Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 1460: Section 1461: Tossing and Turning

That is to say, no matter how long the tug-of-war might last, Toby’s private land would ultimately still be invaded. The Extreme Resentment Tribulation already had the upper hand; this was a one-sided situation, and Toby was now powerless to fight back.

When Isabel got to this point, her tone suddenly shifted, “However, I don’t think the root of the problem lies within the soul.”

Angel looked at Isabel with confusion.

Isabel did not explain right away, instead, she picked up Toby and closed her eyes, attentively sensing Toby’s condition. Her expression shifted slowly from calm to confused and finally showed a look of sudden realization.

“Just as I thought, its soul is too pure. Even though it’s being eroded, it is not overly tainted. Its soul is just one aspect that has been affected; to fundamentally solve its problem, merely clearing the darkness from the soul is not enough to save it.”

That means, even if Isabel purged the darkness from Toby’s soul, as long as time allowed, the darkness would still erode the soul again.

And this darkness, which Baya referred to as “the poison of gloom,” did not originate in the soul. To save Toby, one would have to deal with its source.

Upon hearing this, Angel’s expression dimmed slightly, “Does that mean, Lady Isabel can’t save Toby either?”

It was rare for Isabel to see the look of panic in Angel’s eyes. She paused for a moment before saying, “I could try to disperse the darkness in Toby’s soul, but, I wouldn’t recommend doing that.”

“Why not?”

“Adaptability. Toby’s soul and the darkness are in a state of relative balance right now. Although the essence of the soul is at a disadvantage, at least there is a balance,” Isabel stroked Toby’s slightly raised downy feathers as she continued, “But once this balance is broken, although the essence will not be attacked from both fronts for a short time, as I said, if the source of the darkness is not solved, it will definitely return. When the darkness invades the soul again, without the ability to adjust, the essence will be utterly defeated.”

“So I believe that, at the very least by maintaining the status quo, its essence might hold on a bit longer.”

Angel’s understanding of souls was far less than Isabel’s, and he did not think Isabel would deceive him on such a matter. Therefore, he trusted what Isabel said.

However, Isabel did not provide a solution, leaving Angel once again at a loss.

Greya could not save Toby, and Isabel had no solution. Angel suddenly did not know what to do next.

Could it be as Greya initially said—

The Tribulation of Five Flavors was a test given to Toby by the world’s will, probing whether the anomaly could exist in the world. Intervention from external forces might actually add to Toby’s tribulation, making it more difficult.

But now, facing the Extreme Resentment Tribulation, Toby had completely fallen apart. Without external intervention, he could only watch as Toby’s last defenses were broken through, and its private land became fertile ground for evil.

Angel looked dejected, his eyes lose focus, as he repeatedly muttered to himself, “Is there really no way?”

Seeing Angel’s dazed expression, Isabel fell silent, for she did not have an answer.

At that moment, a somewhat harsh voice suddenly entered Angel’s ears.

“I have a suggestion for you,” to Angel’s surprise, the speaker was the always silent Isabella.

There was no cackling in the background music that accompanied her; instead, a whooshing wind carried her scattered words.

Isabel looked at Isabella, not speaking, but her eyes were complex.

Moriah let out a cold laugh, scoffing, “Your suggestion, is it to stab someone in the back with a cold knife, then push the unsuspecting person into the Abyssal Depth?”

Isabella ignored Moriah, her gaze still fixated on Angel.

After a brief silence, Angel said, “Please, speak.”

Angel thought Isabella would be evasive, but she went straight to the point, “Do you remember what Frost once said?”

“Frost once indicated that he was a wizard who advocates fair trade. During his time in the Black Castle, if we could pay the price, he was willing to make any trade with us.”

“During the days you stabilized the Magic Vortex, I know Kimberly visited Frost. I don’t know what she wanted with Frost, but she must have gotten what she was after. Therefore, my suggestion: you could go to Frost.”

Angel hadn’t expected Isabella to make this suggestion; he had assumed she would propose an unreliable one.

But if it was this suggestion, it actually didn’t seem so flawed.

Speaking of which, Angel had not considered seeking Frost’s help, possibly because of an oversight, or perhaps because the respect he had for Frost’s strength made him subconsciously overlook the mountain beside him.

However, hearing Isabella’s words, he truly began to consider this possibility.

