Warlock Apprentice

“Having the Power of Heart is the first and most basic prerequisite for obtaining Heart Fire.” Dog Deacon: “After possessing the Power of Heart, the next thing to consider is how to gain the recognition of Heart Fire.”

Sipolov nodded quietly.

As a member of the Yingji Clan, he has been to the Heartfire Hall. From the process standpoint, Dog Deacon is correct.

However, these are not particularly secretive pieces of information.

Didn’t Dog Deacon say earlier that there was intelligence even he wasn’t aware of?

While Sipolov pondered quietly, Dog Deacon began talking about the methods to “gain the recognition of Heart Fire.”

“Heartfire Hall contains countless Heart Fires, and to gain recognition from one, you must find the Heart Fire that is most compatible with you.”

“And how to find the most compatible Heart Fire?” Dog Deacon: “The Yingji Clan’s method is to… go with the flow.”

“Go with the flow?” Angel paused for a moment—does this imply entering Heartfire Hall and doing nothing, just relying on instinct?

Dog Deacon did not immediately explain but turned to look at Sipolov: “Would you mind talking about your process of finding a compatible Heart Fire when you entered Heartfire Hall? If you are reluctant, I can share another example.”

Dog Deacon asked Sipolov to speak with the thought that discussing the process of “going with the flow” from the perspective of the Yingji Clan would be more authentic.

Of course, even if Sipolov were unwilling to speak, Dog Deacon had plenty of similar records.

Sipolov thought for more than ten seconds, then nodded: “Okay.”

How to find a compatible Heart Fire in Heartfire Hall is likewise not a secret. After all, every member of the Yingji Clan has a Heart Fire, which means everyone knows “how to find a compatible Heart Fire.”

When something is widely known, can it be considered a secret? Clearly not.

Sipolov: “When we enter Heartfire Hall to find a compatible Heart Fire, from a certain angle, it is indeed as Deacon Sir said—going with the flow…”

Sipolov began his narrative.

At the time Sipolov entered Heartfire Hall, he was about three and a half, categorized as still a toddler.

Heart Fire may hold various incredible powers to outsiders. But Yingji Clan toddlers don’t care about Heart Fire’s special abilities at all, and they have no concept because they are too young to even grasp a basic worldview.

Their sole purpose in entering Heartfire Hall, and their strongest inner desire, is—seeing.

The Yingji Clan belongs to the Tiancan Clan, naturally born without eyes. Yingji Clan toddlers, since birth, have never experienced what Light is, and thus what they care most about is “seeing.”

They want to see their parents, see the rooms they live in and the city they grow up in, see the vast ice fields and swirling ice winds…

And Heart Fire is the medium that allows them to possess the ability to “see.”

Sipolov naturally entered Heartfire Hall with this strong desire.

Heartfire Hall does not allow adult accompaniment, so Sipolov at that time entered Heartfire Hall alone. Because the interior of Heartfire Hall is extremely vast and has some stairs, to avoid stumbling, Sipolov, like other Yingji Clan toddlers, crawled into Heartfire Hall on all fours.

Unable to see the surrounding environment, Sipolov crawled randomly within the hall.

Crawling anywhere didn’t matter.

Because before entering Heartfire Hall, his parents had told him he could crawl however he liked, go in any direction, as the Heart Fire that was compatible with him would come to him automatically.

At the time, Sipolov didn’t understand the meaning of this, but after crawling in Heartfire Hall for a while, he realized the situation.

During the half-hour Sipolov crawled, nearly ten Heart Fires came nearby.

Why such a precise number? It was because when Heart Fire got close to Sipolov, he would be influenced by the Power of the Mind contained within Heart Fire and “see” some scenes.

Whenever he could “see,” it meant a Heart Fire was lingering near him.

“And finding the compatible Heart Fire is actually just about which scene you like; staying in that scene, it won’t take long to resonate with the Power of Heart within the scene.”

“Once resonance is achieved, you gain the Heart Fire.”

So, for Sipolov, or rather for the Yingji Clan, finding a compatible Heart Fire is indeed a going-with-the-flow situation.

Heart Fire inevitably seeks them, and they just need to find one they find pleasing to the eye.

Thus, Angel’s previous guess was correct—it is indeed about relying on instinct.

Of course, they pay no attention to what abilities these Heart Fires contain… or even if they did, they wouldn’t understand them—

“What scenes did you see with those Heart Fires?” Luigi asked curiously.

