Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 2071: Chapter 2072: Lingering Obsession

Angel nodded to Nuka: ”I will consider it.”

With that, he walked out of the hall alongside the Boiling Gentleman.

Just as they were about to pass through the corridor and exit the castle door, a haunting song came from behind.

Angel paused for a moment, but without turning back, continued to move forward holding the Dalmatian. It was the Boiling Gentleman at his side who unexpectedly glanced back: ”It’s Misty Goldlady singing.”

The Boiling Gentleman reached out and stroked his non-existent chin: ”It’s clearly a song praising the moonlight, yet sung with a sense of confessing to the moon. I’ve always heard that Misty Goldlady is very shy, so much so that she’d bashfully run back into the painting if someone looked at her too long. Only when she sings can she fully express her thoughts.”

The Boiling Gentleman turned to Angel: ”Lord Shava, is Misty Goldlady repenting to you?”

Angel’s expression remained unchanged as he shook his head: ”Perhaps she is merely repenting to herself.”

Accompanied by the lingering song, Angel and the Boiling Gentleman left the castle. Once outside, Angel deliberately slowed his pace, letting the Boiling Gentleman lead the way, as he was still clueless about the terrain here.

Angel followed the Boiling Gentleman everywhere, while the Boiling Gentleman rambled on with illogical, disjointed topics. Angel occasionally responded, but for the most part remained silent.

It wasn’t until they reached the highest point of the castle—the tower top—that the Boiling Gentleman stopped speaking.

Angel observed the surroundings. Atop this uneven tower, there was a funnel-shaped protruding circular chimney.

Angel remembered Blair the bee had previously mentioned that the only way out of Duling Garden was through the chimney of Misty Goldlady’s castle. Could this be the place?

However, if this was the exit, Angel was puzzled about why the Boiling Gentleman suddenly stopped moving?

After a while, without the Boiling Gentleman having to say anything, Angel found the answer with his own eyes.

In the distant sky, a gray mist suddenly wafted in.

This mist was very peculiar, resembling tides that surged within; yet it also looked like black clouds, swiftly bearing down on their location with overwhelming pressure.

As the mist rapidly approached, Angel sensed a familiar aura within it.

The mist was filled with alive lines.

Angel furrowed his brow deeply; he couldn’t be wrong—the mist here and the mist enshrouding the sky above the Star Pond outside were all composed of a large number of alive lines and parasites.

Although it doesn’t have much effect on an Official Wizard, apprentices and mortals have almost no resistance when encountering alive lines.

The appearance of alive lines here suggests they are also cultivated in Duling Garden?

If so, his previous guess might not have been wrong—could the ”Phantom Performance” mentioned by Blair the bee be the source of the alive lines?

As Angel pondered this, the Boiling Gentleman beside him spoke: ”Those are the spores of Phantom Performance.”

Indeed, it’s Phantom Performance.

Angel’s expression remained unchanged as he casually asked: ”Was Phantom Performance also cultivated by Minister Nuka?”

The Boiling Gentleman shook his head: ”No, Phantom Performance was cultivated by Mad.”

The Phantom Performance cultivated by the Lunatic Tome? Just as Angel was about to inquire more about Phantom Performance, the chimney in front of them suddenly shook, and a pair of comical round eyes, along with an exaggeratedly large mouth, appeared on the chimney.

”Honorable Lord Shava, are you interested in the Phantom Performance cultivated by Mad?” A crazy voice emanated from the chimney’s mouth: ”I can gift the Phantom Performance to Lord Shava.”

As it spoke, the chimney’s mouth opened wide, and a pink tongue extended outward, presenting a small mushroom with a cap much larger than its stalk.

Angel’s mouth twitched as he disdainfully picked up the red and blue mushroom from the saliva-covered tongue.

”Is this the Phantom Performance?”

”Yes, this is the young form of Phantom Performance. Its cultivation method is simple. Just water it with Nightmare Realm’s aura, and it will mature naturally. If you have the Pink Princess, you can accelerate the maturation speed, but after using the Pink Princess, the mycelium of Phantom Performance can no longer propagate independently.” Mad seemed to notice Angel’s interest in Phantom Performance and began to murmur about his cultivation insights.

Angel didn’t listen attentively. Rather than Mad’s cultivation insights, Angel was more interested in whether he could research the Phantom Performance’s body to find a method to eradicate the alive lines permanently.

Naturally, Angel wouldn’t ask Mad about this; he could only wait until he left to find an opportunity for research.

”... Actually, the Phantom Performance cultivated nowadays is not what I wanted. I’m currently cultivating a better Phantom Performance.”

Angel raised an eyebrow: ”Are you unwilling to accept that Phantom Performance was supplanted by Misty?”

Mad: ”Of course not. I began researching the cultivation of Phantom Performance a long time ago. Phantom Performance holds significant meaning for me.”

Angel could see confusion flash through Mad’s eyes as he spoke those words.

”Actually, I don’t know what the significance is, but my intuition drives me to do it.” Mad sighed: ”Minister Nuka says it might be because there’s still some creator’s obsession left in my body.”

The so-called body refers to the ”Crazy Wood’s Cultivation Journal.” As for the creator of the body, it’s naturally the so-called ”Mad Wood.”

Angel had previously inquired about the identity of ”Mad Wood,” but Mad seemed to not know who Mad Wood actually was.

”I once used Misty Goldlady’s mental hypnosis power to conduct an in-depth investigation of my body. Minister Nuka was right—I did perceive some lingering obsessions.” A hint of bewilderment flickered in Mad’s eyes: ”I can vaguely sense that the creator of my body seemed intent on cultivating a mushroom similar to Phantom Performance.”

”That obsession is quite interesting,” Angel mused. Perhaps ”Mad Wood” was someone who, like the Mushroom Witch Regina, had a crazy interest in mushroom cultivation.

”He wanted to cultivate Phantom Performance to gain a mushroom that would give him the ability to perform.”

”To enable him to portray a perfect performance.”

Angel was taken aback. No wonder those infected by alive lines exhibit various role-playing traits. Turns out, the cultivation of Phantom Performance wasn’t aimed at humans but rather as a tool to aid the creator in performance?

However, portraying a perfect performance? Why does that sound somewhat familiar?

”Currently, the effect of Phantom Performance does not reach the heights the creator desired, so I have been researching how to cultivate a better Phantom Performance.”

”Why must you fulfill this obsession just because he is your creator?”

Mad shook his head, with a fierce glint in his eyes: ”I can sense that he should still be alive. Only by fulfilling the creator’s obsession might I uncover his true identity, which would then give me the chance... to kill him.”