Chapter 17: An Unexpected Interruption and a Divine Artifact’s Shadow

Oh? What could you two possibly be discussing at this late hour?

Unexpectedly, a soft voice suddenly interjected from the side, effectively cutting short our heated exchange. The speaker sounded rather startled.

Both Angelina and I were instantly startled, immediately turning our heads to find Sally standing at the doorway, gazing at us with a bewildered expression. It appeared she had been roused from her sleep by our voices and had come to investigate.

This implied that Angelina hadn’t even bothered to properly close the door when she had stealthily entered!

“Were you speaking the language of angels just now? I couldn’t understand a single word.”

Given that Angelina and I had been conversing in Huaxia, it was entirely natural for Sally to have understood nothing.

“Ah… yes,” Angelina was the first to recover, hastily fabricating a serious-sounding explanation in the local tongue. “This is our own angelic language, used exclusively among us angels. It’s quite difficult for ordinary folk to comprehend.”

“Exactly, exactly!” I quickly chimed in, forcing a smile and nodding in agreement, a pang of admiration for her cunning flashing through me. It truly was different when one was adept at spinning tales for young women.

“But I couldn’t shake the feeling that you two sounded as if you were arguing,” Sally pressed, her keen senses detecting the unusual tension between us, despite her ignorance of our specific words. “Aren’t you two on quite good terms before, even planning to share a bed? Or am I mistaken?”

Given the late hour, hearing such a pointed question, I couldn’t help but shoot Angelina a venomous glare. Her expression, however, mirrored my own mortification, as though a painful secret had been brutally exposed, leaving her utterly humiliated in public.

“No! Of course our relationship is perfectly fine!” Fortunately, her recovery was swift. Angelina immediately denied the accusation, explaining, “Flora and I weren’t arguing just now; we were merely practicing our angelic conversation. Isn’t that right, Flora?”

As she spoke, she subtly shifted to my side, delivering a gentle poke to my back.

“Uh, yes! Absolutely!” I quickly played along, simultaneously conjuring a brilliant cover story. “Angelina mentioned it’s an excellent way to stimulate memory recovery.”

‘Leave it to her to bring up such a sensitive topic…’

Seeing this, Sally finally seemed to have no further suspicions. She rubbed her eyes, turned, and ambled back to her room to resume her slumber. She left Angelina and me standing there, exchanging awkward glances, utterly at a loss for what to say next.

“Never mind, I’m simply too exhausted. Let’s not prolong this any further!”

Recognizing the undeniable lateness of the hour, Angelina reluctantly decided to concede, retreating to her own room to pass the remainder of the night.

****

The night passed uneventfully, and soon the first light of dawn heralded a new morning.

Amos and the others had risen even earlier than I, already knocking on my door, urging me to come down for breakfast so we could depart without delay.

Scarcely had I finished dressing and stepped out of my room when I quite literally bumped into Angelina, who was likewise emerging from his own quarters, poised for departure.

“Once we’re downstairs, let’s ensure they detect nothing amiss.”

Unable to suppress an eye-roll, I quickly whispered a reminder for him to mind the details, lest we be subjected to another lengthy interrogation by the others. A further thought struck me, prompting a specific admonition: “And another thing, don’t touch me casually anymore. It would be best if you kept your distance!”

“Yet, weren’t you equally impatient last night?”

At this, Angelina couldn’t help but let out a mocking laugh.

‘It truly was a sore spot, and he had seen right through me!’ I seethed, regretting my inability to resist his provocations last night.

“So, let’s agree to never touch each other again, shall we?”

After all, he was the one who had initiated it! Enraged, I delivered my cutting remark, then spun on my heel and descended the stairs.

“Uh…”

For a moment, Angelina seemed at a loss for words, choosing instead to simply follow me down to the ground floor.

“My apologies for rising so late and dawdling for such an extended period!”

After all, I had slept straight through until dawn. Seeing everyone gathered and waiting for us, I immediately felt a flush of embarrassment and offered my apologies to Tiffany and the others.

“It’s quite alright. I’ve already told you not to worry about such trivialities,” Sally replied, waving a dismissive hand. “We are all well aware of your inherent nature—your fondness for light and aversion to darkness. After all, angels are beings of light, so there’s no need to push yourselves.”

It was only at her mention that I truly understood why my spirits always flagged at night, yet I felt perpetually vibrant and tireless during the day. A deeper reason, it seemed, lay beneath the surface.

After a simple breakfast, everyone gathered their belongings, preparing to resume our journey. I cast a glance back at our temporary abode, contemplating that its original occupants were likely long gone. In time, it too would probably fall into disrepair, eventually crumbling into ruin.

The others, too, seemed to share a similar somber mood; few words were exchanged, and the entire journey was undertaken in a quietude that bordered on solemnity.

As we retraced our steps along the path, we passed the courtyard where we had encountered the two sages the previous day. Coincidentally, a group of people was just emerging from the house, preparing to board a carriage.

“What a striking coincidence! Are you also preparing to depart at this very moment?”

As before, Amos stepped forward to initiate conversation. The opposing party appeared to consist of more than just two individuals. The two middle-aged sages we had met yesterday offered no reply; one was already seated in the coachman’s position, while the other remained standing by the roadside, merely offering us a nod of acknowledgement.

Observing that they showed no immediate signs of departure, our group decided to proceed. We began to circle around the carriage, intending to move past it and continue our journey.

“Wait!”

Suddenly, a woman’s voice emanated from within the carriage. Upon hearing this, one of the sages, who had already boarded, immediately disembarked and hurried to intercept us, while the other moved to the rear of the carriage, opening the door and patiently awaiting the occupant’s emergence.

