Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 2294: Chapter 4295: Three Major Drawbacks

The effects of Sunlight Sanctuary can be said to be absolutely outstanding. Moreover, it possesses external energy conversion under the white hat coronation, so there’s no need to worry too much about endurance; as long as it’s not broken by external forces, it will continue to exist.

The only regret is that Sunlight Sanctuary was carved onto parchment, no matter how strong the effect, it has become a consumable item.

Visibly observable, after using Sunlight Sanctuary, the strange pattern floating in the magical energy array gradually fades from bright to dull.

Angel can sense that although Sunlight Sanctuary is not strictly a one-time-use Magic Rune Scroll, its usage limit is slightly higher, estimated to be around three times.

This is also due to material limitations.

Parchment that has been crowned with a black hat, even if its essence has changed, is ultimately just a paper surface, liable to wear when supporting such a high-demand magical energy array.

If Angel had not carved a Magic Rune Scroll but seriously attempted Enchantment Alchemy, its success would not render it a temporary consumable, and its value would be immeasurable.

Unfortunately, when Angel first engraved it, he did not expect to succeed in one go.

”This world within the painting will ultimately perish. Wasting a chance of Sunlight Sanctuary here is a bit regrettable.” Feng said with a hint of regret.

”Wouldn’t it be better if it wasn’t engraved on parchment, do you regret it?”

It’s definitely false to say there’s no regret. But Angel is fairly optimistic; since it succeeded once this time, he believes repeating the process should also lead to success.

Upon hearing Angel’s thought, Feng shook his head: ”Do you think a black hat emerges so easily? Moreover, based on my understanding of mysterious objects, its effects surely won’t follow any predetermined logic.”

Seeing Angel’s puzzled expression, Feng explained: ”You might as well try it one day when you have free time, engraving large amounts of magical energy arrays of Sunlight Garden; then observe whether it will transform into Sunlight Sanctuary.”

Even if a black hat indeed appears, Feng believes that the likelihood of Sunlight Garden transforming into Sunlight Sanctuary is very low.

”No need for a special time, we can try now.” Angel succeeding with the black hat coronation in one attempt tickled his curiosity, tempting him to try again.

Feng noticed Angel’s enthusiasm and didn’t stop him, indicating that Angel could give it another try.

The reason for this is that Feng is also curious: Angel’s one-time success, was it skill or luck?

Upon Feng’s approval, Angel eagerly began trying.

This time, Angel again attempted to make a ”Sunlight Garden” Magic Rune Scroll rather than Enchantment Alchemy; Alchemy requires too much time, least requiring a full day, whereas Feng himself stated neither this consciousness nor the world within the painting can last long, half a day to one day is already the limit.

Therefore, Angel chose the fastest method to try again, primarily to see whether the black hat coronation would transform into Sunlight Sanctuary.

Angel excitedly replicated the first Sunlight Garden scroll.

However, the results disappointed Angel, as the magical energy array was crowned with a white hat, enhancing Sunlight Garden’s abilities but without any fundamental change.

Having failed once, Angel went on to his second and third attempts.

The results remained unchanged from the first, with white hats appearing repeatedly, while black hats were nowhere to be seen. As for testing whether Sunlight Garden would transform into Sunlight Sanctuary, that thought was out of the question.

On the other side, Feng finally confirmed that Angel’s prior success was merely luck and not the favor of ”mysterious magic patterns.” After reaching this conclusion, he felt a peculiar sense of satisfaction.

”It’s no problem, failing once or twice doesn’t matter much, you can try again later.” Feng smirked, seeming to offer comfort, though the tone lacked genuineness, containing schadenfreude instead.

Though Angel wanted to keep trying, his time in the painting world was running short; he wanted to gather some information from Feng, so he had to temporarily abandon the engraving.

He carefully placed the mysterious magic pattern into a small metal box.

Then solemnly stored it into his bracelet space.

After finishing all this, Angel turned to Feng: ”Earlier I heard you mention that the excessive information experienced by the engraver during the black hat coronation is just one of the mysterious magic pattern’s drawbacks. Does this mean it has other drawbacks?”

Feng nodded: ”Even if you hadn’t asked, I would have told you. Yes, it does have other drawbacks regarding the user.”

