Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 2677: Chapter 2678: Adanis and Olao

When Angel removed the round wood and the painting turned to ashes, deep within the Underground Labyrinth, in a hidden dark space, a pair of emerald green eyes suddenly opened.

With her awakening, a faint glow immediately filled the surroundings.

The scope of the glow was small, but it was enough to reveal her outline.

She lay among a cluster of red flowers, a woman of extreme beauty, with golden hair cascading down her temples, and prism earrings gently swaying as she sat up.

If Angel and the others saw her at this moment, they would realize that the woman’s appearance was identical to the blonde farmer in the previous painting ”Pastoral Leisure”.

However, the woman’s eyes in the painting were full of spring, while her gaze was like an endless forest, deep and aloof.

After she sat up, she fell into contemplation.

Why did she awaken? Right, it seemed like the watch point of the Hanging Jail Stairway was sabotaged?

Who sabotaged the watch point? The Wise Sovereign? No, he still has requests of me, and he needs my help to repair the Magical Energy Array, so he has no reason to sabotage that watch point. Moreover, with Naraku not returned, the Hanging Jail Stairway holds no other value for the Wise Sovereign.

Besides the Wise Sovereign, who else could it be?

The slumbering Obsessors? No, none of the implanted watch points show signs of Obsessor awakening. Moreover, if they did awaken, You Nu would notify me first thing.

Not the Obsessors, nor the Wise Sovereign, then only two options remain:

First, the Magic Monsters in the Void. Second, the Wood Spirit.

Is the former possible? Unlikely, unless they fell into the Void, the Magic Monsters would not attack a life form on the Hanging Jail Stairway.

As for the Wood Spirit... I observed that Wood Spirit a hundred years ago, timid as a mouse, a slight rustle in the wind would scare it into playing dead. The watch point at the Hanging Jail Stairway was made from the derivative of that Wood Spirit’s true form. Given the Wood Spirit’s nature, it would realize danger had occurred there and wouldn’t return.

Moreover, I vaguely detect an anomaly in energy flow in the Magical Energy Array within the Hanging Jail Stairway. That Wood Spirit should be there and wouldn’t run to the Ruins.

If it’s neither the Magic Monster nor the Wood Spirit, there are no options left.

While the golden-haired woman mused, she suddenly raised her head to look into the depths of the darkness.

After silently staring for a few seconds, a male voice sounding like a Circus Joker emerged from the darkness.

”Oh my, I’ve been discovered again? I’m so envious, even though Adanis sleeps every day, how is she stronger than the unfortunate Olao?”

With the voice, a tall and slender silhouette vaguely appeared in the darkness.

”Because I’m cultivating, while you, who seem diligent, are just muddling through.” The woman called Adanis said calmly.

”There you go again, every time I say you’re sleeping, you claim you’re cultivating. Do you take me for a fool? I once fought alongside our master, so I clearly know what sleeping looks like!”

Adanis replied softly, ”It doesn’t matter if you don’t believe... Also, why have you come to me?”

”Your side lit up, it was hard not to notice. However, you haven’t slept long this time; it used to be months or years, but this time you’ve awakened so many times within a day. What, had a nightmare?”

Adanis pondered for a moment, looking at the unclear silhouette in the darkness: ”What do you mean by I’ve awakened many times? I’ve only woken up once.”

”Once? I remember it being twice, did I remember incorrectly?” The mocking tone made it unclear whether it was intentional or not.

Adanis quietly said, ”You remembered wrong.”

”Alright, let’s say I saw wrong then.” He appeared to concede, but his tone carried a hint of teasing.

Additionally, Adanis noticed Olao’s wording; initially he muttered to himself ’Did I remember wrong’, and now his response was ’let’s say I saw wrong’.

One is a memory error, the other a vision error. The differences between the two are quite significant.

Adanis lowered her brow: ”You didn’t come just to tease me, did you?”

”Am I teasing?” His sarcastic tone made it obvious to anyone who wasn’t a fool that he was speaking in jest.

”If you won’t state your purpose, I’m returning to sleep.” Adanis said while gently touching the blood-red flowers on the ground.

”Don’t be fooled, the Wise do not act foolishly.” Although the tone remained somewhat exaggerated, it was noticeably more sincere than before.

