Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 1443: Section 1444: Murmuring Affections

Angel didn’t know that the news of his breakthrough had already spread gradually to the outside world through the departing Ghost Ship in the sky. Meanwhile, in Black Castle, his breakthrough had long become a hot topic of discussion.

However, Angel himself had disappeared from everyone’s sight for two whole days.

During these two days, Angel had been staying in the quiet room within the Soul Realm, steadily adapting to the new changes in his body, both internally and externally.

This adaptation was a process every Wizard must go through after a breakthrough.

First, to let the Magic Vortex operate continuously without external interference. After all, the nature of the energy produced by the Magic Vortex now, as well as the speed of Restoration, were far beyond what the old Magical Core was capable of. Angel had to undergo an adaptation process, not only to familiarize himself with the Magic Vortex but also to achieve a more harmonious balance within the Mind Space.

Secondly, Angel could use this time to let his spirit settle. To prevent the overly exuberant emotions after advancement and the sudden surge of power from affecting his judgment.

Calming one’s emotions and spirit is actually more important than the first point.

The duration of this adaptation process varies from person to person. Some may take ten days to half a month; others may reach it much faster, and Angel belonged to the latter category. Although his approach tended toward the Academy Faction, in terms of character, he was very similar to Sanders: an extremely self-disciplined person.

He could sense how much stronger his power had become, but precisely because it was stronger, he became even more disciplined. He was very clear that power was meant to serve people, not to make people slaves to it.

Therefore, the process of settling his spirit was even quicker than everyone imagined.

After two days, he came out of the quiet room.

The first thing he intended to do after leaving the quiet room was to find Sanders to ask about the matters following the breakthrough. After all, his advancement had been quite hasty, and all his preparations were centered around the breakthrough. Regarding what came after, he only had a vague understanding.

However, when he arrived at Sanders’ room, he found that Sanders wasn’t there.

Not only Sanders, but Frost, who lived in the same area as they did, was also absent.

Since neither of them was around, Angel didn’t stay idle. He still had many unresolved matters, such as—

The Hua Que and Popota, who had been kept in his bracelet.

Angel extended his Spirit Tentacle into the bracelet, and to avoid creating pressure, he carefully controlled the intensity of his spiritual perception.

Angel originally thought that the siblings would have endless topics to discuss and that they were probably still sharing their hearts out.

However, when Angel extended his Spirit Tentacle into the bracelet, he discovered that it was silent inside.

No one was speaking.

In a corner within the bracelet, under the dim light that glowed continuously, Popota sat at a table, seriously observing a nest of Pliant Worms, his expression extremely solemn.

The Hua Que, wearing a dress, floated behind Popota, occasionally resting her head on Popota’s shoulder, seemingly affectionate but actually observing the Pliant Worm nest just as intently.

Angel was full of question marks.

Why were the siblings not quite matching the picture he had in mind? For such a thrilling reunion, shouldn’t they be licking each other’s wounds and reconciling the past wrongs?

That Popota would take such an original path, not forgetting to research the Pliant Worm’s nest even upon reunion, and even getting Hua Que involved in the study.

Lacking sentimentality. Angel shook his head inwardly.

At that moment, Hua Que turned her head towards the darkness, her clear eyes showing a hint of hesitation, “Is that… Big Brother?”

Hua Que’s voice also brought Popota back from his focused state; he looked around with confusion, “Has Angel come?”

Angel hadn’t expected that Hua Que would be even more sensitive to her surroundings than Popota. He had deliberately reined in his spiritual fluctuations, yet Hua Que still discovered him the moment he arrived.

“It’s me,” Angel’s voice came through, “Hua Hua, how did you detect me? Is it precognition?”

Hearing Angel’s voice, Hua Que’s eyes curved delightfully like crescent moons, and she happily said, “It’s intuition.”

Intuition? Angel whispered to himself: This answer was even less reliable than he’d expected.

At this time, Popota explained, “My sister’s precognitive ability is still somewhat uncontrollable. Compared to the unpredictable precognition she had before, her intuition is now far more acute.”

Initially, Popota was simply explaining the meaning of the “intuition” that Hua Que mentioned. But as he spoke, Popota seemed like someone obsessed with flaunting his sister’s abilities and couldn’t help but praise her again and again.

“…I think this intuitive ability might even be more powerful than precognition. You know, these past two days, by relying on my sister’s intuition and using the pheromonal stimuli secreted by Castor Kelp Worms, I’ve successfully caused the queen worm to give birth to a new type of mutated Liquid Soft-bodied Insect. Although it’s still not a Transforming Soft-bodied Insect, it has broken the stalemate that had persisted for many days!”

“I believe that, with my sister’s intuition, I might quickly be able to breed the Transforming Soft-bodied Insect!”

