Warlock Apprentice

Angor found his memories coming back.

He also heard someone talking while approaching him. Unfortunately, his vision was too blurry to see clearly, and he only saw someone taller who was wearing that signature gentleman suit.

“What did you see?” The speaker’s voice was hoarse and a little bit stern, yet it was comforting.

“I… I saw him. He has those green marks all over him. And he’s inside my bedroom.”

Those words might appear random and incomprehensible to anyone else, but Sunders knew what they meant.

“You mean the blond-haired nightmare monster is in your bedroom?”

Angor nodded as he fully recovered from his trance.

Sunders didn’t question Angor further and turned to Maya next. “Did you see the conclusion? Is his right hand going to affect him in particular ways?”

Using her walking cane, Maya slowly moved to a stone chair and sat down with her head lowered.

“Surely there are influences, but you should ask HIM whether they are good or bad ones, as he’s the one who has to experience them for himself. Let’s say, if he sensed anything wrong or unpleasant just now, it means that there’s something you should be worried about. His body was sending him a warning. If he did not feel anything wrong… well, then nothing is wrong.”

Angor saw his teacher looking at him again and tried to go over the strange dream-like journey.

The red color everywhere was anything but normal, yet he did not feel disturbed by it at all.

“I… didn’t feel bad. It was rather comforting.” Angor hesitated for a bit and continued, “I moved until I saw ‘him’ in my bedroom. He surprised me a little… But, no. It didn’t feel dangerous.”

He spoke truthfully, but he did not mention that the monster might be his own projection. Sunders warned him not to reveal this matter to others before they could reach a more solid conclusion.

Maya’s eyes glowed as she put Angor’s words into her calculations.

“… It should be fine. He might encounter some minor troubles, but the result will come out good.”

Angor felt a great burden lifted from his mind. Maya basically told him that using his right hand freely wouldn’t bring any serious consequences.

Sunders was also glad to hear it, except that he was glad for another reason—he finally got his first reliable conclusion to be used in his new research subject. Based on this, a lot more problems now also had answers.

Sunders only wished that he could dive into his research immediately. Unfortunately, he couldn’t do that at Maya’s place.

Besides, Angor’s right hand wasn’t the only thing he needed to discuss with Maya today.

“You wait outside, Angor. I have something important to tell Maya next,” said Sunders.

Angor nodded and while heading to the door, he heard Maya complaining, “How many times do I need to tell you? Don’t use my name like that! Call me ‘Star Measurer’!”

Angor closed the thick bronze door, which then blocked all of Maya and Sunders’ voices.

Next, he moved downstairs while following the spiral staircase.

He found “White Bear” and Dodoro on the floor below Maya’s observatory room. This floor looked like an office or a classroom of some sort. It was a spacious chamber lit by a good number of wall lamps, which gave the whole room a warm ambience. About a dozen wooden desks were placed in an orderly manner. The soft carpet and the lack of chairs suggested that whoever used the desks were supposed to sit on the floor.

White Bear was doing so right now by writing something on one of the desks, while Dodoro was reading a very thick book beside a bookshelf, on which several more books were loosely placed.

Both of them saw Angor coming. Dodoro quickly put his book away and greeted Angor with a bright smile, while Hobson took the paper he was working on and also joined them.

Before the paper was fully folded, Angor noticed that Hobson was drawing the picture of a bear, in white and black colors only.

…

“Heh. Your name is just a trigger you can choose to block from your senses.” Sunders snickered.

“Humph! Well, excuse me, I have a good reason not to do so. I need to know if any little b*stard is slandering my name, otherwise, they’ll ruin my fame!”

When talking to her old friend, Maya’s “mysterious and wise character” was nowhere to be seen.

“Enough. Just try not to quote my name unless necessary.” Maya put on a more serious expression as she said, “I know what you came for. And yes, I can look into your fate. But you have to set a limit so that I don’t disturb the strings of the other mighty figures who are connected to you.”

“You should look from here then.” Sunders lifted a hand and tapped at his golden ear stud.

