Warlock Apprentice

As Viking spoke, a sudden knocking came from outside the inner door.

”Come in.”

As the door swung open, Snow entered alongside the female puppet from earlier. Due to the flash of overwhelming pressure Angel had exuded previously, Snow still appeared somewhat shaken, avoiding looking in Angel’s direction entirely after stepping inside.

”M-Master Chaowei, here is the Demon Flower Sprite Demon Bloodstone you requested.” Snow stammered slightly as he spoke, whereupon the female puppet beside him immediately presented a tray.

At the center of the tray lay a seemingly unremarkable crimson stone.

However, under the flickering light of the candles within the room, the crimson stone subtly revealed a beautiful pattern, appearing to be naturally formed yet perfectly fused with the essence of the Demon Bloodstone.

Gazing at the pattern for long enough, one seemed to hear eerie laughter echoing faintly around them.

As he looked at the crimson stone, a faint glimmer surfaced in Angel’s eyes.

Countless symbols emerged from the crimson stone, transforming into streams of data that poured directly into the ”server” Angel had constructed within his Mind Space.

This was the Eye of Nalda!

Angel’s growing strength, along with his expanding breadth of vision and knowledge, had dramatically accelerated the efficiency of his server’s operations. As soon as the data from the crimson stone entered the server, it rapidly synthesized with Angel’s existing knowledge to identify the stone’s attributes.

The Demon Flower Sprite Demon Bloodstone—and of superior quality, no less.

Ordinarily, Angel would consume a medium-quality Demon Bloodstone every time he triggered Destiny’s Boiling Tune. This stone’s quality, however, was deemed high-grade, which meant it could significantly increase the number of times he could perform Destiny’s Boiling Tune.

A single high-grade Demon Flower Sprite Demon Bloodstone could enable two activations of Destiny’s Boiling Tune.

Viking: ”Master, what do you think?”

A spark of excitement flashed through Angel’s eyes as he nodded approvingly: ”Indeed, this is exactly what I need.”

Relieved by Angel’s response, Viking’s face broke into a relaxed smile.

”For a Demon Flower Sprite Demon Bloodstone of this quality, how many Magic Crystals?” Angel inquired.

Viking quickly shook his head: ”I already promised to gift the Demon Flower Sprite Demon Bloodstone to you. While this may not be enough to repay the life-saving favor you granted me in the past, it remains a token of my gratitude.”

”That was your promise; I never agreed to it. As I said before, what I did at the time was simply out of convenience—you don’t need to hold onto it so tightly.”

Viking: ”But—”

Before Viking could finish, Angel interrupted him: ”If you’re willing to sell the Demon Flower Sprite Demon Bloodstone to me under these circumstances, that already counts as accepting your goodwill. There’s no need to haggle over a few Magic Crystals.”

After pausing briefly, Angel added: ”Furthermore, what I need this time is not just one Demon Flower Sprite Demon Bloodstone. One or two might easily be gifted, but tens or even hundreds—could you truly afford that?”

Viking, who had been about to continue his argument, suddenly froze upon hearing Angel’s reasoning. It wasn’t that he had been convinced, but rather—

”Master, you need more than just one Demon Flower Sprite Demon Bloodstone?” Viking hesitated, his face reflecting uncertainty.

”Yes, as many as possible,” Angel said plainly. ”What’s the problem? Do you only have one left in stock?”

Viking shook his head: ”Actually, we have about a hundred still in inventory—delivered a few days ago by Manager Flandy, via intermediaries. But the manager intends to temporarily seal these Bloodstones...”

”Seal them? Why?”

After a brief moment of hesitation, Viking decided to explain the reasoning behind it.

Once Viking finished, Angel finally understood.

It turned out Flandy had actually devised a dual strategy. On one hand, the Demon Flower Sprite Demon Bloodstones were positioned as restricted materials, openly refusing any entanglements with the Profound Alchemy Association. This served to avoid attracting undue attention from City Lord Rosen. On the other hand, if the Profound Alchemy Association’s desire for these Bloodstones grew insatiable—to the extent they were willing to pay exorbitant costs—at that moment, Flandy would lift the embargo and sell the Bloodstones, preventing the Breeze Demonic Material Shop from suffering losses.

”After all, our Breeze Demonic Material Shop is not particularly prominent in the Sky Mechanical City, nor do we have significant allies. This contingency plan is the only viable course,” Viking said helplessly.

The shops on Manshi Magic Material Street were riddled with intricate connections and embedded in complex networks of influence. Even if they refused customers, they had no fear of retaliation—the rules emblazoned at their entrances were telling in themselves.

However, the Breeze Demonic Material Shop possessed little influence here, making it impossible to stand against a behemoth like the Profound Alchemy Association without risk of being entirely devoured.

Thus, to mitigate this risk, Flandy instituted his dual strategy.

If Angel was merely asking for one or two Bloodstones, Viking could authorize the transaction himself. But given Angel’s apparent intent to purchase the entire inventory, it would undoubtedly derail Flandy’s plan, making it impossible for Viking to act on his own.

Angel fell into silence for a moment. If he were in Flandy’s shoes, he too might agree with such an approach. Viking’s hesitation was therefore understandable. Yet none of this was sufficient to deter Angel from buying the Demon Flower Sprite Demon Bloodstones—after all, Toby’s life hung in the balance.

What Angel had to figure out now was how to convince Viking to agree to the sale.

He could exert dominance to achieve his goal, but such actions were against Angel’s nature. This didn’t mean he was constrained by morality, rather that he consciously restrained his desires—choosing not to act unless absolutely necessary. If alternatives were exhausted, however, Angel wouldn’t hesitate.

Aside from asserting dominance, were there other methods?

There certainly were.

But how to ensure the lowest cost on his part, while allowing Viking to accept the terms and giving Flandy an acceptable explanation—this was something Angel needed time to deliberate.

After some thought, Angel finally spoke up: ”How about this...”

...

When Angel emerged from the Breeze Demonic Material Shop, the sky had grown dim. The glow of the setting sun spilled across the wide Sunset Avenue, its metallic surface gently reflecting a rosy sheen, as if the road stretched all the way to the horizon bathed in the last light of day.

”The sunset is the final lantern daylight gifts to those on their journey,” a soft voice, still carrying the cadence of youth, sounded beside him.

Without turning back, Angel replied: ”The starlight, in turn, is the tower dream-weavers raise to guide the sleepless through the night.”

”Indeed, conversing with you, Master, reminds me that philosophy still breathes in this world,” Onassis said, glancing at Angel with a radiant smile. ”Talking with Viking, on the other hand, only revives the durability of Redbeard.”

Angel: ”True enough. Yet you’re still deeply concerned for this traveler who walks by day and dreams by night.”

Onassis merely smiled, choosing not to reply directly as he nodded in farewell to Angel, saying he would return to his lodging. With that, he made his way toward another direction along the street.

As Angel watched his disappearing figure, he raised a brow: ”So it wasn’t the same path after all.”

Although Onassis’s destination differed from Angel’s, he had still accompanied him for part of the journey—perhaps solely to deliver those thoughtful words.

”The Traveler and the Dream-Weaver,” a philosophical tale about trust.

The traveler walks beneath daylight, pursuing dreams. The dream-weaver builds towers beneath starlight, illuminating paths ahead.

Though separated by day and night, though never crossing paths, a bridge of trust links them, enabling each to fulfill the other’s aspirations. Onassis’s parting words, though seemingly spoken in admiration of the sunset, subtly suggested hope—that Viking wouldn’t mistake trust.

As for Viking’s trusted party, naturally, it was Angel.