Popota spoke fervently, but Angel’s frown deepened.

He had no objection to Popota studying the Pliant Worm nest, as that was the task he had given him, and besides, Popota had a Talent for that area. But—

“You’ve been researching pliant worms these past few days?” Angel’s face was one of disbelief.

Popota still didn’t understand what Angel meant and nodded in realization, “Yes.”

From the outside world, Angel rubbed his brow, impatiently saying, “I specifically left you time these past few days so we could reunite, yet you’ve been dragging Hua Que into researching pliant worms with you?”

It was at this point that Popota understood why there was a hint of dissatisfaction in Angel’s tone.

He opened his mouth, stammering a few words, unsure of what to say. On the other hand, Hua Que chuckled and said, “Big brother, don’t blame my elder brother, it was my idea.”

Angel’s gaze shifted to Hua Que, who explained, “I’m very grateful big brother could let us meet again, and I have nothing else to offer in return. When I heard about the pliant worms from my elder brother, I thought maybe if I could be of help, big brother would be happy, right?”

Angel quietly watched Hua Que, sensing that her words were probably true. However, while she spoke, her eyebrows were downturned, as if hiding some other sentiment.

But for some reason, Hua Que did not reveal it.

Angel reflected for a moment, “Although I do not need your repayment, if it is what you desire, I won’t stand in your way.”

“So big brother wouldn’t blame my elder brother anymore?” Upon receiving a definitive answer, Hua Que’s eyes crinkled with laughter, “I have a feeling that my elder brother and I will definitely be able to help big brother cultivate the Transforming Soft-bodied Insects.”

Looking at Hua Que’s confident demeanor, Angel laughed, “If you really can cultivate them, that would be wonderful indeed.”

“Definitely!” exclaimed Hua Que and Popota in unison.

After speaking, they looked at each other with a laugh, seemingly happy about their “in unison” reaction.

Angel originally wanted to ask about their sibling reunion over the past few days, but seeing their exchanged glances and feeling the warmth bursting from within, he no longer pursued the question.

Popota, who had been gloomy and silent, now displayed such a bright smile, exuding happiness from within, something Angel was seeing for the first time.

The once happy siblings had been separated by an accident, and their lives had thus been led down two different paths.

After enduring many hardships, the gloomy and the lonely had finally reunited. Even after years of separation, even across life and death, they could still find solace in each other.

Popota’s perennially cloudy sky began to clear up with Hua Que’s arrival.

Hua Que’s lonely world was also refilled with sunshine thanks to Popota’s presence.

They had each become the other’s salvation.

As Angel was lost in thought, Hua Que suddenly said, “Big brother, could you speak to Lady Isabel on my behalf? I want to keep staying here.”

Angel glanced at Hua Que and then at the anxious-looking Popota.

It seemed they thought that his sudden appearance was because Isabel was going to take Hua Que away.

Angel chuckled inwardly and replied with a calm voice, “Sure.”

Relieved by his answer, the siblings exhaled deeply.

At this time, Angel finally turned his attention to the pliant worm nest on the table. Although no Transforming Soft-bodied Insect had been cultivated, many of the variant pliant worms were quite useful, especially the Phantom Limb pliant worm from before that had made a significant impression on Angel. Currently, for him, the strongest long-range strike method was still Phantom Limb.

Angel grew curious about what kind of variant pliant worm had emerged this time.

After carefully examining, he discovered that this pliant worm was very interesting.

At first glance, it appeared no different from the other ordinary pliant worms, chubby and white with tiny black eyes that would probably seem adorable to worm enthusiasts.

But, once you expose it to external stimulus.

This cute little fellow would immediately deflate into a layer of skin, then the liquid inside its body would cover the skin, looking like a puddle of liquid.

“Based on our observations, this variant pliant worm turns into a liquid probably because it is very ‘timid,ʼ” Popota explained. “This liquid is highly toxic and emits a strong foul smell, such that even the natural enemies of pliant worms would not touch it. Essentially, the liquid serves as its protective shell, with its core located beneath the liquid, under that thin layer of skin, so, essentially, as long as it’s not subjected to an attack beyond its level, it can perfectly protect itself from external disturbances.”

Overall, Angel didn’t spot anything particularly noteworthy about this pliant worm, since many magical creatures have similar protective mechanisms, like some fish that inflate into spiky balls to save their lives, or certain insects that blend into their surroundings… and so on.

However, what Angel found intriguing about this critter, named ‘Liquid Soft-bodied Insect,’ was the trend it displayed.

The trend towards transmutation.

Previous pliant worms, while varying in appearance, underwent no substantial transformations in shape. This one turning directly into a liquid also qualified as a form of transmutation.

If this trend could continue in the long term, maybe, just maybe, cultivating Transforming Soft-bodied Insects could indeed not be too far off.