Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 2313: Chapter 2314: Visiting a Friend

Sanders walked out of the Plane Corridor and gave Angel a slight nod. He naturally donned his pure white silk gloves and retrieved his gold-inlaid black birch wood cane.

Turning around, he lightly tapped with the cane, making contact with the dark abyss behind him.

After a flicker of dim light, the Plane Corridor that Angel had opened was immediately closed.

As the Plane Corridor closed, a half-remaining Void Abyssal Beast nail was held by Sanders in his hand.

”Profound Abyss... using Void Abyssal Beast nails as the main material to open the Plane Corridor, only someone as opulent as you.” Sanders glanced at the unexhausted black nail and casually tossed it towards Angel.

”Take it, it can barely be used once more.”

Angel caught the abyss nail, showing a slightly embarrassed expression in his eyes. The market price for abyss nails in Sky Mechanical City starts at three thousand magic crystals; he had bought it from Breeze Demonic Material Shop at nearly twenty-five hundred magic crystals.

This magic material with spatial properties can naturally be used as a material for the Plane Corridor, but there are many magic materials that can replace the abyss nail. One of the most common is an Illusory Gemstone, a product of Illusion Spirit Diamond, with relatively large production and cheaper price, around two thousand magic crystals.

At first glance, the difference between three thousand magic crystals and two thousand magic crystals doesn’t seem significant, but you can’t consider only this one material when comparing.

The material requirements for the Plane Corridor are extensive, with not just one type, adding up usually to over ten thousand. The different main materials correspond to different auxiliary materials; for example, the auxiliary materials corresponding to Illusory Gemstone are priced reasonably, totaling about ten thousand to twenty thousand magic crystals—all normal wizards can afford to carry a set. But with abyss nails as the main material, the auxiliary materials would be higher, with the total consumption for a single Plane Corridor possibly exceeding thirty thousand magic crystals.

It’s precisely because of this that Sanders said Angel was too extravagant.

Angel’s eyes wandered: ”I was just worried about failure in opening it, which is why I used abyss nails.”

If it were a normal opening of the Plane Corridor, Angel naturally would choose something cheap and affordable, but this time Angel was opening it for the first time using only the Path Mark given by Sanders, felt fearful of things going wrong in the middle hence used a material relatively high in price but greater spatial stability than other major materials, the abyss nail.

Sanders roughly understood Angel’s reasoning, so he casually teased him. Angel himself is an Alchemist, not lacking in magic crystals, using expensive ones is fine—of course, Sanders is definitely not envious, definitely.

”How did Mentor know I was using abyss nails?” Angel curiously asked.

”By the shape of the rift.” Sanders made no gestures, yet an illusion appeared before him, presenting the appearance of the Plane Corridor.

Sanders pointed to the rim of the Plane Corridor: ”The Plane Corridor created by abyss nails is called a Profound Abyss, the spatial rift bears visible claw mark sensations akin to the marks left by Void Abyssal Beast tearing through space.”

After speaking, Sanders listed several examples of Plane Corridors made from different main materials.

Including the Tunnel of Falsehood carved by Illusory Gemstone, the Light Shadow Passage opened by Nightmare Light Crystal, and the Rainbow Gate unlocked with Rainbow Furnace Stone... he taught Angel how to distinguish between different types of Plane Corridors.

After finishing his explanation, Angel contemplated while Sanders glanced at the distant gondola.

He could sense noticeable chaotic elemental fluctuations aboard the gondola.

Angel noted Sanders’s gaze and explained: ”The elemental creatures near the gondola are my newly acquired subordinates and some familiar friends. Mentor, would you like to check them out?”

Sanders shook his head: ”Later, let’s welcome Lord Rhein first.”

Even though the cost of the Plane Corridor would eventually be reimbursed by the Barbarian Cave—this was promised by Lord Rhein; however, someone as lavish as Angel could still attract gossip, hence to avoid such circumstances, opening the Plane Corridor to welcome Rhein was finally assigned to Sanders.

Angel was responsible for contacting Rhein in the Wilderness of Dreams and determining the Path Mark.

Angel casually cast the Art of Nightmare Illusion over the salt lake, creating a cloud sofa like floating clouds, sat on it, and then closed his eyes, entering the Wilderness of Dreams.

Still in the ground floor lobby of the Rosewater Pavilion.

But compared to the previous bustle, now it’s quite empty, with only two service personnel recruited from Originheart City.

Since Rhein hadn’t gone online, Angel decided to wait here for a bit.

