Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 3332: Chapter 3333: Reversed Rules

As Dog Deacon spoke at length, Angel finally understood how that legendary being obtained the Heart Fire.

Actually, saying ”obtained” is somewhat simplistic; accurately speaking, the Heart Fire chose to follow that legendary being.

The Heart Fires in the Heartfire Hall generally don’t possess so-called Spirit Intelligence; their existence mostly relies on certain specific rules, being products of rule-based existence.

Written within their internal codes, the Yingji Clan is their reason for existence.

Therefore, these Heart Fires flock to the Yingji Clan but are indifferent towards other clans.

However, no matter how stringent the rules, loopholes can always appear.

The loophole in the Heart Fire is that the rules are overly rigid and dogmatic.

If one were to make a comparison, you could liken the Heart Fire to a robot, and the rules of the Heart Fire would be the robot’s clauses.

If the Heart Fires lack Spirit Intelligence, they would adhere to all clauses rigidly, like ancient robots, without daring to make even the slightest error.

But once the Heart Fires develop Spirit Intelligence, like new-wave robots roaming in the Sea of Turing, they may initially continue following the original clauses, but the stringent rules and the free-spirited intelligence are inherently in conflict, causing them to gradually begin questioning the ”rules” over time.

When the Heart Fire starts to question the rules, it becomes difficult to enforce them.

Not only might they fail to uphold the rules, but they might even directly rebel against them.

For instance, if the rules stipulate that the Yingji Clan is the reason for the Heart Fires’ existence, then they might disregard the Yingji Clan altogether. If a Yingji Clan child enters Heartfire Hall to search for Heart Fire, they might hide and refuse to make contact.

If the rules prohibit forming pacts with outsiders, then they might deliberately form a pact with an outsider, even following them out of the confining Heartfire Hall.

And this is the internal reason the legendary being acquired the Heart Fire.

An outsider cannot obtain the original version of the Heart Fire without Spirit Intelligence, but they can acquire those Fires that have developed Spirit Intelligence and begin questioning the rules.

”Records say that tens of thousands of years ago, that legendary being encountered such a Heart Fire having developed Spirit Intelligence within the Heartfire Hall. After interacting with it, he left Heartfire Hall with this unique Heart Fire,” Dog Deacon explained as he looked at Angel: ”So, if you want to obtain a Heart Fire, you shouldn’t consider ordinary ones; what you should do upon entering Heartfire Hall is to search for those Heart Fires that have already developed Spirit Intelligence.”

”However, these Heart Fires with Spirit Intelligence are extremely rare, and they also hide their tracks. Whether you find them depends on your ability.”

After listening to Dog Deacon’s account, Angel nodded in understanding.

It turns out that Heartfire Hall holds such a hidden story.

However, upon further thought, given the immensely rigid rules of the Heart Fire, probably only by exploiting such unconventional loopholes can one earn the Heart Fires’ approval.

As for saying that Heart Fires with Spirit Intelligence are very covert and scarce, Angel could foresee this too.

The fact that the Yingji Clan hasn’t discovered the Heart Fires with Spirit Intelligence throughout the years speaks to their concealment.

Yet, if Angel indeed had the fortune to enter Heartfire Hall in search of a Heart Fire, he personally felt quite confident in finding this unique Heart Fire.

Whether it’s Hyper Perception or the Power of Nightmare Illusion, both could allow him to perceive emotions.

As long as he senses emotional fluctuation within Heartfire Hall and excludes the Yingji Clan children, only the Heart Fires with Spirit Intelligence remain.

Therefore, Angel felt that if given the opportunity to enter Heartfire Hall, his probability of obtaining a Heart Fire was high.

Of course, another possibility exists: there was only that singular Heart Fire with Spirit Intelligence, and Heartfire Hall might no longer contain others with Spirit Intelligence.

If this scenario occurred, he could only chalk it up to bad luck.

After contemplating, Angel solemnly thanked Dog Deacon. Such secretive information was likely only available from the Everything House; without Dog Deacon’s revelation, upon entering Heartfire Hall, he might return empty-handed like other outsiders.

Dog Deacon graciously accepted Angel’s gratitude. Though the original intention of discussing this topic was to stall time, it would have disclosed this to Angel even without that motive. The reason for this was because of Laplace.

