Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 2541: Chapter 2452: Leaving Princess Town

When the puzzled Old Porter and Lady Melo arrived at the Rabbit Hole to seek answers from Angel, they were greeted by this scene —

A rabbit with curly dumb hair styled like a crown was having a verbal sparring match with Dox. Meanwhile, Dox was wearing a green hat, looking extremely displeased, his fist clenched tightly, but he dared not lay a finger on the rabbit.

On one side was human clamor, and on the other was tranquil enjoyment.

The rabbit Cha Cha sat high on a teapot, sipping tea while watching the projection of the Talented One. Angel, much like the rabbit, occasionally gave a comment, appearing relaxed and content.

As for Abulei, who arrived ahead of them, she was curled up trembling in a nook, casting worried glances at the dumb-haired rabbit...

The peculiar scene made Old Porter and Lady Melo hesitant to speak. They exchanged glances and quietly skirted around Dox to reach Angel’s side.

Angel raised an eyebrow: ”You’ve arrived, have a seat.”

Not daring to disobey, Old Porter and Lady Melo found a quirky mushroom stool to sit upon.

As soon as they sat down, a pair of glowing eyes fixed upon them.

Looking up, it was the rabbit on the teapot, staring at them with expectant eyes.

Unsure of the situation, they could only seek help from Angel with their eyes.

Angel: ”This is the rabbit Cha Cha, who will be the core of this chamber in the future. Everything here is under its control; you can think of it as a ’Spirit.’

”Is it the Spirit of the Barbarian Cave?” Lady Melo promptly asked. If it were anything like Slaikum from the Princess Castle, it’d lead to betrayal.

Angel: ”I merely want you to regard Cha Cha as a ’Spirit.’ It isn’t actually a Spirit; it’s something I’ve refined... an entity with basic intelligence.”

Upon hearing it was something Angel had refined, Lady Melo instantly let out a sigh of relief. If it was an alchemical creation, even if it was intelligent, it surely followed Angel’s orders, eliminating the threat of rebellion.

”Old Porter, if you plan to stay here, you can chat with Cha Cha from time to time. An intelligent creation based on foundational logic can become more animated with increased knowledge.”

As Angel spoke, Cha Cha lifted its eyes and said, ”Cheater, you’ve said enough, hurry and get to the point.”

Cheater? Everyone immediately caught onto that term but didn’t dare to inquire further.

Angel looked at Cha Cha, annoyed: ”I’m only responsible for introducing you. Whatever you want, ask for it yourself. I’m not here to explain for you.”

Cha Cha hesitated for a moment, then waved its carrot staff, and a white hat appeared out of thin air.

The white hat landed on Abulei’s head in the corner, causing her to involuntarily stand up, walking towards the group like a puppet on strings.

As Abulei drew nearer, her eyes filled with terror. Anyone suddenly losing control would likely feel the same.

However, Cha Cha paid no heed to Abulei’s fear and pointed to Lady Melo and the others, instructing Abulei: ”Explain to them the clearance rewards.”

Abulei involuntarily opened her mouth and said slowly and clearly: ”The rewards for passing the Zodiac Palace can be paired and given to Cha Cha, who will provide rewards based on how pleasing the concoctions taste.”

When Abulei finished speaking, the hat atop her head vanished, and she collapsed to the ground, overwhelmed by her fear.

The Crowned Parrot, amidst its ”busy” schedule, noticed Abulei’s situation and couldn’t help but scoff: ”You’re scared out of your mind at something like this. I hardly have the face to call you my summoned creature. If your performance remains this poor, don’t blame me for giving you a swift kick.”

Abulei bowed her head silently.

Lady Melo wanted to defend her but ultimately stayed silent. Judging by the dumb-haired rabbit’s tone, it seemed to be the Crowned Parrot, and it wasn’t entirely off base; Abulei did need to alter her disposition.

”So, these peculiar rewards are meant to be added to the tea? But what does pairing them mean?” Old Porter ignored Abulei’s affairs, curiously querying the rabbit Cha Cha.

Cha Cha: ”There’s the tea over there, figure out the pairing yourself.”

