...
Time moved back not long ago when Angel went to the Wilderness of Dreams to meet Cicia. He asked about the situation at the bottom layer and a lot more about the Hanging Jail Stairway.
However, Cicia’s understanding of the Hanging Jail Stairway was only broad, aware of many important things, but not detailed matters, like each layer’s specific situation, of which Cicia knew very little.
However, the details unknown to Cicia are quite familiar to Angel.
Because most of the rooms in the Hanging Jail Stairway, he had entered while in the Nightmare Realm. The only ones he hadn’t entered were those derived spaces, which back then, as a mortal Angel, was normal not to find the entrance.
Although Angel knows many details, there are still many he... doesn’t understand.
For instance, Angel once found a thin booklet in a room on the first floor of the Nightmare Realm.
The thin booklet was originally placed in a wooden box inside a low cabinet, eroded by time in reality, but it still existed in the Nightmare Realm.
Angel recorded the contents of the booklet using a holographic tablet, but he didn’t recognize a single word in it. Even Literacy Mastery couldn’t identify the characters in the booklet. So, even though he knew these details, he was at a loss about them.
While chatting with Cicia about the Hanging Jail Stairway in the Wilderness of Dreams, Angel recalled this matter and then simulated the booklet with an illusion technique for Cicia to recognize.
It was finally determined that the language was Uaisu.
Cicia roughly translated the words in the booklet, letting Angel know what happened in the room on the first floor...
As the Wise Sovereign mentioned, Angel’s speculation had obvious logical gaps. This is because his speculation was a fabrication without cause and effect under the premise of a known result.
The prisoner once held in the room on the first floor was a natural witch from the Elemental side.
The thin booklet placed in the wooden box was a diary.
Each page of the diary was filled with hatred and resentment, and the reason was what Angel mentioned before: he was treated as an energy source, with the energy in his body being extracted day and night to supply the Magical Energy Array.
Day after day, year after year. Eventually, this natural witch was completely "devoured," and the last page of the diary was his last will and testament.
It recorded his remorse, his love and resentment, his helplessness, his guilt, and his hope and regrets.
However, not long after his death, Naraku City became ruins.
Ultimately, no one ever read his diary. As time flowed, this diary was finally buried in the crevices of time, turning to dust, unknown to anyone.
Were it not for the karmic affinity, Angel saw the projection in the Nightmare Realm and recorded this diary with a holographic tablet, perhaps no one in the world would ever know the story of this natural witch.
At first, Angel didn’t care about this story at all.
Because from beginning to end, the natural witch never mentioned his name nor explained why he was imprisoned. Whether he was good or bad, Angel had no basis for judgment.
However, when he personally came to this room, looking at the other already decayed items, and then at the deep-sea wood as bright as new, Angel suddenly remembered those complaints filled with blood and tears.
The cruelty of time leaves those forgotten in the flow of time without a chance to start over.
Angel, rather than feeling nostalgic about the scene, uses it to reflect on his own future.
Will he ultimately be buried in time too?
Angel does not want this, but it seems no one can escape the trial of time.
Truth, can it?
As Angel was in a trance, he suddenly heard a whisper in his ear: "Why don’t you take that thing out? Maybe you can use it to entice small fish onto the hook."
Coming back to his senses, the first person Angel saw was Dox beside him, who was constantly winking, signaling Angel with his eyes.
Seeing Dox’s expression, Angel understood what he wanted to convey.
Since Angel speculated that the original form of the Wood Spirit was a staff, why not conjure the staff to attract the Wood Spirit?
Angel wasn’t deliberately withholding it but thought, in the end, it’s still going to go back, so when it’s confirmed there’s no path ahead and a return is needed, he’d take out the staff then.
This way, it can buy some time without exposing identity too quickly.
But thinking about it now, it doesn’t matter if it’s exposed or not, since The Sage likely already confirmed he is likely not a descendant of Noah, conjuring the staff is harmless.
With this in mind, Angel didn’t hesitate, directly taking out the four-in-one ornament on the top of the staff from his bracelet, then giving it a gentle shake, smoke spreading.
When the smoke dissipated, a black staff appeared under the ornament.
The staff head ornament is real, while the staff body is an illusionary transformation. The overall shape is identical to the staff in the painting seen by Good the Butler in the Iguro family.
After taking out the staff, Angel said nothing and directly walked towards the stairs.
The Wise Sovereign behind, seeing the staff suddenly appearing in Angel’s hand, was stunned for a moment.
He vaguely felt the ornament on the staff head was somewhat familiar, especially the pattern resembling a crest on the handle, where had he seen it before?
The Wise Sovereign recalled and followed Angel, stepping onto the stairs again.
To the staircase leading to the second floor, Angel still measured each step, but this time it was much faster than the first floor. In less than three minutes, the new platform appeared.
However, when everyone stepped onto this new platform, except for the Black Earl and the Wise Sovereign, everyone else was stunned.
Even Angel paused for a moment.
Because on this platform, there was no familiar door, only a staircase continuing upwards.
Wasn’t this the second floor, but just a transit platform? Amid everyone’s confusion, Angel turned his head and looked into the depths of the void.
"Is there anything over there?" Dox asked curiously.
They were in an illusion, even with spiritual power, unable to perceive the outside situation. All they could do was observe with naked eyes.
Using the naked eye, Dox hadn’t noticed anything unusual, so he asked.
"It seems like there’s a road here?" Kaier said.
While speaking, Kaier walked to one side of the platform, hesitated at the edge, and then stepped into the void.
No falling occurred, standing steadily in the air.
Dox’s eyes lit up: "There’s really a road!"