Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 2915: Chapter 2916: Miniature Garden Within a Miniature Garden

”Nobility indeed lives up to its name, even the code names are so elegant. The Silver Fox symbolizes wisdom and glory; just imaging this image makes one seem to see a silver gleam flashing in the sky above the Sunshine Circus.” The Joker host fantasized with an intoxicated look, and when the fantasy ended, he raised his arms high and shouted: ”The most loyal audience of the Sunshine Circus, let’s cheer for our new challenger, the Silver Fox! I believe she will bring us the most spectacular performance!”

In the unknown darkness, a wave of cheers rose higher and higher. It seemed as if from all directions were the so-called ”loyal audience” in the host’s mouth.

Laplace’s eyebrows furrowed involuntarily; she did not like this feeling of being watched, especially being observed by a group of dark creatures whose identity, even humanity, was unknown.

Though feeling unpleasant, Laplace also understood the situation clearly, and she lowered her head silently, without making a sound. Instead, she waited for this not-so-pleasant ”plot” to pass.

”It seems that our Silver Fox challenger can’t wait to present her wonderful performance to the audience! Without further ado, the show is about to start, let’s draw the curtain!”

As the Joker host’s words fell, there was another wave of cheers.

The Joker host ended this opening speech with a comical chest-touching gesture.

At the same time, the spotlight above his head slowly faded, and now, the only one still under the spotlight in the darkness was Laplace.

Moreover, the light was still intensifying; one beam, two beams, three beams... five beams, a total of five beams of spotlight shining on Laplace.

Making her already pale face even whiter, especially in the dark, white to the point of glowing.

Laplace showed obvious discomfort with the massive spotlights, she tried to move her body, out of the spotlight’s range.

One good news, two bad news.

The good news is that her body could move.

The first bad news is that wherever she moved, the spotlight still followed her; the second bad news is that somehow, her body gained a thick doll costume.

This was exactly as the Temporal Body had said.

However, the Temporal Body wore a black rabbit doll costume, which was different for her. Although there were ears on the head, fur on the body, and a tail at the back; but the tail outweighs the body weight, it was a Thick-Tailed Silver Fox doll outfit.

”Is it because... I chose Silver Fox as the code name? So the costume on my body turns into a Silver Fox doll outfit?” Laplace pondered in her heart.

Laplace moved slightly, getting used to the Silver Fox doll costume. Then she found that the feeling of constraint on body parts was actually not strong, but the tail was too thick and almost comparable to her body weight, which caused her center of gravity to obviously lean backward.

In such a situation, stronger control might be needed to complete the track.

Had she known earlier, she would have chosen Monkey as the code name. Perhaps, the monkey doll shouldn’t be too heavy.

Laplace now had no possibility of regret and could only continue trying to control her own center of gravity.

At this moment, the host’s voice sounded in the darkness: ”One minute until the entrance, the Silver Fox challenger looks like she’s working hard on training, presumably to achieve better performance.”

”Our first performance track is the Knife Mountain Track. The most important thing for this track is the balance and timing control.”

”However, if there is an alternative method, we also recognize that.”

”So Silver Fox contestant, please boldly unleash your imagination, the next Sunshine Star might be you!”

As the words fell instantaneously, the minute countdown also concluded.

In the blink of an eye, darkness was replaced by light.

However, this light was not as bright as imagined, very much like the feeling given by a cloudy day, and the brightness did not even exceed the spotlights on her. Yes, the five beams of spotlight still shone on her, following her everywhere.

Even though the brightness was not high, fortunately, it allowed her to see the surrounding scene.

Laplace thought she would see the scene inside the circus or see the so-called audience cheering with disgusting expressions, but none of that was present.

The place she stood was on the pinnacle of a cliff on a high mountain.

There was no road downhill and only about ten meters of activity space around.

The only way to the outside world was a cableway.

The cableway stretched into the clouds and fog, unknown where it extended.

Beside the cableway, there was a signboard and a timer. The signboard introduced the cableway situation, and the timer had a ten-minute countdown, with a red button nearby.

Regarding the timer, the Temporal Body had mentioned to her before. The ten-minute countdown was the time she could stay on this mountaintop. If she hadn’t moved within ten minutes, the challenge would directly fail.

Within this ten-minute countdown, as long as you decide to start the challenge, you can press the red button and enter the real countdown.

Before the countdown ends, the cableway challenge must be completed, otherwise, it will be considered a failed challenge.

Laplace did not rush to challenge but instead raised her head and pouted her chest, with her tail swaying left and right, walking elegantly to the signboard, to see the information on it.

