Chapter 1243: Section 1244 Return Trip
Although Sanders and Kanter were extremely curious about the origin of Heiyu, they ultimately refrained from asking. They were now very close to Sunken Ridge, and all matters could wait until they returned to the Southern Domain.
With this in mind, they soon arrived at Sunken Ridge.
Compared to the surrounding desolate hills, Sunken Ridge, where spatial energy was stable, had significantly more luxuriant vegetation. Moreover, traces of human activity could be seen nearby.
Guided by Sanders, they came to a secluded and shady spot in Sunken Ridge to prepare for opening a cross-realm gateway to the Southern Domain.
However, during the anchoring of spatial coordinates, Sanders and Kanter had a small dispute.
Sanders intended to pinpoint the location directly to the Pamiji Plateau so they could return to the Barbarian Cave as soon as possible. Kanter suggested on the side that since taking Angel under his wing, Sanders had not visited the House of Lilith and proposed setting the exit near the House of Lilith instead. It would also be an opportunity to take Angel to visit, as it was a tradition of friendship between Illusion Demon Island and the House of Lilith.
Given the choice, Angel would naturally prefer the Old Earth Continent if possible; if not, nearby the Barbarian Cave would do… As for the House of Lilith, it might be a future possibility, but Angel was really not in the mood for it right now.
Sanders pondered for a moment, not so much persuaded by Kanter’s suggestion as reminded of something else by it.
Due to the failed plane fusion, wizards from various organizations were still lingering on the Pamiji Plateau. Intending to take Angel back discreetly, Sanders did not want to attract unwanted attention.
Furthermore, the Pamiji Plateau had experienced a plane fusion, and even though the outcome had failed, the nearby spatial energy would still be chaotic for a short while, making it unsafe to locate the gateway’s exit there.
Sanders’s encounter with a temporal and spatial conundrum the previous time might have been related to this spatial turmoil.
With this in mind, the exit coordinates Sanders finally set were on the other side of the Pamiji Plateau, in the Principality of Yari.
After Sanders announced his decision, Kanter sighed and accepted it.
Angel naturally had no objection, but upon hearing Sanders’s reasoning, a flicker of doubt crossed Angel’s eyes in secret.
Although Sanders had vaguely mentioned the failed plane fusion the last time they met, Angel had not given it much thought at the time. However, now that they were about to return to the Southern Domain, the matter weighed on Angel’s mind.
The plane fusion had indeed failed!
Could it be that the cross-realm gateway in Wind Whisper Valley was really the cause of the failed plane fusion?
Angel remembered the strange energy that emanated from the gateway in Wind Whisper Valley, which, like firefly lights, formed into a band of Milky Way and melted into the Eye of the Sky.
Because of that, Angel later journeyed to that bizarre world and learned the “Gate Model.”
At the time, Angel had speculated because the first occurrence of an anomaly in the Eye of the Sky was also during a plane fusion, but that was in the Devil’s Sea Area. Although Angel had not witnessed the anomaly in the Eye of the Sky, Nausicaa and Toby had.
Following the anomaly, news of the plane fusion failure was received.
Now, with the Eye of the Sky showing anomalies for the second time, Angel felt concerned at the time; might the plane fusion on the Pamiji Plateau also fail?
It appears to be indeed the case now!
As Sanders took out the Constant Fragments to prepare for opening the cross-realm channel, Angel stood by Kanter’s side, eyes rolling and quietly asked, “Lord Kanter, Mentor just mentioned that plane fusion failed. Do you know what happened?”
Without any suspicion, Kanter casually answered, “We still don’t know exactly what caused the plane fusion failure, but Lord Rhein speculated that it seemed to be due to some external interference. If it really was external interference, whoever managed to disrupt such a widespread plane fusion must be at least of Legendary status.”
After expressing his thoughts, Kanter asked, “Why are you so interested in this matter?”
Just as Angel was contemplating how to explain it, Sanders’s voice suddenly interjected, “This guy is probably after the Constant Fragments.”
Kanter’s attention was diverted by Sanders’s comment, “Constant Fragments? What, does Angel plan to build a Witchcraft Garden too?”
“He wants to trade for a Magic Rune Scroll with a luck attribute from Vifette, who demands a drop of Constant Fragments,” Sanders explained, his hands pausing at the right moment as a rift materialized in the air before them, the cross-realm gateway opened by the Mayfly Fragment, “Alright, time to head back.”
Once the cross-realm gateway was established, Kanter did not continue with the earlier inquiry, and they all filed into the passageway one by one.
This time, traversing the cross-realm passageway went without any incidents. On their way to the other side’s exit, Kanter suddenly smiled at Angel and said, “Speaking of which, weren’t you just asking about the cause of the failed plane fusion?”
