Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 1375: Section 1376: News from Bogura

Having obtained the access card, Angel bid farewell to Midora, ready to take his leave as his objective for the trip had been achieved.

However, before leaving, Angel followed Antonio for another tour of the Fantasy Mechanical City.

The main purpose was to choose a residence for Angel in the Fantasy Mechanical City.

“All members of the research institution have their own abodes in the Fantasy Mechanical City,” Antonio said as he led Angel through the city filled with gears and steam, also introducing the residences of other members.

“If you’re on good terms with a certain member, you can build your abode near theirs to facilitate interaction. Of course, you can also choose not to build your own, as there are many ready-made houses in the city. If you don’t like them, you can hand the design drawings to me and I’ll arrange for the Magic Puppets to do the work.”

Angel pondered for a moment; the only person he was reasonably acquainted with in the research institution was Midora, and Midora’s Magic Potion hut was already in Sky City, so there was no need for him to live in Fantasy City.

Apart from Midora, he was not very familiar with anyone else. As for Muse and Nail Granny, who held a slight fondness for him, Muse was in the Creation Hall and Nail Granny did not reside in Fantasy City, so there was no need for him to deliberately live near them in Fantasy City.

In the end, after weighing his options, Angel chose a somewhat secluded ready-made dwelling, which was not close to anyone, but also not too far from the center.

For Angel, he estimated that he would not be living in Fantasy City for a short period of time, and even if he did take up residence there, it would at most serve as a place to rest. Therefore, there was no need to put in special effort to build, so he casually picked a ready-made dwelling and that was that.

Once the matter of the dwelling was settled, Angel bid farewell to Antonio and left Fantasy City.

Just as he left Fantasy City and arrived back at the headquarters of the research institution, Midora appeared right behind him, having just emerged as well.

“Lord Midora, do you have something to look for me for?” Angel asked, looking puzzled.

Midora shook his head, “It has nothing to do with you, Yeliya asked Tugan to bring me an unfinished potion recipe, I’m going to check it out.”

Although Midora had no particular business, since they bumped into each other, they simply left together.

“Speaking of which, that kid Tugan, ever since he read the last issue of ‘Glowing City Night Talk’, he’s been making a fuss every day, saying he wants to venture into the Abyss, which really irritated Yeliya… sigh.” Midora complained with a sense of helplessness, but his eyes carried a hint of indulgence.

“Oh, you’d better change your appearance quickly; if that brat sees you, he’ll probably get even more worked up.”

Angel nodded, and without any visible effort, he transformed into a somewhat aged middle-aged man. Even the sharpness of a young man on him disappeared, replaced by a demeanor of refined elegance and solemnity.

“This Disguise Technique of yours is silent and hard to see through, almost on par with your Mentor,” Midora couldn’t help but praise Angel after witnessing his transformation.

“Disguise Technique is but an illusion after all. It would be nice if I could learn the Shapeshifting Technique,” Angel reflected.

Speaking of the Shapeshifting Technique, Midora said, “Pliant Worm skins, two hundred years ago, the research institution still had some in stock. But now, not anymore. Tell you what, I’ll keep an eye out for you, and if Pliant Worm skins do show up, I’ll figure out a way to notify you.”

“Thank you very much,” Angel replied. Although he possessed a Pliant Worm mother, no one knew if it could hatch into a Transforming Soft-bodied Insect, and having an additional option was naturally best.

Suddenly, they took the “elevator” and descended all the way to the ground floor.

As they stepped out of the research institution’s main entrance, Angel heard a whooshing sound from the sky. Looking up, he saw an orange leopard with a spiral horn on its forehead, falling from the sky like an arrow shot from a bow!

The leopard’s descent was incredibly fast, like a cannonball plummeting from the high sky, with an arresting force.

However, when its soft paws touched the ground, no collision sound was made; it seemed as effortless as if it were merely leaping down from a first-floor balcony.

This skillful transition from rapid descent to a gentle landing, revealing its excellent grasping ability and the balance between energy and physique, was truly exceptional.

After the horned leopard landed, a rambunctious child suddenly stood up on its broad back and waved fervently at Midora.

It was Tugan.

Dressed like a primitive person, feathers atop his head, and painted patterns on his face, his skin mostly exposed, displaying a glow of honeyed color.

Tugan looked very similar to how Angel remembered him, with the only difference being that he had grown a bit taller.

Still, he had the appearance of a child, and his height had yet to reach Angel’s waist.

“Grandpa Midora!” Tugan said, waving a roll of notes in his hand, “This is what Granny Yeliya asked me to bring to you!”

Tugan jumped down from the leopard, and as he landed, the massive creature slowly shrank in size until it became as small as a house cat, squatting beside Tugan.

Angel recognized it; this horned leopard was Tugan’s “Heaven-sent Magic Pet”, Doodoo.

