However, the Alchemy Golem did not act according to Angel’s wishes.
It turned its head to look at Olao: "Go, collect all the poetry collections here. While my energy hasn’t dissipated, deal with the Chanter’s matter first."
Angel: ???
Angel was a bit confused, why deal with his matter first? These poetry collections won’t run away. Even if the Alchemy Golem’s energy is gone, and Augustine leaves, can’t they just collect these poetry collections later?
Why must it be resolved now?
Angel hesitated for a mont, wanting to say "no need to do it first," but before he could speak, Olao spoke first: "Master, why don’t I go to the Wise Sovereign and seek a larger spatial artifact? This way, without my help, the Chanter can collect all the poetry collections."
Alchemy Golem: "Wise Sovereign? He’s still here..."
The Alchemy Golem’s gemstone eyes flashed a hint of nostalgia, after a while, he sighed softly: "With an outsider’s body, to awaken inspiration. This is surely a rare talent that goes beyond the ordinary, yet it beca a failing due to obsession. Naraku, oh Naraku, what trouble you’ve caused."
Though this was a comntary on the Wise Sovereign, it greatly stirred Olao. Others, including Adanis, were unaware of what happened back then, but Olao was very clear that, given Master Augustine’s status, he dared not call Naraku by na.
Even when searching for poetry collections in the outside world, separated by countless worlds from Naraku City, when Augustine spoke of Naraku, he always added a respectful title: City Lord Naraku, or Lord Naraku.
Because at that ti, Naraku’s true strength, though unknown to outsiders, was definitely at the rank of a Legendary Wizard, while Augustine was only a regular wizard.
Regarding Legendary Wizards, even if they are enemies, they are always given respectful titles when spoken of. This is an unwritten rule, yet one that everyone silently follows.
Now, Augustine speaks of the Wise Sovereign, but when ntioning Naraku, he does so without adding a respectful title. This signifies that Augustine believes his strength is close to Naraku’s or even higher. Only this way would he casually call him by na.
Because of this, Olao felt extrely excited, and in his eyes there was... desire.
The Alchemy Golem naturally didn’t overlook Olao’s excitent and understood his aning, but it still shook its head: "No need, the Wise Sovereign’s things are not easy to take; owing him a favor is not good for you or the Chanter."
"So, you should go collect them."
However, Olao still displayed resistance: "Even if we don’t seek the Wise Sovereign, there should be other ways..."
"Just go collect them and stop arguing. The Chanter finally agreed, do you want him to regret it? Hurry up." The Alchemy Golem spoke harshly to Olao for the first ti.
Olao closed his eyes, staying silent for a long ti, eventually refraining from resistance and instead stood up, walked to the bookshelf nearby, and began to gather the poetry collections.
Olao’s actions in collecting the poetry collections were very slow, as if waiting for Master Augustine to stop him.
But from beginning to end, Augustine said nothing and instead watched Olao, observing him take each bookshelf into the mirror. —And this mirror appeared out of nowhere in front of Olao; it was a very old-fashioned bronze mirror.
The bookshelf slipped into the bronze mirror silently, without causing any harm to the mirror. The mirror seed like an abyssal depth, swallowing the bookshelf, which far exceeded its size, along with the poetry collections on it, all into the mirror.
Throughout the process, the atmosphere was silent, and it was a kind of eerie silence.
Augustine seed like a supervisor, inspecting Olao’s actions. He did not speak, so naturally, others dared not speak, but the air was filled with an incredibly strange atmosphere.
At this mont, everyone’s hearts were full of doubt, but they dared not speak or use the Mind Ribbon for discussion in front of a suspected Legendary Wizard, so they could only exchange glances.
And regardless of how they exchanged glances, ultimately, they all converged on Angel.
Angel was not foolish; he understood everyone’s doubts too.
Olao clearly did not want to help Angel collect the poetry collections, which was indeed quite odd.
If it were Adanis, they could understand, considering Adanis’s rebellious personality. But Olao had extended a helping hand to them multiple tis, showing them goodwill, especially to Angel, offering both goodwill and gratitude.
Logically speaking, Olao actively helping Angel to collect so insignificant poetry collections should not be a difficult matter.
But the current situation was that Olao persistently shirked the task, even suggesting seeking the Wise Sovereign’s spatial artifact.
It’s worth noting that when Angel initially communicated with Olao at the arena, Olao clearly told Angel not to engage too deeply with the Wise Sovereign, as what the Wise Sovereign desires cannot be afforded.
Yet now, Olao proposed finding the Wise Sovereign just to avoid helping Angel collect poetry collections; if this isn’t strange, what is?
Furthermore, Augustine insisted on watching Olao finish collecting the poetry collections before starting the next topic, which also defied normal logic.
Therefore, there must be sothing peculiar going on.
And this peculiarity might not be beneficial to Olao, which is why Olao showed such resistance.
But as to what the peculiarity specifically is, although everyone had their guesses, they still couldn’t pinpoint it.
Even Adanis, standing aside, showed a puzzled expression.
Others dared not speak, it was not appropriate, but Adanis didn’t have this concern; she was the first to break the oppressive silence.
"Olao’s mirror... I’ve never seen it before. What kind of mirror is this, why do I..."
Adanis initially wanted to say ’why do I feel a sense of oppression,’ but after so thought, she chose different words: "Why have I never seen Olao use it before?"
The Alchemy Golem replied calmly: "Do you rember the story I told earlier?"
Adanis stayed silent, but her expression acknowledged it.
The Alchemy Golem continued: "Think about the story I told. If you can’t figure it out, then wait until Olao returns, and ask him directly."
Although the Alchemy Golem didn’t say anything explicitly, it caused Adanis’s mind to overflow with speculation. The story told by the Alchemy Golem was hinting at itself and Olao.
