Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 2207: Chapter 2208: Peter Pan

The whimpering little whirlwind was truly rare. After explaining The Sage’s words to Angel, the Sand Hawk observed the little whirlwind for a while before clicking its tongue and flying back in front of the Gondola, leading them to the final stage.

Ten minutes later, the desertification of the land had completely disappeared. Although the ground was still somewhat dry and cracked, the water element in the air began to gradually thicken, suggesting that the Green Wilderness must be ahead.

The Sand Hawk circled the sky and called out several times, and faint rumbling vibrated from the ground.

Looking down from the Gondola, one could see vast expanses of land with at least a hundred indifferent faces emerging, the largest being several dozen meters wide.

Without a doubt, these were earth elemental creatures.

Angel speculated that they might be the last line of defense on the borders of the Baya Desert.

The Sand Hawk called a few more times to the faces below, and with another rumble, all the faces sank into the ground, and the earth returned to tranquility.

The Sand Hawk then flew back to the Gondola.

”I’ve had the border’s Keepers remember your presence, sir. Next time you come, they won’t give you trouble. However, if you still intend to travel by air then, you’ll need to find a companion to fly with.” The Sand Hawk paused and continued, ”A hundred miles ahead is the territory of the Green Wilderness. This is as far as I’ll take you.”

The Sand Hawk didn’t linger further; as soon as it finished speaking, its body exploded, transforming into a cloud of flying sand, dissolving with a breeze and disappearing without a trace.

Angel used the Cleansing Spell to sweep away the sand particles clinging to the Gondola and then looked towards the distance, setting off again.

The Gondola flew at full speed, and within a minute, Angel had completely left the barren land and saw the greenery ahead.

Here, Angel started to slow down the flight, casting his gaze towards the little whirlwind still trapped in the cage of yellow sand.

”We’re about to reach the territory of White Cloud Village. Wouldn’t you like to introduce yourself?” Angel initiated a greeting. Though every Sage he encountered along the way said that the gentle breeze Uranus of White Cloud Village had a mild temperament and wouldn’t make things difficult for him, mere words couldn’t dispel his doubts. Gaining some prior understanding, especially from the mouth of a wind elemental creature about the situation in White Cloud Village, certainly wouldn’t go amiss.

However, as soon as Angel’s words fell, what answered him was only the sound of sobbing.

”Don’t cry.”

”It’s come to this, crying won’t help.”

Angel felt he was consoling, but whether he did so or not, the little whirlwind would still be sobbing. As he began to console it, the little whirlwind cried even more fiercely.

Looking at this whimpering brat, Angel also felt a bit at a loss. He had grown up so big, yet had never dealt with such a crying child.

Watching the little whirlwind cry with increasing intensity, Angel was silently speechless inside: Alas, troublemaker kids are truly troublesome.

In the future, when selecting elemental companions, he must avoid this type of troublesome kid.

It seemed that Kelonkcro was indeed not bad; although a stuttering oddball, at least he could give Angel some peace and quiet.

Just as Angel felt helpless, his peripheral vision suddenly caught a severed hand lying on the table.

Dangross was still immersed in the Illusionary Realm, but unlike its initial frozen state, it seemed to understand the intent of the Illusionary Realm and shifted into a more comfortable pose, watching the Illusion Scene with a ”watching a show” mentality.

Seeing Dangross comfortably roll over, Angel seemed to think of something and his eyes suddenly brightened.

He seemed to have a way.

Angel extended his finger and gently pointed at the little whirlwind.

The Nightmare Illusion’s light points with many Illusion Nodes surrounded the little whirlwind.

The little whirlwind was crying sadly, suddenly hearing a voice full of childish innocence near its ear: ”Sister Wendy, I—I still want to hear the story of Flying Long Nose.”

”Mike is so dumb, Sister Wendy is not telling the story of Flying Long Nose, it’s Dumbo.” Another voice responded, still a child’s voice.

After a burst of laughter, the child who spoke later said again: ”I’m sick of Dumbo already. I heard from my classmates that these are all fake; there’s no elephant in the world that can fly.”

The initial childish voice said: ”There are, for sure there are flying long noses in the world, and there are flying people too.”

