Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 1376: Section 1377: Separation

Angel stood under a sign that shimmered with flowing light.

Champagne Road 93, Mukihara Bar.

Even before entering, he could already smell the faint aroma of alcohol in the air.

As he pushed open the door, a wave of warmth swept over him.

The bar was very crowded and lively. Angel, the unfamiliar face, entered the bar without attracting anyone’s notice. Only the waiter glanced at him before fiercely jumping back into a discussion at a nearby table.

As Angel approached, he noticed that the table was drawing attention because it included a person who had experienced the incident on Manshi Magic Material Street. The speaker was discussing the intense battle between Angel and Winchester with an impassioned expression and generous words.

His storytelling was so captivating that it drew the attention of nearly eighty percent of the people in the bar, leaving the waiter no time to attend to Angel.

After listening for a while, Angel himself couldn’t help but applaud the speaker’s narration for his outstanding talent in artistic embellishment. A simple move had been dissected into a careful choice after a massive psychological game. If it wasn’t for the repeated mentions of Angel’s name, Angel wouldn’t believe the speaker was talking about him.

“At that time, nobody dared to move. I just wanted to rub my sore calf, but the moment I made a move, those cold dagger-like eyes from the youth of the Frostmoon Alliance, who kept coughing up blood, fixed on me. In an instant, it felt like frostbite creeping up my spine, as though I was plunged into an icy lake of Cold Winter.”

“But it was then that Angel also looked at me, with warmth brimming in his eyes…”

Cough, cough. Angel suddenly choked on his saliva.

Angel didn’t know whether he had really seen the man, and even if he had caught a brief glimpse with the corner of his eye, it certainly wasn’t filled with affection.

The sudden cough drew the storyteller’s angry gaze. Angel offered an apologetic look, and though the storyteller was annoyed, he was at the climax of his tale and thus continued without further attention to Angel, “Angel looked at me tenderly. At that moment, my heart felt as if it was touched by the warm wind of Midsummer, as though I was on the sandy beach of Sunshine Coast, happily running under the bright sun… all the coldness I felt from someone else vanished completely!”

“Is what you’re saying true?” asked a pretty female apprentice, her eyes shining as if she too was basking in that overwhelming gaze through the storyteller’s words.

“Of course, it’s true. I swear on the honour of my academy!”

“Which academy are you from?” asked the noisy crowd, and Angel took the opportunity to blend his voice into theirs.

“Extinguished Torch Academy!”

Upon hearing this reply, Angel silently left. Right, who else but an alumnus of Extinguished Torch Academy could spin such a dramatic and vivid tale, continuously improvising their own part in the story?

…

Angel had been to Fangling Hall before, so he didn’t ask the waiter but headed straight towards the back.

Because the front hall was so lively, with everyone focusing on the events on Manshi Magic Material Street, including the bar staff, nobody stopped Angel.

Angel made his way unimpeded to the back of the bar, where Fangling Hall was located.

Before he even entered Fangling Hall, just approaching it, he could already hear a lot of noise.

Glancing inside, Angel saw Shan on top of Ganke’s Puppet, excitedly exclaiming, “Ah, I can’t believe I missed such a fantastic experience! Why did you make me come back to Fangling Hall first, Nausicaa? I missed out on witnessing that spectacular battle!”

Without receiving a response from Nausicaa, Shan didn’t seem to mind. She hopped down from Ganke’s back and started shaking another woman sitting by the campfire, “Xiliu, wake up! I’m so stirred up that I can barely contain myself. I need someone to share this excitement with!”

Xiliu? Angel looked carefully and saw that the woman beside Shan, with her head buried, was Xiliu. Although her face was not visible, her attire and figure betrayed her identity.

“Fire Transmuter, aren’t you interested? Your element is the exact opposite of yours!”

Shan talked beside Xiliu for quite a while, but Xiliu responded only with bobbing her head, clearly fast asleep.

Beyond Shan’s monologue, Angel heard other voices as well—Nausicaa and Lyon—but they weren’t by the campfire in the yard; they were on the other side of the courtyard.

“Don’t you want to catch up with Angel as soon as possible? Then these are the trainings you must do daily; you have no choice but to endure it,” Nausicaa said calmly to Lyon.

“I can endure it,” Lyon affirmed, hanging by his fingers, constantly exercising on a machine specifically designed for Bloodline usage.

Nausicaa leaned on one side, puffing a smoke pipe while calmly correcting Lyon’s movements during his daily training.

“These are only the basic exercises. Your training will increase with each day, as only through this can you withstand the trials of Bloodline refinement and cope with the side effects caused by your Bloodline’s mutation,” she instructed.

Lyon was full of determination; after one set, without waiting for Nausicaa’s cue, he immediately began a new exercise.

