Warlock Apprentice

Since even Lapuye has spoken, those who doubted Dororo now remained silent.

Let’s first hear what Dororo has to say. Even if it turns out to be meaningless, so be it. Just as Evan suggested, we can banish Dororo from the Star-Gazing Days forever. For a Prophet Wizard, this is indeed a dreadful punishment.

After all, it doesn’t concern my interests. At worst, it’s just like watching a farce.

Everyone calmed down. They seemed to await Dororo to speak, but few truly believed he could utter a worthwhile prophecy.

But Dororo, under everyone’s gaze, fell silent at that moment.

No one understood why Dororo suddenly stopped speaking, yet no one questioned it. Since Dororo was given a chance, there was no need for a backlash. Even Evan, who was quite dissatisfied with Dororo, showed no impatience.

No one urged Dororo, but as time ticked by, the invisible pressure in the silent hall grew heavier, even those not at the center felt the oppressive formless tension.

Even outsiders felt a bit fearful, yet Dororo, at the eye of the storm, remained calm as usual. Only through the movement of his pupils could one tell he seemed to be contemplating something.

When the intangible sense of oppression reached its peak, the long-silent Dororo finally spoke.

”A theater seized by enchantment is soon to coast ashore from the river of illusions. The first ticket booth will appear in the land of Eternal Night.”

After finishing this line, Dororo fell silent again. Clearly, this was the prophetic fragment he chose to reveal.

Perhaps because there were several minutes of atmospheric brewing before Dororo spoke, everyone’s mind was highly focused, so even though Dororo’s voice was not loud, they heard every word distinctly.

Many people didn’t actually understand what Dororo meant to express, but his ability to articulate a complete sentence left them a bit surprised.

They thought it would be a repeat of the farce with Schkel three hundred years ago. Back then, when Schkel was still an apprentice, he grabbed the first chance to speak and ended up saying a series of irrelevant words. With overly lavish rhetoric, he piled up the fate-related vocabulary beloved by charlatans. Ordinary people might be fooled, but Star-Gazing Days consist of Prophet Wizards. How could they not see through Schkel’s deception?

A lot of people there were aware of Schkel’s past misdeeds, so they viewed Dororo through a preconceived biased lens, thinking he would also resort to overly lavish rhetoric, ideally to fool a few people and give himself a way out.

But Dororo did not do so. He spoke very little, but the meaning he conveyed was exceedingly clear. Contrary to Schkel’s manner, they were two extremes.

However, though Dororo didn’t use fraudulent words, they still could not comprehend the specific meaning behind his words.

A theater coasting ashore, with a ticket booth appearing in the land of Eternal Night? What is the significance of this?

Or perhaps Dororo is, in fact, spouting nonsense, just opting for a strategy entirely opposite to Schkel’s?

Confused and unable to find words to counter Dororo, in this eerie atmosphere, Evan, who had been silent till now, finally spoke first.

”What do you mean to express?” Evan did not mock as directly as before. Although he appeared to have his eyes closed, he was actually operating the Observation validation technique, so he knew that Dororo wasn’t lying. This was indeed a future fragment he saw in the Mystery of the Stars.

Evan was not the type of young man who would let anger cloud his judgment. Until he could confirm whether this prophetic fragment held any meaning, he naturally wouldn’t mock Dororo.

Evan’s question was also the confusion that most people present shared.

”Its literal meaning.” Dororo looked into Evan’s slightly questioning eyes and replied calmly.

The literal meaning, which implies that such an enchanted theater truly will drift ashore? Then what kind of theater is this, and what subsequent impacts will it have?

While everyone was puzzled, Evan did not pursue further. Not because he didn’t want to, but because he noticed that Hastur seemed to be pondering something.

Hastur, also one of the eighteen Observers of the Crown Star Church, is known by the alias ”The Judge of Olden Days.”

He and ”Recollector of Chen Mai” Asetos are the longest surviving Prophet Wizards of the Crown Star Church. There is no accurate number as to how long exactly, but their aliases suggest Hastur came from the ”olden” times.

Precisely because both Hastur and Asetos have lived remarkably long lives, they have the most profound knowledge foundation.

Hastur wouldn’t fall into contemplation without reason. Clearly, Dororo’s words captured his attention.

For Hastur’s reaction, Evan didn’t delve further. If what Dororo said was truly an insightful prophecy, pushing further would only appear ignorant. Thus, he opted to wait and see.

Hastur, unlike Asetos, although cold as ”The Judge,” has his principles. Once he knows something, he won’t keep it to himself.

Hence, Evan wanted to hear what Hastur had to say.

Indeed, it wasn’t long after Evan stopped that Hastur’s stern expression signaled him to continue: ”What does the theater you spoke of look like?”

Hastur’s abrupt inquiry drew the attention of the other Prophet Wizards. They hadn’t noticed Hastur pondering before, but they understood that Hastur wouldn’t speak lightly. Since he has now, did it mean that the theater Dororo spoke of is extraordinary?

Although they were somewhat skeptical, the facts seemed to be racing toward a direction they were unwilling to believe.

”I stood in a distant, pitch-black space, seeing only from afar the theater coasting ashore, unable to clearly discern its specific appearance. Merely, this theater emitted a pink glow.”

Dororo’s answer made Hastur’s heart skip a beat. Yet he didn’t show it externally, continuing, ”What about the ticket booth you mentioned, what does it look like?”

Recollecting the prophetic fragment he saw earlier, Dororo described, ”After the theater coasted ashore, the ticket booth appeared in the land of Eternal Night. Amidst the endless darkness, it was the only light. Like the theater, it was enveloped in a pink glow.”

”However, that pink glow didn’t originate from the ticket booth itself, but from a heart-shaped sign next to it.”

”A heart-shaped sign? Are you certain it’s heart-shaped?” Hastur interrupted Dororo’s recollection and inquired.

Dororo nodded: ”Yes.”

”A heart-shaped sign, could it really be...” Hastur muttered to himself for a moment, as if something dawned upon him, then swiftly lifted his head to look at Dororo: ”Did you see who was inside the ticket booth?”