Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 2508: Chapter 2509: Old Porter

Lord Pat?!

Perhaps there are other people with the surname Pat in the Wizards’ Realm, but from the Barbarian Cave, there’s only one Lord Pat!

Transcendental Wizard!

Old Porter first showed a look of astonishment, but quickly, as if he realized something suddenly, he bowed deeply to Angel with respect.

”Forgive my poor eyesight; I failed to recognize you earlier...”

Angel: ”No need for forgiveness, just tell us the specifics of the incident involving the Guide being captured.”

Although Angel had already heard one version of the story from Abulei, it didn’t hurt to ask again; there might be new updates.

Upon hearing this, Old Porter immediately understood Angel was here to handle the Guide incident.

Resolving this matter as quickly as possible to rescue Lady Melo would naturally be the best outcome. However, Old Porter didn’t immediately blurt out what he knew, instead cautiously glancing at Red Sword Dox beside him.

He knew Red Sword Dox was a Wandering Wizard, with presumably no ties to the Barbarian Cave, and was unsure why he was here.

Dox didn’t notice the wary look from Old Porter towards him, or if he did, he didn’t care. All his attention was now focused on Angel.

Previously, Abulei had been addressing Angel as ”lord,” and at that time, Dox didn’t know what the surname of this so-called lord was, but now he knew... Pat.

The information among Wandering Wizards is not closed off, and one might even say it circulates more freely than that of many Witcher Organizations.

Currently, across the entire Wizards’ Realm, the hottest new wizard, the one most discussed in major wizard magazines recently, the wizard with the fastest advancement speed in centuries.

All these titles were heaped onto a wizard named Pat.

Is this Pat truly the same Pat?

As Dox pondered in suspicion, Angel nodded to Old Porter: ”Feel free to speak, Abulei briefed us earlier; the Red Sword Wizard was also present then.”

The information Abulei knew might not necessarily surpass Old Porter’s. Hence, Angel’s words were also a reminder to Old Porter: if there were sensitive details that Abulei hadn’t previously shared, it was best to hold them for now. After all, Dox was just an outsider.

Old Porter, having been around long enough, naturally understood the implication in Angel’s words. He gathered his thoughts and started from the beginning.

Old Porter’s account didn’t differ much from Abulei’s.

However, today Old Porter learned some new inside information through the guards at the Princess Castle. A team from the Royal Knight Group would soon be escorting some prisoners out of Princess Town. Who exactly would be escorted was currently unknown, but it was possible Lady Melo was among them. As for where they were being taken, Old Porter hadn’t found out, but he guessed it might be the Royal Capital.

Old Porter: ”Ever since this place was renamed Princess Town, the Royal Knight Group of King Gumman would come here periodically, and they would leave silently. I suspect each of their visits was actually to escort captured Transcendents away.”

Abulei pondered: ”If this suspicion is true, what is the Gumman royal family capturing so many Transcendents for? And how dare they even capture the Guide from the Barbarian Cave without fearing repercussions?”

The Crowned Parrot perched atop Abulei’s head remarked snidely: ”That’s a redundant question. Besides their combat strength and flesh, what use are Transcendents? King Gumman doesn’t need their combat strength, surely they’re using the flesh for something. It might be some sinister Alchemy Array. In the original world, I’ve heard of evil wizards in the Wizards’ Realm who like to combine various creatures into terrifying Stitching Beasts.”

The Crowned Parrot shuddered noticeably when mentioning the Stitching Beast. Angel guessed that the so-called Stitching Beast was akin to the ”big bad wolf” adults use to scare children in the human world.

”Is it really like that?” Abulei asked curiously.

The Crowned Parrot: ”How would I know? I’m just speculating. Foolish servant, don’t you have any opinion of your own? The first step to surviving in this world is to have your own judgment, understand?”

Being somewhat docile herself and with the Crowned Parrot being her summoned creature, which also had an authoritative tone, Abulei naturally dared not disobey and nodded in agreement.

Old Porter, listening to the conversation between Abulei and the Crowned Parrot, was a bit curious. What was up with this parrot? Before Abulei left from here, it definitely wasn’t around.

”That parrot is a summons newly contracted by Abulei,” Angel explained offhandedly.

Upon hearing Angel’s words, the Crowned Parrot softly protested, ”Not just a summons, but also Abulei’s master.”

Ignoring the remark, Angel continued: ”The situation it just described actually has a high probability. The captured Transcendents are mostly apprentices, with combat abilities at average at best, and as long as they have free will, they might rebel. Using their power would require brainwashing or forcing contract agreements, which is quite troublesome.”

