Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 2195: Chapter 2196: Wind Sand Brigade

Pausing for a moment, Salmado said again: "It’s a pity that I have to go on a journey with Aguado now, otherwise I could guide you, sir."

Aguado is precisely the Sand Hawk standing on the edge of the gondola at this moment.

"You’re going on a journey?" Dangross found a moment of leisure to interject.

The Sand Hawk Aguado nodded, and at the mention of traveling, a bright light flashed in its sandy eyes: "Yes, since childhood, Salmado and I dreamed of seeing different landscapes in distant lands. Now, we’ve finally decided to set off, so we formed a Wind Sand Brigade to tour the entire continent!"

Aguado talked excitedly about dreams, as if youthful spirit was surging in its chest.

When speaking about happiness, Aguado turned its gaze towards them: "Do you want to join our Wind Sand Brigade? To harvest the most beautiful scenery on this distant journey!"

Dangross’ eyes flickered, seemingly moved by Aguado’s passionate depiction.

"Although I also want to see the different beautiful sceneries of the Tidal World, unfortunately, we have urgent matters now, perhaps only in the future will there be a chance." Angel suitably showed a slight regret.

Aguado: "I got excited the moment I mentioned distant places, and only remembered now that your target is White Cloud Township."

Angel smiled: "In my opinion, talking passionately about dreams is also a beautiful thing in itself."

Aguado chuckled: "Salmado also said something similar, so it joined my journey without a second thought."

High above, Salmado let out a wind-like whooping laughter.

Aguado: "It’s a pity you can’t join the brigade. However, White Cloud Township is beautiful too... ah, I almost forgot, when you traverse the Wild Stone Wilderness to reach White Cloud Township, you’ll definitely pass through the Baya Desert. Although it seems unchanged, it actually holds majestic sceneries."

Angel followed Aguado’s words: "We will witness the grandeur of Baya Desert with our own eyes... However, before that, may I ask, is there any taboo when seeking an audience with His Highness the Sandstorm?"

"Eh?" Aguado looked at Angel: "Weren’t you going to meet His Highness the Gentle Wind? Why do you also want to visit His Highness the Sandstorm?"

Angel nodded: "Yes, as I am new here, I want to visit the monarchs of various places, to trace the path of bygone days."

"I see." Aguado said, but in truth, it didn’t really understand Angel’s meaning, but it didn’t think much of it. With Dangross accompanying Angel and Angel having the Mark of Earth, in its simple mind, they certainly couldn’t be bad people.

"Compared to His Highness the Gentle Wind of White Cloud Township, His Highness the Sandstorm might have a bit of a temper. To seek an audience with His Highness, it’s best to first see The Sage, who will know the best time to meet His Highness."

Following this, Aguado explained briefly how to find The Sage and The Sage’s personality and preferences.

During the conversation with Aguado, Angel also inquired about information regarding The Sage of White Cloud Township through Salmado.

By the time Aguado said enough, the sky had already begun to darken.

Reminded by Salmado, Aguado suddenly came to its senses: "When we passed through the Wild Stone Wilderness, we told The Patroller we would leave the territory before dark. Now it’s too late, we must leave now!"

With that, Aguado spread its wings and lifted into the air: "It was a pleasure talking with you. The Sage of White Cloud Township said that on our journey, we’ll not only see beautiful landscapes, but all the life we encounter along the way will be a bright embellishment of this journey."

Angel: "It is our honor. I believe that in the future, your story will not only spread across this continent, but maybe float to even farther worlds."

Aguado didn’t understand Angel’s meaning just yet, but it knew Angel was offering them blessings.

Aguado let out a happy cry: "We are off, the distance still awaits our conquest! Looking forward to our next meeting!"

Salmado also let out a timely cry, responding to Aguado’s excitement.

The sound of the wind accompanied by the sound of sand whistled away. Soon, the two intertwined hawks vanished from sight, only the residual sand on the gondola bore witness to their presence.

Angel watched the receding sands, his eyes filled with a light smile and blessings.𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

He could tell that Aguado was the kind of traveler who would stop at nothing for the distant places.

