This was Angel’s second visit to the Hall of Wisdom.
Last time, to avoid being spied on by Adanis in the mirror, they conversed in a secret chamber. This time, however, they were seated directly in the hall, discussing with the Wise Sovereign.
The previously dreaded and avoided Adanis was also present.
But she did not take a seat; instead, she was concealed within the mirror on the high wall, overlooking everyone from above.
On the gilded round table, the lit candles emitted a hissing noise.
The air was filled with a faint fragrance.
After everyone was seated, the Wise Sovereign’s gaze never left Angel, as if time had paused at that moment.
After a while, until Adanis in the mirror let out an impatient cold snort, the Wise Sovereign chuckled lightly.
"Is this the effect you wanted?"
Angel looked innocent: "Wise Sovereign, what effect are you referring to?"
"You should know very well in your heart." The Wise Sovereign said this, glanced at Adanis, then smiled at Angel.
On the surface, Angel still appeared harmless, but in his heart, he was indeed as clear as a mirror, just as the Wise Sovereign had said.
He used "whispering into Olao’s ear in the future" as a condition to have Adanis do something for him, and it was a very simple task: to say one sentence to the Wise Sovereign — to borrow the Sweet Dream.
As for whether Adanis could borrow the Sweet Dream, Angel hadn’t thought much about it.
It would be great if she could borrow it. If not, it was inconsequential.
Looking at it this way, it seemed Angel was doing something pointless. But that wasn’t the case; a look at the Wise Sovereign’s current expression reveals that everything is proceeding according to the normal script.
What Angel wanted to do was not to have Adanis actually borrow the Sweet Dream, but to use the act of Adanis borrowing the Sweet Dream to convey some information about the Qingkong Poetry Room to the Wise Sovereign.
This information didn’t surface and required the Wise Sovereign to deduce it himself.
From the current situation, the Wise Sovereign indeed did as Angel had intended.
Angel didn’t know to what extent the Wise Sovereign could infer, but he believed the Wise Sovereign would surely conclude from Adanis’s visit that he and Adanis were "collaborating."
Once the Wise Sovereign started thinking along this line, naturally he would begin to wonder why Angel would let Adanis borrow the Sweet Dream? Clearly, he had promised Angel earlier that he would lend him the Sweet Dream; why the sudden change in attitude?
The answer to this question, if one thinks about it carefully, could only be one of two possibilities. Either Angel was forced to change his stance, or he did so voluntarily.
Why was he forced? Why did he voluntarily change?
With the Wise Sovereign’s analytical ability, he would surely deduce it all.
However, the answer wasn’t important. The essential point was that whichever direction one thinks, it all points to one core: a significant upheaval in the Qingkong Poetry Room.
This is the real message Angel wanted to convey.
If everything was normal in the Qingkong Poetry Room, or if changes were minor, Angel could disclose the happenings inside to the Wise Sovereign without issue after coming out.
However, now that there’s a significant upheaval in the Qingkong Poetry Room, his agreement with the Wise Sovereign might face some uncertainties.
- Previously, he had an agreement with the Wise Sovereign that if he wanted to borrow the Sweet Dream, he would have to detail the events inside the Qingkong Poetry Room.
Now, with such a significant upheaval, changes so substantial that Angel couldn’t judge whether he should disclose them, or even if he could speak of them.
But Angel was unwilling to give up borrowing the Sweet Dream.
Thus, he had to find a way to make the Wise Sovereign accept some "changes."
For instance, he had Adanis come in advance to give the Wise Sovereign a "heads-up"; also, after the heads-up, he raised the threshold for the Wise Sovereign regarding the upheaval in the Qingkong Poetry Room, creating a situation where Angel could find a way to exit gracefully.
He would tell the Wise Sovereign about some of the events in the Qingkong Poetry Room, but he couldn’t give details and could only choose to give a general overview.
This is the entire process.
To put it simply, it’s about raising the threshold, lowering expectations, and then expressing his true intentions — he can only reveal so much and hopes the Wise Sovereign can accept this.
Though a bit convoluted, Angel knew that if he straightforwardly told the Wise Sovereign ’I can’t fully disclose the events in the Qingkong Poetry Room,’ the Wise Sovereign might not accept it, as they had agreed previously.
And Angel didn’t want to lose the chance to borrow the Sweet Dream, so he went about it indirectly, subtly expressing it to the Wise Sovereign.
Angel also understood well that his attempt to not fully keep his promise while still wanting the opportunity was somewhat selfish. But reality compelled him to do so.
Because some things truly couldn’t be spoken directly, such as the arrival of Augustine.
Previously, they didn’t know if Augustine was still alive, so they could talk freely about him, even without using honorifics, which could be excused as ignorance.
Now, Augustine had genuinely appeared, and his strength was an enigma; even if it hadn’t reached above Legendary... his achievements in refining the Mirror of Truth were enough to grant him a status comparable to Miracle.
Moreover, is Augustine really not a Miracle Wizard? It’s hard to say.
Even if he wasn’t a Miracle Wizard but merely a Legendary Wizard, they couldn’t speak as casually as before. This respect for high-ranking individuals was necessary.
Otherwise, angering them, they might obliterate you with a mere thought.
Just like Wizards and Apprentices, apprentices must show respect to all Wizards, even those from enemy factions, or face unpredictable consequences.
Of course, exceptions exist like Vay and Dox. One has backing, the other doesn’t mind, plus they are close friends; their deep friendship allows them to disregard such etiquette.
But Angel and Augustine weren’t as close as Vay and Dox. Although Augustine valued Angel greatly, it didn’t mean he could tolerate Angel being disrespectful.
Leaking information about him without his approval was disrespectful to Augustine.
Thus, Angel couldn’t speak of "Augustine’s arrival." And this event being the source of the significant upheaval in the Qingkong Poetry Room, it’s a topic the Wise Sovereign would inevitably ask about.