Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 2311: Chapter 2312: Heideland

”Are you leaving?”

Even though Parry Mountains’ senses weren’t as sharp as those of wind-element creatures, its root network was spread across the land, so it sensed Angel’s departure from the Lost Forest as soon as it happened.

It just didn’t expect Angel to leave right after emerging from the depths of the Lost Forest.

”Yes, I have some matters to attend to.”

”Did the Master agree?”

Angel nodded, ”Of course.”

Parry Mountains gazed deeply at Angel, ”Since the Master has agreed, I naturally won’t stop you.”

Angel gave a slight bow, then took out the Gondola, preparing to leave.

As he was about to step onto the Gondola, Parry Mountains suddenly asked, ”What are you leaving to do this time?”

Before Angel could answer, Parry Mountains continued, ”Never mind, no matter what you’re doing. But I hope you don’t bring disaster to the Green Forest Domain, and don’t trouble Master Nami Midori unnecessarily.”

Angel glanced at Parry Mountains.

He was heading out to greet Lord Reine and his Mentor, which, in a way, signified the true beginning of the Tidal World’s transformation. It was of crucial importance not only to the Green Forest Domain but to the entire Tidal World.

Was Parry Mountains’ sudden comment a spiritual sense? Or was it the keen intuition of an Extraordinary Life?

They silently exchanged glances for a few seconds, then Angel smiled softly, ”Of course.”

”Remember your words,” said Parry Mountains, closing its eyes and speaking no more.

Angel nodded slightly, then stepped onto the Gondola. Dangross naturally climbed aboard, finding the most comfortable spot, and exhaled a long breath.

”You...” Angel looked at Dangross.

”Oh, what’s up?” Dangross lowered its head to inspect its body, admiring its own pretty ring finger, long forefinger, and fair skin; it was simply perfect.

”Nothing.” Angel had initially wanted Dangross to stay, but after some thought, decided it was okay to bring it along. After all, Lord Reine and the Mentor would eventually meet Dangross too.

Moreover, the Plane Corridor wasn’t something seen every day, also a good opportunity for Dangross to see the world.

Since Angel allowed Dangross to come along, he wouldn’t be biased against Cubic. Cubic, having the potential of a Sage, was even more suited for broader experiences compared to Dangross.

Speedy, as usual, carried the Gondola and accelerated in flight, while Lobal guarded it from the side.

Thus, the Fantastical Flying Boat swiftly left the bounds of the Lost Forest, then soared into the sky, passing over the high mountains of the Green Forest Domain, heading into the distance.

”Where are we going next?” As they left the Green Forest Domain’s range, Dangross curiously asked.

”To an uncharted place with relatively mild spatial energy,” Angel was not only answering Dangross’s question but also informing Speedy of the upcoming destination.

After learning the destination, Dangross asked no more questions. Wherever Angel went, it would follow, so it didn’t mind the destination.

Cubic, however, questioned with curiosity, ”Why go to an uncharted place?”

Cubic initially thought Angel was planning to take the blue raccoon cat and the Traveling Frog to seek out the corresponding Elemental Territory for healing, but Angel’s answer was unexpected.

Angel blinked, ”You’ll find out soon.”

Confronted with Angel’s refrain from revealing information, Cubic didn’t press further, lying quietly by the boat’s edge, pondering in confusion.

During the following flight, Cubic remained silent, while Dangross regained the ability to watch ”The Blacksmith’s Day,” immersing itself in the learning of forging.

Lobal and Speedy were both reticent by nature; without prompt, they said nothing, leaving the Gondola in silent stillness.

Angel contemplated for a moment, waved his hand, and let out the Void Traveler from his bracelet.

The Void Traveler, upon its release, seemed somewhat apprehensive about the drastic environmental changes around it. Angel emanated a soothing emotion towards it, helping it relax gradually.

Angel placed the Void Traveler in his palm, gently stroking it. Initially, it resisted, but such tender contact was an unprecedented experience for it. Soon, it surrendered, becoming as lethargic as a lazy hamster, transforming from a lump to a puddle.

