Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 3303: Chapter 3304: Eerie Void

Wang Wang was troubled for a long time, once wanting to contact Angel to discuss the matter of Heideland with him.

However, this matter also involved its own inner hesitation, making it difficult to open up.

Now that Angel brought it up voluntarily, it found an opportunity to express itself, and without hiding anything, it revealed its inner anxiety.

After listening to Wang Wang’s narration, Angel didn’t answer immediately but said with a self-mocking tone, ”I originally thought I was the first to discover the transmutation in Heideland, but it turns out you had noticed long ago.”

”But thinking it over carefully, it makes sense. As the ’guardian’ of the Void Travelers, if you hadn’t cared about Heideland’s changes, that would indeed be surprising.”

”But speaking of which, as the guardian, you saw the delightful changes in your ’child’, but merely imagined a bunch of problems that made you anxious, remaining indifferent to Heideland... this situation, it’s my first time seeing.”

Wang Wang: Is this what they call sarcasm?

Wang Wang: ”Can you speak normally?”

Angel nodded noncommittally: ”Aren’t I speaking normally? I can understand your thoughts, but actually, you’re considering things that are too far off, and there’s no need to think that much.”

”Just take care of things right in front of you first.”

”Currently, with Heideland’s enhancement of wisdom, just focus on nurturing and observing Heideland fully, accumulating relevant experience through analyzing Heideland’s behavior.”

”As for your considerations about other Void Travelers, these actually aren’t important. Because, you don’t even know what the upper limit of Heideland is, and you’re considering others? Think about it carefully, does that make sense?”

If ultimately Heideland can only be nurtured to the intelligence level of a seven or eight-year-old child, the value for promotion isn’t that high, maintaining the status quo is fine.

If Heideland’s wisdom upper limit can reach the level of Wang Wang, then it can be said to be a significant enhancement for the Void Travelers, and needs to be nurtured with all efforts. Even if it requires conducting several control group experiments, it would be worthwhile.

”Right now, Heideland’s understanding ability might not even be superior to that of a two or three-year-old child, so thinking about distant ’universal education’ is truly unnecessary.”

Angel: ”Moreover, there’s something you haven’t considered.”

Wang Wang wondered: ”What is it?”

”Your wisdom is innate, which makes it difficult for you to empathize with the current Void Travelers and find a way for them to enhance their wisdom.” Angel: ”But Heideland is different. If it can ultimately reach your level of wisdom, it means its intelligence has grown from poverty to spiritual richness, and its growth is traceable. Furthermore, it understands its own growth the best.”

”Therefore, if it formulates the enlightenment path of the Void Travelers, it would absolutely be the most suitable. After all, it has already walked this path.”

So, Angel thinks Wang Wang’s concerns are entirely unnecessary.

First ”enrich” one, then let the first ”rich” Heideland lead others who are lagging behind, achieving collective ”enrichment” in the end.

Isn’t this a path promising a bright future?

Wang Wang’s anxiety about letting Void Travelers interact with other beings simply won’t happen. From start to finish, it’s mutual assistance within the Void Travelers.

After hearing Angel’s words, Wang Wang remained silent for a long time: ”But, if Heideland eventually discovers its wisdom is indeed related to interacting with humans, won’t that still lead other Void Travelers to interact with humans?”

Angel: ”...”

If Wang Wang were in front of him now, he would probably directly drag Wang Wang before Jon and have it learn what speculation means.

Unfortunately, Wang Wang is an unknown spatial distance away from Angel.

Angel can only suppress his inner thoughts and patiently explain: ”If what you said truly happens, then the one who should be considering the consequences wouldn’t be you, but Heideland.”

Wang Wang: ”But I...”

Angel interrupted: ”No more ’buts’. You are indeed the guardian of the Void Travelers, but you must admit, you haven’t interacted with any civilization for a long period. And by then, Heideland, who has grown up, would have constantly been interacting with human society. It would certainly understand human relationships better than you, and thus, it would definitely consider all aspects thoroughly.”

Of course, the precondition is that Heideland can truly grow to that stage.