”As for the Crowned Parrot’s suggestion that it’s their flesh and blood that’s valuable, that’s indeed possible. But whether it’s an evil Alchemy Array, that’s uncertain. It could be things more sinister than the Alchemy Array.”

At this point, Angel’s mind flashed with the image of Crimson Authority, which is likely related to the Unparalleled Great Demon God of the Abyss. If King Gumman was connected to that figure... perhaps the Alchemy Array would be the least of concerns.

”As for the question Abulei raised about why they dare to capture the Guide from the Barbarian Cave, perhaps it’s a turning point.”

Abulei: ”A turning point? What do you mean?”

Before Angel could reply, the Crowned Parrot abruptly slapped a wing on Abulei: ”Can’t you think for yourself? You just showed lack of judgment right after I mentioned it.”

Feeling a bit wronged, Abulei mumbled: ”I really didn’t understand.”

The Crowned Parrot snorted coldly: ”A turning point signifies a possible change in the situation, either the endgame’s madness or the near conclusion of a feast.”

Though still a bit confused, Abulei was too embarrassed to ask again now, so she just nodded hastily.

Angel gave the Crowned Parrot a deep look; this parrot was even smarter than he imagined. Perhaps Abulei had indeed found a treasure this time.

Angel didn’t comment on the Crowned Parrot’s explanation; instead, he remarked calmly: ”None of it really matters. Regardless of what they’re doing with the Transcendents, it’s unrelated to our mission this time.”

”However, Old Porter, even if these are just conjectures, this information needs to be disseminated. If it’s true, the higher-ups will handle it.”

Old Porter nodded immediately: ”Understood, I’ll go draft the confidential report shortly.”

Angel acknowledged with a nod; since the intelligence from Old Porter matched with what Abulei shared, it was time to visit Princess Castle.

As for probing the underlying reasons, it wasn’t due to Angel’s laziness but rather his unwillingness to get involved in such troublesome affairs.

Sanders had repeatedly cautioned him against entangling himself with Gumman’s relics or King Gumman, as it was a headache for the entire Wizard society.

After all, the Gumman Kingdom had billions of citizens, and to some extent, these citizens could be considered hostages of King Gumman.

King Gumman is both ruthless and insane, treating even his own children like livestock, let alone ordinary people.

Angel had no intention of getting involved. As the Crowned Parrot mentioned, if it was truly ”the path of madness” and ”the feast is about to begin,” the higher-ups of the various Witcher Organizations would handle it. His strength was not enough to contend with everything, so there was no need to dive into this muddy water.

”Next, I’ll head to Princess Castle to take a look. If possible, I will rescue Lady Melo directly.” After Angel finished speaking, he turned to everyone: ”Old Porter, you should stay here, and you too, Abulei. As for Dox...”

Angel did not know what Dox was thinking, so he could only look at him with an inquiring gaze.

”I said before I came, I’m here for the spectacle. Such an interesting matter, I definitely have to witness it firsthand. I’ll go with you,” Dox said.

After Dox spoke, seeing Angel frown slightly, he added: ”Don’t worry, I won’t be a hindrance. My concealment skills are quite strong. I’m just going to watch the show. If you need help, I’ll assist at any time, I promise I’ll follow your lead.”

Seeing Dox had gone this far, Angel did not refuse anymore and nodded his head.

”Before leaving, there are some matters I need to discuss with Old Porter privately.”

Angel’s meaning was clear, and Dox shrugged: ”Then I’ll go have a few drinks outside.”

After speaking, Dox turned and left.

Abulei hesitated for a moment, and then the Crowned Parrot, rolling its eyes, dragged her out. Even though they had gone far away, Angel could still hear the Crowned Parrot grumbling: ”How could such a noble being like me have ended up with a servant who has no sense?”

Once they left, Old Porter then curiously asked: ”My lord, do you have any instructions?”

Angel said nothing and directly extended his finger, injecting a stream of the Power of Nightmare Illusion into Old Porter’s brow.

Angel used the Art of Fear, but modified with the Power of Nightmare Illusion to have a similar effect to hypnotism. It would not instill fear in Old Porter but could use nightmare methods to uncover Old Porter’s most genuine thoughts.

Similar spell techniques exist in Heart Illusion. However, Angel knew few Heart Illusion tricks or spells. The Art of Fear was the most commonly used and the most modified by him. As long as it worked, the form was not important.

