Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 2698: Chapter 2699: The Man in the Vat

”Even if we don’t drink the tea, it shouldn’t be dangerous, right?” the Wise Sovereign looked at Angel.

Hearing the Wise Sovereign’s question, Dox’s eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at Angel.

Angel, smiling with narrowed eyes, said, ”As expected, I couldn’t fool the Wise Sovereign.”

The definitive answer from Angel made Dox breathe heavily through his nose and his cheeks flush with anger: ”Were you actually messing with me just now?”

Angel said innocently, ”No. These teacups are indeed drawn to your special traits, and serving tea to guests is polite; not drinking the tea is considered rude. If you’re rude, you’ll definitely be punished by the Teacup Band.”

Dox: ”And the Wise Sovereign...”

Angel interrupted Dox before he could finish: ”Since it’s a punishment from the teacups, it’s naturally limited by the teacups’ capabilities. If you observe a little, you’ll find that these teacups actually have no offensive means.”

Dox: ”...Then why did you say that refusing the tea would lead to bad things? Like losing combat ability, or being unlucky for a while?”

Angel: ”Losing combat ability for a second is still losing it, being unlucky for half a second is still unlucky.”

Hearing this answer, Dox took a deep breath, feeling a heaviness in his chest.

Indeed, he knew that Angel was a person with hidden mischief, who would indulge in playful antics anytime, anywhere when the mood struck!

Others who realized the truth just laughed it off. They could also see that Angel did it intentionally to lighten the mood. Look, isn’t the current atmosphere much better than the initial stiff awkwardness?

Dox probably felt a bit embarrassed and couldn’t let it go in his heart. But on the surface, he had to act like it was no big deal, which only made him feel more stifled.

As the atmosphere eased slightly with the tea-related antics, the Wise Sovereign chuckled softly: ”I didn’t expect that I tested you before, and now you’re testing me.”

Angel: ”Since the Wise Sovereign has seen through the riddle, you could completely refuse the challenge.”

But the Wise Sovereign shook his head: ”It doesn’t matter, it’s been a long time since anyone dared to pose a question to me. Even though it’s just a teacup, it’s rather interesting. Moreover, it reminds me of a mentor of mine, the Man in the Vat.”

”The Man in the Vat, sounds a bit strange, conjuring some uncomfortable images,” Dox muttered.

Wise Sovereign: ”You’re not wrong in saying that. My mentor, the Man in the Vat, was a human priest captured by my kin. His legs were chopped off and preserved in a vat with a special solution to extend his life.”

The Wise Sovereign’s kin refers to the Triclops Blue Demon. This is a tribe that devours humans, so capturing one and making him into a Man in the Vat is essentially a form of ’food reserve.’

”That human priest was quite good. He was not afraid of death and even preached in the tribe. However, none of my kin could understand him, only I could... I regarded him as a teacher, and he considered me a pupil. He would not teach me knowledge directly; he posed questions to guide my thinking. During that period, I don’t know how many questions I answered.”

The Wise Sovereign clearly omitted some details in the story, like how they became teacher and student or how mutual trust was built. These are quite important, but since the Wise Sovereign doesn’t wish to elaborate, it’s not polite to inquire further.

”That year, the Flowering Month lasted longer than usual, but no matter how long, the Spring Festival Month inevitably came.”

As the Wise Sovereign spoke to this point, the story abruptly ended.

He didn’t mention the fate of the Man in the Vat. But a person with severed legs, kept in a vat, not receiving proper medical care, without the help of Transcendents, the conclusion is predictable.

Moreover, the Wise Sovereign was still within the Triclops Blue Demon tribe at that time, meaning he was just a child and couldn’t change any outcomes. He could only watch as the Spring Festival Month arrived as expected and his mentor disappeared one day.

And simultaneously accept that in some corner there was a patch of newly turned soil.

The Wise Sovereign didn’t dwell on past memories for long and quickly pulled himself out of his melancholy, smiling at Angel: ”I shared a little story with you; don’t you want to share one of yours?”

Angel: ”...” Now he understood why the Wise Sovereign strangely picked up Dox’s ’Man in the Vat’ question—he was waiting for this.

If it was Dox’s question, then he should be the one asked, so why look at me?

