Chapter 1152: Section 1153: Mini Statue
“I can refrain from taking you as a disciple,”
As these words fell, Angel abruptly looked towards the cruel scholar.
At this moment, its statue’s wings were widely spread, hovering right in front of Angel, with a majestic aura overwhelming him. And those eyes filled with wisdom and cruelty were looking down upon him.
“All you need to do is agree to one thing, and I will let you go,” said the cruel scholar, looking down at Angel from above.
“What is it?” Angel asked warily, not believing there was anything about him that would catch the cruel scholar’s eye, except… his soul.
Of course, Angel’s thoughts could not escape the cruel scholar’s perception.
Indeed, the cruel scholar was quite interested in Angel’s soul, but having lived for so long, it was well aware of the rules adhered to by powerful beings across various worlds. Angel’s soul was clearly claimed by a powerful entity, and under these circumstances, it dared not even attempt to mark Angel as a disciple, let alone take possession of it.
However, though it could not have Angel’s soul, this did not curb the cruel scholar’s desire to study it.
From previous probing, it was clear that as long as the soul wasn’t threatened, that particular being would not make an appearance.
The cruel scholar had even noticed the Flame Mark of the Abyssal Dragon on Angel’s body, indicating that Angel’s physical form was actually not under the protection of that powerful existence.
If judged by this situation, the cruel scholar could actually try to imprint its own mark onto Angel’s body. Nevertheless, the cruel scholar refrained, noticing something peculiar about Angel’s right hand, and the fact that previously, the green pattern had also integrated into his right hand. It seemed that both Angel’s body and soul were connected to that great existence in some way, with the soul being more taboo than the body.
After weighing the options internally, the cruel scholar ultimately chose not to place its true name mark on him.
Instead, it planned to observe Angel in another way.
…
After voicing his doubts, the cruel scholar didn’t reply but slowly flapped its wings, letting its previously upturned tail gently come down.
The cruel scholar’s tail was a sharp hook, hung with books. Now, as it lowered its tail, the books naturally fell and floated in front of Angel.
These books were not real but rather statues made of some material.
Angel looked at the cruel scholar with confusion, not understanding its intention.
In response, the cruel scholar simply tapped the pile of books with its tail. With a crisp sound, a crack appeared on the book in front of Angel.
As the mottled stones fell, Angel saw what was hidden within the central part of the book sculpture.
A palm-sized figurine, which depicted a demon with its wings closed… precisely the statue’s original shape. One could imagine that when these wings unfolded, it would be an exact, smaller replica of the cruel scholar’s statue.
“As long as you carry it with you, I will spare you,” the voice of the cruel scholar echoed directly in Angel’s mind.
“What is this?” Angel’s question received no reply.
Angel could only ask again, “If I agree to your condition, how long must I carry it? And what influence will it have on me?”
“I never have interest in any research subject for more than two hundred years,” the cruel scholar said. “As for its influence on you… it depends on how you use it.”
As it spoke, the cruel scholar let out a sinister, low chuckle, as if telling Angel that the consequences could be unpredictable if he decided to use the figurine.
But up to this point, Angel still didn’t even know what the figurine was, let alone how to use it.
Also, did the cruel scholar mean to consider “me” as a research subject? So, I would have to carry this figurine for at least two hundred years?
“You are correct,” the cruel scholar nodded, acknowledging Angel’s thoughts.
To the cruel scholar, Angel was like an ant to a human. It had some interest in Angel, but not in Angel himself, just pure curiosity… Oh, wrong, not to study for the time being, but to observe.
“What if the figurine gets damaged?” Angel asked.
“If the figurine truly breaks, then good for you, you would be liberated ahead of time without waiting two hundred years,” the cruel scholar paused before continuing in a profound tone, “I am actually quite looking forward to the day you manage to shatter it.”
Clearly, the cruel scholar understood that Angel intended to break it himself.
However, this ‘sent down object’ was a function of its role as a Demon God, representing a deeper aspect of the laws of the Abyss. Not just Angel, even if the Lord of the Profound were to try, they might not be able to shatter it.
If Angel truly managed to break it, the cruel scholar would not pursue the matter because anyone capable of breaking the object would have to be more powerful than itself.
“So, what will it be? Have you thought it through?” The cruel scholar could sense that the scales in Angel’s heart were beginning to tip. Yet, the impact of such a ‘promise’ thought in the mind and spoken aloud differed greatly.
