."
"When acting in a human form, you must manage your appearance, so a mirror is indispensable, but not every place needs one."
Dox murmured softly: "Saying so many roundabout things, isn’t the meaning just that they opened a ventilation window for her."
"A window is a window, but whether it’s ventilated is another matter." Angel replied cryptically, indicating towards the copper mirror.
Indeed, wherever there’s a mirror, Adanis can come and go freely. However, whether she can or dares to descend from the mirror into the Material Realm is another question.
The Wise Sovereign turned to Angel: "So, did you infer that she wouldn’t dare to descend, hence your tough stance?"
Angel was solemn one moment, then became cavalier the next: "Well... of course not."
Wise Sovereign: "Oh?"
"Isn’t it because there’s backup? Besides, I’m not going to the mirror world, why should I fear her?"
Though Angel didn’t say who the backup was, everyone assumed it was the Black Earl. The Wise Sovereign had other thoughts, but indeed, he considered the Black Earl among the backups.
Wise Sovereign: "But you’ve offended her so much, aren’t you afraid she’ll trip you up in the inherited lands?"
Angel: "So, the Wise Sovereign means I still have a chance to enter the inherited lands?"
Previously, the Wise Sovereign clearly stated that only Noah’s descendants could enter the inherited lands.
The Wise Sovereign quickly denied: "I only asked because you resolutely challenged her and clearly expressed your intent to move forward, seemingly having a way into the inherited lands."
Angel blinked: "A way? Didn’t I just use it?"
Wise Sovereign: "You mean provoke her into letting you in?"
Angel smiled without responding.
Wise Sovereign pondered: "There’s some chance of success this way, but if she personally targets you, she might not let you enter the inherited lands. Just as I can control the mana arrays near my residence, she can control the mana arrays near the inherited lands. So, the trick you used on You Nu might be turned against you."
Angel: "As long as she doesn’t possess the core authority, the issue of the mana array should be solved by the mana array itself."
Angel’s implication was a contest of mana array proficiency. The Wise Sovereign doubted Angel would win but admitted Angel had a knack for mana arrays. Just a casual tip from him, and Angel managed to surpass You Nu quickly and decisively, a feat even the Wise Sovereign hadn’t anticipated.
Wise Sovereign smiled, avoiding further discussion on mana arrays, and returned to the initial question: "You haven’t answered me, aren’t you afraid she’ll trip you up in the inherited lands?"
Angel maintained his previous nonchalant attitude: "Isn’t there backup? If not, can’t I open a plane corridor?"
Angel looked at the Wise Sovereign: "With the core authority in the Wise Sovereign’s hands, space power shouldn’t be restricted, right?"
The Wise Sovereign somewhat expected an answer like this from Angel—opening a plane corridor on impulse seemed to be his trademark move.
"I can manipulate the core to let you bypass the space power in the mana arrays surrounding the inherited lands, but inside the inherited lands, where the underground aqueduct’s mana arrays don’t control, I don’t know what’s there or if the plane corridor is prohibited."
Angel: "The interior of the inherited lands shouldn’t prohibit it; otherwise, she can’t even enter the mirror domain."
Before coming to the underground aqueducts, Angel had been researching mirror spaces due to the Mirror Grudge, showing some achievement since he could reach into the mirror.
According to Angel’s research, coupled with information from Laplace, it’s confirmed that mirror domains are essentially special worlds, existing broadly across various realms rather than as a subsidiary plane relying on the Southern Domain.
To visit such special worlds, certain conditions are necessary, among them crossing the space-time distance involving space power.
In other words, whether it’s Angel or Adanis, entering the mirror domain involves space power.
If the inherited lands prohibited space power, then Adanis wouldn’t be able to enter the mirror domain.
Thus, Angel is fairly certain that the inherited lands can open the plane corridor. If so, why worry about troubles?
The Wise Sovereign looked at Angel’s indifferent demeanor, gently shook his head, and said nothing further.
The anomaly has its own thoughts. As someone who hopes for the anomaly’s arrival, imposing his ideas on Angel would make Angel cease to be an anomaly.
...
During their conversation, they had already followed the Wise Sovereign from a corner of the hall to another side, facing a bookshelf.
No visible path or door appeared.
As everyone wondered, the Wise Sovereign reached towards the bookshelf along its patterns, gently sliding down.
A white light flashed, and the bookshelf beside the wall vanished, revealing a large oil painting on the wall.
The oil painting depicted the same bookshelf previously seen in the Material Realm.
Had they transitioned from three-dimensional to two-dimensional? Was the path in the painting?
Angel immediately thought of his encounter with the Magic Painter Wizard—meeting for the first time inside an oil painting. Could this painting be related to Feng?