Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 2790: Chapter 2791: Contract and Cooperation

”Why choose him... it’s not without reason.” Cyclops Giant stretched out two claws from the darkness, propping its round chin, seemingly contemplating how to phrase its words.

However, it didn’t notice that Angel’s expression turned even more peculiar upon seeing its claws.

Previously, it was just Gastly, but now it could be completely called Gastlon!

Maybe later, I should give it a new name?

Angel seriously considered the feasibility of renaming.

After a while, Cyclops Giant snapped back to reality and hesitated for a moment, then said, ”I chose him because he has the scent of destruction, which you also carry. The quality on you seems higher, but he, while not as strong as you, is entirely surrounded by the aura of destruction.”

The aura of destruction?

Angel didn’t immediately understand what it meant.

It took quite some time of communication with Gastlon before realizing that its so-called power of destruction actually referred to... Power of Space.

For mirror-dwelling creatures, although they have witnessed much birth and death within the Mirror Domain, they still greatly dislike the aura produced when a mirror shatters, because each time a mirror breaks, they must find new living areas.

The survival areas within the Mirror Domain are already scarce, and occupied by powerful mirror creatures, so finding a suitable living area is not that easy.

This is why mirror-dwelling creatures dislike the power of destruction.

However, Gastlon is not as sensitive to the power of destruction because its primary habitat is still the real world. But Mother You Nu once told stories of what happened within the Mirror Domain; initially, You Nu detested the aura of destruction as a mirror creature, and even now, although she has come to reality with the help of the Goddess’s blessing and possesses the Power of Space, she still dislikes the aura of destruction.

Influenced by her, Gastlon slightly dislikes the aura of destruction.

The reason Gastlon captured Kaier is that among the group, the aura of destruction, the Power of Space, permeates throughout his entire being.

Gastlon, who has always disliked the aura of destruction, directly chose to grab Kaier.

Originally, it only meant to capture one person. Kaier’s aura was like a star in the night sky, making it difficult to ignore, so it simply chose Kaier.

As for why to capture someone?

Gastlon’s explanation is: ”I’m not capturing him, I’m just inviting him to be my guest.”

Angel could only scoff at this explanation.

Invite him to be a guest in your belly?

What is there to entertain guests in your belly? Nothing but darkness, and even spiritual power can’t leave the body. Is inviting Kaier really to be a guest, or to let him experience solitary confinement in a black room?

To be blunt, ”inviting” is just a dignified term for ”kidnapping”.

Gastlon is still worried that when they pass by You Nu, they will harm its mother, so it preemptively kidnaps a hostage as leverage, under the guise of ”inviting as a guest.” This way, with a hostage at hand, Angel and the others should be more cautious and careful when dealing with You Nu.

According to Gastlon’s explanation, even the slightest injury to You Nu would result in Kaier shifting from being an invited guest to a torn-apart hostage.

The Wise Sovereignty previously said that You Nu’s three children regard their mother highly. At that time, Angel didn’t think much of it, but now it seems true.

While reflecting on this, across from him, Cyclops Giant hesitated for quite a while before asking: ”So, why are you calling me Gastlon now? Didn’t you say Gastly?”

”Because Gastly doesn’t have hands, those with hands are called Gastlon.” Angel said this while looking at Cyclops Giant’s small claws, and continued: ”Besides, didn’t you say you didn’t care about the name?”

Cyclops Giant: ... I don’t care about names, but you can’t switch from one to another in a second, can you?

”With hands, it’s called Gastlon, so with legs, a neck, and wings, do these have other names?”

Angel nodded, then shook his head: ”Gastly won’t grow a neck or wings, but if it grows legs and ears and a tail, it can be called Genggui.”

Angel described earnestly, and to make his words more convincing, he simulated a series of Gastly’s evolutionary forms using Illusion Technique.

With the support of Illusion Technique, and Cyclops Giant’s failure to realize Angel is lying, plus the illusionary Gastly and Gastlon indeed resembling it a lot, except for the single eye, almost identical otherwise.

Taken this way, Angel suddenly changing names wasn’t without reason.

As long as it wasn’t shooting aimlessly, Cyclops Giant could accept this reason.

