The Mind Ribbon then fell into a lasting silence. Dox and Black Earl were waiting for Angel to finalize the entry order.
Angel himself was conflicted.
Though Black Earl didn’t say it directly, his suggestion to arrange order was a hint.
The Black Earl intends to enter first.
The reason is simple; his sense of smell far exceeds his current realm. His olfactory prowess ranks at the top in the Southern Domain.
Therefore, the likelihood of the Black Earl relying on his sense of smell to locate the Wood Spirit and bring it out is greatest.
If Black Earl goes first to find the Wood Spirit and succeeds, subsequent entry by others might avoid the Wise Sovereign’s prying, revealing less information.
Furthermore, the Black Earl was restricted to enter alone, which was the least likely to leak information.
Angel received the suggestion, but he had some other thoughts of his own.
Because no one else knew, the Wood Spirit was likely transformed from Sanders’ wand. Therefore, Angel, as Sanders’ disciple, personally felt... if he entered, he might have a greater chance of finding the Wood Spirit.
Everything hinges on the Wood Spirit’s ability to discern Sanders’ aura.
So, purely from this perspective, Angel preferred to enter the Hanging Jail Stairway first.
However, there is another problem inside.
If the Wood Spirit really was transformed from Sanders’ wand, and it recognized Sanders’ aura, it would undoubtedly expose Angel’s identity.
The Sage originally had doubts whether Angel was part of the Noah Clan, but as long as Angel truly relied on Sanders’ connection to lure the Wood Spirit, then disguising as Noah Clan would almost certainly fail.
Thus, these opposing outcomes left Angel feeling conflicted.
Should he let the Black Earl go first, or should he go himself?
"Still can’t decide? Why don’t I go first and scout the way for you guys?" Dox seemed eager.
From his expression, it appeared that he was more interested in treasure hunting than scouting.
Angel also realized he was taking too long, which might arouse the Sage’s suspicion.
Angel closed his eyes, took a long breath inward, and then spoke in the Mind Ribbon: "Black, first. Me, second. Red, last."
In the end, Angel decided to let the Black Earl go first.
Maybe the Black Earl could truly find the Wood Spirit and succeed in persuading it?
If the Black Earl succeeded, Angel’s identity could remain hidden. Conversely, if the Black Earl failed and Angel’s identity was exposed, at least he could help conceal Vay’s identity, so he chose to go second.
If neither he nor the Black Earl could find the Wood Spirit, it would be pointless for Vay and Dox to enter.
At that point, Vay and Dox could simply explore and exit without interaction, just marking the mission as a failure.
"Making me go last... I really don’t mind being at the front." Upon hearing Angel’s arrangement, Dox was somewhat reluctant.
"I assure you, the Sage has a way to monitor your actions after entering. If he sees someone merely treasure hunting instead of searching for the Wood Spirit..." Angel paused, pointing sharply at Dox.
Dox declared righteously, "How could I commit such an unseemly act at such a tense moment?"
Angel: "Should I put you first then?"
Dox was silent for two seconds: "Well, forget it. Let’s go with your plan."
Angel chuckled lightly, turning to look at the Black Earl. They didn’t speak, merely "glanced" at each other, then looked away.
Having reached a decision, they didn’t elaborate further, but turned to the Sage.
"I’ll go first." The Black Earl announced directly.
The Sage nodded indifferently, "Alright."
The Black Earl did not leave immediately but reinforced the Earth Loop Wall repeatedly in front of the Sage. The reason was simple: in case the Sage chose to act against the group when the Black Earl left, at least the Earth Loop Wall could buy them time to escape.
The Black Earl stacked nearly eight layers of the Earth Loop Wall.
Despite careful observation, the Sage still couldn’t decipher how the Black Earl achieved this.
It’s important to note, the Earth Loop Wall isn’t a mere trick but a spell approaching the Second Level. Stacking spells can introduce many variables, and any structural error can result in a spell backlash.
Although official wizards have many ways to deal with spell backlash, they can only guarantee they won’t die or be near death; injury is certain.
For ordinary official wizards, stacking two Level 1 spells is challenging; the Black Earl managed to stack eight times.
This stacking effect isn’t a mere simple addition but directly altered the essence of the Earth Loop Wall, turning a spell close to Second Level into a Third-level Spell.
The effect enhancement was exponential, and it directly leaped across a major level.
This led the Wise Sovereign to have doubts about the Black Earl’s identity.
The Sage previously judged that this odd nose might have come "from" the Noah Family, but wasn’t necessarily a member, possibly a guard of a Noah descendant.
Otherwise, upon initial meeting, this nose wouldn’t seem ready to die at any moment.
Yet, now it seemed he might have misjudged.
A guard willing to sacrifice at any time, capable of such exquisite skills?
This nose... who is it? A Shapeshifting Technique? Or possibly part of someone else?
The Sage expected suspicions to arise, and the Black Earl anticipated this as a necessary process. Although the Sage didn’t seem inclined to act now, no one could be certain if he would reveal his tusks to the others once the Black Earl entered the Hanging Jail Stairway.
The Triclops Blue Demon, by nature, was a creature that devoured. Awakening intelligence doesn’t eliminate primal desires, does it?
At such a time, cynically considering the other as threatening is evidently safer than trusting their rationality and goodwill.
Besides, the Sage hasn’t shown much goodwill so far.
"Who are you?" For the first time, the Wise Sovereign seriously examined the inconspicuous nose on the stone tablet.
Black Earl: "Who am I? As I’ve mentioned before, I’m from the Noah Clan; my name is insignificant."
After speaking, the Black Earl gently released his aura. While it seemed to unify the Earth Loop Wall’s power more cohesively, it made the Sage sense a hint of threat.
Is this... a warning?
Upon interpreting this information, the Wise Sovereign was not angered but rather intrigued.
What qualification does this nose have, to dare issue a warning to him? The only answer beyond a fool’s arrogance is that the other possesses matching courage.
Whether this courage stems from personal strength or a powerful figure behind them, this is hard to say.
But, regardless of which possibility, it seems to make this drama more fascinating.
The Sage chuckled lightly and ceased his inquiries.
The Black Earl also disregarded how the Sage felt, nodding lightly to Angel, before controlling the stone tablet to fly into the Hanging Jail Stairway.