He sat by the window, signaling the service personnel not to approach, and began waiting quietly.

Five minutes... ten minutes...

Half an hour passed, Angel even sent his brother Lyon a full set of cultivation insights offline messages, but still awaited Rhein’s online message.

Angel pondered for a moment, opened the Mother Tree Interlinker, found Tree Spirit, inquiring about Lord Rhein’s whereabouts.

However, Tree Spirit didn’t respond. Using God’s View to check, he discovered Tree Spirit was in a corner of New City, conversing with Nami Midori, Tree Spirit discoursing delightfully while Nami Midori listened, her eyes gleaming brightly.

Both were in a state of entrancement, with Tree Spirit immersed in narration, Nami Midori into listening.

Angel probed slightly only then realizing Tree Spirit discussing cultivation methods of Nature Spirits. Nami Midori may not be a Spirit, but the nature-related descriptions captured Nami Midori’s heart so she also became absorbed, occasionally shimmering with the colors of enlightenment, seemingly gaining insights.

Witnessing this scenario, Angel inexplicably recalled discussions with Mr. Feng in the painting.

Angel: ”How should I assist Nami Midori in breaking through?”

Feng: ”Don’t pay too much attention, just let nature take its course, the Book of Kael won’t prophecy incorrectly.”

Perhaps what it prophesied to him wasn’t specified, but generalized? Barbarian Cave is actually related to Angel too, it might also fall within the prophecy’s scope.

Clearly, Tree Spirit possesses the deepest understanding of natural forces in Barbarian Cave.

Maybe Nami Midori can take that step based on the knowledge and insights acquired from Tree Spirit?

Regardless if this possibility exists, Angel should not interrupt Tree Spirit’s lecture right now, and can only switch the target to other prospects.

Ironclad Granny isn’t online either, presumably left with Lord Rhein. Angel turns his attention to Lianna.

Lianna quickly replied via tree cluster: ”Ask Duncan, Duncan is physically present near the ruins currently.”

’Whisper of the Netherworld’ Duncan is a mysterious Summoning System wizard, primarily researching in the direction of Skeletal Summoning.

Angel locked God’s View onto Duncan’s location, finding Duncan not inside New City, but in an underground laboratory outside New City.

This laboratory was specifically built by Dumatin for studying Rain Weaver and Traveling Frog.

Angel sensed for a while then comprehended Dumatin invited Duncan to be his assistant, Duncan said yes though unclear based on what reason.

Currently, Dumatin isn’t present in the laboratory—Duncan stays back recording some experimental data.

Seeing Duncan temporarily unoccupied, Angel swiftly contacted Duncan via the tree cluster, explaining the situation.

Duncan: ”Understood, I’ll return to check in reality.”

Such a trivial matter, Duncan naturally couldn’t refuse Angel. After agreeing, he went offline.

After a while, Duncan came back online and said to Angel, ”Lord Rhein has already left, and currently, the site is guarded by the Ironclad Granny.”

Duncan asked the Ironclad Granny about Rhein’s whereabouts. She also wasn’t sure; she only said that Rhein left through the Plane Corridor, mentioning before he left that he was going to visit a friend.

”Visit a friend?” Angel looked confused. Wasn’t he supposed to come to the Tidal World soon? Why is he suddenly visiting a friend?

Moreover, he left using the Plane Corridor. This implies that Rhein’s friend isn’t on the Pamiji Plateau.

Leaving in such a hurry, did something happen?

Angel pondered for a while but couldn’t figure it out, so he just went offline for the time being.

When Angel told Sanders about Rhein’s situation, Sanders was also unsure of what happened, guessing: ”Maybe Lord Rhein is meeting a friend because of the Tidal World.”

Based on Sanders’ understanding of Rhein, no matter how significant an event, it wouldn’t surpass the importance of the Tidal World right now.

Therefore, this conjecture was made. But what kind of friend could be related to the Tidal World?

While they were thinking, Angel suddenly felt the Authority Tree in his Mind Space sway, and a piece of information was passed through the Authority of the Gate of Dreams.

Angel: ”Lord Rhein has entered the Wilderness of Dreams!”

After saying this, Angel, without any hesitation, used the Dream Entering Technique on himself and entered the Wilderness of Dreams.

Once in the Wilderness of Dreams, before Angel could talk to Rhein, he first received a message from Rhein—a location of a Spatial Beacon.

Rhein sent this coordinate and then went offline, clearly indicating that this location was the other end where the Plane Corridor is about to connect.

