Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 2556: Chapter 2557: Bilun Tree Court

In front of the Transmission Hall at the Sandworm Market, Angel met Vay for the first time.

Vay stood motionless on one side of the Transmission Hall in a black hooded robe, looking from afar like a black pillar. It wasn’t until he saw Dox and the others approaching that Vay moved to greet them.

Once they were close, Vay removed his hood and saluted Dox and Angel.

It was only then that Angel got a clear look at Vay’s face.

A head of green curly hair, deep green eyes, a face dotted with freckles, with a youthful look and gaze.

However, being close friends with Dox for many years, it was clear he was well beyond the age of "youth".

After saluting, Vay’s gaze occasionally flicked to Angel, seemingly pondering his identity. As for Kaier, Vay directly ignored him. An apprentice, not worth focusing on.

Angel remained silent, simply nodding politely to Vay, then turned to Kaier and said, "We can set off now."

Kaier understood and nodded, taking the first step into the Transmission Hall to handle the teleportation task.

Though their destination, The Garden Labyrinth, was just next door in the Gumman Kingdom, the kingdom’s vast territory and the ruins being deep within it meant Angel would need at least a day and a half to two days flying at full speed on the Gondola.

Using the Teleportation Array to travel to the Bilun Tree Court Market nearby would only take a few minutes. As for the cost, since Kaier was reimbursing, Angel naturally delighted in the convenience.

While Kaier was handling business, Angel and the others entered the waiting area in the Transmission Hall.

Taking advantage of Angel’s distraction, Vay kept signaling Dox with his eyes, clearly wanting him to introduce Angel’s identity.

Angel now had red hair and golden eyes, a wizard Vay had never seen before.

Dox received Vay’s signals and understood his friend’s intent, yet hesitated, unsure whether to introduce Angel, or how to do so.

As Dox hesitated on how to start, a distinct breathing sound emerged from Vay’s abdomen.

Angel turned, his gaze fixed sharply on Vay’s abdomen.

Vay hesitated for a moment before retrieving a stone tablet from his belt inside the robe. Embedded within the tablet was a nose, the source of the heavy breathing.

And the nose was breathing in Angel’s direction.

After considering, Angel stepped forward and saluted, "Good afternoon, Lord Black Earl."

The breathing from the nose stopped.

Vay closed his eyes and opened them some moments later, saying, "My lord says that the scent of Illusion Demon lingers on you."

Vay actually softened the message; what he really heard was: This little guy’s scent is just like that damned Sanders, definitely related to him, how unfortunate!

Angel smiled knowingly: "Lord Black Earl is indeed correct; Illusion Master is my mentor."

Upon hearing this, Vay immediately recalled Sanders’ various disciples: Flora was female, eliminated; Sumishe was already a True Knowledge Wizard, eliminated; leaving only one answer.

The most renowned, yet enigmatic and inconspicuous new wizard: Angel Pat!

Having guessed the person’s identity, Vay’s expression was truly astonished; he had always assumed Dox’s described leader would be a Wandering Wizard. He hadn’t expected it to be the famous Transcendental Wizard.

"Lord Chaowei." Vay hurriedly bowed.

Angel did not mind Vay’s salute but continued focusing on the nose of Black Earl.

Recalling some entertaining insights Lord Reine had shared about Black Earl, Angel was about to share them when Kaier happened to arrive.

"My lord, it’s all set. The Teleportation Array can be activated now, though two apprentices are also heading to Bilun Tree Court but haven’t found a protector yet..."

Angel withdrew his gaze, turning to Kaier: "Not a problem, with Dox here, we can provide shared protection."

Dox replied irritably, "You could provide protection too, why push it onto me?"

Angel: "It’s an acknowledgment of strength."

Dox paused: "...Fine, I’ll take it."

Arriving at the Teleportation Array, the two apprentices seeking protection were already there, seemingly a couple, affectionately leaning on each other. Only when Angel and the others approached did they separate and respectfully salute the arrival.

