Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 2502: Chapter 2503: Kaier

Angel was not at all unfamiliar with the kind of ”honor” he saw before him. In the Source of Flow at the Barbarian Cave, it was not uncommon for Wizards to encounter problems with their research and experiments, leading to huge explosions, and when they appeared, they mostly looked much like the person in front of him.

If this person was indeed Kaier, it seemed their previous speculations were correct; Kaier was indeed conducting experiments. Only now, it seemed his experimental results were concerning.

The filthy-faced person before him looked around with vacant eyes. Finally, he focused on Dox: ”Lord Dox, why are you here? Was it you who triggered the space node just now?”

Dox did not answer immediately, instead, he asked with concern, ”Kaier, are you alright?”

Kaier shook his head: ”I’m fine, just had a minor accident while trying to improve some casting materials. One of the laboratories blew up, but it’s okay, I have over a dozen more labs for backup.”

Kaier’s nonchalant attitude, combined with his remarks, led Angel and Dox to a clear conclusion: this person was a research fanatic, the kind who knew the high probability of problems occurring in an experiment yet insisted on continuing. Otherwise, who would have over a dozen laboratories as backups...

Seeing Kaier’s indifferent demeanor, Dox hesitated to speak. He wanted to remind Kaier as a senior, but Kaier had an incredibly strong Mentor, so perhaps everything he did was directed by his Mentor. After a moment’s thought, Dox finally uttered one sentence: ”Remember to exercise caution in your experiments. If something were to happen, it wouldn’t be good.”

”I will be mindful,” Kaier nodded, his tone somewhat sincere.

After a pause, Kaier curiously asked, ”Lord Dox, what brings you to me? Did something go wrong with the space node at the bar?”

Dox shook his head, pointing to Angel beside him: ”I didn’t come looking for you, the one who did is him, Wizard Lyon.”

Wizard Lyon? In fact, Kaier had noticed Angel from the start. There were only three people here, excluding himself, and Angel’s presence was quite notable. But since Angel stood politely and said nothing, Kaier temporarily ignored him. Now, with Dox mentioning a Wizard looking for him, Kaier was a bit suspicious. He had never heard of a Wizard named Lyon.

Kaier was observing Angel secretly, and Angel was doing the same with him. From the moment Kaier appeared, Angel noticed many details, such as his expression, demeanor, and the casual attitude between him and Dox. Angel was sure that Kaier was a Wizard Apprentice of the Academy Faction, obsessed with experiments and confident in his spatial technique, with a close relationship with Dox.

No wonder Dox was willing to lead Angel, clearly because of his close ties with Kaier, obviously worried that Angel might be harmful to Kaier, and his presence at least offered some protection.

”Wizard Lyon, may I ask why you are looking for me?” Kaier asked doubtfully.

Without offering an explanation, Angel directly took out the letter from Esos and handed it to Kaier.

”You’ll know once you read it.”

At first, Kaier was somewhat cautious, glancing at Dox out of the corner of his eye. Seeing Dox nod slightly, he took the letter.

When he saw the handwriting and the familiar space emblem on the envelope, Kaier’s eyes immediately lit up.

This is a letter from Mentor Esos!

Once he confirmed it, Kaier looked up, curiosity in his eyes directed at Angel: ”This is a letter from my Mentor. How did it end up in Wizard Lyon’s hands?”

Angel massaged his brow: ”I just mentioned, you’ll know once you open it. I believe Mr. Esos should have mentioned me in the letter.”

Kaier: ”Is that so?”

Angel raised an eyebrow, too lazy to reply.

Kaier hesitated with the letter in hand before saying to Angel: ”I can’t open the letter for now, but if Wizard Lyon isn’t in a hurry, why not come sit at my place?”

After speaking, Kaier also turned to look at Dox: ”Would Lord Dox join us?”

Dox naturally wouldn’t refuse, though he was a bit curious: ”Why not open the letter now?”

Kaier sighed, showing the back of the envelope, and injected some slight power of space into it. As the power of space flowed in, the emblem left by Esos began to glow brightly, and simultaneously, a three-dimensional node appeared before them.

Kaier pointed at this three-dimensional node: ”This is an unresolved spatial formula problem. Each time my Mentor sends me a letter, he leaves a problem on it, to assess whether I’ve regressed. I have to solve this formula to open the letter.”

Angel and Dox both showed understanding looks; no wonder Kaier didn’t open the letter before, there’s quite the story behind it.

Dox: ”What happens if you open the letter without solving the formula?”

Kaier: ”Nothing will happen. The problem left by my Mentor is just to check my learning status and is not mandatory. I can open the letter without solving it.”

Angel: ”...”

Angel: ”You could actually open the letter first before solving it.”

Kaier immediately shook his head vigorously, like a rattle: ”No, this is a matter of principle. I have my own set of rules, I must solve the problem to qualify to read my Mentor’s letter.”

