Chapter 1287: Section 1288: Solution
Angel had no knowledge of the events that occurred in Genoa, far away on the Old Earth Continent.
Suise entered the Exile Space with the White Bear, attempting to use this to stimulate Eulica. Meanwhile, Angel and Sanders headed towards the underground ice chamber.
Throughout the journey, Angel’s eyebrows were tightly furrowed because, once again, he had received a negative answer from Suise. It was already difficult to remove the mysterious energy lingering in the minds of the servants affected by the Crimson Authority, and even if it could be removed, given their current physical condition, they were unlikely to survive.
Although Angel had anticipated this outcome, when he finally confirmed it beyond doubt, he still found it hard to accept.
Thinking of those familiar people—Mana, the Head Maid, Ollie the maid, Shepherd Frandu, Physician Dink… who were all living just fine until, without any warning, they got involved and dragged to death, Angel’s heart couldn’t find peace for a long time.
“If you cannot transcend, death is an inevitable stop. Once you’ve embarked on the path of a wizard, you must also learn to make peace with death,” Sanders said quietly, “Unless something unexpected happens, you will have a very long life. When the wind blowing from the cliffs of time reaches fifty years, a hundred years later, you will still have to face this outcome.”
...
Angel understood this principle too; he might live a very long life, long enough to outlive generations of servants at Pat Manor.
Time would help him grow up, mature, and become indifferent to death.
But at least for now, at least at the moment, Angel still found it difficult to reconcile with death. It had been less than five years since he started on the wizard’s path, but many of those familiar people had been with him as he grew up, and such feelings were really too difficult to let go of right now.
Sanders patted Angel on the shoulder: “You’ve seen their condition. Actually, death might actually be a kind of release for them.”
Angel stopped, whispering softly, “Death might indeed be a release for them. But no matter what, as long as there’s a way to save them, I’ll still do it.”
The entrance to the underground ice chamber had been reached. Having said that, Angel turned and walked in ahead of Sanders.
Sanders made no comment on Angel’s words. As an observer, he could describe the situation lightly, but he was well aware that the empathy expressed in words was actually insincere, and that the feelings of those involved were hard for an observer to genuinely understand.
How to emerge from this grey haze was something Angel had to figure out for himself.
Time, while it was a rusty knife, might also become a medicine that soothes wounds.
…
In the underground ice chamber, when Sanders saw Jon in the Ice Coffin, his gaze slightly condensed.
A glow flickered in Sanders’s eyes. In his vision, a vast amount of data information radiated from Jon’s body, and it surprised him.
Indeed, as Angel had said, he was a human.
However, what surprised Sanders was not Jon’s human identity, but rather that Sanders had not noticed Jon’s origin.
He had his doubts when Angel mentioned Jon before, even thinking that Jon might be the descendant of humans who left the Wizards’ Realm early on, continuing generation after generation in the Otherworld, with his bloodline’s aura altered over time and thus in conflict with the will of the Wizards’ Realm.
But according to his examination, Jon did not originate from the Wizards’ Realm!
He was indeed a real Otherworld human.
The theory of human origin might indeed be subject to change, Sanders thought to himself. Although it was not a big deal for him, if discovered by wizards who liked to trace back to the Origin, it was likely to become a significant shock.
While Sanders observed Jon, Angel stood to the side, nodding his head in gratitude to Suibi who had guarded Jon during this period.
Suibi was Suise’s Magic Pet, a Two-Headed Dog. Like Suise, its entire body was covered in scarlet fur, with one of its heads blindfolded with a black ribbon, appearing to be asleep, while the other head kept its emerald-like eyes wide open, quietly watching Angel.
“Thank you for your care during this time. Now, this place can be left to me and my mentor,” Angel said, and within Suibi’s profound gaze, a hint of contemplation appeared.
It looked at Angel and then at Sanders.
“The blood energy on your body has grown much stronger, and I can’t see through your mentor’s power. This place can now be handed over to you,” a wave of spiritual fluctuation reached Angel’s mind.
Subsequently, Suise nodded, stood up from the ground, and turned into a deep red whirlwind, leaving the underground ice chamber.
After Suise had disappeared, Angel approached the ice coffin.
Jon’s physical condition, compared to when he had left before, seemed to have no significant change.
This was because when Jon regained the tri-state equilibrium, there would be a period of physical strength restoration where his condition would not deteriorate. However, once this period ended, a decline phase would begin again.
At the present time, they were exactly at the mid-point between the improvement and the decline phases, hence the negligible change in Jon’s body.
