"Do you want to discuss now?" Angel looked at The Sage, his gaze sincere.
The Sage eyed Angel: "Alright, I can temporarily consider you as part of the Noah Clan..."
Before The Sage could finish, Angel hurriedly waved his hand: "But hold on, you first talk about whether there are benefits or drawbacks, that way I can switch identities anytime."
Angel directly laid his cards on the table, which somewhat gave The Sage a headache. Of course, The Sage could also pull a fast one, but his identity was already known to them, an "elder" from a millennia ago, so it’s better to maintain some decorum.
The Sage smiled with decorum: "Cunning kid."
"This isn’t cunning, I just don’t want to end up buried here for no reason, I still have a bright future ahead." Angel still displayed sincerity, and indeed, this was his true inner thought.
The Sage pondered for a moment, glanced at the group, including Dox: "Well, let’s talk first. But are you sure you want to talk here?"
The Sage’s meaning was clear: Is this a matter of the Noah Clan that you’re not afraid of outsiders knowing?
Angel seemed to fully embrace the role of ’Schrödinger’s Noah member,’ and said without hesitation: "Of course we’ll talk here, I’m terribly afraid of dying."
"As for secrets, those meant to know will always know. Those who aren’t, there are always ways to ensure they don’t know."
Angel’s words meant that if there were truly any secrets that Dox and the others shouldn’t know, then use memory erasure or a binding oath.
But The Sage understood it as: For those who shouldn’t know, simply make them nonexistent.
"That’s quite in line with the Noah Clan style." The Sage softly remarked.
Angel didn’t realize The Sage misunderstood, and said directly: "So, can you tell me now, what business do you have with the Noah Clan?"
The Sage looked into Angel’s eyes, the atmosphere subtly tense, and after a brief pause, The Sage finally spoke:
"The Noah Clan shouldn’t have come here."
Upon hearing this, Angel replied without hesitation: "Ah, I’m not from the Noah Clan, you’ve got the wrong person. This guy, this guy is from the Noah Clan, go find him for whatever you need."
As Angel spoke, he pointed at Dox.
Dox’s eyes widened in disbelief: "You..."
Before Dox could speak, a ’X’ appeared on his lips, silencing him. Judging by the handiwork, it was undoubtedly the Black Earl’s doing.
However, not silencing Dox might have been better than silencing him, as it seemed to make The Sage more convinced that Angel was from the Noah Clan.
Angel knew this was intentional by the Black Earl, but at this point, he couldn’t speak up. Since he had to put on an act, he would carry it through to the end.
"You needn’t decide it’s a bad thing so quickly." The Sage looked toward Angel.
"Not a bad thing, then why do you say the Noah Clan shouldn’t be here?" Angel raised an eyebrow.
"I know why you came." The Sage didn’t respond directly to Angel’s claim, aware that this was mutual probing of each other’s information and bottom line.
"You know, huh? You’re no Prophet Wizard." Angel deliberately muttered under his breath before loudly responding: "Okay, since you say you know why we’re here, why don’t you tell us what we’re supposed to do here?"
The Sage: "Whatever you do here doesn’t matter; your destination is not here."
Angel: "Then where do you say our destination is?"
The Sage: "No need to keep probing me; my ties with your Noah Clan are not shallow."
"Do you know about playing cards?" Angel suddenly switched topics: "I guess you wouldn’t know because it’s a newly popular form of entertainment. But I can tell you, there are many types of card games, yet one thing is universal: whoever reveals their hand first will fall behind. Sometimes lagging one step means losing the whole game."
The Sage, looking at Angel probing continuously and yet directly stating, felt somewhat exhausted. He had been working within You Nu’s body for days, already fatigued, and wouldn’t have moved unless summoned by that individual.
This cunning fellow wouldn’t show his cards dead or alive, making continued struggle pointless, so let him reveal them instead.
The Sage: "Are you seeking that individual’s relics?"
Angel noticed The Sage’s softened stance and immediately followed up: "That individual, The Sage Sovereign, who does that refer to?"
The Sage closed his three eyes in silent reflection for several seconds before opening them to say: "Augustine."
The Sage quietly observed Angel, wanting to discern which twist Angel would take this time. In The Sage’s view, Angel surely wouldn’t respond straightforwardly; he’d probe multiple pieces of information, confirm them thoroughly, and then offer a selective answer.
However, this time, The Sage guessed wrong.
Though Angel didn’t speak plainly, he offered a somewhat clear answer: "Intending to."
"Are you sure you want to go?" The Sage asked again.
Angel: "Is that something I can be sure of? Isn’t it first about understanding The Sage Sovereign’s stance?"
The Sage paused for a moment but soon understood.
Because if they genuinely intended to reach that place, they would inevitably pass through his hall, and deciding whether to let them pass was in his hands.
Realizing this, The Sage chuckled: "I thought you’d take a roundabout approach, but you’ve become very direct."
Angel: "Because this time, the choice is in your hands. If The Sage Sovereign does not let us pass, we can only leave."
As for where they’ll go, that’s not your concern.
After Angel completed speaking, he looked directly at The Sage Sovereign, plainly indicating: Now, it’s your turn to decide.