Published at 4th of March 2026 7:51 am

Chapter 2609: Keeping Secrets

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The crowd fell silent.

Angel also followed in silence.

"When you mentioned the Dante Clan earlier, I even thought you were rambling. Because according to the intelligence we obtained from the Abyssal Natives, they mentioned various tribes, including the Notting Tribe you just spoke about, but never mentioned the Dante Clan," the Black Earl’s voice echoed in the minds of everyone.

"So, does the Dante Clan really exist?" Kaier muttered in the Mind Ribbon.

Actually, according to Angel’s previous conversation with the horned Half-Blood Demon, it was already clear that the Dante Clan truly existed. The reason Kaier still grumbled was purely because, in his view, this matter was incredibly bizarre.

The Black Earl is a figure at the pinnacle of the Wizards’ Realm, his intelligence inevitably being the most comprehensive. Even the Black Earl didn’t know about the Dante Clan, so how did Angel know?

Moreover, the horned Half-Blood Demon opposite them was precisely from the Dante Clan.

"They exist." Angel also sensed that the crowd harbored some doubts in their hearts and explained, "I had brief contact with a member of the Dante Clan... Before today, I didn’t know the Dante Clan had been out of sight for many years either."

"Have you finished your conversation? Are you wondering what questions to ask me, or are you contemplating how to deceive me?" At this point, the voice of the horned Half-Blood Demon reached everyone’s ears.

Clearly, the horned Half-Blood Demon also knew they were communicating inside the Mind Ribbon. He just didn’t know what they were saying.

Angel glanced at the silent crowd, sighed softly, and said, "We were discussing matters about the Dante Clan earlier, just encountered a slight... issue."

"A slight issue?" the horned Half-Blood Demon questioned.

"I found out that none of my companions have ever heard of the Dante Clan," Angel shrugged.

"The Dante Clan is of noble lineage; it’s normal they haven’t heard of it," the horned Half-Blood Demon didn’t see this as an issue.

Angel pondered for a moment, deciding to start from the basics, "Perhaps you aren’t aware of the current situation. Presently, humans in the Abyss have engaged in deep collaboration with indigenous peoples of various major tribes, and even jointly established many Stronghold Cities, with designated indigenous residential areas within."

"Do you understand what this means? It means the interaction between humans and the indigenous peoples has reached a very deep level."

"Among my companions is someone extremely well-informed. According to him, humans have learned a lot about various tribes from the indigenous people in the Stronghold Cities, including the Neya Tribe and Notting Tribe I mentioned before, yet the Dante Clan isn’t among them."

Angel stopped at this point, quietly observing the horned Half-Blood Demon in front of him.

Even if the horned Half-Blood Demon was slow, he understood Angel’s implication.

"You mean to say the Dante Clan... no longer exists?" the horned Half-Blood Demon restrained his surging emotions and whispered.

"Perhaps they just hid deeper," Vay murmured lowly from the side.

The horned Half-Blood Demon glanced at Vay, then turned to Angel and asked, "Is what he said possible?"

"I don’t know."

The horned Half-Blood Demon appeared somewhat impatient, speaking emotionally for the first time, "I just asked if it’s possible. You just need to answer yes or no."

Angel: "I don’t know much about the Dante Clan. According to the intelligence I have gathered, it’s still insufficient to answer your question, so all I can say is, I don’t know."

Angel also knew that his response would undoubtedly sound like an evasion. But it was indeed the truth because he only knew of one member of the Dante Clan... Oh, no, make that two now.

"Then what can you tell me? Your companions don’t know about the Dante Clan, so how do you know?" The horned Half-Blood Demon had already adopted a questioning tone, indicating his emotions were beginning to surface.

The only good thing was that even if his emotions surfaced, he remained under control, never crossing the line, allowing him to maintain his rationality.

This also showed that he was genuinely different from other undead.

Even Mandhela, the undead redeemed by Angel, might fall again in emotional upheaval, yet the horned Half-Blood Demon could maintain calm.

This was indeed a matter worth exploring.

Perhaps as he said, today’s wizards are indeed behind the times in undead research compared to the Naraku City of tens of thousands of years ago?

