Published at 23rd of March 2026 7:18 am

Chapter 2666: Bonus Criteria

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Angel: "Regarding the matter of the Wise Sovereign, I asked Miss Cicia in detail. The Wise Sovereign should understand, right?"

The Sage didn’t speak, just nodded slightly.

"The Wise Sovereign understanding is great. Miss Cicia said many things of varying importance, and I was worried some might offend you." Angel’s face showed relief and interest, but he was thinking about a completely different matter in his heart.

The Sage’s nod made Angel begin to doubt one of the backup plans he had previously considered.

The Sage should be very aware that the reason Angel asked Cicia detailed questions about him was because their destination was Augustine’s heritage site.

And to reach this destination, they naturally have to pass by the hall where he resides. So, understanding his situation in advance is a normal thing.

However, before this, Angel actually had another fallback route.

——To find other underground aqueduct passages, avoiding the route through the Hall of Wisdom.

But the Sage’s nod made Angel start to doubt whether there was truly a "fallback route."

In the underground aqueducts of Nightmare Abyss City, Angel could be sure that there are definitely other passages that do not require passing through the Hall of Wisdom.

But reality is different. In reality, everywhere is ruins; entrances have basically disappeared, or are controlled by the Merchant Organization. So, whether this entrance exists is already uncertain, coupled with the fact that the magical energy arrays in the underground aqueducts are maintained by the Sage, wanting to change paths within or completely seal off certain roads is entirely possible.

In other words, the Sage’s nod actually also implies a statement: to reach their destination, there is no other choice but to pass through the Hall of Wisdom.

Or, more precisely, the Hall of Wisdom is the only route possible.

Angel suppressed the surge of thoughts in his heart and said to the Sage: "Then I will begin speaking."

The Sage continued to only nod, gazing at Angel.

Angel then started to recount the information he had asked Cicia about regarding the Sage.

The general content covered three parts: exchanging the wood spirit treasure, learning about the Sage’s pseudonym and contributions, and the most crucial part, which Angel explained at length—how to get the Sage to agree to allow passage.

"...That’s basically it."

The Sage pondered for a moment, believing Angel had not lied, since these indeed were the extent of what Cicia knew and could say.

Just what made the Sage feel somewhat awkward was that Cicia actually divulged his research topics to Angel.

Originally, giving his published topics to Cicia was solely to alleviate her solitary thousand-year melancholy. He thought she could not stray far from the box, and that the Other-dimensional Space had not had visitors in hundreds of years, definitely wouldn’t disseminate it, but unexpectedly, it was known by outsiders after all.

In fact, the research on the Ghosteye Witch Fusion Posture, he didn’t mind others seeing. Publishing and distributing outside is inherently meant for public consumption.

What embarrassed the Sage was his pseudonym.

——"Blue Fatty."

This really didn’t fit his stature.

More importantly, the pseudonym "Blue Fatty" wasn’t chosen by him. If he had chosen it himself, so be it. However, this pseudonym was not his intention at all—it was coined by ’One-eyed Little Bao’.

You Nu split into three descendants, respectively One-eyed Little Bao, One-eyed Da Bao, and One-eyed Er Bao.

One-eyed Little Bao is the youngest of You Nu’s three children, being the one who recently ran off near the mud monster’s ’dog hole’.

Initially, the Sage handed his completed manuscript to the lively One-eyed Little Bao who happened to visit to see its mother, letting it pass the draft to the contact outside. At the time, the Sage hadn’t decided on a pseudonym. One-eyed Little Bao asked him what pseudonym to choose, and the Sage replied "whatever," and One-eyed Little Bao indeed chose "whatever," thus leading to the embarrassing pseudonym "Blue Fatty."

Upon learning about this pseudonym, while the Sage felt it wasn’t pleasing to the ear, he didn’t pay it much attention, because he believed no one would know that behind the pseudonym "Blue Fatty" was a millennium-old Triclops Blue Demon.

Unexpectedly, despite thorough planning, it unraveled in Cicia’s hands.

The Sage wanted to explain the truth about the pseudonym to Angel, but this seemed too deliberate, making it appear as though he was overly concerned with the pseudonym.

Though he now indeed cared a bit, he didn’t want outsiders to perceive his inward attention.

He had no choice but to smile and pretend he hadn’t heard.