Sipolov shrugged: “Many, many. The ‘scenes’ created by Heart Fire were of various kinds. Because it was my first time seeing ‘real’ scenes and colored things, I was very curious and experienced many Heart Fire scenes.”

“But asking me what those scenes were, at the time, I didn’t recognize them at all.”

After all, before Sipolov went to Heartfire Hall, he lived in darkness, never seeing the external world’s radiance, naturally not understanding these scenes’ meanings.

Even if the Queen of Yingji came before Sipolov, he wouldn’t recognize her.

“But now when I think back, those scenes can be described in detail.” Sipolov: “I saw an ordinary cottage, saw a forest, and saw snowy mountains…”

Reflecting with contemporary perspectives on the past scenes, Sipolov realized he actually saw much landscape back then.

Some of these landscapes he hasn’t yet truly experienced.

For instance, he saw a shimmering sea with sparkling reflections in the Heart Fire scene, but in reality, he has never seen such a scene.

The sea is indeed rare in the Daylight Mirror Domain.

“Besides these landscapes, I also saw some strange scenes, such as a crooked tree with a corpse hanging from it, glaciers freezing ancient gigantic beasts, Knife Mountain looming in dark mists, and snowy plains littered with tombstones…”

“Ultimately, I chose a Heart Fire scene, which was a gallery filled with all kinds of oil paintings.”

As he said this, Sipolov scratched his temple: “Actually, I’m not sure if this gallery truly matches me. It’s just that when I entered this Heart Fire scene, I was attracted to the oil paintings hanging on the walls.”

At that time, Sipolov didn’t know exactly what was in the paintings, but the colors of the oil paintings were so vibrant that seeing such rich colors for the first time naturally drew his attention.

Immersed in viewing paintings in the gallery, he lost track of time; as a result, his Power of Heart resonated with the Heart Fire that created the gallery scene.

Dog Deacon: “Compatibility is indeed necessary because only a compatible Heartfire will actively seek you out; it’s just the difference in the level of compatibility.”

“Moreover, being attracted to the oil painting in the gallery might also be a form of destiny’s guidance.”

In other words, under the manipulation of fate, perhaps this gallery is the most suitable Heartfire for Sipolov.

Sipolov also contemplated similar questions, so he was not surprised by Dog Deacon’s remarks.

On the other side, Luigi, who listened to the entire process, was not very concerned about whether the Heartfire and Sipolov were compatible. What he was a bit curious about was: “Do these Heartfire scenes correspond to the abilities of the Heartfires?”

Sipolov nodded: “In a broad sense, the Heartfire scenes do have some connection to the abilities of the Heartfires. For instance, those staying in the ice field scenes usually have abilities related to ice and snow. Those near forest scenes often have abilities related to plants…”

“However, there are also some scenes where it’s hard to judge if they are related to the abilities of the Heartfires. Just like the strange scenes I mentioned earlier, they correspond to all sorts of bizarre Heartfire abilities. You could make a connection if you forced it, but it always feels somewhat far-fetched.”

“And the same goes for my Heartfire ability.”

Sipolov did not specifically say what his Heartfire ability was. Although Luigi was curious, he didn’t ask. After all, abilities are part of Sipolov’s privacy, and it would be inappropriate to inquire.

After Sipolov finished speaking, Dog Deacon finally said: “Setting these details aside, let’s get to the main point. Now, you should understand why I said the Yingji clan’s method for finding compatible Heartfires is going with the flow, right?”

Angel nodded. Sipolov’s experience in the Heartfire Hall was indeed quite casual.

It was entirely a situation where the mountain came to him.

However, the Heartfire should be exceptionally enthusiastic only towards the Yingji clan, right?

Otherwise, if obtaining Heartfire recognition were so straightforward, why has only one outsider been recognized over the years?

As expected, before long, Dog Deacon stated: “However, this method of finding compatible Heartfires is only suitable for the Yingji clan. For external tribes, there’s absolutely no way to gain Heartfire recognition by this route.”

Heartfire, although born from heaven and earth, only acknowledges the Yingji clan, as if the World Will specifically provided them with a cheat code.

For the Yingji clan, as long as they enter the Heartfire Hall, they can basically gain the recognition of hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of Heartfires. They just need to find the one most compatible with themselves.

But if an outsider enters the Heartfire Hall, even if you possess the Power of the Mind, the Heartfire won’t acknowledge you at all.

Even if you proactively go to the mountain, the mountain would rather be shrouded in mist than look at you directly.