”The first drawback was told to me by Rekton. For him, it’s not much of a drawback, but for you, it could be life-threatening.” Feng: ”The first drawback is the intensive enhancement of Alchemy Omen.”

Generally, Intermediate Rank and above alchemy tools produce Alchemy Omen. Alchemy Omen signifies the birth of a powerful alchemy tool and serves as a mental test for alchemists.

If an alchemist gets lost in the omen, the failure of alchemy tools is the least of it; one’s own safety could be jeopardized.

However, items refined using mysterious magic patterns will still produce Alchemy Omen as long as they reach Intermediate Rank.

The Alchemy Omen under white hat coronation has a certain enhancement but remains within fluctuation range; yet under black hat coronation, the enhancement sharply rises, potentially escalating a whole grade.

Back then, Rekton’s refined magic robe—even though it finally turned into a water membrane—from grade perspective was definitely high rank, and at birth, it produced a terrifying omen.

Rekton himself had reached Legendary Level, having refined numerous alchemy tools throughout his life, thus unafraid of omens. Yet after the experience, even Rekton appreciated the strength of the omen, ranking it within the top hundred of his experiences.

Now, considering Rekton experienced countless Alchemy Omens hundreds of thousands at least, ranking within the top hundred illustrates its significance.

”So, if you’re not confident in enduring Alchemy Omen, you’d better be cautious when using ’Mad Hat’s Coronation.’” Feng solemnly advised Angel.

This concerns Angel’s alchemy journey, so he certainly wouldn’t overlook it.

Angel hasn’t refined any alchemy tools under black hat coronation yet, but he speculates, the magical energy arrays in ”Enchantment Compendium—Perfect Chapter” definitely won’t serve; even the ”Advanced Chapter” is difficult. If intending to use mysterious magic patterns, he should select arrays from ”Introductory Chapter” and ”Basic Chapter.”

Concluding the first drawback, Feng began discussing the second, although Feng spoke rather ambiguously regarding it.

”The second drawback is actually an infeasibility speculated by me and Rekton collectively, it’s uncertain whether it will manifest.”

”And concerning this drawback leads back to the story ’Louis’ Hat’.”

Angel was taken aback, how did it return to this discussion. Does this fairy tale hold undiscovered details?

”This story reveals that beyond black and white, the hat manifested a special color.”

With Angel’s eyes gleaming with curiosity, Feng calmly stated: ”Red, or rather, blood-red.”

In the story ”Louis’ Hat,” Louis rescued his wife from the Earl of Red Tea, and to escape Teapot Country, the rabbit Cha Cha offered its fur, enabling Louis to create a hat conferring magical abilities.

Having gone through various trials, Louis finally brought his wife to the Royal Tea Path, the final checkpoint to escape from the Teapot Country.

According to fairy tale logic, such a crucial checkpoint must have a powerful final BOSS.

And that BOSS is none other than the pursuing Red Tea Duke.

Even wearing a hat made from the fur of the guiding hare, Cha Cha, with magical powers, Louis is still no match for the Red Tea Duke.

After a stormy assault, Louis quickly fell into the inferior position.

The powerful abilities of the Red Tea Duke were enough to knock Louis out of the black hat state back to the white hat state.

In his weakened, near-death state, Louis saw a guiding hare appear near the Royal Tea Path.

The guiding hare is Cha Cha, who can lead outsiders into Teapot Country.

Louis remembered that Cha Cha once told him that guiding hares have a trait that when their own blood or the blood of their kind contaminates their fur, they go mad.

After all, it’s just a fairy tale, so whether this setting is reasonable or logically coherent, let’s set aside for the moment. But in desperate moments, the protagonist has a spark of genius to devise a strategy, which indeed feels very fairy-tale-like.

Louis dashed to the guiding hare, cut it with a knife, and soaked his hat in its blood.

The hat’s color changed to blood-red.

Subsequently, naturally, the protagonist triumphantly fights all around, finally knocking the Red Tea Duke’s head full of bumps, and successfully brings his wife out of Teapot Country.

”Although this is merely a plot in a story, but since a blood-red hat appears, caution is advised.”

”If during the use of the mysterious magic pattern, a red hat coronation truly happens, it may portend more terrifying drawbacks beyond just cumbersome information. The specifics of such drawbacks, having not been experienced, are difficult to predict.”