“There’s a rumor out there that Sanders brings bad luck, claiming that plane fusions fail because of his presence. Four years ago in the Devil’s Sea, it was the same; as soon as Sanders showed up, the plane fusion failed. And this time too, plane fusion failed right after he arrived at the Pamiji Plateau. Perhaps the failure of the plane fusion really is due to Sanders’s ill-fortune.”
Kanter’s words were met with numerous cold stares from Sanders.
Angel chuckled outwardly, but inwardly, he was taken aback. If Sanders’s arrival at the Pamiji Plateau had indeed caused the plane fusion to fail… then it corroborated the Eye of the Sky as the source of the failure.
Because those peculiar dots of light had flown out from the cross-realm gateway! And that very gateway was opened by Sanders himself!
Angel’s heart began to pound with worry; if the people of the Wizards’ Realm found out that he was the cause of the disaster, then he estimated that he was done for.
The only consolation was that when the plane fusion failed, Angel was in the Abyss, so it was unlikely anyone would suspect him.
While Angel’s mind was flooded with thoughts, Kanter asked, “By the way, what do you need the Magic Rune Scroll that increases luck from Vifette for?”
Angel pondered, “Alchemy.”
Just as Kanter was about to continue probing, Sanders pointed to a bright spot ahead, “The exit, we’ve arrived.”
…
Above the surface of the Abyss, in the skies over the Sunken Ridge, a huge red-scaled bird suddenly flew in.
A perfectly proportioned female demon stood on the head of the red-scaled bird.
“Banbone Gaga, go there!” the female demon ordered, pointing to a secluded spot on a mountainside.
The red-scaled bird smoothly landed on a lush tree, and the female demon, with a roll and the aid of her tail for balance, leapt straight down from a high altitude.
She circled the area, sniffing with her nose, as if she was searching for something.
Soon, she discovered several footprints on the ground.
“Those humans were indeed here before, but there are strong space fluctuations. It seems they have left?” A hint of annoyance flashed in the eyes of the female demon, “Damn, just one step behind.”
She had been ordered by her master to investigate the situation on the about-to-topple Continent of Yuantan.
Since the Abyssal Will surrounding the Continent of Yuantan was about to dissipate, she had to move as fast as possible. So, when she saw those humans with a feather of Kulangduo, thinking it belonged to an old friend, she let them go.
However, after flying for a while, a thought suddenly struck her.
Kulangduo was born in the Continent of Yuantan, and because that dumb dog was injured, it often stayed there. The black feather in the humans’ hands was obviously freshly plucked, implying that Kulangduo had given it to the humans not long ago.
Kulangduo hardly ever leaves the Continent of Yuantan, so how did those humans get its feather?
There seemed to be only one possibility, those humans had been to the Continent of Yuantan recently!
Upon this realization, she immediately returned to track them, following the trail all the way to the Sunken Ridge, only to find that the group of humans had already left… How could she not be frustrated?
…
Angel and his companions were unaware of these events at the Sunken Ridge; by now, they had already reached the Republic of Yali.
After leaving the cross-realm passage, Angel immediately felt the long-missed freshness of the air.
A gentle and cool breeze blew towards them, seeming to invigorate every limb and bone.
Looking up at the azure sky, so starkly different from the eternal grey of the Abyss, and the drifting white clouds, the anxiety that had gripped Angel’s heart finally found a place to rest.
In this moment, Angel began to understand Jon’s feelings. Perhaps only those who have undergone an otherworldly journey could truly grasp the intense longing to return to their homeland.
Besides the physical and mental relief, what made Angel particularly happy was that he finally sensed the presence of the Wilderness of Dreams.
With the power of the “Gate of Dreams”, Angel could turn the Wilderness of Dreams into a sand table. Even though he couldn’t know the details of what was happening inside, the familiar sense of connection was something Angel dearly missed.
“We’re in luck, there are no energy fluctuations nearby, which means we’re far from the circles of the Transcendent,” Kanter said at that moment, his voice reaching Angel’s ears.
Angel snapped out of his excitement and nostalgia, and began to survey their surroundings.
They were on a body of water, a lake.
The water was so clear that the bottom was visible, with mountains surrounding them, most of which were majestic snow-capped mountains. The peaks of the mountains were bathed in the morning sunlight, looking as if they wore golden halos.
“We’re at Fragrant Lake, which is still some distance from the Pamiji Plateau,” Sanders paused, then looked at Angel, “Let’s go, time to head back.”
Angel nodded and took out the Gondola.
Popota conscientiously went to the rear compartment.
Under Sanders’s guidance, the Gondola started to fly towards the Pamiji Plateau. However, the moment they took off, Sanders’s fingertips lightly touched the table’s surface, and countless Illusion Nodes emerged instantly. With the arrangement of these nodes, the Gondola, which was very conspicuous, became invisible in mid-air, leaving no trace to be seen.