Hyperdimensional Warlock

Chapter 4353 The Changes of the Decaying One
During the subsequent exploration of the maze, Liriel noticed with her naked eye that the face of the Decayer was slowly changing.

The once withered creature was extremely emaciated, like a candle about to burn out. Most striking of all, its slender, bamboo-like trunk was topped with a huge, heart-shaped head.

It looks like a big-headed monster.

It looks extremely terrifying.

Although Liriel gradually came to understand that the Decayer was a person of inner beauty during the time they spent together, she still had to admit that she was still frightened every time she saw its face.

But just after the decaying one "cried".

Liriel noticed something strange: the heads of the decaying beings seemed to be getting smaller, and the features of their faces, which were swollen like steamed buns, were now clearly visible.

Although it's still not good-looking, its appearance has become significantly less offensive.

and.

Lillie noticed that this change, though slow, was ongoing.

She vividly remembered gathering information about the Decayers. The description of the Decayers in the information was that they used to be spirited and dashing in the City of Believers, but overnight they became hunched and ugly, with heads as large as fruits.

Now, the head of the withered one is slowly shrinking. Although its body is still withered, it seems to be slowly returning to its former appearance.

Liriel could see this scene, and the Decayer, as the true form, could naturally also sense the changes within itself.

In particular, the heavy pressure on his neck suddenly eased, and the force that had been holding up his enormous head for countless years to prevent him from being completely crushed finally relaxed.

The relief in his neck, far from bringing him any comfort, instead stirred a wave of discomfort from the inside out. Long-standing repression and resistance had made him accustomed to that heavy sense of oppression; now, the sudden change felt like an unsettling, difficult-to-adapt sensation.

However, the discomfort did not last long, because the Wall of Questions suddenly appeared at the corner of the corridor, forcefully drawing their attention to it.

This is the sixteenth wall of questions they have encountered.

After much thought and deliberation, the two finally succeeded in clearing the level.

Fortunately, Normeffens was exceptionally generous this time, giving them a chance to ask questions.

Liriel could vaguely sense that the Decayer had countless questions weighing on its mind. After a moment of contemplation, she gave it the opportunity to ask.

The withered one did not refuse and immediately spoke, his voice filled with barely concealed urgency, asking Normefens the question that was most pressing to him: "I can't sense them at all anymore, are they... alright?"

This time, Normefens remained silent for a long time, seemingly considering how to respond to the question from the withered one.

After a long while.

Normefens slowly said, "They are doing well and have been settled in the most suitable place for them. I can reveal more information to you; it is a huge academic city."

"The City of Faith?" the Decayer murmured, the image of the City of Faith flashing through his mind unconsciously, a complex emotion flickering in his eyes.

Normefens seemed to have guessed what the Decayer was thinking, and sneered: "It's not the territory of a demon god like the City of Faith. You can think of it as a real, pure academy. If you have to say, it's closer to your former alma mater... Star Academy."

After saying this, Normfins paused for a second, then added softly, "By the way, if you can successfully navigate this labyrinth of interrogation, you might also have the opportunity to find a place of your own in that city of academies."

After speaking, Normefens closed his eyes, completely shutting out everything from the outside world, and offered no further response.

Even the withered one knew that this exchange had come to a complete end.

Konomes' words stirred up a storm in its heart, and the emotions it had suppressed surged up again, making it unable to help but sway its heart.

The unease I felt earlier about the disappearance of the Prussians vanished completely at this moment.

It finally learned that the fragments of souls that had lingered in its mind, and the Prusia people it had longed for, were not only safe and sound, but had also found their true home.

That pure academic city was not only the place where the Prussians settled down, but also the image they had once pursued. This sudden comfort allowed their tense bodies to relax quietly, and the melancholy in their eyes was gradually replaced by a glimmer of hope.

Liriel noticed that the Decayer was shedding tears again.

This time, however, it was smiling.

……

Fools' City.

Angor sensed that Nomefens had reactivated the Nightmare Node left at its clone's location.

