Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 2200: Chapter 2201: Baya Desert

Jon’s troubles, Angel can understand.

After all, the Wizard World is not a modern society, and the fundamental nature of civilization is different. Transplanting all situations according to the free and open environment of Earth is obviously not suitable.

Angel personally tends to set a creation limit on chat groups first, and gradually open them up if an opportunity arises later.

Just as Jon said, giving too much at once and setting the tone to the highest level will make users feel all functions are taken for granted, and they will become unappreciative if left unchecked.

Therefore, first set limits to establish a tone; if the number of tree network users increases in the future, gradually open up. Perhaps by then, the chat group business could also become a chain of interest exchange.

Angel expressed his thoughts but did not force Jon to make changes. It was just an opinion, and it would be best to first see more user feedback before making a decision.

Jon also agreed that he would look at the feedback.

After discussing the feedback on the updates, Jon began to state another purpose for finding Angel: discussion on the next version update of the tree network and the reform direction of the Mother Tree Forum.

Originally, the iterative updates of the tree network and Forum were within Jon’s business scope, and he already had a preliminary plan for the update content. However, his development and transformation of the Mother Tree network were 20% based on the development team’s capability and 80% based on the permissions granted by Angel.

Now, the development team’s capabilities have been fully utilized, but the management permissions for the Mother Tree network have not been fully issued.

For this reason, Jon needed to consult with Angel.

Jon: ”At present, in my view, the most lacking aspect of the surface network is the image embedding functionality.”

”Whether it is avatar editing, using expressions, or beautifying pages, art material support is needed. However, avatars and expressions are not very important. I propose the image functionality first because forum topics with a higher professional nature need image pairing.”

”For example, in my compilation of ’Overview and Detailed Rules of New City Planning,’ the witch Lianna often leaves comments with questions and suggestions. I can express simple questions in words, but modifying blueprints is hard to describe in text. Plus, the New City’s style is nothing like the existing style of the Wizards’ Realm, and the witch Lianna often can’t understand my descriptions; it’s best to use images to express them, which are clearer and more understandable.”

Regarding the image functionality, Jon already mentioned it before, and Angel also conducted an in-depth understanding through the Civilization’s Mother Tree, confirming that this functionality is feasible.

Moreover, there are more than one method of image expression.

For instance, similar to text input, using mental imagery to draw what one thinks. Another example is capturing real patterns through branch powder within the Mother Tree Interlinker and uploading them to the surface network, which is also feasible.

However, Angel is hesitant about which mode to use specifically.

Mental imagery is undoubtedly more convenient, but wanting to draw with one’s mind requires very high mental expressiveness. The vast majority of humans can imagine a picture, a scene, and a landscape in their minds, but they generally focus on the overall outline and some key areas.

It is difficult for ordinary people to express all the details of a scene completely.

For example, the New City has countless overlapping buildings, with almost all building brick patterns, window shapes, and even ventilation ducts being different. A general pattern of the New City requires attention to at least hundreds of thousands or even millions of details.

Can ordinary people imagine and cover everything with mental imagery?

It’s difficult.

Aside from mental control, the second method is through a ”physical” approach, using branch powder to sense real patterns. This is somewhat like the capturing feature of a holographic tablet, recording the current scene in real-time, encompassing every detail comprehensively, arguably the most realistic and comprehensive.

Angel personally leans towards using this method, but there are irreplaceable aspects of mental imagery, such as wanting to represent an imaginary scene. With capturing, you must draw it yourself first, then capture it afterward; but mental imagery allows for rapid mental composition, hence faster.

So, Angel is currently also conflicted on which to use? Or maybe, enable both methods together?

Angel thought for a moment and decided to let Jon make the choice.

He told Jon about the pros and cons of the two methods, and Jon, after pondering for a moment, replied: ”If shooting through the Mother Tree Interlinker is possible, then let’s use this method first. Mental imagery evidently requires more skill and can be customized for high-end talents who can use this method in future versions.”

After confirming the method of choice, Angel immediately manipulated the Tree Civilization to open up the relevant management permissions.

However, this only opens the relevant permissions; applying it to the surface network still requires Jon and his development team to conduct research and optimization.

It’s like suddenly opening an exit to a closed maze. People trapped in the maze still need to find that exit themselves to leave.

”The current version mainly features friend functions and private messaging. The next version can focus on images as a theme to build a series of features.” After determining the next step in development direction, Jon raised some issues with the existing version with Angel, hoping for them to be resolved.

For instance, Dream Plant Fairies occasionally wander into the tree network and Mother Tree Forum.

Although Dream Plant Fairies are generally innocent and not very interested in the surface network, their sudden appearance is somewhat inconvenient, at least from a privacy standpoint that must be resolved quickly.

Angel had already encountered this point before and had a plan in place.

The solution comes down to two choices: either isolate the surface network from the Mother Tree network or make the access to the immersive network harder for the surface network.

Angel decided on the latter. He’s not planning to completely isolate the surface network because Jon mentioned the ”root server” before.

The Mother Tree network cannot always rely on him to issue management permissions. He thought about constructing a root server deep within the Mother Tree network, within the immersive network, to manage the permissions of the surface network.

By then, as long as it doesn’t involve the fundamental aspects of the Mother Tree network, Jon can directly operate within the root server to add functions.

After confirming all schemes, Angel discussed future prospects for the Mother Tree network with Jon.

Jon also took this opportunity to ask Angel to publish some topic research or training insights on the Forum when he has time, to increase the credibility of the Mother Tree Forum and attract more people to join.

Angel also agreed to publish when he has spare time.

After finishing all this, Angel stopped the chat with Jon.

As Angel prepared to go offline, a burst of ”ding-dong” piano sounds rang from the Mother Tree Interlinker again. Thinking Jon was contacting him about something, he picked it up to find it was a friend request.

