Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 3330: Chapter 3331: The Secret of Heart Fire

”The Mystic Book Dragon actually spoke directly with Glaipnir in front of everyone, disregarding the so-called rules?” The Dog Deacon’s expression was full of surprise. As expected from a giant of the Hundred-Dragon Divine Kingdom, they completely disregard any public opinion or gossip.

Still, even so, it’s likely that no major group would dare to question the Mystic Book Dragon.

Without needing to think, the Dog Deacon could guess that the biggest topic of public opinion outside is definitely not discussing ”the Mystic Book Dragon breaking the rules,” but rather the curiosity of ”why the Mystic Book Dragon went to such great lengths to speak with Glaipnir.”

This also highlights the power of the Hundred-Dragon Divine Kingdom.

If it were someone else, they might have already been taken down by the Giant City Spirit.

But then again, it wasn’t just other groups outside; even the Dog Deacon was very curious why the Mystic Book Dragon was so urgent in talking with Glaipnir.

Is it because there’s an urgent matter? Or, did the log-in device Glaipnir showed make the Mystic Book Dragon so moved, even to the point of eagerly wanting to converse?

The Dog Deacon curiously turned his gaze to Luigi.

Now, the ones who know the inside story are probably only the Mirror Dragon Clan and Laplace’s temporal bodies.

There’s no way the Dog Deacon could go ask the Mirror Dragon Clan, and even if they did ask, the other party might not say anything. So, the only one who could clear things up would be Luigi, who is also one of Laplace’s temporal bodies.

Although the Dog Deacon didn’t say anything, his eyes were burning with curiosity and expectation. Luigi glanced over and immediately understood his thoughts.

However, in the face of such an intense gaze, Luigi could only shrug helplessly and moved his lips, silently indicating ’he also didn’t know the reason’.

Luigi wasn’t lying; Glaipnir was clearly still talking with the Mystic Book Dragon at that moment, with no room to synchronize.

Not just Luigi, even Laplace didn’t know what was happening on Glaipnir’s side.

They could only wait until Glaipnir found a gap, synchronized their minds, and then learned the inside story.

Although the wait shouldn’t be too long, regrettably, the main exhibition for today had already ended, and Laplace and others showed signs of leaving. Perhaps, before Glaipnir could convey a message, Laplace and the others would have left the Dog House.

It would be difficult for the Dog Deacon to obtain that information from other sources.

He was genuinely curious about this matter, itched in his heart, but the real situation was a bit tricky... he could only figure out a way to keep Luigi and the others.

But, how should he keep them?

While the Dog Deacon was deep in thought, a faint stream of information crossed through several spaces and entered his mind.

This stream of information was not perceived by anyone, not even Laplace; only the Dog Deacon could receive it because it came from... the Consciousness Cloud.

And the Consciousness Cloud was an intelligence hub controlled by the Ghost Steward.

After the Dog Deacon finished reading the transmitted information, a glimmer appeared in his eyes.

He had been thinking about how he could keep Laplace and the others a little longer; he racked his brains but couldn’t come up with a solution. But this sudden message from the Ghost Steward spared him the need to come up with reasons.

Because the Ghost Steward sent over the ”Heartfire” data he had previously requested.

...

Before Sipolov had even come, Angel had already informed the Dog Deacon of his reason for coming and expressed his curiosity about ”Heartfire.”

The Dog Deacon was not foolish; he immediately understood Angel’s intention from his words.

Angel hoped to use the Everything House’s capabilities to help understand more about Heartfire.

Visiting Sipolov, at most, would only give Angel a chance to reach the upper echelons of the Yingji Clan, thereby closing the distance with the Heartfire Hall. But even if Sipolov successfully connected Angel, and he went to the Heartfire Hall, getting Heartfire’s recognition would still be very difficult.

And the one most likely to assist in ”gaining Heartfire recognition” would probably be the Everything House.

Because Everything House has extensive knowledge of the various tribes within the Daylight Mirror Domain and detailed understanding of hidden secrets within various energy systems. Given Heartfire is the core ability of the Yingji Clan, the Everything House would surely have studied it thoroughly as well.

If Everything House could further help Angel understand Heartfire, that would certainly facilitate Angel’s acquisition of Heartfire.

The Dog Deacon understood Angel’s intention, but... he didn’t know much about Heartfire himself.