Having spoken, Cha Cha pointed to a nearby hole in the ground with a wooden sign labeled ”Tea Room.”

Old Porter and Lady Melo hesitated for a moment, then approached the hole and slid down it like a slide.

A while later, they emerged from another rabbit hole outside, each holding a cup of tea.

Rabbit Cha Cha sampled each one.

”This cup is Windy Night Black Tea, with a whole spoonful of sugar. Trying to choke me, are you? Not only did you add sugar, you put in sweet milk—what were you doing? And then you threw in a whole piece of Bitter Stone. This is a chaotic mess, unqualified.”

”This cup is Guangji White Tea, with a pinch of Bitter Stone powder, brewed with three infusions of hot water. Quite a good taste. However, still unqualified, as you added an extract from a plant not part of the Zodiac Palace’s rewards.”

The first was Old Porter’s cup, the latter Lady Melo’s.

”Both unqualified, so does that mean no rewards?” Old Porter turned a dejected face towards Angel. The design of the Twelve Zodiac Palaces here was quite fascinating, and perhaps the rewards would have been intriguing too.

”No rewards. But regardless, the reward here is just the right to reside in the Rabbit Hole.”

”...Isn’t that reward a bit perfunctory?”

Angel: ”If you find it perfunctory, chat with Cha Cha more often. Maybe one day it’ll listen to you and change the reward.”

Although neither Old Porter nor Lady Melo received a qualifying reward, their experience here made them gradually familiarize themselves with their surroundings.

It’s undeniable that Angel’s creations are indeed extraordinary. Even a cramped chamber has been transformed into such an imaginative space, something Old Porter couldn’t have possibly imagined.

Even Dox, despite saying nothing, was filled with amazement and admiration for the changes here.

Unbeknownst to them, Angel himself was quite surprised as well...

...

After a journey through Honey Trap, Milk Hell, and Brown Sugar Volcano... the Talented Ones, having narrowly escaped death, finally reached the Rabbit Hole.

Their expressions appeared dazed at this point. After all, they were still ordinary people, and such encounters often left indelible shadows.

Angel gestured to Lady Melo to arrange accommodations for them.

Lady Melo willingly went to help. This unexpected trial also allowed her to see the potential in some promising individuals she hadn’t favored before. She now understood why Sanders used the Nine Chambers Bloodsport model when seeking the Talented One. Despair and death are the greatest catalysts for potential.

Old Porter, equally intrigued by the Rabbit Hole, tagged along with Lady Melo to explore, even though he couldn’t reside in a luxurious cave.

As for Dox, the green hat atop his head was now gone. However, he refrained from challenging the Crowned Parrot again, perhaps recognizing their disparity after ten minutes of one-sided defeat.

”The day is breaking, and once you finish settling them, we should leave as well.” Dox’s voice carried a hint of weakness, and he deliberately avoided mentioning the Crowned Parrot, indicating a genuine scar left on his heart.

Angel: ”Wait a moment, I have a few more words for Cha Cha.”

With that, Angel approached Cha Cha.

Though Angel and Cha Cha were talking openly, a wreath of crackling electric Mana circled them, and together with the barrier from Speedy, shielded the conversation from being overheard.

After a moment, Angel walked over to Dox: ”Let’s go.”

Dox glanced at the distance, where the rabbit Cha Cha was quietly watching Angel, with complex emotions flickering in its eyes.

”Is this Cha Cha really a creation? To what extent has its intelligent computation reached?” Dox couldn’t help but ask out of curiosity.

”Why are you suddenly interested in this?”

Dox: ”If you can truly create a spirit-like intelligent being, it would be an unprecedented feat.”

Angel chuckled softly: ”Probably because... it’s incomplete. Cha Cha’s underlying computation has flaws, which prevent it from having creativity. Everything is based on existing behavior patterns, and emotions are a passive simulation. So, it’s not truly intelligent, more like an alchemy golem with a sophisticated algorithm.”

”What’s incomplete?”

Angel: ”You misheard.”

