Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 2339: Chapter 2340: Sidro Mist Isle

”Speaking of which, it’s thanks to you, otherwise it would have been hard to see this handbook.”

Seeing Angel’s confusion, Ironclad Granny explained, ”All the wizard relics in Sky Mechanical City are managed by Antonio. Only the deceased’s relatives, or those who have obtained Antonio’s permission, can view the relics.”

Nis also nodded and said, ”Exactly, all of Mia’s relatives have passed away. I thought she would list me as a relative, but she didn’t.”

Ironclad Granny gave Nis a cold look, ”Your shamelessness is as consistent as ever.”

Nis chuckled, ”Wasn’t I just speculating reasonably? After all, Mia and I were quite close, so I’m like half a relative.”

”And yet you don’t even know when she died?” Ironclad Granny sneered and no longer paid attention to Nis, turning to Angel, ”Barbarian Cave also has a similar mechanism. Unclaimed wizard relics are managed by the Tree Spirit.”

Nis leaned in and said, ”When you die, Angel, there’s no need to worry about your affairs. The Illusion Demon faction can help sort your relics. Didn’t you have a brother too? You can also register your brother’s name with the Tree Spirit. So, when you’re gone, your brother can inherit your legacy.”

Angel: ”...” Although what Nis was saying was standard procedure, why did it make my fists clench tighter the more I heard?

Ironclad Granny took a deep breath, her eyes flashing coldly, with innate pressure, ”Shut up, let me do the talking from now on.”

Seeing Ironclad Granny seemingly ready to get angry, Nis shivered in fear, not daring to act out anymore. But this didn’t last long; within seconds, Nis muttered under his breath, ”I wasn’t wrong, though...”

”Shut up!”

Nis froze and instantly fell silent.

As the air returned to calm, Ironclad Granny continued to Angel, ”Mia’s handbook technically shouldn’t be available, but Antonio, knowing it was you who wanted to see it, retrieved it from the relic storage.”

It was thanks to Angel’s connections this time; otherwise, it would have been nearly impossible.

”Antonio values your opinion greatly.” Nis added a comment, but was immediately silenced by Ironclad Granny’s glare. He quickly made a gesture of zipping his mouth, ”I won’t speak anymore, I promise.”

”Antonio, it’s been a long time since I saw him.” Angel was quite nostalgic for this rigid but secretly gentle divine spirit.

”Antonio misses you too.” Ironclad Granny paused, ”By the way, Antonio asked me to convey two messages to you.”

”Please go ahead, Granny.”

Ironclad Granny: ”He said that the drama shadow box has become a trend in Sky Mechanical City, and your name is widely recognized in most circles. However, the shadow box is ultimately a clever trick, and he looks forward to your new work being released.”

Angel nodded. As a member of the Research and Development Institute, releasing new works is his duty, and he was already prepared for it.

”Also, Antonio told me the main reason he’s anticipating your new work is because there’s news of Dong La.”

”The grafting maniac, Dong La?” Angel was startled, ”There’s news of her? What about Madeline?”

On Stargazing Day, Maya saw Madeline being counter-killed by Dong La. Since there’s news of Dong La now, what’s Madeline’s situation?

Ironclad Granny: ”Rest assured, after Stargazing Day, we’ve already sent people to the Abyss. Although we haven’t received new information yet, Madeline should be safe.”

After pausing, Ironclad Granny continued, ”Although Dong La hasn’t returned to the Research and Development Institute, since there’s already news of her, she might target you once she comes back.”

Dong La has always been a staunch opponent of the Research and Development Institute. She would vehemently oppose any new member of the institute. When Angel became a member, Dong La was trapped in the Abyss and didn’t participate. But if she returns, she will definitely raise her flag of opposition high.

Despite Dong La’s widely criticized character, her alchemy skills are formidable, especially her prowess in alchemical modifications, which grants her significant status within the Alchemy Circle. If she publicly questions Angel’s alchemy skills, it would surely harm Angel’s reputation.

Moreover, Angel himself has grudges with Dong La, who is also eyeing Angel’s body. Therefore, such a tense confrontation is highly likely.

In this situation, one can either retreat or strike back. Retreating is clearly not the style of a Research and Development Institute member, so Antonio’s advice to Angel is to release a work that renders all of Dong La’s words irrelevant.

”I understand.” Angel nodded thoughtfully.

Seeing Angel in contemplation, Ironclad Granny mistakenly thought he was worried about the future situation, so she took a gentle sip of tea and said, ”Madeline and Dong La have a deep grudge. Actually, Madeline had the chance to ’permanently’ leave Dong La in the Abyss.”