”Besides, even if Heideland’s arrangement has loopholes, isn’t there still me?” Angel slowed down his tone: ”You haven’t considered me at all, is it because you think I’m not important, or do you think I’ll die young, missing the moment of the Void Travelers’ resurgence?”

Wang Wang: ”I didn’t mean that, it’s just...” having gotten used to loneliness, I never considered relying on anyone.

Although Wang Wang didn’t voice its incomplete thoughts, Angel could roughly guess what Wang Wang wanted to say.

Angel gently said: ”We could try to rely on each other.”

Wang Wang wanted to say something, but before it could, Angel beat it to it and said: ”In fact, we’re already relying on each other. Just take now, for instance, when I want to find information on Deacon Goose and Kross, aren’t I relying on you and your companions?”

Wang Wang was silent for a long time before saying: ”This isn’t mutual reliance at all, it’s a one-sided owing from you.”

Angel chuckled: ”Only when we both owe each other can there be mutual reliance. If we calculate everything so accurately, then it’s not reliance but an equivalent exchange.”

Wang Wang muttered, ”Only you can say things like that.”

Angel wasn’t bothered by Wang Wang’s grumbling, bringing the topic back to Heideland: ”In short, you don’t need to think about so many non-existent problems. Right now, you should focus on how to better nurture Heideland.”

Wang Wang: ”I’m not even near Heideland, I don’t know how to nurture it either.”

Angel casually replied: ”Then leave it to me. I’ll still use the previous methods, fostering its self-awareness through interests.”

The so-called interest, of course, refers to movie watching.

Many times, observation itself is a form of learning. Heideland is so mindful about Anomalous Fire Alchemist, simply because it learns during movie watching, right?

Angel: ”Besides, I just happen to have an Empty-hearted Person here who needs to start learning about the world from scratch, so Heideland could learn alongside it.”

Although Wang Wang didn’t know what an Empty-hearted Person was, it could roughly understand Angel’s intention... to sum it up in one word: learning.

Whether Void Travelers can become smart through learning, Wang Wang doesn’t know, but it’s willing to let Angel try. It believes Angel will protect Heideland well.

After all, he is a respected presence even by that great one.

Seeing Wang Wang remain silent for a long while, Angel added: ”Of course, you can’t stay out of it either.”

Wang Wang: ”...What should I do?”

Angel: ”Just like before, frequently communicate with Heideland, recording whether its wisdom is growing. If there are cases of accelerated growth, stagnation, or even regression, you need to remind me immediately. I will adjust the current methods accordingly.”

Angel actually could record these contents himself, but it would be better for Wang Wang to do it.

This way, Wang Wang can have more involvement; at the same time, communication between Wang Wang and Heideland is definitely more convenient than Heideland communicating with me.

Wang Wang understood Angel’s meaning as well: ”I got it, I’ll cooperate... By the way...”

Angel: ”What?”

Wang Wang pondered for a moment and said, ”And... thank you.”

Angel chuckled lightly: ”No need to thank me, I said before, mutual debt leads to mutual reliance.”

Wang Wang snorted coldly: ”Thanks are just a courtesy, doesn’t mean I’m truly grateful.”

Angel pursed his lips, silently chanting ”such a tsundere,” but didn’t say anything out loud. These creatures, after years of solitude, are actually easy to see through, but even if you understand them, it’s best not to expose their thoughts. Otherwise, if they truly turn tsundere, they can go hundreds or thousands of years without making a peep.

Angel is currently banking on Wang Wang’s Void network to help him establish a broad intelligence system; therefore, it’s absolutely not the time to let Wang Wang sulk alone. He must go with the flow and smooth things over.

Next, Angel chatted with Wang Wang for a while about Heideland, letting Wang Wang understand Heideland’s movements, making it easier to monitor Heideland’s intellectual changes.

As their chat was nearing its end, Wang Wang suddenly paused, seemingly receiving information from other Void Travelers.

Angel didn’t interrupt, silently waiting nearby.

A few minutes later, Wang Wang re-established the ”connection.”

Angel: ”Is there a response from Deacon Goose and Cross’s intelligence?”