—The reason she raised her head and pouted her chest while walking elegantly was not her willingness, but rather the only way she could maintain her center of gravity.

Laplace quickly read the information on the signboard.

It roughly explained the cableway’s situation and rules.

The cableway is located between two mountain peaks, approximately a thousand meters, with the challenge success time for half a minute. Below the cableway, the ground is covered with blades, and if you fall, you will encounter irreparable danger. So, the signboard kindly gave an advice: if you find it impossible, you can choose to hang on the cableway until the time is up. Failing the challenge is still better than losing your life.

Besides this advice, Laplace also saw a second advice.

The second advice was not mentioned by the Temporal Body, perhaps she thought it unnecessary to mention, because this advice was quite odd and seemed of little value from the Temporal Body’s perspective.

”Completing the challenge is important, but remember that as a performer, it is more important to bring joy to the audience.”

This advice encourages challengers to perform on the tightrope?

Laplace’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, she said nothing and returned to the side to continue controlling her center of gravity.

In the interval of Laplace’s special training, she spoke softly: ”Are you there?”

After a while, Laplace heard a familiar voice in her ear: ”...Here.”

”Since you’re here, why didn’t you speak before?” Laplace asked in confusion.

The person she called was naturally Angel. Nowadays, only Angel can use the so-called Birdcage View to observe what is happening inside the Miniature Garden.

Angel coughed twice and then said: ”I wasn’t silent, I was observing this Miniature Garden, yes, observing.”

What Angel said was only half the reason, he was indeed observing, but there was another reason for his silence; Laplace’s outfit made him somewhat hesitant to speak.

It wasn’t about embarrassment, but rather... although Laplace usually acts frivolously, she is still a big shot in the Mirror Domain, with her own style. Her current outfit just felt too incongruous.

Angel knows many powerful Wizards who will kill those who see, say, or hear what they shouldn’t, in order to protect their image.

So, Angel wasn’t silent out of choice but concern if Laplace was someone with an ”image burden.”

Even if Laplace knows Angel can see what she looks like, as long as they both tacitly agree not to speak, this matter can be ignored... and Angel can avoid being resented.

But since Laplace took the initiative to call him, Angel could only respond.

Fortunately, from the current situation, Laplace is not someone experiencing image burden.

On the other end, Laplace also heard Angel’s somewhat perfunctory response but didn’t pursue the matter and instead followed his topic to ask: ”Then what have you observed?”

Speaking of this question, Angel indeed observed quite a lot of information.

Firstly, Laplace is in a Miniature Garden within the Miniature Garden!

The first Miniature Garden is naturally the Sunshine Circus, but Laplace is not actually inside the Sunshine Circus; she is within a glass landscape of the Sunshine Circus.

It’s similar to an aquarium, except there’s no water in this glass box.

So, whether it’s the misty clouds or the steep cliffs and mountain-top cableways, they are all just part of the scenery.

This is what is meant by the Miniature Garden within the Miniature Garden.

Secondly, Laplace can’t see the host or the spectators at this moment, as if there are no spectators, but in truth, there are.

Just outside this glass landscape, there’s a tent for the Circus, filled with masses of spectators and people from Sunshine Circus.

However, these spectators don’t have faces; they appear as shadows.

Even when Angel looks from God’s View, they are nothing more than undulating shadows. Among the people of Sunshine Circus, only the Joker host has a face; the rest are covered by shadows, too.

Angel speculates two possibilities. First, it’s highly likely that it hasn’t reached their time to appear, so their faces are obscured by shadows; second, they might be unimportant just like the spectators, hence they’ve been censored.

No matter which guess it is, it doesn’t affect Laplace at this moment.

After Angel shared his discovery, Laplace furrowed her brow: ”You mean, I’m actually in a glass cabinet’s scenery, being watched by a bunch of spectators?”

Angel: ”Yes.”

Laplace’s expression turned somber. When the surroundings brightened, she thought the cheering was false, but now it seems there are spectators; she just can’t see them, they can only see her.

This feeling makes her quite displeased.

Suppressing the discomfort within, Laplace continued asking: ”Then can you see the track layout inside the glass cabinet’s scenery?”

Angel: ”Are you referring to the Knife Mountain track? I can see it, but overall it’s just as described on the signboard—a single cableway with countless blades below. Falling down there would be extremely unpleasant, even if one survives.”

Laplace: ”Not the Knife Mountain cableway; I mean the other tracks.”

According to the information gained from the Temporal Body, there are as many as five tracks here, and she only knows the first track is Knife Mountain. Known tracks, no matter how dangerous, have psychological expectations; but unknown tracks are what concern her.