Watching this, Angel couldn’t help but smile slightly. He had been worried that Lyon might struggle to adapt to life here, but it seemed his concerns were unwarranted.

“Who’s there?” Suddenly, Nausicaa seemed to sense something amiss, frowning as she looked toward the entrance.

Shan and Lyon slowed their movements as well, looking out inquisitively.

Angel, though not deliberately hiding himself, did not let his gaze linger on Nausicaa; yet she noticed his presence so quickly, which proved Nausicaa had an exceptionally strong sense of perception.

Since he had been discovered, Angel simply walked in directly.

While Shan was still puzzled by the newcomer, Nausicaa had already raised her eyebrows, relaxed her tense shoulders, and said with a smile, “You seem to really like transforming into a middle-aged man. This look is actually more pleasant than the sloppy and greasy one you had before.”

“How did you figure it out?” Angel curiously looked at Nausicaa.

“To be discovered and still walk in so unabashedly, plus your gaze was always on Lyon before, isn’t the answer quite obvious?” Nausicaa said.

Angel laughed, and since there was no one else there, he simply dispelled the Disguise Technique, revealing his true appearance.

As Angel revealed himself, Shan was the first to rush over.

She buzzed around Angel like a little bean, excitedly asking about the incident that had occurred on Manshi Magic Material Street earlier.

Lyon was also preparing to come over, but as soon as he moved, Nausicaa said indifferently, “To let your attention be so easily diverted by external affairs, what do you think the effect of such training would be?”

Hearing this, Lyon stopped and continued with his training.

Only after a set of exercises did Lyon approach, drenched in sweat.

“Angel, you were all right just now, weren’t you?” Lyon asked impatiently.

“It was nothing, I just met a senior,” Angel explained briefly, clarifying his relationship with ‘Magic Potion’ Midora. As for mentioning the “Fantasy Mechanical City,” “witnessing the Ceremony,” and other matters, he omitted them entirely, because these events would be reported in magazines and newspapers in a few days anyway.

And if he had to explain it himself, he wouldn’t know what to say and what not to.

“So it was Lord Midora who wanted to see you… Afterward, did those two wizards from the Frostmoon Alliance cause you any more trouble?” Shan asked what everyone was most concerned about.

Angel shook his head: “No, and even if they did cause trouble, it wouldn’t be an issue for me.”

Angel’s confidence, coupled with the various rumours about his combat with Winchester that were making rounds outside, slightly reassured Nausicaa and Lyon.

However, another question arose out of curiosity: the level of Angel’s strength.

Being able to fight on par with Winchester, to what degree had Angel’s abilities reached?

This was a question raised by Shan, but both Lyon and Nausicaa were also very curious, and Shan added, “When you and Nausicaa were on the arena before, you didn’t use your full strength, did you?”

Angel was slightly embarrassed and didn’t know how to respond.

Instead, Nausicaa said with a laugh, “If Angel had actually gone all out, I wouldn’t be standing here talking to you right now.”

Although they moved past that question, the matter of strength was not entirely avoided. After pondering for a moment, Angel replied, “I’m a bit above an Apprentice, but inferior to an Official Wizard. Overall, I can’t outlast an Official Wizard, but I also won’t be constrained by them.”

Angel’s explanation was still quite vague, but Nausicaa and the others were not necessarily looking for an exact answer; having a general idea was enough for them to be content.

After these fragmented concerns, Angel finally started on the main topic.

His main purpose in coming was to help Nausicaa repair and improve her mechanical arm and also to check on Lyon’s situation. Now that it seemed Lyon could still adapt to life in Fangling Hall, Angel was much relieved.

Helping Nausicaa with her mechanical arm wasn’t difficult; he had initially left plenty of space for drawing Magic Patterns.

After a little over an hour, Angel had inspected the mechanical arm and added several conductive Magic Patterns to accommodate Nausicaa’s current photoelectric tactics.

Nausicaa extended her mechanical arm, slightly clenched her fist, and the already streamlined casing now had a faint blue glow around it, making it look even more splendid.

Full of mechanical beauty.

Lyon looked on in amazement, his reaction exactly like Serum’s when he first saw the mechanical arm, his eyes practically shining.

After resolving Nausicaa’s issue, Angel spent some time helping Shan adjust Ganke’s body.

When everything was done, it was time to say goodbye.

In the Wizards’ Realm, farewells are very common; even at times, you never know when a goodbye may turn out to be the last.

Because everyone understands this, both Nausicaa and Shan were quite composed, and even Xiliu, who occasionally woke up, waved goodbye to Angel without much emotion.

Lyon had no profound sense of parting either, as he could meet Angel anytime in the Wilderness of Dreams.

In this calmness, Angel once again bade farewell to the friends he had just met today.