Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 1385: Section 1386 Kimberly

Natasha looked at the young man crouching in front of her with a puzzled expression and hesitated for a moment before saying, “You… could you be an Alchemist?”

Angel raised his eyes to glance at Natasha, nodding his head, “Sort of.”

In fact, Natasha had not paid attention to the outside world for a long time, and given the recent changes at the Black Castle, even though Angel did not conceal his face, she did not recognize him.

Natasha did not resist having her mechanical body repaired by Angel because she knew that even if she could return, it would probably take a long time to wait for repairs. It was possible that she would need a complete overhaul, which would take even longer. Now that someone was able to repair her, even if it was just to restore her mobility, that was enough for her.

Although Natasha was actually somewhat doubtful of Angel’s Alchemy skills, she felt reassured since he was associated with Illusion Demon; thus, she thought he could not be too shabby.

Natasha’s laissez-faire attitude saved Angel the effort of explaining, as after all, he was tinkering with someone else’s body.

Angel quickly took out various materials for the Alchemy process. With both his hands and the Hand of Magic at work, Natasha only saw a blur of movements. When she finally came to her senses, somewhat dazed, Angel had already put all his tools back into his bracelet.

Dusting off the residual ash on his hands, Angel stood up, “That should do it. Try to see if you can move.”

Natasha looked at the right side of her body in astonishment. The sparks that had been flying out before had all disappeared, and the cold exterior looked very intact. The gears inside that drove the machine had all been readjusted.

“I didn’t focus on aesthetics to save time. Plus, I figured there were some power sources inside that needed repair. After you fix those in the future, it will be more convenient to overlay the simulated skin,” Angel explained.

Natasha looked at Angel with shocked eyes and, after a moment of stunned silence, shook her head, “I’ve never cared about appearances; this is enough. Thank you.”

“No need to thank me. I’ll keep the cost of materials in mind. That will be ten Magic Crystals,” Angel said, and his words did not provoke any reaction from Natasha, as for her, this was a fair trade.

“Stand up and give it a try first.”

Natasha stood up and found that there were no longer any impediments; she moved very freely. Although she could not harness Magic Power, the feeling of control was even more fluid and smooth than before.

Natasha could hardly believe her eyes; she walked back and forth several times without any delay.

As the user, the experience for her was very evident.

This fluidity was even better than the mechanical body crafted by Lady Kimberly.

And to think that Angel had completed this Alchemy in less than half an hour?! She knew that if she were to go back and seek repairs from Lady Kimberly, she would have to wait at least half a month in queue before repairs, and another half a month for the repair work.

This was simply unimaginable!

Was Alchemy really this simple? The thought involuntarily rose in Natasha’s mind, but she quickly sobered up from her daydream. Having seen many records about Alchemy, she knew well that Alchemy was not so simple. So the only explanation was—

Natasha turned to look at the tall young man standing not far away. Could his level have surpassed that of Lady Kimberly?

“Since you can move without problems, you can lead the way,” Angel said.

Natasha was momentarily dazed, but with Sanders’s cold gaze on her, she nodded her head and walked towards the dark forest, “Please follow me.”

They walked in silence for about a minute, and Angel noticed that their destination was not in the direction of the Black Castle but away from it.

Did this mean that the people from Black Castle had all left?

As Angel pondered, Natasha, who had been walking in front, hesitated and finally turned her head to whisper to Angel, “May I know what nickname you go by, sir?”

What Natasha really wanted to know was Angel’s name. In her mind, an Alchemist who was more skilled than Lady Kimberly must be renowned in the Southern Domain. But asking directly for his name seemed slightly improper, so she inquired about Angel’s nickname instead.

Angel responded, “I don’t have one.”

Natasha was taken aback for a moment but did not give up and continued, “You must be well-known in the Alchemy circles, right?”

This question left Angel unsure how to reply. Claiming fame sounded boastful; denying it would be a lie, and others might perceive modesty as a lack of confidence.

So, Angel simply counter-questioned, “What are you trying to say, exactly?”

Natasha hesitated and then shook her head, “I’m just curious because your Alchemy Techniques seem quite formidable.”

Angel paused for a moment, “The Alchemist who crafted your mechanical half was also very good, quite innovative.”

Angel was not exaggerating; he had recently discussed mechanics and weaponry with Muse, which had also touched upon the subject of mechanical limbs. Many of the components in this woman’s mechanical half coincided with Muse’s ideas, indicating the craftsperson also had a discerning eye.

