Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 3251: Chapter 3252: Crystal Shell Mechanical Soldier

Although feeling a bit helpless, Angel quickly composed his emotions.

Anyway, it can’t be changed, so he can only accept it. Worst case, he’ll treat the cat call as a verbal tic... After all, many wizards have verbal tics; one more won’t make a difference.

Besides, conveying meaning doesn’t necessarily require speaking; Mind Ribbon, spiritual communication, and even written communication can all avoid ”verbal tics.”

Thinking this way, Angel felt much more at ease.

Of course, Angel wasn’t completely ignoring this sudden verbal tic; he just didn’t have time to study it carefully at the moment. It’s not too late to research it after leaving the Mirror Domain later.

With this in mind, Angel turned to look at Pi’u and the Pika Sage.

They had already recovered from the fright. Although their faces were still pale, at least their expressions had calmed.

”Sorry, I encountered a minor issue here, so the promised delicacies might have to wait.” Angel showed an apologetic expression.

The Pika Sage quickly waved his hand, indicating it was no bother. After the stench’s assault earlier, he had already lost the appetite for food. Even if Angel genuinely presented delicacies, it’d be difficult to eat.

Pi’u thought similarly, but his brow bore some doubt. After hesitating for a while, he couldn’t help but ask the question in his heart: ”Is, is it my blessing that went wrong?”

Angel shook his head: ”No, there was no problem with the blessing; it was an issue with the Secret Ceremony Box.”

After speaking, seeing Pi’u’s brow still furrowed, Angel added: ”This time’s blessing, though not useful for me, can give me feedback in other areas. For me, it’s already quite good, so you needn’t worry.”

Angel spoke the truth. Since Laplace’s reminder, he had a strong premonition that once those red cat ears above his head become solid, they would greatly aid his mysterious concretization!

Though the blessing’s effect was useless, the blessing’s side effect was highly beneficial to him!

Moreover, he could use this to study the mysterious aura surrounding him.

Overall, gaining this blessing wasn’t a loss.

After hearing Angel’s words, Pi’u seemed relieved: ”As long as it can help you, sir.”

Perhaps he had been tense for too long, for when Pi’u relaxed, he slumped onto the sofa as if drained of strength. His eyes lost their shine.

While Angel was puzzled, the Pika Sage explained: ”Pi’u has used the blessing twice consecutively, causing great mental exhaustion.”

Angel recalled that when they arrived, Pi’u was still resting upstairs, and understood: ”Shall we let him rest then?”

Pika Sage: ”It’s alright, I’ll handle it.”

The Pika Sage spoke while gently pressing a hidden pattern on the table.

As the hidden pattern was activated, a gushing sound of water emerged from the floor.

Looking down, Angel saw a pool of clear liquid flowing from the floor’s crevices. Upon contact with air, the liquid ballooned like a balloon.

In an instant, it transformed into a crystal mechanical being.

It was entirely made of crystal, but through its transparent skin, one could see the gears turning inside and the micro steam furnace. Various mechanical organs formed a crystal mechanical being similar in appearance to the Pi Luoxiu but standing two meters tall.

”What is this...” The moment Angel saw the crystal, his ”Server” in the Mind Space started operating rapidly, generating a series of data. Although most of this data was unknown, its correlation with something Angel had previously observed was over ninety percent similar.

”Crystal Shell?”

That’s right, it was the Crystal Shell invented by the Crystal Eye Clan.

The data from the ”Server” suggested that this crystal’s composition was nearly identical to the Crystal Shell.

The only difference was that while other Crystal Shells were a single-piece mimicry, this Crystal Shell summoned by the Pika Sage had evident mechanical engineering inside.

”Yes, it’s a kind of Crystal Shell. To be precise, it’s a type of Crystal Shell Mechanical Soldier jointly developed by the Pi Luoxiu Clan and the Crystal Eye Clan—Transport Soldier.” The Pika Sage seemed very pleased with the Transport Soldier, gazing at the giant with a smile.

”Crystal Shell Mechanical Soldier?” Luigi curiously moved closer: ”Is this what I heard you talking about mechanical soldiers at Baba Ragon’s place last time?”

The Pika Sage nodded: ”More or less, what you heard at that time was about the assault soldiers of the mechanical type, but they aren’t completed yet. Currently, only the Transport Soldiers and Scout Soldiers have been finalized.”

”The Transport Soldiers have immense strength, capable of handling both heavy and delicate tasks; the Scout Soldiers have incredible speed and are unmatched in mobility.”

Luigi: ”How come I’ve never heard of these? Are they supposed to be secret information?”

The Pika Sage nodded slightly: ”Sort of, but telling you guys is alright. I believe the high ranks of the Crystal Eye Clan wouldn’t dare truly cause you trouble.”

Since the Pi Luoxiu Clan and the Crystal Eye Clan had deep collaborations, they knew some secrets of the Crystal Eye Clan. It’s said that the greatest prophet of the Crystal Eye Clan once entered the Sea of Void Mirror and met some great existence that they couldn’t forget even until death.

