"Even if we don’t drink the tea, it shouldn’t be dangerous, right?" the Wise Sovereign looked at Angel.
Hearing the Wise Sovereign’s question, Dox’s eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at Angel.
Angel, smiling with narrowed eyes, said, "As expected, I couldn’t fool the Wise Sovereign."
The definitive answer from Angel made Dox breathe heavily through his nose and his cheeks flush with anger: "Were you actually messing with me just now?"
Angel said innocently, "No. These teacups are indeed drawn to your special traits, and serving tea to guests is polite; not drinking the tea is considered rude. If you’re rude, you’ll definitely be punished by the Teacup Band."
Dox: "And the Wise Sovereign..."
Angel interrupted Dox before he could finish: "Since it’s a punishment from the teacups, it’s naturally limited by the teacups’ capabilities. If you observe a little, you’ll find that these teacups actually have no offensive means."
Dox: "...Then why did you say that refusing the tea would lead to bad things? Like losing combat ability, or being unlucky for a while?"
Angel: "Losing combat ability for a second is still losing it, being unlucky for half a second is still unlucky."
Hearing this answer, Dox took a deep breath, feeling a heaviness in his chest.
Indeed, he knew that Angel was a person with hidden mischief, who would indulge in playful antics anytime, anywhere when the mood struck!
Others who realized the truth just laughed it off. They could also see that Angel did it intentionally to lighten the mood. Look, isn’t the current atmosphere much better than the initial stiff awkwardness?
Dox probably felt a bit embarrassed and couldn’t let it go in his heart. But on the surface, he had to act like it was no big deal, which only made him feel more stifled.
As the atmosphere eased slightly with the tea-related antics, the Wise Sovereign chuckled softly: "I didn’t expect that I tested you before, and now you’re testing me."
Angel: "Since the Wise Sovereign has seen through the riddle, you could completely refuse the challenge."
But the Wise Sovereign shook his head: "It doesn’t matter, it’s been a long time since anyone dared to pose a question to me. Even though it’s just a teacup, it’s rather interesting. Moreover, it reminds me of a mentor of mine, the Man in the Vat."
"The Man in the Vat, sounds a bit strange, conjuring some uncomfortable images," Dox muttered.
Wise Sovereign: "You’re not wrong in saying that. My mentor, the Man in the Vat, was a human priest captured by my kin. His legs were chopped off and preserved in a vat with a special solution to extend his life."
The Wise Sovereign’s kin refers to the Triclops Blue Demon. This is a tribe that devours humans, so capturing one and making him into a Man in the Vat is essentially a form of ’food reserve.’
"That human priest was quite good. He was not afraid of death and even preached in the tribe. However, none of my kin could understand him, only I could... I regarded him as a teacher, and he considered me a pupil. He would not teach me knowledge directly; he posed questions to guide my thinking. During that period, I don’t know how many questions I answered."
The Wise Sovereign clearly omitted some details in the story, like how they became teacher and student or how mutual trust was built. These are quite important, but since the Wise Sovereign doesn’t wish to elaborate, it’s not polite to inquire further.
"That year, the Flowering Month lasted longer than usual, but no matter how long, the Spring Festival Month inevitably came."
As the Wise Sovereign spoke to this point, the story abruptly ended.
He didn’t mention the fate of the Man in the Vat. But a person with severed legs, kept in a vat, not receiving proper medical care, without the help of Transcendents, the conclusion is predictable.
Moreover, the Wise Sovereign was still within the Triclops Blue Demon tribe at that time, meaning he was just a child and couldn’t change any outcomes. He could only watch as the Spring Festival Month arrived as expected and his mentor disappeared one day.
And simultaneously accept that in some corner there was a patch of newly turned soil.
The Wise Sovereign didn’t dwell on past memories for long and quickly pulled himself out of his melancholy, smiling at Angel: "I shared a little story with you; don’t you want to share one of yours?"
Angel: "..." Now he understood why the Wise Sovereign strangely picked up Dox’s ’Man in the Vat’ question—he was waiting for this.
If it was Dox’s question, then he should be the one asked, so why look at me?
Angel really wanted to pretend he hadn’t heard, but after much thought, they were here to ’talk,’ and inevitably some secrets needed to be shared. —Of course, what isn’t considered a secret to the broader world might still be one to an ancient entity like the Wise Sovereign.
So, Angel thought for a moment and spoke: "What does the Wise Sovereign want to hear?"
Angel thought the Wise Sovereign would immediately shift the topic to the Wood Spirit, but the Wise Sovereign didn’t, instead shifting to a comfortable yet lazy posture, saying lightly: "I spoke of my childhood; perhaps you could speak of yours."
Angel rubbed his chin, pondering: "Childhood..."
"Why, can’t you remember?" The Wise Sovereign teased Angel, seeing his thoughtful expression.
As the Wise Sovereign finished speaking, he didn’t notice that Dox next to him put his hand to his forehead with an exasperated look.
Angel: "I can remember, but I’m not sure which period the Wise Sovereign wants to hear about. Childhood, as in before age ten?"
Wise Sovereign: "Before age twenty."
At this, not only Dox, but the other wizards present also looked away.
"Since the Wise Sovereign spoke of his enlightening mentor, I’ll speak of mine. He was a very special ordinary person who, from an early age, studied the world, the earth, the air, the light, physical constants... Under his guidance, I too developed the habit of research from a young age."
The others knew some of Angel’s experiences, but it was the first time they heard of the mentor he spoke of.
Hearing that this enlightening mentor was just an ordinary person but passionately dedicated to research, they felt quite moved. No wonder Angel has now become a pillar of the Academy Faction, this mentor must have significantly influenced him.
"I thought I could always learn to understand the world under my mentor’s guidance. Unfortunately, he fell ill with a disease that even Transcendents can’t cure."
Angel’s expression carried a slight hint of sadness.
The others privately mused: Indeed, deep emotions inevitably lead to complications.
"To cure my mentor’s illness, I embarked on the Transcendent path."
With this sentence, Angel concluded his story. Like the Wise Sovereign, he left quite a bit of the story open to interpretation. But the overall outline of the story has become clear.
It’s undeniable, in terms of narrative flow, that the Wise Sovereign’s and Angel’s stories are somewhat similar. Both were enlightened by their respective mentors and embarked on unique paths. The difference lies in the goals they pursued.
"In the end, did you cure your enlightening mentor’s illness?" the Wise Sovereign asked.
Angel: "I can’t say he’s completely cured, but I also can’t say he’s not. Anyway, when I visited him recently, he was quite lively—designing libraries, acting as a city planner, and even leading several teams to develop content..."
The Wise Dominator was actually prepared to offer comfort, because usually, such stories end in tragedy. But to his surprise, Angel’s answer completely defied his expectations.