Warlock Apprentice

Sunset Boulevard, a youth dressed in a rather bizarre and eerie black outfit approached from a distance.

If the middle-aged man from the Black Wheel Bar were here, he would recognize this person as the black-eyed youth who had earlier refuted him at the bar.

The youth stopped at the entrance of a shop.

”The shop they mentioned that sells drama shadow boxes—it should be here, right?” He raised his head to look at the shop sign—

Breeze Demonic Material Shop.

The shop, located in the middle section of Sunset Boulevard, was one he had passed by before. However, every time he walked by, it appeared desolate, with hardly anyone there.

But now, the shop was crowded with people.

This must be because of what the Whispering Witch said, right?

Even without getting close, one could already hear a cacophony of noise and commotion.

As he approached, he noticed the crowd at the shop’s entrance was divided into three groups. Two of them were engaged in an argument, while the third group consisted of onlookers.

Since there was no beginning or end to the quarrel, he couldn’t determine its cause. However, he did catch on that the dispute’s core was the purchasing rights for the drama shadow box.

”Is the drama shadow box really that popular?” The youth furrowed his brows, uncertain whether he would be able to buy one today.

The crowd at the entrance was too dense for him to push through, so he decided to observe the situation from outside for the time being.

At that moment, a hand suddenly grabbed his collar.

The youth knitted his brows and turned to look. When he saw who it was, a flicker of surprise danced in his eyes: ”Huh? What are you doing here?”

The person was a boy around twelve or thirteen years old—at that awkward age—his voice was sharp with childishness. He was dressed in an oversized Wizard Robe, giving the impression of a kid borrowing an adult’s clothes. Seeing the youth’s face, the boy’s eyes sparkled with joy: ”I thought I was mistaken earlier, but I guess it really was you, Fa...”

His words were cut off by the dark-eyed youth.

”Let’s talk over there.” With that, he led the boy to a quieter corner.

”Falga, what brings you here?” The boy asked excitedly outside the shop.

”Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” The dark-eyed youth—none other than Falga from Silent Hill—looked at Loki curiously. ”Why are you here alone? Where’s your White Rhino? And Hermes?”

”There are too many people here, and since Honorable Wizards were around earlier, I didn’t summon White Rhino to avoid causing trouble.” Loki said, glancing toward the shop. ”As for Hermes... who knows?”

Falga could clearly see Loki’s eyes darting around; it was likely he had snuck out behind Hermes’s back.

”Without Hermes, if you cause trouble out here, who’s going to clean up your mess?” Falga raised an eyebrow at him.

Loki’s face fell: ”That was three years ago. I rarely get into trouble now.”

”Really?” Falga sounded unconvinced. He had met Loki at the Purification Garden, and they were close among their peers, so he occasionally kept tabs on Loki’s exploits. The rumors he’d heard suggested Loki wasn’t as restrained as he claimed.

Nonetheless, that was Loki’s business, and Falga only teased him lightly before moving on.

”Are you here for the drama shadow box too?” Falga asked, curious.

As the topic shifted back, Loki’s eyes lit up, and he nodded fervently: ”Yes! I heard the Whispering Witch lavishly praised the drama shadow box, so I came to buy one for myself.”

”Really? I don’t recall you ever showing any interest in art before. What made you decide to buy a drama shadow box?” Falga asked, intrigued.

Loki gave Falga a strange look: ”Don’t you know?”

”What should I know?”

”You clearly don’t know.” After asserting this, Loki explained to Falga: ”Honestly, I was originally just curious and wanted to see what could make the Whispering Witch eat her own words. But after coming here, I learned that the drama shadow box was crafted by An... Ahem, by the Transcendental Wizard.”

”The drama shadow box refined by the Transcendental Wizard?” Falga’s eyes filled with doubt. ”I did hear that the Transcendental Wizard taught some drama shadow box content during the Alchemy course at Ashiliya Academy. But how can you be sure this shop sells drama shadow boxes crafted by them?”