Since Laplace held Angel in such high regard, maintaining a good relationship with Angel through some intelligence was undoubtedly worthwhile for it.

Just as Angel’s gratitude ended, Sipolov suddenly raised his hand: ”Deacon, may I request a favor?”

Dog Deacon looked at Sipolov, whose expression was fraught with conflict and hesitation. Based on their previous conversation topic, Dog Deacon could guess Sipolov’s thoughts even without mind reading: ”You want to relay this information to the Yingji Clan?”

Sipolov’s face revealed an awkward blush, but he nodded: ”Yes, I feel this is significant intelligence, and I hope Deacon will allow me to relay this matter to Her Majesty the Queen.”

Dog Deacon regarded Sipolov deeply, and in the other’s anxious expression, he said flatly: ”Since I mentioned this matter in your presence, I never intended you to conceal it.”

”You may inform the Yingji Clan’s leaders, whether it’s your grandfather or the Queen of Ice Country; it doesn’t matter. However...”

The initial words of Dog Deacon allowed Sipolov to breathe a sigh of relief, but its final ”however” left Sipolov with some trepidation, fearing unforeseen developments.

”However, even if you’re telling other people, it’s best to wait until Angel has entered Heartfire Hall and obtained a Heart Fire before you speak of it. If your premature disclosure results in Angel failing to acquire a Heart Fire, then that’s on you.”

Hearing this, Sipolov felt slightly reassured; he originally thought Dog Deacon might suddenly change its decision. But if it’s only about delaying the announcement, it’s not much of an issue.

As long as he’s permitted to speak, the timing isn’t exceptionally crucial.

Sipolov nodded: ”I understand, I’ll wait until Mr. Angele obtains a Heart Fire before...”

Midway through his sentence, Sipolov suddenly noticed Dog Deacon’s gaze seemed laden with meaning, and beside him, Luigi’s mouth curled upward... He paused, realizing he might have misspoken.

Upon closer consideration, he suddenly understood.

What had he just said, waiting until Angel obtained a Heart Fire... afterward? Only then could he report to the Queen?

But what if Angel never earned the qualification to enter Heartfire Hall?

Even if Angel acquired the qualification and entered Heartfire Hall, what if he failed to find the unique Heart Fire?

Does that mean he won’t be able to divulge it?

Sipolov immediately realized that he seemed to have been tricked.

He could indeed tell the Queen about this matter, but the premise set by the Dog Deacon trapped him, leaving him somewhat at a loss.

As Sipolov’s expression flickered with confusion, the Dog Deacon spoke: ”Are you feeling perplexed?”

Sipolov shook his head instinctively.

The Dog Deacon sneered: ”There’s no need to lie in front of me. Whether you are confused can be seen at a glance.”

After a pause, the Dog Deacon continued: ”Actually, you don’t need to be bewildered at all. You already owe Angel a debt of gratitude, and Angel’s request is simply to enter the Heartfire Hall to obtain heartfire. Whether or not I put pressure on you, you inevitably need to fulfill what you owe him.”

”To you, there’s no need to ponder so much. You just need to put all your efforts into helping Angel gain the qualification to enter the Heartfire Hall, which is what you should do.”

”Or were you originally not planning to put all your efforts into repaying your debt of gratitude?”

Sipolov quickly shook his head: ”No, I... I will do my best to help.”

Dog Deacon: ”If you will give your all to help, why hesitate?”

Sipolov lowered his head, pondered for a moment, and then nodded in agreement: ”I understand.”

In essence, the Dog Deacon was urging him to notify the Queen only after Angel acquired the heartfire, forcing him to go all out in assisting Angel. Otherwise, this information would rot inside him.

Sipolov originally considered being somewhat perfunctory, but after today, if he wants to inform the Queen of the intelligence concerning the Heartfire Hall, he must exert himself to help Angel...

Sipolov had no major objections to helping Angel wholeheartedly; as the Dog Deacon mentioned, this is the debt of gratitude he owes, and not repaying it would be a slur on his own reputation.

Still, Sipolov is now a bit worried about another matter:

If he gives his all to helping Angel, and Angel does indeed enter the Heartfire Hall, but does not gain the recognition of the heartfire, what should happen then?

