Published at 23rd of February 2026 6:36 am

Chapter 2583: Team Leader

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

When Angel crafted the tabletop, he didn’t bother to conceal anything, because strictly speaking, this wasn’t alchemy. It was simply shaping through thermal fusion, and he was crafting a very simple lectern, something any Wizard could do.

As for engraving the Magic Pattern, there was even less need for concealment. After all, it is a technique that inherently carries encryption.

While Angel’s crafting was fervent and lively on one side, the others were deep in their thoughts.

Perhaps the one with the least worries was Kaier, who was wandering freely in the Underground Church. The name of a traveler of relics wouldn’t fade because of the mundane atmosphere here. Apart from the possibly existing Magical Energy Array, this Underground Church itself bore many ancient traces worth studying.

Dox was lazily leaning against the railing on the second floor, one foot dangling leisurely in the air, holding a jug of blackberry wine in his hand. He was drinking while watching Angel on the stage. Though he seemed thoughtless, the constant changes in his expressions revealed that his mind was already elsewhere.

Vay, on the other hand, was sitting on a bench below the platform, appearing to be silently praying. In reality, he was quietly communicating with Black Earl through their Bloodline bond.

"My lord..." After uttering the title of respect, Vay paused, seemingly pondering his words: "Does this place we’re exploring really have anything to do with our Noah Clan?"

A cold snort echoed in Vay’s mind: "Trying to hide your thoughts from me? What you really want to ask is, what did I see on the tabletop, right?"

Vay replied hesitantly, "I just worry it’s a secret, and feel embarrassed to ask."

After a brief silence, Black Earl conveyed his voice: "Let me first answer your initial question, regarding whether this exploration is related to our Noah Clan. I can’t confirm for sure now, but the probability is high. If I could connect to my True Body, or at least three organs, my premonition should provide a definite answer, just..."

Vay naturally understood the unsaid words. Not long ago, the verbal clash between Transcendental Wizard and his lord was still fresh in his memory.

"Although I don’t know the answer, that kid definitely knows something."

Otherwise, Angel couldn’t have proposed the request not to contact other organs or the True Body.

Vay: "Perhaps the Transcendental Wizard foresaw something?"

Black Earl: "None of that matters. Although he didn’t say anything, the request he proposed means that this exploration of relics cannot avoid involving the Noah Clan."

Of course, this still doesn’t allow Black Earl to confirm that the relics are indeed related to the Noah Clan. Maybe the ancestors of the Noah Clan had some connection, but it doesn’t necessarily mean these were Noah Clan’s relics.

After all, the Noah Clan wasn’t a prominent family back then, and they probably didn’t reach the core echelon of Naraku City.

Different tiers have access to different things, and Noah Clan’s ancestors might not have had contact with the Underground Labyrinth, let alone the official organizations within it.

Because of these varied considerations, Black Earl dared not jump to conclusions.

Simultaneously, Black Earl couldn’t help but internally curse Angel again; if not for Angel’s damn request, he wouldn’t be so passive.

Black Earl didn’t curse out loud, but Vay, as someone engaged in Mind Communication through the Bloodline, heard it crystal clear.

Although Vay leaned towards the Noah Clan internally, as Angel’s newly recruited fan, he couldn’t help interrupting Black Earl’s cursing.

Of course, he used a legitimate reason.

"My lord, do those characters on the tabletop really relate to our Noah Clan’s deeds?"

Black Earl: "Indeed they do, but it’s not about deeds. It mentions a person, one of our Noah Clan’s ancestors, and one whose deeds recorded in the family tree are very few and very mysterious."

"You’re talking about..." Vay, being a member of the Noah Clan, naturally remembered the family tree, and as soon as Black Earl hinted, a name popped into his mind.

Black Earl: "Yes, it’s him."

Upon confirmation from Black Earl, Vay’s spirit heightened after a period of silence. You see, he initially had no desire to explore any relics; he preferred staying at home.

But now, knowing that these relics might be related to the mysterious ancestor, things were different.

From a young age, Vay was full of curiosity about the mysterious forebear, which was both childhood longing for legends and teenage admiration of mystery and the unknown.

