Chapter 3016: Chapter 3017: Guardian

This strand of blue hair is slightly smaller than an adult’s pinky and about half a meter long, making it quite conspicuous on the pitch-black ground.

Angel noticed it from a great distance.

He cautiously summoned a Hand of Magic to pick up the hair from the ground.

Before Angel could analyze the composition of the hair, he immediately perceived the fierce oppression lingering on it.

This oppression was something Angel had sensed before on those panicked refugees. Without a doubt, judging by the nature of this oppression, it can be determined that this blue hair belongs to the gorilla that attacked Bilun Tree Court.

However, more than the residual oppression on the blue hair, what intrigued Angel was the strange energy entwined with it.

"Inscription Force... and it’s entwined with Inscriptions that shield against World Will’s erosion."

Angel wasn’t very familiar with the power of Inscriptions since Inscription Studies are not prominent in the Southern Domain; they are oppressed and controlled by Extreme Sects.

However, even though he’s not familiar with Inscription Force, he is familiar with the Inscription Force that shields against World Will. After all, back then, in order to prolong Jon’s illness, Angel tried various methods, and ultimately, only this type of Inscription Force showed any effect.

"Such special Inscription Force that shields against World Will’s erosion is generally only used on otherworldly stowaways, or important otherworldly creatures. Why would such power be on the hair of a blue gorilla?" Angel muttered, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes: "Is that gorilla a magical creature from beyond the domain? If so, does that mean this attacker might also be related to foreign forces?"

If that’s truly the case, then the Starry District is in for a major upheaval.

After all, if the attacker originated from the Starry District, and foreign forces appear in the Starry District, it’s not just others, but the Extreme Sect won’t let the Didia family off, and even the Preacher might be implicated.

Postponing consideration of the follow-up issues, just looking at the current situation, Angel felt that everything revealed an eerie strangeness.

The first target of the attack was the Shark Star Pureblood Society, a fact Angel had already deduced. But was it worth going to such great lengths to deal with a private society like the Shark Star Pureblood Society?

Moreover, involving magical creatures that are likely from beyond the domain, isn’t this just asking for trouble?

Angel couldn’t quite wrap his head around it... or perhaps the Shark Star Pureblood Society was just a small target, and the real target of the attackers has yet to be revealed?

As Angel was pondering, a wisp of breeze drifted over from afar, fluttering his sleeves.

"Speedy?" Angel sensed a familiar presence and spoke.

A very faint thought was conveyed on the breeze.

Angel understood that this was indeed Speedy, but it had divided into thousands, and such a small wisp of wind could not carry enough consciousness, only able to act according to predetermined commands, providing feedback through action.

And the command given to this wisp of wind was: to guide.

The one to be guided was naturally Angel.

Although Angel could not get detailed information from this small wisp of wind, since Speedy sent it to guide him, there should be some discoveries.

Angel did not continue to linger at the original spot but followed the guiding wind, moving swiftly forward.

The further he went, the more serious Angel’s expression became.

Because he realized that the guiding wind was leading him toward the arena... Could it be that Kaier was really caught up in the attack?

Thinking of this, Angel’s face changed, and his speed quickened.

The breeze and ghostly shadows, invisible to the naked eye in the darkness, only producing the sound of flapping and rustling as they swept through the air.

Half a minute later, Angel landed.

Seeing the surroundings, Angel relaxed a bit, for the breeze had not led him to the arena. At this moment, they were right at the entrance of the Birlos Council Hall, which was one of the six official buildings mentioned by everyone earlier.

The breeze led Angel to the front door of the Council Hall.

Now, without the breeze needing to speak, Angel already understood its intent.

On the gigantic iron-edged arch door handle remained the pheromones of Kaier.

However, judging by the concentration of the pheromones, it seemed they were left about half an hour ago.

Since the Council Hall is protected by a special protective Magical Energy Array, Speedy could not enter to investigate and had to send a wisp of wind to find Angel.

"The Council Hall is sealed, and it should have been sealed recently." Angel deduced information from the flow of energy within the Magical Energy Array, "I assume that after the attack, someone deliberately sealed the Council Hall’s Magical Energy Array."

