Warlock Apprentice

With everyone’s explanations and additions, Angel gradually understood the general situation of this matter.

For some unknown reason, a disease that turns people into madmen is spreading heavily in Windmill Town. This disease also has a very strong contagion; anyone who has been in contact with a patient has a high probability of being infected with the madness.

Moreover, even after the wizards of Barbarian Cave were alerted, there was still no effective treatment. The wizard’s final solution was just to restrict the patients in a special asylum, preventing them from having the chance to infect others.

Greya: ”So, you’re saying that the Yva you mentioned has been confined in the asylum?”

Everyone nodded: ”Yes, Yva was clearly put in the asylum, but somehow appeared in the cave.”

”Could it be that Yva’s sister secretly released him from the asylum?” ”Or did something unexpected happen in the asylum?” ”Could it be that all the patients escaped from the asylum, and the entire Windmill Town is on the verge of collapse?”

They imagined terrifying scenes one after another, growing more fearful the more they thought about it. They looked up expectantly, hoping to get the truth from the two Honorable Wizards standing before them. But whether it was Greya or Angel, both were frowning, seemingly contemplating something.

”Have you heard of such a contagious madness?” Angel asked.

Greya pondered: ”The so-called madness generally refers to mental disorders, be it chaos, loss of control, or deviation from the set path. These illnesses, unless caused by physical injuries, are typically related to personal mental states.”

”These diseases are not uncommon, but due to individual differences, the lesions are varied. Therefore, there’s generally no issue of ’contagion.’

Angel nodded, understanding this point too. From the basic logic of disease sources, it’s hard for madness to spread.

Unless the source is a kind of group psychological suggestion, or mental contamination.

For example, certain eerie beliefs in an Evil God, some totems with evident implications... If exposed to these for long periods, it may cause mental pollution, eventually leading to widespread madness.

Yet the situation in Windmill Town doesn’t seem to be such a psychological suggestion, because Barbarian Cave is right next to Windmill Town, making it impossible for any Evil God belief or overt mental pollutants to exist under the wizards’ noses for long.

Moreover, even if this situation birthed madness, the wizards wouldn’t be helpless.

But from their words now, the wizards also seem to have found no healing method for the patients of Windmill Town.

So besides these, is there any other way for madness to spread?

On Earth, the answer might be negative. But in the Wizards’ Realm, full of unimaginable forces, there are countless possibilities that could create similar scenarios.

So, the answer is affirmative. But knowing the answer, what use is it?

Greya: ”The currently known information allows us to deduce that the cause of this madness certainly involves Extraordinary Power.”

Angel nodded. Since conventional methods cannot achieve madness contagion, nor is it group psychological suggestion, then surely Extraordinary Power is involved. Moreover, earlier they clearly perceived a faint extraordinary anomaly with the patient named Yva in the cave.

”But I don’t understand why exert so much effort to infect these mortals, what’s the reason?” Greya frowned: ”Is there a conspiracy in this? Was Zithraide’s hint referring to this matter?”

”I’ll go take a look.” Greya finished speaking and headed directly towards the cave.

Angel also followed, leaving Asaz outside to protect the shivering mortals.

The cave was not dark; the sleek ceiling had bright glowing plants as the light source. With the light, the chaotic boxes on the ground and some fallen carts were clearly visible.

Sanders stood at the front, his gaze quietly fixed not far away.

Angel followed Sanders’ sight, only to see, right in front of Sanders, a man in a white patient’s gown, spinning in place.

Around the man, nothing could be seen by the naked eye, but Angel knew very well that it was filled with densely packed Illusion Nodes.

Clearly, Sanders had trapped him within an Illusionary Realm.

”Have you found anything?” Greya asked curiously.

Sanders didn’t respond, softly saying instead: ”His movements, what do you think they look like?”

His movements? Angel and Greya both turned their gazes to the man in the illusion — Yva.

Greya watched for a while: ”Doesn’t seem to be anything... Wait, no.”

Greya seemed to notice something, knitting her brows tightly.

On the other hand, Angel initially didn’t notice anything unusual in Yva apart from facial expressions, but upon closer examination, Angel discovered some peculiarities about Yva.

His movements, whether the arc of turning, the slope of tilting his head, the height of raising his hand, or the stride of his walk, were all larger than usual. At first glance, there was nothing, but on closer thought, it seemed deliberate.

At this moment, Angel suddenly extended his index finger. A strand of Power of Nightmare Illusion shot out from his fingertip.

This strand of Power of Nightmare Illusion slowly condensed beside Yva, finally manifesting into an illusion identical to Yva, be it attire or appearance, even in height.

As if a twin had appeared.

Initially, Greya didn’t understand why Angel suddenly created this illusion, until Yva’s illusion started to move, and Greya’s eyes narrowed sharply.

Angel manipulated the illusion to mimic Yva’s actions!

The only difference being, Yva’s actions in the illusion were slowed down.

The motions of ordinary people, even when slowed, are actually smooth and even. But once Yva’s motions were slowed, some obvious pauses appeared.

His neck turned to a certain angle, and he paused; his foot rose to a certain height, and he paused again... These pauses resembled what Angel saw as mechanical dance on the Holographic Tablet.

However, mechanical dance is a type of dance created by humans, with subjective agency.

But the man before them clearly had lost his self-control, as if his limbs were being manipulated by countless threads.

Upon this realization, Yva’s ridiculous spinning action now was filled with eeriness.

It was as if, behind Yva, there loomed a massive figure shrouded in darkness, who was grinning eerily, stretching out a hand that could cover the sky. His hand was connected by countless threads, which were tightly binding Yva...

After a moment of silence, Greya said: ”I have a premonition that the situation behind this might not be so simple.”

Angel nodded because this was also what he thought now.

”How should this matter be handled?” Angel looked at Sanders.

Yet Sanders did not respond, instead turning his head to look behind them.

The man originally attacked by Yva, rescued by Sanders, who had been lying unconscious on the ground, suddenly awoke and began to stand up slowly...