This sentiment persisted into the present, and now, the "idol" he once chased in youth suddenly barged into his thoughts this way, how could he not feel excited.

"My lord, how do those Demon God cultists recount... his story?"

Black Earl: "There’s no extra description, just his name recorded, highlighted with characters that denote significance. Perhaps, our forebear had an irreplaceable status in the events of that time."

However, centuries have flown by, those truths of the past buried deeply in history long ago.

Even the Noah Clan doesn’t know what truly happened in Naraku City back then... Perhaps the only one who knows the truth is Barbarian Cave’s mysterious Book Elder.

Unfortunately, even folks from Barbarian Cave rarely see this Book Elder, let alone outsiders.

In the silence of this contemplation, time continued passing.

When they snapped out of their deep thoughts, Angel was already standing up from the ground.

Not long after, a Mind Ribbon spread from Angel’s body, connecting everyone.

"Are we done?" Without waiting for Angel to speak, Dox asked first.

Angel: "It should be almost done, let’s see the final result now."

As Angel spoke, he picked up the "lectern" placed beside him, an action that immediately drew everyone’s attention.

Angel saw the curious looks directed at the lectern, and without minding, he gestured to everyone to feel free. In the next second, spiritual power wildly scanned the lectern back and forth.

Except for Black Earl, the others probably only recognized the materials Angel used to replicate the lectern.

Although Black Earl could recognize many Magic Patterns, including Solid Magic Pattern, the arrangement of Magic Patterns became a mental and computational puzzle. He could only barely identify which parts activated or supplied energy, with the rest leaving him bewildered.

"The material of the tabletop matches the original lectern’s tabletop material, the main control Magic Pattern should also match." While the crowd observed, Angel casually explained.

"As for the lectern’s column, I previously checked Crow’s sword and confirmed there were no Magic Patterns around the part made with humanoid eagle Magic Blood Ore. Its function was to counteract the downward energy of the main control Magic Pattern through totally negative energy, preventing the Magic Pattern’s effect from sinking underground. This method was actually a bit extreme and wasteful, clearly capable of being replaced by derivatives of Spirit Transmitting Diamond... Perhaps humanoid eagle Demon Bloodstone was cheaper at the time? Regardless of the reason, I used derivatives of Spirit Transmitting Diamond to make the column."

Different types of Spirit Transmitting Diamond create various derivatives, so they don’t have a fixed name. But regardless of the type, all derivatives have the same effect, which is to block the energy leakage inside the Spirit Transmitting Diamond.

Hence, Angel chose this cheap material to replace humanoid eagle Magic Blood Ore.

Angel explained his choice of materials and reasons for doing so, but the group just listened without absorbing it, essentially letting it go in one ear and out the other.

Only the Black Earl heard the hidden meaning in Angel’s words: "The face-eagle Magic Blood Ore only blocks the energy flow of the main control Magic Pattern, so according to the node convection method, the energy flow direction of the main control Magic Pattern should be the opposite way. That is..."

The Black Earl manipulated the stone slab to lift upwards, "looking" towards the top of the Underground Church.

"What you said is correct, my lord, if nothing goes wrong, those hidden Magic Patterns should be near the spire."

This answer caused a stir of emotions in the Black Earl’s heart. It should be known that it was originally the one who went up to inspect the top, while the others only inspected the various levels. And that Inscription Card was found by the Black Earl at the top.

He thought the Inscription Card was the only transcendent trace at the top, but now Angel says that perhaps all the answers and truth lie at the top.

Precisely the place he inspected.

Others didn’t think much of it, but the Black Earl felt a bit awkward inside.

"I’ve explained what needed explaining, now it’s time to test it out." With that, Angel inserted the lecture stand into the groove on the ground, but did not immediately activate the main control Magic Pattern. Instead, he looked at... Vay.

"I don’t know what might happen after activating the Magic Pattern. If any accidents occur, you use the Power of Earth to protect those ordinary people in the tunnel."

Vay didn’t expect to be the first to be "entrusted with a heavy task", indeed the Transcendental Wizard valued him!

