Because the finished product needs to allow light to pa.s.s through, some auxiliary materials need to be removed and replaced with other materials with similar colours.
After the auxiliary materials were confirmed, Angel began choosing the matching music to the fantasy world.
When it comes to music, Angel has no plans to change and decides to use the soothing music of < Castle in the Sky >. When it comes to the main fantasy world node, Angel has to continue thinking about it.
What kind of fantasy world best matches < Castle in the Sky >? This problem is like human moral values. Everyone’s bottom line and upper limit are different. Therefore, it is almost impossible to find the most perfect answer. Regarding human values, however, with the exclusion of a few heinous people. Most people are still within the same realm of moral order. Otherwise, people cannot build a sustainable society together. This is the benefit of a relative consistency of moral values.
Similarly, Angel doesn’t want to find a fantasy world which perfectly matches < Castle in the Sky >. What he wants is to find a relatively perfect and aesthetic view.
How will he find it? This problem is much like reading, in which reading a hundred times eventually finds meaning. Looking and listening carefully, perhaps there will be an answer.
Angel opens the music folder and plays < Castle in the Sky >.
As soothing music plays, it gently calms his tired spirit. After a day of thinking and being accompanied by this music. Angel gradually fell into a low state of brain activity until he finally closed his eyes and subconsciously fell into a deep sleep.
In the dream, Angel controls a magic falcon and flies in the air. With the clear blue sky as the background, he flies in a certain direction through the light mist and smoke. After shuttling through cloud after cloud, even through dangerous thunderstorms. He still did not change his course of direction and continued flying forward… Soaring among the clouds until he roamed among peaceful skies again. At this moment, all feelings of uneasiness, inferiority, worry, sorrow, pride and indulgence had disappeared. Only a sense of peace of mind and openness was felt when seeing the vast heavens. This feeling was as unchanging as the eternal sky and felt as if it would go on forever.
He doesn’t know how long he’s been flying. But after flying for a long time, a large expanse of dark clouds suddenly appeared before him. Just like a huge whirlpool made of dark clouds, hiding unknown dangers.
But the falcon did not stop its flapping wings and plunged into the dark clouds.
Unsurprisingly, there is endless lightning hidden in the dark clouds. Like a thunder G.o.d waving a whip of flashing electric arcs, each tearing apart clouds as it whips through the sky.
Angel is like a brave warrior, manipulating the falcon as they travel forth through the thunder and lightning. After this crisis, the falcon finally pa.s.ses through the dark cloud layer. At this time, a faint and ethereal cloud appeared in front of him. Angel looked up and now sees the clouds slowly parting on both sides.
As the clouds had cleared away completely, an island floating in the sky appeared in front of him.
The island is like a final reward for breaking through the clouds and shuttling through the dangers faced by Angel.
At first glance, Angel thought it was Phantom Island.
But with a second glance, the island is now full of steel and reinforced concrete buildings. These buildings were also accompanied by greenery and flowers at the same time. This island combines with the urban cityscapes of Earth with features and scenes of a primitive forest. The collision between modernization and natural ecology has given rise to a very dreamlike effect.
It floats quietly as if it had always been there ever since ancient times.
It’s quiet, enormous and grand. As if telling a story that runs through the past, present and future.
And this story is waiting for people to land on the island to be presented…
Angel suddenly opened his eyes and woke up from his dream. The beautiful melody from < Castle in the Sky > was still lingering in his ears. With the music, his eyes were in a trance. As if he could still see the “island filled with unknown stories” at the end of the clouds.
Angel looks at the time and sees it is seven o’clock in the morning. This song was actually cycling throughout the whole night.
Although his ears felt a little deaf, his inspiration seemed to spring up continuously. Angel quickly took out a pen and paper and recorded every detail of last night’s dream.
He felt everyone may have a different aesthetic standard, but this environment that tells the “story of endless skies, boundless clouds describing the impermanence of the world,” coupled with the fact that as long as the listener is eager for freedom. They will aspire to “embark on a journey of adventure. Breaking through layers of clouds and facing the elements to peer untold secrets” which anyone who longs for freedom will yearn for.
Maybe Lord Mirror Ji will also appreciate this too?
Thinking of Lord Mirror Ji’s preferences. Angel actually felt that building a tall and handsome figure of Sanders on that floating island might be more pleasing to Lord Mirror Ji.
However, as a disciple with moral integrity, taste and connotation. Angel gave up this idea.
Perhaps realism may be more important than carnal desire. At least Angel thinks so.
Angel decided to use this dream as the fantasy world coupled with a complete set of materials and design drawings. Angel began his work on refining this piece.
But before that, he has to go to a place—The Attic.
When Angel came to the attic, he didn’t see Toby.
These days Angel was too busy with alchemy to take of Toby. All the dried fish was put in the attic anyway and there is a stream nearby, so he doesn’t have to worry about not having enough to drink. Apart from the inconvenience of constantly changing clothes, Toby is completely self-sufficient.
