Warlock Apprentice

Angel didn’t have to wait long before Nya stood before him again.

”I just asked for you. A batch of Demon Flower Sprite Demon Bloodstones was restocked in the Breeze Demonic Material Shop a few days ago, but their shop is not in Manshi Magic Material Street, so I can’t confirm whether they’ve sold them out or not,” Nya said.

”Restocked a batch? It sounds like this shop sells Demon Flower Sprite Demon Bloodstones regularly,” Angel muttered.

”You’re absolutely right,” Nya nodded. ”They do sell Demon Flower Sprite Demon Bloodstones regularly, and in the whole Sky Mechanical City, only Breeze Demonic Material Shop seems to have a stable supply chain for them.”

”Why’s that?” Angel asked, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

Nya: ”Breeze Demonic Material Shop is backed by the Valley of Breeze, and Demon Flower Sprites are commonly found in the Dolomechi Wetlands, which fall under the jurisdiction of the Valley of Breeze.”

The Valley of Breeze is a medium-scale wizard organization, on par with Sleepless City and Dusknights’ Blade.

Angel nodded in understanding. ”I see.” It was similar to the Storm Shop in Storm Gorge, dedicated stores selling the ”specialties” of their respective wizard organizations.

Learning about the Breeze Demonic Material Shop brought a bit of relief to Angel’s heart. Although Demon Flower Sprites’ Demon Bloodstones are rare, they’re not widely applicable, often ending up accumulating unsold.

Since Nya confirmed that the Breeze Demonic Material Shop had recently restocked, it seemed unlikely that they’d sell out immediately. Of course, it wasn’t impossible for someone to buy them, but for alchemy or other experiments, the uses for Demon Flower Sprite Demon Bloodstones were quite limited—luck shouldn’t be working against him that hard.

After purchasing the other materials he needed from Nail Alchemy House, Angel left to visit the Breeze Demonic Material Shop.

...

Champagne Road No. 93, Mukihara Bar.

Angel passed through the front hall of Mukihara Bar, walked down a narrow corridor, and arrived at Fangling Hall in the back.

This time, Angel’s destination was the Breeze Demonic Material Shop. He glanced at the map—since the shop was located on Sunset Avenue and Champagne Road was along his route, he decided to drop by to have a look.

Pushing open the door, Angel’s eyes first landed on Shan, who was in the courtyard gleefully using Ganke’s arm as a swing.

Seeing Angel arrive, Shan cheerfully rushed to greet him.

After exchanging some pleasantries, Angel still didn’t see anyone else come out. Using his Spirit Tentacle to probe the area, he realized that besides Allen—who appeared downcast in a room on the second floor—no one else seemed to be in Fangling Hall.

”Why can’t I see the others?” Angel asked curiously.

”Lyon is still at the Sky Tower competition but should be back later,” Shan said. ”As for the others... surely you know where they went, don’t you?”

Angel initially asked Shan, only to be questioned in return. A flicker of confusion crossed his eyes: ”Why? Should I know where they went?”

Shan shrugged. ”Clearly, you’ve forgotten...”

Angel was completely bewildered. What had he forgotten?

Shan sighed. ”You’ve forgotten why we came to Sky Mechanical City to participate in the New Star Competition.”

”The purpose of participating in the New Star Competition?” Angel froze for a moment before remembering: ”Are you talking about... Endless Corridor?”

Both Nausicaa and Serum had traveled thousands of miles to Sky Mechanical City for the New Star Competition, largely with the goal of earning access to the Endless Corridor.

Now that the competition was over and they’d secured the qualifications they needed, it was only natural for them to eagerly head to the Endless Corridor for adventure and battle.

Realizing this, Angel sighed, ”Looks like my timing today wasn’t great.”

”But I’m still here, aren’t I?” Shan said with a hint of grievance.

”That’s true. It’s good you’re here.” Angel paused. ”The main reason I came over this time was to ask what your plans are moving forward. Are you staying in Sky Mechanical City, exploring the Endless Corridor, or heading back to Barbarian Cave?”

Shan hesitated for a moment. ”We discussed this last night. I’ll probably return to Barbarian Cave; Serum and Xiliu said they want to stay here. As for Nausicaa... she didn’t say much, but we’re guessing that she’ll leave with Reynaud.”

Angel recalled seeing Reynaud meet with Nausicaa alone during an earlier visit to Fangling Hall; Reynaud seemed to have asked her to accompany him for something.

Although Nausicaa hadn’t shared the specifics, her subsequent restless demeanor—frequent bouts of deep thought followed by furrowed brows—showed that this matter weighed heavily on her. Whatever Reynaud proposed must carry significant risk and implications.

Shan knew Nausicaa well. If she confirmed Nausicaa would go with Reynaud, it likely meant that Nausicaa had already made up her mind.

Although Angel felt some concern for Nausicaa’s safety, since this was her decision, he would respect it.

”Do you know when she plans to leave?” Angel asked.

Shan shook her head. ”I don’t know—probably sometime soon.”

...

Leaving Fangling Hall behind, Angel moved further down Champagne Road, crossed Kate Square, and finally arrived at Sunset Avenue.

Sunset Avenue’s main road might be the widest in all of Sky Mechanical City. The buildings on both sides were low, rarely blocking sunlight. When the sun set, the metallic road reflected a faint glow like the lingering rays leading to twilight.

This was how Sunset Avenue got its name.

Sunset Avenue was also part of the trade district, but compared to Manshi Magic Material Street, this section leaned more toward commerce and market spaces. Many wizard organizations and trade caravans had stationed their branches along this road.

Angel even noticed a familiar hourglass symbol on one storefront.

This symbol represented Sands of Time—a mark of the Ashen Time Trade Caravan.

Even trade caravans operating in the dark or grey areas had a presence here, showing how bustling the district was.

Soon enough, Angel reached the midpoint of Sunset Avenue and found the Breeze Demonic Material Shop as described by Nya. Outside the shop hung a symbol of white wings encircling each other—the emblem of the Valley of Breeze.

From the outside, the shop appeared to be just a small, inconspicuous storefront, seemingly without a second floor. But as Angel entered, he realized the interior was far more spacious than it looked from the outside—no smaller than the Nail Alchemy House.

Inside, Angel saw only one gray-black wizard-robed man and a life-sized female puppet standing beside him.

The man was immersed in an old, worn book, neither acknowledging Angel’s arrival nor even lifting his gaze. Only the puppet beside him lowered its head to ask Angel, ”Welcome, guest. What can I help you with?”

Angel: ”Demon Flower Sprite Demon Bloodstones.”

The puppet froze momentarily, failing to respond right away. Instead, the man next to it raised his head to scrutinize Angel before asking, ”Why do you need Demon Flower Sprite Demon Bloodstones?”

”What I intend to do with them is none of your business,” Angel replied coldly.

The man sneered. ”Fair enough, but we have no interest in getting involved in potential trouble.”

”Trouble?” Angel echoed, confused.

Fixing Angel with a penetrating stare, the man said, ”Do you genuinely not know, or are you pretending not to know?”

Before Angel could reply, the man waved dismissively. ”Never mind—whether you know or not isn’t important. The Demon Flower Sprite Demon Bloodstones are currently out of stock.”