Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 1451: Section 1452: True and False Aftereffects

Breakthrough? Official Wizard?!

Tullas and Mandhela had never truly experienced the Witcher’s cultivation system; they didn’t react immediately to the significance of this matter.

But Frode was different; in his lifetime, he had been a Seed Apprentice in Hurricane Tower and was very clear about the concept of an Official Wizard.

After being stunned for several seconds, Frode finally spoke up, “Are you telling the truth?”

Lyon shook his head, “I don’t know; it’s just a rumor, which is why I came to you for confirmation.”

Time rewound to not long ago, in the courtyard of Fangling Hall, Nausicaa led Lyon in physical training.

There was nothing unusual about Lyon’s training, except that he felt the noises from the bar in the front courtyard seemed louder than usual.

However, Lyon didn’t pay it much mind; if Mukihara Bar wasn’t lively, it wouldn’t be Mukihara Bar anymore.

The tranquility of Fangling Hall was unlike the bustle of the front courtyard, as quiet as ever.

Lyon was preparing for the second Sky Tower competition to be held the next day, while Nausicaa was reading a scroll detailing tricks, and Xiliu never changed, always sleeping.

This peaceful and quiet scene was suddenly interrupted by a rumbling noise.

The ground fluctuated, and upon looking up, they realized that Shan was riding on the shoulder of a Ganke Puppet, rushing quickly toward Fangling Hall from the front courtyard. Ganke’s huge feet caused the ground to ripple with each step, like an earthquake.

Nausicaa was also attracted by the noise; she exhaled a puff of smoke and frowned, looking outside the courtyard.

Shan was usually capricious but rarely caused such a commotion with Ganke. What happened today? Could it be that, like in the past, Shan had been targeted by the Extreme Sect? But that couldn’t be right, Ganke’s original body had died, and the Extreme Sect wouldn’t pick a fight with a dead man, and the current Ganke was just an Alchemy Golem after all.

While Nausicaa and Lyon were puzzled, Shan pushed open the door of Fangling Hall, her face alight with excitement as she said, “Big news, big news!”

“I was just at the bar in front, chatting with people, and guess what I heard?” Shan stood excitedly on Ganke’s shoulder, gesturing wildly, “It’s about Angel, news of Angel!”

As soon as they heard it was about Angel, Nausicaa and Lyon perked up their ears.

“Has the matter with the Research Institute already fermented?” Nausicaa asked, as they had also been discussing Angel in Fangling Hall these past few days. Not long ago, they received concrete news that Angel had become a member of the Research Institute. This honor was a first for Barbarian Cave and a big news for other Witcher Organizations, especially for the Barbarian Cave itself.

They discussed this matter daily.

Now, seeing Shan return so excited and mentioning Angel, the first thing Nausicaa thought of was naturally the Research Institute matter.

“Not about the Research Institute, it’s the latest news!” Shan paused, she initially wanted to tease them a bit but was too excited and forgot about the teasing, blurting out, “The people in the bar are all discussing it, they say that Angel has already advanced to Official Wizard!”

As soon as these words dropped, Nausicaa and Lyon were dumbfounded.

“Are you sure?” Nausicaa’s throat moved slightly, her voice rough with emotion.

Shan hesitated for a moment, “It’s what they were discussing, and they seemed certain, but I don’t know if it’s true. As soon as I heard the news, I ran back here to Fangling Hall.”

Nausicaa fell silent for a moment, then stood up, “Let’s go see what’s happening.”

Nausicaa went out first, and Lyon, recovering from his daze, quickly followed.

When they arrived at Mukihara Bar in the front courtyard, they found that, just as Shan said, everyone’s topic of discussion revolved around Angel.

Angel being the topic wasn’t surprising, as he had been the center of discussion for several days. However, unlike the previous days, today everyone was talking about Angel’s advancement!

They inquired in the bar to confirm the facts of the matter.

In the end, everything traced back to a magazine article in “Sky of Truth.” Despite the grand name, this magazine leaned more toward gossip.

However, articles in “Sky of Truth” weren’t as timely as other magazines, and thus it wasn’t a bestseller.

But just yesterday, “Sky of Truth” exclusively leaked a piece of news that now stirred a buzz, and Angel, at the center of the whirlpool of public opinion, had breached the great barrier and successfully entered the realm of an Official Wizard!

Because of this content, “Sky of Truth” instantly saw a spike in sales.

Nausicaa and Lyon also ran to several bookstores before they could get the new issue of “Sky of Truth.”

After carefully reading it, they found that the entire content described the news of Angel’s advancement and analyzed the potential aftermath and ripples this news might cause.

But as for the source, whether Angel indeed advanced to Official Wizard, and whether there was concrete evidence, “Sky of Truth” provided none.