“Tsk, I don’t know where this guy has gone. He’s not going out to meet up with some lover, right? Could it be he no longer wants to return home after meeting a beautiful female bird?” Angel took advantage of Toby’s absence and spoke many taboos he has been holding in his stomach.
He came to the attic to get some echo flowers. Although he had already taken two echo flowers a few days ago. Angel has already consumed those two echo flowers through design and experimentation this past couple of days. But these actions were not without harvest. At least he tested how to avoid the defect of echo flowers which only allow recordings to playback once.
Echo flowers, as the main material used to refine a music box, how can less be used? This time he also decided to directly refine two music boxes. One for Toby and one for Mirror Ji, so Toby’s last two echo flowers need to be used.
Just as Angel picked up the echo flowers, an unexpected broken sound burst out.
Angel saw a colourful shadow through the skylight which suddenly landed in front of him.
There is no doubt that it was Toby who landed.
Yeah… Toby is dressed like a flower fairy. Even wearing a wreath of various small petals of many colours on his head.
Toby waved his wings and excitedly pointed to the echo flowers in Angel’s hands: “Mumble, mumble.”
“I want to refine two music boxes. The last two I picked up were consumed.” Angel’s bird language comprehension is complete, and he talks with Toby effortlessly.
Toby listened with hesitation in his little eyes. Last time, < Castle in the Sky > really amazed him. He had been waiting for his little master to make the music box as soon as possible. But after so long with no movement, he almost forgot about it. At this time when Angel mentioned it again, he recalled the two echo flowers which were ruthlessly consumed and felt a little reluctant to give two more up. But he also wanted to listen to < Castle in the Sky > again. This is why his eyes showed such dilemma.
“Don’t worry, I will send it to you today! I will make sure there are no problems.” Angel patted his chest with great confidence. But he seemed to forget this was his first time dabbling in non-combat related alchemy, so his refining success rate has big question marks.
Angel’s chest patting guarantee made Toby have a little more trust before finally nodding in agreement.
“All right, go and play by yourself. My design and materials are ready. If there is no accident, your music box will come out this evening.” While Angel was talking, he suddenly smelled the fragrance of mountain flowers on Toby’s body and asked: “Hey, what’s that? Who made this flower wreath for you? It looks fresh, there is even morning dew.”
Toby had no intention of concealing it. He fluttered his wings and explained to Angel the origin of the flower outfit through “mumbling” sounds with his mouth. Explaining to Angel why he had a wreath of flowers.
“So it turns out that you’ve made a new friend. That’s good. Just be careful not to be cheated by bad people.” Angel warned.
Angel doesn’t worry about Toby’s safety. His fighting capacity is many times more powerful than his. So there is no need to worry about him. On the contrary, Toby is more worried about Angel’s safety when he leaves the house, often secretly flying high above to protect him.
Moreover, Angel feels the person who can skillfully weave such exquisite and beautiful flower outfits shouldn’t be a bad person.
After saying his farewells to Toby, Angel returned to the underground laboratory with two echo flowers in hand and immediately began busily refining.
One by one, each material is transformed into wonderful semi-solid states by the Heat Blend Art. Under the skilful and ingenious shaping with Magic Power Hand, various forms are remoulded and reshaped.
Angel thought it through very carefully. Two echo flowers used to refine two music boxes. But halfway through the refining process, when the gorgeous shape has been formed. An imbalance occurs in the depicted magic pattern, resulting in a failure that leads to an explosion.
Seeing the situation going in the wrong direction, Angel dumped the stirred pot early and escaped without injury.
When summing up the key points of his failure. He realized he had overlooked an important detail. The reserved magic pattern position was completely surrounded by illusion nodes.
Depicting magic patterns require the continuous release of magic power. Because this magic pattern is very close to the node, the final output of magic power had activated the illusion spell node. But the carrying medium is in a semi-solid state, finally resulting in an explosion.
It wasn’t difficult to solve this problem. He just had to change the depiction order.
But looking at the abandoned echo flower, Angel silently apologized to Toby in his heart.
The second refining attempt goes much more smoothly. The first shape seen is beginning to reveal its true appearance. Angel then depicts a magic pattern at this time. When the tranquil magic pattern depiction is successful, Angel carefully lays out the rest of the nodes.
The experience of refining the magic falcon ornament last time in Sanders study made Angel more skilled this time around. The structure of the microcosmic illusion spell came out naturally in a short period.
The following is the most important moment. Recording the music and setting up the source of the sound for the sound illusion.
This is Angel’s first attempt. Although he has simulated this step many times. But after all, this is still his first time refining, so Angel still has a very solemn expression.
The moment when the music plays, Angel turns on the sound fantasy to start recording the sound.
In order to show this is a non-threatening illusion. Angel didn’t use instant generation of the fantasy world. But like water droplets falling into the sea, let it slowly emerge through circles of ripples. In the form of ripples, this fantasy world slowly presents itself… In doing so, it not only shows people this is a harmless fantasy world but also gives people a certain sense and experience. As if they had crossed the tunnel of time and wandered quietly into another period.