Vay didn’t hesitate for a second, nodding directly: "Don’t worry, my lord, I ensure their safety and wellbeing."

Immediately after, Angel looked at Kaier... and Dox.

Before Angel could speak, Dox said, "Protect the people, and now you want us to protect their supplies? No way!"

"Just like Dox." Angel said with a smiling expression, meaning Dox guessed it again correctly—which indeed Angel had the intention of letting Dox and Kaier protect the supplies.

Dox: "As expected, it’s really not necessary to go all out for these ordinary people."

Dox had his thoughts, but Angel had his own perspective.

The transcendent is for the transcendent; as long as ordinary life doesn’t touch his bottom line, he wouldn’t deliberately break it. Moreover, they were the intruders, and the Hero Squad actually helped them a lot.

This is why Angel planned the follow-up work properly.

"In any case, don’t think for a second, I’m not protecting that junk!"

Angel silently glanced at the blackberry wine bottle in Dox’s hand.

Dox, noticing this, immediately thought of throwing away the bottle, but with more than half of the wine still inside, as someone who loves wine, he couldn’t bear to.

After hesitating for a moment, Dox said, "Except for the wine, everything else is junk."

Angel: "..." Is this flexibility or adaptability?

Angel: "I’m not negotiating with you, this is a task I’ve assigned to you."

After a pause, Angel repeated, "As the leader, I’ve assigned you this task."

Dox took a deep breath: "Fine, I’ll listen to you this time. However, my intuition tells me that activating the Magical Energy Array won’t cause much damage to the Underground Church."

In fact, there’s no need for intuition; logical reasoning can also deduce: if activating the Magical Energy Array here would bring a big commotion, would those Demon God cultists have dared to build a church here back then?

However, time flies; now it’s different from then. As the latter-day replicator, Angel’s choices in material selection and replication have certain differences—these belong to variables.

With variables, one must consider the consequences of those variables. Even if the probability of the variable’s occurrence is only one in ten thousand.

Moreover, the mighty power of time is also one of the biggest variables.

Therefore, even with deduced conclusions, Angel still prepares all arrangements.

With Dox agreeing, how could Kaier refuse? After assigning their tasks, Angel looked at the Black Earl.

"What you need to do, my lord, is very simple: activate the main control Magic Pattern and continuously input Magic Power into it."

Black Earl: "Can’t I use Magic Crystals?"

Angel shook his head: "Though I mentioned before that the Magic Pattern is only concealed, it still exists. However, existing is one thing; whether it is intact is another. After all, time has flown by, and if a certain Magic Pattern appears incomplete at any moment, I will immediately fix it."

"So, in case of such an occurrence, we’ll need you to control the Magic Power input. Avoid both the collapse of the Magical Energy Array and maintain the influx of Magic Power according to my repair progress and speed."

"This task can only be completed by you, my lord."

After listening to Angel’s words, the Black Earl had a slightly higher opinion of Angel. He was indeed considering a foolproof method. He even took into account the possible situation of Magic Pattern loss after activating the Magical Energy Array and its need for replenishment.

Moreover, the task arrangement is quite reasonable.

Although they cared about ordinary people’s situations, the Black Earl sneered a bit, but at least something was given to each to do. It wasn’t a case of just going through the motions.

The truly challenging task was for him and Angel.

Of course, for the experienced Black Earl, this task wasn’t difficult. But if it were someone else, even Dox couldn’t take it on.

As for Angel’s task, should a situation truly arise, it would be even more difficult than Black Earl’s.

Black Earl: "All right, I’ll take on this task."

After a pause, Black Earl unexpectedly said a rare aside, and even a compliment: "You, as a team leader, are doing quite well."

"As long as the team members fully cooperate, I can do even better," Angel said, implying something.

"Don’t push it," said Black Earl, though the tone was leisurely, clearly not really angry.

This also showed Black Earl slightly regarded Angel differently.

"Don’t misunderstand me, my lord, I didn’t say anything," Angel put on an innocent face, his expression returning to calm: "Let’s leave extraneous words at that."

"Shall we begin now, my lord?"

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