"Moreover, your Temporal Body presents what’s called a test... It seems like a test, but in fact, it’s trying to use this to create a karma link between us and your Temporal Body, isn’t it? This wasn’t demanded by us; in fact, we were coaxed into entering your bond. Why should you think a token of advice would make us grateful to tears?"
Angel’s previous words had a hint of gunpowder, and now he directly ignites the fuse and opens fire.
However, what he said really made everyone else freeze for a moment. They hadn’t considered this angle before, just puzzled why sometimes it’s a test, sometimes it’s a Temporal Body, and sometimes it’s a Reflection of the Heart. Now Angel has directly clarified the logic inside.
In fact, everything she’s done was to create karma, to create bonds.
The mask left for them is also a product of karma. They got the "fruit" of the broken mask fragment, so the "cause" of planting this fruit naturally connected.
Moreover, Angel highly suspects that if it weren’t for the karma links established by the three Temporal Bodies, the silver-haired girl might not have been able to appear before them.
Because the silver-haired girl said from the start: My true body is still hidden in the Distant Sea, so only my three Temporal Bodies can replace me to contact you.
At that time, Angel even asked, if the true body is still in the Distant Sea, then what is appearing before us?
Her answer was: Mirror image. In other words, it’s a shadow.
In this situation, she could actually meet them with a shadow from the start, but she didn’t do this. Instead, she let the Temporal Body communicate with them first, which means—before the Temporal Body contacted them, before establishing the karmic bond, she couldn’t even manage to have a mirror image appear before them.
It can be said that everything was arranged by her.
They were kept in the dark, led by her threads, doing a series of events... Creating bonds, accepting the mask, turning into karma, were all caused by her.
And after completing these, she not only felt she made no mistake, she also thought giving "advice" was a kind of repayment.
This is truly disregarding them.
Even though they were looking forward to the so-called surprise from the Wise Sovereign, it doesn’t mean they can accept such a thoroughly arranged surprise, without any right to know. Is just one sentence of advice enough? What about the karmic bond established?
If the karmic bond could let the silver-haired girl see the so-called Reflection of the Heart, can’t she perform some other actions through this bond?
The Prophet Wizard often does prophecies, even curses, to others through pheromones and the so-called karma.
The three major branches of the prophecy system even created words for this: strumming the Strings of the World, guiding the River of Fate, and stirring the Wheel of Time.
These situations, if using the silver-haired girl’s words, aren’t they just "bonds" and "Bridge of Fate"?
The Prophet Wizard can curse others through this, doesn’t the silver-haired girl’s bond have the ability to attack?
Creating a bond unknowingly, doesn’t this count as deception? Is one sentence of advice enough to settle this?
Precisely because Angel learned the truth of the so-called bond and Bridge of Fate from her, and cleared up these matters, that’s why he felt the silver-haired girl is simply... brainless and ignorant.
If the other side didn’t make a request, Angel might bury these words in his heart, no problem.
But after knowing Angel’s answer in his heart was "secret," the silver-haired girl still wanted to continue exploring, even thought that advice could trade for Angel’s secret, that’s the main reason Angel would ignite the powder keg.
Of course, Angel’s heart wasn’t as angry as it appeared externally. He did this also to observe the silver-haired girl, while testing her character, ability, background, and limits.
The little calculations in Angel’s mind might only be seen through by the Black Earl. But Dox and the two apprentices were completely immersed in the "victim" background Angel created.
The more they thought in Angel’s direction, the more empathetic they felt.
Angry gazes locked onto the silver-haired girl.
The silver-haired girl probably didn’t expect Angel to suddenly fire away. Moreover, the words he said really stirred everyone’s emotions.
The silver-haired girl is not someone self-centered; she is also trying to understand Angel’s anger.
In her view, everything was to repay the previous kindness of the Wise Sovereign, without any other intentions. However, this is just from her own standpoint; if from the other side’s, it indeed might generate all sorts of negative emotions Angel mentioned.
Because of this difference in understanding, leading to incidents of betrayal and isolation, she’s seen countless times in the Distant Sea filled with various fragmented memories.
Through the manifestation of these memories, she seemed to understand a bit why the other party would feel so angry.
Hesitating for a moment, she slowly stretched out her hand.
Slender white fingers pointed at everyone through the prism.
With her movement, Dox instantly pulled Vay and Kaier behind him, meanwhile, Earl Mi emerged from the shadows, and Speedy also stood beside Earl Mi, blocking the forefront.
In their alertness, the silver-haired girl lightly tapped the prism.
Mirror-like a lake surface, rippling.
The moment the ripples appeared, figures emerged from the prism.
Not the silver-haired girl, but her three Temporal Bodies: Bard, Astrologer, and Rabbit Girl.
After appearing, Bard and Astrologer respectively opened their palms.
Halos rippled out from their palms, containing no aggressive energy but revealing various scenes of the Black Earl, Dox, and the others answering questions earlier.
These scenes turned into a stream of light, finally merging into the old stone mask held by the Hand of Magic.
Once the halos disappeared, Rabbit Girl stepped forward, took out a mask from her carrot bag, and placed it in front of everyone.
This mask is exactly the one the silver-haired girl previously held, depicting a woman’s face, the old stone mask.
After completing this, the three Temporal Bodies simultaneously disappeared.
Meanwhile, the silver-haired girl’s voice echoed in their ears: "Although the bonds and Bridge of Fate have little effect on me as merely a mirror image, eventually sinking back into the abyss of mirrors... But since you care about its existence, I shall return them to you."
"The bond is reinstated, the Bridge of Fate has been severed."
"And the double-faced mask of the Shepherd is my apology for being impolite."