Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 1340: Section 1341 Commendation

When the Sea Demon’s carcass, along with the sailor, was hauled onto the merchant ship, everyone swarmed over, hoisting the sailor above their heads and tossing him into the sky to express their excitement.

As the sailor was tossed into the air time and again, he couldn’t help but look up.

The dreamlike “Moonlight Ship” he had seen before had disappeared… Was it real, or just a dream?

But at this moment, the sailor chose not to ponder any further, smiling, “Who cares! At least, I’ve survived!”

His heart was still pounding, the thrill from slaying the Sea Demon had not yet subsided, and he preferred to savor this moment over chasing after elusive mysteries.

The feeling of being surrounded by the crowd!

The sailor’s cooperation made everyone even more excited. Although the losses were heavy, as men of the sea, they had long been prepared to be buried in the ocean deep. Survival is what mattered most compared to the losses!

While the excitement was in full swing on one side, the captain exchanged a look with the old navigator, “I thought we were all done for just a moment ago. I didn’t expect this kind of ending… The feeling of surviving a close shave is just too exhilarating.”

The old navigator nodded, “He is a hero.”

The captain agreed, “Yes, he is a hero! Now, it’s time to celebrate the hero.”

After saying this, the captain shed his reserve and joined the laughter in the crowd.

The old navigator chuckled as he watched this unfold and eventually lifted his head to gaze into the sky, even though there was nothing to see, he had distinctly seen a small boat glowing with the light of stars and moon.

It was also this boat that extended a white tentacle to fish out the sailor’s fallen scimitar from the sea and returned it to him.

“What he said was true,” the old navigator sighed softly.

The old navigator didn’t know what was on that ship, but the fact that it could carry starlight and moonlight spoke volumes of their extraordinariness.

As to why they did not show themselves, the old navigator did not inquire.

After all, at a crucial moment, they lent a hand to the sailor, so there probably wasn’t any ill will.

Just knowing that was enough.

…

When things had settled down at sea, the Gondola flew towards the direction of the Old Earth Continent.

The ordeal of the merchant ship was but a trivial incident for Angel and the others.

However, what Angel had not expected was that he had been prepared to help them kill the Sea Demon, but in the end, it wasn’t necessary. A brave sailor, relying solely on his own strength, not only managed to save himself but also rescued the entire merchant ship.

Though Angel had provided some help, overall, it was the sailor himself who had resolved the desperate situation.

“When everything is at stake, the wisdom and strength of a common person also carry significant weight,” Popota, who had witnessed the sailor’s valor, couldn’t help expressing his admiration. If it were the ordinary him from the past, he might not have been able to do what the sailor did.

“This is why one must never underestimate the potential of humans,” Angel added.

Popota nodded, “It’s just a pity you didn’t get to test the trick.”

Angel: “Actually, I have already tested it.”

Popota was taken aback, “Do you mean that white tentacle just now… ?”

Angel gave a non-committal nod, and with a light tap of his fingers on the tabletop, accompanied by a crisp sound, two slender white tentacles extended from behind him, appearing somewhat ethereal.

Under Angel’s command, the white tentacles pulled out a set of porcelain tea ware with enamel patterns from nowhere, adeptly used flint to brew tea, and poured it diligently. Soon after, two steaming cups of black tea were served.

Angel picked up the black tea and took a sip, showing no expression on his face, but internally clicked his tongue: Indeed, any black tea without milk is heresy.

Popota paused for a moment, then followed Angel’s lead in sipping the black tea, but his gaze remained fixed on the two white tentacles swaying in the wind behind Angel.

Angel had used that white tentacle earlier to stretch a hundred meters to the surface of the sea to retrieve the sailor’s fallen scimitar.

At the time, Popota, upon seeing the white tentacle, hadn’t found anything strange about it because it looked too ordinary and performed an ordinary task.

Telekinesis, the Hand of Magic could do it.

Even long-distance manipulation wasn’t an issue; the maximum control range of an Intermediate Hand of Magic was a hundred meters, and it allowed for precise manipulation, enabling one to perform delicate alchemy experiments with the Hand of Magic. If it was just about picking up a knife, this skill-less act was a piece of cake for the Hand of Magic.

Even without the Hand of Magic, spiritual power could accomplish the task. Therefore, at first, Popota really didn’t regard the white tentacle as a particularly remarkable trick.

But since Angel declared that the trick he intended to experiment with was the white tentacles, Popota naturally observed with great seriousness.

Popota’s strength had severely regressed, to the point where he might even be inferior to Lyon, but after all his years immersed in the Wizards’ Realm, his discerning vision had accumulated.

Upon observation, he indeed noticed something different.

“It seems to possess the qualities of an illusion, ethereal and elusive, yet I didn’t see any Illusion Nodes. But while being illusory, it nevertheless interferes with the Material Realm. The power of illusion and reality, apparently contradictory, yet harmoniously fused together.” Popota paused as he said this, his eyes revealing a hint of deep contemplation, “However, it feels somewhat familiar, as if I’ve seen it somewhere before.”

