Chapter 1586
Chapter 1586: Section 1587 She is Nausicaa
However, among the people Angel knew, the highest-ranking was not Xiliu, but Qi Li from the House of Lilith, who was now ranked thirteenth.
Among the top sixteen contestants, Angel saw quite a few familiar faces.
For example, “Son of the Ocean” Jiebo, “Armored Maiden” Kavoline, “The Gourmet Spirit” Sinistra, “Philosopher” Onassis, “Gloaming” Shan… and so on.
Unfortunately, among the top sixteen contestants, only Xiliu was from Barbarian Cave. Others like Nanaji and Bates had been eliminated.
However, this was normal. Among the contestants this time, there were a lot of talented types, even those who had had all possible resources poured into their cultivation.
They had been hidden before, now emerging to great acclaim. For instance, Shan and Onassis were those without much reputation in the past.
And the Barbarian Cave did not interfere much with the contestants – whether you chose to participate or not was your own affair.
As Angel was checking the rankings, they were still changing dynamically, with some rising and others falling. Looking at the list, Angel felt a tinge of emotion.
While the Southern Domain Wizard World might not be comparable to the other three Wizard Worlds, from the current situation, its foundation was becoming more solid. A future of prosperity seemed evident.
When Angel arrived at Mukihara Bar, the bar was as bustling as always. Having altered his appearance, Angel pushed open the door and entered; most people glanced at him and then looked away.
Only a man sitting near the bar, drinking alone, took notice of Angel.
The man was dressed in a brown plaid tailcoat, holding a wine glass, savoring his drink elegantly. As Angel passed him by, he nodded slightly at him.
Angel nodded back in acknowledgment.
Neither of them spoke a word as Angel circled around the great hall and headed into an adjacent corridor.
The man in the tailcoat was the owner of Mukihara Bar, an Official Wizard. Angel didn't have much interaction with him, but since he frequented the bar, they had become somewhat acquainted; a nod was an informal greeting when they saw each other.
Upon entering Fangling Hall, the first thing Angel saw was Shan grilling meat in the courtyard.
To be precise, Shan was sitting on the shoulder of the puppet Ganke, staring blankly at the stars while Ganke diligently turned the spit over the fire.
Hearing the sound at the entrance, Shan turned to look.
Although Angel had changed his appearance and Shan didn't recognize him at first, once she heard Angel's voice, she immediately came to her senses and jumped down from Ganke's shoulder, running over to Angel.
“Why are you here?” Shan asked with a hint of surprise in her expression.
Angel replied, “Just came to see how you all are, by the way, where's Lyon?”
“Grilled meat for dinner; he went to the mortal market to buy sauce, should be back soon.” As soon as Shan finished speaking, they heard the courtyard door being pushed open.
It was Lyon, carrying big and small bags.
Lyon was momentarily startled to see Angel, but he quickly recognized him: “You've come at the right time, we're about to have honey roast meat soon, Ganke's roast is especially good, the honey oil is sweet and rich, and combined with the golden-roasted meat, it's almost as good as Aunt Mana's. You must try it later!”
Angel, in fact, hadn't eaten for a long while, and the description from Lyon made his mouth water.
“Sure,” Angel nodded, then looked around, “How come I don't see the others?”
“Serum is hugging his precious book in his room every day, and Xiliu… well, you know, she doesn't have to participate in the rankings these days, she's been practically sleeping her days away, really afraid that she'd sleep herself to death one day.” Shan's eyes showed a glint of concern when she mentioned Xiliu.
At that moment, Angel thought of something because he had already acquired the core Authority–Ability Tree. Within a controllable range, he could actually open it up to certain outsiders now.
Moreover, he could now bestow Authority, but the current residents of the Wilderness of Dreams are limited, and people with a high degree of compatibility are nearly non-existent. Thus, the population of the Wilderness of Dreams could indeed be increased.
Xiliu could probably enter the Wilderness of Dreams as well, so she wouldn't waste her time sleeping.