Wang Wang: ”There’s currently no response from any intelligence of Deacon Goose and Cross. Wait a few more minutes. If there’s still no response, then there really won’t be any.”

Angel sighed, originally thinking that if there was no intelligence from Cross, at least there would be some from Deacon Goose... But now it seems that whether it’s Deacon Goose or Cross, they’ll have to be archived for now.

Wang Wang: ”Although I didn’t receive intelligence from Deacon Goose and Cross, I just got a piece of information about the Lofte World. Do you want to hear it?”

Information from the Lofte World?! Angel nodded without hesitation.

Angel isn’t particularly interested in the Lofte World, but the Observer of the Southern Domain is very concerned about it. Because an old friend of the Observer, ”Bai Niao,” has now been stationed there as the observer of that world.

The Lofte World is too unique, even miracles would rather not focus on it, hence the Observer is very worried about Bai Niao’s safety.

After learning that Angel has channels to obtain information about the Lofte World, the Observer privately approached him, hoping Angel could notify him first when there is new information.

Angel had also shared this information with Wang Wang.

Wang Wang promised Angel to provide related information, but for the safety of the Void Travellers, they won’t enter the Lofte World, only observe from a distance.

Because of this distanced observation without on-site investigation, information about the Lofte World is scarce.

Until now, Wang Wang had just received the first piece of intelligence related to the Lofte World.

Wang Wang: ”The information I got is that a peculiar void appeared outside the Lofte World.”

”A peculiar void?” Angel appeared confused. What was that?

Wang Wang shrugged: ”I don’t know either. You could think of it as a massive void formed by numerous Space Rifts...”

Through Wang Wang’s description, Angel vaguely imagined it, like a vortex of the Void, or... a mini black hole?

And inside this void, there seemed to be an unknown void path. But to where, Wang Wang didn’t know either.

According to its statement, the Void Travelers near the void all fled because of their instinctual crisis perception.

In other words, the Void Travelers believed that this peculiar void was full of danger. Forget about approaching it, even looking at it from afar felt unsafe, hence the premature escape.

Angel didn’t know what this void was either, but he still noted it down to inform the Observer later, who could make a better judgment.

”Was the Void Traveler who observed the void the same one that discovered the Void Blood Tree last time?” Angel asked curiously.

Last time, it was through the record of a piece of information about the Void Blood Tree outside the Lofte World in the ”Wilderness Traveler News” that the Observer discovered Angel had ”special” intelligence channels, thus entrusting him with help.

Wang Wang nodded: ”It’s them.”

Wang Wang used ’them’, indicating it wasn’t a single Void Traveler.

Angel, following suit, said: ”Then do they think the crisis sense from the Blood Tree was stronger, or is this peculiar void more threatening?”

Wang Wang: ”Wait a moment, I’ll ask.”

Because it was a directed question, this time Angel didn’t have to wait long before Wang Wang got the news.

Wang Wang said regretfully: ”They can’t determine. Whether it’s the Void Blood Tree or this peculiar void, they consider both as deadly crises.”

No matter which one, they all lead to the same conclusion: approaching means death. So determining the severity of crisis is challenging for them.

Angel: ”In the end, they’re just deadly crises...”

According to Angel’s understanding, the Void Blood Tree might be related to a certain Evil God in the Lofte World.

It’s still unknown what the peculiar void is about, and even if we equate the danger levels of both, the void crisis this time might also be at a Divine-level magnitude.

Angel nodded, noting this piece of information.

Even if it’s a Divine-level crisis, this isn’t something for him to worry about.

Setting aside the information about the Lofte World, Angel continued to ask Wang Wang: ”By the way, has anything new come from your lord recently?”

Last time, Angel sent an image to the Dalmatian.

The image itself wasn’t important. What was important was the desire Angel conveyed within it: to find the full text of the ”Singularity Scattering Meditation Method.”

Angel hoped to use a clever method to obtain the follow-up of the ”Singularity Scattering Meditation Method” from the Dalmatian.

He wasn’t sure if the Dalmatian had responded after so long.