Feng said at this point: ”However, you need not overly worry; there is a significant chance that the mysterious magic pattern won’t produce a red hat. After all, the red hat comes from being stained with blood, not from the color of the hat itself.”

”Or even if the red hat does appear, it’s likely not when controllable levels are achieved.”

Not when controllable levels are achieved? Angel: ”Do you mean... that it only appears when disorder occurs?”

Feng nodded: ”This is also a conjecture, regardless of whether the blood-red hat will appear, at the very least you must know of its existence.”

Angel understood and nodded, this truly is preemptively forestalling issues.

”As for the third drawback...”

Angel gasped: ”There’s another drawback?”

Feng: ”Indeed. Often, this isn’t a drawback for us, but for you, it needs attention as a drawback.”

”Just like the first drawback, this third drawback is not intrinsic to the mysterious magic pattern.” After pausing, Feng brought up the final drawback—

”Its presence is extremely high, which easily attracts calamity to you.”

Feng at this point gestured to Angel to look at several magic rune scrolls he engraved on the table. Whether it’s the Unsullied Magic Pattern, the Sunlight Garden, or the Sunlight Sanctuary, all emit an unmistakable mysterious aura.

Wizards’ pursuit of mysterious objects doesn’t need further elaboration. With such conspicuous mysterious aura exuding from the scrolls, they undeniably proclaim themselves.

Once exposed to people, suspicion is inevitable.

”This magical energy array of the Sunlight Sanctuary is fine, as the mysterious aura stems from the pattern beneath the magical energy array, rather than from the magic tattoo horn itself.” Feng: ”However, for the Unsullied Magic Pattern and the Sunlight Garden, these magic patterns crowned by white hats, the mysterious aura originates entirely from the ’transformation’ magic tattoo horn within. Any experienced Mystic Hunter can easily spot the clues.”

”Even if mysterious magic patterns are present in the Origin World, they are extremely rare, making them very prone to disputes. So, before your strength and rank reach a certain level, it’s best not to casually expose the scrolls made with mysterious magic patterns or the objects refined.”

”Even if you truly wish to reveal them, it’s best to show black hat crowned items since those won’t lead people to think of mysterious magic patterns, and more likely people will believe you’re lucky and obtained a half-step mysterious object.”

Angel nodded thoughtfully, as he had already considered this beforehand. Just like sensing that hint of mysterious aura in the studio at White Cloud Village, he deduced Feng likely possessed something like a mysterious engraving pen.

So, for his own safety, he ought to avoid exposing the presence of mysterious magic patterns.

”Of course, if you know someone capable of refining mysterious objects... even if not mysterious objects, but at least capable of refining half-step mysterious objects as an Alchemist, you wouldn’t need to mind all these complications as you could attribute the source of all these black hat crowned items to them.” Feng said with a self-mocking shake of his head: ”Why am I telling you this, how could such an Alchemist possibly exist in the Southern Domain now.”

As Feng was lamenting, Angel’s expression became rather peculiar.

Feng: ”Why the hesitant look? If there’s something to say, just speak out.”

Angel hesitated for a moment before speaking: ”Actually, I have refined a half-step mysterious object.”

”Oh, I thought it was something else, turns out you have refined...”

Feng paused mid-sentence, his eyes changing from normal to full of shock and suspicion.

Angel filled in what he left unspoken: ”Yes, I have refined a half-step mysterious object.”

”???!!!” Feng shook his head in disbelief: ”Impossible, how could you have refined a half-step mysterious object?”

”Do you know what this means? It means you’ve tapped into the mysterious layers! Even in the Origin World, only a very, very small number of Alchemists have a way to touch mystery.”

”How could you possibly? Don’t lie.”

While speaking, Feng observed Angel’s expression, noticing that Angel remained composed to the point even capable of executing authenticity verification magic techniques.

Seeing Angel’s demeanor, Feng’s certainty began to waver.

He hesitated briefly and said: ”Repeat what you just said.”

Upon finishing, Angel could feel a certain magical fluctuation surrounding him.

Though unaware of the exact magic, presumably it serves to determine truth.

As Angel wasn’t lying, he effortlessly said: ”Although that half-step mysterious object is no longer with me, I did indeed refine a half-step mysterious object.”