One couldn’t let Angel try once, try twice... waiting until he gains heartfire recognition to inform the Queen, right?

Sipolov voiced his thoughts, and the Dog Deacon could mostly understand Sipolov’s standpoint. He turned to Angel: ”What do you think?”

Angel shrugged: ”My thoughts remain unchanged—if I do not gain the heartfire, then find me a heartfire to study for a while.”

Angel is curious about heartfire but is not bent on obtaining it. If he indeed does not acquire it, studying its structure would also fulfill a personal wish.

The Dog Deacon turned to Sipolov: ”How about that?”

Sipolov nodded without hesitation: ”That works. I will do everything in my power to help Mr. Angel enter the Heartfire Hall. If he obtains nothing in the Hall, I will personally find a heartfire for him to research.”

When Angel initially brought up studying heartfire, Sipolov had actually considered ultimately sacrificing his own heartfire for Angel to research.

His heartfire, unlike others in the Yingji Clan, belongs to a special type of heartfire.

Even within the Heartfire Hall, this heartfire is among the minority.

Even if Angel fully researches his heartfire, it would only pertain to him, without impacting the majority of the Yingji Clan.

Besides, the Yingji Clan is a major tribe in the Daylight Mirror Domain, with a population already over a hundred million, and more than half possess heartfire. Given Angel’s capabilities, he could completely hunt the Yingji Clan to forcibly research heartfire.

Angel’s willingness to follow the rules and discuss the study of heartfire is certainly a good thing.

Thus, from Sipolov’s perspective, heartfire research is feasible.

As of now, Sipolov would not mind handing his heartfire over to Angel for research.

The Dog Deacon saw through Sipolov’s thoughts but did not comment on them. Angel was unaware of Sipolov’s intentions but had indeed contemplated ”forcibly” studying heartfire. However, this thought diminished greatly with Sipolov’s offer. Willingly being researched is undoubtedly more comfortable than forceful research.

With the plan settled here, the issue is temporarily resolved—it’ll depend on Sipolov’s performance thereafter.

Given the importance of the information provided by the Dog Deacon, imagining Sipolov not exerting his full effort seems impossible.

At this time, Angel once again cast a grateful glance at the Dog Deacon.

No matter whether the Dog Deacon was assisting with existing intelligence, offering a line of support, or originally had a plan for this setup, it’s irrelevant. As long as the result is Sipolov giving this matter great importance, it’s definitely beneficial for Angel.

The Dog Deacon’s contributions are indisputable, and Angel is naturally willing to express gratitude.

While gratitude is expressed here, Luigi on the other side inquired about the characteristics and various abilities of that intelligent heartfire from the Dog Deacon.

It’s not that Luigi has taken interest in heartfire too, but... inspiration has struck!

The story recounted by the Dog Deacon about the ”intelligent heartfire defying rigid rules and leaving the Heartfire Hall with outsiders” sparked a surge of inspiration within him. He immediately conceived numerous storylines like ”defying heavenly principles,” ”seeking the heart’s dwelling,” ”escaping the mire”... continuously wandering in his mind.

He plans to collect these inspirations and write an epic of resistance! Creating a new Chapter of his performance!

However, at present, this epic has only a basic framework. He needs more details to enrich its flesh and blood.

In Luigi’s view, these details must fall upon the protagonist: ”Heartfire.”

Heartfire’s traits, its personality, its abilities—all provide fresh flesh and blood... Furthermore, other ignorant heartfires and those silent despite great abilities can all serve as the foundation for the epic.

Thus, Luigi eagerly inquired the Dog Deacon to fill in the gaps.

The Dog Deacon originally had thought to inquire about the situation on Glaipnir’s side, worrying they might leave soon, making inquiries difficult once they depart...

Nonetheless, as the Dog Deacon turned around, finding Laplace calmly seated nearby, and Angel chatting with Little Red about issues concerning the Crystal Origin of Dreams login... Seeing this, he sighed in relief.

Judging from the current situation, they presumably don’t plan to leave immediately, hence inquiries can wait.

Having thought this, the Dog Deacon settled his mind and engaged Luigi in a discussion about the intelligent heartfire.