"Sir, shall we go now?"
Angel thought for a moment, then nodded. "All right."
Napoli gave a thumbs-up and flashed a toothy grin. "This way, sir."
At Napoli's invitation, Angel stepped onto the transparent cotton Cloud Soil.
Huh, it did not have that feeling of Cloud Soil that might collapse at any moment. Instead, it felt a little like stepping on soft slime—sticky, yet springy.
Angel was rather curious about this "feel underfoot."
Napoli had said before that the main material of the transition platform was Orichalcum. Orichalcum was also known as "Phantom Metal." As a legendary special metal, could it really be so soft, elastic, and sticky? Were its material properties really that changeable?
Or was it because of some blending with auxiliary materials that it had taken on a texture like wet mud?
Just as Angel was curiously studying it, Napoli's voice came from beside his ear. "Sir, we're about to go. The entrance to Text Space is somewhat special. Your legs may feel a little weak, but don't worry."
Weak legs?
While Angel was still pondering why his legs would feel weak, he saw Napoli suddenly press his palms together, seeming to murmur some spell for opening a door.
The instant he finished speaking, Angel felt the "slime" beneath his feet grow wetter, even beginning to turn into something like a swamp.
His body kept sinking, as though moist, viscous liquid were slowly surrounding him and pulling him down.
"Do—n't—re—sist—"
"It'll be—quick—"
Napoli's voice reached his ears, but it now sounded as though it came through a layer of water, accompanied by buzzing white noise. Its final syllables stretched longer and longer, as though the time and space around him were being kneaded and pulled like plasticine...
A moment later, Angel felt himself fall out of the