And who was that great existence? The Pika Sage wasn’t sure, but it was highly likely to be the one backing Luigi.

Thus, discussing the Crystal Shell Mechanical Soldiers with Luigi and others wouldn’t bring any adverse effects.

The Pika Sage operated the Transport Soldier, lifting the limp Pi’u and said to Luigi: ”In fact, two years ago, the Crystal Eye Clan approached us. They wanted to use special Crystal Shells to develop a battle type capable of defense and mobility and hoped to collaborate with us.”

Luigi: ”The Crystal Eye Clan’s intentions are well known. They have unbeatable defenses and still crave powerful offensive capabilities, truly greedy.”

The Pika Sage chuckled but didn’t comment, continuing instead: ”Because of this collaboration, when we requested to host a gathering in the Crystal Eye Clan, they didn’t refuse. Moreover, in researching the Crystal Shell Mechanical Soldiers, the Pi Luoxiu receives a considerable amount of Crystal Shell data and can keep thirty percent of the mechanical types, making it a win-win situation for us.”

After these words, the Pika Sage used the Transport Soldier to take Pi’u to the second floor.

The Pika Sage also stood up: ”I’ll go check; Pi’u needs to be immersed in a special nutrient solution to recover quickly. Although the Transport Soldier can do detailed work, it ultimately lacks intelligence, and many operations require my personal oversight.”

”Please wait for me for a moment.”

Luigi nonchalantly nodded.

Angel also expressed it was no problem. It was just the right time for him to clean up the last battlefield created by the mutation of the Secret Ceremony Box while the Pika Sage was upstairs.

After the Pika Sage went upstairs, only Angel and the other two were left on the first floor.

Luigi immediately turned his gaze to Angel, having many questions that needed answers from him.

However, before he could speak, Laplace suddenly said with a strange expression: ”The Secret Ceremony Box... feels like it’s changed.”

The Secret Ceremony Box?

They all instinctively looked toward the Secret Ceremony Box.

At this time, the Secret Ceremony Box was still wrapped by Laplace’s barrier. Within the angular mirror barrier, black mist surged, concealing the Secret Ceremony Box completely, leaving no trace visible.

Under such circumstances, merely using their eyes made it difficult to discern any changes in the Secret Ceremony Box. They could only look to Laplace and wait for her explanation.

Laplace pondered for a moment: ”It’s hard to describe in words. Let me take it out for you to see.”

In the next second, Laplace’s heterochromia eyes emitted a faint glow, and a horizontal crack appeared in the void behind her. A glass hand, composed entirely of geometric mirrors, extended from the crack.

Besides its clear crystal appearance, the glass hand gave Angel a peculiar ”divine” feeling, as if it were the hand of a deity.

This divine-like hand effortlessly reached into the mirror barrier filled with black mist, yet not a trace of black mist leaked out.

The glass hand rummaged within the barrier, trying to retrieve the Secret Ceremony Box inside.

”Wait.” Just as the glass hand grasped the Secret Ceremony Box, Luigi suddenly stopped it: ”Are you sure no more black mist is coming from the Secret Ceremony Box?”

If after taking it out, the secret ritual box continues to emit black-gray stench, won’t it be troublesome again?

Laplace glanced at Luigi and said calmly, ”The ceremony is already over, the secret ritual box has long cooled down.”

As she spoke, the glass hand that had formed a fist was already retracted from the mirror barrier.

When the glass hand returned, Laplace slowly opened her fist.

The secret ritual box was right at the center of the glass hand.

After Angel’s observation, the porcelain box had no alterations, nor did it acquire any strange smell. The four elemental symbols representing the ”Sweet Wind Honey Fire Sugar Vine” ritual were normal, and the Gothic-style rose branch background was just like before...

At first glance, Angel didn’t notice any changes in the secret ritual box.

It wasn’t until Angel used his spiritual power perspective to probe that he realized something was amiss.

To the naked eye, the secret ritual box was pure white, with no blemishes other than patterns. But in the spiritual power perspective, the white of the ritual box was tinged with a layer of twilight.

This twilight color was akin to gradually fading white to gray, with hints of a silvery texture.

Completely different from the original flawless white porcelain.

Angel attempted to touch it, and the feedback from his fingers was still the coolness of porcelain. Additionally, using his hand as a medium to perceive the porcelain shell revealed nothing unusual.

It seems only under a spiritual power perspective... or rather, energy perspective, can one see this abnormal coloration.

”Can you discern what this situation is?” Angel asked Laplace.

If this twilight color is a form of energy, why can’t it be captured at all? Why can’t I touch it?

If it’s an illusion, why does it change under a spiritual power perspective?

Angel couldn’t comprehend this peculiar situation, so he could only ask Laplace, who might possess more extensive knowledge, hoping to get answers from her.

