Warlock Apprentice

This is a basement located in the suburbs, surrounded by darkness and silence, with only a faint, dim yellow fire burning at the very end of the basement.

It is a simple altar filled with candlesticks.

The candlelight burns quietly, and the air is filled with the pungent smell of burning poor-quality candles.

In front of the altar, a middle-aged woman wearing a plain headscarf kneels on the ground, silently praying.

In front of her, at the center of the altar, is a circular stone with a pattern carved on it. She whispers softly to this pattern.

Her words mostly involve pleading for miracles and murmuring of faith offerings.

After finishing her recitations, she bows down, her forehead deeply touching the floor, and her hands slowly extend forward as if crawling. Then, she suddenly stands on her knees, looks up, and cries out in a bizarre tone.

As this phrase is uttered, an inexplicable breeze blows through the sealed basement, causing the candle flames on the candlesticks to flicker incessantly.

After pausing in the breeze for a few seconds, the middle-aged woman sits on the ground and sighs softly, ”What a pity, as the Archbishop went to the Divine Country, the prayers that followed lost their meaning. Otherwise, why would there merely be this slight breeze?”

”I remember the Archbishop once said, only the power of death can irrigate the burst of the Seed. Now, without the complete prayers, perhaps only at the time of my death will the Seed God notice this humble believer of mine,” she added.

The woman stood up feeling sentimental, ”Alas, had it not been for fulfilling the Archbishop’s wishes, I would have already left this world.”

The woman shakes her head, stands up shakily, and walks step by step into the darkness.

Soon after, the sound of opening and closing doors resonates in the darkness; her footsteps fade into the distance. Apparently, she has left the basement.

Shortly after her departure, the candle flame on the altar flickers again.

A young man dressed in a black suit, with the twinkling sparks, gradually appears.

The young man glances at the direction of the basement door and mutters softly, ”Seed God, do you really think it’s a true god?”

Sarcasm flickers in the young man’s eyes, then he turns to look at the statue on the altar. It is a circular stone carved with a germinating seedling breaking through the soil.

As he looks at this sprout pattern, seriousness flickers in his eyes: ”Indeed, it’s this.”

A breeze blows, extinguishing the candles on the altar. As darkness envelops, the figure of the young man also gradually disappears.

Paradow City, entrance to Wasteland City.

Wasteland City and New City are separated by a river. The middle-aged woman, previously praying in the basement, wearing a mask, walks through the smog-covered New City to the riverside.

Due to the construction needs of New City, a large amount of metal materials are utilized, and the wastewater from metal processing is dumped into the river. The once clear river water has now changed in appearance, merging various colors, with unknown garbage dumped, the surface covered with thick foam, and a foul stench pervasive.

As the middle-aged woman walks over the bridge, she glimpses the disgusting colors in the river, anger flickering in her eyes.

”Seed God, quickly take your devout follower to the Divine Country. This world has been polluted by the iron beasts, no longer a place for believers to exist,” she shouts heartbroken at the head of the bridge. There aren’t too many people around, the few that are there are beggars, who, hearing the woman’s roar, don’t even lift their heads.

This act has been played out for five years. Every time she crosses the bridge, she performs this scene. Everyone is bored of it, tired of hearing it, not even wanting to spare her a glance.

This is just a cult fanatic.

After the woman crosses the bridge, her expression slightly improves, but looking at the abandoned buildings, she still can’t help but shake her head. These buildings were once so beautiful, all memories of her childhood under the clear blue skies and prosperity. But now, they are overgrown with wild grass and riddled with holes; these holes are all from the stolen stones by the beggars, secretly sold for money.

Beauty has vanished, perhaps only the arrival of the Seed’s Deity might save this filthy world.

With a mournful heart, she slowly made her way to the parish.

The parish, being the most dilapidated area in Wasteland City, reflected the monarchy’s disdain for religion in Yirong Country. Such neglect was enforced from top to bottom, making religious places among the most devastated in every city.

Even before Wasteland City was abandoned, the parish had already suffered a calamity. Although the buildings outside had many holes, at least a few complete structures were still visible. However, it was different here where almost every building was incomplete.

Either missing their tops, or collapsed halfway.

Only a remote little church somehow managed to retain its general original appearance. This little church was built just seven years ago; however, a major incident occurred there five years ago, where over twenty followers disappeared all at once, leading to the abandonment of the church as well.

A middle-aged woman staggered through the ruins towards the small church.

Pushing open the church doors, the creaking sound followed by dim light entered inside, revealing the emptiness within.

After entering the church, she naturally went to the courtyard by the side door, drew a bucket of water from the well in the yard, and brought it inside the church. She dipped a pure white cloth in the water and began to slowly wipe the circular stone on the church’s main altar.

This stone was just like the one she honored in the basement, carved with the pattern of the ”Seed.”

She wiped diligently, covering every part.

As the clear water soaked, enchanting patterns slowly emerged on the stone.

Looking at the patterns on the stone, satisfaction flickered in her eyes.

This was a rain-pattern stone. The characteristic of rain-pattern stones is that they reveal colorful patterns upon contact with water. Although not considered a precious stone, rain-pattern stones are very popular with children.

Initially, when the Archbishop chose to carve the pattern of the Seed’s Deity on this rain-pattern stone, she opposed it, since the stone was too cheap. But the Archbishop claimed that the rain-pattern stone was a gift from the Seed’s Deity, which she did not believe at the time.

However, after the actual carving, she realized that perhaps the Archbishop was right. Because after being wet, these patterns combined with the carved Seed emblem above them, not only matched but were also perfectly beautiful.

The Archbishop was summoned by the Seed’s Deity five years ago and before leaving for the Divine Country, he had instructed her to often clean this rain-pattern stone.

It was due to Archbishop’s instructions that she stayed behind instead of going to the Divine Country.

Now thinking about it, she still has some regrets.

After cleaning the stone, she rubbed her somewhat sore lower back. Today’s task was completed, and based on cleanliness, she would return in a week for another cleaning.

With this thought, she prayed to the Seed’s Deity once more before preparing to leave.

But as she turned around, she noticed a man had appeared not far behind her, unbeknownst to her.

He was a young man dressed like nobility.

Wearing a black gentleman’s suit, topped with a hat. Since he was backlit against the direction of the door, his features were unclear for a moment, but one could vaguely make out his deep blue, ocean-like eyes.

The middle-aged woman was startled and clutching her chest, she asked: ”Who... who are you? When did you come in?”

The young man took off his hat, revealing shimmering blond short hair, slightly soft. With the movement of his hat and the gentle breeze, his hair slightly swayed.

Holding his hat against his chest, he introduced himself, ”My name is Angel, pardon my intrusion. May I inquire about some matters from you, Madam?”