When Kaier mentioned ”qualification,” his eyes were particularly bright.

From this, Angel gleaned another piece of information; Kaier seemed to be a Mentor’s devotee, full of admiration for Esos. This admiration even influenced his code of conduct.

Angel sighed; since Kaier had gone this far and they weren’t adversaries, Angel could only compromise. Besides, the three-dimensional space node he saw was intricate but not overwhelmingly difficult, and since Kaier could set up these real and fake space nodes in this vast pit, he should be able to solve it... right?

Seeing no opposition from Angel and Dox, Kaier enthusiastically invited them to his ”home.”

The ”home” was actually just a deeper cavern.

This cavern resembled a narrow alley, not spacious, but occasionally there were doors on either side. As Kaier walked, he introduced: ”This is my first laboratory, used for... this is the second laboratory... this is the third laboratory...”

Every door along the alley way led to Kaier’s laboratories, a total of sixteen rooms.

The eighth laboratory had collapsed. From the heat emanating from there, it was likely the laboratory Kaier had previously blown up.

”No need to worry about these blown-up labs, I’ll repair them. In fact, all the labs here have basically exploded before; now they’re all fine,” Kaier said, sounding quite proud.

This left Angel and Dox somewhat speechless. To Kaier, it seemed that being able to blow up laboratories showed how diligent and impressive he was...

Kaier did not lead Angel and Dox into the laboratories but instead went to the end of the cavern, where there was a pit.

Without any explanation, Kaier jumped right in.

Angel and Dox exchanged glances and followed suit.

The pit was quite deep, at least twenty meters. When Angel landed and looked up, he realized it led to an even deeper cavern with a relatively large space.

Here, there were very obvious marks of artificial excavation, and overhead were some relatively intact, yet still broken, Magical Energy Arrays.

When Angel had come to the black market before, he had speculated that this might have once been a palace-like ruin.

Upon arriving here, Angel was almost certain it was a ruin. Judging by the scale of the Magical Energy Arrays, the ruins were quite extensive.

Kaier also noticed Angel’s gaze: ”I guess you also figured it out; this is indeed a ruin.”

Kaier: ”It’s said to be the underground palace of a Legendary Wizard from over six thousand years ago...don’t be so surprised, it’s just hearsay. Who knows the truth of such an ancient matter? Moreover, more than ninety percent of this ruin has been developed by the Lawrence family, and anything valuable has likely been taken. Otherwise, how could the Lawrence family run a black market here?”

It’s not Angel’s first time hearing about the Lawrence family. Upon first arriving at the Sandworm Market, members of the Camel Bell Squad mentioned that all Camel Bell Squads belonged to the Lawrence family. The regulations for the Sandworm Market were also set by the Lawrence family, and in Angel’s view, the Lawrence family seemed to be the real controllers behind the Sandworm Market.

As the controllers of the Sandworm Market, operating the Sandworm Long Street within and a black market outside, the Lawrence family sure had a big appetite, wanting to dominate both legal and illegal trades. It seemed this was possible because no other Wizard Family could rival them; otherwise, how could they have such overwhelming power?

”I’ll solve the puzzle on the envelope now, please wait a moment. With my strength, I’ll be able to solve it quickly.” Kaier displayed considerable confidence.

Having said that, Kaier went to the desk on the side and began to jot down notes on parchment with vigor.

Yes, a desk.

This was just a corner of the ruins, but Kaier treated it entirely as his base, furnishing it with a fair amount of furniture. Though not luxurious, it was enough to receive guests.

Seeing Kaier treating them as if they were not outsiders and directly starting to solve the puzzle, Angel and Dox exchanged glances and sighed helplessly.

Dox: ”Why don’t we have a little exchange?”

Angel thought about it. Since there was nothing to do at the moment, an exchange sounded fine. Dox having the title ”Red Sword” indicated that he must have good swordsmanship skills. His brother Lyon used a knight’s sword as a weapon, so an exchange could be beneficial for his brother.

Angel nodded, and the two of them moved to a place far from the desk, sitting opposite each other.

There are certain unwritten rules for exchanges between wizards. Between unfamiliar wizards, acquainted wizards, and well-known wizards, each has its own set of procedures.

They naturally followed the exchange process for unfamiliar wizards, starting with probing into the simplest basics.

Once a mutual point of interest and agreement is found, a deeper exchange can take place.

Angel had a clear goal, as he was quite interested in Dox’s swordsmanship, so he guided the conversation in that direction.

Although Angel did not know sophisticated swordsmanship, he had observed Sir Sabel teaching Lyon. The conversation, though not profound, made Dox feel that Angel was genuinely interested in swordsmanship.

An old monster who has lived for hundreds of years seeking swordsmanship advice from a young man of eighty made Dox feel inflated.

This inflation led him to enjoy mentoring others.