Could it be a trick from the True Illusion Faction? But in all his years, Popota had hardly seen any True Illusion Tricks, so he couldn’t claim it felt ‘familiar.’

Popota couldn’t help but look up, only to see Angel wearing a smile that was not quite a smile.

He was taken aback for a moment, then a flash of realization crossed his mind: “Phantom Limb Pliant Worm?!”

Angel had delegated the cultivation of Pliant Worms to Popota, so naturally, Popota was aware of this astonishingly harmful species. Upon closer comparison, the Phantom Limbs of the Pliant Worms bore a striking resemblance to the white tentacles behind Angel.

Both were ethereal and elusive, yet both could interfere with the Material Realm.

And their shapes were extremely similar, too.

“Is this really a Phantom Limb?” Popota pointed at the white tentacles still swaying, which, if you didn’t look closely, could easily be mistaken for two fluffy white tails growing from Angel.

“That’s correct,” Angel responded without concealing the truth, for Popota, who often dealt with Pliant Worms, would have realized it sooner or later even if he had not said anything.

Popota felt somewhat dazed, well aware of the Phantom Limb’s capabilities. Even the tiny Pliant Worms, once endowed with Phantom Limbs, could cause such tremendous destruction. So, how astonishing would the power be if Angel used Phantom Limbs?

“Is this… the Law Creation you’ve done before?” Popota asked with some difficulty.

Angel continued to remain silent on this question.

Phantom Limbs, in fact, could also be considered a type of Law Creation, but they did not receive the “certification” of world consciousness. Instead, perhaps they were a reward bestowed by world consciousness to Angel.

Previously, after Angel had sensed the Law Creation Phenomenon, he received the reward of world consciousness.

This reward precipitated a burst of epiphanies within a short period, his inspiration surging like a fountain, utterly immersing him in the ocean of knowledge integration, eventually even glimpsing the path to True Knowledge!

During that process, as inspiration continuously flooded in, Angel gained a comprehensive understanding of his own knowledge. Knowing that biting off more than he could chew would be unwise, he chose a question that he was most interested in at the time and delved deep into its research.

What he studied was the Phantom Limb.

In that situation, various marvelous ideas continuously contributed to the research on Phantom Limbs.

Almost instantly, Angel completed his foundational understanding of Phantom Limbs. However, understanding was one thing—application would normally have required more time. But since Angel was an Illusion Series wizard and the Phantom Limb was based on a strong physical body, he was able to apply Phantom Limbs in such a short period.

However, although the Phantom Limbs now appeared, due to his lack of adeptness, he could only unleash two Phantom Limbs.

Even so, this was already quite remarkable, and Angel was very satisfied with it.

Moreover, compared to the Gate Model on the witchcraft slot, the Phantom Limbs brought him even more surprises.

Regarding the Gate Model, Angel had always known that its effect was spatial displacement, just unaware of what variations that “special energy” might bring.

Putting aside the unknown variables of the Gate Model for now, Angel felt greater surprise towards the Phantom Limbs because their enhancement to his abilities was visibly evident.

Though the Phantom Limbs seemed to have the properties of “illusion,” their foundation was actually physical strength.

To put it simply, Angel’s physical body was like soil, Illusion power was the nutrient, and Phantom Limbs were the flowers blooming from this soil. If the Phantom Limbs were separated from the body, the soil, they would be like rootless duckweed—unable to make the flower thrive, even with illusion power.

Most importantly, since the base of Phantom Limbs was the physical body, the stronger the body, the more astounding the power conveyed to the Phantom Limbs would be.

Basically, Phantom Limbs could be equated to an exoskeleton of the human body, extending physical strength further and allowing for more applications.

For instance, suppose the eyes were a weak point of the body. With Phantom Limbs acting as an exoskeleton, they could gather the strongest defense from the body around the eyes, turning a weakness into a strength.

This was merely one of the simplest application methods, of course, with a bias towards physical strength. Since the Phantom Limbs possessed the character “illusion,” they also had applications similar to illusion techniques, making them more versatile.

However, developing these applications would have to wait for Angel to discover for himself.

But, considering the current circumstances, Angel was quite happy because his physical body had become as formidable as that of wizards from the Bloodline side after the battle in the Abyss. Therefore, the contribution of Phantom Limbs to his combat prowess was beyond imagination.

They could even be considered a formal “Spell Technique” rather than an “Illusion Technique” used by an Apprentice.

Compared to the Gate Model, which was purely about mobility and strategy, the enhancement from Phantom Limbs was clearly visible. Moreover, the illusion power consumption of the Phantom Limbs was negligible, with the expenditure of his own vitality being greater. And vitality was precisely what Angel was not short of now.