“Is it because the method is wrong?” Luigi: “If, like the Yingji clan, you temporarily shield your vision before entering the Heartfire Hall, would that be better?”

Dog Deacon shook his head: “Do you think others aren’t as smart as you? Of course, someone has tried it. Moreover, some even blinded newborn infants, let them live in the Ice Country, eat and dress like the Yingji clan, and when they were three or four years old, put them in the Heartfire Hall to find a Heartfire.”

“But the result was still the same. The Heartfires completely ignored these outsiders.”

Angel: “Then how did that outsider who obtained a Heartfire back then do it? Was it by strong-arming due to powerful abilities?”

The one who obtained a Heartfire was a Legendary Being. With their Legendary Level abilities, maybe they could indeed overpower the Heartfire and take it by force.

However, hearing this, Dog Deacon shook his head: “No, that predecessor who entered the Heartfire Hall didn’t take it by force; it was acquired through legitimate methods.”

“And this is the main point I want to discuss.”

As Dog Deacon spoke, he glanced at Laplace and Luigi. He noticed that after Luigi asked the question, he suddenly fell silent, his pupils unconsciously looking down as if pondering something.

Meanwhile, Laplace also turned his head, his gaze focused.

Seeing this scene, as someone who was once Laplace’s Temporal Body, he already guessed that they were likely synchronizing their minds with Glaipnir contacting them.

Since there was news from Glaipnir, Dog Deacon no longer needed to continue stalling with various means.

He straightforwardly announced the answer.

“That Legendary Being had left behind a record similar to a travelogue before leaving the Daylight Mirror Domain. It recorded his various experiences in the Daylight Mirror Domain, including his experience in the Heartfire Hall.”

Angel caught that Dog Deacon used “similar to a travelogue” to describe the source of the intelligence…this was evidently an ambiguous expression. It’s either a travelogue or not; using “similar” and adding “record” as a qualifier is clearly an excuse.

Angel, though understanding this, didn’t question further. The source of intelligence seems to be a secret of the Everything House; otherwise, Dog Deacon wouldn’t speak so vaguely. Since it’s a secret, it would be presumptuous to inquire further.

Dog Deacon: “In his records, the Heartfires in the Heartfire Hall are divided into two categories.”

Dog Deacon did not immediately differentiate which “two categories” they were but asked Sipolov: “Does your Heartfire have Spirit Intelligence?”

Spirit Intelligence? Sipolov shook his head: “No.”

Dog Deacon: “Then, do you think Heartfires can possibly develop Spirit Intelligence?”

Sipolov instinctively wanted to shake his head again, but he felt that since Dog Deacon asked him this question, the answer probably wouldn’t be that simple.

But if it’s not that simple, wouldn’t it mean admitting “Heartfires might develop Spirit Intelligence”?

Yet the reality is, from ancient times till now, there’s never been any record of Heartfires possessing Spirit Intelligence.

After pondering for a long time, Sipolov softly asked: “I don’t know if Heartfires can have Spirit Intelligence, but over the years, I’ve never heard of a Heartfire with Spirit Intelligence.”

Hearing Sipolov’s response, Dog Deacon shook his head and turned to Angel: “Mr. Angel, do you think Heartfires could possibly develop Spirit Intelligence?”

Angel, with almost no hesitation, immediately replied: “It’s possible.”

In Angel’s view, anything in this world could potentially develop Spirit Intelligence. A stubborn stone, a mirror, a tree, a book…there are precedents for all developing Spirit Intelligence.

For example, even a house in the Crystal Kingdom might develop a ‘Spirit,’ eventually becoming a Giant City Spirit. So, isn’t it quite normal for a fire already possessing the Power of the Mind to develop Spirit Intelligence?

Dog Deacon once again looked at Sipolov: “Do you think it’s possible now for a Heartfire to develop Spirit Intelligence?”

This time, Sipolov remained silent, not refuting again.

Dog Deacon did not continue to entangle with Sipolov on this issue. His purpose in asking Sipolov was to illustrate a point: in the eyes of the Yingji clan, Heartfires are not considered to have Spirit Intelligence.

Sipolov indeed said something similar as expected.

Now that the objective to suppress has been achieved, it was time to elevate.

“Heartfires indeed have the potential to develop Spirit Intelligence.” Dog Deacon: “The Legendary Being who gained Heartfire recognition categorized Heartfires by those with Spirit Intelligence and those without.”