Chapter 1221: Section 1222 Wodell
“Alright.” Angel nodded calmly in agreement.
He had anticipated that Wodell might seek him out. As Popota had mentioned, Wodell would not come without a purpose, but what that purpose was, Angel did not know yet.
He had stepped out alone, partly to see if Wodell would indeed show up.
As it turned out, he had guessed correctly.
Wodell: “Please, follow me.”
Wodell flew towards the distance, as the gloomy winds of Wei City made his long robe flutter loudly.
A black and gold pattern flashed beneath Angel’s feet on the dark night’s swift passage, his toes pointed, and he floated lightly into the air, following Wodell into the unknown darkness.
As Angel left, Greerwu inside the stone chamber noticed nothing, still gazing “affectionately” at Aoluxiya’s soul, muttering to himself. But Popota, in another compartment, lifted his head at that moment, his gaze piercing through the cloak to watch the scene outside the window until Angel’s figure had disappeared. Only then did Popota lower his head, a barely audible sigh seeping into the air.
Angel had traversed the eerie Wei City, replete with skeletons and the undead, his path led by Wodell to the city’s outskirts.
It was the place where the throne and bone mound resided.
A solitary lamp emitting a dim yellow light stood atop the small mountain of bones. When the wind blew, the fire flickered, casting ghostly shadows in an already dim area.
After arriving here, Wodell stopped and stood quietly by the bone pile, silent for a long while.
Having no idea what Wodell was plotting, Angel could only adapt to the situation. He stood aside, awaiting Wodell to break the silence.
Previously, when he had first arrived, his entire attention had been drawn to the Phase Gate in the sky, which caused him to overlook his surroundings. Now, having another look made Angel notice several peculiar aspects.
Why would the throne be placed outside the city?
Logically speaking, the throne symbolized supreme authority; shouldn’t it be located at the heart of Wei City?
Also, why was there a mountain of white bones deliberately arranged outside? And why was a solitary lamp placed there, not illuminating the throne but quietly shining on this little mountain of bones?
Seeing Angel’s gaze on the bone pile, Wodell suddenly said, “Are you curious about these bones?”
“I’m just wondering why they are piled up here,” Angel replied truthfully.
Wodell laughed a laugh that sounded without the emotion of genuine mirth, but came only as the sound of “laughter” from beneath his mask.
“This is their will and mine as well,” Wodell slowly turned around, picking up the solitary lamp from the bone pile, quietly casting light upon the mountain of skeletal remains.
“Among these bones are my ancestors, my kinfolk, my beloved, and also my friends.” The flickering light shrouded the primitive patterns on Wodell’s mask with a dim yellow glow, and with his subdued words, it was as if the ancient souls from bygone eras were slowly standing up among the bones. They were all lives connected to Wodell, and now, save for the living Wodell, the others had all faded in the river of time, leaving behind only this pile of bones.
“Most of them died in battle, defending the ancient Wei City to their last breath. And those who killed them included the invading demons, powerful beings among the Magical Creatures, and even… you humans.”
“I’m sorry,” Angel said softly.
“You need not apologize, Savior, for this has nothing to do with you; those are ancient matters. It’s been a very long time, and all hatred and resentment have been forgotten by me. However, of all the invaders, at least in the eyes of us, Indigenous People, your humans came transparently for profit. For sufficient benefit, even turning against one another is permissible.”
Wodell’s tone remained even as he recounted the past, “For them, dying in battle was an honor, to continue the glory of the ancient era. In life, they guarded the last stronghold of the Indigenous People; in death, they still watch by the city’s gate, ever vigilant—that was their own choice.”
“As for me, seeing their skeletons makes me reflect on myself. Thus, I keep the lamp here, constantly reminding myself that they are watching over me.”
As Wodell spoke, he turned his head to Angel, “Would you be interested in hearing my story?”
Angel paused for a moment, then quickly realized that Wodell was probably getting to the main point.
With that thought, Angel nodded, “Alright.”
After a long silence, Wodell began slowly, “I once was the king of the ancient Wei City.”
“But compared to them,” pointing at the bone pile, “I was a coward afraid of death, so I sought a way out early. Choosing to live and decline with the land, I completely merged myself with this continent…”
“… Due to the Phase Gate, or perhaps other disputes over interests, after countless wars, the cowardly me survived.”
“At first, I was self-satisfied. That is until I watched my forefathers, my love, even my offspring age and vanish, then I started to doubt whether my choice was a mistake. Later, as the ancient era passed, the few remaining Indigenous People left this place, leaving behind nothing but this desolate ruin, and suddenly, I realized my choice might truly have been wrong.”