Among wizards, such people are not uncommon. Just like Fiewenda, who published countless travel journals, their life is a journey, perhaps still continuing their travels somewhere right now.

Angel also once yearned for such a life. The word "distant" looks simple, yet it holds a strange magic, making one want to keep pursuing it. But Angel also knew well that to chase after the distance, one must first hold firm to the reality. In the endless Pan-Dimensional Plane, danger lurks everywhere; without power, one might break halfway before seeing any distance.

Angel’s current strength, though decent, still falls short for conquering distances.

However, Angel doesn’t feel sorrowful, because he possesses one more method than others to chase the distance.

——The Gate of Void.

The special energy within The Gate of Void will probably be replenished in about two weeks. By then, through the dream of void, one can reach distant lands... The most critical part is that the phantom body travels, while the true body remains unharmed.

"Truly wonderful." On the other side, Dangross, with its forefinger and middle finger standing on the table, looked at the receding sands, mesmerized and sighed.

"I mentioned before, there must be no shortage of elemental creatures yearning for distant places. Now, haven’t we just met them?" Angel said with a cheerful grin, "It seems you too are eager for the distance?"

Dangross hesitated for a moment: "...Not really, more than the distance, I admire their firm dreams."

"Don’t you also have one? The dream to revive the glory of your ancestors."

Dangross was stunned: "You acknowledge that I am a descendant of Kalomchis?"

Angel: "Does that need my acknowledgment? Didn’t you say it yourself? I’ve trusted your words from start to finish. Hearing your tone, do you not even believe it yourself?"

A blush passed over Dangross’ palm, and it turned its head away from Angel: "Wha-what believe or not, what I said is certainly true, no need to doubt!"

A spark of light flashed in Dangross’ eyes: "I will definitely restore the glory of my ancestors!"

Angel smiled gently: "I believe in you."

...

The gondola had never stopped. Early on when the Sand Hawk Aguado was perched on the edge, they had already entered the border of the Wild Stone Wilderness.

Now, after another half-hour of travel, scorched earth and geothermal flames were no longer visible below, only an endless wilderness could be seen.

This is very similar to the "Wilderness of Dreams" before the arrival of the "Civilization’s Mother Tree," with the only difference being that this wilderness is covered with stones of varying sizes.

Angel continued to venture into this rocky field. When he reached a highland, the ground began to tremble, and the stones scattered on the ground seemed to be drawn by some force, quickly merging into an enormous stone giant.

This Stone Giant raised its head, looking towards the flying boat in the higher sky.

"I can feel the Earth Mark." A slow and deep roar emanated from the dark, wind cave-like mouth of the Stone Giant.

Angel hovered high above and did not descend immediately. He vaguely sensed that the power of this Stone Giant was very strong, and just the threat alone was enough to make Earl Mi reveal its form.

"Do you know who it is?" Angel asked Dangross.

Dangross lay on the ship’s side, carefully observing for a moment, muttering: "It looks just like the Imba brothers. I can’t quite tell them apart, could it be Big Big Imba?"

Angel: "???" What on earth is Big Big Imba?

Although Dangross didn’t provide a useful answer, when it appeared on the ship’s side, a light flashed in the hollow eyes of the Stone Giant below.

"The severed hand of fire, is that you, Dangross?" the Stone Giant spoke.

Angel glanced at Dangross, whose eyes flashed with confusion: "How does it know me?"

Angel: "Shouldn’t I be the one asking that?"

"That’s not important." Dangross flipped over, sitting on the ship’s side and looking down: "How do you know I’m Dangross? Do you know me?"

The air suddenly became silent.

A cold wind blew by before the Stone Giant spoke: "Three hundred sunsets ago, you visited the Rocky Wasteland with the Imba brothers. We met then... and it was here that we met."

Question marks appeared all over Dangross’s forehead, and the voice floated higher: "Really?"

"...Really."

"Why don’t I remember?" Dangross contemplated while hugging its thumb for a moment: "Thinking about it, I do recall that I was invited by the Imba brothers to visit here. When passing by, I encountered a big fellow."

