Warlock Apprentice

”Last night, at the underground Manluo Field in the Fragrant District, Europa praised your theater shadow box in front of all the Wizards participating in the Fragrance Appreciation Conference. She teased us with her words but didn’t share the shadow box she received for us to see. At that time, I noticed several Witches quietly leaving—likely intending to buy your shadow box.”

The speaker was a Witch wearing a petal gown, adorned with a garland atop her head. Her figure was poised and graceful, her features stunning yet not garish. However, her image flickered intermittently; this was not her True Body but an Illusion projected from the communicator on the table.

The Witch’s projection was none other than Lianna of the ”Rose Crown.” Angel had been busy refining theater shadow boxes in recent days. Just as he was preparing to delve into alchemical matters related to the New Star Tournament participants, Lianna contacted him through the communicator before he could even begin refining.

Angel glanced at Lianna’s projection, nodded noncommittally, and replied casually, ”If they want to buy shadow boxes, they’d best act quickly because I didn’t refine that many.”

Lianna raised an eyebrow lightly, ”I’ve said so much, and that’s the part you focus on? Aren’t you curious about other things, like what Europa praised about you?”

Angel looked at Lianna with a puzzled expression, ”Does it have anything to do with me?” Everyone likes hearing compliments, but it’s odd to deliberately ask someone about the nice things they’ve said about you.

Lianna hesitated for a moment, ”Europa typically does not express such lavish praise. This time, she even contacted me specifically, saying she would like to meet with you.”

”Is that why you’re contacting me now?” Angel hardly took a moment to think before responding decisively, ”Sorry, please let Europa know—I’m quite busy these days.”

Though Angel’s tone was gentle, his refusal was unmistakable.

”You really don’t plan to meet her? Europa is incredibly beautiful, you know.”

Angel shot a glance at Lianna. Upon hearing this, he vaguely understood her intentions, but he still shook his head, ”I’m not making excuses; I genuinely am busy.”

Angel casually pointed to the pile of draft notes on his desk, filled with sketches and formulas. ”These things—I hope to finish them before I leave Sky Mechanical City. So, I simply don’t have the time.”

”I’ve noticed that, lately, you’re becoming more and more like your Mentor. But there’s still a difference between you two. Your Mentor is uninterested in understanding, while you choose not to understand.” Lianna gave Angel a deep look. ”Fine, I’ll pass along your reply to her later.”

Angel didn’t respond to Lianna’s comment about ”understanding” versus ”not understanding.” Instead, he raised his eyebrows and asked, ”Aside from this, is there anything else?”

”There’s no pressing matter; I just wanted to chat,” Lianna paused briefly. ”I’m actually curious—why did you suddenly decide to refine theater shadow boxes? There’s talk going around: supposedly, the proliferation of poorly-made shadow boxes in Sky Mechanical City has tarnished their reputation. As their creator, you stepped in to reclaim artistic value and redefine the standards for theater shadow boxes.”

”Is that true?”

Angel thought for a moment before replying, ”That explanation is rather amusing. But I haven’t elevated my thinking to such lofty ideals. How others evaluate the quality of shadow boxes doesn’t really matter to me. A gemstone remains a gemstone, even if buried in the mud—it will eventually be discovered and polished to reveal its beauty.”

Lianna raised an eyebrow, ”But sometimes, there’s no guarantee that anyone will find the gemstone buried in the mud.”

”If I’ve already pointed to a certain mud pit and said, ’There’s a gemstone in there,’ there will always be someone willing to search for it,” Angel replied. The shadow box he refined was akin to a towering beacon—though initially veiled by Mist, once the fog was lifted, someone would uncover the tower for sure.

”So what’s the real reason you decided to refine theater shadow boxes?” Lianna, abandoning the debate, chose to ask directly.

Angel didn’t keep her guessing. ”Because I promised Greya I’d craft a theater shadow box for her. So I made a few extras while I was at it.”

”You made a few extras?” Lianna’s face registered confusion. She thought there would be some intricate reasoning behind it, but that was all?

”Yes,” Angel nodded.

Lianna scrutinized Angel’s expression carefully; he didn’t seem to be lying, nor did he have any apparent reason to lie about such a trivial matter.

So, this was indeed the truth? Yet Lianna couldn’t wrap her head around how Angel’s so-called ”extras” came to be.

After mulling it over, Lianna remarked, ”Fine, let’s assume you refined a few extras. But why did you choose to sell them through the Breeze Demonic Material Shop? I’m aware of the inner workings of some shops in Sky Mechanical City. If you need a sales channel, I believe Lord Horus would gladly help you find one. You could even open a shop under the Barbarian Cave’s name, similar to Nail Alchemy House—it wouldn’t be impossible.”

As an Alchemist herself, Lianna was well aware of Angel’s importance to the Barbarian Cave. If Angel needed their backing to open a shop, Horus could arrange it without even needing Lord Rhein’s permission. In fact, naming a shop after the Barbarian Cave in Sky Mechanical City would help assert their influence in the alchemy circle.

Historically, the Barbarian Cave showed little ambition in this regard, as Lianna was the only Alchemist of note. But now, with Angel’s meteoric rise and entrance into the Southern Domain’s most prestigious Research and Development Institute, Lord Rhein would likely reconsider and orchestrate a presence in Sky Mechanical City.

An alchemy shop would be the easiest way to infiltrate the alchemy circle! A glance at Nail Alchemy House was proof enough; the presence of Nail Granny, despite her refusal to offer guidance, had turned her shop into a hub for countless Ashiliye Alchemists to gather and discuss.

Given this, Lianna couldn’t fathom why Angel would forsake the Barbarian Cave’s resources in favor of working with the Breeze Demonic Material Shop.

Angel had a general grasp of Lianna’s convoluted thoughts.

After considering for a moment, he explained, ”My decision to work with the Breeze Demonic Material Shop indeed carries some reasons. You could interpret it as repayment for favors they’ve shown me.”

Lianna seemed to understand Angel’s point, assuming someone from the shop had helped him in some way and he was repaying the favor in kind.

Lianna murmured softly, ”I wonder what they did to earn such a significant gesture of gratitude?”

Angel smiled but didn’t elaborate. In truth, his ”repayment” wasn’t as substantial as it appeared; he simply allowed others to perceive the Breeze Demonic Material Shop as being backed by him.

Notably, Angel hadn’t affixed any of his personal emblems to the shadow boxes. This flexibility allowed him considerable maneuvering room. He could remain silent and ambiguous, discouraging the Profound Alchemy Association from causing trouble for the Breeze Demonic Material Shop; or, if the shop crossed a line, Angel could disavow any association, as the shadow boxes bore no emblem linking them explicitly to him. Despite widespread assumption, his own stance would hold the greatest influence.

Even if the Barbarian Cave eventually decided to engage in Sky Mechanical City’s alchemical competition, Angel could still serve as the Breeze Demonic Material Shop’s silent pillar without compromising his position.

So, in summation, all he offered was a vague semblance of support and a handful of shadow boxes.