Just minutes before, Normfins had contacted him.

The incident began when the Decaying One asked a strange question, "Are they alright?" which left Normefens completely baffled.

It didn't know how to answer, nor did it understand what the withered one meant, so it had no choice but to contact Angell for help.

After a moment of confusion, Angor roughly guessed the situation of the Decayers: all the Prushis on the Dream Bridge had entered the Dream Crystal Plains, which was a complete liberation for the Decayers.

It's normal that it senses something.

So Angell instructed Normefens to reveal the matter of the "City of Learning," and incidentally point out that the City of Learning was still waiting for its arrival.

Then, Normefens cut off contact.

This is the second time that Normeffens has contacted him.

"Is there anything else?" Angell asked.

Normeffens seemed a little embarrassed and quickly explained his purpose.

In short, Normefens hadn't paid much attention to the questions from the Decayer and Liriel, but the Decayer's question had completely stumped him.

If it weren't for Angell's help, it wouldn't have known how to answer.

So Normefens decided to pull himself together and, by questioning the labyrinth's authority holders, secretly monitored them, hoping to find out in advance what the withered ones might ask, so he could prepare in advance and avoid being caught off guard again.

Soon, Normefens discovered that Liriel and the Decayer seemed to have been discussing something:

—The head of the decaying being is slowly shrinking.

Normefens, unaware of the situation, worried that the Decayers would ask about it later, so he came to ask Angor.

After hearing this, Angell also became somewhat interested.

Just then, the person he was waiting for hadn't arrived yet, so he inquired in detail about the current situation of the withered one.

After listening to the story, Angell pondered for a moment and said, "I don't really know the specific reasons, but I can guess the general situation..."

In the past, a total of 150,000 consciousnesses remained in the mind of the decaying one.

Although they were all incomplete, they still placed a huge burden on the decaying creature, which caused it to become withered and ugly.

Now that the Prusia people have left the Dream Bridge and fully entered the Academy City, the burden of 150,000 consciousnesses on it has instantly disappeared, and the changes in the withered one are perfectly normal.

but.

"Currently, only the consciousness of the Prusha people has entered the Academy City. They are essentially fragments of their souls, still remaining in the body of the Decayer and not completely separated. Therefore, I speculate that this change will not completely overturn its original appearance. At most, its head will just be a little smaller than before, and there will not be much change."

"Unless the decaying thing can completely discard those remaining, unconscious fragments of its soul in reality, the burden in its head can not be truly lifted, and only then will it be possible to completely restore its former appearance."

Finally, Angell added, "Of course, these are just my guesses and may not be entirely correct."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Normiffens exclaimed in surprise, "You... you guessed right!"

"You had barely finished speaking when the changes in the Withered One's expression stopped!"

The head of the decaying creature is now smaller than before, and the facial features are much clearer, but it is still larger than that of an ordinary person.

Previously, it looked like a slender branch supporting a huge apple; now it looks like a slender branch supporting a pear. The difference isn't huge, but it's still noticeable to the naked eye.

This situation undoubtedly confirms Ingres's prediction once again.

Having learned the truth, Normeffens was satisfied and disconnected.

Angor was still pondering the situation of the Decayers.

Will it completely discard those fragments of the soul in its mind?
Angell guessed that it wouldn't.

At least not for now.

The withered one must still harbor a sliver of hope: if the Prusia people can nurture their consciousness in the Dream Crystal Plains and regain their agency, then perhaps they can return to their souls and rise again in reality.

This may sound unbelievable, but if it were Angell himself, he would most likely have the same thought.

Everyone has a tendency to take chances.

Only when the decaying one fully realizes that fragments of the soul cannot bear a complete self-awareness, and when it sees the Prusia people able to establish themselves securely in the City of Fools and embark on a new journey, will it perhaps truly shed these useless fragments of the soul.

Angel was aware of all this, but he had no intention of awakening the Decayer in advance.

Firstly, people don't learn until they hit a wall; some truths can only be truly understood through personal experience.

