Warlock Apprentice

In the locked room, Greya gazed at the image on the light screen, her eyes filled with contemplation.

”Isn’t this target appearing a bit late?” Greya’s voice was soft, like a murmur or a whisper.

Rosen was already reduced to just a head by the arrows, and only then did the target appear?

Horus: ”...First shoot the arrow, then paint the target.”

It truly is first shooting the arrow, then painting the target! Exactly as Isabel described!

Greya squinted slightly: ”Could it be that the arrow is indeed the Arrow of the Defeated?”

No one responded, but everyone, without an agreement, shifted the weight on the balance in their hearts slightly towards the Arrow of the Defeated.

On the other side, in the metal hall.

Angel followed Muse here, primarily to see if the target possessed the mysterious aura he had sensed before. If it did, it would confirm that this target was transformed from the Sea of Light.

However, when Angel arrived, his focus was entirely not on determining whether it had mysterious traits.

Angel and Muse exchanged a glance, each seeing the other’s eyes filled with surprise and doubt.

”Did you sense it?”

Angel did not describe it explicitly, but Muse seemed to understand what he was referring to, nodding slightly. Then he extended his staff adorned with gear patterns towards the target suspended in the seats: ”The source is it.”

Angel looked at the target, his heart filled with confusion.

Both of them were actually wary and prepared for anything when they entered the metal hall, Angel ready to open the door at any moment, fearing an unexpected danger. However, nothing dangerous occurred. What was strange was that when they prepared to observe the target closely, they faintly felt that the target seemed to be emitting certain information waves that could be deciphered.

Because the matter involved a mysterious event, Angel and Muse dared not approach further, even if they were tremendously curious about what information the target was emitting.

However, not approaching did not mean they couldn’t decode the information. Angel and Muse had numerous ways at this moment to safely capture the information waves. For instance, using mechanical puppets to capture the information waves, confirming whether they were on a safe frequency; or sending a magic pet inside to see if there would be harm; or using other methods to decipher the information waves remotely...

Yet, they did not choose any of these methods. Muse simply lightly tapped the floor, and Antonio appeared beside them.

Looking at the pale blue human-shaped light spirit, Angel’s eyes flashed with enlightenment: Antonio is a special spiritual body; his spirit can split and monitor the entire Sky Mechanical City.

And the split spirit can capture information waves. By directly allowing Antonio to enter, they could ascertain the specifics. Even if there were danger, Antonio could abandon this strand of split spirit without causing any harm to his main body.

Antonio understood Muse’s intention and, without hesitation, directly walked into the target’s radiation range.

Once Antonio entered, he immediately stood still.

Although his face couldn’t be seen, it was apparent Antonio seemed to be contemplating something. Perhaps it was the information he gleaned from the target.

After a moment, Antonio turned back: ”It seems Lady Isabel was right, this arrow is indeed the Arrow of the Defeated.”

Muse: ”Why are you so sure?”

Antonio pointed at the target: ”It told me.”

Pausing, Antonio continued: ”The waves emitted by the target are merely a repeated segment; currently, this segment seems to be purely information waves without any danger.”

After Antonio finished speaking, Muse did not wait for proof and directly stepped into the range of the information waves.

Angel hesitated for a moment but then also walked into the range of the information waves.

A minute later, Angel and Muse simultaneously returned from capturing the information. Just as Antonio had said, these information waves were not dangerous; they merely repeatedly expressed a certain piece of information.

And this information’s content actually described the reason for the target’s existence.

When Angel and Muse returned to the underground chamber, Greya immediately inquired about the target. Their dialogue in the metal hall was fully displayed in the hall, so they were curious, what exactly was the target spreading?

”The information waves emitted merely describe a rule.” Angel gestured to Muse to confirm he could speak, and only then did he narrate the information he had obtained earlier.

The rule described by the target was not a logical statement, but through analysis, several conclusions could be gleaned.

Firstly, the origin of the target. Only after the arrow hit the chosen target did the mark begin to form. This is the so-called first shooting the arrow, then painting the target. Antonio inferred from this that this arrow is the Arrow of the Defeated.

Then, when the target would disappear. After the formation of the target, it meant that the selected target was hit, and for a long time afterward, the target would appear at the position of the one hit, until—

The Arrow of the Defeated targets a new object and releases a new arrow, then this target would disappear.

In other words, the existence of this target could let people know when the next Arrow of the Defeated is released.

The final piece of information revealed an iron rule about the Arrow of the Defeated: it cannot shoot two arrows at the same person.

In other words, if the one hit is lucky enough to survive, then the Arrow of the Defeated could not target him a second time.

This indirectly clarifies one thing: at least Rosen need not fear that a second arrow might come.

This is the useful information Angel organized from the target.

After listening, everyone pondered deeply.

”I don’t quite understand why it would emit these pieces of information?” Greya frowned, habitually thinking from a conspiracy theory perspective.

Antonio: ”Perhaps this is what Lady Isabel mentioned, some kind of limited trait of the Arrow of the Defeated.”

Greya couldn’t find any point of refutation, yet she still insisted on her viewpoint: ”It still feels somewhat strange.”

”I believe the information transmitted by the target should be genuine.” Muse spoke, ”It’s a simple logic; it has no need to deceive.”

Rosen also spoke at this time: ”Indeed, and there is no place in the decoded information to set a trap. I also lean towards believing the information is true.”

Then, a soft laugh suddenly reached everyone’s ears.

”Since it’s confirmed that the Mysterious Object is the Arrow of the Defeated, rather than discussing these questions, you might as well contemplate other matters. For example...” Sanders said indifferently: ”How did they confirm that Rosen was the target?”