”Mike, listen to me, no, there isn’t! If you don’t believe it, ask Sister Wendy, whether besides birds, there are no other organisms that can fly? Humans and elephants are absolutely impossible!”

When the little whirlwind heard this, a major question popped into its mind: Isn’t flight normal? How could there be no flying creatures?

The external dialogue didn’t cease due to the little whirlwind’s crying, so the little whirlwind was curious—didn’t they hear me crying?

Plus, since the little whirlwind was curious about their conversation, it secretly opened its eyes and found that although it was still in a cage of yellow sand, the surroundings had changed, turning into a strange room it had never seen before. The room was filled with intricate living items it had never seen before, which looked very harmonious and beautiful.

Where is this place? Wasn’t I on a weird flying boat before?

Before the little whirlwind could ponder this question, it was attracted by the three human forms in the room.

Among the three, the smallest was only four years old, named Mike. Another was a few years older than Mike; according to their dialogue, he seemed to be named John. The third, the sleeping-gown girl who hadn’t spoken, was their sister, Wendy.

Faced with Mike and John’s inquiry, Wendy tilted her head and thought for a moment: ”We haven’t seen it, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. I believe there are flying humans; it’s recorded in books.”

John pouted: ”Those are fairy tale books, fairy tales are fake.”

Just as Wendy was about to refute, suddenly a voice emerged in the room: ”It’s not fake; humans can fly—I can.”

The appearance of a stranger startled the three children, and they turned their heads to see when a little boy wearing a green hat was sitting by the opened windowsill.

Seeing the three turn around, the boy smiled, leapt lightly, and flew hovering above the room.

He really flew up!

In the eyes of the three children, filled with surprise, he raised his head and said, ”My name is Peter Pan, and not only can I fly, but there are also many fairies that can fly, right on Neverland. If you don’t believe me, I can take you to see. Trust me, it will be a marvelous adventure!”

Hearing the word adventure, the three children still in their innocent and joyful phase immediately jumped up with excitement. On the other side, the little whirlwind watching this scene, whose big eyes were originally teary, now shone like little light bulbs.

Adventure, adventure... it is an adventure!

...

”Peter Pan” is exactly the illusionary realm Angel prepared for the little whirlwind.

Angel remembered that the holographic tablet mentioned that children love watching animations and listening to dreamy fairy tales. So, in order to stop the little whirlwind from crying, Angel decided to create an illusionary realm like a fairy tale, allowing the little whirlwind to immerse and forget its tears.

Angel knew that many fairy tales weren’t really childlike, always using metaphors and similes to convey things children couldn’t understand. Although said to be for children, they were more for adults. After hesitating for a moment, he decided not to touch traditional fairy tales and instead chose a story he had promised Hebdon, ”Peter Pan.”

After the little whirlwind immersed in the illusionary realm, Angel also observed its emotional changes.

At first, the little whirlwind didn’t seem to change, only the sound of its crying was a bit quieter. Until Peter Pan appeared, the little whirlwind’s emotions fluctuated wildly. It not only stopped crying but also showed an expression of yearning.

Angel watched in bewilderment.

Why does this troublemaker, like Hebdon, show such a fervent fondness for Peter Pan?

Angel was a bit puzzled by what children think, but it wasn’t a big deal. After all, his goal was achieved; the little whirlwind successfully stopped crying and was captivated by the story... Once the plot reaches its climax, he would abruptly halt it. Having needs creates weaknesses; he didn’t believe he couldn’t handle this wind spirit.

As the little whirlwind was immersed in the magical adventure woven by Peter Pan, on the other side, Dangross finally finished appreciating the theatrical piece on the theme of ”crying.”

After Dangross’s awakening, instead of showing understanding or reflection on ”crying,” it rushed to Angel’s side, gazing at him with shimmering eyes.

Under Angel’s skeptical gaze, Dangross flatteringly said, ”Can you show me other types of stories?”

Angel: ”...” Alright, another one addicted to dramas. He kind of understood why the shadow box of theater caused such a chasing frenzy in Sky Mechanical City upon its debut.

It’s a different kind of heart addiction.

