Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 2203: Chapter 2204: Musician

Frode briefly described the situation of Adar and Shanni.

Adar’s soul technique for cultivation is possession. The reason for choosing possession is reportedly because Adar read a novel called ”Soul of Chess,” authored by Jon in the library. It tells a story of a fallen chess player being possessed by a chess king from a thousand years ago. Under the guidance of the chess king, he shines in major chess tournaments and eventually dominates the chess world.

Adar doesn’t actually know what the chess in the novel is. But he was so engrossed in it that he even immersed himself in it.

If he could learn possession and then possess a real-life piano master, absorbing a wealth of piano skills from the pianist, then he wouldn’t be afraid even if Mentor Jon checked his piano skills!

The plot of ”Soul of Chess” involves a soul nurturing the person they possess. Adar, however, had a complete reversal of thinking, hoping to use the person he possesses to nurture his own piano skills.

It has to be said that Adar really went to great lengths to be lazy.

The other reason for Adar choosing possession is his longing for sweet cream cakes. By possessing a person’s body, he could savor the desserts and delicacies he loved from when he was alive.

One could say that Adar’s choice was entirely based on his heart’s desires.

Although it seems somewhat childish, it also highlights the purity in Adar’s heart. His desire to nurture his piano skills is, from another perspective, also a desire not to disappoint Jon and to make Jon happy; his longing for the taste of desserts also reflects a love for the beauty of the mortal world.

Such a purely driven soul is hardly affected by death aura.

Indeed, Adar has already undergone initial cultivation at the altar within the cave, and he is not far from success. The cultivation process has been without any disturbances.

As for Shanni, she is facing a bit of trouble.

Shanni chose to cultivate the soul technique of Death Gas Materialization.

Death Gas Materialization involves using death aura to create objects imbued with ghostly power within a medium. Typically, these objects are unclean items.

For instance, it can produce black hair full of eerie aura to attack or bind creatures in the Material Realm.

This soul technique is a rare method that can directly affect the Material Realm.

However, Shanni didn’t originally choose to cultivate Death Gas Materialization; it was Frode who suggested she cultivate it.

Unlike Adar, Shanni’s desired soul technique is inherently aggressive. Her first choice was Soul Corruption, but Frode believed that if Shanni learned this technique and used it frequently, it would lead to corruption. That’s why he suggested Death Gas Materialization, as it is less prone to influence and also has a strong aggressive nature.

Even so, during her cultivation of Death Gas Materialization, Shanni repeatedly hovered on the edge of corruption.

Each time Shanni cultivates, Frode remains highly vigilant. Only when Shanni is not cultivating does he have time to visit the Wilderness of Dreams.

”Nevertheless, Shanni’s situation is still under control. If it doesn’t work out, there’s always the Samsara Overture.” Frode said this with a slight sense of emotion, having to admit that Shanni is indeed lucky.

If it were the old Shanni, she probably wouldn’t have been able to endure the abundance of death aura and would have fallen long ago; but now, Shanni has embedded herself in the life of Originheart City, encountered many lively situations, and under Jon’s guidance, Shanni has unraveled the knots of her past, gradually becoming more vibrant and full of life, allowing her to hold on.

Angel nodded. He was also concerned about Shanni and Adar, after all, considering the power structure, they could barely be considered direct lineage. Knowing their current situation, he felt somewhat relieved.

Angel: ”And how about little Sam? How is he doing now?”

”Little Sam is still at Star Lake Castle, and things are calm, except...” Frode suddenly paused, appearing a bit hesitant.

”Except for what?” Angel inquired.

Frode hesitated for a moment but eventually decided to speak: ”Here’s the thing: Neya sent a team to the Silver Yintan Duchy to investigate a collective sacrifice event. The investigation is still ongoing, without any definite conclusion, but there seems to be a small issue with the farm owner that little Sam killed.”

”What kind of issue?”

