Without a doubt, Augustine was surely communicating privately with Angel.
Seeing this, the Black Earl felt a slight twinge of jealousy. He wanted to converse privately with the Noah ancestor, but was ignored. Yet when it came to Angel, Augustine immediately adopted a different attitude.
This made the Black Earl wonder who exactly was the true Noah descendant?
Of course, what the Black Earl cared most about was: what was it about Angel that made Augustine regard him with such favor?
This was also the doubt in everyone’s mind, but it currently had no answer.
Because—
The last trace of energy within the Alchemy Golem dissipated.
This also meant that Augustine’s consciousness departed.
The gemstone eyes of the Alchemy Golem gradually cracked, and its body made a grinding noise, finally becoming a heap of inert primordial machinery.
Watching this, everyone understood that Augustine had left.
A departure of Augustine was inevitable, so no one felt truly regretful. But as they lifted their heads and locked eyes with one another, suddenly, the air felt somewhat stagnant.
Olao was now in slumber, resting within Angel’s bracelet.
On the field were only Angel and his group, along with Adanis.
Although Adanis previously stated her intention to join the Noah Clan, it was merely a verbal declaration without a binding contract. If Adanis suddenly changed her mind now, it wasn’t impossible.
Currently, they were still in Qingkong Poetry Room, still on Adanis’s turf, and without Olao’s constraint, dealing with Adanis was a bit of a challenge.
Considering this, everyone felt a bit weighed down.
Now, what they were keen to see was whether Adanis would keep her word.
Dox stood up, stretched lazily: "Since we’ve almost handled what we came for, shouldn’t we be leaving now?"
Kaier and Vay nodded repeatedly, expressing it was indeed time to leave.
What Dox meant by leaving was actually a means to test Adanis.
And Adanis’s reaction did not disappoint everyone... She turned her gaze directly to Angel.
"Give me Olao’s body."
The commanding tone was irritating to hear. Through this sentence, Adanis displayed a sense of "I am reclaiming control."
Everyone at that moment looked worriedly at Angel, uncertain about how he would respond.
However, before Angel could respond, the Black Earl spoke first: "Adanis, are you not intending to keep your word about joining the Noah Clan?"
Adanis snorted coldly: "What does my conversation with him have to do with the Noah Clan?"
Black Earl: "Because the Noah Family and the Barbarian Cave are amicable allies. His matters naturally concern the Noahs."
The ally comment was something the Black Earl made up. His good relationship with Rhein was true, but many in the Barbarian Cave found him disagreeable, which was also true.
Plus, Lord Monty and other Witcher Organizations wouldn’t like seeing two wizard forces close to Legend form an alliance.
Considering these "wizard politics" factors, the Noah Family and Barbarian Cave weren’t truly allies. Or rather, the Noah Family had no allies at all, which is one reason why it remains unobstructed by major Witcher Organizations. With no allies, anyone could potentially become an ally.
With the Black Earl’s power out there, other Witcher organizations or families had no need to make an enemy of the Black Earl over this. Hence, the Noah Clan had earned a reputation for being generally accepted.
In wizard political science, the Noah Clan could represent the exemplar of "absolute neutrality," serving as a textbook example.
Though not allied, it didn’t stop him from lying openly. His good relations with Rhein were well-known, and Adanis evidently didn’t understand the intricacies between Witcher Organizations. Even if she knew current info about the Noah Clan, she would likely assume the Noah Clan might not openly ally with the Barbarian Cave but secretly collude?
Indeed, Adanis thought this way. She gazed deeply at the Black Earl, did not refute his lies but instead stepped back herself: "I indeed mentioned following the Noah Clan, but I didn’t say when."
"Currently, I have no connection to the Noah Clan."
This statement already had a hint of weakness; the Black Earl only needed to use slight rhetorical skill to silence Adanis.
And the Black Earl indeed planned to do so, but Angel "coughed" twice, interrupting the Black Earl.
All eyes gathered on Angel.
Angel then gave Adanis a gentle smile and unreservedly took out a bronze mirror from his bracelet: "Is this what you want?"