Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 2048: Chapter 2049: Statue

From its appearance, Angel could confirm that this pure white mushroom should be a Sound Transmission Mushroom.

However, compared to the Sound Transmission Mushrooms seen earlier in the mushroom forest outside, this mushroom was at least twice the size, looking like a towering mushroom tree. Besides, this Sound Transmission Mushroom had some unique characteristics, such as a perfectly round eyeball above its mouth lined with musical notes.

This large black-and-white eye was staring at Angel.

But when Angel lifted his head to meet the gaze of this eye, a hint of panic flashed through the pupil of the Sound Transmission Mushroom, and it hurriedly closed its eye.

Angel carefully observed this Sound Transmission Mushroom, muttering softly to himself: ”Is this the mother plant of the Sound Transmission Mushroom?”

Just as the words fell, a harsh, raspy voice came out: ”Honored Shava, your judgment is correct. This is indeed the mother plant of the Sound Transmission Mushroom.”

Upon hearing a voice respond to his whisper, Angel’s expression didn’t change in the slightest. He didn’t even blink while observing the Sound Transmission Mushroom, only calmly stated, ”The cultivation of Sound Transmission Mushrooms is accomplished through its spores?”

”The spores do spread the offspring of the Sound Transmission Mushrooms, but the cultivation of the mother plant is not through spores. It requires a mycelium offshoot nurtured from within the mother plant.” The answer came immediately after Angel’s question, ”Honored Shava, are you planning on cultivating Sound Transmission Mushrooms?”

Angel continued examining the plump white mother plant of the Sound Transmission Mushroom for a while before nonchalantly lifting his gaze to look at the source of the voice behind the Sound Transmission Mushroom.

Angel had already seen it outside the castle, a statue fountain behind the Sound Transmission Mushroom. He initially thought the speaker was the statue standing on the fountain, but he was a bit surprised to find that the speaker was actually the hat of the statue.

It was a pure white top hat with a black border.

The top hat had two round eyes and an exaggeratedly large mouth. At this moment, the two round eyes were intensely curious, staring at Angel.

Angel’s expression remained unchanged, not because he was acting; his inner and outer self were basically consistent. Although the talking top hat was indeed strange, this was an extension of the Nightmare Realm, where any bizarre occurrences could be accepted.

Angel nodded noncommittally: ”Just a bit interested.”

”If you are interested, I’m willing to offer you a mycelium offshoot later.”

Angel let out a light laugh that seemed to carry deeper meaning. After a long pause, he nodded, ”Alright.”

The top hat’s expression showed a hint of apprehension, and upon hearing Angel’s reply, it finally let out a long sigh of relief and began to speak in a slightly upbeat tone about the cultivation method of the mycelium offshoot.

Angel appeared to listen indifferently, yet his mind was contemplating deeply.

His previous actions, including muttering and conversing, were in fact simple probes. First, to test if any creatures around were paying attention to him, and upon getting a positive answer, to probe the identity of ”Shava” to see if it still held weight in this castle of the Misty Goldlady.

Angel’s suggestion to cultivate Sound Transmission Mushrooms was also a means to test the other party’s limits.

The top hat’s respectful address towards him and the immediate agreement to gift a mycelium offshoot both hinted that the identity of Shava still held importance here.

Nonetheless, Angel didn’t dare to be fully certain, as being brought here surely had a deeper intention by the other party. If it was not with malice, then what?

Thus, although Angel gained some information from the top hat’s words, he still dared not lower his guard.

He even intended to continue probing the other party’s limits, but Angel also understood the principle of knowing when to stop. After all, he was still on the opponent’s territory; placing himself too close to the edge could easily result in a fall into an abyss.

As the top hat explained the difficulties in cultivating a mycelium offshoot, Angel’s gaze slowly moved down from it, surveying the statue.

The statue was a pure white full-body sculpture made from a material Angel had not encountered before, seemingly a mix of special clay and additives, resulting in a smooth ceramic texture.

The sculpted figure was not a human but a small white mouse wearing a top hat and dressed in a pure white tailcoat, adjusting the bow tie on its neck with both hands.

The little white mouse’s hindquarters were deliberately tilted upwards, with such a curve that a cup of tea could rest upon it. Its curved white tail extended upward, lifting the top hat... because the top hat was too large, and its head was too small, lest the hat cover its face entirely, it used its tail to hold it up for a better appearance.

This statue was quite comical, even rather cute.

But Angel had no doubt that the original of this statue must be a powerful creature from the Nightmare Realm. After all, there were few Nightmare Realm creatures dressed as human nobility that were not powerful.

Angel moved his gaze from the statue, surveying his surroundings.

By some worldly customs, statues erected at a castle’s entrance typically served to honor and commemorate ancestors or significant figures.

However, whether such customs applied here, Angel did not know. Yet, a little white mouse capable of being immortalized in such a statue was undoubtedly a big deal.

Since Angel had seen Misty Goldlady’s silhouette before, although he hadn’t seen her face, he could ascertain that this statue was definitely not her. Perhaps the one standing above even had a greater identity than Misty Goldlady?

Could it be that Lord Nuka?

Angel, though filled with speculation, had no pretext to inquire at this moment, so he could only hold his questions.

”After all this conversation, do you not think it’s courtesy to introduce yourself first?” Angel’s tone held the aloofness typical of nobility, with a ”you’re somewhat discourteous” glance directed at the top hat.

The top hat’s round eyes paused for a moment before replying after a long interval, ”I, I have no formal name, but for other reasons, you may call me ’Mad.’”

”Mad...” Angel murmured softly, recalling the Mad Lord mentioned on the mushroom forum earlier. It was probably this top hat.

Angel nodded after asking about the top hat’s identity, initially planning to steer the topic towards the statue, but he reconsidered and decided against it. After all, though the statue appeared inanimate, who knew if it might suddenly speak like the top hat.

Moreover, if the statue truly represented a more powerful superior, Angel was uncertain if his identity would suffice. If Shava were acquainted with the little white mouse depicted, it would be more inappropriate to inquire.

With these thoughts, Angel changed the subject: ”Is Misty Goldlady still in the castle?”

At this question, the top hat named Mad fell silent abruptly, only responding after a long pause, ”Yes, Misty Goldlady is in the castle, but she...”

Halfway through, Mad suddenly stammered, and after a lengthy pause, added, ”Actually, Misty Goldlady she...”

Angel initially intended to listen to Mad’s explanation, but the consistent halt suggested some difficulty in stating or an uncertainty about where to begin.

Angel pondered for a moment, deciding not to inquire further but directly striding toward the castle.