It was not sealed from the outside, but from the inside, and this Magical Energy Array is controlled by a secret key... which means it was likely people from the Birlos family who sealed it.

Presumably to avoid the attack of the blue gorilla.

The crafting of this Magical Energy Array can be considered excellent, but compared to the one in the Underground Aqueduct, it’s much weaker. Angel could even find gaps in the Underground Aqueduct’s Magical Energy Array, let alone this one before him.

It took less than half a minute for Angel to find the breach in the energy circuit.

He didn’t even use an External Array Disk, merely stalled the energy flow with a casual move for a second, opening the door.

After opening the door, Angel didn’t lock it, but simply set up an Illusion Technique as concealment, then proceeded to the interior of the Council Hall.

Entering the Council Hall, the first thing he saw was a corridor not very long, leading to a circular hall that’s recessed about three to four meters deep at its end.

Surrounding the hall are tiered platforms rising fifteen meters high, with rows of seats; these seats are for the councilors. In the center of the platform is another elevated dais five meters high, with three seats reserved for the council president and two vice presidents.

No need to wonder, sitting in the highest seat and looking down would feel like reigning over the entire council hall.

This is a deliberate use of height differences to create an atmosphere of authority.

Angel had heard from Dox that the Bilun Tree Court’s council hall also had the function of a "Judgment Court," and looking at the current environment, it did indeed feel that way.

The suspects are below the hall, while the judges are above.

However, at this moment, the Council Hall was eerily quiet. The tables and chairs in the recessed hall were in disarray, as if some upheaval happened, forcing those present to flee in a panic, resulting in the hall becoming quite chaotic.

Angel stood in the center of the hall, closed his eyes, and sensed the surroundings.

"Kaier’s presence lingered here." Angel glanced around, noticing that Speedy’s wisp of wind incarnate was spiraling above the fifteen-meter-high platform.

Angel paused for a moment, then lightly tapped his toes, allowing ghostly shadows to drift up to the platform through the shadows.

On the platform, Angel discovered that the place where the breeze hovered was exactly at the entrance of a long passage. Nearby, Angel also sensed Kaier’s presence.

"I almost forgot about Speedy." Angel murmured softly to himself. When it comes to sensing presence, Speedy is much more perceptive than him. While he was still looking for Kaier’s pheromones amidst this chaos, a wisp of Speedy’s incarnation had already found the way.

Angel shook his head and followed Speedy into the passage.

The passageway had numerous rooms, but Speedy drifted along, completely ignoring the surrounding rooms.

Initially, Angel would sense the air around each room he encountered, but once he confirmed that Speedy’s judgment was accurate, he stopped wasting time, letting Speedy lead the way, only needing to determine if there were any traps.

Speedy led Angel to a corner of the passage, stopping in front of an oil painting.

Angel couldn’t sense any presence on the oil painting, yet Kaier’s trail indeed vanished near here. And it wasn’t just Kaier, but many other jumbled pheromones also disappeared near this spot.

And the only strange thing at this corner is this oil painting.

The painting depicts an inclined golden scale, with one side symbolizing a newborn sapling and the other side stacked with weights.

Jon observed carefully for a moment and discovered that this oil painting was integrated with the surrounding Magical Energy Array, and the weights in the painting had obvious energy traces.

After a brief judgment, Jon reached out to touch the weights.

As his fingers made contact with the weights, they seemed to be activated, emitting a faint glow.

Moreover, as Jon’s fingers moved, the weights moved as well.

He removed three weights from the scale, allowing the sapling and weights to achieve balance.

As the inclined scale regained balance, a halo spread out from the painting, covering the entire wall.

The moment the halo fully integrated into the wall, a new passageway was opened.

With the opening of the passage, Fuyi quickly flew inside, and after sensing briefly, Jon confirmed there were no mechanisms, then followed along.

This new passage was not long, and soon reached its end, which was a spiral staircase descending downwards.

The stairs bore obvious chaotic footprints, and the nearby pheromones were quite disordered. Undoubtedly, those who escaped from the Council Hall should have come here.

Without hesitation, Jon began heading down the stairs.

Two minutes later, Speedy led Jon to a new corridor.

