Maya thought for a while, then gave up. If that strange ruin could be understood so easily, Florence and Rhein, two top-tier wizards, would not have been left helpless by it.
Rather than overthink it, she might as well tell Lord Rhein directly. He had presided over the ruin for a long time; perhaps he knew something.
With that in mind, Maya stopped brooding and looked around. By now, aside from the Observers, nearly everyone in Stargazing Hall had left.
Maya turned to Dodolo. "Let's leave too."
Just as Maya was about to leave with Dodolo, a voice tinged with faint wickedness came from behind them. "Witch Maya, please wait a moment."
The moment Maya heard that voice, her brows instinctively furrowed. When she turned back, she found that it was indeed Shikel, the Observer she disliked most—the Hanged Disgraced One.
Shikel possessed a wild, wickedly handsome face. His upper body was bare, revealing a muscular physique densely covered in coarse black hair. Together with the ram horns atop his head and the iron chains fastened around his ankles, he resembled a shackled demon recorded on ancient parchment, seeking to lure the fallen in with seductive words.
Shikel did not lower his voice, and his call to Maya drew the attention of the other Observers as well.
They watched Shikel drag his long iron chains toward the cold-faced Maya.
When Shikel reached Maya, he gave an elegant bow. If not for the wicked gleam in his eyes and the strange, half-hidden smile at the corners of his lips, he would truly have looked like a noble gentleman.
"Lord Shikel, do you need something?" Maya remained as aloof as ever. The fact that she had not addressed him by his Observer title made it clear that she did not think much