Nis’s eyes widened as he looked at Ironclad Granny... Granny was about to go out of discussion territory.

Angel also understood Granny’s implication. He shook his head with a smile, ”Madeline indeed wished to carve out Dong La’s flesh and blood, but I believe Madeline would rather personally take down Dong La. After all, the gap between them isn’t that wide, it’s not an impossible feat.”

”Moreover, speaking of work releases... Granny, how do you find the log-in device from the Wilderness of Dreams?”

Ironclad Granny took a deep look at Angel, ”The log-in device is good. So it seems you’ve already decided how to proceed.”

The reason for this statement is because, according to the current situation in the Barbarian Cave, if Dong La truly intends to challenge Angel, the best opportunity would be at the tea party. Since all wizard organizations will be focusing on the tea party at that time, and the witches have an inherent talent for ’reading as information dissemination, writing as gossip,’ this powerful ability could aid Dong La in achieving her goals rapidly.

On the other hand, Angel was already planning to open the log-in device to a limited audience at the tea party. In this regard, Dong La and he happen to coincide.

As for Angel’s release of the log-in device versus Dong La’s challenge, the clash between the two, who would win and who would lose... Do we even need to ask?

Nis squinted at Angel, contemplating whether he intended to make Dong La a stepping stone.

Ironclad Granny: ”Since you already have a plan, let’s set this matter aside for now. As for the main topic we haven’t addressed yet.”

Ironclad Granny paused. Originally, she intended to have Nis continue discussing Mia’s handbook, but looking at Nis’s lecherous old face, she decided after a moment of thought to handle it herself.

”Mia’s handbook, retrieved from the relic storage by Antonio. After some searching, the report from those two talented ones was found.” Ironclad Granny: ”According to records, this event occurred in New Calendar year 7346, at Westdro Island.”

These two talented ones were indigenous people from the main island of Westdro, and were actually blood brothers. They lived in a small fishing village on the northern sandy coast of Westdro Island, where they grew up fishing. If not for encountering Mia, they might have become renowned fishermen in the future.

At age fourteen, during Midsummer of New Calendar year 7346, they encountered an event that changed their worldview.

Originally, they were fishing by the sea when they suddenly saw a group of people speeding over the sea’s surface. It startled them, making them start to question their reality—how could humans run over the sea?

Hiding behind palm trees, they witnessed a group of cloaked figures with numerical tattoos on their faces chasing a short-haired man deeper into Westdro Island.

As young boys, they were both perplexed and frightened by these people flying back and forth, but curiosity won over everything, and they secretly followed. They soon witnessed a shocking sight: the cloaked figures periodically emitted flames and light beams from their hands, aimed at the short-haired man ahead, leaving a trail of smoke and fire all the way, burning several mountains and even altering some mountain tops, completely transforming the landscape.

Due to the cloaked figures’ swift speed, merely glimpsing them in flight, they couldn’t keep up and had no choice but to return helplessly.

Although there was no follow-up to this matter, it changed their worldview, creating an aspiration for the transcendent world. This was one of the reasons why Mia could easily recruit them into Sky Mechanical City later.

After Ironclad Granny finished speaking, she took a sip of tea to soothe her dry throat, while Angel pondered over the whole incident.

There wasn’t anything particularly noteworthy in the whole matter, and it could only be regarded as an occasional event where two ordinary people witnessed the supernatural.

However, the location where this happened did intrigue him a bit...

”Sidero Island, why does it sound so familiar?” Angel muttered softly, feeling as though he had heard the name somewhere before.

”Just like your hometown, which we mostly call Edge Island but you call Old Earth Continent. Similarly, for those two brothers, the standard name for that place is Sidero Island, but in the Wizards’ Realm, it’s often referred to as Sidero Mist Isle,” said Ironclad Granny.

”Sidero Mist Isle!” Angel suddenly remembered: ”I recall now, this is a rare living island in the Demon Sea Area!”

The Demon Sea Area is filled with abnormal eerie climate, giant sea beasts, and evil beings, and ships navigating it spend almost every day in trepidation.

In such a sea area, besides the freight ships of major sea transport companies with wizard backgrounds and some reckless pirates, few living people dare to step into it.

Having personally experienced the dangers of the Demon Sea Area, Angel once thought that with such unpredictable weather, there shouldn’t be any islands or continents with living people.

But after joining the Barbarian Cave and reviewing various materials, he came to understand that there are indeed islands with inhabitants in the Demon Sea Area.

For instance, Shaloo Ridge where the Basket Witch resides; and also, Sidero Mist Isle.

