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It must be said that as the City of Silver Chief, Colin Iliad was truly very perceptive.
Even without any memory, simply by confirming that the existence on the mural was the Angel of Fate, he guessed the possibility of them entering a loop.
"Entering an endless, circular river that cannot be left? What does that mean?" Derrick was a bit confused. Compared to the experienced and knowledgeable Chief, he hadn't yet activated his gray fog cheat and recovered all his looped memories, so he clearly couldn't immediately grasp the possibility of a fate loop from the Chief's single sentence.
"My meaning is, we might have stepped into a certain loop," Colin Iliad explained, his voice low, only audible to Derrick beside him.
He stared at the river in the mural, his straight sword in hand slightly raised, but then he lowered it again, doing nothing.
Even with a guess, Colin Iliad couldn't be certain that they had already entered a loop, nor could he be sure that this mural was the key. So, after some thought, he decided to wait and see.
Thus, they continued to explore, and after passing through a series of broken walls and ruins, they arrived at a grand hall.
With just one glance, Derrick saw the altar in the hall, which immediately put him on alert. He tightened his grip on the Unshadowed Crucifix in his hand while looking around.
"What is your relationship with the Angel of Judgment?"
Suddenly, Derrick heard a voice ask this.
Derrick was startled. He saw the black shadow on the altar squirming, finally coalescing into a blurry figure.
It should have been a shadow, yet it had a human-like form, not thin at all, but rather very three-dimensional. Derrick couldn't make out the shadow's facial features, or perhaps as a shadow, it inherently lacked such things. He could only discern that this shadow seemed to be wearing a long robe. The details of the clothing were unclear, but Derrick felt that if it were real clothing, it should be very magnificent.
And by the shadow's hand was a small boy who had fallen asleep, not very old, perhaps only around ten years old.
Derrick tightened his grip on the Unshadowed Crucifix, not rushing to attack. He subconsciously glanced at the Chief beside him and, seeing that the Chief seemed to be observing both the shadow and him, he pursed his lips.
Derrick pondered for a moment in his mind, then replied, "I shouldn't have any relationship with the Angel of Judgment, but this… this was given to me by Him."
Chariot is closely related to the Angel of Judgment, and the Unshadowed Crucifix was given to me by Chariot, so I'm not lying… Derrick added in his mind.
Hearing Derrick's words, the shadow didn't reply. Derrick felt as if the other party was looking at him, and yet not.
After a long while, the shadow spoke again, "Which city-state are you from?"
Derrick glanced at the Chief, and seeing him nod slightly, he honestly replied, "We are from the City of Silver."
"The City of Silver… the kingdom that originally believed in the Giant?" The shadow seemed to smile, and yet not. He then asked, "Is it just you left in this darkness?"
"Uh…" Derrick didn't know how to answer for a moment. Colin Iliad, beside him, then said, "The City of Silver has never discovered any other living people, but we are not sure if there are other survivors in this darkness."
"Is that so…" The shadow looked at Colin Iliad and asked, "How long have you persisted in the darkness?"
"Two thousand five hundred and eighty-two years," Colin Iliad accurately reported a number.
"It's been that long already…" The shadow seemed to sigh, and yet not.
"Do you still believe in the Creator?"
He asked this.
Derrick almost instinctively felt guilty, while Colin Iliad firmly said, "Yes."
The shadow's gaze seemed to fall on Derrick. At this moment, Derrick felt as if he was seen through from the inside out.
But the shadow ultimately said nothing. He just smiled, then gestured towards the small boy who was asleep beside him, saying:
"This child comes from the outside world shrouded in darkness. Take him away; this is not a suitable place for survival. However, he has been corrupted by Ouroboros's power. If not handled properly, you will likely continue to cycle."
The outside world shrouded in darkness! Cycle!
Whether it was Colin Iliad, or Derrick, or the other members of the exploration team, they were all startled at this moment.
They looked at each other, and finally, Colin Iliad tentatively walked to the shadow's side and picked up the small boy.
During this process, the shadow just watched silently until Colin Iliad, carrying the small boy, returned to his original position, then he spoke again:
"If you want to leave this place, you can look for where the Giant Court is located. The door is there, but I don't recommend you go now. It's not time for that door to open yet. With your current strength, going there would probably just be suicide."
"Thank you for informing us, Your Excellency." Colin Iliad, who was about to check what was wrong with the small boy, paused his movements. Even though he tried his best to restrain himself, anyone could tell his inner turmoil.
"No need to thank me." The shadow calmly shook his head, his voice faintly saying, "This is just a small token of gratitude for you awakening me."
He looked at Derrick again, or rather, at the Unshadowed Crucifix in Derrick's hand, and after a long time, he said, "Is He doing well?"
Derrick was stunned for a moment, then immediately realized that this was likely asking about the Angel of Judgment. After thinking for a moment, he replied, "I'm not sure… but I can ask Him for you."
Chariot and the Angel of Judgment are closely related; asking Chariot about this kind of question is perfectly fine.
As soon as these words came out, the other members of the exploration team looked at Derrick with strange expressions.
If they had been too shocked to react just now, now one by one, they all came to their senses.
Derrick… has he established a connection with a hidden existence named the Angel of Judgment?
Only Colin Iliad showed no surprise at all, quietly observing this scene.
"Then please ask Him for me…" The shadow seemed equally unsurprised that Derrick could contact the Angel of Judgment, and spoke peacefully.
"Okay, I will." Derrick nodded. He looked at the shadow, and after thinking for a moment, he still bravely asked, "Um, Your Excellency, could you tell me your name? I need to tell Your Highness the Angel of Judgment who wants to know His status."
The shadow fell silent. After a long while, he sighed and said, "I am just a shadow, a lingering echo, a phantom ghost forcibly left behind…"
"My mission has long ended, my existence is meaningless, and who I am no longer matters."
He looked at Derrick, and in the other party's confused eyes, he smiled and said:
"As for a name, just call me Little Shadow."
"Ah?" Derrick was stunned. At this moment, he suspected that his ears had a problem.
What Little Shadow? Is this a name that someone as formidable as the person in front of him should have?
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