And because Olao had secrets he hadn’t shared with Adanis, it wasn’t because he didn’t care about Adanis, but rather because he cared too much.
’If ’father’ doesn’t care about ’daughter,’ then who cares?’
Precisely because he cared, Olao didn’t want Adanis to bear too much burden. Unless absolutely necessary, he would shoulder all pressure and burden himself.
Assuming this line of thinking, might the mirror Adanis had never seen before represent an unspeakable burden to Olao? Is this why he hesitated to tell Adanis?
"Why does Olao seem very resistant to using that mirror? Why is that?" Adanis spoke again.
This question also happened to be what Angel wanted to know. Angel perked up his ears, eager to hear what the Alchemy Golem had to say.
Alchemy Golem: "That’s because of his ignorance."
Ignorance? This answer was a bit unexpected to everyone.
Adanis: "Why do you say that? I’ve never thought of Olao as ignorant."
Alchemy Golem: "That’s because the future you all see is too insignificant. For instance, you clearly already have a way to leave, as long as you first find the descendant of Noah and decide to help the main body of this Nose Avatar break through the Legendary Wall Barrier, then you will certainly head towards the Origin World. Once you reach the Origin World, you will be able to retrieve the missing part and have a better future."
"But what do you choose? You chose to stay in this oppressive Dark Space you’ve created."
Adanis seed to want to argue, but the Alchemy Golem waved his hand and interrupted, "I don’t care what you think, but what I have to tell you is that the fate of the Noah Clan is closely related to you."
"Let’s make a hypothesis: if back then, when you had the ans to leave, you chose to leave but did not search for the Noah descendant... What do you think the future would be like?"
Adanis did not reply, because from her perspective, things that haven’t happened have no value in answering.
The Alchemy Golem was not annoyed, continuing, "In such a case, I can still conclude that your future will lead to the Noah Clan. No matter what the ans, fate will push you towards the Noah Clan."
Adanis sneered: "Fate?"
Alchemy Golem: "Actually, I don’t believe much in fate either, but I think the term fits well here. The reason is simple: If you don’t want to die, if you still aspire to go further, then the missing part must be recalled."
"You might think you don’t care about the lost part now, but when you suddenly age and your lifespan becos evident due to that lost part, will you still not care?"
Although this was a rhetorical question, the Alchemy Golem did not give Adanis a chance to answer, but directly said, "The rebellious you would probably still answer, not care."
"But, while you don’t care, soone does." The Alchemy Golem glanced smilingly at the distant Olao.
Adanis’s expression changed rapidly, from indifferent to a shade of somber.
"After all, you were raised by his hands. How could he bear to see you die? But you do not want to be associated with the Noah Clan, so you won’t get back the missing part. What should be done?"
"Given my understanding of Olao, he will surely respect your choice. You don’t want to be associated with the Noah Clan, he won’t force you. As for Olao, while he cares for the Noah Clan, he can’t replace you in retrieving the missing part. Thus, he has only one thod to save you."
Adanis: "What thod?"
"Transform himself into the missing part for you to fulfill." Alchemy Golem: "He would rather dissipate than beco an incarnation to fill your missing rib. Sacrificing himself to complete your perfection—isn’t that romantic?"
The Alchemy Golem implied, "You should also anticipate his one-ti romance for you. By then, you will be able to appreciate such romance. However, it is only this once, treasure it."
Upon hearing this, the tight strings in Adanis’s heart snapped one by one.
She didn’t know whether Augustine’s words were true, but she knew that if what Augustine said were to happen, Olao would definitely sacrifice himself for her.
Though it sounds romantic, Adanis absolutely does not want to see such romance because it is a ’romance’ leading to death, a love with no turning back.
Moreover, this kind of romance and love, at its root, stems from ’father’s’ love for ’daughter.’
This is not what Adanis wants! It’s not what she desires to see!
"So, to avoid such a situation, must I collaborate with the Noah Clan?"
Alchemy Golem: "Yes. But whether you are willing to cooperate with the Noah Clan is your own business, I cannot force your choice."
Adanis lowered her eyebrows; her present mood was the most chaotic since her birth.
Not only was her heart a ss, but her thoughts were also a jumble.
Does she really have no other option? If she collaborates with the Noah Clan, what would beco of her steadfast resolve?
And even if she truly cooperated with the current Noah Clan, would those Empty-hearted People she exiled beco thorns in cooperation, could they truly trust each other?
As Adanis felt her thoughts becoming knotted, the Alchemy Golem spoke again:
"Speaking of which, earlier I ntioned your ignorance cos from seeing too small a future. Do you understand this now?"
Adanis turned her head, her heart having so thoughts, but her words were still firm: "Only a collection of various conjectures, reality is not conjecture."
The Alchemy Golem chuckled lightly: "Conjecture? Since you think so, alright then, let give you another conjecture."
"I’ll turn this conjecture into a proposition: how to let Olao see that you’ve grown?"
Adanis snorted coldly without speaking, but her ears pricked up. Because she genuinely wanted to know how to make Olao truly see her.
"Why has Olao always failed to see your growth?"
"What is the answer, I won’t respond, but I’ll ask you a few questions for you to ponder."
Pausing, the Alchemy Golem said, "First question, do you understand him?"
"Second question, do you rely on him?"
"Third question, have you ever left him? I an, a long-term departure from here."
"Fourth question, do you reckon you’ve had any changes in image, personality, or behavior?"
"Last question, has he seen any changes in you?"
Alchemy Golem: "You need not answer these questions... You say it’s just conjecture, now it’s your turn to conjecture."
Upon hearing these five questions, Adanis fell into contemplation. These five questions are incrental inquiries that Adanis had not considered... or rather, did not want to confront.
Now, pointed out directly by Augustine, she had no choice but to face these questions.
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