The reason he wanted to understand Old Porter’s true thoughts was because Angel still didn’t completely trust Old Porter.

Even in the Mirror World, a place of long-standing residency, there were always turncoats and spies. Much less Old Porter, who had been stationed in the Gumman Kingdom, a place rife with corruption, for years.

So, to be cautious, Angel decided to test Old Porter.

Angel asked, and Old Porter answered.

After several minutes of questions and answers, Angel finally relaxed. Old Porter indeed genuinely served the Barbarian Cave, neither a turncoat nor a traitor.

The only lie he had told before was about the reason he accepted the stationing task.

Old Porter publicly stated it was because he had no hope of advancing and accepted the field task to enjoy a leisurely life. But the truth was different; Old Porter indeed reached an advanced apprentice bottleneck and couldn’t find an opportunity to break through over the years, but he never thought of giving up on advancing.

The reason he came to Princess Town was due to the chaos in the Gumman Kingdom. Although it was risky here, the more disorder, the easier it was to obtain resources.

Over the years, Old Porter had indeed obtained considerable resources through some means, much more than staying in the Barbarian Cave.

However, even with resources, he hadn’t advanced, mainly due to the lack of knowledge accumulation.

Although he obtained resources here, without mentors’ guidance, Spirit Tree Courtyard’s courses, or Cloudtop Library’s materials, breaking through the bottleneck remained impossible.

So, Old Porter had actually already prepared to return to the Barbarian Cave after working a few more years.

Although Old Porter lied about this, to Angel, it wasn’t a big deal. Everyone plans their future; Old Porter was clearly taking action. As long as he didn’t betray the Barbarian Cave, having some personal motives was normal.

Angel lightly snapped his fingers, and Old Porter’s dull eyes immediately regained clarity.

Angel did not shield Old Porter’s memory, so Old Porter remembered the questions and answers just now. This made Old Porter’s expression somewhat complex, but given Angel’s status, he dared not say anything.

Angel said, ”I was bold just now, but it was a necessary procedure.”

As the words fell, Angel lightly stomped the ground, and a shadow suddenly sprang up, enveloping Angel and Old Porter.

This was a sealed space created by Earl Mi.

”What I’m about to say next involves a secret of the Barbarian Cave. Thus, I had to conduct a faction verification, which you passed.”

At this moment, Old Porter was still somewhat suspicious. Was it really because he was going to be told a secret that hypnotism was used on him?

Angel didn’t care about Old Porter’s deliberately concealed doubtful gaze, taking a standard single-lens glasses from his bracelet and handing it to Old Porter.

This single-lens glasses, of course, was the log-in device for the Wilderness of Dreams.

The reason for giving Old Porter the log-in device was mainly for convenient communication. Although Angel didn’t want to get involved with matters related to King Gumman or look into their intention of capturing transcendent beings, if the Crowned Parrot’s prediction was accurate, it was indeed a significant issue, and this information should be conveyed to the Barbarian Cave as soon as possible for Lord Rhein to assess.

Of course, Angel could do this himself, but given his lesser understanding of the Gumman Kingdom compared to Old Porter, it was preferable for Old Porter to explain it himself.

Additionally, this was regarded as a benefit Angel was giving Old Porter.

What Old Porter craved most now was knowledge. Having resources but no way to turn them into a foundation was his biggest problem.

Now, with the log-in device, Old Porter could seek advice in the Wilderness of Dreams. Though the library in New City was still being planned — primarily because the control of Cloudtop Library was in Book Elder’s hands, without his consent, books couldn’t be dragged into the Wilderness of Dreams — even so, some basic books could be found, and there were many wizards providing courses in New City that Old Porter could attend.

However, Old Porter was currently unaware of these benefits.

After explaining the use of the log-in device to Old Porter, Angel ceased further explanation. He planned to send Old Porter near Ironclad Granny, where Old Porter could ask questions if needed. Also, Princess Town affairs could be communicated to Lord Rhein through Granny for further judgment.

After finishing everything, Angel suggested that Old Porter find a safe place to use the log-in device.

Though Old Porter was skeptical, he still followed Angel’s instructions, resting on the small sofa in the chamber and putting on the monocle.

After confirming that Old Porter had entered the Wilderness of Dreams, Angel silently collected Earl Mi and exited the room.

There was no need to worry about Old Porter now; he was in contact with Granny. Now, it was time to resolve the issue of the Guide being captured.