Angel fell silent. He looked at the floating statue in front of him and then at the terrifying might of the demon frozen in time.
Clearly, if he didn’t agree to the Cruel Scholar’s terms, he would be the next meal for this demon in a second.
If the Cruel Scholar had asked him to become a follower, he might have refused. But taking a statue with him seemed not entirely out of the question.
The only thing Angel worried about was whether there might be some catch with this statue. For instance, by taking the statue, could he unwittingly become part of some kind of “Ceremony,” ultimately becoming a follower of the Cruel Scholar regardless?
“If I wanted to kill you, it would be very easy,” came the voice of the Cruel Scholar to Angel’s ears.
Angel peculiarly felt that the Cruel Scholar wasn’t threatening him with this statement, but rather informing him that the difference between them was immeasurable, like a droplet to the sea or dust to a mountain. With such a massive gap in power, the Scholar wouldn’t need to resort to any schemes to do what it wished.
After a moment of thought, Angel looked at the Cruel Scholar, “If I accept your request, can I leave Lassudral alive?”
The Cruel Scholar clearly understood what was on Angel’s mind; he had actually made a decision, but wanted to secure his rights to survival before verbalizing his promise.
“What a greedy human you are. I can only ensure your departure from this hall alive, but whether you can survive in Lassudral afterwards has nothing to do with me,” paused the Cruel Scholar. “Of course, you could try using it.”
The Cruel Scholar stretched out a hand, gesturing toward the statue that floated in front of Angel.
Angel was stunned for a moment; by its tone, the statue seemed to offer some sort of refuge? However, Angel didn’t ponder it further. He was well aware that if he ever reached the point of needing to beseech the Demon God for help, the price demanded would undoubtedly be his soul.
“The time has come to make a decision. My power, having been projected here, has already drawn the attention of some ancient deities. I must retract my power now.”
As soon as the power was withdrawn, the area that was frozen would clearly be released.
If Angel didn’t make a choice by then, he would be left with only one path: death.
Angel contemplated briefly and, considering the reality of his situation, he eventually nodded.
“Alright, I accept,” he said.
The Cruel Scholar narrowed its eyes, “Good, the promise is made.”
…
Yadasai witnessed Angel feeding Jupiter, being chased by him, and then being frozen in the hall as the statue of the Cruel Scholar stirred… all these scenes struck Yadasai with wonder.
Previously, the uninvited guest’s arrival didn’t provoke much of a reaction from the Cruel Scholar, so why such grand gestures now?
Could it be because of the owner of this psychedelic shop?
Yadasai looked towards Angel. Since the moment Angel practiced Astral Projection, Yadasai had realized that he wasn’t actually one of the Indigenous People but a human adept at disguise.
Yadasai didn’t have much of a reaction to Angel being human; to it, there was essentially no difference between Indigenous People and humans.
Yet, it was interesting that a human could awaken a demon.
Until now, Yadasai’s impressions of Angel were just that. But it now seemed odd that this human made the Cruel Scholar descend in consciousness a second time.
Yadasai gazed at Angel with an inquisitive eye, trying to discern what exactly was unusual about him.
But no discoveries were made.
The hall had been frozen in space for quite a while, and Yadasai didn’t know how much longer this stasis would last. But if nothing went wrong, Angel was likely to be shredded into pieces by Jupiter once the freeze ended.
‘Unless something unexpected happens’ was the condition… yet, for some reason, Yadasai had the feeling that the freeze had happened at this particular moment for a reason, and that something unexpected would indeed occur.
As expected, as Yadasai had such thoughts, a contract seemed to form between Angel and the Cruel Scholar in the center of the hall, and a flash of firelight burst forth from the Scholar.
With the dance of the firelight, the statue of the Cruel Scholar in the center crumbled into dust while a tinier statue, trailing luminescence, dropped into Angel’s palm.
The hall, with the dispersal of the statue, returned to normal.
But Jupiter did not fly to Angel’s side to attack him as before. Instead, he was brushed by the glowing dust, directly flung onto the ground, and smashed into a deep pit.
And he fell unconscious once again.
Angel, meanwhile, was panting heavily, slumped on the floor.
At the same time, the Pattern of light at the hall’s entrance also vanished without a trace.