Before Angel finished speaking, the Black Earl directly said, "You mean the Fairy Tale World, the Eternal Serpent Emblem of the Giant Serpent Nation?"
"Yes." Angel nodded, not surprised that the Black Earl knew about the Giant Serpent Nation. After all, the Black Earl was a true big shot.
"The Giant Serpent Nation perished a thousand years ago, and even if it hadn’t, it wouldn’t have lasted many years. It’s far from ten thousand years ago." Angel: "I’m just curious, why does the Eternal Serpent Emblem of the Giant Serpent Nation resemble the emblem on the instrument here from ten thousand years ago?"
"Do you think there’s a connection?" the Black Earl asked.
Angel shook his head, "I don’t know. Maybe not, given the long time interval."
The Black Earl said, "Indeed, the time interval is very long. But do you know why such an ordinary Mortal Kingdom as the Giant Serpent Nation, which is in an affiliated world, attracts the attention of many wizards?"
Angel, of course, knew, but he remained silent.
"Because of the Baiyuanians. It’s said that the Baiyuanians were completely annihilated ten thousand years ago. But later, there was a rumor that the Giant Serpent Nation had the last group of Baiyuanians."
"Of course, whether this is true or not, I can’t determine. However, the Baiyuanians were annihilated ten thousand years ago, Naraku City was also destroyed ten thousand years ago, and the Giant Serpent Nation supposedly had the Eternal Serpent Emblem. The Naraku City laboratory discovered the Coiled Serpent Staff mark. Do you think there could be a connection between these?"
The Black Earl merely laid out some possible connections, without providing direct answers.
Angel was silent for a moment. His palm exerted a slight force, and the fragment of the instrument shattered into pieces, with crystalline powder slowly falling from his palm. It was then completely swept away by the breeze of Speedy’s tail, disappearing without a trace.
"I don’t know if there’s any connection, nor do I want to speculate lightly. We should end the exploration of this laboratory here. It’s time to leave. If we don’t, my Illusionary Realm might soon be filled with those carrion squirrels with wing membranes."
Angel turned and walked away.
Watching Angel’s movements, the Black Earl didn’t feel slighted; instead, he smiled lightly.
Regardless of whether these two matters are truly connected, it’s clear that there’s a secret behind the fall of Naraku City, and the Baiyuanians are significantly involved. It’s not easy to extricate oneself, not for Angel and not even for the Black Earl himself. So the best result is to not get involved at all.
Angel’s approach was evidently the best choice.
However, what the Black Earl saw was only the surface. Once some things are seen, even if the evidence is destroyed, they remain etched in memory.
Angel could remain unconcerned about the situation in Naraku City, but he was quite concerned about the Coiled Serpent Emblem.
Because Dororo is currently the last surviving Baiyuanian.
And the only thing Dororo carried, the only item that accompanied him upon his resurrection, was a silver bowl. The inner wall of this silver bowl bore an emblem—a Black Snake Entwined Cone.
Previously, Angel thought the Giant Serpent Nation was the origin of the "Coiled Snake Column." But now it seems that the "Coiled Snake Column" might be more related to the Baiyuanians.
Could the Baiyuanians and Naraku City really have had interactions ten thousand years ago?
Angel sighed deeply in his heart, discarding the complicated thoughts in his mind. He would remember these clues, but now was not the right time to explore them.
He needed to hibernate and wait.
Wait for Dororo’s growth, wait for the Primeval Flame to return. When the time comes, even if Angel does not seek it out, perhaps the "Coiled Snake Column" will present itself to him.
...
Besides the hidden smoke channel, there was only a door leading to a corridor in the external world.
At this time, the corridor on both sides flickered with shadows, and numerous carrion squirrels bounced in the light and shadow. However, no matter how they bounced, they remained in place, seeming somewhat enchanted.
"Just using light and shadow to control the movements of these carrion squirrels—the path of Illusions does have its merits," Dox remarked.
Angel: "Don’t comment with such an overwhelming sense of superiority."
Dox: "It’s not superiority; I’m genuinely praising your Illusion Technique. But no matter how strong the Illusion Technique is, it’s still not as good as the Bloodline Wizards at the same level."
Angel: "In the end, you just wanted to say that last sentence."
Dox chuckled, not arguing back.
He previously made great efforts to slay the Magical Creatures, cutting a dashing and formidable figure. Wherever the Red Sword reached, there was no living creature left, impressive indeed. Yet, Angel, with just a Shadow Illusion Technique, managed to control all the carrion squirrels. This elegant Illusion Technique instead highlighted how brute Dox’s earlier actions were.
So, to save some face, Dox went around and around and finally managed to say that Bloodline Wizards of the same level were stronger than Illusionist Wizards.
Dox didn’t seek Angel’s and the Black Earl’s agreement. As long as he didn’t lose face in front of Vay and Kaier, that was enough.
However, Dox’s "effort" might have been pointless. Because Kaier was from the Academy Faction; he didn’t dislike fighting, but he didn’t like it either—Dox’s words didn’t move him at all. Instead, Angel’s Illusion Technique intrigued him, sparking a desire for research.
As for Dox’s old friend Vay, let’s not even mention him—a homebody and a little fanboy rolled into one. Who cares about strength when Lord Chaowei is far more admirable?
Angel didn’t argue with Dox about who was stronger, because many Bloodline Wizards rely on this bit of superiority to find a sense of existence. Similar situations occur frequently in the Wizards’ Realm; arguing would be endless, and if it ended in a red-faced brawl, truly rolling up sleeves to compete...Bloodline Wizards would be more skillful, making them even more cocky.
So, when encountering such situations, either respond with a perfunctory compliment or ignore it as the best reply.
Angel opted for the former, for Dox’s contributions in this exploration were significant and worthy of his perfunctory praise.
After dealing with Dox, they continued forward.
The shadowy illusion was laid on both sides of the corridor, so even with a large number of carrion squirrels on both sides, the path remained unimpeded.
However, after walking about fifty meters, the corridor reached a dividing line, leading to a fork.
At this fork, there was a thin layer of shadowy illusion membrane, marking the boundary of the Shadow Illusion Technique laid by Angel.
Even standing before the illusion membrane, they could hear the chattering sounds outside.
Outside, there were evidently more mutated carrion squirrels, no fewer in number than those trapped in the laboratory.
This also meant that once they stepped out of the corridor protected by this illusion membrane, they would face an unprecedentedly terrifying tide of rats.