Even though Dangross displayed a humble and fawning expression and even clung to Angel’s arm, acting cute, Angel still refused Dangross’s request.

Even if Dangross was very quiet while watching dramas, providing Angel with a very pleasant journey experience, they were now about to enter the realm of Green Plains and White Cloud Village. Once the other troublemaker awakes, Angel would need Dangross to help inquire about the current situation in White Cloud Village. After all, Dangross, being an elemental creature, was more likely to gain the troublemaker’s trust than him, a pure alien clan.

”If you do well, I’ll show you more new stories on the next journey, like this wind spirit is now watching Peter Pan,” Angel told Dangross.

Dangross naturally didn’t know what Peter Pan was, but thinking of new stories to watch, it excitedly nodded. In any case, it was sent out by Magu to assist Angel, tasks like these were within its scope of duties.

A quarter-hour later, even controlling the speed of the gondola, Angel reached the threshold of Green Plains.

At the same time, the little whirlwind was fully immersed in Peter Pan’s storyline, the plot progressing to the first suspenseful moment.

Peter Pan, with Wendy and others, traversed the atmosphere to a dreamy little island... They lay on the clouds, secretly observing Captain Hook’s pirate ship. At this moment, the pirate ship’s cannon was raised, and a cannonball shot toward the sky.

The little whirlwind’s mood was completely carried away by the adventure of Peter Pan and his companions, and it immediately tensed upon seeing them being attacked.

Just as it was highly tense and eagerly anticipating the following plot, the illusionary realm suddenly froze, as if time had stopped.

As the little whirlwind looked around in confusion, the frozen illusion slowly disappeared, and it returned to the flying boat.

When the little whirlwind saw Angel again, confusion first flashed in its big eyes, then disappointment, and then moisture began to rise, about to enter a crying state again.

Angel quickly said, ”If you want to keep watching Peter Pan, don’t cry.”

Upon hearing the keyword ”Peter Pan,” the little whirlwind immediately recalled the cannonball soaring toward the clouds, and with the emergence of this memory, its tears ceased.

Seeing the little whirlwind being so obedient, Angel once again felt that he had chosen the right path. Dealing with troublesome children, an illusionary realm of fairy tales is indeed a powerful weapon.

Seizing the moment when the little whirlwind could still listen, Angel quickly cast a glance at Dangross.

Dangross made a gesture of ”leave it to me, no problem,” and then it covered its mouth with its ring finger, coughed twice to attract the little whirlwind’s attention, walked to the yellow sand cage, and with the ambition of gathering minions, made a self-introduction.

After speaking, in the little whirlwind’s bewildered eyes, Dangross started asking about its identity and the current situation in White Cloud Village according to the procedure Angel had set.

To coax the little whirlwind into answering questions, Dangross frequently mentioned the story of Peter Pan. Although it hadn’t watched it, the summary Angel shared was enough to whet the little whirlwind’s appetite.

Moreover, Dangross found through repeated enticements that the little whirlwind was most interested not in Peter Pan himself but in the fantasy and childlike adventure.

This made Dangross realize that the little whirlwind was very much like its little follower, the Traveling Frog, both loving travel and adventure. So it focused on telling the story of Peter Pan’s adventures, enticing the little whirlwind, extracting truth from it, time and time again.

With Dangross’s actions, Angel nodded in satisfaction. This guy, although troublesome, was indeed worthy of being the boss with hundreds of minions, with impressive subordinates’ management skills.

With the little whirlwind opening up, Angel also began to gradually learn about its experiences.

Though still an elf, the little whirlwind already had its own name, Arnott. It was born during the previous World’s Harmony and had always lived in the depths of White Cloud Village—Wind Island.

Because Arnott often cried, it was considered different on Wind Island.

People didn’t reject it, merely liked to tease Arnott. To other wind elemental beings, their teasing had no malicious intent, but to young Arnott’s ears, it was very piercing.

This led Arnott to increasingly dislike communicating with other wind elemental beings.

But Arnott wasn’t entirely isolated; it had a very kind sister. Perhaps because it was born in her domain, the sister regarded Arnott as family.

And Arnott’s sister’s name was... Salmado.