“There once was a wizard who sought my permission to use the Phase Gate, and I agreed. My condition was that I wanted the answer to a question.”
“I asked him, every Wizard seems to be in pursuit of endless life, but what’s the point?”
Wodell looked at Angel, “Do you know how he answered?”
“We are just exploring the truth,” Angel replied softly.
Wodell nodded, “Yes, that’s how he answered me too. I asked him what truth is, and he just laughed without responding. After thinking about it for a long time, I don’t know if my understanding is correct, but I guess that truth might be a vision, a kind of driving force that inspires Wizards to move forward, an obsession that is hoped for but unattainable.”
Wodell looked at Angel, apparently seeking an answer to “what is truth” from Angel’s mouth.
“Everyone pursues truth in different ways,” Angel answered back. Whether what Wodell said was correct or not didn’t relate to him; the truth itself resides within one’s heart.
Wodell shook his head, not continuing on the topic of truth, but rather getting back to the point: “Unfortunately, I no longer have any hope to move forward.”
Angel, “Because you’ve bound your fate with that of this continent?”
Wodell looked deeply at Angel, “Exactly, I’ve personally severed my own hope of advancing. If the continent collapses, I will die; if the continent is restored, I too can get better.”
“The collective consciousness of the continent is close to you, so I can’t harbor any intention of attacking you.”
A look of surprise flickered through Angel’s eyes. Wodell didn’t need to say that, he pointed it out on purpose—was he trying to put me at ease?
“Without any hope of moving forward, I can only waste away in this lonely world. Until I met you, Your Excellency the Savior.”
As the conversation reached this point, Angel realized that what Wodell was about to say next was probably the reason he had been summoned here.
There must be something he asks for.
Sure enough, after some preamble, Wodell stated the purpose of his visit.
…
Angel returned to the stone chamber above the praying chapel.
As he pushed the door open, Greerwu drifted over. Greerwu had turned back into a flame, looking like a small fireball.
Seeing the confusion in Angel’s eyes, Greerwu said, “There are too many Undead here, and although they won’t come near this place, the cold wind keeps pouring in from the doorway. It’s warmer to return to my true form.”
“You can close the door.” Angel casually shut the stone chamber door, blocking the chilling wind from outside.
Greerwu then turned back into his human form, a slightly dark but exceptionally delicate faced little boy.
“Because I don’t know when the shopkeeper will return, ah.” While Greerwu was saying this, he suddenly remembered something, “Shopkeeper, where have you been? Aoluxiya just woke up briefly, and I wanted to find you, but you weren’t outside.”
“I went out for a walk,” Angel skirted around the topic. “Aoluxiya woke up?”
“Yes, but only for a little while. He spoke a few words to me and then slipped back into sleep. The Primeval Flame’s seal makes it hard for his Soul Force to conduct. If we could just…”
“What did it say?” Angel cut Greerwu off because he knew that without interrupting, Greerwu would probably coax him into releasing Aoluxiya’s Soul.
In truth, Angel didn’t think that Aoluxiya would do anything to him after the seal was lifted, which was evident from Aoluxiya’s willingness to hand over the “Eyes of Light” to Greerwu. Greerwu could have taken advantage of Angel’s absence to release the Primeval Flame’s seal, but he didn’t do so, nor did Aoluxiya request Greerwu to do so.
This mutual trust clearly showed Aoluxiya’s attitude.
However, to avoid trouble and to be cautious just in case, Angel still felt it was better to avoid unsealing the Primeval Flame if possible.
As for what Aoluxiya mentioned, Greerwu pouted, “I talked to Lord Aoluxiya about our current situation. It was fine at first, but when it learned we were on the Continent of Yuantan, it stopped speaking much… However, it told me to tell the shopkeeper not to meddle in any matters related to the Abyss Queen, whether with Kulangduo or Garm, and try not to get too involved with them.”
“Why?”
Greerwu, “According to Lord Aoluxiya, even the Lord of the Flameless would describe the Abyss Queen as an unspeakable, terrifying ancient being. She spreads the terror of death in the Abyss and is a self-centered madwoman.”
Even through Greerwu’s retelling, Angel could feel the fear in Aoluxiya’s words when mentioning the Abyss Queen.
Angel pondered for a moment, “I understand.”
Angel and Greerwu then chatted about some unrelated topics before Angel headed back to his own room.