Angel conveyed this Path Mark to Sanders.

Upon receiving the Spatial Beacon, Sanders closed his eyes and simulated it in his mind for a moment, saying: ”This Path Mark is located in the heartland of Saint Lawrence... If it’s here, then Lord Rhein should have gone to the Magic Flute Monastery.”

Magic Flute Monastery? Angel didn’t have a deep impression of this Witcher Organization; the only contact he had was with a fellow Research and Development Institute member, the ”Alchemist” Matthew.

Even with Matthew, Angel had only seen him once during the deliberation meeting when entering the Research and Development Institute. He was an elder dressed in a robe of divine service, exuding an aura of holiness and solemnity.

Aside from this, the only thing known was a wizard named Perciwal Graves because this wizard had explicitly stated that he had entered the Nightmare Realm before.

”Does Lord Rhein know someone at the Magic Flute Monastery?” Angel asked.

Sanders shrugged, indicating that he didn’t know Rhein’s circle of friends. However, having presided over the Barbarian Cave for many years, Rhein’s network is broad enough to surpass this world, reaching into the Pan-Dimensional Plane. Even with hostile organizations, he might know people.

Thus, guessing who Rhein’s friend might be is tough.

”If you’re really curious, you can ask Lord Rhein directly later.” Sanders said as he stood up from the cloud sofa: ”I’m about to start.”

Sanders moved aside and took out the casting materials for the Plane Corridor that Angel had prepared.

The reason for using the materials Angel prepared is that Angel could get reimbursement for them. Although Sanders didn’t care about these Magic Crystals, saving where possible was preferable.

Sanders’ method of opening the Plane Corridor was evidently more elegant and effortless than Angel’s.

He may be more adept at using the Nightmare Light Crystal to open a pathway of light and shadow, but using an Illusory Gemstone to open a Tunnel of Falsehood posed no challenge for him either.

And the speed was so fast that it left Angel dumbfounded.

Almost instantly, the Plane Corridor was successfully opened, with a breath of illusion emanating from a giant whirlpool.

This whirlpool was the Tunnel of Falsehood. The size of the whirlpool far exceeded the Profound Abyss that Angel had set up.

Using cheaper primary materials, Sanders crafted a superior Plane Corridor compared to the Profound Abyss that Angel had created. This was the difference between Angel and Sanders.

Of course, the root cause of this gap was that Sanders had encountered lethal dangers countless times more than Angel has, making it instinctual for him to forcibly open a Plane Corridor during a crisis.

In a certain sense, Angel was fortunate for this.

Not long after the whirlpool appeared, Rhein followed the void’s exit and emerged from the other side.

After Rhein came out, Angel curiously looked behind him.

Since Rhein went to see a friend, would he bring his friend along?

However, he didn’t.

Rhein, like Sanders before him, made closing the Plane Corridor the first thing he did after leaving, conveniently helping Sanders close it.

With the Plane Corridor closed, naturally, no one else followed.

”Why are you looking behind me?” Rhein asked Angel in confusion. Upon coming out, the first thing he did was perceive the atmosphere of this world, and the second was to focus on Angel. As a result, he found Angel persistently craning his neck to look behind him, leaving him utterly puzzled.

”I thought, Lord Rhein might have brought a friend along.” Angel replied quietly.

”A friend?”

After some exchange, Rhein finally understood Angel’s meaning. He smiled wryly, shaking his head: ”No, I haven’t even disclosed the situation of the Tidal World within the Barbarian Cave. How could I mention it to the outside world, not even to a friend.”

”Huh?” Angel asked: ”Didn’t Lord Rhein go to meet a friend for the Tidal World?”

”It was for the Tidal World, but my visit wasn’t to inform them of the Tidal World’s existence, which is a bit different from what you think.” Rhein frankly admitted.

”What parts are different?”

”Well... you’ll find out soon enough.” Rhein teased, looking around: ”Is this the Salt Lake? It’s quite beautiful.”

Angel briefly introduced the area, emphasizing that it was a nameless place, distinct from an Elemental Territory.

”A nameless place?” Rhein’s eyes showed a hint of appreciation: ”Even as a nameless place, the Elemental Power here is already comparable to the Mirror World.”

Of course, Rhein’s mention of Elemental Power excluded the power of nature. Because of the Tree Spirit in the Mirror World, the natural power within was incredibly rich.

”If the Elemental Power here has already reached this level, I really want to know what the real Elemental Territory would look like.”