However, Angel had no immediate plans to reveal this news.
After all, there were rules and regulations for summoning mortals into the world, and Frode allows immediate action. But summoning Transcendents requires caution, and Angel planned to perfect the details and rules before opening it up.
And likely, the opening would be a trial on a small scale.
While Serum is yearning for the Black Classic, and Xiliu is sleeping… Angel asked, “What about Nausicaa?”
Upon mentioning Nausicaa, Angel noticed that both Shan and Lyon had a subtle change in expression.
Did something happen?
“Come, follow me.” Shan pulled Angel along to the back of Fangling Hall, cast a spell to eliminate their presence, and then led Angel to a window.
Shan revealed a mysterious smile, gesturing for Angel to peek through the window.
In fact, without eliminating their presence, or even making a point to come here, Angel had already sensed the situation inside the room.
Nausicaa was currently in the main hall of Fangling Hall, but she was not alone, there was another person with her.
This man, whom Angel had not seen before, was dark-skinned with very spirited eyes that shone with clear and pure light.
“Who is he?” Angel asked, though he already had a suspicion in his heart.
“Number 1.” The answer came from Lyon.
Number 1 was not the butler of the Sanders Manor, but a nickname this man had used in the New Star competition.
Although Angel had not met him before, he had heard of him, a character reminiscent of a “John's counterattack.” In the mouths of others, he was a passionate young man with a lucky aura.
His real name was Reynaud, who had a good relationship with the people of Fangling Hall, and Lyon often received advice from him.
If this was someone they were all familiar with, why was Shan sneaking him here to 'spy'? Angel looked at Shan, puzzled.
Shan whispered, “Don't you think there's a subtle atmosphere between them? I think that Reynaud seems to have an interest in Nausicaa.”
“Really?” Angel sensed the situation in the room. Although Reynaud was talking with Nausicaa, the atmosphere was not at all romantic.
Curiosity piqued, Angel eavesdropped on their conversation.
Because there was neither a clear beginning nor conclusion, Angel didn't catch much of the content, except something about a “test subject.” Amongst it was a peculiar statement from Reynaud: “The origin of my nickname is because I was number 1 in the experiments.”
Angel felt it might be an invasion of privacy, so he stopped listening.
Meanwhile, Shan was still muttering softly, “Today Reynaud came over and has been talking with Nausicaa in the hall about something. I'm guessing it might be the lead-up to a confession.”
“If he confesses, would Nausicaa accept Reynaud?”
Shan continued to mutter to herself, her eyes flashing with Red Hearts, “I think she should agree, right?”
“Why do you think she would agree?” Lyon asked curiously.
Shan lowered her head, her face flashing with a blush, “Because, because… if it were me, Reynaud… I could…”
After a pause, Shan glanced at Angel and silently thought to herself that, of course, if it were Angel, she would be even more willing.
Lyon: ???
You could? Could what?
When Angel heard this, he simply shook his head: “She won't agree.”
“How do you know she won't?”
Angel replied, “Because she is Nausicaa.”
Whether Reynaud would confess or not, even if he truly did, Nausicaa would definitely reject him.
This topic, even if asked of Serum, Serum would probably be as certain as him. Because they knew Nausicaa too well.
This world always held a certain impression towards women – that a woman's ultimate belonging was love. Even in some fairy tales, the princess ultimately lives happily ever after with the prince.
But Nausicaa thought otherwise. She did not despise love, nor had she been hurt by it; she simply felt that she had bigger ambitions. Why should she fold on a boat that might leak at any time?
Nausicaa was always very certain about her future. Once a formidable Pirate who roamed the Blackberry Sea, she lived unrestrained, pursuing freedom. When she learned of the even freer and wider Wizards' Realm, her vision extended beyond.
What she saw was the distance; what she wanted was immortality.
And the prerequisite for immortality was to tread on the path to truth.
As for other trivial matters, her heart could no longer accommodate them.