"As expected, it’s all an act." Dox looked at Angel’s suddenly speeding back and couldn’t help but think to himself. Earlier, he was walking slowly, saying that moving quickly consumed too much; now he’s suddenly running so fast, who’d believe your computing power is heavily consumed.
Back in Princess Town, he already knew Angel’s mind was both cunning and complex, so his words should be met with skepticism.
Dox grumbled inwardly while following along.
He decided to question Angel properly, since obviously, the computing power wasn’t greatly consumed, why did he put on such an act that they needed to start over from scratch?
Dox cared so much about Angel’s computing power consumption because previously, after touching the picture frame and "dying", he had to run the whole way again. Watching someone "run a corpse" is amusing, but when it’s yourself, it’s utterly embarrassing.
Especially since Vay and Kaier witnessed the scene of him running the corpse.
Vay is one thing, as he’s a homebody and rarely seen, but Kaier lives in Sandworm Market, so wouldn’t seeing Kaier always remind him of that disgraceful royal act... How could he face returning to the Cross Tavern?
Full of grievances, Dox caught up with Angel.
But just as he was about to speak, Angel stopped with a serious face, glanced back at the others, and then looked ahead with doubt.
What’s going on? Did he discover something?
Dox looked around in confusion, trying to see if anything was amiss, but with only his naked eyes, he saw nothing. His spiritual power couldn’t penetrate the Hanging Jail Stairway, so he could only direct his puzzled gaze at Angel.
Angel: "There’s a fork in the road here."
Dox looked in the direction Angel pointed, and indeed, there was a clearly distinct fork, leading in two different directions, but...
"Is there something unusual about the fork?"
Angel: "No unusualness."
Dox looked suspicious: "Why did you stop if there’s nothing unusual?"
Angel: "I’m thinking about which way to go first."
Dox: "..." Just thinking about which way to go needed such a solemn expression? And no matter which way they went first, they’d have to come back and take the other, right?
Angel turned his head: "Which way do you think is better to go first?"
Dox paused for a second, the question seemed familiar somehow?
After two seconds, Dox hesitantly replied: "My inspiration talent hasn’t recovered yet."
Angel: "I’m just being lazy and don’t want to make a decision. Since you don’t want to decide, let fate decide."
Lazy? Let fate decide? Before Dox could figure out his intention, Angel casually tossed his staff into the air. The staff spun several times in mid-air before landing upright in the middle of the fork.
After landing, the staff was briefly still, then it started spinning like a top around its base.
Seeing this, Dox roughly understood what Angel was trying to do... using the staff to ask for directions.
"Do you know Divination? Is this Star Guide, or one of those luck spells using the staff as a medium? Or is it Fate Guidance?"
Star Guide is a Level 3 Trick, a kind of stargazing technique from the Astrological Coordinate Axis school, requiring a staff as a medium for direction-seeking. Luck spells are tricks from the Bell of Inquiry school that use the staff as a catalyst for prophecies.
As for Fate Guidance, it’s a Level 2 Spell Technique from the Fate String school, which only Level 1 peak or True Knowledge Level Wizards would contact, for more advanced divination. Dox certainly didn’t believe Angel knew Fate Guidance. Including Fate Guidance was purely a tease.
Angel shook his head: "None of them, this is..."
Angel paused for a while before slowly uttering the word: "...fate."
Dox looked at the sincere Angel, stunned for a moment before understanding Angel’s meaning: "You didn’t use divination? This is purely leaving it to fate?"
Angel pondered for a moment and then, with an insightful tone, said: "Not just fate, it’s also face-based decision-making."
"What do you mean by face-based?" Vay also joined in, asking curiously.
"You’ll have to ask him." Angel looked at Dox pointedly.
Dox pointed at himself, opening his mouth silently: Ask me? How should I know?
Angel: "Didn’t you say earlier, perhaps the Wood Spirit recognizes me? If it turns out true, wouldn’t that be face-based?"
Dox: "...Are you serious?"
Angel smiled warmly: "Why don’t you guess?"
Dox really did think about it seriously for a second. Angel’s response sounded like a joke, and from others’ expressions, it seemed they all thought Angel was joking. But strangely, Dox inexplicably felt Angel was serious, at least half-serious, only masking his true intentions with humor.
So, did Angel really think the Wood Spirit could recognize him?
But, is that possible? Even if the Wood Spirit recognized the staff, and the staff truly was Sanders’—that doesn’t mean the Wood Spirit knows Angel. It might remember its former master’s true body as Sanders, but how could it know Angel, who only emerged as a rising star in recent years?
Dox felt it was unlikely, yet Angel was too calm and collected, could there be more unknowns hidden?
"I’m not sure if you’re serious, but let me remind you—the staff’s head has fallen." Since the Wise Sovereign was nearby, Dox chose not to dwell on it, pretending he never contemplated the matter.
Everyone followed Dox’s hand and sure enough, the staff had fallen, pointing to the right path of the fork.
"Master, should we go to the right first?" Kaier asked at this moment.
Angel looked at the right path, pondering as he rubbed his chin, then finally said: "No, let’s go left first."
Everyone watched as Angel headed towards the left path, completely baffled by the sudden twist and turn. Wasn’t it left to fate? Fate pointed right, why go left?
The group was unsure why Angel suddenly became so unpredictable, but they didn’t question him. After all, they hadn’t known Angel long enough to fully understand his personality, perhaps he was just such a capricious person?
And people like this were common in the Wizards’ Realm. According to the City of Truth’s Zhuguang Speaker, wizards who spend long years isolated in cramped rooms cultivating or conducting research can develop odd temperaments, so being capricious is quite normal.
But, was Angel really such a capricious person?