Sanders temporarily set aside Jon’s identity as an Otherworld human and began to meticulously examine his physical condition. Yet, as he observed Jon’s flesh, Sanders’s expression gradually turned serious.
A lengthy silence filled the underground ice chamber, and it was only after a long while that Sanders sighed and broke the stagnant air.
“Although his physical condition is not as dire as those servants affected by the Crimson Authority, the issues he faces are far more numerous than those of the servants,” Sanders said. “The tri-state equilibrium is indeed a method to sustain the activity in Jon’s body, but choosing the tri-state equilibrium complicates things. Initially, we only needed to address his physical issues, but now we must simultaneously provide a perfect solution for each aspect of the tri-state equilibrium to bring Jon back to life.”
Angel understood this as well, but when he had returned to the Old Earth Continent, Eulica had already established the tri-state balance for Jon. He had no choice but to continue enhancing Jon’s physical vitality based on that foundation.
It sounded as if the tri-state equilibrium was a trouble created by Eulica, but in fact, on this matter, Angel was actually grateful to Eulica. Had Eulica not decisively chosen the tri-state equilibrium, Jon might have already died before Angel returned to the Old Earth Continent. Eulica did not make mistakes regarding Jon’s situation, but instead had helped Angel considerably.
“Then, can Jon’s problems be solved?” Angel cautiously asked the question, his eyes filled with hope.
Sanders pondered for a long time and did not answer, which made Angel’s heart sink.
“Is it… already hopeless?”
Sanders did not shake his head nor nod but replied, “The current aspects of Jon’s tri-state equilibrium are the degree of Great Will erosion, the rate of physical extinction, and the consumption rate of the Water of Life Extraction. It is very difficult to find a perfect solution for this iron triangle.”
“Difficult as it may be, it’s not impossible to find a solution. I cannot provide the exact method right now, as it will require some time for detailed research. However—”
When Sanders mentioned that there might be a way to solve the problem, Angel breathed a slight sigh of relief. But Sanders’ conditional word made Angel’s still unsettle heart hang in the air once again.
“However, while the solution may need deliberation, I can already see two problems that are far from easy to solve.” Sanders pointed at an inscription pattern on Jon’s body: “Firstly, is this Abyss Inscription.”
“The current Abyss Inscription is not suitable for Jon. To perfectly resolve the issue with the Abyss Inscription, we need a matching inscription that is compatible with Jon’s physical condition, one that is not intense and is gentle,” Sanders shrugged. “This is not an easy task as you must know, with the existence of the Extreme Sect in the Southern Domain of the Wizards’ Realm, Inscription Studies are severely suppressed. It’s hard to find a suitable inscription here.”
“If a proper Inscription cannot be found in the Southern Domain, what about somewhere else? Using the phase gate of Wei City of the Ancient Cold, we should be able to reach other realms of wizards,” said Angel immediately.
“This is indeed a solution, but it should be the last resort when no other alternatives exist. Given the recent fall of a Demon God’s True Spirit, the Continent of Yuantan is likely being watched by great powers from the Abyss, so we must be cautious when entering,” Sanders paused for a moment: “Aside from that, there’s a second problem to consider.”
“Even if we achieve the perfect solution for the tri-state equilibrium, implementing and solving it would require at least three wizards skilled in computation and who have found the path of True Knowledge to work simultaneously,” Sanders looked at Angel. “I can be considered one, Suise might fill a position temporarily, but the last one remains unoccupied.”
Actually, finding a True Knowledge Wizard wasn’t difficult given Sanders’ connections. There were True Knowledge Wizards within the Barbarian Cave competent for the task, but Sanders presented this as a difficulty, obviously with other intentions.
Sanders didn’t mention that Suise was from the lineage of the Illusion Demon Island, and even if Suise learned about Jon’s situation, it wouldn’t spread.
So the last position was an issue. If entrusted to an outsider, Jon’s specific circumstances would inevitably be leaked. Although Angel was prepared for others to discover Jon’s condition, he was still reluctant to expose such sensitive information to outsiders so easily.
“This isn’t an urgent issue to solve right now, and I can try to extend Jon’s lifespan, allowing you to carefully consider,” Sanders paused, his eyes suddenly took on an inscrutable look: “Of course, if the problem can be resolved within Illusion Demon Island, that would naturally be the best.”
Angel understood Sanders’ intention. He obviously wasn’t suggesting that Flora should become a True Knowledge Wizard in a short time, but he hoped Angel could improve his strength as quickly as possible.
Angel was willing but indeed incapable yet.
However, Sanders’ words indeed left a mark in his heart. Though he couldn’t guarantee accomplishment, that mark became a driving force urging him forward.