Published at 15th of February 2026 10:06 am

Chapter 2558: The Birth of Emotion

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"Just hearing about Dox gets your blood boiling, huh?" Angel muttered softly, "I have a feeling this exploration could go horribly wrong."

Black Earl: "..." What does he mean by just hearing about Dox gets his blood boiling? Why does this statement seem a bit odd...?

Angel: "Perhaps we should put this exploration on hold and discuss it another time?"

Angel said this, but his eyes were fixed on Black Earl... ’s nostrils.

Of course, Black Earl understood Angel’s trick. He was just suggesting this because he thought the information given was too little. If he really wanted to pause the plan, he would have done it at the Sandworm Market, not wait until they were at Bilun Tree Court.

Black Earl snorted coldly, "Even though I dislike Sanders, there’s something I appreciate about him. He doesn’t beat around the bush when he talks, unlike Rhein, who always makes me guess what he means. You better not learn from Rhein; if my hand were here, I’d slap you one."

Black Earl’s words were harsh, but in reality, they were just empty words. Even if his hand wasn’t there, it wouldn’t be difficult for him to hit Angel.

Angel wasn’t bothered by Black Earl’s harsh words and laughed, "I just thought, since you’re also getting excited, it means there’s something inexplicably mysterious about this exploration. The more bizarre it is, the harder it is to defend against, and there’s a chance we might all perish. For the safety of the whole team, if there’s something more you know and can share, it would at least improve our survival odds."

Black Earl: "Your answer is always half-hidden, so why should I tell everything?"

Angel: "What I’m hiding is simply something my mentor forbade me from sharing. But I can honestly say, all I know is a vague location tied to the key; I have no clue what’s along the way or at the destination."

"Besides, can’t you contact the mentor? Just let the mentor tell you the rest."

Black Earl took a deep breath, ensuring what Angel said was not a lie. Besides, he had also guessed that what Angel was hiding likely had to do with the Nightmare Realm. After thinking it over, Black Earl finally said, "The fact that it stirs my bloodline suggests there might be something high-order and bizarre there. Whether it’s a bizarre creature or some bizarre phenomenon, we won’t know until we get there."

Upon hearing this, Angel had a guess in mind; perhaps Black Earl didn’t know about Augustine’s matter? He was still following the mode suggested by Rhein.

Angel deliberately pondered for a moment and then said, "How do you define bizarre, my lord?"

Black Earl: "Difficult to trace, logical imbalance, elusive—this is what’s bizarre."

"That sounds a lot like a Mysterious Object."

Black Earl: "Why can’t bizarre be a Mysterious Object? Who’s to say the bizarre thing there isn’t one?"

"If it’s a bizarre situation orchestrated by a Mysterious Object, I would indeed need to consider whether to go." Angel said seriously, knowing a Mysterious Object could mean trouble even with Earl Mi by his side. Thinking of the Mysterious Fruit created by No. 03 last time, which even Gluz Deward’s avatar couldn’t withstand, how could he take something on head-on?

Black Earl sensed his hesitation and added, "The chances are low. If there were a Mysterious Object capable of stirring my bloodline from so far away, its mysterious aura would have already spread; it wouldn’t wait for you to explore."

"That’s true, but there’s one type of Mysterious Object that’s specifically triggered by those aware of its existence. Have you heard of the Seed?" The Seed doesn’t actively release a mysterious aura, but once you recite a passage, you’ll be pulled into it no matter where you are.

"Of course, I know about the Seed. Rhein invited me to the Barbarian Cave to deal with Seed followers not long ago, but I was too lazy to go. By the timing of it, it should be these days, making the Pamiji Plateau rather lively." Black Earl casually made some off-topic remarks and then returned to the main point, "What you mentioned does exist, but my intuition tells me it’s not a Mysterious Object."

Black Earl’s words left Angel in a moment of silence.

Instead of focusing on Black Earl’s main point, Angel was more interested in what he said before that.

He began to understand why the Tree Spirit deliberately assigned him tasks, why Rhein had been so busy lately, why the granny mentioned Rhein had invited old friends... It all made sense. It was because the Seed followers had appeared in the Pamiji Plateau.