This corridor seemed no different from the previous passage, except the oil lamps here were dimmer, making the depths appear pitch black.

Jon sensed the Magical Energy Arrays on both sides while stepping into the corridor.

After a few steps, Jon paused.

He didn’t stop because he found Kaier, but because Speedy relayed feedback... Someone was ahead.

Moreover, this person seemed to be heading in his direction.

Seconds later, Jon heard footsteps, heavier than normal in the silent corridor, remarkably clear.

Soon, the footsteps approached Jon’s vicinity.

With the dim lamp light, Jon saw the comer...

It was a shirtless man, although without outerwear, he wore an "X"-shaped black studded belt on his chest, and behind him was a black and red cape.

Under the light, the studs reflected light, as did his muscular physique glistening with oil.

At first glance, he looked like a Spartan warrior.

The only difference from a Spartan warrior was that he wore tight black leather pants instead of protective shorts.

As for his face, brown long curly hair, red freckled eyes... Compared to that philosophical attire, his glistening body was truly disproportionate.

"Shadow?" The muscular man looked at Jon: "No, you’re a Wizard of the Shadow element?"

Jon did not deny but replied blandly, "Who are you? Where are the Council Hall’s people?"

The muscular man seemed wary of Jon, who’s shrouded in shadows, cautiously asking, "Are you from the Birlos Family?"

"No, I’m here looking for someone." Jon paused, "Now it’s your turn to answer."

The muscular man hesitated for a moment before speaking, "I’m called Aex..."

"Aex?" Jon was momentarily stunned, the name sounded somewhat familiar.

Muscular man Aex seemed to notice Jon’s change in tone, asking, "Do you know me?"

Jon remained silent for a moment and said, "Have you seen him?"

As Jon’s voice fell, the shadow beside him struggled, shifting imperfectly into a slightly muddled silhouette.

If someone from the Starry District were present, they’d instantly recognize the silhouette as the monk wearing philosophical attire seen with Sherlock earlier.

Aex, looking at the familiar silhouette, seemed to recall something, "I saw him in the commercial area earlier; he tripped and was almost impacted by the rampaging gorilla. I gave him a hand. You’re looking for him?"

Hearing Aex’s words, Jon’s mind flashed to the commercial area’s footprints and recalled what the philosophical-robed man had said in the Starry District.

It all corresponds.

The man in philosophical attire’s rescuer should be Aex before him.

Additionally, from other Starry District residents, Jon knew Aex saved many people.

From their words, Jon learned they’re not unfamiliar with Aex, implying that Aex was originally from the Starry District.

Jon shook his head, saying, "No, I only heard about you from him. He mentioned you saved many people."

Aex paused, scratching his head and smiling honestly, "It was just a convenient action."

After smiling, Aex cautiously asked Jon, "You said you’re here for someone; who are you seeking?"

If Aex’s emotions were truthful, Jon could confirm he was a relatively "sincere" person, which aligns with his rescuing actions.

Jon contemplated, saying, "There should have been many in the Council Hall earlier; where are they now?"

Aex: "You aren’t here to harm them, are you?"

Jon: "... No, I’m looking for someone, a person who was previously in the Council Hall."

Aex thought for two seconds, "They’re at the end of this corridor. I’m protecting them... If you’re searching, I can take you there."

Jon looked at Aex, "No need, I only need it to go over and take a look."

Jon summoned the filament of Speedy’s wind transformation nearby.

"Wind Element transformation?" Aex’s eyes brightened, "Only a filament of transformation, yet so pure, impressive."

Aex could instantly tell Speedy’s essence, a side indication that his strength wasn’t weak. Though Jon couldn’t yet determine Aex’s Wizard type, undoubtedly, he must be an Official Wizard.

"Is that okay?" Jon inquired.

"Of course." Aex replied without hesitation. Compared to letting the powerful Wizard Jon proceed, Aex preferred the wind element transformation.

After all, the wind element’s threat is minimal, unlikely to endanger those he’s protecting. Whereas, Jon, an unknown moral Wizard, could cause a threat.

Jon was also considering this, thus decided to let Speedy explore first. Now, receiving consent from Aex, the so-called "Guardian", Jon promptly had Speedy pass by him, entering the dark corridor...

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