Adanis snorted lightly but did not reply.

”Furthermore, obstruction isn’t a solution. They might not be the ones we’re waiting for, but they are descendants of Noah. If you don’t even give them a chance, what do you think our master would think upon his return?”

Adanis: ”The master you speak of will not return.”

Olao: ”I know you have grievances with the master, it doesn’t matter. But, Adanis, you must remember, we were born in darkness, grew up in darkness, but it doesn’t mean we belong to darkness.”

After Olao finished this statement, his silhouette gradually faded into the darkness, leaving behind only a sentence: ”I will not alter any decision you make, the same goes this time. But you may not truly be able to stop their progress, for as the Wise do not act foolishly, while you are using him, he is also probing you...”

”...Dwelling in darkness isn’t our destiny... We will eventually leave here one day...”

The voice slowly dissipated, and Olao’s silhouette completely vanished.

Gazing into this boundless darkness, after a long time, Adanis whispered softly: ”We are not the same.”

After speaking this, Adanis fell silent for a while, refocusing her thoughts onto the sabotage of the Hanging Jail Stairway’s watch point.

Although Olao’s sudden appearance interrupted her thoughts, their dialogue sparked new ideas in her mind.

Because there are rarely outsiders in the Underground Aqueduct, especially reaching the Hanging Jail Stairway. She only considered the native life forms of the Underground Aqueduct earlier and overlooked this group of people.

”If they are Noah’s descendants, that might be possible.” Adanis frowned, confusion marked her expression.

She wasn’t puzzled over their reason for destroying the watch point, for the ignorant are prone to committing ignorant acts; besides, a destroyed watch point can be rebuilt.

What intrigued and puzzled her more was: ”How did they destroy the watch point?”

The watch point she left at the Hanging Jail Stairway, though its overall Energy Level was not high, was intricately crafted with a mix of Magic Pattern, Mirror, and Space, making it highly deceptive.

Simply destroying the painting would result in the watch point regenerating after some time.

But now, not only has the painting been destroyed, but the Magic Pattern, mirror image, and space have all been simultaneously broken.

This is a bit inconceivable.

The Sage can also destroy the outpost, but he relies on brute force to crush it; wanting to break through three barriers simultaneously isn’t something even The Sage can easily accomplish.

”What exactly is the situation with this Noah descendant who came this time...”

Adanis pondered for a moment, still feeling restless. Because she had an inexplicable feeling of unease, as if something major was about to happen.

”No, I must send You Nu to check out the situation.” Adanis murmured softly before slowly lying down amidst the vibrant flowers.

As Adanis’s breathing gradually steadied, she seemed to enter a dormant state. However, the diamond-shaped mirror ornaments hanging from her neck and ears began to flicker continuously.

In the darkness, Olao watched from afar as Adanis’s flickering jewelry, its expression somewhat complicated.

After a moment of silence, Olao slowly extended his hand, revealing a thin round mirror in the palm of his hand.

This mirror, like Adanis’s ornaments, was continuously flickering with a soft light. Through the image displayed on the mirror, Olao clearly saw Adanis’s figure traversing through a void of darkness.

”Out again, are you?”

Olao’s fingers clenched slightly, for a moment, he had the thought of crushing the mirror.

That void and dark tunnel was something he had painstakingly opened up little by little, so if he crushed the mirror, Adanis would completely lose herself, unable to find the starting or endpoint.

Yet, Olao ultimately did not crush the mirror; instead, he lowered the brim of his hat and turned back, walking into the darkness as deep as the Abyss of Shadow.

...

At this moment, inside the Hanging Jail Stairway.

Angel was sensing the emotional changes of the Wise Sovereign through the illusion he left outside.

He deliberately mentioned ”the surface membrane of the painting resembling a mirror,” not just to hint to his companions, but also to probe the Wise Sovereign.

However, after the Wise Sovereign guessed that he could perceive emotions, the feedback of emotion became very faint.

After actively suppressing emotional fluctuations, even Angel found it difficult to sense him. Yet, this was only temporary, because his true body was in the Hanging Jail Stairway, sensing the Wise Sovereign’s emotions through illusions. If he were now standing in front of the Wise Sovereign’s true body, the outcome would be uncertain.