Without a protector, apprentices dare not step onto the Teleportation Array lightly.

Angel glanced at them, confirmed they were Second Level apprentices, then focused elsewhere.

Yet Kaier seemed to know them, initiating greetings and a conversation.

From Kaier’s conversations, Angel gathered some information; the pair had shopped at Kaier’s store before, a fleeting acquaintance, prompting Kaier to tactfully inquire about the usability of his products before steering the chat towards their identities and purpose for visiting Bilun Tree Court.

Though Kaier deemed himself discrete, the couple clearly realized they were being probed for information.

Given there was nothing to hide, they feigned ignorance and shared what could be shared.

Originally from Bilun Tree Court, they belonged to a large family there, with their purpose being a return home.

The intel was trivial and unimportant, the noteworthy part was that they were indeed a couple, and also cousins.

Of course, Angel feigned oblivion, while Dox cast a knowing grin at them, clearly daydreaming about a dramatic backstory.

Two minutes later, the Teleportation Array activated.

Dox began his protection, enveloping everyone within a force field to shield against potential spatial disturbance injuries.

Kaier alone stepped beyond protection, reveling in the spatial distortion of teleportation while collecting fragmented Power of Space.

This was normal for the Space Series. As an apprentice, Kaier could only manage this much. If an Official Wizard, they might even dare directly gather Spatial Magic Material during teleportation.

This is the charm of the Wizards’ Realm: three major frameworks, countless branches, and a hundred flowers in bloom. Every wizard in each discipline has their own unique skills.

Minutes later, spatial transmission stopped, and without any surprise, they smoothly arrived at Bilun Tree Court.

The couple of apprentice wizards were very grateful for a smooth arrival; whereas Kaier complained, saying the transmission time was too short, not enough to gather the Power of Space to cover the transmission fee.

After respectfully bidding farewell to Angel and others, the couple apprentices also left the teleportation array, officially stepping into this once prosperous, now slightly desolate Wizard Market—Bilun Tree Court.

Although Angel was here for the first time, he had heard of the fame of this market.

Bilun Tree Court was established initially because of the discovery of The Garden Labyrinth ruins here. A large number of Transcendents came to explore, some even stationed here long-term, first forming a small settlement, which slowly expanded and developed into a Wizard Market.

For at least several thousand years, Bilun Tree Court was bustling because of The Garden Labyrinth.

It wasn’t until the exploration of The Garden Labyrinth ruins was nearly complete that it began to decline. However, Bilun Tree Court was well-positioned, surrounded by vast, lush forests rich in natural aura. Eventually, the Birlos family enclosed a piece of thriving woodland, inscribed large Magical Energy Arrays, and began slowly nurturing the fertile land.

In the end, they not only cultivated a large amount of plant-related demonic materials within the forest but also occasionally birthed Natural Sprites because of the rich natural aura.

With such a hallmark, Bilun Tree Court, although no longer as bustling as before, did not fall into complete decline.

At least from Angel’s perspective, compared to Sandworm Market, there are evidently far more people here.

There are also more wandering apprentices than at Sandworm Market.

The reason is simple: a rich natural aura indicates very pure Primordial Magic, making this place evidently more habitable than markets in the desert.

Bilun Tree Court is full of towering green trees; one could say the whole market is built among the trees. Treehouses and tree bridges are seen everywhere.

It has some resemblance to the Fairy Forest in Wunong Duchy. However, Fairy Forest is inhabited by Flower Demons, while here it’s mostly humans.

Since stepping into Bilun Tree Court, they kept hearing mentions of the "Birlos Family" from passers-by, and even many shop signs started with Birlos.

Birlos Tailoring Shop, Birlos Armor Shop, Birlos Alchemy Chamber, Birlos Cake House...

"If all these are run by the Birlos Family, they really do span across many industries," Kaier marveled in front of Birlos Cake House.

"Isn’t this typical of most wizard families?" Vay then spoke up.

"Is your Noah Family like this too?" Kaier asked in surprise.