Angel really wanted to pretend he hadn’t heard, but after much thought, they were here to ’talk,’ and inevitably some secrets needed to be shared. —Of course, what isn’t considered a secret to the broader world might still be one to an ancient entity like the Wise Sovereign.

So, Angel thought for a moment and spoke: ”What does the Wise Sovereign want to hear?”

Angel thought the Wise Sovereign would immediately shift the topic to the Wood Spirit, but the Wise Sovereign didn’t, instead shifting to a comfortable yet lazy posture, saying lightly: ”I spoke of my childhood; perhaps you could speak of yours.”

Angel rubbed his chin, pondering: ”Childhood...”

”Why, can’t you remember?” The Wise Sovereign teased Angel, seeing his thoughtful expression.

As the Wise Sovereign finished speaking, he didn’t notice that Dox next to him put his hand to his forehead with an exasperated look.

Angel: ”I can remember, but I’m not sure which period the Wise Sovereign wants to hear about. Childhood, as in before age ten?”

Wise Sovereign: ”Before age twenty.”

At this, not only Dox, but the other wizards present also looked away.

”Since the Wise Sovereign spoke of his enlightening mentor, I’ll speak of mine. He was a very special ordinary person who, from an early age, studied the world, the earth, the air, the light, physical constants... Under his guidance, I too developed the habit of research from a young age.”

The others knew some of Angel’s experiences, but it was the first time they heard of the mentor he spoke of.

Hearing that this enlightening mentor was just an ordinary person but passionately dedicated to research, they felt quite moved. No wonder Angel has now become a pillar of the Academy Faction, this mentor must have significantly influenced him.

”I thought I could always learn to understand the world under my mentor’s guidance. Unfortunately, he fell ill with a disease that even Transcendents can’t cure.”

Angel’s expression carried a slight hint of sadness.

The others privately mused: Indeed, deep emotions inevitably lead to complications.

”To cure my mentor’s illness, I embarked on the Transcendent path.”

With this sentence, Angel concluded his story. Like the Wise Sovereign, he left quite a bit of the story open to interpretation. But the overall outline of the story has become clear.

It’s undeniable, in terms of narrative flow, that the Wise Sovereign’s and Angel’s stories are somewhat similar. Both were enlightened by their respective mentors and embarked on unique paths. The difference lies in the goals they pursued.

”In the end, did you cure your enlightening mentor’s illness?” the Wise Sovereign asked.

Angel: ”I can’t say he’s completely cured, but I also can’t say he’s not. Anyway, when I visited him recently, he was quite lively—designing libraries, acting as a city planner, and even leading several teams to develop content...”

The Wise Dominator was actually prepared to offer comfort, because usually, such stories end in tragedy. But to his surprise, Angel’s answer completely defied his expectations.

”Your mentor is still alive?” the Wise Dominator asked, puzzled.

Angel nodded with an expression that suggested it was a matter of course.

”Isn’t he an ordinary person?”

Angel: ”Yes, an ordinary person. Although he looks quite elderly, he’s only in his early forties or fifties at most.”

At this point, not only did the Wise Dominator fall silent, but everyone present stopped speaking.

The Wise Dominator paused for a moment: ”...How old are you?”

Finally, it happened—finally! Everyone else thought this to themselves, as they had sensed this question was coming ever since the Sage suggested Angel share stories from before he turned twenty, because Angel is still in that age range!

Angel thought for a moment and cautiously said, ”I’m about to turn twenty.”

The Wise Dominator: ”...”

At this moment, the Wise Dominator didn’t quite know how to describe his feelings, mixed as they were with a myriad of emotions. He always considered Angel very important: one, because of his solid skills; two, due to his cunning and strategy; and three, for his mysterious background. With all these factors, Angel was far more important than anyone else present.

Since obtaining information from a legacy site requires someone both brave and wise, Angel was the perfect candidate for this role.

But now, he was being told that this person was just a young man not even twenty years old! This left the Wise Dominator feeling uncertain. He didn’t mean to disparage youth, as everyone passes through that stage, but could someone with such a mature mindset truly be that young?

Though Angel had exhibited youthful tendencies, like his inexplicable recent ’Teacup Quiz,’ which was obviously full of mischievous fun akin to that of fearless youth.

Yet overall, he really couldn’t see Angel as someone under twenty.

