Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 2720: Chapter 2721: Reunion

"You say you’re the arbiter, but are you really? Who can prove it?" The speaker was Fen Mo, who somehow pulled out a pink rabbit doll, swinging its ears back and forth as she questioned the man in the black robe.

"Maybe you’re the one who wants to duel with us. Pretending to deceive us," Fen Mo tilted her head and continued.

If anyone else had asked such a question, it might have been seen as provocative, but with Fen Mo’s innocent and naive expression... even though the Wise Sovereign knew she was pretending, he felt it wasn’t appropriate to take it seriously.

"Whether I’m the arbiter or not, ’she’ will naturally prove it."

As soon as the Wise Sovereign finished speaking, the body of the Grey Merchant froze, and he pulled out the previously broken mirror fragment again. Although he didn’t unwrap the package covering the fragment, everyone could still sense a series of spiritual waves emanating from it.

The interpretation derived was exactly what the black-robed man had said — he was indeed the arbiter.

After confirming the identity of the black-robed man, Fen Mo turned her head sideways and muttered under her breath, "Even if you’re the arbiter, what gives you the right to make us accept your test?"

The Wise Sovereign still did not get angry and calmly said, "I indeed have no right to test you. Let’s cancel the test I mentioned."

Hearing the black-robed man stepping back, Fen Mo’s eyes showed a hint of smugness.

But the next second, the words of the Wise Sovereign made Fen Mo’s expression stiffen.

"Even though there is no test, your goal is to duel with them. So find them first," concluded the Wise Sovereign, floating into the air and remaining silent.

Hearing the words of the black-robed man, the Grey Merchant glanced at Fen Mo, sighed lightly, and said nothing.

But the wicked woman bound by the Grey Merchant’s "kite flying" method sneered, "Earlier, there were little rewards for the test, and now there’s nothing. Is this what you wanted?"

Fen Mo’s face flushed red, not daring to refute. Because what the wicked woman said was true, she initially aimed to set a trap for the opponent but ended up being trapped herself.

"Forget it, it’s not Fen Mo’s fault," the Grey Merchant said, gently tugging the bandage on his wrist, "such rewards are usually just words, all promises and no fulfillment. We’ve encountered this many times."

"Now, our internal conflict is providing a spectacle for those hidden. The arbiter is right; finding them should be our priority."

The wicked woman snorted coldly but did not rebut, indirectly acknowledging the words of the Grey Merchant.

Fen Mo let out a long sigh of relief, then grabbed the ear of the rabbit doll and hid behind the Magic Elephant at the back. In retrospect, she felt her self-assurance was quite embarrassing. Now, she just wanted to find a place where no one could see her to calm her embarrassed heart.

The search for hidden individuals didn’t really require the Magic Elephant and Fen Mo’s involvement.

In this search, the main actors were the Grey Merchant, the wicked woman, and the Shepherd.

Their methods were entirely different, but fortunately, they did not interfere with each other.

The Grey Merchant used the ability of the jewel earth dragon to control the rhythm of the earth, monitoring every unusual detail of the ground they were on. Previously, the wicked woman had randomly searched with bandages to no avail but chose to rely on spiritual perception this time.

It’s worth noting that the wicked woman’s spiritual power was exceptionally strong. In Angel’s eyes, if the wicked woman’s spirit tentacles were to manifest, they’d resemble the giant tentacles of a deep-sea octopus, continuously exploring the surrounding space.

As for the Shepherd, his method of searching was the most interesting. He picked up the flute in his hand, closed his eyes, and played a cheerful and lively tune.

As the tune spread, from the dark depths emerged a drunken-looking group of rats. Hundreds of rats sniffed around, trying to find any abnormal traces.

However, although hundreds of rats sound like a large number, when dispersed, they didn’t seem to be that many. So, the Shepherd played a new melody, which attracted those insects that preferred to hide in the darkness.

Like a mountain or sea of cockroaches, lizards crawling on walls, spiders, and moths flying in the air. Though naturally enemies, under the Shepherd’s influence, they completely abandoned hostility and worked together to find the hidden individuals.

Although the Shepherd was only an apprentice, the commotion he stirred up was actually the largest.

Reactions to the Shepherd’s actions varied among the crowd. The Wise Sovereign raised an eyebrow, surprised by the number of nasty insects hidden in the usually clean-looking hallway, pondering it needed a thorough cleaning sometime.

Dox wondered about the Shepherd’s affiliation with the mysterious side; was he in the sound wave series or the summoning system?

Black Earl offered an answer, "Neither."

The summoning system usually summons from an outside world; if he were in the summoning system, there’d be no need to go through so much trouble, involving so many small animals to search. Many summoned creatures from other worlds have powerful searching abilities.

For the sound wave series, sound waves themselves can act as carriers. But the sound waves emitted by the Shepherd’s flute were carried by spiritual force, influencing the spread of the tunes, not aligning with the sound wave series’ logic.

Regarding the Shepherd’s specific wizard side, Black Earl gave the answer: "Rhythm Apprentice."