Shaloo Ridge is actually considered the territory of a Witcher Organization, so being able to survive in the Demon Sea is normal. Sidero Mist Isle is different; it’s a real ordinary island, and the people living there are all ordinary humans.

This is quite rare among the living islands in the Demon Sea Area.

The main reason is that Sidero Mist Isle’s location might be relatively favorable, with hardly any extreme weather throughout the year, as if Sidero Mist Isle is a safe zone in the Demon Sea Area.

As for why Sidero Mist Isle has such conditions, it remains unknown. However, there have been some unsubstantiated theories speculated by brainiacs who haven’t actually surveyed the place, suggesting it might be related to its proximity to the Mist Belt.

The reason Sidero Mist Isle’s name includes ”Mist” isn’t because it experiences foggy weather, but because it’s close to the famed Mist Belt of the Demon Sea Area.

The Mist Belt, also known as Mist Sea or Sea of Mist, is an extremely dangerous no-man’s land.

Even freight ships of major sea transport companies wouldn’t enter it; all nautical maps would mark the Mist Belt with skulls, symbolizing a death zone where no one survives after entering.

Its danger level could be compared to the Sea of Ghosts. It’s said that terrifying sea beasts lurk in the mist, and ancient Divine Spirits lay dormant.

Precisely because Sidero Mist Isle is near such a perilous place, it’s hypothesized by some that for a balancing purpose, the area surrounding the dangerous Mist Belt is relatively safe, like being in the dark beneath a lamp. Sidero Mist Isle is lucky to be in the safe zone.

But such talk can be dismissed as unreliable.

Nevertheless, Sidero Mist Isle is indeed very safe and is one of the rare living islands in the Demon Sea Area, which is undeniable.

”Confirming the island where those two Talented Ones are located doesn’t seem to hold much significance,” Angel murmured.

”No.” Ironclad Granny shook her head: ”Determining its geographical location does hold certain significance.”

Under Angel’s puzzled gaze, Ironclad Granny continued: ”I mentioned before that those two Talented Ones live in a small fishing village on the northern sandy coast of Sidero Island. In other words, their living location is at the northernmost point of Sidero Island.”

”And the Mist Belt is located directly north of Sidero Island.”

Angel paused for a moment: ”Granny means, those cloaked figures with numerical tattoos on their faces came from the Mist Belt?”

Ironclad Granny nodded: ”This is actually Mia’s conjecture; she documented this hypothesis in her handbook and reported it, but unfortunately, it didn’t receive much attention from the upper echelons of Sky Mechanical City. After seeing it, I felt it had some merit.”

Those two Talented Ones personally saw that group come from the sea; there were no ships on the sea, and aside from within the Mist Belt, there were no islands nearby for them to replenish energy consumption. Furthermore, the destructive area suggests they’re not Official Wizards; how could a group of Wizard Apprentices run on the sea for so long without support?

Thus, Mia conjectured that close to Sidero Island, there might be a place in the Mist Belt that can accommodate those cloaked figures.

And this place could be an island in the Mist Belt or perhaps a ship within it.

In short, the likelihood that they came from the Mist Belt is quite substantial.

”So, the idea is, if we’re to trace their whereabouts, we should head north from Sidero Island and search the Mist Belt?” Angel asked.

Ironclad Granny: ”That is one way, though it’s still quite challenging.”

Angel: ”True...”

”However, although the feasibility is low, some minor corrections can be made,” Ironclad Granny said: ”Knowing that the cloaked figures have left destructive marks on Sidero Island, we can certainly send people to survey and trace back through these indelible marks.”

Traces left by mere Apprentices are easy to find if you want to uncover some clues.

”If nothing can be found, then send a Prophet Wizard. They will surely find some clues,” Nis couldn’t help but chime in. This time, Ironclad Granny didn’t retort.

Ironclad Granny: ”However, Prophet Wizards are relatively scarce, so we might not consider that option first.”

If there’s a free Prophet Wizard available, they could directly visit the Earth Cavern; through the traces left there, they might find more clues.

”Then, who will you send to survey?”

”You don’t need to worry about that.” Seeing that Ironclad Granny no longer argued with him, Nis took the initiative: ”Later, I’ll issue a task at the Task Hall. As long as the reward is sufficient, someone will go.”

Understanding that it might involve the Quest World, Nis took the lead, evidently ready to spend generously himself.

”Then, I leave it to Wizard Nis.” Angel paused for a moment, then said: ”By the way, regarding the identity of those cloaked figures, I actually obtained a clue.”

”Oh?”

”One of them might be from Nirvana Continent.”