"Adanis appears so strong, even surpassing the former guide in power. And Olao hasn’t appeared for ten thousand years; the Wise Sovereign only guessed that he was in slumber and never suspected that he might have met an untimely end?" the Black Earl asked.
Wise Sovereign: "According to the contract, she wouldn’t harm Olao."
"A contract, huh." The Black Earl sneered dismissively: "A contract from ten thousand years ago, if it has never been updated, won’t have fewer loopholes than a sieve."
"Moreover, even if there is a contract, wouldn’t you suspect Olao to be dead since he hasn’t shown himself? Or perhaps consider that he’s been put under house arrest?"
The Wise Sovereign glanced at the Black Earl and said coolly, "Even if I think along those lines, what significance would it have?"
For the Black Earl, a legitimate descendant of Noah, Adanis was by no means a guardian of ancestral legacy; her actions were more akin to an enemy of the Noah Clan. And Olao, although he seemed to accept Adanis’s deeds, who knows if something happened to him? If indeed something did, then Olao’s behavior would be understandable.
At least, in the Black Earl’s view, Olao might actually be closer to a guardian of the remnants.
However, the Wise Sovereign’s stance and perspective were different from the Black Earl’s. The Wise Sovereign did have some past ties with Olao, but this connection only lasted a few months. Whereas with Adanis, he had interacted for a full ten thousand years.
Compared to Olao, the Wise Sovereign obviously cared more about Adanis.
Furthermore, regardless of whether Olao’s outcome was death or confinement, it was irrelevant to the Wise Sovereign. Because his value was now far below that of Adanis.
Adanis had sent the You Nu, which helped stabilize the contaminated energy of the Magical Energy Array; Adanis herself was an expert in the Magical Energy Array, and it was her who helped stabilize the situation when the Hanging Jail Stairway faced the Spatial Tempest.
Therefore, Olao is irrelevant now; Adanis is the more important one.
Moreover, through detailed analysis and speculation, the Wise Sovereign could almost confirm that Olao was not in trouble and indeed spent most of his time in slumber.
Also, Adanis absolutely wouldn’t harm Olao.
In fact, the Wise Sovereign suspected that the reason Adanis remained in the Underground Aqueduct was precisely because of Olao.
The bond between them—whether kinship, friendship, or romantic love—the Wise Sovereign did not know. But Adanis’s actions absolutely took Olao’s feelings into account.
Otherwise, from the Wise Sovereign’s understanding of Adanis’s character, if she truly resolved to deal with the descendants of Noah, she would not have shown any mercy.
Reflecting on the past, Adanis can be said to have been considerably lenient with the descendants of Noah. Even those swallowed by the You Nu were physically unharmed. Essentially, they were sent to the Sea of Void Mirror to have their memories erased, ensuring they wouldn’t remember anything about the Underground Aqueduct before being released alive.
This might sound easy, but in practice, it’s quite difficult. The Sea of Void Mirror is extremely dangerous; even creatures within the mirror must approach it cautiously. Adanis thoroughly erased the memories of the Noah descendants each time and then released them, which was all considering Olao’s feelings.
This time is no different; Adanis mainly targeted Angel and barely mentioned the Noah descendants... Of course, this is also because in Adanis’s eyes, the Noah descendants were not much different from before, so she simply overlooked them.
The Black Earl wasn’t a fool. When he considered it from the perspective of the Wise Sovereign, he understood his meaning.
He wasn’t blaming the Wise Sovereign for being too utilitarian; if he were in his position, he would also consider practical issues first before tackling others.
Yet...
"Since you’ve already decided to side with Adanis, why choose to help us?"
The Black Earl had asked this before, but the Wise Sovereign had always given ambiguous answers. Now that the Wise Sovereign intended to show sincerity, did he have a new answer to the same question?
This time, the Wise Sovereign pondered for a while before speaking: "There are many internal reasons, ranging from subjective thoughts to sub-conscious motives, varied and disorganized. Even if I list them all, I might not be able to enumerate them completely myself."
"But these reasons are fragmented, an internal driving force. When you boil it down to a core, there is really just one word."
The Wise Sovereign paused and extended a finger to write a character on the True Words Tome.
——Transform.
In the common continental language, the basic definition of this character is: to break the existing status quo.
And this was precisely the basic definition the Wise Sovereign wished to convey.
Maintaining the status quo has many benefits, no doubt. But in the long run, it only leads to complacency and a lack of responsiveness to change.
The Wise Sovereign could maintain such a stable status quo... for ten thousand years, but his lifespan couldn’t sustain another ten thousand. In fact, without seeking solutions or opportunities for breakthroughs, even a thousand years would be problematic.
The Wise Sovereign couldn’t ignore the limit of his lifespan, but besides longevity, he was more concerned with whether he could witness Naraku rekindle its glory.
If it were merely like before, silently waiting for Naraku’s return, the Wise Sovereign didn’t believe that he would see any hope within his limited lifespan.
So, he constantly considered whether there was a way to break the status quo.
Until Angel and others arrived, the Wise Sovereign saw a glimmer of hope in their performance along the way.
Perhaps this was the variable he had been waiting for.
"Who are you fooling? I don’t believe it." Dox muttered under his breath.
The Wise Sovereign looked at Dox, his expression silent, yet his eyes clearly inquiring.
Dox: "The Dominator expects a variable, but rather than expecting an external variable, why not create one himself? I refuse to believe the Dominator considers us that variable."
In the Wise Sovereign’s words, their importance was infinitely elevated. Is that possible? It’s not that Dox didn’t appreciate it, but the words sounded overly complimentary to him.
Moreover, the most critical point is—
If the Wise Sovereign truly wished for the millennia-long equilibrium of the Underground Aqueduct to be disrupted and desired change, why choose to meddle with the remnants?
Olao and Adanis, those two "Spirits," in the Wise Sovereign’s earlier words, didn’t seem important enough to influence the future path of the Underground Aqueduct.
So, using Qingkong Poetry Room to discuss "change" in the Underground Aqueduct, how could he trust the Wise Sovereign’s words?
The Wise Sovereign: "I know what you’re thinking. And you’re not wrong; in the vast Underground Aqueduct, even if it’s in ruins, finding an appropriate variable is not easy either."
"I’m aware that some among you have substantial backgrounds. Relying on your patrons’ capabilities alone could turn the Underground Aqueduct upside down."
"However, destruction is easy; breaking through is difficult."
"For me, what I need is a breakthrough, not destruction."