Stone Giant: "I’m not a big fellow, I’m The Keeper."

"Oh, right! The Keeper, Big Imba said that there are Keepers scattered along the boundary of the Rocky Wasteland as the first line of defense."

Dangross showed a sudden expression of enlightenment, simultaneously nodding at Angel with a look suggesting there’s no need to worry with it around.

Angel: "..." He suddenly felt concerned about the road ahead; this fellow seemed a bit unreliable.

Because Dangross had previously met this Keeper and the Keeper showed friendliness toward Dangross, Angel slowly lowered the Gondola, positioning it parallel with the massive stone head of the Keeper.

Perhaps because Angel previously showed mistrust toward Dangross, Dangross, trying to regain its dignity, eagerly took on the role of conversation and explanation, engaging in chatter with the Keeper.

The Keeper was a Stone Giant that had protected the frontier for countless years. Their curiosity wasn’t strong, and upon learning that the Earth Mark on Angel originated from Little Imba, the Keeper immediately dropped its guard toward Angel, this "human."

"Are you here to see His Highness Duotu? It’s been a long time since I returned to the core, so I’m not sure about the situation there," said the Keeper. "However, the Patroller is nearby and should know. I can call the Patroller over to assist."

Like the Keeper, the so-called Patroller is also a guard protecting the Rocky Wasteland; however, while the Keeper is stationed in one place as the first line of defense, the Patroller roams around as the second line.

Dangross smiled and said, "Thank you then."

The Keeper gently bowed its head: "The Rocky Wasteland and the Region of Fire share the closest relationship. It is my honor to be of service to the two guests from the Region of Fire."

The words of the Keeper were rather cloying, but listeners could feel its sincerity. It genuinely believed this and fully implemented this mindset.

At this moment, Angel also finally felt the power of "diplomatic interaction."

The Keeper, standing on the earth, could use the Power of Earth to convey information to all nearby earth-type creatures.

This method of conveying information is more secure and concealed than the fire sparks of fire creatures, and the speed is quite fast.

Soon, a small stone creature covered in moss glided from the distant wasteland.

Yes, it didn’t walk but "glided."

The moss-covered stone creature seemed like it was on a skateboard, treating the wasteland as a snowy slope, gliding towards them at unimaginable speed.

Angel wasn’t too surprised by this scene because, during his time at the Research and Development Institute, he had heard about some Wizards with earth-type creatures that had even more exaggerated ways of moving.

All earth-type creatures, as long as they’re on the ground, possess extremely potent movement rights granted by the Earth Mother.

Gliding was already considered slow; some earth-type creatures could travel underground, moving even faster than gliding.

Before long, the moss-covered stone creature slid to the Keeper’s feet.

The Keeper opened its hand, holding the moss-covered stone creature in its palm and slowly lifting it to eye level with the Gondola.

"Mr. Pat, and Dangross, welcome. I am the Patroller of this region." The moss-covered giant paused, continuing: "The Keeper has already informed me of your situation. Upon receiving this news, I immediately relayed your intent to The Sage. I believe soon, The Sage will respond to me."

Like the Keeper, the Patroller did not mention its name but was very friendly towards the guests from the Region of Fire. This friendly attitude was evident in many ways, such as when Angel inquired about various information regarding the Rocky Wasteland, the Patroller did not attempt to conceal anything, answering every question.

Half an hour later, the Patroller extended its hand, and an orange-yellow stone flew from the ground, landing in its palm.

The Patroller, holding the stone, sensed it briefly and told Angel: "The Sage has agreed; it will help contact His Highness and invite you both to meet in the stone cave."

The stone cave refers to the Ruby Caves, where The Sage resides. Before arriving at the Rocky Wasteland, Angel had already learned this information from Big Imba, though knowing was one thing; Angel hadn’t actually figured out its exact location.

The Patroller seemed to notice Angel’s difficulty, handing over the orange-yellow stone: "This stone will lead you to the right direction."