The one who knew Heartfire was the Ghost Steward, who placed the energy research of all tribes onto the Consciousness Cloud. Although the Dog Deacon had permission to receive messages from the Consciousness Cloud, he couldn’t freely browse through the stored information there.

To obtain ”Heartfire” information, an application must be submitted to the Ghost Steward.

Before the presentation even began, the Dog Deacon had already submitted an application to access the ”Heartfire” data, but the Ghost Steward hadn’t replied at all.

The Dog Deacon had thought it unlikely, and hence was quite surprised when, right after the presentation ended, the Ghost Steward gave a response and even packaged the ”Heartfire” data to him.

With this data, retaining Laplace and company became much easier for the Dog Deacon.

Angel needed Heartfire data, and Laplace valued Angel greatly. Retaining Angel was equivalent to retaining Laplace.

As the Dog Deacon was contemplating this, Luigi, as he had expected, proposed a ”farewell.”

Luigi: ”The presentation is over, and we’ve lingered here for quite some time; we should be leaving now.”

Luigi, while saying this, stood up, indicating it was time to leave.

Luigi said this, but he wasn’t in a hurry to leave; he was actually curious to see the Dog Deacon’s reaction after entering the Dream Crystal Origin... The reason for his contradictory farewell was to exploit the Dog Deacon’s curiosity about the ”gossip.” Based on what he knew about the Dog Deacon, he estimated that the Dog Deacon would offer some additional conditions to make them stay a bit longer.

By then, Luigi could seize the opportunity to ask for a favor... or perhaps exchange for some sheet music from the Everything House.

Luigi’s plan was sound, and if it were before, the Dog Deacon might have indeed played along.

But at this moment, the Dog Deacon wasn’t anxious at all, and he feigned surprise, saying, ”Are you leaving? But I’ve just received the ’Heartfire’ data from the Ghost Steward...”

The Dog Deacon paused, glancing at Sipolov beside him: ”I suppose Sipolov isn’t aware of this content either. Are you sure you don’t want to stay a bit longer?”

Luigi was also stunned, not expecting the Dog Deacon to hold back such a card.

Seeing the confident expression on the Dog Deacon’s face and the look of surprise on Angel’s, Luigi knew that his little scheme wouldn’t work out...

Sure enough, Angel immediately sent a message through the Mind Ribbon: ”Stay a bit longer?”

Luigi didn’t want to speak up, but Laplace’s one word, ”Agree,” settled the matter.

Luigi could only scratch his nose, resigning himself, and sat back down.

Angel, on the other hand, looked at the Dog Deacon with eyes full of anticipation.

The Dog Deacon didn’t immediately talk about the ”Heartfire,” instead glancing at Sipolov: ”Would you mind if I discuss the intelligence about the Heartfire?”

Sipolov: ”...” Even if I did mind, I couldn’t change anything, right?

Though he thought this in his heart, Sipolov still maintained a calm expression and said, ”I myself have no way to directly assist Mr. Angele in obtaining the Heartfire. I feel regret for my inability, but... I genuinely hope that Mr. Angele can obtain the Heartfire, so I don’t mind the Deacon’s explanation.”

The Dog Deacon twitched his mustache, secretly thinking, ”The words are nice, but what’s really in his heart is probably another matter.”

The reason the Dog Deacon talked with Sipolov was partly to maintain a ”surface level” of courtesy; and partly to buy some time.

Now that he received Sipolov’s response, he didn’t continue talking with him, but turned to look at Angel.

”You probably already know a lot about the Heartfire, otherwise you wouldn’t be thinking of obtaining it.” Dog Deacon: ”So, the basic information, I won’t repeat.”

”I’ll talk about how, if you truly get the Yingji Clan’s consent and go to the Heartfire Hall, you can increase the probability of obtaining the Heartfire.”

Angel nodded, as this was indeed the information he wanted to know.

Next, the Dog Deacon began his narration.

The Dog Deacon’s narration wasn’t about giving direct conclusions but started with a legendary story—

It’s called a legendary story not because the tale is particularly dramatic, but because the protagonist in the story is a legendary being.

The magical effect of Heartfire isn’t just something Angel is curious about; over the years, countless people have followed each other to the Yingji Clan seeking Heartfire.

But of those who covet it, ninety-nine percent were rejected by the upper echelons of the Yingji Clan, not even qualifying to enter the Heartfire Hall.

The remaining few managed, through various means and relationships, or even by force, to get the chance to enter the Heartfire Hall.

