The wise sovereign understood Angel’s meaning. He looked up at Angel: "All the coincidences you mentioned, I can believe they are coincidences. However, your appearance here, I find it hard to believe is a coincidence."
Angel paused for a moment, then chuckled lightly: "Has the wise sovereign forgotten the first sentence I wrote in the True Words Tome? I am merely a guest, not a returning one."
Yet the wise sovereign simply stared quietly at Angel. Indeed, that sentence was in the True Words Tome, but Angel’s writing was ambiguous, leaving room for manipulation.
"I can provide a complete explanation for this question, but it doesn’t belong to these two questions." Angel said: "Shall we return to the two questions the wise sovereign initially inquired about?"
The wise sovereign did not refuse and nodded.
"Regarding the second question, how did I get the Wood Spirit to come with me? Now, I believe the Wise Sovereign should have the answer."
"The true form of the Wood Spirit is the staff my Mentor lost. I promised to take it to see my Mentor, and that’s why the Wood Spirit came with me."
The facts are laid out, and the Wise Sovereign had no objections. This is the logical truth.
"Now, let me answer the first question: How did I find the Wood Spirit?"
Angel: "I suppose I don’t need to answer that, right? I’m wearing the gloves my Mentor gave me, holding the staff exactly the same as my Mentor’s, and the staff body was crafted from the Wood Spirit’s derivatives. Naturally, the Wood Spirit would wonder upon seeing me."
"What I said before on the Void Road was not false. The Wood Spirit was indeed talking to me then. It reached out to me, and all I needed to do was explain the situation roughly."
From the entire process, things seem to be just as Angel described.
But there’s still a question that Angel hasn’t explained: "How did you know about the crossroads?"
Faced with the Wise Sovereign’s inquiry, Angel appeared helpless: "The crossroads being fishy was something the Sovereign only reminded me of; I had no idea at the time."
Under the Wise Sovereign’s suspicious gaze, Angel recounted how, upon entering the second level, the staff sensed two coordinate points.
And how he deduced from these two coordinate points that the Wood Spirit was at the crossroads.
"After the Wood Spirit contacted me, it suddenly fell silent. I guessed it had chickened out again, so I went to the place where the Wood Spirit most frequently appeared: the crossroads, and called for the Wood Spirit there."
"As for the trickery at the crossroads you mentioned, I was completely unaware."
After Angel finished speaking, to prove he wasn’t lying, he wrote directly in the True Words Tome: The trickery at the crossroads was something the Wise Sovereign reminded me of; I was completely unaware before that.
The words didn’t disappear, indicating that Angel was speaking the truth.
By deliberately writing this sentence, he clearly had an underlying intention...
The Wise Sovereign understood this, realizing that Angel was not only self-validating but also hinting at him not to overthink things. Many times, the answer is just that simple, and overcomplicating it is one’s own problem.
The Wise Sovereign looked at the words in the True Words Tome, remaining silent.
Even if Angel hadn’t written it down, he would have believed it. Because it matched Angel’s various strange behaviors after reaching the second floor, such as heading into the void riddled with spatial rifts and only pursuing two points, all orchestrated by the Wood Spirit behind the scenes.
Understanding this, the Wise Sovereign felt a rare embarrassment.
The area he was most concerned about turned out to be a complete misunderstanding. He had even imagined various secret dealings between Angel and the Goddess.
Now, with the truth laid bare in the True Words Tome, visible to all, the Wise Sovereign felt even more embarrassed.
He regretted using the True Words Tome; there were other methods he could have employed.
After a long silence, the Wise Sovereign finally composed himself to face Angel again: "I accept the answers to both questions. However, it seems you’ve left something out."
Angel sighed inwardly: Here it comes, here it comes, the moment of unmasking.
As expected, the next words from the Wise Sovereign were indeed about having Angel reveal the true identity, specifically his Mentor’s true identity.
"As the Wood Spirit’s teacher, I can respect its decision to see its former master. However, I need to know about him, assess the situation, before I can make a decision."
Angel wanted to say: The choice should be the Wood Spirit’s freedom.
However, considering the reality, this was impossible. In the Southern Domain Wizard World, achieving absolute freedom of choice was challenging; moreover, the Wood Spirit had significant personality flaws. In a sense, treating it like a patient in need of care and companionship was justified.
And the Wise Sovereign, having cared for and guided the Wood Spirit for centuries, indeed had the right to make decisions for it.
Understanding this, Angel chose not to argue with the Wise Sovereign on this point. However, the thought of being unmasked made him feel slightly complicated.
Under the Wise Sovereign’s gaze, Angel finally revealed his Mentor’s name.
– "Sanders Iguro."
The Wise Sovereign contemplated: "So it’s him..."
Angel: "Wise Sovereign, do you know my Mentor?"
Wise Sovereign: "Though it’s been some time since I went out, I still have channels for outside information. The Illusion Master and Southern Domain’s War God, as he’s called, has gained considerable fame in recent years. I’ve heard his techniques are uniquely his own; seeing your illusion techniques, they are indeed intriguing."
After a pause, the Wise Sovereign looked at Angel again: "However, in the information I’ve received, among Sanders’s students, the one inheriting his illusion techniques is an Official Wizard named Sumishe."
Since he’d already been exposed, Angel didn’t bother to hide anymore and said bluntly, "Sumishe is now a True Knowledge Wizard and can be considered my senior. I became my Mentor’s disciple only a few years ago."
"Do I need to formally introduce myself? I’m Angel Pat, from the Barbarian Cave."
Dox muttered nearby, "Rumor has it he was snatched up by His Excellency the Illusion Master."
Angel smiled without refuting. Everyone knew that anyway; explanations were unnecessary.
The Wise Sovereign’s focus wasn’t on Sanders snatching up Angel but rather that Angel had indeed only become a Transcendent in recent years... This kind of supernova was extremely rare, even millennia ago.
Leaving aside Angel’s uniqueness, speaking of his background in Barbarian Cave alone.
Now the Wise Sovereign understood why Angel had such a deep foundation, supported by such a massive entity. The Barbarian Cave, even millennia ago, was a super large Witcher Organization; even Naraku City’s foundation couldn’t compare. Because, Legendary Wizards birthed by Barbarian Cave were widespread across the Pan-Dimensional Plane; millennia ago, if you came from Barbarian Cave, you’d inevitably find a place in some Wizard-gathered world.
Even in today’s era where legends are fading, the Barbarian Cave remains a super large Witcher Organization.
Moreover, the spirit known millennia ago by countless people—the Book Elder—still exists, guarding the knowledge inheritance of the Barbarian Cave.
Hence, cultivating someone like Angel wasn’t surprising.
However, since Angel is from the Barbarian Cave, some previous speculations might indeed be incorrect.
Things like a century-long plot would be utterly impossible.
He was well aware of the Barbarian Cave’s situation centuries ago—a comprehensive Witcher Organization with strong representatives in three major structures, yet lacking two types: Gourmet Sorcerers and Prophet Wizards.
Without the strong backing of a Prophet Wizard to dispel mist and reduce variables, plotting for a century would be impossible.
Besides, the Barbarian Cave was far from here, and no core figures had traveled to the Underground Aqueduct for many years. If they harbored any covetous intentions toward Naraku City, the Wise Sovereign wouldn’t believe it.
The Barbarian Cave’s foundation far exceeded the underground aqueduct; having their own palatial hall, who would crave a shabby leaky hut?
The Wise Sovereign had resolved his confusion regarding the Wood Spirit, Sanders’s staff, and other questions.
But there remained one doubt, still persistent: Was Angel’s arrival truly, as he claimed, a coincidence?