Chapter 510 Calypso
Caelus looked into the distance. "Nymphwood?"
But he was quickly denied by Mem's confused denial.
Castorice, however, offered a clearer explanation. "No—it's farther over that way—"
Following the direction of her voice, the group soon locked onto a statue: an old man in long robes, seated cross-legged in meditation.
Caelus lightly tapped the statue's forehead.
Nothing seemed to be there.
Suddenly, a voice echoed through the space.
"Ah… even so, a stubborn stone still cannot open its mouth to speak."
Caelus's body jolted; he immediately began scanning the surroundings.
Then—biu!
A human figure abruptly appeared before everyone.
Mem was so startled she instantly teleported away.
In the camera appeared a long-haired woman, her hands folded neatly at her waist.
"Hehe… this little rabbit is truly lively. And there's a familiar scent about her."
[Wow! What a beautiful big sister!]
[Yaoshi's compassion (not)!]
[That heavy nasal tone, damn!]
[Is this Yaoshi?]
[I got it—the third Path wrapping Amphoreus is the Hunt, no wonder.]
[Lan: Let me see what this is about?]
[Why hasn't Amphoreus been shot to pieces by the Hunt yet?]
[She just looks similar, it's not actual Abundance.]
[At first glance she resembles Yaoshi a lot, but looking closer the difference is still pretty big.]
[But none of that stops her from being beautiful.]
— —
"Hey! You monster, eat my stick!" Caelus pulled out his bat and swung.
The mysteriously appeared figure remained unhurried. "What an impatient child… impatience won't let you eat hot oatmeal."
At that moment, the aura of death began to radiate from Castorice's body. "Who are you? Keep your distance, state your identity—or bear the consequences."
The stranger lightly sniffed the air, then nodded. "The scent of Thanatos… I recognize you. The Death Titan of Aidonia is quite famous."
"Since you know that, stop provoking the authority of 「Death」—answer my question." Knowing about the Death Titan was not strange in itself; what was strange was that even after knowing, this person still held such an attitude. Castorice felt that this person—or non-person—was far from simple!
Yet Castorice's attitude did not make the stranger flinch. Instead, she smiled faintly. "Hehe, baring fangs and claws… truly adorable. Simply call me Calypso. I also convey greetings from the Seven Sages and the 「Lotus-Eaters School」 to all of you."
"I understand all that, but… are you a ghost?" Caelus said, looking at Calypso's nearly transparent body.
"Of course not. Ask the lady beside you. She will certainly understand the reason."
Calypso left the explanation to Castorice.
Castorice remained vigilant and cautioned, "Be careful, Trailblazer… although the master of the 「Lotus-Eaters School」 has never shown their true face, this person cannot be trusted lightly.
「Thread-Pulling」 could not detect her aura just now. If this were truly a false body made of illusion, it would be far too bizarre. Yet if she were already deceased, I should have been able to sense it… Let me test her."
Calypso remained composed. "You two—mind if I join this private discussion as well?"
"Better not. Wanting to join our conversation without even revealing your true body is a bit too intimate.
However, I will ask you questions next. Please answer truthfully—if you can reply fluently, we will temporarily treat you as not an enemy."
Calypso showed a delighted expression. "An intelligence quiz? Very well, I like it. Please proceed."
"What was the topic of the final of the 752nd Grand Debate?"
"「Does a flying arrow move or remain still」."
"Who was your school's representative?"
"Medea, facing Phainon of the 「Nousporists」."
"Who was the winner?"
"No one won—because that Grand Debate was never held." Calypso continued,
"What I just described was the previous session's results. The winner was Phainon; that youth has already claimed the debate crown for ten consecutive sessions. Additionally, to dispel your doubts, I will gift you a piece of information more useful than that Grand Debate…"
[Phainon is that sharp-tongued?]
[Phainon looks exactly like the type who'd skip class with you every day and still be the top student.]
[No wonder Phainon was so eloquent the moment he appeared.]
[Foreshadowing, it must all be freaking foreshadowing, hahahaha!]
[How long has this kid been crazy?]
[For a while now.]
[I just want to ask—if Phainon can win, how bad must the opponent have been?]
[What's wrong, looking down on our Snowy?]
[Phainon's debate topic should be: Why do birds fly?]
— —
"Anaxa of the 「Nousporists」 has not yet perished. I have already rescued him; he is currently resting well upon the Throne of Enlightenment… How about it—satisfactory enough?"
With Calypso's final words, both Castorice and Caelus involuntarily widened their eyes.
Calypso wore a matter-of-fact smile. "Hehe, that wide-eyed look… even more endearing than earlier. As the saying goes: 「Seeing once is better than hearing a hundred times」. Both of you, follow me—let us go take a look at that throne together."
Completely led by the nose, Castorice could only release a slight threat. "I will be watching you at all times."
"Oh, most honored." Calypso then pointed out that to find the way out they must start the waterwheel, and to start the waterwheel they must awaken the heart!
Her gaze turned toward the center, to the enormous object resembling a seed.
Caelus also raised his head, following Calypso's gaze. "So this…"
Hearing this, Castorice explained, "This heart is the source of all the water currents in the Grove…"
Calypso's explanation was more abstract. "Precisely. Whenever a spark of new inspiration bursts forth within the Grove, dew falls from here and drops into the pool."
"Inspiration??"
The moment Caelus heard that, his spirit immediately lit up. Was there anyone more suited than the Express's number-one wisdom officer?
"Then I'll try hard to get the brain working… mmm mmm mmm…"
Yet it was of no use at all.
After that path proved unworkable, Caelus arrived before a massive waterwheel.
It looked like it could turn—and in fact it could. If the waterwheel could turn right now it would be a sure kill, yet for the moment it could not.
The answer was 「water」—without water, the waterwheel could not rotate.
"Why have you suddenly frozen? Or do you have some other method that can make the waterwheel turn?" Calypso looked at Caelus's appearance with genuine curiosity—not curiosity whether he could solve the puzzle, but curiosity about what he intended to do next.
"Simple. I just make it turn." With that, Caelus no longer concealed his aura!
"My lord… is that truly possible?" The pure-white maiden stared straight at Caelus with a subtle expression; the little pink creature's big eyes held tiny doubts, while the ghost-like woman seemed unwilling to open her eyes.
Once the bow is drawn there is no turning back. Caelus decided to try…
"The 「Trailblaze」 way."
Caelus dropped into a squat, drew a deep breath, and finally roared.
"Galactic Phantom Ultimate Super Extreme Large-Caliber Home Run!"