In the energy’s perspective, the Void Traveler resembled soft jelly, with a faint purple hue, like a piece of amethyst. Even when flattened like a pancake, its beauty was mesmerizing.

Seeing the Void Traveler no longer resisting him, Angel quietly said, ”We’ll be spending a long time together in the future. Calling you ’hey’ all the time isn’t an option, so why don’t you, like Wang Wang, get a codename for convenience?”

After Angel finished speaking, the air was silent. The pale purple pancake in his palm remained unmoved.

”I almost forgot, you lack the ability to communicate directly,” Angel sighed. Not only unable to communicate, but also having limited intelligence, to express anything, it needed to—

Angel reached out with his left forefinger, touching his brow center.

The Void Traveler on his palm, noticing his motion, hesitated momentarily before gathering its pancake form, slowly floating into the air, approaching Angel, finally adhering its entire soft body to Angel’s brow.

An unseen energy tentacle extended into Angel’s brow center.

Ding, Void network connection successful. —This was Angel’s self-constructed mental system prompt.

”Wang Wang, are you there?” Angel initiated the network connection, naturally not to communicate in ”dog language” with the Dalmatian, but to contact Wang Wang.

Meanwhile, in the unending darkness of the Void, the flying Wang Wang, upon sensing Angel’s voice in the ”network,” hesitated for a moment and replied, ”Is there something? Are you requesting a call with the Master?”

Angel: ”No, I have something I want to ask of you.”

Wang Wang: ”What is it?”

After Angel explained his idea, Wang Wang responded, ”You can call it ’hey’ as well. Unlike humans, we don’t necessarily need names.”

”Do you wish for the Void Traveler’s civilization to flourish?” Angel didn’t refute but instead shifted the topic.

Wang Wang didn’t respond.

”If you don’t reply, I’ll take it as your implied consent. If you’re smart enough, you should understand human definitions of civilization. When a group obtains self-identity, the development of civilization begins.”

”Self-identity?” Wang Wang inquired.

”Yes, starting from understanding the self, then raising questions, and developing a dialectical view of everything around. This is a phase of civilization’s birth, also a necessary phase.” Angel continued, ”And the first step to self-identity, I believe, is to understand who you are.”

”Perhaps up till now, no creature has clarified this question, but that only applies to deeper answers. As for surface answers, any civilization that emerges should know them.”

Wang Wang: ”Surface-level answers? You mean...”

Angel circled around quite a bit, ultimately revealing: ”Yes, names. With a name, or a unique individual code, it gives rise to the concept of ’self’.”

Wang Wang: ”Is ’self’ truly necessary? Can’t a civilization prosper without it?”

Angel: ”...I don’t know, perhaps there are civilizations without a ’self’. But that’s not what we’re discussing now.”

Wang Wang was silent for a moment, then sent a signal to Angel through the network: ”I understand. I will convey the meaning of individual codes to the Void Traveler beside you. But let me tell you in advance, even if it has a name, it won’t consider it its name; rather, it will have a reactive response when you call it by that name.”

To put it simply, it’s like some low-intelligence pets developing a conditioned reflex after hearing their names called by their owner frequently. They may not necessarily comprehend it’s their name, but they recognize that the frequency and waveform of the sound are for calling them.

”That’s fine too.” Angel didn’t mind much. Although the other party might not acknowledge the symbolic meaning of the name itself, addressing by a name provides him with a small sense of ceremony in life.

Wang Wang: ”It won’t name itself, so if you have any ideas or suggestions for a name, you can tell me, and I’ll convey it to it.”

Oh, they want him to pick a name for it.

Angel pondered for a moment: ”Do you have gender distinctions?”

”Does it make a difference?”

”Of course, names for females and males usually have distinct significances.”

Wang Wang: ”No gender distinctions.”

”No gender, then how do you reproduce the next generation?”

Angel was genuinely curious, wanting to explore the origin of Void Travelers. But it’s clear Wang Wang didn’t have the intention to discuss this topic with Angel.

Wang Wang remained silent, expressing silent protest towards Angel’s inquiry.

Angel could only sheepishly withdraw his question and begin thinking about the main topic... What kind of name should he give it?