Applicant: Redemption of the Dead.

Upon seeing this name, Angel was slightly stunned.

He naturally knew who this name represented, Niels Byron.

The reason for the surprise was that in an era when all tree network users used their real names, he actually saw a ”username”?!

Although this username is actually Niels’s nickname, when it appeared, it instantly distinguished itself from others’ real names, standing out uniquely.

”Didn’t expect that guy Nis would grasp the true meaning of online names so quickly after contact with the tree group...” Angel mused to himself with amusement, then added Nis as a friend.

After adding a friend, the tree group’s interface immediately popped up with an unread message.

Redemption of the Dead: ”Tablet... Tablet... I need tablets...”

It’s just a few short words, but Angel felt as if they carried the rolling emotions of Nis.

”Are you okay?” Angel asked.

After a moment, a new bubble popped up on the interface: ”No problem, I’ve just been buried in deciphering the tablet these days, feeling a bit exhausted.”

Angel: ”Why not take a break?”

Nis quickly popped up with new information: ”No!!! I feel I’m close to cracking it completely, I need a new tablet now.”

Angel fell silent for a moment but still agreed, returning to reality to bring Nis a new tablet into the Wilderness of Dreams. After all, it’s rare for Nis to be so serious about research.

As soon as the tablet was delivered, Nis’ bubble immediately fell silent, likely to only light up next time when urging for a new tablet.

Angel shook his head, closed the Interlinker, and exited the Wilderness of Dreams.

...

The gondola continued its leisurely flight, Angel stretched, and opened his eyes.

”Where are we flying to now?” To break the awkward spreading air as he saw Loga staring tightly at him across, Angel initiated the conversation.

”We just left the third barrier line.” It was Loga who spoke, answering Angel’s question while still scrutinizing Angel, after a while, he asked: ”Mr. Pat, were you resting just now?”

Angel understood Loga’s implication; why resting involved sometimes opening eyes, sometimes closing them, and taking out a strange sea shell and tablet.

This needed too much explanation, relating to the mysterious object and the Wilderness of Dreams, he didn’t know how to explain, so he said: ”Yes, I was resting.”

”What about just now...”

”Sleepwalking.” Angel firmly replied.

Loga was choked for a moment, clearly disbelieving, but his mouth opened then closed without further questioning.

Unlike Loga’s sensitivity, Dangross did not find Angel’s behavior overly odd, focusing instead on pleasing Toby while he awoke.

Briefly dealing with Loga, Angel took a deep breath, looked at the departing direction, and accelerated the gondola.

According to Loga, after leaving the Wild Stone Wasteland’s central district, there are three major barrier lines, each with stationed Keepers and many Patrollers, creating a fortress of stone in the Wilderness.

Angel saw firsthand the strength of a few Keepers and Patrollers, and looked at the pervasive stone creatures, contemplating whether he could reach the core area without the help of the Little Inba’s Earth Mark, purely by forcing his way through.

Probably still possible, but certainly at a great cost.

And this is just the Wild Stone Wasteland, giving some insight into the terror of the Elemental Creature’s territory; if he entered an area like the Flashing Mountains, finding their Monarch and Sage would likely be multiple times harder than in Wild Stone Wasteland.

After another four hours, Angel finally flew to the last barrier line.

Sounding like it didn’t take long, but the distance flown by the gondola, if converted to Old Earth Continent’s distances, would be enough to travel from the farthest north to the farthest south.

This also shows that this land is incredibly large, with even the inconspicuous Wild Stone Wasteland comparable to the full area of Old Earth Continent.

Crossing the last barrier line led them to the frontier. Here, they could faintly see the distant rolling golden sand dunes.

Just then, Loga, who had been silent, spoke: ”Mr. Pat, the airspace over the Baya Desert is forbidden unless you are accompanied by earth-element creatures from the Baya Desert, otherwise, it will be seen as taunting the desert.”

Angel didn’t have time to mock Loga’s lexical misuse when it continued: ”If unaware, it doesn’t matter. But the Baya Desert is filled with flying sand and rolling rocks, all these are the eyes of sand creatures, thus it’s hard not to be discovered. It’s best to comply with the rules and enter from the ground.”

Angel: ”Entering from the ground won’t provoke them?”

Loga: ”If you enter alone, you would definitely be stopped, but compared to flying, it reduces their sense of threat. Even if reported to the Sage, as long as you can provide a reasonable explanation, they will loosen the restrictions.”

Of course, all the above is assuming Angel entered alone; now with Loga present, identified by the Sage, they likely won’t face much difficulty.

Angel thought for a moment and decided to follow Loga’s advice.

Every realm has its own rules; since he isn’t preparing to battle the Baya Desert, it’s better to adhere to their regulations.

As they were nearly stepping onto the desert’s outskirts, Angel lowered the gondola and entered via the land route.

It was already past dusk.

The temperature in the Baya Desert suddenly changed, with each step Angel could clearly feel the surrounding temperature dropping.

Upon reaching the border of the Baya Desert, the temperature was close to zero degrees.

For Angel and Loga, this temperature was entirely tolerable, but for Dangross, it was somewhat unbearable.

Dangross almost had his whole hand shrink a circle from the cold, with trembling fingers holding onto the Blood Night Shelter.

Seeing this, Angel communicated with Earl Mi in his mind.

In the unseen shadow world, the Blue Lantern Flower on Earl Mi’s head gently swayed, and instantly a shield of flames appeared around Dangross’ location.

Under the protection of the flame, Dangross slowly returned to normal size.

As Dangross recovered, simultaneously, a quicksand vortex suddenly appeared in the dune ahead of them.

In their caution, a desert halfling emerged from the quicksand, appearing as if it were a genie monster.