To Falga, while the drama shadow box might hold artistic value, it didn’t seem to serve any special purpose. Given Angel’s current status at the Research and Development Institute, teaching was one thing, but why would he personally refine such a small trinket? Could it be for money? But that didn’t seem plausible. He didn’t appear to be someone short on cash, and even if he were, he wouldn’t choose to sell such trivial items.

”I didn’t believe it at first either.” Loki pointed toward the two groups arguing at the shop entrance. ”But when I learned about their identities, I started to believe.”

Falga followed Loki’s finger towards the two groups at the Breeze Demonic Material Shop entrance. They were still arguing over purchasing rights, and the dispute was escalating toward potential violence.

Falga: ”What about their identities?”

Loki didn’t keep him guessing and replied directly: ”One group consists solely of art enthusiasts. They obsessively pursue cutting-edge art, so upon hearing about a drama shadow box that made the Whispering Witch eat her words, they naturally flocked here.”

”As for the other group, I can’t say whether they’re passionate about art, but all of them are students from Ashliea Comprehensive College, including top students from various Alchemy departments.”

Falga: ”You mean they’re all Alchemists?”

Loki nodded: ”Correct.”

At this point, Falga started to understand. For Alchemists from Ashliea to leave their laboratories and rush over just for a drama shadow box, it must be a masterpiece capable of drawing their attention.

”Still, that doesn’t definitively prove that it’s crafted by the Transcendental Wizard.”

Loki: ”What if I told you that over twenty Official Wizards came to the Breeze Demonic Material Shop to purchase the drama shadow box within the past two days? Among them is even the Observer from Crown Star Church—Honorable Hydra.”

Loki paused, his eyes glowing with admiration: ”Not only that, but reportedly, the Magic Potion Master and Moon Silver Controller personally came here to buy the drama shadow box two days ago.”

Falga was astonished. The Magic Potion Master Midora and the Moon Silver’s Gusiro were both renowned Alchemy Masters! Moreover, they were members of the Research and Development Institute. For even them to buy the drama shadow box meant it undoubtedly had their endorsement!

To earn their approval, the creator of the drama shadow box was now unmistakable.

While Falga was still processing all this, Loki suddenly pointed to the distance: ”Look over there—that, that’s...”

Falga followed Loki’s gaze toward Sunset Boulevard, shimmering with the flow of twilight. And there, a silhouette emerged—a short, plump... mushroom!

It was, more accurately, a mushroom humanoid less than a meter tall.

The mushroom humanoid had a cap resembling a mushroom umbrella, speckled with green spots. Its face and stem intertwined, with bean-sized facial features visible. Its limbs were stubby and chubby, and its short legs gave an impression as though its ”pelvis” was in close contact with the ground.

Despite its short legs, the mushroom humanoid moved swiftly.

It hopped as it moved.

With each jump, its mushroom cap acted like wings, stabilizing its motion and direction, while scattering a trail of spores that left a glowing trail of tiny mushrooms resembling a red carpet on the ground.

The mushroom humanoid hopped its way to the entrance of the Breeze Demonic Material Shop. As soon as it appeared, the arguing groups fell silent, the atmosphere shifting to an eerie stillness.

The mushroom humanoid ignored the crowd at the shop’s entrance and entered. Shortly, it emerged carrying a delicate box in its hands. Under the envious gaze of the crowd, it hopped away.

It wasn’t until the mushroom humanoid was far gone that Falga came back to his senses: ”That was... the Mushroom Witch’s messenger.”

Loki nodded: ”Yes, its appearance signifies that the third member of the Research and Development Institute has come to purchase the drama shadow box.”

Regina, the Mushroom Witch, along with Midora and Gusiro, were all members of the Research and Development Institute.

With even her showing up, Falga could no longer deny that the drama shadow box sold at the Breeze Demonic Material Shop might indeed have been refined by Angel.