After pondering for a while, Angel said, ”Let’s call it Heideland.”

”Heideland? What a strange name.” Wang Wang: ”A meaningless combination of characters.”

”Not a meaningless combination of characters. In my hometown, Heideland signifies a dream like a purple crystal. It’s often used in fairy tales as a wish for a beautiful future.”

Additionally, Heideland is also Angel’s grandmother’s surname. Angel himself never met Heideland, but the stories about her he heard from Old Pat. She was a legendary woman who resisted traditional noble marriages to pursue personal freedom, someone Angel admired greatly in his childhood.

”A dream like purple crystal.” Wang Wang repeated, his voice slightly melancholic, no longer mocking or resisting, and said to Angel: ”I understand. I have conveyed your idea to it, and once the communication ends, you can try calling it by this name.”

After finishing this, Wang Wang asked: ”Is there anything else?”

Angel: ”Nothing else for now. By the way, what are you up to now, you seemed to leave urgently that day, is there anything important?”

Having no other matters in reality, Angel exchanged pleasantries with Wang Wang, trying to create some rapport for future opportunities to study its void traversal.

Wang Wang: ”I’m fine, if you have no other matters, I’ll close the communication. Unless you’d like to chat with the adults?”

Angel: ”No, no.”

Communicating with a Dalmatian, not understanding its dog language, isn’t meaningful.

”Then... farewell. Humans say it like this when parting, right?” said Wang Wang.

”Yes, farewell.”

The network closed, and the energy tendrils inserted in Angel’s brow automatically detached, the pale purple Void Traveler once again lay on Angel’s palm.

While caressing it, Angel softly called: ”Heideland.”

Heideland raised its gelatinous, pancake-like face, its inorganic eyes looking at Angel.

”Seems it’s responding.” Angel muttered to himself, then tested it several times; each time, Heideland showed a response to its name.

However, with Angel repeatedly calling, Heideland’s level of response gradually decreased.

Unless Angel called Heideland’s name and immediately touched his left index finger to his brow, connecting to the void network, Heideland would show a relatively more significant reaction.

If he continues calling without command, its reflex to the name diminishes.

From these tests, Heideland indeed appears, as Wang Wang remarked, not regarding ”Heideland” as its name, but rather more like a machine switch labeled ”Heideland”.

Replacing ”Heideland” with sounds like ”hey” or ”ouch”, which stimulate its response, yield similar effects.

While not achieving the envisioned expectations, at least the effect is still present.

It’s okay if it doesn’t regard Heideland as its name; as long as Angel does. Although it seems somewhat self-deceptive, sometimes deceiving for long enough might perhaps enlighten the other party.

After a bit of unilateral dialogue with Heideland, Angel put it back into his bracelet space.

If it stays outside, Heideland feels frightened by the changing surroundings, coupled with Dangross, the restless child, having awoken from ”The Blacksmith’s Day” Illusionary Realm, to prevent Heideland from being harassed by the enthusiastic child, precautions are necessary.

”After watching now, did you learn anything?” Angel looked at the opened-eyed Dangross.

Dangross: ”A bit confused.”

”It’s alright; forging can’t happen overnight. You can learn gradually in the future.” Angel reassured.

Dangross: ”So will Mr. Pat still teach me then?”

Angel didn’t pick up on Dangross’ implicit anticipation; he only assumed Dangross worried about failing to learn, thus nodded firmly: ”Of course.”

Dangross’ eyes slightly lit up, ”I’ll learn quickly!”

”I’m looking forward to seeing what you’ll craft in the future,” Angel gave a bit of encouragement appropriately.

Dangross raised his head: ”Even though I said I’ll create a statue for my little brother first, since Mr. Pat has asked, my first work shall be for Pa...”

Pausing for a moment, Dangross glanced at Toby on Angel’s shoulder: ”For Lord Toby! My second piece will be for Mr. Pat.”

Angel didn’t dwell on Dangross’ order of priorities; as long as Dangross has the intention, it’s enough.

While he and Dangross communicated, the Gondola finally arrived at a nameless location with relatively stable spatial energy.