“The gravity garden? No problem.”

Maya drew a circle in the air using her cane, which began to release lumps of smoke in the room.

Observers could only see Maya stirring the smoke randomly. To Maya, however, she could see something else from the smoke.

There were usually three main elements for prophets to see when using their spells—a running river that was constantly hidden under vapor and smoke, the “Stream of Fate”; a black vortex that contained unknown and unparalleled power within, the “Wheel of Time”; and glowing and twirling strands, the “World Strings”.

These were abstract concepts that represented different things in different worlds and locations, and prophets could always use them to look into the unknown future.

However, not every prophet was powerful enough to infer useful information from these clues. Even a great wizard like Maya could only try her best in catching insignificant pieces of information from afar.

Maya frowned painfully; her wrinkled skin was covered in greasy sweat.

A while later, she opened her eyes and let out a deep breath, while at the same time, three streams of white vapor came out of her mouth and nostrils as if something were burning in her head.

“I saw it. The garden will be fine. Mister Monkey does not desire it. He only wants its help with ‘smuggling’.”

Maya took a moment to recover her breath and continued, “But you should pay great attention to Danae. She’s planning to do something once you’re in the abyss. It’s very likely that she wants to seize your garden.”

“I see.” Sunders nodded. “Gravity Forest simply cannot sit tight ever since I constructed the gravity garden. I know they’re plotting something again.”

Lady Danae was the only level-2 wizard in Gravity Forest.

“Their gravity garden is one level inferior to yours, and they can use yours to strengthen it,” Maya warned. “Since they are boldly preparing to plot against you… they must have something that makes them confident. Do not underestimate the situation.”

“They’re just a small organization. I guess they want to find a chance and strike when I’m busy with other matters. Heh, I do hope they bring their little plan out in the open so that we can settle it quicker. They want my garden? Good. I’m thinking about the same thing.

“I wasn’t expecting so many organizations to come, though… I think there are almost twenty groups of people coming this time, including three major organizations. Heck, even Song of the Deep has come despite their tendency to hide at the bottom of the sea.”

“Mister Monkey is prepared.” Maya looked at the floor and said, “The southern region has enjoyed peace for too long. To someone as powerful as him, the descent of a Grand Demon isn’t necessarily a bad thing.”

“To apprentices and mortals though… this is a world-ending catastrophe,” said Sunders.

They spent a moment in grim silence.

“Are you still up for it?” Sunders asked. He then added, “I wish to know why Mister Monkey would go so far as to provoke a Grand Demon… will he really achieve the rank of a legendary wizard by doing so?”

“I know you’re going to ask that,” Maya shook her head and said, “and no, it’s not something I can predict. Even a master prophet from Starliege Temple cannot give you a definite answer.

“But I can tell you something else, which I heard from Brilliance Plane: ‘The south is shrouded in darkness, yet the new sun will rise again’. It’s time for a calamity to strike, and it remains to be seen whether the miracle will descend upon Mister Monkey.”

Sunders nodded. “Isabelle has returned. It’s only a fragment of her soul, but I think her newly-found destiny will bring yet another… uncertain factor, into the turmoil.”

“Perhaps. But not too much. By the way, I heard your little boy has some interesting connections with Isabelle as well. Care to share?”

The return of Isabelle had already been known by most people, yet only a few knew what exactly happened when she arrived at Dark Castle. Sunders was also one of those informed since his student was the one who personally talked to Isabelle.

Without holding back, Sunders explained what he learned.

“Mystery item? I was right when I said that new student of yours is brilliant,” Maya exclaimed. “I wonder how jubilant Old Rein looks right now. When was the last time Brute Cavern had a master alchemist? Some centuries ago?”

“He’s still far from that,” Sunders chose to be modest, but quickly revealed a proud smile as he said, “and when it happens, he’ll keep going and reach a level no one has ever seen before.”

He’s actually showing off! Maya complained in her mind. Comparisons… the root of jealousy.

“Oh, one last thing. To how far should I assist with Mister Monkey’s plan?” asked Sunders.