“Lady Kimberly is an outstanding Alchemist,” Natasha replied.

“Kimberly? Are you referring to God In Silent Moon?” Sanders asked, his voice carrying a rare curiosity.

“That’s right, it’s her,” Natasha said. “Does Illusion Demon Your Excellency know Madam Kimberly?”

Angel also looked toward Sanders. Today was the first time he’d ever heard of Kimberly, but seeing Sanders’ expression, it seemed he was quite familiar with her?

“I didn’t expect her to return as well,” Sanders murmured. Noticing Angel’s curious gaze, he explained, “As far as I know, Kimberly was actually from the same era as Isabel. After Isabel left, Kimberly stayed in the Southern Domain for a while before following in Isabel’s footsteps and leaving the Southern Domain. That was over six hundred years ago. Since Kimberly left, she never returned.”

With Sanders’ words, Angel understood why Sanders was surprised by Kimberly.

This Kimberly actually had a past relationship with a person they knew, one that outsiders had speculated about but the person involved had never made public. That person was the current holder of power in the House of Lilith—Kanter of the Night.

“What the relationship between Kanter and Kimberly is, Kanter never mentioned. However, he definitely knew Kimberly,” Sanders paused. “But, as far as I know, Kimberly used to be a Moon Breath Wizard. Since when did she become interested in Alchemy?”

Natasha was also hearing for the first time about Madam Kimberly’s intriguing relationship with Kanter of the House of Lilith, and as much as she was engrossed, she noticed Sanders looking at her.

Natasha shivered. “I, I don’t know about Madam Kimberly’s affairs, but ever since Madam Kimberly returned, she has been taking on alchemy responsibilities.”

“When did she come back? Did she ever say where she had been?”

Natasha replied, “She returned a year ago. I am not familiar with Madam Kimberly, so I don’t know where she has been during the time she was away.”

Sanders nodded. Natasha indeed had not lied.

Speaking of which, he had never actually met Kimberly, but whenever Kanter had mentioned her, there was always a profound sense of regret. He’d said that if he could cooperate with Kimberly, his strength would double; that made Sanders very curious about her.

About ten minutes after they set off, Natasha suddenly said, “We’re approaching one of the nodes, but I suspect there will be undead ambushes.”

She had mentioned nodes before, but they hadn’t inquired deeply into them.

However, her mention of an undead ambush piqued Angel’s curiosity. “Why would the undead specifically lie in ambush? Could it be that someone is controlling them?”

Regarding this question, Natasha stayed silent.

Angel guessed that this might involve the cause of the incident that occurred at Black Castle.

Since Natasha was unwilling to speak, Angel didn’t press further, instead gripping Samsara Overture and cautiously moving forward.

In the previous minutes, they hadn’t encountered a single undead, but as they got closer to this area, even without Natasha’s warning, Angel could already sense the malevolent aura emanating from the undead.

There were definitely undead here, and not just a few.

Crack—

Natasha suddenly stopped. She looked down and realized it was just a twig she’d snapped, and she breathed a sigh of relief. “I suspect that near every node there are undead. But activating a node takes a long time, so we must clear out the undead, or lure them away, before we can return…”

She had only gotten halfway through her sentence when Natasha felt something wrong beneath her feet, prompting her to look down again.

To her horror, a pale, undead head was emerging from the ground beneath her skirt, its eye sockets dark and empty. Even without seeing any eyes, Natasha felt a chill crawl up her spine.

The undead split its mouth into a terrifying grin, bulging veins popping on its face.

“The scent of the living—”

With a piercing roar, a hand emerged from the ground and reached straight for Natasha’s ankle.

In the midst of agonizing pain, Natasha tripped and fell to the ground.

She struggled to escape, but just then, countless hands, pale and glowing faintly, began to slowly reach out from under the earth.

Groans of resentment, whispers causing discomfiture and agitation, and the breath of vengeful spirits borne on the cold wind turned the place into a veritable hell of undead.

And there in the middle of the undead hell was Natasha, her limbs and head all grasped by the sharp hands of the undead. Her ears were filled with the insane wails of the undead, and for a moment, Natasha felt as if her limbs were being torn apart, her brain about to explode.

“Am I going to die?” Natasha lay on the ground, watching the hands flit before her eyes and this thought dawned on her.

But just as the thought arose, she noticed that the hand before her eyes suddenly dispersed like dust.

She gradually sat up, looking around to see that the hands that had been reaching out of the ground had all disappeared.

Blinking in confusion, she said, “Could it have been an illusion?”