Such an unexpected turn of events caused our entire group to exchange bewildered glances. Though the seasoned Tiffany and her companions discerned no overt hostility from the newcomers, they nevertheless adopted a posture of caution. Sally, a mere girl, appeared visibly nervous, pressing close to Angelina and even clutching the hem of her skirt-armor.

Angelina, for his part, gently draped an arm around Sally’s shoulder, patting it twice as if to reassure her. Witnessing this display, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes; my entire perspective had undergone a radical shift after the revelations of the previous night.

‘Typical of the once wealthy, philandering young master. Had he already begun to extend his predatory grasp towards other innocent girls?’

Just then, a woman emerged from the carriage, clad in an ensemble of distinctly Arabian flair. She wore a pure black dress, its knee-length skirt adorned with countless shimmering, starlight-like decorations. Her top, exposing both shoulders and midriff, featured elegant bell sleeves, while a thin headscarf veiled her entire head, obscuring her features. The overall effect was one of mysterious, exotic beauty.

Concurrently with her descent, a transparent, purple orb of light, roughly the size of a football, drifted out of the carriage and hovered gracefully at her side.

Around this luminous orb, a circle of card-like pieces rotated, while further out, several smaller white points of light, varying in size, orbited like miniature satellites. The orb’s interior was not vacant; a ring slowly revolved around its north-south axis. Within this ring, another spun at a different angle, and at least three such nested rings were discernible before a tiny, intricately carved disc could be faintly glimpsed at the very heart.

“It’s an Astromancer,” Tiffany whispered, her voice laced with surprise.

“I wonder what she wants from us,” Amos responded, his brow furrowed in a low, resonant tone.

The term “Astromancer” was not unfamiliar to me, though in my mind, it typically conjured images of common fortune-tellers. Yet, the Astromancers of this world were likely far from ordinary, embodying a significance far beyond mere parlor tricks.

After disembarking, the Astromancer remained silent, walking directly to Angelina and stopping before him. She offered a slight nod of greeting, then cast a brief glance in my direction before finally speaking in a soft voice.

“May I inquire as to the name of this esteemed Angelic Lord? I am Melinda, from Starfall City.”

“Angelina,” he replied. Angelina had already released Sally’s hand, evidently perplexed as to why the Astromancer had specifically approached him.

“Is there something you require?”

“We previously discovered nearly a hundred corpses of dark creatures, scattered in the forest’s northeastern quadrant…” Melinda began, bypassing Angelina’s question. She paused in thought for a moment before speaking plainly and directly.

“Most of these corpses belonged to level four or five magical beasts, though a select few had reached level six, including manticores and cyclopes. Our investigations indicate they were all slain by the same formidable weapon; some were even cleaved into multiple pieces. The wounds bore exceptionally strong traces of wind elemental energy. Our assessment suggests it must have been a Divine Artifact…”

At this pronouncement, every one of us simultaneously turned our gazes toward Angelina. My mind immediately conjured images of his indestructible Air-Condensing Sword, which, as Sally had confirmed, indeed bore the distinct aura of a wind-elemental Divine Artifact.

At the time, I hadn’t given it much thought, but now it became clear that the number of magical beasts Angelina had dispatched before our encounter was far more extensive than I had initially conceived.

And what, precisely, was the true nature of that sword…?

According to Angelina’s own account, it was merely a weapon crafted from his abilities, akin to some form of magical construct. Yet, when the truth that he was Ren Yunkong finally came to light, the entire affair instantly became far more intriguing. After all, if that sword truly was a so-called Divine Artifact…

The most crucial question, however, was why I couldn’t command such an overwhelmingly powerful and awe-inspiring technique!

We were both transmigrators, yet the disparity between us felt outrageously vast. Could he, a playboy young master, truly forge Divine Artifacts immediately upon transmigrating? Was wealth inherently linked to a pay-to-win attribute, granting cheats from the very beginning? I found myself utterly speechless, though not for lack of complaints.

“So, what exactly are you implying?” the ‘cheating angel’ questioned, gazing blankly at Melinda as if the entire matter held no relevance to him. “Do you truly believe I possess it?” Only we, who knew his true identity, understood the sheer brilliance of his acting. It was a genuine tragedy he hadn’t pursued a career at the Central Academy of Drama.

“I did not mean to imply that,” Melinda replied, shaking her head, though her expression remained indistinct beneath the veil.

“As you passed by me just now, there were signs of unusual activity in the wind elemental energy. Yet, you are an angel, and your light elemental aura does not appear particularly strong—perhaps that of a four-winged angel at most. So, I merely wished to inquire if you possess any knowledge regarding this matter.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t know anything about it,” Angelina stated, visibly relaxing at the explanation, yet still refusing to admit anything.

“Our Tower Sages Alliance has always maintained amicable relations with angels, thus we harbor no designs on coveting Divine Artifacts,” Melinda continued, her tone suggesting a lack of complete conviction. “It’s simply that the appearance of this Divine Artifact is far too peculiar, and its underlying significance is immense, directly pertaining to the very purpose of our journey here. Therefore…”

“I truly don’t know!” Angelina interrupted impatiently, spreading his hands wide to display his entire person in an innocent gesture. “If you don’t believe me, look—do I look like I have a Divine Artifact on me? Nor do I possess any spatial storage items.”

“Then, not knowing is quite alright,” seeing his denial, Melinda found it difficult to press the matter further. Instead, her tone shifted, and she extended an invitation.

“Should the opportunity arise, would you consider honoring us with a visit to Starfall City?”

As she spoke, she glanced in my direction.

“And, Angelic Miss, it would be even better if you could accompany him.”

‘Eh? Is she referring to me?’ I was utterly bewildered. How had I suddenly become involved? I certainly didn’t possess any Divine Artifacts, yet apart from Angelina and me, there didn’t seem to be any other angels present.