”I have never heard of the painter you mentioned, but I believe the painter you spoke of is real, the painting is real, and the painter’s other works that you simulated with illusions are also real... However, whether your words are true, I cannot be sure.” The Wise Sovereign said he couldn’t be sure, but his tone was very firm; he didn’t believe in such coincidence.

”Can’t be sure... then just keep watching.” Angel smiled lightly: ”Perhaps there really are such coincidences in this world?”

Dox also chimed in at this time: ”Yes, there are too many coincidences in the world. Our coming here might be a coincidence, or it might be fate’s arrangement. If it is truly guided by fate, then the coincidental things are not coincidence, but gifts from fate.”

Pausing for a moment, Dox joked: ”Maybe even the Wood Spirit knows Angel.”

Dox was indeed defending Angel, but deep down, he also didn’t believe in these coincidences. But they were a team, and with a contract, protecting a partner meant protecting mutual interests.

The Wise Sovereign glanced at Dox, then turned to Angel: ”Then I will continue to watch and see if the coincidences you speak of will jump out one by one.”

After the Wise Sovereign finished speaking, he withdrew to the side and remained silent.

Since the Sage didn’t say anymore, Dox naturally turned the topic back inward, running to Angel’s side and asking: ”That blonde woman is... who?”

Dox originally wanted to ask if the blonde woman was that lady among the Mirror Demon God, but with the Wise Sovereign nearby, he could only hint indirectly.

Angel: ”I don’t know, maybe it’s the person who hung the painting here?”

At this point, Angel glanced at the Sage, trying to get him to answer, but the Sage didn’t speak this time.

Not getting a response, Angel shrugged and gave Dox a tacit glance, letting him figure it out himself.

He didn’t know if it was the woman from the Mirror Demon God, but all the anomalies with the painting stemmed from that outer layer of mirror-like membrane, coupled with the profile of the blonde woman indeed resembling the female in the Mirror Demon God’s emblem. Angel personally felt that, even if not the Mirror Demon God, there should be some connection.

For now, we don’t need to consider the Mirror Demon God’s matters. If the Mirror Demon God is related to Augustine, they will eventually meet. If unrelated, Angel doesn’t want to make extra trouble, especially since Cicia has entered the Wilderness of Dreams, there’s still a chance to learn the secrets of the Underground Aqueduct.

Furthermore, Angel still has something to do right now.

Angel lowered his head, his gaze falling on the black-brown round wood on the ground.

This is a derivative of the Wood Spirit, perhaps it can be... done this way.

While Angel’s eyes flickered, the Wise Sovereign’s voice came from behind him: ”If you carry it, your chances of encountering the Wood Spirit will decrease.”

”Why?” It was not Angel who asked the question, but Dox.

Dox asked in doubt: ”If this is the Wood Spirit’s true body derivative, then carrying it should cause the Wood Spirit to show up actively, right?”

The Wise Sovereign: ”The Wood Spirit’s ability to sense auras is strong; finding it itself is very difficult for you. Now, you still carry its derivative; doesn’t this directly tell it your location? Based on its character, it will definitely evade ahead of time, rather than show itself.”

”Also, the derivative has remained here for so many years, and it has never sought it. Why do you think carrying it will cause the Wood Spirit to actively appear?”

Dox rubbed his chin, showing a sudden realization.

Indeed, if the Wood Spirit truly wanted to retrieve its body derivative, it would have come long ago. But it has never looked for it, indicating it doesn’t care at all. Or rather, its fear outweighs its concern, so it simply doesn’t want to see it at all.

Thinking this way, the Wood Spirit’s peculiarity goes beyond imagination...

”Do you still want to carry it?” Dox turned to look at Angel, discovering Angel was still holding the round wood, seemingly still measuring something.

Angel didn’t even look up: ”Why not?”

Dox: ”You aren’t afraid of not finding the Wood Spirit?”

Angel stopped his measuring, looked up at Dox: ”Didn’t you say earlier that maybe the Wood Spirit knows me and directly jumps out to find me?”

”Moreover, if I don’t carry this, am I sure to find the Wood Spirit?”

”Given that the result is uncertain, why not carry it? At worst, it’s an Extraordinary Material.”