However, regarding the series of changes with Gastly, Cyclops Giant still felt Genggui was more formidable... Thinking of this, it grew ears from the dark orb, stretched out its legs, and as for the tail, since it never faced back against anyone, it didn’t matter.

Just like that, Cyclops Giant evolved into... Genggui in front of Angel.

Although it’s a Genggui with only one eye.

”I don’t like changing names so frequently. You should either call me Cyclops Giant or... Genggui, yes, Genggui!” Cyclops Giant solemnly declared.

Angel looked at the ”Genggui” in front of him and suddenly felt this guy seemed a bit silly, accepting someone else’s setup so quickly?

Actually, the reason is simple, Cyclops Giant is You Nu’s three sons, the most stable and reasonable of them. Even with some personal calculations, the intentions aren’t bad.

Due to its reasonableness, once it confirmed Angel’s naming wasn’t random nor playful, it came genuinely from the heart.

Thus, it’s willing to listen, adapt, and understand.

To put it plainly, the root of it all is because Angel is inside its belly, confirming whether Angel lied or not, and since he didn’t, it’s willing to engage in communication and attempt.

Angel, after a moment of silence, nodded: ”Okay, Genggui.”

Genggui: ”Now that the matter of names is settled, shall we discuss the issue?”

Angel: ”Sure, Genggui.”

Genggui: ”Although I allowed you to call me Genggui, you don’t have to follow every sentence with that name.”

Angel: ”Understood, Genggui.”

Genggui remained silent for quite a while, as if adjusting its mood, and eventually opened its mouth: ”Even though your entry here is an accident, since you can represent your team to make decisions, I can spare the trouble of negotiating with the others.”

”I hope you don’t harm my mother.”

Angel: ”The Wise Sovereign mentioned this before, and I already agreed.”

Genggui knows Angel didn’t lie, but that’s still not enough.

”Just agreeing is not enough.”

Angel raised an eyebrow, ”Then what else do you want us to do? Draft a contract not to harm You Nu?”

Genggui nodded, looking quite agreeable, ”That can be arranged.”

Angel replied irritably, ”Drafting a contract not to harm You Nu is obviously not an issue, but how can you tell me to draft it? We have no intention of harming it, but it harms us emotionally. So, if you want us to draft a contract, at the very least, you need to tell us how we can reach the Hall of the Wise Sovereign without running into it safely.”

Genggui said, ”That I can’t guarantee.”

”If you can’t guarantee that, how can you expect us to guarantee not to harm You Nu?”

Genggui replied, ”If you harm Mother, all of you will die. But if you manage to not harm Mother, you will survive unharmed, and I can even help you retrieve Gray Merchant’s memories from the Mirror Domain... that’s the guarantee.”

Angel to himself: This isn’t a guarantee; it’s a threat.

If Angel had not known Genggui’s personality and actions beforehand, he might have retorted with, ”Do you really think you can definitely kill me?” and then reveal some hidden cards to intimidate Genggui.

But Genggui is a bit dense, and Mother You Nu is its Reverse Scale, so clashing head-on could very well intensify the conflict. Initially, Angel wanted to discuss some of You Nu’s abilities with Genggui; an intensified conflict would definitely hinder that.

Thus, Angel decided to ignore the threat in Genggui’s tone and shifted the topic, ”I can represent our team to sign a contract with you, but I need to know You Nu’s abilities. At the very least, you need to tell me what abilities You Nu has, so we can avoid them while not harming her.”

”But... her abilities are a secret, and Mother instructed us not to tell outsiders.”

Genggui said this with a very troubled expression, because what Angel said was correct; without knowing You Nu’s abilities, how could they avoid them? But Mother forbade them from revealing these abilities, which left it in a dilemma.

Genggui pondered for a moment, and its eyes suddenly drifted to Kaier.

”Wait a minute! Doesn’t he have the Power of Oblivion? You can use it to bypass Mother and go directly to the hall!”

Angel shrugged, ”I thought about similar methods, but that person above you doesn’t agree.”

No matter what Angel said, the Wise Sovereign had various excuses to evade. Whether it was acting or out of courtesy to Adanis, they still needed to go through You Nu’s trial.

