In the eyes of the group with the Wicked Woman, those on the opposite side were already colluding with the Honorable Judge, who was extremely biased. Previously, they concealed it somewhat, acting less blatant, and now, they were boldly exchanging glances on the competitive stage?!
Initially, the group’s view of Angel was mostly neutral, but now, their emotions were shifting towards disdain.
And on Dox’s side, Angel’s actions also invoked puzzlement.
Clearly having the upper hand, why was he engaging in dialogue with the Wise Sovereign? Was he really intending to flaunt the shortcut so extravagantly, thereby maxing out the animosity from the opposition?
The spectators’ thoughts were filled with confusion, similar to the Wise Sovereign, who, being in the "direct participant" position, felt no more clarity than they did.
The Wise Sovereign could somewhat surmise Earl Mi’s act of creating severed hands, but didn’t understand why Earl Mi was looking at him now.
Without doubt, Angel was about to secure victory. Furthermore, his act of creating severed hands suggested Angel might have discovered the anomaly on the "Gray Merchant."
Otherwise, why would he have severed hands run towards the Gray Merchant to "search"?
In this context, despite Angel suddenly looking at him... the Wise Sovereign pondered, was Angel inquiring about the specific location of that entity? Or had he figured out why the Gray Merchant was anomalous, asking whether he should release the Gray Merchant’s memories?
The Wise Sovereign could only guess a few possibilities based on the information at hand. But after careful consideration, he still felt off; these matters could actually wait until after the duel to ask, and asking now, besides drawing scrutiny onto himself, the Wise Sovereign couldn’t fathom any benefits.
The Wise Sovereign was also unable to use the Mind Ribbon to communicate with Angel.
Now they were just communicating through eye contact, which could pass as a normal interaction. However, if they used the Mind Ribbon to communicate with the Honorable Judge during the duel, it would be undeniable evidence of their cheating.
Therefore, the Wise Sovereign could only stare into the dual-colored eyes, red and sapphire blue, of Earl Mi.
Angel, thinking of the "other’s" and his own retreat, bypassed the Wise Sovereign and gazed at the whale-like Magical Creature in the Void.
Although he sensed the surrounding emotions seemed somewhat unsettled, he had no time to care now. Besides, the heart’s whims, joy, and dislike are the norm.
Angel continued his persistent gaze at the whale-like Magical Creature.
At first, perhaps the other thought Angel was staring at the Wise Sovereign, but after a while, Angel clearly noticed the benevolent emotions in the Void gently swelling.
The benevolence remained unchanged, but it was tinged with some surprise.
After the surprise, there was a long silence... The other party neither left nor actively invited Angel for a conversation.
As time passed, Angel felt a bit awkward.
Should he speak first? Or maybe not—rarely does one encounter benevolent emotions; if pointing out the other’s presence actively causes distaste, it would not be worth it.
So... perhaps speak casually to the Wise Sovereign, find a way to step down gracefully, and let this matter pass?
Angel thought this method might suit him better, but what should he say to the Wise Sovereign?
As Angel pondered this, Earl Mi sent back a message to him.
Upon hearing this message, Angel’s eyes lit up.
Angel gently coughed twice, drawing everyone’s attention before he spoke: "Honorable Judge, I’d like to ask a question—in a duel, can the victor take spoils from the defeated?"
After hearing Angel’s inquiry, everyone’s reactions varied.
The vicious woman frowned, the disgust on her face becoming more pronounced; meanwhile, the apprentices under the Gray Merchant showed faces full of indignation.
As for the Black Earl’s side, the reaction was much more subdued. Apart from Dox clicking his tongue in amazement and muttering "I lost" to himself, there was no other response.
The Wise Sovereign then looked down at Angel, then over at the Gray Merchant still entangled in a battle of wits with illusions, completely unaware that his body was covered with severed hands.
He likely knew in his heart that Angel wanted to take something from the Gray Merchant.
Should he allow it? The Wise Sovereign was still undecided.