”When Neya’s people went to investigate the farm, they found that after the farm owner’s death, the farm servants reported seeing a ghostly figure early in the morning, one that greatly resembled the farm owner. Moreover, one servant was scared so badly that he fell ill.” Frode paused for a moment: ”However, the ghost incident only lasted for about two days and then disappeared without a trace, never appearing again. Neya’s investigative team found no clues either.”

At first glance, it might sound like a slightly spooky tidbit. Moreover, without any leads or evidence, it’s not much different from an anecdote.

But Frode’s hesitation in bringing up this information suggests there might be more to it.

Angel also understood what Frode was implying.

The deceased farm owner might have birthed a soul or even turned into an undead.

While the world is full of souls, and most ordinary people upon death generally dissipate into Spirit Light Fragments and vanish in the vast world, there’s always a chance for a fully-formed soul to be born. Thus, even if this farm owner did turn into a soul, it might not seem like a huge problem.

However, this farm owner is unique in that he was killed by little Sam.

Little Sam possesses the potential of a near-spirit body, and those killed by someone with such potential have a higher probability of transforming into an undead.

Moreover, any undead born from this situation would be driven to relentlessly hunt down the one with the near-spirit body potential.

In other words, if the farm owner really turned into an undead, then little Sam might already be under its target—perhaps the farm owner is now making a beeline for Star Lake Castle.

”Has little Sam’s bloodline not yet been fully activated, yet he already shows signs of latent near-spirit body talent?” Angel muttered to himself and then said to Frode, ”If the farm owner has indeed become an undead to hunt little Sam, you must be extra cautious. Little Sam currently isn’t equipped to handle an undead.”

Because of this latent near-spirit body talent, many with such potential rarely survive to become transcendent.

After all, undead are not easy to deal with. Even a peak apprentice, without specific countermeasures, would find it troublesome, let alone mortals.

Frode nodded: ”I understand.”

Previously, Frode might have been unable to deal with an undead, but with the Samsara Overture, a farm owner’s undead is hardly a threat.

Angel: ”And when the collective sacrifice investigation concludes, don’t forget to report it.”

Angel hasn’t personally investigated the collective sacrifices, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t concerned. Such mass sacrifice events, especially involving living sacrifices, can easily escalate into affairs involving Otherworldly powers or Abyssal Demon Gods; as Angel resides in the Wizards’ Realm, he naturally hopes to prevent such malignant events from emerging. He might not take action himself, but he can report them to others.

For example, the Extreme Sect.

Angel chatted a bit more with Frode about current events before taking his leave. Leaving the Sky Tower, he walked along the flower-rich main road straight to the library.

The Ironclad Granny was currently in the library, and he planned to take this opportunity to consult with her about the origin of the emblem found in the Baya Desert palace.

Entering the library, Angel skillfully made his way to the second floor.

He didn’t immediately find the Ironclad Granny but instead spotted Nis sitting by the window, engrossed in recording notes and studying the secrets of the stone slab.

Nis’s gray-white hair, once neatly combed, was now a tangled mess, a clear sign that he hadn’t stopped studying the stone slab for even a moment, completely neglecting his personal grooming.

As Angel walked over, Nis glanced at him out of the corner of his eye and continued to write swiftly.

The paper was covered with a dense array of formulas and symbols. Individually, Angel could recognize them, but when laid out together like this, he couldn’t make sense of it.

”This stone slab might last another half day. When it’s done, don’t forget to bring a new one over,” Nis said to Angel without lifting his head, continuing to write.

Angel had been afraid of disturbing Nis, so he hadn’t spoken, but since Nis had started the conversation, Angel couldn’t resist asking, ”How’s the progress on the research?”

”No progress at all,” Nis replied very quickly with such an answer.

Even though there was zero progress, Nis looked excited, because according to the findings of the past few days, he was sure that his method was not wrong, and it was indeed possible to determine the coordinates of Quest World through this method.

As long as the path is correct, zero progress is not a problem. Because, once there is any progress, it will be the time to harvest the fruit.

Angel also understood this principle, so he didn’t ask about the progress regarding the stone slab research anymore. Instead, he inquired about another matter: ”Isn’t Tullas here?”

