Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 1257: Section 1258: Ruins Shock

When Merlin was recounting his story, the Tree Spirit suddenly lifted its head and after a pause, said to Angel, “You should leave.”

Angel was startled for a moment, not understanding the intention of the Tree Spirit: was this because he was no longer of any use, and they were now ready to send him away?

The Tree Spirit didn’t explain, but Night Swiv beside him said to Angel, “If you don’t leave now, you probably won’t be able to get out today.”

The Tree Spirit said with a smile, “Did you think that you and your mentor could return without anyone taking notice?”

Night Swiv added, “There were several people who had their eyes on the Spirit Tree Hall before, but they were all indecisive, and it allowed me to get ahead. However, after seeing the effect on these apprentices, there must be people who can’t sit still anymore.”

For the price of just 5 Magic Crystals, such a substantial improvement could be achieved! Even if the effect was not significant for Official Wizards outside the ocean lineage, the enhancement for apprentices was beyond imagination! Just think, practicing Water System tricks across lineages requires a considerable amount of time, but the Song of the Deep Sea could improve your affinity with the Water System, and save time in practice—what a terrifying effect!

… The value of the Song of the Deep Sea had been solidly proven before their eyes!

So, there were certainly more than a few who wanted to participate in this experience now.

Now Angel understood what the Tree Spirit meant: if he didn’t leave soon, he might really be blocked here by these people.

Angel was not willing to waste too much time here. With this in mind, he immediately thanked the Tree Spirit, “Then I will take my leave. Should you require any further assistance, Tree Spirit, you can contact me anytime.”

With that, Angel no longer paid attention to the thanks from the group of apprentices on the leaves. He lightly touched the tip of his toes and flew into mid-air, disappearing into the sky.

After Angel left, the Tree Spirit looked at the spot where Angel had been standing and lapsed into thought. Night Swiv also noticed the Tree Spirit’s gaze and followed it, seeing the rippling air circles still lingering there.

She hadn’t felt any energy fluctuations just now; did Angel cause such an effect with his physical body alone?

A flash of astonishment crossed Night Swiv’s eyes—she couldn’t achieve this feat herself.

“Is this real?” Night Swiv asked the Tree Spirit.

The Tree Spirit, coming out of its reverie, nodded at Night Swiv, its lips curving into an inscrutable smile, “This growth is getting more and more interesting.”

“I don’t find it amusing at all. Those from the lineage of the Illusion Demon Island are indeed all freaks,” Night Swiv remarked.

After saying that, she looked the nearly naked Tree Spirit up and down, “But you are even more of a freak than they are.”

Then, Night Swiv turned and walked away.

The Tree Spirit’s eyes widened in a daze, and it looked bewildered watching Night Swiv’s departure, “In what way am I a freak? I am merely showcasing my strengths, alright!”

But the Tree Spirit’s defence was futile; Night Swiv had already vanished from the Spirit Tree Hall.

…

Angel traveled swiftly toward Illusion Demon Island without stopping. He ignored all who approached, whether they were trying to strike up a conversation or not.

He soon returned to Illusion Demon Island.

From outside the manor, he saw Butler Good bowing toward him from a distance. A shorter figure stood by Good, wearing the mask that symbolized a Shadow Servant, but by the shape of the body, it should be Hebdon.

As soon as Angel landed, Good informed him that Sanders had returned to the manor and was currently waiting for him in the study.

Once Angel entered the study, he indeed found Sanders sitting at the desk.

“Mentor, have you seen Lord Rhein already?” Angel asked, a bit puzzled. He had been away at the Tree Spirit for only a few minutes, and Sanders had already concluded his business?

Sanders tapped his fingers lightly on the desk and shook his head at Angel, “No, Lord Rhein has left. According to the message left by the Magic Puppet, he departed immediately after returning from the Abyss.”

This news took Angel by surprise. Rhein was the pillar of the Barbarian Cave, and his departure was no small matter. Now with the Mirror Lady in slumber and Rhein not in the Barbarian Cave, it would be troublesome if they were to face external threats.

“Did Lord Rhein leave any message about where he was going?”

Sanders paused for a moment, “A ruin.”

A ruin? Angel immediately thought of the staircase they saw leading toward the clouds on the Pamiji Plateau when they returned before, which was said to be a ruin. Could it be that Lord Rhein went to a ruin on the Pamiji Plateau?

As Sanders continued to recount, Angel came to understand the full story. Indeed, as he had guessed, Lord Rhein had gone to a ruin on the Pamiji Plateau.

It was said that after the failed dimensional fusion, the residual spatial energy had uncovered ancient ruins hidden in the plateau, one after another.

Since they were located on the Pamiji Plateau, most of these ruins had already been explored by the predecessors of the Barbarian Cave, and many of them were even occupied by wizards, being used for daily experiments and studies.

As Sanders had mentioned before, these ruins were generally of no value.

But the ruins that Lord Rhein had gone to were somewhat different.

That particular ruin was discovered by a wizard family during their patrol, and because they were also aware of the condition of the ruins on the Pamiji Plateau, they didn’t think too much of it at first. But after all, it was still a ruin. Unlike large organizations, wizard families, despite knowing that there might not be anything of value, still harbored hopes.

