Above the Star Pond, inside the Observation Pavilion.
A "white old man" named Wallace, dressed in white from head to beard, raised his head to look at the sky.
In the distance, several wizards led by Duncan and Ferro were driving away the mist, a mix of gray and black, separating the sky from the horizon.
"Another eruption of living threads, and carrying a lot of parasites with it." Wallace sighed, "I donāt know how many similar pests are inside the ruins, and whether itāll affect him."
Wallace didnāt mention a name, but everyone in the Observation Pavilion knew that "he" referred to Angel.
"No, Sanders said that the living threads infected by the rainbow dragonflies donāt affect Angel." It was Ironclad Granny who spoke, gently grinding some tea leaves. When she placed the pestle back, she raised her eyebrows and also glanced at the sky.
However, she wasnāt looking at the mist in the sky, but at the distant, dark edge of the firmament.
"The Morning Star has already appeared. By the time it pierces the night, three days will have passed since Angel fell into the ruins." Ironclad Granny retorted Wallaceās words, but deep down, she wasnāt too confident about Angelās safety.
"If he really had a way out, he should have come out by now. He canāt be stuck in the ruins foreverā¦ Ouch!" The gray-haired old man, Nis, interrupted himself to glare angrily at the soul servant kneeling on the ground, massaging his feet. "Canāt you be gentler? Stop, get me some tea."
He kicked the soul servant away and continued nonchalantly, "Itās been three days already, is he really still alive?"
Nisās question was what everyone else was wondering as well.
Nobody wanted to face the news of Angelās death, but after three days trapped in the ruins, did Angel really have a chance to survive?
"Lord Reine, what do you think? We canāt just keep waiting." Wallace turned to Rhein, who was sitting with his eyes closed in a feigned nap.
Rhein opened his eyes, and a silent force spread instantly, filling the air with an inexplicable heaviness.
This was Rheinās Talent as a Silent Sorcerer, though he usually refrained from using it, always consciously deactivating his silence field. But now, he ignored it, showing his inner lack of calm.
Rhein didnāt respond immediately, instead glancing at the back of the Observation Pavilionāa sleeping Sanders.
"Since Sanders claims he has a way to communicate with Angel, letās wait a bit longer," Rhein said calmly.
Wallace also glanced at Sanders and rubbed his temples. "Heās asleep again. I told you that his so-called way of contacting Angel was done in dreams, but he wouldnāt admit it."
"However, Angel only contacted Sanders on the first day, and thereās been no word since. I think itās already very precarious."
Wallace had made similar remarks before, not to be pessimistic but simply commenting, though there had always been opposition; this time, no one refuted him.
Everyone, though they could break through Rheinās silence field, chose not to, relishing the heavy silence.
This oppressive silence maintained until Sanders opened his eyes.
"Any news from Angel?" Rhein immediately sensed the change in Sandersās aura and turned to ask.
Sanders shook his head. "He hasnāt sent me any messages."
Disappointment flashed in Rheinās eyes.
"Messages? How exactly do you communicate, and how can you send messages in a dream?" Wallace asked Sanders, for the third day in a row.
Sanders responded as he had before: he didnāt even glance at Wallace, completely ignoring him, as though he hadnāt heard.
Wallace looked hopefully around at the others, wishing someone would back him up. However, everyone was more concerned about Angelās safety. Although they were curious about how the mentor and disciple communicated, they respected Sandersās silence.
"Itās been three days. If heās alright, he shouldāve sent you a message. The lack of any message suggests something mightāve happened," sighed Nis.
Even Sanders didnāt refute this because Nis had a point; if Angel had found a gap, even if he hadnāt met face-to-face in the Wilderness of Dreams, he should have left a note with Frode. But thereās been no sign from Angel to date.
Hard as it was to say Angel was dead, Sanders didnāt believe it.
Because the core authority of the Wilderness of Dreams lay with Angel. If he were truly dead, even if the Wilderness didnāt fall apart, there would be upheaval from the loss of authority. Yet, the Wilderness of Dreams remained unscathed, suggesting Angel was alive.
But being alive didnāt mean Angel was well.
He might be unconscious, or seriously injured, or he would have contacted them otherwise.
Rhein noticed Sandersās hesitation and said, "Since thereās no word yet, Iāll go in."
The group fell into silence for a moment, with no objections.
Because aside from Rhein, none of them could guarantee entry and exit from the ruins.
"We shouldāve done this earlier; weāve wasted three days now." Wallace jabbed at Sanders when he got the chance.
Despite his disdain for Sanders, Wallace didnāt stop Rhein, understanding the value of Angel and Rheinās ability to scout the ruinsā state.
Sanders said nothing, nodding to Rhein, "I can go in, too."
Rhein shook his head, "No need, you stay outside. If I go in, it might stir up resistance from the creatures inside, leading to a surge, and youāll need to hold the defenses outside."
Rhein paused and then looked at Ironclad Granny, "Iāll leave things here to you."
Ironclad Granny nodded slightly, "Iāll handle things here. Be careful inside."
Rhein nodded and, without further words, turned into a shadow heading towards the center of the Star Pond.
The group silently bid farewell to Rhein with solemn gestures.
However, just as Rhein was about to enter the passage at the Pondās center, something unexpected happened.
A faint glow dissipated from the tunnel beneath the water.
"Somethingās changed in the passage!" Everyoneās minds instantly jumped to this conclusion as theyād experienced such situations before. When a living creature is about to emerge from the passage, the spaceās fluctuation creates a glow of energy.
The living threads had just surfaced, so this light was unlikely to be them.
If not the living threads, the most likely entities were the Magical Creatures within the ruins!
Realizing this, the group put everything else aside. Leaving only the person managing the Observation Pavilionās barrier, the rest flew towards the center of the Star Pondā¦
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