However, Laplace was also baffled. She pondered for a moment: ”There are traces indicating existence. Yet, despite existing, why can’t we detect metamorphosis? It’s quite strange.”

”I don’t know the specifics, but I can offer some guesses. Could it be due to ritual studies?”

After all, Laplace was not very familiar with ritual studies either.

She merely knew that rituals vary greatly; an event as minor as a small ceremony could change the local weather, while a major ceremony could even bury an entire world. Moreover, ritual studies encompass a wide range, including blessings, luck, predictions, summoning, disaster avoidance... nearly all thinkable and unthinkable aspects.

Most importantly, until the result emerges, rituals are easily concealed.

Just as Laplace had once seen in a remote world, due to drought, countless residents began to spontaneously pray for rain. At this time, an evil sorcerer deliberately guided, introducing some redundant details during the rain prayer.

The east village included a rain dance, the west village sacrificed cattle and horses during the rain prayer, the south village moved its rain prayer from indoors to outdoors, and the north village raised bonfires at night to pray for rain...

These details, seemingly without influence, ultimately formed a special summoning ritual.

Summoning a Pannas Charm Demon from the Abyss, the water-bearer.

The Pannas Charm Demon indeed brought ”rain,” but it was an extinction rain, lasting for a month. It submerged the remote continent beneath the waters.

It was those extra details that achieved the summoning ritual.

And those unaware of rituals couldn’t discern the purposes of these details, leaving even researchers of ritual studies sometimes unable to distinguish them.

Ritual studies are too vast, and high-level beings frequently alter ceremonial tracks, making thorough research very challenging.

Thus, until a result appears, it’s hard to say whether it is a ritual.

”The color change of the porcelain surface in the energy perspective might be a part of a ritual? Its specific role may only be understood when the ceremony is completed,” Laplace said.

Angel: ”You mean, inside the secret ritual box, there’s not only the ’Sweet Wind Honey Fire Sugar Vine’ ritual?”

Laplace: ”It could also be a variant of the ’Sweet Wind Honey Fire Sugar Vine’ ritual... Who knows, this is merely a guess. I also am not deeply acquainted with rituals.”

Angel nodded, temporarily noting down this possibility.

Laplace continued: ”Apart from reasons related to ritual studies, I have another guess.”

Angel: ”Please continue.”

Laplace looked at Angel: ”Remember what the parrot said? — The maker of the secret ritual box might have intended for the food to mutate; mutation is the positive direction.”

”And undeniably, the previous situation was a form of mutation.”

”If allowing the secret ritual box to mutate is indeed a positive direction; then what is this positive direction? This answer is hard to verify for others because the chance of the ritual box mutating for them is extremely low.”

”And you...” Laplace looked at Angel: ”You’re different from them.”

Angel wanted to say, ’I’m the same; it’s purely bad luck,’ but in the end, he refrained. He dared to say, but Laplace certainly wouldn’t believe. Triggering mutation twice consecutively with the secret ritual box, if this were mere luck, then that luck would be of a supreme level.

”You allowed the secret ritual box to mutate, and the positive direction it mutated to might just be... the porcelain surface change.”

Laplace: ”Of course, this change isn’t achieved in one stroke. In the future, you should frequently use the secret ritual box, often allowing it to mutate, thus revealing the truth of the positive direction.”

Angel: ”...” Has it already been accepted that his use of the secret ritual box will result in mutation?

Angel sighed: ”But last time it didn’t lead to a porcelain surface change upon mutation.”

Laplace pondered for a while: ”That’s indeed a question worth considering. My personal guess is that the reason this mutation presented a porcelain surface change might be related to your blessing.”

”Comparing the two mutations, the only change is that you gained a delicious blessing.”

”Though it’s not absolute, I can’t think of any other variables for now.”

Angel thought for a moment, ultimately acknowledging Laplace’s words: ”Perhaps, the blessing indeed is the root cause of the porcelain surface change.”

Laplace: ”Don’t say perhaps, what you now need to consider is...”

”If you wish to study whether the porcelain surface change is a positive direction, then you need to control variables and continue using the secret ritual box,” Laplace said. ”Do you understand what I mean?”

”That is, to research porcelain surface change, you have just a month.”

After a month, the blessing effect will vanish.

By then, if the secret ritual box were to mutate again, it may not result in any change.

Angel nodded: ”I understand... I’ll strive to research as much as possible.”

Laplace: ”Don’t worry, I will help you. Fortunately, the secret ritual box requires four elements when you use it; I can assist you with elemental avatars.”

Angel: ”Why?”

Laplace said calmly: ”There’s no particular reason, just a feeling that when the truth of the porcelain surface change is revealed, it might be interesting.”

Angel thought for a moment and didn’t refuse.

During their discussion, Luigi’s voice suddenly interjected: ”What exactly were you talking about just now? And wasn’t there only this mutation? Why did you mention ’last time’? When was the last mutation? How come I don’t know?”