When Angel first saw Doodoo, he vaguely sensed a threat, but at that time, he merely thought that Doodoo was not as innocuous as it appeared on the outside.

Seeing it again, Angel noticed that the strength of Doodoo’s vitality was almost on par with his own!

No wonder Shadow had always tried to coax Doodoo into signing a master-servant contract with him.

Tugan handed his notebook to Midora and then looked at Angel with a curious gaze.

Although Tugan couldn’t enter the research institute, having spent a long time in Sky Mechanical City, he had a fair idea about the people in the research institute. He had never seen this middle-aged man before. Who could he be?

Furthermore, Tugan was puzzled because it seemed that DooDoo was also somewhat concerned about this man.

He moved closer, wanting to strike up a conversation with Angel.

However, before Tugan could speak, Angel said to Midora, “Lord Midora, since our business here is concluded, I’ll take my leave now.”

Midora nodded to Angel, “Go ahead.”

Angel turned and disappeared from the spot beneath the faint glow of his Night Shadow Traverse, under Tugan’s puzzled gaze.

“DooDoo, do you know who he is?” Tugan stretched out his chubby, lotus-root-like little hand, picked up the coquettish DooDoo at his feet, and asked softly.

DooDoo cried out in a milky voice.

Tugan was startled and turned his head to look at Midora, “Grandfather Midora, he… he’s Brother Angel?”

…

Angel, however, was unaware of what happened behind him, but as he was leaving, he heard Midora’s telepathic message.

In the telepathic message, Midora spoke of matters related to Tugan, not about Tugan himself, but about Tugan’s mentor—the “Puppeteer” Bogura.

“Bogura stepped into the Abyss of Magic and hasn’t come out to this day. I thought he might have met with misfortune. However, just recently, Muse told me that ripples appeared in the Abyss of Magic, and the pheromones emitted were Bogura’s. I estimate that Bogura may not be far from conquering the Abyss.”

The Abyss of Magic is a mystical object transformed from within Sky Mechanical City. Its effects were said to assist in Enlightenment and offered a chance to see the true self and enter the realm of True Knowledge. However, entry into the Abyss is an incredibly dangerous affair, where even nine deaths out of ten could be considered fortunate.

Midora mentioned this to inform Angel that if Bogura truly emerged from the Abyss, there was a good chance he would soon ascend to True Knowledge.

Although Angel had a reasonably good relationship with both of Bogura’s apprentices, he didn’t get along too well with Bogura himself. Moreover, Bogura’s decision to take a desperate gamble on the Abyss, resulting in his defeat to Sanders, had certain reasons behind it.

Therefore, if Bogura truly attained True Knowledge, it was quite possible that he would cause trouble for the descendants of the Illusion Demon Island lineage.

Angel’s “golden hair and blue eyes” were also one of Bogura’s obsessions. Thus, Midora was giving Angel a heads-up.

Angel solemnly committed this information to memory, even though he felt the likelihood was not high.

Because although Bogura had some twisted obsessions, he wasn’t foolish.

Even if he advanced in rank, his strength was still far from matching Sanders, and even if there were grievances, he would need to bide his time. What’s more, the feud between him and Sanders hadn’t reached the point of life-and-death struggle.

However, it was hard to predict whether Bogura would come after him, so Angel took the warning seriously.

Leaving from the back of Sky Mechanical City, Angel arrived at the front where gravity was normal.

Since he had previously promised Nausicaa, he didn’t return to the manor but instead headed toward Champagne Road.

When he stepped back into the bustling streets teeming with people, Angel occasionally heard people around him discussing the recent incident on Manshi Magic Material Street, and his own name was mentioned frequently.

Listening to others describe the incident with embellishments, Angel felt slightly odd.

After all, he still found it somewhat incredible. Even after becoming part of the research institute’s new blood, he felt somewhat dazed.

Only now, hearing others talk about it, did he get a sense of being back in reality.

“I heard that magazines like ‘Sky of Truth,’ ‘Golden Age,’ ‘Wizard’s Secrets,’ and several others are going to write overnight just to report the incident on Manshi Magic Material Street!”

“Yeah. After all, an Apprentice that could compete with an Official Wizard is truly miraculous! I wonder if there’s any trickery involved?”

“What are you talking about? The real news is the research institute’s new member! I have a friend who was at the scene, and he heard the Mad Bear Sabo say in person that Angel is the new member of the research institute! Now that’s a major event!”

“One thing after another, this Angel really knows how to stir things up.”

“Stir things up? If it were you, you probably wouldn’t even have the chance to make a stir.”

The report from Manshi Magic Material Street wasn’t out yet, but such an atmosphere was spreading like a contagious disease. It was hard to imagine the situation once the magazines were published.

However, Angel was relieved that at least he was about to leave Sky Mechanical City…