Gleipnir rose to her feet, took one last long look at the dark lake shrouded in hazy neon, then turned and left.
"This time, it was all thanks to you."
Gleipnir spoke softly into the empty air.
Angel understood that she was thanking him. "Your line of thought was right. Even without my reminder, you should have noticed something was amiss before long."
The Clown Emperor element had not been hidden.
Moreover, the Clown Emperor's face, daubed in a riot of oil-paint colors, had always shared the same flamboyant palette as the design draft. As long as Gleipnir paused during her work and looked around, she would surely discover the connection.
So Angel was not being modest. With Gleipnir's abilities, she would certainly have found the problem; it was merely a matter of sooner or later.
"No. My mind was already in turmoil at the time. If I'd had to discover the problem myself, it probably would have taken a long while." As she spoke, Gleipnir deliberately checked the time.
Only three and a half hours remained before the time allotted for the second round of the main quest ran out.
If they delayed any longer, the main quest would probably be over.
Thus, Angel's reminder had truly come as timely rain.
Angel smiled and said no more, instead changing the subject. "After finishing this quest, you should have received some information related to the ritual, right? What was it?"
When Star Worm had completed Rumor Two earlier, he had obtained the first step of the ritual trilogy: the prayer incantation.
According to the ritual records, they still needed at least two more steps.
This time, Gleipnir had completed Rumor One, so she should have received part of the ritual as well.
Gleipnir said, "Wait a moment. Let me check."