The Sage: "Other matters are temporarily aside. You appeared outside the Hanging Jail Stairway just for the wood spirit?"

Angel nodded: "Yes, Cicia’s suggestion was to start with the wood spirit. Bringing the wood spirit out from the Hanging Jail Stairway might please the Wise Sovereign."

At this point, Angel curiously asked: "So, is Cicia’s suggestion feasible?"

The Sage did not expect Cicia to give them this suggestion.

Upon careful thought, if that person didn’t appear, just following the script Cicia suggested, and if they successfully brought out the wood spirit, he indeed wouldn’t mind allowing passage.

The Sage didn’t conceal, responding: "If there are no unexpected events, this suggestion is feasible. However, even with the treasure left by Cicia containing the wood spirit, finding it is one thing, removing the wood spirit is nearly impossible."

Angel: "How would we know without trying?"

The Sage looked at Angel’s self-assured expression, chuckling lightly and shaking his head: "What I said earlier was under the premise ’if there are no unexpected events,’ unfortunately, now an unexpected event has come. So, even if you really bring out the wood spirit, I can only consider it a bonus, not a necessary condition."

An unexpected event came? The crowd captured the key point in the Sage’s words, this so-called unexpected event... what is it?

In the midst of everyone’s contemplation, Angel spoke: "Now, may I ask my questions?"

The Sage indifferently nodded: "Sure, but I guess you want to know what ’unexpected event’ I mentioned, right? Unfortunately, I can’t answer that."

Angel: "As expected of the Wise Sovereign, seeing right through me..."

Angel praised casually, then immediately continued: "Then, may I ask a true-or-false question?"

The Sage cast a deep glance at Angel: "Go ahead, and if I can’t answer, I will choose to remain silent."

Angel: "Alright, the question I want to ask is..."

Angel spoke halfway when suddenly Dox interrupted from the side: "Hey, didn’t you forget me? You said you’d let me be the judge; why aren’t you asking me?"

The Sage was also amused by Dox’s abrupt interjection: "What he experienced in Cicia’s box, how would you know? Even if he told you, are you sure he told you the truth? Told you everything?"

Precisely because what Angel talked about were events within Cicia’s box, the Sage knew that Dox certainly didn’t have the full picture, so might as well not ask.

Dox: "I really don’t know, but I can always judge a bit, can’t I?"

Before anyone could respond, Dox continued to speak: "The Wise Sovereign said earlier that answering questions was a bonus condition, and now finding the Wood Spirit and bringing it out is also a bonus condition. These bonus conditions accumulated should be enough for the Wise Sovereign to help us in dangerous times, right?"

Hearing Dox’s question, Angel chuckled inwardly; he thought Dox intended to use the same trick as before, making the Wise Sovereign’s considerations even more complex.

Unexpectedly, this time Dox didn’t muddy the waters but directly jumped in with a question. Moreover, the question happened to supplement some details Angel wanted to ask.

The Wise Sovereign squinted at Dox, who quickly said: "I’m just casually asking; since you can engage in a Q&A with him, I’ve at least helped you out a few times, give me a chance too?"

What Dox said was essentially nudging the Wise Sovereign: You can exchange questions and answers with him; I’ve freely answered several times; it’s only fair to let me ask one back.

It’s worth mentioning that Dox chose his timing well. His previous comments were serious and honest, without tricks.

If Dox had lied, he wouldn’t have had the confidence to interrupt. But his consistent honesty left the Wise Sovereign embarrassed to take advantage without reciprocating.

The Wise Sovereign pondered for a moment and eventually answered Dox’s question: "I can’t intervene for you but can offer limited assistance."

This answer was similar to before, but this time, the Wise Sovereign explicitly stated he couldn’t intervene.

This gave Angel a significant hint. The Wise Sovereign was not unable to act but was unable to act for this purpose.

As to why, given the previously perceived details, he had a rough guess.

Angel silently gave Dox a thumbs-up in his heart. Unlike his usual nonchalant demeanor, Dox was quite reliable in urgent times.

After answering Dox’s question, the Wise Sovereign turned his head to look at Angel, signaling that he could ask his questions.

Angel, organizing his words slightly, said: "I’ve been wondering why there’s a distinction between necessary conditions and bonus conditions. Is it because the necessary conditions are the meanings conveyed by an intelligent being left in Augustine’s legacy site to the Wise Sovereign?"