So they sent an apprentice in, but in the end, the apprentice who went did not come out.

It was normal for the ruins on the Pamiji Plateau to pose dangers, and their reactions were merely ones of regret. They then sent an official wizard in to attempt to retrieve the apprentice’s soul.

The official wizard also fell.

With no other option, they sought help from the surrounding witcher organizations. The first to respond was Song of the Deep Sea, which arranged for wizards to explore the site.

Originally, no one made much of the ruin, but one by one, those who entered disappeared. Song of the Deep Sea sent four official wizards in succession, and each encountered problems, drawing the attention of the ‘Sea God’ Florenza.

Florenza received ominous insights about the ruin from a Prophet Wizard, realizing it was extremely perilous, filled with unknown and unpredictable dangers. Thus, Florenza notified Rhein. Firstly, the Barbarian Cave should be aware of the nearby ruins’ information, and secondly, this was, after all, within the domain of the Barbarian Cave.

However, Rhein was in the Abyss at the time and received the news several days late.

By the time Rhein rushed back, the ruin had undergone significant changes.

“Significant changes… What kind of changes? Could a powerful enemy have appeared, or is this a research facility left by ancient legendary wizards?” Angel looked puzzled.

“There aren’t that many legendary ruins.” As Sanders spoke, the rhythmic tapping of his knuckles on the table morphed into a series of illusion nodes that formed a horizontal sand table map in front of him.

Sanders stood up and pointed at a spot on the map, “This is where the ruin is located. Do you notice anything peculiar?”

Angel peered carefully. He first analyzed the terrain, which yielded nothing significant. He then examined the overall configuration, hoping to approach from a macro perspective, but ultimately came up empty.

It was not until Sanders tapped another side of the map that Angel suddenly realized something.

“Here, is this the border between Eternal Night Country and the Pamiji Plateau?!”

Sanders nodded, “The mishap is not an issue with the ruin itself, but originates from the Eternal Night Country. The colorful dragonflies flying in, along with a large number of parasites, have occupied the ruin. The vicinity of the ruin has been heavily enveloped, and the ruin itself has become the most dangerous forbidden land.”

“I just inquired with the Tree Spirit, and it appears that this ruin had not been discovered before. It seems that it is an unknown ruin that emerged due to the fusion of planes. However, what’s within the ruin is not important; the most vital concern is those creatures from the Nightmare Realm.” Sanders sighed, “After all, this is the first Nightmare Realm creature stronghold to emerge on the Pamiji Plateau. If it continues to develop inward, it will pose a huge threat to the Barbarian Cave.”

It was for this reason that Lord Rhein hurried over there and had not returned for so long.

In the meantime, the wizards had launched attacks against those Nightmare Realm creatures but suffered heavy losses. Thus, aside from the Barbarian Cave and some wizards remaining nearby, other witcher organizations have stayed away. Even the wizards from Song of the Deep Sea left the Pamiji Plateau completely, not leaving a single one behind, for fear of following in the footsteps of Sleepless City.

Upon hearing this, Angel finally achieved enlightenment. It turned out that Lord Rhein was not too far away; if anything happened to the Barbarian Cave, Rhein could return at the first opportunity, which is why the atmosphere in the Mirror World remained stable.

However, those Nightmare Realm creatures were ultimately a disaster. If they continued to march into the plateau, the Barbarian Cave would be in trouble.

“Then Mentor, are you going to help Lord Rhein next?”

Angel asked this because Sanders was currently the best candidate capable of effectively dealing with the Nightmare Realm creatures, especially the parasitic group. As for Angel, his identity meant these Nightmare Realm creatures held him in respect and would not attack him, but he lacked the ability to command them.

“Not for now. Although this is a problem, you shouldn’t underestimate a wizard’s capacity to handle affairs. With Lord Rhein there, there shouldn’t be any issues,” Sanders paused. “We’ll stick to the original plan; once we’ve finished what we need to do here, we’ll leave.”

Relieved, Angel exhaled.

He had been anxious to return to the Wizards’ Realm, as he was somewhat worried about Jon’s condition. Therefore, Sanders’s decision was crucial, as currently, the hope of saving Jon rested solely on Sanders.

“We’ll set aside the matter of the ruin for now. Let’s finish your business first, and then we’ll leave immediately.” Without any delay, Sanders set about planning what to do next: They would first go to report their itinerary, spreading the previously prepared reasons; then they would find Nis to inquire about the Heart of the Swarm; and finally, they would prepare to leave.

Once their schedule was confirmed, they prepared to set out, but just then, a knock at the door sounded.

Knock knock knock—

After receiving permission from Sanders, the study door was pushed open, and standing outside was Butler Good.

“Lord Sanders, Young Master Pat, the kitchen has prepared the meal.”

Accompanying the words was the rich scent of milk.

Angel remained expressionless, but he felt slightly embarrassed inside. That aroma was definitely released by Butler Good on purpose! They had just returned, and were they already preparing for a public execution? Although, the smell was indeed tempting.

Angel’s eyes twitched, “We’re not wasting any time, are we?”

No sooner had Angel spoken than Sanders said, “Having a meal won’t take up much time. Besides, I also have some matters to explain to Good.”

With that, Sanders stepped out first.