Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 2501: Chapter 2502: The Underground Black Market

As Abulei frantically sprinted towards the Laksum Principality, on the other side, Angel had already followed Docks out of the Sandworm Market.

Looking at the vast yellow sand around, Angel doubted: ”Didn’t you just say that Kael is at the Sandworm Market?”

Docks expressionlessly said: ”According to Mesomyia’s regulations, the entire Wizard Market of the Laksum Principality, with the market as the center, extends a hundred miles in radius as the market’s range.”

Angel: ”...So, as long as Kael is within a hundred miles, it can be considered that he is at the Sandworm Market?”

”Yes.”

Angel: ”...”

Seeing Angel rendered speechless, Docks suddenly changed his tone: ”That was just the official line; those who actually reside permanently at the Sandworm Market would never consider the vast desert as part of the market. Moreover, there’s no need for me to play word games with you. Kael is indeed at the Sandworm Market, but the market he is in is a black market secretly controlled by the Nomir family, not far from the Sandworm Market.”

When Docks spoke to this point, he suddenly stopped: ”Here we are, this is the entrance to the black market.”

In front of Docks stood a huge boulder, next to which was a columnar cactus with a bright red flower blooming on top.

Angel glanced back; indeed, the distance from the Sandworm Market was not far, estimated at about two hundred meters in a straight line, and from here one could still see the densely packed buildings of the faraway Sandworm Market.

”So what you initially told me about the radius of a hundred miles was actually all nonsense?” Angel asked.

Docks: ”No, no, no, I was just enlightening you. Whether you interpret my previous statement ’Kael is at the Sandworm Market’ broadly or narrowly, it is correct.”

Angel: ”...But it’s still nonsense.”

Docks felt choked by Angel’s deadpan complaint; he had many eloquent words bubbling in his throat, but ultimately suppressed them.

The other party is, like him, an official wizard.

The other party is very likely not a wandering wizard.

Must hold back, do not quarrel over trivial matters.

Docks took a deep breath, then nonchalantly turned his head, saying: ”Those are all irrelevant matters. Aren’t you here to find Kael? Kael is just below.”

Angel glanced at the stone and cactus; indeed, he felt a faint energy fluctuation.

Docks: ”Entering the black market is simple. As long as you feed it enough, you can enter the black market.”

Docks pointed at the cactus.

”Feed it enough? What do you mean? Water it?”

”No, no, no, it doesn’t drink water; it drinks blood. Any kind of blood will do. As long as it can be fed enough, it will open a door for you.” Docks paused: ”A friendly tip, it prefers the blood of extraordinary creatures. If it’s the blood of an extraordinary creature, just a few drops are enough. But if it’s ordinary blood, like from a common person, you’d need to drain their entire body of blood to satisfy it.”

After hearing this, Angel frowned slightly; since Docks mentioned that ordinary human blood could be used to feed the cactus, it suggests that most wizards would likely choose this method due to their nature. In other words, this cactus blooms so brightly because beneath it lies a pile of accumulated bones.

Angel originally didn’t have any particular feelings towards this well-growing cactus, but now he felt a surge of disdain.

While Angel expressed aversion towards the cactus, Docks quietly stared at Angel. After being stared at for a while, Angel looked back at Docks with curiosity, silently questioning with his eyes: Why are you looking at me?

After roughly ten seconds of mutual gazing, Docks finally spoke: ”I’ve already told you how to enter the black market, just go in.”

”Didn’t you say I need to feed it enough?”

Docks replied grumpily: ”I’m just here to guide you. You’re the one looking for Kael, so why should I be the one to feed it?”

Angel now understood; Docks had been standing still just waiting for him to bleed.

But on the other hand, Docks had a point. After all, Docks was merely guiding him. However, if Angel were to feed the cactus, although he had extraordinary blood, it was mostly precious alchemy materials, and using it here seemed wasteful.

Angel thought for a moment: ”Wait for me.”

After speaking, Angel turned and headed back to the Sandworm Market.

