"Paradow City? Isn’t that a city in Yirong Country?" Frode recalled carefully: "I passed by Paradow City a few years ago when I went to the Sky Mechanical City. At that time, the city’s architectural style was transitioning between the old and the new. It should be completely unified with the style of Yirong Country by now."
"Sir, what specifically would you like to inquire about?"
"I’m wondering if there are any Transcendent forces there."
"Transcendent forces? The only Transcendent force in Yirong Country is the Sky Mechanical City. The city’s influence looms over the entirety of Yirong Country. As for other forces, there may be some lesser-known Wizard Families, but I’m not very familiar with them."
Angel nodded without asking further and let Frode leave.
The reason he asked about Paradow City was because of Irene’s situation. According to Glenn’s statement yesterday, Paradow City is very close to the Sky Mechanical City during the first ten days of the Drizzling Moon, and the journey between them traverses ordinary mountains and fields, which should not be dangerous.
Therefore, Angel wanted to know if there were any unusual places in Paradow City itself.
But it seems that there’s nothing abnormal about Paradow City now.
Thus, it’s very possible that Irene encountered some incident or some person on her way to and from the city.
Allen has gone to Paradow City alone to investigate, and it is uncertain whether he can find traces of Irene.
Angel sighed lightly; after all, Irene was a friend who set out with them, and he hoped that she was safe and sound.
Shaking off these burdensome thoughts, Angel reached out to the Ability Tree to prepare for the upcoming suppression of the Demonic Fiend.
One hour later, outside the observation room of the highest security level in the Demonic Fiend laboratory, researchers were gathered. These staff members involved in the Demonic Fiend research wore a mix of hopeful and worried expressions on their faces.
Soon, the first proactive Demonic Fiend Fusion would take place inside the observation room.
Despite their extensive preparations, no one could be sure if an accident might occur, given that they were dealing with a mighty Demonic Fiend.
The only thing the researchers could do was to continuously check for flaws, hoping to mitigate the tension in their minds.
Frode understood the staff’s sentiments and refrained from issuing further instructions, as anything he said now would likely only add to the researchers’ stress.
After several minutes of silence, the silver-white metallic door slowly opened.
Angel entered from the outside.
The researchers bowed in salute, and Angel nodded to them, then approached Frode: "How is Sir Sabel?"
Frode pointed towards the observation room: "He has entered, and it seems like there shouldn’t be any problems."
Angel then looked towards the observation room, which was an elliptical empty room with only one chair in the center. It was pitch black all around, save for a beam of light shining down from a Fluorite at the top center, perfectly encompassing the range of the chair.
Sir Sabel was now sitting in that chair.
He was not wearing the knight’s armor usually seen, but instead donned a sleeveless tight-fitting white garment. Without the armor to conceal his build, one could clearly see that Sir Sabel’s arms were very muscular, and his pectoral muscles were almost bursting through the tight garment.
If not for his white-bearded chin, it would be difficult to determine that he was, in fact, an old man based on his figure alone.
Perhaps due to his wealth of experience, Sir Sabel showed no signs of nervousness, his expression and eyes exuding calmness.
This calmness was unmistakably genuine and not feigned.
However, under such critical circumstances, it was impossible for Sir Sabel to remain completely untroubled. His ability to appear unfazed in the face of calamity was entirely due to his mastery over emotional control, which he wielded with ease.
The first person to voluntarily undertake the Demonic Fiend Fusion, entrusting it to Sir Sabel, a steadfast knight, was indeed the best choice.
Sir Sabel’s composed demeanor not only reassured Frode but also significantly alleviated the researchers’ tension.
"Since Sir Sabel is alright, then let’s begin the preparation," Angel said.
As Angel’s words fell, the researchers quickly sprang into action, and subtle changes occurred in the observation room. The gates around opened, and a black mist slowly drifted in.
This mist was actually diluted Mist of Sin, mainly to maintain the form of the Demonic Fiend.
The black mist was not too dense; they could still see the figure of Sir Sabel beneath the Fluorite.
With a rumbling sound, a Demonic Fiend named "Sharp-toothed Kwai," or No. 7, slowly rose up from the platform, making its entrance.
Beforehand, to ease the emotions of those undergoing the Fusion with the Demonic Fiend, the seating within the observation room was situated opposite to the Demonic Fiend’s delivery platform.
In other words, Sir Sabel was now sitting with his back to the Demonic Fiend "Sharp-toothed Kwai," unable to see its appearance.
Although he couldn’t see Sharp-toothed Kwai, Sir Sabel could hear terrifying sounds coming from behind him.
Not being able to see the entity was somewhat unsettling for Sir Sabel, prompting him to shift slightly. However, his strong self-discipline allowed him to suppress his inner discomfort and sit still once again.
Seeing this, Frode couldn’t help but look back at the group of researchers.
"It seems none of you have read Niff’s ’Tower of Atonement.’ A cat in darkness may become a mountainous beast; yet the tiger before you, is merely a tiger."
What Frode referred to as "the cat and the tiger," comes from "Tower of Atonement." It describes how the fear of the unknown in humans exceeds the peril of reality.
A kitten hidden in darkness, because it is not perceived by humans, might cause the human mind to imagine it as a mountainous beast upon the slightest rustle of leaves, panicking some to death. However, if you see a tiger before you, once you grasp its form, even if its lethality surpasses that of the kitten by far, it remains merely a tiger.
The researchers arrogantly thought that by having Sir Sabel turn his back on the Demonic Fiend, not seeing its form, he would fare better. But in reality, this only heightened Sir Sabel’s unease.
Fortunately, it was Sir Sabel who could suppress the dual discomfort of both body and mind. If it were Tullas, he’d probably be freaking out by now.
The researchers hung their heads low, enduring Frode’s scolding without daring to retort a word.
Inside the observation room, the pace of the sharp-toothed kwis was excruciatingly slow, inching closer to Sir Sabel. This rate, if experienced by someone else, would be tantamount to torture, but Sir Sabel, after suppressing the trepidation in his heart, managed to remain calm in the face of it.
At first, the sharp-toothed kwis was shrouded in darkness, its appearance indistinct. But now, as it entered the illumination of the fluorite, everyone saw its ferocious form
Even the researchers who studied it daily couldn’t help but close their eyes now.
It was simply too hideous and repulsive.