Truth-finders knew what it meant to “create” and how difficult it was, which was one of the reasons why Greya did not make much progress after creating “Artificial Life”. Rein Mute was wondering if Greya had been following the same path.
“Keep going for creation or change her way... Both are extremely challenging,” Sunders replied. “But I’d say it’s easier to go for the latter.”
“So, you think Greya found a new path?”
“I’m not sure. We’ll see once this settles down.”
The world’s consciousness always presented great challenges to those who sought out for truth and great rewards if they succeeded. Wizards always wished to figure out how or why the world’s consciousness would do such a thing, yet there was no solid conclusion.
What they knew was that an “omen” suggested that someone was about to triumph in the challenge, and the world’s consciousness was delivering the reward.
They would naturally know what Greya went after when the reward was seen in the end.
“No one could have believed that a mere gourmet wizard would make such achievements...” Rein explained as he recalled the great omen caused by Greya’s first new spell.
Back then, Greya constructed a new plane consisting of delicious meals. The seawater was wine, the floating clouds were honey, and the world itself was the most luxurious feast one could find.
“I heard. A wizard claimed that he smelled the ‘flavor of heaven’ when passing through Hazy Waters. A whiff of the wind was all it took to sate his hunger. And the miracle persisted for a hundred days.”
Hazy Waters was where Greya’s restaurant once stayed, during which her “Artificial Life” spell turned her into a truth-finder. The wondrous omen she caused was quite an extraordinary story to be passed down.
“Even if Greya changed her direction, this omen is still potent enough compared to most other omens I observed from other truth-finders.” Rein glanced at Greya’s hut, but he could not see into it due to the interference caused by the energy surge. “People are expecting her to become the leader of all gourmet wizards. She totally has what it takes.”
Rein suddenly gave Sunders a serious look. “If you don’t want Samantha, Greya might be another choice for you. We Brute Cavern do not have a single gourmet wizard yet, and we always had to give up apprentices talented in cooking. It’s such a shame.”
Sunders didn’t seem bothered by the idea. “This does not concern me. If you wish to open up a new department in the organization, Mister Rein, you can always do it yourself. You haven’t enjoyed a decent ‘partnership’ with anyone in the past ten centuries, right? Good timing. Greya will stay at Phantom Island for several more days.”
Rein showed an embarrassed smile. “I meant it. Greya looked a lot better compared to before, am I right?”
Sunders humphed but didn’t answer.
Meanwhile, Angor tried to hold back his smile as best as he could. He wondered what would happen if Greya heard about the absurd conversation. Probably nothing pleasant since she always made bad comments against Sunders behind the gentleman’s back.
To Angor, Rein Mute was a well-experienced and scary elder who dominated the entire Brute Cavern. But after what he saw just now, Rein Mute was slowly becoming a passionate old man who loved matching couples in his view.
When the thundercloud almost covered up the Tree of Eternity, the pressure affecting Brute Cavern finally changed.
The nature of the invading power became different all of a sudden. Before, it was like someone who wished to threaten everyone with sheer willpower. But now, the power went right into everyone’s body and mind to attack them.
Angor was enjoying the small drama between Rein and Sunders, and he wasn’t prepared for this. In an instant, the increased pressure forced him to go down on one knee.
He felt horrible. It was as if his body was ripped open at several spots, where the power could flush his innards over and over.
He wasn’t the only one affected by the power—almost everyone under the dark clouds was troubled by the pressure. However, those on Phantom Island were experiencing stronger interference for some reason, and it was mostly Angor who suffered the most.
“Keep it together. This is not exactly harmful to you,” Sunders comforted his student in a small voice.
Angor nodded using all his strength and held onto the railings nearby so that he would not completely collapse on the floor. Despite his effort, he still looked funny to onlookers.
Rein smiled. “You’ve learned to act more gently, I must say.”
Sunders only smiled back.
If you know it is Angor who helped Greya discover a new spell, Rein Mute, you will know to treat him like your dearest child.
As the power took on a different force, something also happened to Greya’s hut.