Genggui, after a moment of thought, understood the considerations of the Wise Sovereign, who didn’t want to have a direct confrontation with the Goddess. Therefore, You Nu’s trial had to be experienced by Angel and company, even if just for show.

But Mother is a staunch believer in the Goddess and would never cooperate in a staged act; instead, she would execute the Goddess’s tasks to her fullest ability, posing a dilemma.

Without cooperation, how could they avoid harming Mother while still successfully reaching the Hall of Wisdom?

Genggui pondered for a long time but couldn’t find an answer.

Maybe bring in Xiaobao? If Xiaobao encounters someone like Angel, who doesn’t fight but rather discusses facts, Xiaobao would simply act unreasonably, avoiding all this trouble by not being rational at all.

Genggui was even considering Xiaobao, showing it was truly at a loss.

Angel seemed to notice Genggui’s conflicted state and difficulties, and after some thought, he offered a suggestion, ”Since You Nu made you keep her abilities a secret, does it mean you actually inherited You Nu’s abilities?”

Genggui nodded, ”More or less. Most of the abilities Mother has, I can replicate; it’s just a difference in scale.”

Angel said, ”Since you possess You Nu’s abilities, why not substitute for your mother, simulate her mindset, and ambush us on the way. We could also use this to find a way to break through.”

Angel had earlier asked the Wise Sovereign to bring in the Cyclops Family, aiming to use them to simulate a break-through.

”You should know, this isn’t a fair and reasonable contract.” Angel paused, ”But if we manage to find a way to break through, I am willing to enter into this less than reasonable contract with you.”

”This is already our last concession.”

After Angel expressed his stance, Genggui pondered for a moment and finally nodded in agreement. This was indeed a very accommodating and compromised solution.

Since the terms were settled, Genggui had no reason to keep them locked in the ”small black room” any longer, opened the door voluntarily, allowing Angel to step out. As Angel left, he also brought Kaier back to the outside world.

Initially, Genggui wanted to hold Kaier as a hostage, but considering what Angel said, finding a break-through method would lead to a contract. And a contract was a more secure approach than a hostage, so taking him away... might as well.»

...

When Angel and Kaier emerged from the ”dog hole,” it had only been five or six minutes since their disappearance.

Seeing them return safely, Vay finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Before others could ask, Angel proactively said, ”It’s Genggui... the big one-eyed one.”

Dox said, ”What on earth is Genggui?”

Angel replied, ”That’s not important; I’ve already negotiated with the big one-eyed guy. It will use You Nu’s abilities to ambush us later. I’ll try to find a way to break through during this ambush.”

Angel briefly explained what had happened inside Genggui and laid out the contract situation, since the contract involved everyone, not just him.

Everyone had no objections to Angel’s decision, although Dox complained that the contract drawn up by the big one-eyed one was too unfair, but it was just lip service. More than the unfairness, what he was actually more concerned about was—

”So, it will come to ambush us later? Only ambush you?” Dox looked at Angel.

Angel said, ”Are you saying you just want to watch from the sidelines?”

Dox scratched his chin, ”Not that I mind; it’s just that watching alone is a bit boring. It would be better if Kaier used the Photostone to record the whole process.”

Angel said blandly, ”That’s still not perfect. Why not let me make a Shadow Box as well?”

Dox clapped his fist into his palm, ”That would indeed be best.”

Angel softly laughed twice but did not respond.

Dox seemed to finally feel the tension in the air, turned to look at Angel’s cold smile, and felt a chill run down his spine.

”I was kidding, just kidding, haha.” Dox backed away a few steps, awkwardly said.

Angel: ”You were kidding? I wasn’t. I will certainly ’carefully’ make the Shadow Box. I just learned from Genggui that the second one-eyed guy has some very interesting tricks. I believe they’ll be quite effective.”

”The second one-eyed guy? What tricks?”

Angel looked at Dox deeply, ”You’ll know later.”

When Angel said this, Dox was still baffled, but beside him, Kaier’s face turned pale.

The Lord spoke of the second one-eyed guy’s tricks? Then doesn’t that mean...

Kaier swallowed hard, not daring to think further.