Does the existence of the Ghosteye Witch hold special meaning?
Upon hearing Angel’s words, Dox was filled with confusion. Could it be that the Ghosteye Witch harbored unknown secrets? Was he just ignorant and making a fuss over nothing?
Dox turned to look at the others, confirming that Vay and Kaier were also in a state of bewilderment, but the Black Earl’s single nose showed no emotion.
Just as Dox hesitated over whether to bear the "ignorant" label and ask Angel, Angel took the initiative to continue the conversation.
"It’s said that the Ghosteye Witch community gathers in the central area of the Underground Labyrinth. Spotting a Ghosteye Witch means you’re not far from the maze’s center. And the Hanging Jail Stairway we’re looking for is in the central district."
Dox: "So the special meaning refers to this... Is this your exclusive intel?"
Angel paused briefly: "I can’t disclose the source of this information to you."
Dox shrugged and didn’t ask further. They were already familiar with Angel’s disposition—what he would tell you and what he wouldn’t, he’d make clear in advance. Although it could be quite irritating at times, it was a kind of unconventional honesty?
At this moment, the Black Earl had composed himself from his earlier surprise and said calmly, "I can ignore your intel source, but is this information reliable?"
Angel pondered for a moment, shook his head, and said, "I don’t know how credible it is, but since we’ve already detected traces of the Ghosteye Witch, and we’re indeed not far from the Hanging Jail Stairway, I think this intel can be trusted."
The source of this intel is Sanders, and what Sanders mentioned was about the situation in the Underground Labyrinth of the Nightmare Realm. Angel couldn’t be entirely sure how it corresponded to reality.
Nevertheless, since traces of the Ghosteye Witch had already appeared here, drawing parallels from the Nightmare Realm’s experiences to reality wasn’t out of the question.
After all, these were just details.
The Ghosteye Witch itself wasn’t important, but the meaning and symbol it represented were. Even if they didn’t encounter the Ghosteye Witch on their journey, it wouldn’t hinder their search for the Hanging Jail Stairway.
Black Earl: "Since you put it that way, let’s consider it good news for now."
After a pause, Black Earl continued, "You’ve shared one piece of news, and I’ll share one as well. It’s neither good nor bad news."
"Just recently, the scent location point I left near the flue detected the scent of a person."
Dox raised an eyebrow: "Does this mean the Merchant Organization has caught up?"
Black Earl: "It’s just one person."
Upon hearing this, Dox immediately rolled his eyes: "If it’s just one person, then it’s no big deal. Chances are, they wouldn’t even make it through those Carrion Squirrels, and they might already be in trouble."
Black Earl: "Escaping the encirclement of the mutated Carrion Squirrels isn’t limited to just illusions. That person’s scent has disappeared, indicating they successfully broke through."
This piqued Dox’s interest. Breaking through the encirclement of so many mutated Carrion Squirrels wasn’t simple. Even for him, it would be a bloody ordeal, and he might not even shake off the mutated Carrion Squirrels.
How did that person manage to break through?
Faced with Dox’s question, Black Earl remained silent for a moment but eventually responded: "Angel used the Moving Mirage to lead you away, which is a relatively dignified method of departure. That person, on the other hand, didn’t leave in such a dignified manner, but it worked just as well."
"An undignified method?" Dox asked, "What kind of method?"
Black Earl: "I only left a scent location point there and don’t know what method was used. However, it could be one of two things: either they transformed themselves into a mutated Carrion Squirrel and blended in, then slipped away quietly, or they entered the body of a mutated Carrion Squirrel and controlled it to leave."
Regardless of the method, in Black Earl’s view, it was undignified.
Black Earl’s sole criterion for judging dignity is whether it smells bad or not.
After all, for a Black Earl that is just a nose, a foul odor is unbearable.
"So it was a Shapeshifting Technique..." Dox realized, but imagining the scene of mingling with that mountain of mutated Carrion Squirrels and enduring constant mental contamination during the long journey gave him chills.
He’d rather fight his way out than endure such torment. It wasn’t about dignity but about bearing humiliation, he could "bear weight," but not such humiliation!
The two apprentices shivered at the thought of those grotesque, psychologically scarring mutated Carrion Squirrels. They had to admit, the person pursuing them was indeed formidable...
Nonetheless, it was just a chilling thought. Realistically speaking, there was no real fear of the pursuer.
"Come to think of it, I didn’t realize you had a backup, the scent location point, it sounds impressive to detect from such a distance," Dox asked with curiosity, "How many scent location points did you place along the way, my lord?"
Black Earl let out a cold snort and paid Dox no mind.
However, Angel smiled and said, "The answer to that question is quite obvious. Were there any other things besides the mutated Carrion Squirrels along the way? Do you think the Black Earl would place scent location points on this route? So, perhaps there was one left in the living district and one near the entrance of the path we took."
Angel looked towards Black Earl: "Am I right, my lord?"
Black Earl: "You missed one."
Black Earl didn’t specify which one was missed, and then landed on Vay’s hand, saying, "There’s nothing left to explore here, let’s move forward."
After speaking, Black Earl glanced at Angel. The others also looked at Angel, and upon seeing Angel nod, they began to move away from the narrow passage.
The path ahead became narrower, yet thus far, they hadn’t encountered anything unexpected.
At this point, Dox leaned over to Angel and asked, "Did you figure out where the one scent location point that’s missing is?"
Angel shrugged: "I haven’t, why? Do you have any ideas?"
Dox: "I guess it must be near the entrance connecting the Underground Church and the Underground Labyrinth, that way it can keep track of how many people are following us."
Dox claimed it was a guess, but his tone had a definitive assurance.
Angel looked at Dox and softly said, "Sometimes I think your thoughts and actions are quite strange, but sometimes your thoughts are too normal. You’re truly a mysterious guy."
Angel shook his head, said nothing more, and continued forward.
Dox scratched his head, puzzled, wondering what Angel meant with those words, whether he agreed or disagreed with him?
The answer... was naturally disagreement.
If the scent location point were indeed near the entrance, Black Earl wouldn’t have detected the presence just now. He would have mentioned it earlier, rather than when the person was already near the flue.