A blurry shadow emerged from the roof of the hut and ascended into the sky. It disregarded all the lightning bolts and embers raging around and kept moving upward as if it was challenging the will of the world’s consciousness.
“That’s... her soul. She’s not bringing her body?” Rein wondered.
The shadow was Greya’s soul, which had her old look of an overweight woman, but not the image of a young girl she was currently using.
“She’s using the body of an apprentice, which will easily break apart when facing against the world’s consciousness,” said Sunders.
Rein nodded. He was one of the few people who knew about Sunders’ plan in which the gentleman would help Greya find her true body. In order to let an “outsider” remain in Brute Cavern, Sunders had to at least inform Rein about this matter.
Greya’s soul was moving back and forth against the thundercloud as if she was fighting something.
Pain, confusion, hatred... She was showing different expressions during her “battle” as she bore with the challenge that she had to go through. And she had to claim the victory to finish her task for real.
“Do you think Greya can make it?” Rein asked.
“It shouldn’t be difficult for her since she went through a similar experience before.” Sunders grinned. “Besides, I don’t think the world’s consciousness is obstructing her. You can see what is happening, right, Mister Rein?”
Rein also smiled as he replaced his cold temperament with more gentleness. “The world’s consciousness only obstructs slackers who do not deserve the truth. To dedicated fighters, however, this is a real test. A test that determines whether she is capable of proceeding on her path.”
As wizards believed, the world’s consciousness was not sagacious. It appeared more like a strict law enforcer who followed certain rules of this world and nothing else. It did not punish people who obtained strength by cheating, nor did it reward those who worked hard. It only presented an obstacle to someone who was about to reach the path of truth as if this were a standardized process.
Greya, as a truth-finder wizard, had no problem surpassing the obstacle.
As she stepped over the “finishing line”, the thundercloud instantly dispersed, and the pressure on everyone was also lifted.
However, not everything reverted to their original conditions. There were still flames burning all around Phantom Island. The omen had completely destroyed all beautiful sceneries on the island, which otherwise made the place look like a nature reserve.
Such desolation was what Angor saw when he managed to stand up on his trembling legs.
And he suddenly felt a little sad.
Then, he noticed that Sunders and Rein weren’t moving at all after the crisis was gone. They were still gazing at Greya’s soul quietly as if waiting for something else to happen.
Angor followed their example and also looked toward where Greya was. But before he could notice anything of interest, he saw groups of small dots showing up from all directions—wizards in Brute Cavern, who came to check on Phantom Island as soon as the initial omen went away.
Despite all the damage, Phantom Island was still fully protected. No one could get inside without receiving Sunders’ approval, so they could only stay at a distance and look at the island from afar, with the exception of a young, barefoot witch, who casually floated into the boundary of Phantom Island while carrying a tiny, crimson umbrella.
“Professor, Mister Rein.” She slowly landed beside Sunders and looked at Angor, who was still sweating all over. “Oh come on, you wet yourself so badly just because of some small energy flows? Your body’s too squishy. I just got my hands on a bottle of Nightfiend Bloodline. You can borrow it!”
Angor felt too weak, but he still forced up a smile. “Please don’t make fun of me, Miss Flora.”
“Nightfiend Bloodline is good stuff,” said Rein, “and she’s right about how your physical form is way too fragile. Accepting the bloodline will fix most of your problems.”
Flora was a bit surprised to hear Rein Mute’s comment. It was supposed to be a joke because she knew Angor should find a bloodline from a nightmare monster. Now that Rein picked up her topic... she wasn’t sure what to say next.
Sunders shook his head. “You’re probably correct, Mister Rein. But I think you already know that Angor is a Nightmare Form. It’s best if he seeks a bloodline in the Nightmare Realm.”
“Right, but that won’t be easy.”
“I’ll keep an eye on it when searching for Greya’s body.”
Angor was glad that Sunders helped him avoid more of Rein’s attention, but he was very shocked to hear Sunders’ plan.
He’s searching for Lady Greya’s body? As in, by going to the Nightmare Realm? Well, she did mention that her body was lost in that place. So this is why she’s been staying at Phantom Island?