The Wise Sovereign did not respond, indicating silence.

Angel wasn’t concerned and continued to ask: "If the Wise Sovereign truly wished to stop us, there would be no need to elaborate necessary and bonus conditions. So, are the necessary conditions his meaning, while the bonus conditions are your intention?"

The Wise Sovereign smiled but remained silent.

Angel: "The Wise Sovereign followed his motives to ’test’ us actively, which doesn’t align with his usual character. Plus, from Miss Cicia, I learned the Wise Sovereign wouldn’t willingly subordinate himself to others."

"So, I’m thinking, is there some subtle connection between the Wise Sovereign and him that motivated you to ’test’ us? And this subtle connection might be... a contract? Or does the Wise Sovereign need something from him?"

The Wise Sovereign remained silent, but his gaze towards Angel was much brighter than before.

"Let’s talk about the bonus conditions as mentioned by the Wise Sovereign. In essence, they conflict with the necessary conditions."

It’s like a killer ordered to kill someone tells that person, "I must kill you, but if you meet these bonus conditions, I could help you escape this fate."

Undoubtedly, necessary conditions and bonus conditions are at odds.

"So, perhaps the Wise Sovereign doesn’t share the same mind with him, and you might even want to use us to gather some intelligence from him?"

This time, the Wise Sovereign finally spoke, not to answer Angel’s question but laughingly said: "I underestimated you all; even without communication, you cooperated seamlessly."

The "you all" in the Wise Sovereign’s mouth naturally referred to Angel and Dox.

Even before Angel could comment, Dox, feeling satisfied, said: "Of course, he and I are bound to become close friends in the future."

"In the future? So you haven’t latched on yet," the Wise Sovereign said, casting a meaningful glance at Angel.

Dox protested quietly: "What do you mean by ’latched on’? I’m making friends!"

The Wise Sovereign’s sharp eyes discerned that while Dox called it making friends, there was indeed a hint of that, but the intention of clinging on was more apparent. In the Wise Sovereign’s view, the likelihood of Angel being part of the Noah Clan increased.

Given the intelligence the Wise Sovereign received, the Noah Clan was currently among the top wizard families in the Southern Domain. Noah descendants being courted by other wizards was unsurprising.

The Wise Sovereign’s gaze returned to Angel: "Whether I answer your questions or not doesn’t matter to you; you already have the answers, right?"

"Your ability to interpret ’the unexpected’ proves you’re impressive."

Angel: "Impressive? What do you mean."

The Wise Sovereign: "Literally, your adaptability in the face of ’unexpected’ situations."

Angel wanted to press further, but the Wise Sovereign waved his hand: "I can’t say more; if you have the capability, go see for yourselves."

Angel remained noncommittal: "Since the Wise Sovereign suggests we see for ourselves, can you tell me the ’necessary conditions’ now?"

The Wise Sovereign: "Are you sure you want to hear it now?"

Angel: "Can’t I hear it now? Or is there more than one answer?"

The Wise Sovereign: "I previously mentioned the necessary and bonus conditions; if you fulfill my bonus conditions, perhaps I could offer you a more detailed answer."

Angel looked at the Wise Sovereign’s smiling face, unable to hold back a mental curse of "cunning old fox," but outwardly maintained a smile: "So our exchange isn’t over yet? If it’s over, this counts as a bonus condition, right?"

The Wise Sovereign: "The exchange can end at any time, so I can add this bonus condition for you. But are you sure you don’t want a deeper answer?"

Angel: "Even deeper answers? Does that mean we have other bonus condition tasks to complete?"

The Wise Sovereign merely smiled without speaking.

Angel: "So, regarding the task of bringing out the Wood Spirit, you still want us to try? Previously, you said our chances of bringing out the Wood Spirit were extremely low."

The Wise Sovereign laughed: "I did say so, but you confidently responded; you have to try to find out."

After a pause, the Wise Sovereign continued: "Previously, I wasn’t optimistic about you. But now, maybe you really have a way to get my eccentric student out."

The Wise Sovereign’s words were meant as praise, but Angel felt the Wise Sovereign surely had other motives.

His earlier statement about the difficulty of bringing out the Wood Spirit was undoubtedly true.

But now, suddenly changing his tone might indicate he’s seen something, wanting to gather more information from them?

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