Warlock Apprentice

”What materials do you need? As long as the store has them, I can make the decision to gift them to you, sir.”

Viking had always wanted to find a way to repay Angel, but as the gap in their abilities widened, his wish to do so became increasingly difficult. Now that Angel had arrived at the Demonic Material Shop and was seemingly here to purchase materials, Viking naturally thought of using this opportunity to repay him.

”Gift them to me?” Angel looked at Viking with confusion. ”What’s your connection to this shop?”

Viking: ”The Breeze Demonic Material Shop was originally managed by Flandy. Since the New Star Tournament is starting, he knew I was coming to Sky Mechanical City, so he asked me to temporarily serve as the shopkeeper while he returned to the Valley of Breeze.”

Viking’s explanation made Angel realize something—Viking was also someone from the Valley of Breeze.

Once Viking finished speaking, he turned to look at the other side. ”Snow, you’re the one who just greeted Pat, correct? You should know what materials he needs, so why don’t you go and get them?”

Snow was the man standing beside the female puppet. He clearly hadn’t recovered from the shock of Angel’s identity and was trembling slightly. It wasn’t until Viking called out his name that he timidly nodded and responded with an ”Uh-huh.”

Viking: ”Since you know, then hurry and get it.”

After saying this, Viking turned to Angel and said, ”His name is Snow. He’s Flandy’s assistant and has worked at the Breeze Demonic Material Shop for over ten years. If he offended you earlier, sir, I ask for your forgiveness.”

Although Viking seemed to be reprimanding Snow, there was a hint of protection in his words. Clearly, he had picked up on the peculiar atmosphere between Angel and Snow when he entered the shop.

Snow followed Viking’s words and was about to head to the storage room to retrieve the materials, but as he moved, he suddenly hesitated and turned back with a look of uncertainty.

Viking frowned. ”Why haven’t you gone yet?”

Snow hesitated for a long time before lowering his head and stammering, ”But... but the materials Pat asked for were forbidden for sale by the previous shopkeeper.”

”Forbidden materials?” Viking was taken aback, looking first at Snow and then turning to Angel, unsure of what to say.

”This is the first time I’ve heard of Demon Flower Sprite Demon Bloodstone being listed as a forbidden material,” Angel said softly. ”In the past, I’ve seen a Behemoth Magic Bloodstone auctioned at Sky Auction, a material even rarer than this, yet it still had a market price. And now, Demon Flower Sprite Demon Bloodstone is forbidden for sale?”

Angel looked at Snow. ”I’d like to know the basis for this ban. Is it a regulation of Sky Mechanical City, or merely a rule of the Breeze Demonic Material Shop?”

Snow didn’t dare to make eye contact with Angel, bowing his head and curling up silently.

On the other side, Viking finally understood that Angel wanted to purchase the Demon Flower Sprite Demon Bloodstone. After thinking for a moment, he directly told Snow, ”Go and fetch it. Pat definitely has no connection to the reason behind the ban.”

Afterward, Viking turned to Angel and said, ”Sir, the ban has nothing to do with Snow. It was decided by Shopkeeper Flandy.”

”Why?” Angel asked. The number of Demon Flower Sprite Demon Bloodstones he needed this time was significant. Every use of Destiny’s Boiling Tune consumed one stone. In other words, for as many times as Toby experienced the House of the Heart, that’s how many stones would be consumed. Given his intentions to purchase a large quantity, he was naturally curious about why this material had been banned.

Faced with Angel’s inquiry, Viking hesitated internally, unsure whether he should speak. After deliberating for a while, he finally decided to tell Angel.

Viking approached the door, cautiously peeking outside to ensure no one was around before closing it. Then he returned to Angel, lowering his voice and saying, ”Sir, let’s talk inside.”

Seeing Viking’s solemn demeanor, Angel suspected that there was indeed something odd about the Demon Flower Sprite Demon Bloodstone.

Thus, Angel nodded and followed Viking to the inner room.

On the other side of the store, Viking also invited Onassis: ”Come along. This matter isn’t exactly a secret, just somewhat troublesome.”

”You know I hate trouble,” Onassis replied immediately.

”Listening won’t hurt. As long as you don’t get involved, it won’t be trouble.”

Eventually, Onassis was persuaded and, under Viking’s guidance, followed them to the inner room.

As they walked to the inner room, Angel learned that Viking and Onassis were friends. Onassis’ presence at the Breeze Demonic Material Shop was due to Viking’s invitation.

However, Angel was still puzzled—how did these two become friends?

From what Angel knew, Viking was impulsive and hot-blooded. This was evident when, despite knowing the severe consequences, he was willing to shield Danilo. Onassis, on the other hand, couldn’t speak three sentences without philosophical musings, a style so verbose it could frustrate anyone. Simply put, the two seemed utterly incompatible.

Before Angel could ask, Viking revealed the backstory himself.

When Viking was still a mortal, he had been a fervent admirer of a legendary novel called *Redbeard*, depicting the adventures of the legendary pirate Redbeard. During the preliminary round of the New Star Tournament, Onassis had been provoked and quoted *Redbeard*. Viking happened to be present at the time and remembered the quote. Later, Viking proactively initiated a conversation with Onassis, using *Redbeard* as the starting point.

At first, Onassis thought Viking was a kindred spirit in philosophy, but eventually, he realized Viking had only ever read *Redbeard*.

Thanks to their shared connection to *Redbeard*, the two reluctantly bonded and became friends.

This time, Viking and Onassis appeared together at the Breeze Demonic Material Shop because, after the New Star Tournament ended, they both ventured into the Endless Corridor. However, Viking encountered difficulty after progressing only thirty levels, while Onassis had reached the seventieth level with no bottlenecks whatsoever. Thus, Viking invited Onassis, hoping to gain some useful experience from him.

”Onassis may often say things I don’t understand, but my judgment in choosing friends has always been excellent. He is unquestionably a friend worth having,” Viking declared confidently.

Good judgment in friends? Angel wasn’t so sure. If Viking’s judgment was truly good, he wouldn’t have joined that team back in the Purification Garden.

Thinking back to Viking’s team, Angel couldn’t help but shake his head. That team was truly bizarre—Viking had protected Danilo, and Danilo coldly ignored Viking’s life and death. Frode had helped Isiu, even saving him, only to be betrayed and killed by Isiu.

However, the severe internal fractures within the team ultimately led to Angel acquiring Frode, a highly capable assistant. For Angel, that could be considered a stroke of luck.

While Angel didn’t think Viking’s judgment was particularly sharp, he did hold a higher opinion of Onassis individually.

At the very least, Onassis didn’t seem like someone who would betray Viking the way Danilo had.

Not because Angel believed Onassis had stellar character, but simply because the strong never fear betrayal. With Onassis’ strength, he had no need to betray Viking.

As for Viking himself, that wasn’t as easy to predict.