While his thoughts wandered elsewhere, Angel didn’t forget to respond to the furious Half-Blood Demon opposite him.

"Because I’ve met a member of the Dante Clan."

With just this sentence, the horned Half-Blood Demon’s emotions subsided somewhat: "You’ve seen my clan’s descendants? Is he still alive?"

Angel nodded, "Rest assured, he’s alive. And he’s doing well."

The horned Half-Blood Demon’s anger decreased by half; he’d always assumed the Dante Clan no longer existed, but as long as descendants survived, it proved the Dante Clan wasn’t extinct.

"Tell me about his situation," the horned Half-Blood Demon asked this not out of genuine curiosity, but to confirm if Angel was speaking the truth.

Just like Angel’s previous description of the Notting Tribe, those details couldn’t be faked.

"I don’t know much, and regarding this individual..." Angel hesitated repeatedly and ultimately didn’t speak.

"Why did you stop, is it because he also fell?" the horned Half-Blood Demon’s tone heightened again.

"Probably not."

"Then why won’t you continue?"

Angel stayed silent.

Now, not only did the horned Half-Blood Demon feel strange, but others also looked at Angel perplexedly. What was wrong with the Dante Clan member Angel encountered that kept him from speaking?

Feeling the curious stares all around, Angel inwardly had a bitter smile, it’s not that he refused to speak, but the only Dante Clan member he knew was...

It was Master Ye!

With a Half-Blood Demon’s body, breaking through the Legend boundary, Master Ye!

Master Ye played a crucial role in the Lassudral battle, with various forces probing his situation. This included not only the Frost Moon Alliance but also demon forces and the Demon God...

Yet none of them discovered any information.

Under these circumstances, Angel dared not casually reveal any information about Master Ye.

Although Angel wasn’t the person who knew Master Ye best among humans, compared to Angel, the Magic Painter Wizard was actually the one who understood Master Ye best. However, the Magic Painter Wizard was nowhere to be found, leaving only Angel knowing about Master Ye now.

After being stared at silently for three minutes, Angel finally opened his mouth.

"The situation with your descendant is truly unusual. If you genuinely wish to know, I must sign a Tarot Secret Treaty with you."

The Tarot Secret Treaty, also known as the Tarot Confidentiality Agreement, is a continuously refined confidentiality treaty that has reached near perfection, with few flaws or loopholes.

Angel’s words left the horned half-blood demon stunned, and the others looked at him with eyes full of surprise and doubt.

The horned half-blood demon knew of the Tarot Secret Treaty. It was a strict confidentiality agreement; as long as one remained secretive, they wouldn’t breach it, so he could agree to it. But why would Angel insist on signing the Tarot Secret Treaty before speaking?

And... "What about them? Do they also have to sign the Tarot Secret Treaty?"

The horned half-blood demon looked at everyone except Angel.

"They don’t need to," Angel paused. "Because I’m only going to tell you."

Dox, upon hearing the first part, was quite hopeful, but upon hearing the latter part, became somewhat agitated: "Why won’t you tell us? I can also sign the Tarot Secret Treaty and listen."

Dox’s outburst truly voiced the thoughts of some present. Angel’s caution suggested this was secret intelligence. To be honest, they too were willing to sign the Tarot Secret Treaty, hoping to glean these secrets.

However, Angel didn’t give them the chance. He looked at Dox: "I’m not telling you for your own good. I’m telling him because he is from the Dante Clan. Under the honor of the clan’s name, he will never violate the treaty."

At this point in Angel’s speech, the horned half-blood demon chimed in: "If this is truly a secret of the Dante Clan, I wouldn’t speak of it even if it cost my soul."

With these words from Angel, there’s no need to say more.

He trusted the horned half-blood demon’s steadfastness to the clan’s honor, compounded by the fact that he was a Dante, so Angel didn’t mind sharing his words.

But as for the others, even though they were teammates now, Angel couldn’t trust them completely.

Perhaps they wouldn’t breach the treaty, but that was only "possible." What if someone was willing to pay the hefty price for breach?

Even though the Tarot Secret Treaty had few loopholes to exploit, it’s only a near-perfect treaty, not truly flawless.

Simply put, Angel couldn’t trust them.