He had assigned Tullas to the library, to remind him once Nis’s stone slab was used up and needed to be ”offline,” but recently he noticed that several times Tullas had forgotten to remind him.

Nis: ”I told him to leave.”

”Ah?”

Nis: ”If he didn’t leave, I would have a headache when I looked at him.”

A headache? Angel looked at Nis in confusion.

Nis sighed, momentarily lowered his pen, and looked Angel up and down: ”You don’t understand, when a pair of lovebirds hover around me, my eyes hurt.”

Angel continued to look puzzled, but Nis wouldn’t say more, fully engrossed in the research to unlock the secrets of the stone slab.

Angel left Nis’s place and continued to walk on, using God’s view to check on Tullas’s current status.

Then, he saw Tullas sitting in a small bar near the library, with Mandhela beside him.

He seemed to understand what Nis meant.

Angel didn’t walk far before he saw Ironclad Granny and Jon sitting opposite each other, sipping tea and discussing something.

Angel only faintly heard keywords like ”plants” and ”longevity.”

At this time, Ironclad Granny noticed Angel approaching. She stopped talking and said to Jon, ”Oh, Angel came in today as well? He’s probably here to see you.”

With that, Ironclad Granny stood up, ready to give up her seat.

Angel quickly called out, ”I am here specifically to find Granny this time.”

Ironclad Granny didn’t say anything after hearing that, sat back down, took another sip of rich floral tea, then looked at Angel.

”Go ahead, what’s the issue?”

Angel bashfully rubbed his nose, ”Can’t I just simply come to see Granny?”

Ironclad Granny took a sip of tea and softly said, ”Really?”

”Really.” Angel nodded shamelessly, ”Of course, besides visiting Granny, I also want to ask about a small doubt.”

Ironclad Granny laughed, not teasing him further.

After a bit of small talk, Angel, under the gaze of Ironclad Granny, expressed his confusion.

”I came across a ruinous building in a very desolate, rarely visited place by accident.”

Angel gave a general description of the desert palace and especially emphasized that there was no danger, to avoid worrying Jon beside him. To prove it, Angel even presented the palace through an illusion.

Apart from the painting by the Magic Painter Wizard, all the details of the palace were in the illusion.

Both Ironclad Granny and Jon gazed curiously at the illusion for a while, and Ironclad Granny finally fixed her gaze on the emblem that puzzled Angel.

Looking at this emblem, Ironclad Granny fell into thought.

”Although I don’t understand the architecture of the Wizard World, the style entirely composed of columns, with no walls, reminds me of some temple layouts.” Jon pondered, ”This might be a religious building?”

Angel also nodded, when he first saw the palace, it indeed gave him a solemn religious impression.𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Only the emblem inside the palace, rather than resembling a religious symbol, looked more like the badge of a music academy.

Ironclad Granny, who had been pondering for a while, finally spoke, ”Jon is right, it can indeed be considered a religious building.”

”If I am not mistaken, this should be the emblem of the Elegant Sect.”

Elegant Sect? Angel and Jon both turned their gaze to Ironclad Granny, and Jon was also curious about this otherworldly religion.

Ironclad Granny thought for a moment, then said, ”The Elegant Sect is a semi-religious sect in the Origin World. Its emblem is a seven-string harp in gentle waves. Unlike other religions, the followers of this sect do not worship some deity, but a person proclaimed as a musician.”

”A musician?” Angel asked suspiciously.

”Yes, a musician. I don’t know his name or title, even if I did, I couldn’t say. His name contains the power of miracles. The only thing I know is that this musician was his identity as a mortal, and he loved to refer to himself as a musician.”

Jon was amazed by Ironclad Granny’s words. A name with such power? How could this be a person and not a god?

After listening, Angel was less concerned about the power of the true name but more about a word Ironclad Granny mentioned.

Miracle.

Only those who stand atop the mountains are called by miracles.

If there are no surprises, this is another existence like that.

Truly high-level wizards are called creators of miracles!