Yet, even those who made it to the Heartfire Hall, almost no outsiders could gain the acknowledgment of Heartfire.

Because the acknowledgment by Heartfire requires very intricate processes and high-standard criteria, which are best suited for the Yingji Clan.

However, ’almost’ implies ’not absolutely.’

Though rare, over the years, some managed to tread past one in a million chance and reach the heart of the Heartfire.

The Everything House recorded a story of an outsider obtaining the Heartfire.

And that outsider who obtained Heartfire was a legendary being who visited the Daylight Mirror Domain tens of thousands of years ago...

”Tens of thousands of years ago? How long has your Everything House been established that you know about events from tens of thousands of years ago?”

Just as the Dog Deacon was getting into the role, Luigi’s low voice interrupted.

In usual circumstances, the Dog Deacon would ignore it, but today, to buy time, he explained more: ”Actually, compared to collecting current intelligence of each clan in the Mirror Domain, historical intelligence is easier to gather.”

Recent intelligence may occasionally be sugar-coated due to face or tribal emotions, possibly not reflecting the true situation.

But for history from ten thousand years or older, because it’s so far from today, even scandals and dark histories don’t influence today’s noble class, thus less likely to be whitewashed and easier to gather.

Of course, the premise is these histories are recorded by future generations.

The Yingji Clan as a tribe with tens of thousands of years of heritage, the Heartfire Hall has stood alongside the Yingji Clan for so many years. In such an important place, the Heartfire Hall certainly has corresponding record officers.

For the Everything House to collect past intelligence, as long as they find the tomb or descendants of the record officer, they can find many instances or transcripts.

Of course, this is just one method the Dog Deacon mentioned, whether the Everything House gathered intelligence from ten thousand years ago in this way is uncertain. After all, tomb raiding may be relatively credible among mortals, but in the Transcendent realm, especially in the Mirror Domain where Aggregation Energy is so vast and the mirror can record history, there are many methods to spy on history.

Nonetheless, the Dog Deacon ultimately cleared the doubt, and Luigi nodded in acknowledgment.

Then, the Dog Deacon began formally recounting how that legendary being obtained the Heartfire.

”According to records, this legendary being came from the Outer Domain, and he seemed very proficient in spiritual ability, even able to use power of the mind to affect reality...”

Power of the mind is the first threshold to obtain the Heartfire.

The Dog Deacon once heard a saying.

What is the ”Heartfire”? It is essentially the power of the mind affected by the special laws of the Mirror Domain, manifesting as a kind of embodied heart flame.

Its essence is still the power of the heart.

So, to align with Heartfire and gain its recognition, one must be proficient in the power of the heart.

The Dog Deacon looked at Angel at this point: ”If you are not proficient in the power of the heart, then I advise you not to hope for Heartfire.”

Angel didn’t answer, as Luigi had mentioned this condition previously.

The power of the heart is an essential condition for gaining acknowledgment from the Heartfire.

Angel himself is indeed not proficient in the power of the heart; but this doesn’t mean he can’t learn the power of the heart.

It’s known that among the classifications of illusion techniques, there is a very complete school: Heart Illusion.

Heart Illusion, in simple terms, is also using spiritual power to affect reality. Isn’t this similar to the spiritual ability mastered by the legendary being the Dog Deacon mentioned?

It’s possible that the spiritual ability mastered by that legendary being is Heart Illusion.

If that’s true, Angel technically meets the condition for power of the heart... he knows a bit of Heart Illusion, not much, but it implies he has the talent to learn the power of the heart.

The key that blocked others from obtaining Heartfire is that they lack the talent in the power of the heart.

And Angel can strengthen his power of the heart through learning, which happens to show he has talent.

Moreover, learning Heart Illusion can enhance his spiritual power and perfectly align with Angel’s identity as an illusionist, enhancing illusion techniques—what’s not to like?

Besides, even if he can’t learn the power of the heart, with a wizard’s means, temporarily borrowing others’ power of the heart isn’t difficult.

For example, the Star Servant whom Angel fished out from the Sea of Void Mirror can use spiritual power. Because his ”Wish Book” contains force that is the power of the heart.

Angel can completely train the Star Servant, let him regain mastery of his power of the heart, and finally borrow his force to cross the first threshold of the Heartfire.

There are numerous methods to break the power of the heart, too many to count.

Therefore, Angel is not too concerned about this prerequisite for obtaining Heartfire.