Vay nodded: "Yes, but we manage businesses scattered in various places. I have opened a ’Noah Divination Shop’ in Mesomyia, and other family members also have their own operations."

Dox confirmed Vay’s statement, saying Vay indeed opened a divination shop, but he only divines death, so more people call it: Death Inquiry Shop.

"It’s rare to see a family like the Birlos Family open so many diverse businesses in one area," Vay remarked.

Dox: "...Actually, the behavior of the Birlos Family is normal; your Noah Clan is what’s rare."

Vay looked shocked: "Really? How come I didn’t know?"

Dox was speechless, and Angel and Kaier understood why Dox ridiculed Vay for being a homebody.

To put it gently, he’s inexperienced; more bluntly, he’s like a frog in a well, thinking the sky is as big as the well’s opening. Though this may be a bit exaggerated, Vay’s experience and his own abilities are indeed somewhat mismatched.

No wonder, despite being old friends with Dox, he still hasn’t advanced. Family conditions are one aspect, and the lack of experience is probably another.

Dox apparently had been to Bilun Tree Court before and led them effortlessly to a tall building.

—Birlos Task Hall.

Though it is named after Birlos and indeed belongs to Birlos, the tasks here can basically be picked up by anyone.

Dox brought them here not to take on tasks, as apart from that, the place also deals in the sale of information.

"You wanted to know the current layout map of The Garden Labyrinth, right? They sell them here, with full floor maps, aerial maps, and even Crystal Balls specifically capturing the scenes of The Garden Labyrinth," Dox said to Angel, "Which type do you plan to buy?"

Before coming, Angel had asked Dox to prepare a layout map of The Garden Labyrinth, not expecting Dox to directly take him here to buy it.

"The ones bought at Sandworm Market are from who knows how many years ago; the latest ones are definitely sold here. You decide what to get," Dox said sincerely.

Angel felt that maybe Dox simply didn’t want to spend his money... After all, The Garden Labyrinth has been the same for years, without any dramatic geological changes; what’s the point of updating maps?

Despite thinking this, Angel still started to select honestly.

Soon, Angel picked a general floor map and a hand-drawn aerial map. It’s worth mentioning that the aerial map has the ancient buildings restored by the artist, not just pure ruins. Although some restorations are incorrect, overall, it closely resembles the real Naraku City.

After selecting, Dox pointed to the side: "If there’s anything else you want to know, you can inquire in the small room over there where information is sold. By the way, the couple hitching a ride on our teleportation array were from the Birlos Family. When you pay with Magic Crystals, you can try mentioning their names and might get a discount."

Angel didn’t bother with Dox, feeling embarrassed calling a couple of apprentices’ names for a discount; it wasn’t worth his dignity as an Official Wizard.

"No need for information, let’s go now," Angel said after paying the Magic Crystals.

Dox: "Why the hurry, won’t you rest a bit? I heard Bilun Tree Court’s forest project offers a complete set of services, especially with beautiful apprentice wizards. Not to mention a chance to catch a Natural Sprite, which would be quite profitable."

Angel initially wanted to refuse out of reflex, as these things seemed boring, better to head straight to the point. But seeing Dox wink at him, Angel recalled Dox had mentioned subtly probing Vay for information...

With this in mind, Angel paused for a moment and said, "Sure, but you guys go, I still need to study this map."

Dox didn’t mind Angel’s lack of sociability, cheered, and then wrapped his arm around Vay’s shoulders: "Come, I’ll show you the forest project here. I assure you, once you reminisce about it later, you won’t want to stay home anymore."

Vay didn’t want to go either, but being dragged by Dox, he had no way to refuse.

However, just as Vay was about to be dragged off, the slate embedded with the Black Earl’s nose flew out from his hand, hovering behind them.

Vay paused for a moment, then immediately closed his eyes to sense the Black Earl’s intentions.

After some time, Vay opened his eyes with a strange expression and said, "My Lord also doesn’t want to go, but I can go with you."