Dox looked at Angel skeptically, not believing he misheard, sure that Angel was hiding something.

”By the way, since it can’t have creativity, what’s the deal with the Twelve Zodiac Palaces?” Dox squinted at Angel.

Angel remained silent.

”I knew it was your doing, you just want to watch those Talented Ones struggle painfully, right? You even concocted a whole country; I bet those answers are all manipulated by you!” Dox looked as if he saw through him, ”Admit it, you just enjoy building your happiness on others’ misery...”

Angel: ”I didn’t invent a country, that country exists, and it’s also the homeland of the rabbit Cha Cha. It’s called... Teapot Country.”

”So, this is Cha Cha’s own existing knowledge, unrelated to me.”

”Incidentally, you mentioned earlier that creating a spirit-like intelligent being would be a groundbreaking achievement. I can clearly tell you, someone has already created such beings, and they are high-intelligence and combat-capable, and this person is currently in the Southern Domain.”

The person Angel referred to is Greya.

However, as he shifted topics, touching on various aspects, it was actually just a diversion.

Dox could sense this, but did not delve further, because... he was the same kind of person.

After discussing some topics that could never reveal the truth, purely for diversion, they had reached the mouth of the Rabbit Hole.

”How do we leave? Do we still need to venture into the Twelve Zodiac Palaces?” Dox asked.

Angel didn’t reply; instead, he fixed a location nearby, found a weak point in space, and opened The Gate of Void directly.

”Let’s go.”

Dox squinted: ”A space sorcery cast instantly? In the Witchcraft Slot?”

Angel was too lazy to answer, stepping directly out of The Gate of Void. The place behind the gate was the corridor outside the secret chamber.

After Dox followed him out, he found Angel was opening the door to the chamber.

When the chamber was opened, it was no longer the vast Twelve Zodiac Palaces from before, but had returned to the narrow small space it was initially.

”What’s happening here?” Dox asked curiously.

”If you want to remain hidden, you must go to the extreme. Entering Cha Cha’s space requires a special method.”

Dox: ”What method?”

Angel did not answer but directly tossed Dox a piece of parchment, which was a contract ready to be signed.

The contract content was simple, stating that from today, Dox voluntarily joins the Barbarian Cave, with betrayal resulting in various punishments...

Dox expressionlessly tore up the contract.

Angel did not mind: ”If you want to know the method, besides joining us, there’s no other way.”

Dox gritted his teeth: ”Even as a friend, you can’t tell me?”

Angel: ”When you bring Little Gold before me, I will acknowledge you as my friend. But even then, I can’t casually disclose information to you.”

Dox: ”So, my friendship as the Red Sword Dox isn’t as important as Little Gold?”

Angel gave Dox a peculiar look, showing an expression of ’of course.’

Dox took a deep breath, finally coming to terms with reality. Fine, Little Gold it is, at least it also links him with the genius Angel.

After leaving the secret chamber, they directly left the tavern.

”You’re just leaving like that, without notifying them?”

Angel: ”Oh, so you understand bonds too. I thought those fanatically pursuing freedom were the type to leave without a word, like scoundrels.”

Dox held back his anger: ”That’s not a bond; it’s etiquette.”

Angel: ”Oh, no need to inform them. We can meet anytime, and besides, I already told Cha Cha about leaving, and it will tell them.”

Dox: ”Was that what you talked about with Cha Cha just now?”

Angel: ”Not just that.”

Dox looked curious: ”Then...”

Before Dox could finish asking, Angel had already pulled out another draft of a contract and handed it to Dox.

”You’re really good at... taking advantage of every moment. How many contracts have you drafted?”

”Guess.”

Dox: ”...” Not in the mood for your games.

Dox was also too lazy to bother with Angel, directly walking into the long street, ready to leave Princess Town.

Angel smiled and followed him.

Earlier, when he had a private conversation with Cha Cha, it was not just about asking Cha Cha to pass on a message. The main content was teaching Cha Cha how to... self-destruct.

Yes, self-destruct.

Though Cha Cha appeared invincible in its own space, it could still face defeat if it encountered powerful enemies.