He shared not any special secrets but started with the theory that pure swordsmanship was mostly ineffective against Transcendents. To threaten Transcendents or even Official Wizards, swordsmanship must have additional powers; either bloodline enhancement or magical power enhancement.

How to maximize such enhancements was one of Dox’s key points, and he even disclosed a few of his special techniques.

These insights were quite enlightening to Angel. Since even Angel felt he had gained something, he believed that recording these insights as an illusion and giving them to his brother Lyon would prove even more beneficial. After all, it was direct guidance from a wizard.

Dox, however, did not know that Angel, who appeared earnestly attentive, was contemplating how to clandestinely learn and record the techniques...

Dox had shared some genuinely useful skills and techniques. As part of the exchange, it wouldn’t be right for Angel to say nothing in return.

He also shared some insights on cultivation.

For instance, the things to look out for during cultivation, key breakthroughs during bottleneck periods, and taboos... these are not really great secrets within the Witcher Organization; as long as you’re at a high enough level and have enough Contribution Points in your Bone Card, you can exchange for them in the Cloudtop Library.

But Dox, being a Wandering Wizard, might have received some relatively complete inheritance, yet he still lacked these detailed aspects. Naturally, he listened with extreme eagerness, wishing Angel would share more.

The exchange lasted for most of the day, and due to Angel’s ”sincere sharing,” Dox further disclosed some swordsmanship techniques, leading both parties to gain considerable insights.

During the exchange, they occasionally glanced over at Kaier.

Angel noticed that Kaier, who was initially full of confidence, gradually wore a heavy expression, and now seemed gloomy... it appeared that Kaier was stumped by Esos’s puzzle.

His already messy hair was further ruffled by Kaier’s scratching.

”Will he be able to solve it today?” Dox also noticed the change in Kaier’s expression.

Angel did not respond immediately but instead used his spiritual power to observe Kaier’s puzzle-solving from an oversight perspective.

Such behavior was inherently improper, bordering on eavesdropping on knowledge. However, having just gained much from the exchange with Angel, Dox didn’t feel right to comment; Kaier, fully immersed in the puzzle, was oblivious to the external world.

After observing Kaier’s puzzle-solving thought process, Angel withdrew his spiritual power and said to Dox, ”He has fallen into the multiple traps left by Master Esos. Judging by the direction of his problem-solving, he seems to have realized he fell into a trap and is trying to trace back to find where he went astray.”

”However, even tracking back to the point of falling into the trap, it might still be impossible to completely avoid this trap.”

Dox was confused: ”Why?”

Angel: ”Because the only exit is hidden within the trap.”

Dox was astonished: ”You can solve the spatial node left by Master Esos?”

Angel pondered for a moment: ”I have a rough understanding.”

Clearly, Angel was indirectly admitting to it.

Dox knew beforehand that Angel had extensively researched the Space Series, but he didn’t expect Angel could solve even the puzzles left by Esos. It’s worth noting that Kaier was already at the peak of Space Series apprenticeship and hadn’t figured it out, yet Angel deduced the answer in just a few seconds. The difference was self-evident.

”Are you sure you’re not a Space Series wizard?” Dox couldn’t help but ask again.

Angel replied helplessly: ”I’m sure.”

Dox wanted to believe Angel’s words, but Angel’s spatial foundation was exceptionally strong. Even if it was inter-system cultivation, it was nearly at the level of an Official Wizard!

Could this be the difference between wizards of Witcher Organizations and Wandering Wizards?

No, Dox has also fought against wizards from organizations; he knew their level... Perhaps Angel was merely exceptional, or maybe he was part of the Academy Faction!

Yes, definitely the Academy Faction. Only the Academy Faction would be interested in researching day in and day out.

Dox again elevated his evaluation of Angel, simultaneously reevaluating Angel’s lifespan. For someone to achieve this level of inter-system cultivation in the Space Series, it would take at least a thousand years.

Even though he lost to Angel in terms of knowledge, Angel, being an old monster from the Academy Faction who accumulated wisdom over time, couldn’t necessarily beat him in terms of combat prowess. Who would win in a direct fight was yet undetermined.

As for talent, of course, he had the upper hand!

Thinking of this, Dox felt inner peace again, and Angel seemed more agreeable.

After resolving his internal conflict, Dox, feeling refreshed, asked with a smile, ”Since you can identify Kaier’s mistakes, do you think he can solve it? If he can, how long will it take?”

Angel hesitated for a moment: ”He should be able to solve it. How long it takes depends on when he can guess Master Esos’s train of thought. Quickly, it might be half a day; slowly, it could take two or three days.”

Dox: ”Half a day would be alright. If it takes two or three days, does that mean we’ll have to sit here and wait endlessly?”

After Dox finished his question, there was no immediate response from Angel. He turned back to look at Angel with a puzzled expression.

And saw Angel with furrowed brows, staring toward a certain spot.

”Wizard Lyon, what’s wrong?”

Angel hesitated for a moment and asked, ”Did you... hear something?”