This was a racial talent that couldn’t be made up for.
...
Angel: "How do you feel now?"
Having activated the Slough, Laplace said blandly, "It’s interesting, it feels as if I’ve returned to the state right after I was born."
After a pause, Laplace added, "When will the crisis you’ve mentioned come?"
"I don’t know, it might not even come," replied Angel, looking at Laplace, "Is there any limitation to you activating the Slough?"
The reason Angel asked was that he sensed a hint of urgency in Laplace’s previous question.
"There are no restrictions," Laplace said calmly.
Angel instinctively wanted to ask, if there are no restrictions, why are you so urgent in your tone? However, before he could open his mouth, Laplace spoke first: "I just want to resolve the crisis you mentioned as soon as possible and then wait for you to give me an explanation."
"Whether it’s the shedding scales, my current state, or this so-called interstice world, I need you to give me an explanation."
Laplace, having lived for so many years, was feeling such a strong curiosity and so many doubts for the first time. If Angel hadn’t clearly said the top priority now was to resolve the crisis and put other matters aside, Laplace might have resorted to coercion.
"I will explain, but how much I can say depends on whether this crisis can be resolved," Angel said softly.
Laplace’s gaze turned slightly cold: "What do you mean?"
With Laplace’s gaze turning cold, Angel could clearly feel a tightness and pricking illusion on his skin.
If they were in reality, Angel would not have felt this way. It’s just that, at this time and place, Laplace’s abilities far exceeded Angel’s.
Like an authority over ordinary people, even a change in tone can make ordinary people tremble with fear.
"I can’t explain to you now. Once the crisis is resolved, everything will have an answer; if the crisis can’t be resolved, then no matter how much I say, it’s all an illusory bubble."
As long as the crisis can be resolved, or if the crisis doesn’t appear, then Angel’s ’big gamble’ would have been a win.
By leveraging the competition between the Dream Realm and the Mirror World, using Laplace, the favored child of the Dream Realm, as an intermediary, to gain the benefits of survival in the interstitial gaps, letting the new Wilderness of Dreams hover in the world.
This is an unexpected big gamble.
If it succeeds, then Laplace, as the exploited one and as a participant, defender, and witness of this new Wilderness of Dreams, Angel would surely owe her an explanation.
If everything fails, then whether to explain or not doesn’t matter. He could just gloss over it.
Laplace gave Angel a deep look: "Glaipnir once said, the secrets you hold are much deeper than those of The Sage. I didn’t pay attention before, but now I think Glaipnir was not wrong."
Angel neither admitted nor did he bother denying it; instead, he followed Laplace’s words with a question: "Speaking of which, I also have a question."
"Now, the Lady Laplace standing before me, can you still say that Glaipnir and Luigi are you?"
Laplace: "The fact that you’re asking this question shows your lack of understanding of Temporal Bodies. Whenever and wherever, they are me, even though I can’t perceive their current location, they are still me."
Angel frowned: "Even if they exist and survive with independent consciousnesses, this still counts as you?"
Laplace nodded: "Of course."
As he saw Laplace nod, Angel couldn’t be sure whether Laplace was telling the truth or just being stubborn.
Before, Angel felt Laplace was being stubborn, but now, perhaps he misunderstood?
What exactly is the difference between Laplace’s Temporal Body, You Nu’s Temporal Body, and Black Earl’s Avatar?
Being the same entity, but expressing individually?
As Angel was lost in thought, suddenly, his expression shifted, and he abruptly looked up.
Laplace also noticed the change in Angel’s expression and turned her gaze towards him.
Angel quietly gazed at the sky and, after a moment, softly said: "...They’re here."
Laplace: "What is here?"
"The Eliminators."
...
Although Angel was always talking with Laplace, his mind, ever since entering this new world, had left a part of itself, observing the void outside the new world from a God’s View.
The first thing he sensed was the Nightmare Realm Portal; however, just like when constructing the Wilderness of Dreams in the Abyss, this Nightmare Realm Portal only emitted a faint Nightmare Realm aura, with no traces of any Nightmare Realm creatures coming or going.
Besides the Nightmare Realm Portal, what Angel saw was an endless void.
This void is actually the void in the gap between the Dream Realm and the Mirror World.
Generally speaking, nothing would appear here, but if a new uncontrolled world births here, and it possesses a part of the Dream Realm’s rules.
Then, the Dream Realm will actively open a portal, allowing some powerful Dream Realm creatures to inadvertently pass through.
These Dream Realm creatures, are what Angel calls: the Eliminators.
Since he came to the new world, Angel has silently observed the void, searching for traces of the Eliminators.
When constructing the Wilderness of Dreams in the Abyss, the Eliminators arrived very quickly, but this time, Angel waited for a long time without seeing any Eliminators.
Just when he thought the Dream Realm had really compromised and was willing to maintain the connection with the Mirror World this way... the Eliminators appeared.
Perceiving the surging energy deep within the void, Angel’s mood sank.
Although he had Laplace bring ’weapons,’ he still wasn’t sure if they could deal with the Eliminators.
"We have to give it a try," Angel murmured softly, seeming to make a decision.
He looked up at Laplace: "The Eliminators are about to appear, and to prevent them from destroying this nascent world, our only option now is to intercept them."
Laplace didn’t inquire about the terms Angel used that she couldn’t understand, instead directly asking the main point: "How do we intercept them?"
Angel didn’t answer, but looked up at the sky.
Laplace followed his gaze.
The sky, dull and gray, suddenly split with a rift, and at the same time, a great number of bizarre creatures emerged from it.
There were so many strange creatures, like a swarm of locusts, dense and overwhelming.
Seeing this, Laplace also felt a sense of difficulty.
Without Angel’s explanation, she knew they should intercept them by exterminating these invading magic monsters.
But with so many magic monsters, could they possibly kill them all?
Laplace looked back at Angel, wanting to ask to what extent they should kill. But upon looking, Laplace was taken aback.
She expected Angel to be as troubled by these magic monsters as she was; even if not anxious, at least he should look serious.
However, Angel’s expression now was not remotely related to seriousness.
Was it... surprise?