Angel’s desire was clearly for the Gray Merchant’s "mirror." However, that mirror originally held no special properties, but when the Goddess sealed the Gray Merchant’s memories within it, the mirror began to show a reflected space; and when the Goddess appeared in that reflected space to observe Angel, it meant that it was no longer a solitary space; it connected to the world the Goddess roamed and You Nu’s homeland.
It wouldn’t matter if someone else got the mirror. Without the appropriate method, there’s no way to enter.
But Angel is different; he had previously reached into the mirror and extracted derivatives of the Wood Spirit. He might actually be able to enter the world within the mirror.
Thus, the Wise Sovereign was hesitant about whether giving the mirror to Angel was good or bad.
If Angel simply released the Gray Merchant’s memories from the mirror, there would be no harm. But if he planned to follow the mirror into a deeper world, then that required consideration.
It wasn’t that the Wise Sovereign wanted to monopolize the entrance, but that Strange World was extremely easy to get lost in; once lost, it’s difficult to find the way out. Consequently, even the Wise Sovereign wouldn’t enter rashly.
The Wise Sovereign worried that Angel might not be able to restrain his curiosity and would actively step into the world within the mirror.
After pondering for a moment, the Wise Sovereign said, "It’s not within the rule restrictions."
After speaking, the Wise Sovereign said no more.
According to normal understanding, the Wise Sovereign’s words mean: Because it’s not within the rule restrictions, you can do it.
This was also how the vicious woman’s group interpreted the Wise Sovereign’s statement. In their view, the Wise Sovereign was siding with the other party and would naturally be biased towards them.
But the Black Earl and others, including Angel, understood that for matters not involving secrets, according to regulations, the Wise Sovereign would either affirm or deny outright. Yet the Wise Sovereign had intentionally not given such a straightforward answer and instead only mentioned the first half of the statement.
This likely had another deeper meaning.
Angel pondered for a few seconds; though he didn’t know the deeper meaning the Wise Sovereign intended, he was certain that the Wise Sovereign internally did not support Angel taking the defeated’s belongings.
The victor’s right to claim spoils was a rule present in many places, including the Sky Tower.
But why would this widespread rule cause hesitation for the Wise Sovereign?
Angel further contemplated: Perhaps it was not the rule itself that caused hesitation, but the items he intended to take from the Gray Merchant?
Had the Wise Sovereign already realized what he was going to take? Was this a way to hint, and thereby obstruct him?
...
Initially, Angel didn’t actually know what the Gray Merchant had.
However, he sensed an "anomalous emotion" from the Gray Merchant; lacking another anomalous emotion, Angel categorized it as "her" in the Wise Sovereign’s words.
And how could "she" hide on the Gray Merchant and observe him up close?
Angel hadn’t figured it out until she gradually distanced herself, the anomalous emotion disappearing in a "gradually fading away" manner, allowing Angel to have an epiphany.
He thought of the mirror.
Maybe the other was hiding on an object with a mirror, like the painting in the Hanging Jail Stairway, observing the outside through the mirror.
Hence came the situation where "Earl Mi" used severed hands to search the other’s belongings.
Ultimately, Earl Mi provided Angel with feedback; through the severed hand, they actually found an item closely kept on the Gray Merchant.
—A fragment of a mirror corner wrapped in cloth.
...
Upon hearing the Wise Sovereign’s response, Angel had a general understanding.
Originally, Angel’s search for the "mirror" on the Gray Merchant was simply to validate a hypothesis. Now, the hypothesis chain had been established.
In fact, whether or not to take the mirror fragment mattered little to Angel.
Since the Wise Sovereign intentionally blocked it, it implied the mirror might not be safe... After all, that entity might directly make a move on Angel through the mirror.
With this thought, Angel nodded to the Wise Sovereign: "I understand."
Angel had already made his decision; his statement on claiming spoils was merely a way to subtly shift focus.
Now that the purpose was achieved, giving it up seemed trivial.
However, just as Angel shifted his focus, ready to let Earl Mi retract the severed hand and end the battle, a stranger’s voice suddenly echoed in his ear.