Docks quietly watched Angel’s departing figure, thinking to himself that an ordinary person in the Sandworm Market was likely to be out of luck.

While Docks sighed softly, Angel returned from the Sandworm Market with great speed.

Under Docks’ puzzled gaze, Angel tossed out a sandworm larva about ten centimeters long: ”Will this feed the cactus?”

”Did you go buy a sandworm?” Docks asked in surprise.

”How else would I get one, steal it?” Angel replied grumpily, then couldn’t help but mutter under his breath: ”Another 3 Magic Crystals, this will have to be charged to Kael. If Kael doesn’t reimburse me, I’ll go find Esos.”

Listening to Angel’s muttering, Docks felt inwardly speechless.

Docks looked at Angel with a deep gaze, then nodded: ”That’s enough. Although this orange peel sandworm is a larva, it’s still an extraordinary creature, and just ten drops of its blood will satisfy it.”

Without another word, Angel cut a small slit at the larva’s tail and let the blood drip onto the cactus.

Docks’ judgment was incredibly precise; at the tenth drop, the cactus trembled slightly, and its crown flower grew even more vibrant. Subsequently, Angel sensed the surrounding energy becoming active, probably indicating that the cactus had triggered some mechanism, activating a hidden node.

As the energy node changed, the large stone in front of them slowly moved aside, revealing a downward passage.

”Let’s go, Kael is in the black market.”

Docks resumed the lead, while Angel followed slowly behind, contemplating... how should he handle this sandworm?

The value of sandworm larvae is low, often used as food for adult worms. Currently without an adult worm, and after bleeding, this larva seemed rather listless; likely even the adult worm would find it lacking in meat.

Angel thought for a moment, then turned to look at Dangross, who was curiously looking around on his shoulder.

”Ahem, you’ve been following me for so long, and I haven’t officially given you a gift. I’ll give you this sandworm.” Angel directly tossed the sandworm larva to Dangross.

Dangross couldn’t help but roll its eyes at Angel. It wasn’t foolish; judging by Angel’s hesitant expression while holding the sandworm earlier, it knew he was figuring out how to deal with it. Now, to claim it as a gift — who would believe that!

That’s what Dangross thought, but it still picked up the sandworm and began twirling it around its fingers.

Seeing that Dangross didn’t reject the gift, Angel was somewhat relieved. Since Dangross accepted his gift, he would no longer feel any psychological burden when using its fire in future alchemy. This was a trade!

As Angel happily thought this over, they had already reached the end of the staircase.

There was no door at the end, allowing a clear view into the black market.

The black market is actually quite similar to the previous Underground Market, just much smaller than expected, with only one street. This street is winding and twisting, causing the shops on both sides to be unevenly placed, lacking any aesthetic appeal and dizzying to ordinary people after a while.

There are quite a few people in the black market; some narrow streets are even crowded shoulder to shoulder.

However, this did not hinder Angel’s progress.

Almost everyone on the road, upon seeing Dox, automatically made way for him. Clearly, they were aware of Dox’s identity.

”Red Sword” Dox, a Level 1 Wizard, even though he’s a Wandering Wizard, he is still an Official Wizard. In a place full of Apprentices, Dox’s existence is at the Great Demon King level.

The journey was very smooth, Angel even had the leisure to observe the black market.

His attention was not on the shops on both sides, but on the overall structure of the black market, especially the top.

Previously, he thought this was just a cavity, because there are very few level grounds, and everything is winding, with many sediment stones on the ground.

But when he saw the top, he discovered that the pothole-ridden top occasionally had some corners with obvious artificial Pattern traces.

Those Patterns were Magic Patterns. But obviously, they are from long, long ago, already broken and ineffective. However, judging from the number and distribution of the Patterns on the entire top, if the Magic Patterns were complete, it must have been a huge Magical Energy Array.

Many, many years ago, possibly thousands, or even more ancient times, this place might not have been simply a cavity.

As Angel was scrutinizing the structure of the black market, Dox announced: ”We have arrived.”