Angel pondered: ”Can’t see them. In the scenery you’re in now, there’s only this one Knife Mountain track. I don’t know what the other tracks are like; most likely, only after clearing the first track will the second track appear.”

This isn’t exactly good news, but Laplace has already entered the Miniature Garden and can only accept it.

Next, she asked the last question: ”Have you seen my Temporal Body?”

Laplace was naturally referring to the Rabbit Girl, the previous challenger, Black Rabbit.

Angel: ”Haven’t seen her, but I have a locating authority, which makes me feel she should be outside in the Sunshine Circus.”

After saying this, Angel couldn’t help but sigh: ”This Special Dreamland feels more difficult than the last Dreamland.”

Laplace: ”Difficult or not is uncertain for now, but the type is clearly different.”

In the previous instance, normal people could complete it through puzzle-solving and reasoning. But this time, the test isn’t about solving puzzles, so the type is evidently different.

Angel watched Laplace continually adjusting her body’s center of gravity, clearly adapting to the doll suit. After hesitating for a moment, he couldn’t help but ask: ”Are you confident?”

Laplace didn’t answer directly but asked in return: ”Do you have any suggestions?”

Angel: ”I... don’t have any suggestions. However, I think there’s something peculiar.”

Laplace: ”Oh?”

Angel: ”I heard the host clearly say once, ’This time, it’s a noble challenger.’ After that, he also emphasized your noble identity.”

”This point should not be applied to your Temporal Body but is specifically a statement about your noble identity.”

Laplace fell silent for a moment: ”What are you trying to say?”

Angel: ”The glory of the Fan Family.”

Angel paused: ”I suspect that ’Fan Family’s Glory’ you initiated has produced this effect.”

”I’m not sure if this Sunshine Circus knows about the Fan Family, but I tend to believe... they don’t know.”

”In other words, the host calling you a noble is because of the reward you activated, giving you a noble identity. And this identity might not be without value.”

Laplace: ”Is there really value in a noble identity?”

Angel hesitated briefly before sharing his speculation: ”My judgment is that this identity might be universally applicable in the Immortal Realm. That means, you’re a noble in the Sunshine Circus and will be considered a noble in other Special Dreamlands as well. In some Special Dreamlands, having a noble identity might be very useful, such as in puzzle-solving dreamlands, where you can mobilize people like the police, sheriff, or even the city defense team to solve the puzzles in a more straightforward way.”

Laplace pondered for a moment: ”I hadn’t thought about this approach. Come to think of it, there indeed seems to be such a possibility. However, the noble identity shouldn’t be applicable to the current Sunshine Circus, should it?”

Angel: ”The type is different; here, only the challenger matters, not who the challenger is. So the noble identity might not be useful, but I have a small speculation.”

Laplace: ”What speculation?”

Angel: ”Since Fan Family’s Glory can have an impact here, could other rewards obtained from clearing Special Dreamlands be used here too?”

Laplace was taken aback for a moment, seemingly realizing something, then closed her eyes...

Several seconds later, under Angel’s perception, Laplace’s aura suddenly intensified, a characteristic of thickening blood energy.

And thick blood energy signifies comprehensive bodily enhancement.

”It’s actually useful... Helen’s Imaginative Constitution can be used here!” Laplace exclaimed in surprise.

At this moment, Angel also breathed a sigh of relief.

The ”Dreamland of Wonderland” authority can restrict foreign tools like molts, preventing them from being used in all Special Dreamlands, yet the abilities produced by the Immortal Realm itself can function in different realms.

This could be considered barely good news.

However, the rewards from Laplace’s two Special Dreamlands directly affect the body, none are external objects.

Angel now really wants to know one thing—whether Special Dreamland rewarded Enchanted Land Tools, which are external in nature, can be used in instances like ”Sunshine Circus.”

Perhaps find a chance for Glaipnir to try? She has an Enchanted Land Tool ”Bella’s Whip” in hand...

But to be fair, it’s uncertain how many instances like ”Sunshine Circus” that ban molts exist within the ”Immortal Realm.”

If there aren’t many, who knows when she could experiment with ”Bella’s Whip.”

Unless Laplace’s current challenge fails, then Glaipnir could take the whip into Sunshine Circus to experience it.

Thinking of this, Angel couldn’t help but mockingly smile inwardly... how could Laplace possibly fail?

What’s more, Laplace can also use ”Helen’s Imaginative Constitution,” which was once the physique of the Masked Man, comparable to a Bloodline Apprentice, its comprehensive quality is not to be underestimated.

With the augmentation of this constitution, facing these tracks that sound frightening but aren’t actually too perilous, Laplace is sure not to fail.

Indeed, she won’t fail.

...Probably.