Secondly, allowing the decaying creature to continue bearing these fragments of souls, aside from making it look unsightly, does not bring any real harm to it.

More importantly, even if the Decayed One's head is only slightly smaller now, if he encounters a Cruel Scholar after logging off, he might be questioned on the spot; let alone completely reverting to his former appearance, such an abrupt change is impossible to conceal.

Fortunately, its head is only slightly smaller, and its features are more clearly defined, so it's easy to deal with; you can just make up an excuse to get away with it.

However, if those soul fragments completely disappear and it returns to its original state, dealing with the cruel scholars will become extremely difficult.

It is important to know that the Cruel Scholar understands the Decayer all too well, and is well aware that it will never easily give up those fragments of soul in its mind.

Once the decaying entity does something that is inconsistent with its nature or out of place, a ruthless scholar with keen observation skills will surely be able to detect the suspicious activity.

If we follow the clues further, we might be able to find out the existence of the Dream Crystal Origin.

Therefore, for the time being, the decaying thing will remain in its current form, which is the best outcome for both it and Angell, at least for now.

In a daze, two faint voices reached Angell's ears.

Is this how it's used?

"Squeak-"

"Have you managed to contact Mr. Angell?"

"squeak!"

Upon hearing the commotion, Angel immediately knew that it was Behemoth and Nakbi, the two invention mice, looking for him.

He casually activated his God's-eye view, his gaze sweeping over Rabbit Town. In no time, he spotted the two little guys on the basement floor of the library.

Nakobi was rubbing against Behemoth's neck fur in a sticky, affectionate way, squeaking contentedly.

Yes, it was him who made the "squeaking" sound just now.

Meanwhile, Behemoth had a serious expression on its face, holding a blurry halo in its paws, and was carefully fiddling with it... This halo was the Nightmare Node that Angor had left on it earlier.

“I heard you,” Angel’s voice came through, gentle and casual.

Behemoth immediately put on a serious expression and said, "Mr. Angell, I just logged off and put the login device on him. He should be online now."

Although Behemoth wanted to act very formally, it didn't push Nakbi away when Nakbi rubbed against its neck fur, making the scene a little strange.

Angel didn't care about their brotherly affection and nodded: "Thank you for your help. If you need anything, you can contact me anytime using the Nightmare Node."

Behemoth: "I understand."

Angell had intended to disconnect there, but his gaze inadvertently swept over the Fools' Academy in the distance as the sun rose. Suddenly, he had an idea and casually asked, "Would you like to come to the Fools' Academy? I'll give you a position as a dean."

Behemoth was stunned on the spot, and his ears perked up.

When Angor contacted it earlier, he mentioned the Fool's City a few times, and it had a general idea of ​​the city's situation. However, it never expected that Angor would suddenly invite it to be the dean.

It hesitated for a second before replying, "I have no interest in teachers who have become fools. If they were to become seekers of the Way again in the future, I could enter into their circles and discuss the Way with them, but they are not qualified yet."

The tone was humble, but the content was full of confidence.

This is very much in line with Behemoth's character; whenever it comes to "knowledge research," it has unparalleled confidence and assurance.

Angell: "If you wait until they all unlock their full potential, it will be much more difficult for you to become the dean."

Behemoth shook his head, his tone more confident: "No, it has never been difficult for me. They need to grow to become intelligent, but can't I grow too? My starting point is already higher than theirs, and I will go further than them!"

Looking at Behemoth's confident little face, Angor couldn't help but laugh out loud, his tone filled with satisfaction:

"Alright, then I'll wait for the moment when you and they engage in a heated debate."

Ingres's use of the word "expectation" was not just a polite remark.

He was genuinely curious about what a lively scene it would be when this confident Dean Rat discussed the Dao with a group of knowledge-hungry seekers.

It's interesting just thinking about it.

After severing his connection with Behemoth, Angor sensed the "Dream Bridge" through the Dream Gate.

Soon, he spotted a pink-haired boy on a certain dream bridge.

He was the one Angell had been waiting for.