And their target, without a doubt, was Angel.

Everyone was hiding this from Angel and intentionally sent him elsewhere, probably with good intentions... but Angel felt it was a bit unnecessary. They could have just told him, and knowing the truth, he would have avoided it proactively.

After seeing "Culori Chronicles" and hearing Frost’s description, Angel understood a simple truth long ago: It’s best to stay far away from people ready to open the Seed door at the slightest disagreement. Far, far away.

"What are you thinking about?" Black Earl asked, seeing Angel not speaking, his brow furrowing and relaxing with confusion.

Angel snapped back to reality, "Nothing, I was just wondering if your intuition could be wrong, my lord."

Upon hearing this, Black Earl’s energy gathered again, emitting a tremendous hum that made Angel’s ears buzz. Clearly, he thought Angel’s doubt was challenging his authority.

Angel quickly explained, "What I meant to say was that Dox’s spiritual sensitivity is very strong, and it might even turn into a talent. Yet his intuition failed; maybe there’s something fishy here."

"His inspiration compared to mine?"

"Naturally, he’s no match for your true form, my lord." Angel knew this hit a nerve, but he said it anyway. Since Earl Mi was there, Black Earl couldn’t kill him. Moreover, he had communicated with Lord Rhein, and as one of Rhein’s old friends, Black Earl wouldn’t dare act against Angel.

"Even though I’m just a nose, my intuition is still stronger than his!" Black Earl said bitterly.

Angel didn’t provoke Black Earl further. However, he still thought that, despite the differences between Dox’s spiritual sensitivity and Black Earl’s nose, their abilities shouldn’t be too dissimilar.

But with Dox having no premonition, while Black Earl claimed he had one, it sparked an idea in Angel. Could Black Earl’s intuition relate to the Noah Clan?

After all, the place might be linked to Augustine, who was very likely a member of the Noah Clan.

So it seemed Black Earl genuinely didn’t know the internal matters.

Under these circumstances, Angel felt a bit more at ease. If Black Earl were aware of the matters, his true form would probably already be on its way. Then, whether Black Earl would spare him for Rhein’s sake would be uncertain.

But now, even if Black Earl later discovered the truth, Angel would have ample time to call for help.

After all, granny was right behind him!

With this in mind, Angel no longer intentionally went against Black Earl but followed his words, "Since you say so, my lord, I naturally believe you. However, to be safe, I must still prepare something extra."

Knowing it might be "bizarre," whether or not it’s a Mysterious Object, Angel needed to make extra preparations. At least, he needed to escape immediately if danger arose.

Learning about Angel’s thoughts, Black Earl sneered, "Thinking of running away at the first sign of trouble, I don’t know how Sanders taught you."

Angel took out various tools, preparing to create a portable array, while responding to Black Earl, "I don’t fully grasp my mentor’s teaching methods either. After all, I’ve only been his student for a few years, and he’s often away traveling."

Angel seemed to be following along with the Black Earl’s words, but he deliberately emphasized the "years," making his intent very clear.

Angel is, in nearly a thousand years, the fastest advancing wizard, bar none. Moreover, he is a member of the Research and Development Institute, proficient in Enchantment Alchemy.

Thinking of this, the Black Earl felt a bit stifled.

None of his descendants or apprentices could compare to Angel. In fact, one of his apprentices hadn’t even advanced yet, staying in Genoa with his left ear for nearly two hundred years without any progress. Fortunately, this lazy apprentice joined the ’Glowing City Night Talk’ magazine, which broadened his horizons and proved somewhat useful.

After setting up all the tools, Angel turned his head to look out the window of the treehouse, where the sunlight was just right.

While the Black Earl wondered what Angel was doing, he heard Angel sigh:

"I wonder how Dox and Vay are doing, I truly envy them for still being able to play. Speaking of Vay, he really looks young, full of youthful vigor; I can’t say the same for myself, not many people call me young anymore. The last time I heard it was from a bastard named Cassini. Sigh..."