Only then did Angel withdraw his gaze and look around.

At this point, there were no other people around. The nearest shop was a hundred meters away and completely out of sight due to the slope.

This was a deep pit going downward. The pit was full of rubble and had traces of excavation.

”It is said that hundreds of years ago, this was a Magic Blood Ore pit, which is why it was dug like this. But now, there’s no ore left, and it’s been abandoned.”

Angel had no interest in the abandoned pit and asked directly, ”Where’s Kaier?”

Dox pointed to one side of the pit: ”There.”

Angel walked to the place Dox had pointed to. On the surface, there was nothing there, but within the sight of spiritual power, Angel could clearly feel some Concealed energy fluctuations around.

Moreover, these fluctuations were not unfamiliar to him, they were space nodes.

”Can you sense it? There’s a Concealed space node here, set up by Kaier. Only one of these space nodes is connected to Kaier, all other space nodes are traps. Touching them will drag you into a Space Rift.”

Dox shrugged: ”As for which one is the correct space node, I don’t know. All I can do is bring you here. I can stay with you and wait for Kaier to come out. He comes out at least once a week, and according to past occasions, the latest would be the day after tomorrow, he will...”

Dox hadn’t finished speaking when he saw Angel reaching towards a space node.

Dox was startled and hurriedly tried to rush over to stop him, not because he was worried about Angel, but because if a Space Rift formed, he would suffer as well.

Although the Space Rift set up by Kaier isn’t too dangerous for an Official Wizard, if you enter an unknown Void and cannot find a Path Mark, returning to the Wizards’ Realm would cost a lot.

However, Dox still failed to stop it. Angel was faster than him, directly touching the space node.

Seeing this, Dox started retreating frantically, hoping the savage Space Rift wouldn’t reach him.

But after retreating tens of meters, he realized no Space Rift had appeared in the distance.

While Angel calmly sat on a stone.

He hesitated for a moment, then walked over.

”Did you just touch the space node?”

”Yes.” Angel nodded in acknowledgment.

”But, why...” no Space Rift?

Dox didn’t speak the incomplete sentence because there’s only one answer: the Wizard named Lyon opposite him had found the correct space node!

”Are you, like Esos, a Space Mage?” Dox hesitated for a moment, then asked.

Angel: ”No, I’m just someone who has done some research on Space Series.”

Angel had just acquired a complete set of space knowledge from the Dalmatian, and in terms of theoretical knowledge, he was already comparable to many Space Mages. However, from a practical standpoint, he was still at zero.

This time with the space node doesn’t even count as practice. For Angel, who possesses such a comprehensive set of space knowledge, finding an unusual space node was a piece of cake.

Looking at Angel’s calm and unruffled expression, Dox quietly speculated on his true identity.

Regarding whether he’s a Space Mage, the other party probably wasn’t lying.

Someone who isn’t a Space Mage but has such an in-depth study of the Space Series must have spent considerable time on it. The other party looks young, but he’s probably hundreds of years old.

Otherwise, how could he have time to study across fields?

At hundreds of years old, and he’s still an Official Wizard like Dox, without crossing into the realm of True Knowledge, it seems his Talent isn’t too high.

Thinking of this, Dox instantly gained confidence. He’s just turned eighty this year, even if he’s a Wandering Wizard, he’s still at the same level as the other party.

He’s confident that given a hundred years, he could find his own path and step into True Knowledge.

With this comparison, Dox’s confidence and sense of superiority began to soar.

So what if Lyon knew more than him?

He, Red Sword Dox, was still swelling with pride!

Angel gave Dox a strange look, feeling that the other had undergone some change in a short time, but upon closer inspection, he couldn’t find anything different.

Angel quietly shook his head: Forget it, it’s none of my business anyway.

Although he touched the correct space node, Kaier did not appear immediately. Presumably, he was busy with some research or something.

Half an hour later, a figure with an explosive hairstyle, face covered in black ash, clothes in tatters, appeared before them.