Warlock Apprentice

Onassis proposed two customization directions: one was to refine a weapon; the other was to refine any item related to philosophy.

Angel chose the second customization direction.

Not because he was particularly passionate about ”philosophy,” but solely because Onassis had suggested too many paradoxical requirements for the weapon—things like ”a radiant black,” ”must be both restrained and grand,” ”sharp yet with a touch of smoothness,” etc. Compared to Onassis’s requests, the second option seemed a much simpler task.

Though Antonio had said there was no need to heed these unreasonable demands, given that this was a customization for the champion of the Nova Competition, any serious attempt at refining would need to consider a bit more.

Angel simply didn’t want to waste time and effort researching Onassis’s contradictory demands for the weapon, so he chose the second option.

While seemingly straightforward, the second option was actually daunting for most alchemists. ”Philosophy” is a broad concept encompassing a vast, almost limitless range of subjects—spanning from nature to the humanities, from the Law of All Things to the immutable universe. As long as the philosophical thinker had a sufficiently boundless imagination and far-reaching vision, all of this could be classified as philosophy.

Because of this, trying to refine an item related to such a grand conceptual word was incredibly challenging.

Other alchemists might ponder for a long time and then identify a large or small entry point to refine an item connected to a specific category of philosophy.

But Angel was different. The biggest distinction between him and other alchemists lay in his ability to create alchemical illusions and infuse specific ”concepts” into these illusions using the Power of Nightmare Illusion, enabling enlightenment and understanding.

For instance, in Angel’s refined illusions, traces such as a knife mark, an extinguished campfire, or a few dried bloodstains on a wall could evoke a peculiar feeling, prompting endless associations and stories in one’s mind. This, in essence, was a form of constructing illusionary content.

So, through synthesizing his own strengths, Angel customized a philosophical speculation hall for Onassis.

”...The inspiration came from seeing the House of the Heart at Sangye the Witch’s place earlier. I transformed some representations infused with parts of the concept of ’philosophy’ into books and housed them within a venue constructed through illusions. Each time Onassis entered and opened one of the books, he would embark on a philosophical speculation session.”

Angel briefly explained the content of his refinement. After hearing it, Greya pondered for a moment: ”The range of philosophical content is all-encompassing. To translate it into a series of books for Onassis to speculate upon requires considerable philosophical proficiency and depth.”

Angel replied calmly: ”I don’t need that much depth. My understanding of philosophy is quite shallow.”

”Then how did you...” refine it?

Seeing Greya’s curiosity, Angel offered a mysterious smile: ”I’ve said before, philosophy is just a concept. Why should I trouble myself to explain it painstakingly?”

When Angel said this, he deliberately emphasized the word ”concept,” which sparked a faint realization in Greya.

”Could it be...” Greya suddenly turned around and looked into the distance.

This was within the illusionary realm of Dream Twin, where each platform resembled a different world. While standing in the spa house and gazing out at the furthest visible distance, Greya could still only see within the confines of the spa house.

But now, the place Greya was focusing on was clearly not the spa house. Though she couldn’t see other platforms beyond the spa house, she knew the direction—she had once gone through that platform guided by the Cat Bus!

”The Mysterious Mountain!” Greya softly uttered the name of the platform. Back then, it was in the Mysterious Mountain where Greya had encountered a certain mysterious concept that allowed her to break through years of stagnation.

Angel had labeled it—the Mysterious Concrete Object.

It was a little Easter egg he had left for Greya in Dream Twin. Yet unexpectedly, that small Easter egg ultimately became the catalyst for Greya’s successful development of a new magical law on Illusion Demon Island.

”Did you infuse a concept similar to the one in the Mysterious Mountain into the philosophical speculation hall?” Greya stared intently at Angel, knowing firsthand the tremendous value of such concepts.

Angel nodded, then shook his head: ”I did infuse a similar concept, but it’s not at the level of the Mysterious Mountain.”

Angel was well aware that when it came to the vast heights of ”philosophy,” he remained a humble beginner, lacking the qualification to interpret it fully.

But he had once entered the body of Yorkshire’s spotted puppy, one of the ministers of the Nightmare Realm, and witnessed the birth and destruction of civilizations, observed numerous mysterious representations, and grasped some corresponding concepts.

Even now, Angel hadn’t fully comprehended the events he’d experienced at the time, but he was able to use the Power of Nightmare Illusion to simulate portions of those experiences into illusions through concrete objects.

From this, Angel selected just a tiny segment he believed related to ”philosophy” and incorporated it into the speculation hall.

Because the content Angel incorporated was minimal, and he intentionally controlled it to disperse in the form of individual books, it could barely be termed a condensed version of a Mysterious Concrete Object, far from reaching the full extent of genuine mysterious concreteness.

Nevertheless, this was still a remarkably powerful artifact, reaching a level close to the pinnacle of Intermediate Rank, as evidenced by its capabilities.

Onassis’s philosophical speculations within it would likely enlighten him.

After hearing Angel’s explanation, a trace of disappointment flickered in Greya’s eyes: ”Not at the level of the Mysterious Mountain, huh...” Moreover, it’s tied to annoying philosophy, which doesn’t sound particularly intriguing. She had initially considered seizing Onassis’s speculation hall after the Nova Competition hype waned, but now it seemed unnecessary.

Angel seemed to have discerned Greya’s intentions and smiled faintly without pointing it out. Even if Greya truly attempted to take the hall forcibly, it wouldn’t yield results. For this and the piece made for Xiliu, Angel had embedded contract magic patterns in both creations; once those artifacts were claimed by their owners, any attempted theft by outsiders would lead to their self-destruction, rendering them unusable.

”Your mentor went to great lengths back then to help protect the secret of the Mysterious Mountain. At the time, you were still weak and lacked influence in the Wizards’ Realm; now, however, you seem to have gained some leverage.” Greya smiled and said, ”I’ve heard that the members of the Research and Development Institute often release exclusive creations of their own. Why not publish something similar as your signature work within the Institute?”

Angel shook his head. Mysterious Concrete Objects involve highly sensitive matters. Despite his current level of strength and influence, such items could still incite covetousness and invite trouble. For this reason, even the speculation hall he created for Onassis—though much less potent than a genuine Mysterious Concrete Object—was carefully concealed and remains exclusively for Onassis alone.

As such, while Angel could occasionally craft similar artifacts, he had no intention of releasing them as part of his portfolio under the Research and Development Institute.