Dox opened his mouth, wanting to assure he’d comply, but when it came down to it, he couldn’t speak the words.

The secrets Angel knew were unknown, so Dox couldn’t make an absolute promise on an "unknown" matter.

The only one who could guarantee was the horned half-blood demon.

Not to mention he himself was from the Dante Clan, merely being unable to leave restricted information dissemination... after all, few could even get here.

In the silence that followed, Angel softly said, "Trust me, not speaking is for your own good."

He paused and then added, "Of course, Lord Black Earl also has the right to know, but I can assure the lord that knowing this matter holds no significance for you."

Black Earl gave a light hum, indicating his stance. He knew too many secrets already; one more wouldn’t make a difference.

Finally, to appease the group, Angel added, "If you’re truly curious, you can seek a place called the Land of Rest in the Abyss. There’s a woman there who sells intelligence. As long as you’re willing to pay a sufficient price, she’ll tell you the secret... But the price she asks for is high; unless it’s true knowledge, it’s best not to attempt to contact her."

Black Earl: "The place Angel mentioned can indeed solve many puzzles, but you shouldn’t seek her out of curiosity about trivial secrets. Moreover, do not disclose anything about the Land of Rest. If she finds out, she’ll go mad, and you won’t escape. She’s more terrifying than some Demon Gods."

After Black Earl said this, he glanced at Angel: "Don’t just guard other secrets, the Land of Rest is also a secret."

Angel was taken aback. Previously, Black Earl had said if they encountered undead from the Undead Brigade, to bring them back to Undying Street. At the time Angel thought Black Earl knew nothing about the Land of Rest, but it turns out, Black Earl did know?

Angel hesitated for a moment and asked, "My lord, have you been to the Land of Rest?"

Black Earl shook his head: "No, that woman utterly despises humans. Telling them to go to the Land of Rest is sending them to their deaths."

Angel scratched his head... Apparently, he vaguely recalled hearing Baltica say she really disliked humans.

It’s just that Angel’s interactions and transactions with Baltica had always been peaceful, so he completely overlooked this issue...

Angel quickly added, "Just listen to Black Earl’s advice and forget what I just said. That woman indeed dislikes humans; going in blindly is a dead end."

Everyone: "..." You sure patched that quickly.

Angel was somewhat embarrassed, he was focused on one side and overlooked the other, almost leading his teammates into trouble.

Now he dared not meet everyone’s gaze and could only cough twice and turn to the horned half-blood demon: "If you agree to sign the Tarot Secret Treaty, then we can begin."

The horned half-blood demon naturally would not refuse.

After signing the Tarot Secret Treaty, Angel signaled Earl Mi to construct a shadow space, and then opened the splendorous Nightmare Realm inside Earl Mi.

After everything was done, Angel thought for a bit and also put Dangross and Speedy into the bracelet.

After ensuring no one could prying, Angel took the final step.

Nightmare Illusion Enter Dream.

It’s still not safe in the outside world; it’s safer in the Wilderness of Dreams.

Though saying they were going to the Wilderness of Dreams, Angel didn’t actually take the horned half-blood demon into it, but instead waited at the Gate of Dreams at the end of the Dream Bridge for the demon to arrive.

—If they entered the Wilderness of Dreams, a mighty force would construct a new body, so it’s better to chat on the Dream Bridge.

Angel couldn’t show himself, as this was the horned half-blood demon’s Dream Bridge, but he could use the authority of the Gate of Dreams to converse with him.

Though the horned half-blood demon was still a bit dazed, upon seeing the magnificent Gate of Dreams, his mind gradually cleared.

"Is this the Dream Bridge? But why is there a door at its end? What about that impolite human?"

"Still calling me impolite now... oh well, I won’t argue with you. Just lean against the gate, and I’ll tell you about your clansman," Angel’s voice reached the horned half-blood demon’s ears through the Gate of Dreams.

Though puzzled as to why Angel didn’t enter the Dream Realm to chat but instead talked at the gate, it didn’t matter.

Knowing information about his kin was more critical.

The horned half-blood demon didn’t say any more, simply sitting cross-legged in front of the Gate of Dreams.

Angel began with Lassudral, slowly discussing that reticent but remarkably dependable Master Ye...

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