The situation with Toby was now quite urgent. Since both Greya and Isabel had no solution, perhaps only by seeking out Frost, whose vision and power overshadowed everyone else’s, could he find a resolution.

With that thought, Angel had made up his mind. He silently put Toby back into his pocket, then nodded at Isabella, “Thank you for your suggestion.”

Isabella did not respond, seeming to be lost in thought.

On the contrary, Isabel asked Angel, “You have decided to take Isabella’s advice and seek out Frost?”

“If there is no other plan, this is indeed an option,” he replied.

Anxiety flashed in Isabel’s eyes. Angel had at least a basic understanding of Frost, but Isabel had never made contact with him. In fact, Isabel’s continual stay in the Garden of Living Souls was partly out of fear of Frost.

However, since Angel had made up his mind, she had no position to stop him, merely cautioning, “Frost’s objectives and his allegiance are unknown, so be careful.”

“He explained the reason for appearing at Black Castle to me before, and it should be, as he said, a coincidence,” Angel paused. “As for his allegiance, I also have a vague understanding of it, which shouldn’t be a problem.”

Isabel had wanted to inquire more about Frost, but given that Frost was currently in the Inner World, a simple reminder would suffice. However, if she delved deeply into discussing his pros and cons behind his back, Isabel feared it might provoke Frost’s displeasure, so she decided against asking.

Next, Angel remained in the hall and transmuted one of the two Infant Spirits into a soul.

Ironically, the rate of transmutation for the Infant Spirits was a third faster than that of Moriah.

During this time, no one else spoke, instead watching the transformation of the Infant Spirit intently. Nevertheless, Angel could still feel the underlying tension between Moriah and Isabel.

Two hours later, Angel left the Wizard’s Tower.

After Angel’s departure, a palpable confrontation may indeed become reality between Moriah and Isabel within the Wizard’s Tower, but that was no longer of concern to Angel.

Soon after, Angel stood outside Frost’s room.

He did not knock right away but pondered how to present his case to Frost. However, as Angel was deep in thought, the lock on the door automatically disengaged, and with a creaking sound, the door swung wide open.

“Standing in thought at the door is less productive than coming in and sharing your thoughts with me,” Frost’s voice, elegantly accented, reached Angel’s ears, “Come in.”

Angel followed the voice and entered the room.

The room’s light was dim, leaving many corners untouched by illumination, shrouded in darkness. Frost was situated under an oil lamp, but his back faced Angel as he caressed a pitch-black flute.

At the sight of the flute, Angel’s pupils contracted slightly.

The flute glistening with a bonelike luster under the light was the very same half-uncontrolled Mysterious Object that Frost had previously shown to Angel—the Dark Melody.

Frost was at that moment carefully cleaning the Dark Melody with a clean piece of leather from an unnamed Magical Creature.

Only after Frost had finished polishing the Dark Melody did he turn around, silently gazing at Angel.

“I thought you came to me to continue our previous unfinished conversation, but I can see from your eyes that you have an urgent request,” Frost gestured for Angel to sit and talk. “Speak then, I am curious what brings you here?”

Frost appeared very calm, which puzzled Angel.

Before coming to Frost, he had consulted with Lady Kimberly to verify Isabella’s words.

Kimberly acknowledged that she had made a trade with Frost, paying a certain price to gain a corresponding outcome from him.

The specifics were not pried into by Angel, but Kimberly had described her encounter with Frost.

The first words from Frost upon seeing Kimberly had been, “What can you offer?”

According to Kimberly, “Frost will only choose to proceed with the transaction if he knows what he can gain from you.”

Yet, looking at Frost now, he seemed not to have demanded any so-called price?

Angel pondered for a moment before deciding to ask proactively, “Lord Frost, aren’t you going to ask what price I must pay first?”

Frost was silent for a while, and though Angel could not see his expression behind the mask, he could hear Frost’s soft chuckle as he said, “The so-called price varies from person to person. You might as well state what you want to know first.”

After a moment of contemplation, Angel took out Toby.

Frost quietly observed Toby, lying still on the table, showing no surprise… Of course, Angel had always carried Toby with him, seldom putting him in the bracelet. When he had discussed ‘what is uncontrollable’ with Frost, Toby had been in Angel’s breast pocket. Considering Frost’s abilities, he must have sensed Toby’s presence long ago.