Because of this, after reading, Nausicaa frowned deeply, “Is this article true or false?”

Nausicaa didn’t doubt Angel’s strength, it was purely that the matter was too bizarre. The matter with the Research Institute hadn’t yet peaked, and now this news burst out, it seemed somewhat incredible.

Moreover, Nausicaa had seen Angel a few days ago and had not detected any signs that Angel was about to make a breakthrough. It should be noted that other Apprentices usually had at least six months of preparation before a breakthrough.

The patrons of the bar shared a similar view.

“They think that ‘Sky of Truth’ magazine’s sales have plummeted recently, so they’ve resorted to spreading rumors to catch people’s attention.”

Moreover, they had practical discussions, “If Angel had really been promoted, other magazines would have followed suit, and not allowed ‘Sky of Truth’ to monopolize the glory.”

No other magazine had reported Angel’s promotion, so a large number of people believed that the news was likely to be false.

But there were others who said, “It’s precisely because this magazine’s sales are low that they wouldn’t dare fabricate rumors carelessly. Once exposed as a lie, they wouldn’t even be able to maintain low sales and would probably be outright rejected by readers.”

Thus, the matter split into two factions.

Some believed it was true, and others thought it was false. Precisely because of this, the Mukihara Bar was bustling with heated debates.

At this point, Shan also calmed down. After listening to both sides’ opinions, she said, “This matter might indeed have some peculiarities.”

Nausicaa, “We can only wait to see if ‘Sky of Truth’ magazine will produce conclusive evidence amidst the surge of public opinion… But even if they do, I guess there will still be people who won’t believe it. Only if Angel himself appears, will the matter be truly settled.”

Angel was not in Machinery City at the moment, so the fervor surrounding the matter was expected to spread for quite some time.

With a sigh, Nausicaa lowered her head to look at the ‘Sky of Truth’ magazine, on whose cover was a portrait of Angel, handsome and elegant, “Though it’s a bit unwilling, I still hope that this matter turns out to be true.”

Meanwhile, Lyon, who had been lingering outside, had returned to Fangling Hall and, in the absence of others, entered Originheart City.

Lyon’s intention of entering Originheart City was to find Frode, hoping to learn about Angel’s situation from him.

Had Angel really been promoted?

“You just said Angel came by a few days ago. Did he mention anything about a promotion, or anything related to it?” Lyon inquired from Frode.

Facing Lyon’s question, Frode hesitated.

Because of Mandhela’s presence, he lied, claiming that Angel had come by a few days ago. In reality, Angel had entered the Wilderness of Dreams just today.

However, upon reflection, Frode recalled that Angel had never mentioned anything about a so-called promotion.

But there was one thing that Frode was particularly concerned about.

When he saw Angel today, there was a vague, strange sensation.

He always felt that some kind of transformation had occurred in Angel, as if within a span of just a few days, he had become a completely different person.

At the time, Frode had thought it was merely his imagination. But now, considering Lyon’s words, it seemed Angel might indeed have undergone a tremendous change.

Even if the Wilderness of Dreams could not convey real strength into reality, the aura emanating from within Angel was indescribable.

Frode weighed his words and said, “Sir didn’t mention anything about a promotion. However, when I saw him before, I indeed felt some changes. But this may just be my imagination and cannot be taken as corroborative evidence.”

“Only when Sir comes in next time, can we confirm it.”

Lyon sighed, “That’s all we can do.”

Once he finished speaking, Lyon’s gaze suddenly swept towards Mandhela. After a moment of thought, he asked, “Since Angel brought you here, you should know his current condition, right?”

Mandhela didn’t expect to become the focus of attention again. She fell silent for a moment, filled with resentful anger towards Angel internally, wanting to curse a few times.

But in the end, Mandhela did not say anything disrespectful, merely responding expressionlessly, “I don’t know.”

Since Mandhela didn’t know either, Lyon could only helplessly shake his head.

“Then I’ll take my leave.” Frode was unaware, and Angel was not in Originheart City, so Lyon prepared to leave.

Although he was curious about the matter, the second contest of tomorrow was more important at the moment.

After Lyon left, Frode had Tullas take some people to repair the damaged wall of the Marine Theater.

And Frode himself took Mandhela for identity registration.

During the registration, Mandhela had anticipated some sensitive issues, but she realized no one cared what she wrote.

“Your past is of no concern to anyone here. Because here, the past is meaningless; only the future matters most,” Frode said. “No matter what has happened in the past, in Originheart City, your life is brand new.”

Mandhela didn’t respond, her gaze lowered, her thoughts unknown.

Frode did not elaborate further. He knew that the emotional gaps Mandhela was missing wouldn’t be filled with a word or two. Only by letting Mandhela experience and go through things herself was there a chance for her to let her guard down.