Black Earl: "..." Don’t think he doesn’t know who Cassini is, he’s met him too, isn’t he just the Thief of Time!

Black Earl: "I won’t comment on anything else, but Cassini being a bastard, I agree."

Angel smiled and said, "However, he’s the only one who saw me as a young man."

Black Earl: "...Are you never going to stop?"

Angel feigned innocence, and the Black Earl let out a grunt, flying out the window with a distant shout, "I really do dislike people from the Illusion Demon Island line."

It was quite clear who those words were meant for. Angel, however, shrugged indifferently; with the Black Earl gone, he could peacefully prepare.

The mottled shadows of the trees shifted from bright to reddish, finally turning completely dark, leaving only the flickering candlelight in the treehouse.

The candle burned on until dawn, when it was finally extinguished by a puff of breath.

Angel blew out the candle, stretched lazily, and then continued to check the newly refined array plate.

After confirming there were no mistakes, Angel gave a firm step, and Earl Mi slowly emerged from the shadows.

Angel tossed the array plate to Earl Mi. It was a plate designed to forcefully open a Plane Corridor with a certain stability effect, increasing the success rate of starting the Plane Corridor by at least sixty percent and also shortening the time needed to form it, making escape more efficient.

However, if he encountered danger during exploration, he might be a bit slower in activating it himself, so it was better to leave it to Earl Mi.

Earl Mi had never made a mistake in assessing situations, and Angel believed that Earl Mi would use it at the most critical moment.

After handing over the array plate, Earl Mi didn’t immediately retreat into the shadows but slowly grew a flower on top of its head that glowed with a faint blue light, sending waves out from the Blue Lantern Flower.

Angel sensed it and discovered that Earl Mi seemed to be making an inquiry.

The inquiry was simple: it was asking Angel how to handle X0. Back at the Snook Base, Angel had encountered X0, a person who had become semi-mechanical, with significant research value, so he had Earl Mi drag him into the shadows.

Angel had done this many times before; when encountering something interesting that couldn’t fit in his bracelet, he’d leave it to Earl Mi.

Yet, Earl Mi had never questioned this before; this time, it actually asked.

Upon a detailed sense, Angel realized that X0 was continually repeating within Earl Mi, "Program error, current location unknown, initiating navigation."

Then X0 would say again after a circuit, "Navigation error, reinitiating navigation positioning."

Repeating incessantly without pause.

Apparently, Earl Mi had grown weary of it and finally asked Angel how to handle X0.

After understanding the situation, Angel consoled Earl Mi and handed it a Mute Magic Rune Scroll to apply to X0 first.

Subsequently, Angel released a modified scouting puppet capable of recording images for extended periods and tossed it into Earl Mi’s shadow.

More than handling X0, Angel’s curiosity was piqued by Earl Mi’s change.

Logically, under the Seed of Distortion, Earl Mi should have only instinct remaining, with its consciousness having dissolved. But now, emotions had emerged.

This made Angel very curious about what had happened to Earl Mi recently, whether there was an issue with the Seed of Distortion.

Thus, he put the scouting puppet inside to observe the changes in Earl Mi.

Having done all this, Angel sat at the table, pondering momentarily before entering the Wilderness of Dreams, leaving Lord Reine a message via the tree network, briefly describing Earl Mi’s changes.

He didn’t know whether this was good or bad; perhaps Lord Reine could provide some guidance.

Angel only queried about Earl Mi, then went offline. As for the matter of the Seedling Believers, Angel didn’t bring it up; since they didn’t want him to know, he’d pretend not to. After all, it held no downside for him.

After going offline, Angel left the treehouse.

Shortly thereafter, sensing Angel’s presence, Dox, Vay, and others also came over.

Dox was just about to greet Angel when a voice suddenly emerged from the stone tablet on Vay:

"Have you prepared yourself to be a deserter at any moment?"

The Black Earl’s nose actually spoke!

Dox, Kaier, and even Vay looked at the stone tablet with astonished eyes.

While the three froze in statue-like stupor, Angel smiled and said, "If preparing an ace for facing danger counts as being a deserter, then I guess we’re all deserters here."

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