The Wise Dominator was dazed for a long while, and he couldn’t control his expression. Meanwhile, Dox, watching from the side, sighed deeply in his heart: In the Wizards’ Realm, where sensational news abounds, Angel maintains a high profile because his experiences are just too unbelievable.

Asking about his age was asking for humiliation.

Whether or not the Wise Dominator’s feelings were hurt is another matter. But Angel’s age once again confirmed one thing: he definitely wasn’t from the Noah Clan.

The Wise Dominator wasn’t completely isolated from the outside world; otherwise, how could he have published ”Record of the Varied Postures of Witch Eye and Ghost Intermingling”? Given his awareness of the outside world, he naturally knew about the situation of the Noah Clan, since they are Augustine’s descendants, and there is an Augustine legacy site in the underground aqueduct.

The Wise Dominator didn’t have many pieces on the board outside, and his information wasn’t deeply comprehensive. However, a phenomenon like the Supernova couldn’t be hidden, and they were able to investigate it. Therefore, the Wise Dominator knew that this generation of the Noah Clan did not have any remarkable Supernova.

The new generation of Noah descendants had many outstanding individuals. But someone like Angel? Not at all.

Without a significant Supernova, the legacy site likely wouldn’t open, so he hadn’t paid much attention to it.

Had the Noah descendants not approached him directly this time, with the Goddess personally intervening to ask him to block them, the Wise Dominator might have been disinclined to leave.

”If you’re a descendant of a Wizard Family, and you have talent, you’d be groomed from a young age, not left to find the Transcendent path on your own.” Although the Wise Dominator guessed Angel wasn’t from the Noah Clan, a guess wasn’t enough—evidence was needed: ”So, you’re not from the Noah Clan.”

This time, Angel did not deny it.

Or rather, once he took the Wood Spirit out of the Hanging Jail Stairway, there was no way he could deny it.

Given the Wood Spirit’s status in the Wise Dominator’s heart, if he didn’t explain why the Wood Spirit had followed him out, he probably wouldn’t be able to leave the underground aqueduct.

To explain the Wood Spirit’s presence, it would inevitably expose his background. So there was no point in pretending to be a Noah descendant now.

It must be said, Angel hadn’t expected the Wood Spirit to remember Sanders. Nor had he anticipated that Sanders held quite a high position in the Wood Spirit’s heart.

If that weren’t the case, he might still be able to brazenly claim to be from the Noah Clan. After all, without explicit evidence, disproving is much harder than proving something.

”If I answer the Wise Dominator’s question, then, in reciprocity, should the Wise Dominator answer ours next?”

The Wise Dominator: ”Do you want to know about the necessary conditions? Or the situation of the legacy site?”

Angel: ”Both are fine. Let’s start with the intelligence on the legacy site.”

The Wise Dominator didn’t refuse because this was something he intended to discuss anyway.

Angel: ”Since the Wise Dominator is so straightforward, I can also speak plainly. Yes, I’m not a descendant of the Noah Clan. I am merely a passerby, or to put it differently, a traveler.”

The Wise Dominator: ”I believe your previous statement, but I don’t agree with the latter. If a mere passerby can become the leader of a team, then your group’s assembly is a farce.”

All except Angel seemed to agree with the Wise Dominator’s words, including Angel’s little admirer Vay, who quietly concurred in his heart.

Angel’s familiarity with this place exceeded everyone else’s. However, he had never stated his desires, as if he had no wants or needs. Even Vay felt something was amiss.

But now things were slightly better because Angel had accepted the Black Earl’s offer of a trade, thus clarifying his position and aligning with theirs.

This made them much more comfortable with Angel.

However, even so, they were still very curious about Angel’s purpose for being here.

They didn’t think the Wise Dominator could extract Angel’s true purpose, but with the Wise Dominator’s observational prowess, he might break through Angel’s psychological defenses to discover a clue, thereby identifying Angel’s reason for coming here.

Yet their hopes were ultimately in vain.

It’s true Angel had a purpose, but his primary goal wasn’t in the underground aqueduct. No matter how his psychological defenses were breached, he just wasn’t that interested in the underground aqueduct.

The only point of interest was his speculation that ”Augustine’s Twinborn Mirror” might have been created here.

If this guess was correct, he would indeed like to visit the legacy site. However, to say he wanted to take something from the legacy site? For now, Angel had no such intentions.