Rhythm Wizards aren’t part of the sound wave series; they belong to the elemental side. Moreover, every system within the elemental side has different rhythm wizards. Rhythm wizards of the water system are the strongest due to the tide-like and cyclical nature of water elements, labeled as the "Rhythm of Water."

However, the Shepherd wasn’t a rhythm apprentice of the water system but of the wind system.

As for the reason for determining, it wasn’t due to eyesight but because Speedy clearly indicated that when the Shepherd played a tune, it sensed slight changes in the surrounding wind.

After the Shepherd’s identity and capabilities were broadly exposed, the two apprentices began considering their own means to counter a rhythm apprentice like the Shepherd.

Let’s set aside what the apprentices might devise and return to the "search" in the outside world.

After three minutes, the Grey Merchant, the wicked woman, and the Shepherd had scoured almost every corner but still found no trace.

This led them to start doubting whether this group of people was truly hiding here.

Due to the earlier situation with Fen Mo, they currently dared not question the Wise Sovereign, but the idea began fermenting in their minds.

Meanwhile, observing this scene, the Wise Sovereign’s lips curled slightly.

His purpose had been achieved.

He always found Angel’s so-called "illusionary realm" to be peculiar, but his true body was sitting well in the Nightmare Realm and was reluctant to sense the surroundings. So, he simply let the Grey Merchant and his team investigate.

The investigation confirmed his suspicions; indeed, Angel’s illusionary realm was unusual.

An ordinary illusionary realm, no matter how well hidden, would still leak energy, just a matter of degree.

But Angel’s illusionary realm was set in the center of the field. Normally, a wizard would guide everyone to avoid this area, but Angel did nothing, letting everyone pass over the central area repeatedly, yet they couldn’t find a breakthrough. This basically confirmed the Wise Sovereign’s deduction—

Angel’s illusionary realm should have some spatial properties.

Is this a combination of space and illusion technique?

The Wise Sovereign’s conjecture is basically correct. The Nightmare Realm itself is an intermediate zone where the Nightmare Realm invades the real world. It is neither in reality nor in the Nightmare Realm, more like a space in the cracks.

And those who bear the Nightmare Realm incorporate it into their bodies with their flesh. Every time the Nightmare Realm is released, it is to release this crack space, which is somewhat similar to the concept of an other-dimensional space.

If there is a Space Wizard on the opposite side, using an all-encompassing method to explore, it should be possible to find some clues.

Unfortunately, Space Wizards are quite rare in the Southern Domain, and there is not a single Space Series Wizard on the opposite side.

After they had been searching for about eight minutes, Angel looked at the Wise Sovereign opposite: "Shall we go out and meet them now?"

It was a very normal question, but there was a deeper meaning in Angel’s eyes.

Obviously, Angel saw through the Wise Sovereign’s intention, but he did not point it out, letting the Wise Sovereign perform this series of small tricks.

The Wise Sovereign was not embarrassed either; it was normal for Angel, being a smart person, to see through.

Moreover, by allowing the Traveling Merchant and others to search for them, the Wise Sovereign actually gave Angel an opportunity for observation.

Besides the inactive Magic Elephant, Red, and Ghostly Shadow, they had formed a rough idea of the abilities of the Traveling Merchant and the Wicked Woman. Although they might not fully understand, they at least understood certain aspects.

The more information they know, the more advantageous it will be in battle. Because of this, even though Angel realized the purpose of the Wise Sovereign, he did not intend to expose or stop him.

Now that the necessary information has been acquired, continuing further is unlikely to yield much more, so Angel proposed that it’s time to face them.

They couldn’t avoid it; ultimately, they had to face the test.

The Wise Sovereign nonchalantly nodded: "Do as you think, no need to ask me."

Angel nodded and looked at the others: "Are you ready?"

Dox and the Black Earl nonchalantly nodded, while Kaier and Vay were somewhat lacking in confidence but still solemnly nodded, considering the support Angel provided.

Angel said no more, gently tapping the table surface with his knuckles. The surrounding Nightmare Realm changed from solid to transparent, like a water curtain, which eventually disappeared completely.

...

After the Traveling Merchant and others failed to find anything, their minds began to stir.

Hiding behind the Magic Elephant, Red couldn’t help but voice out again: "Are they really hiding here, or is this a deliberate scheme to exhaust our heart power?"

This time, neither the Traveling Merchant nor the Wicked Woman stopped Red from speaking; having searched for so long, they also wanted to know the answer.

"You really have a lot of questions," the Wise Sovereign quipped before saying, "I have no reason to deceive you; they are indeed here, watching your every move."

"I can give you a hint. Actually, this little pink-haired girl with the most questions might be able to find some clues..."

The little pink-haired girl mentioned is undoubtedly referring to Red.

Everyone turned to look at Red, who was puzzled, pointing at herself under everyone’s gaze: "Me?"

The Wise Sovereign: "Indeed, you can try... Hmm, it seems there’s no need to try, they’ve already decided to come out."

As the Wise Sovereign finished speaking, everyone immediately turned around, assuming a guarded posture. Their eyes scanned the surroundings, wanting to see where Angel and the others were hiding.

However, when Angel and the others appeared, there was a moment of surprise on their faces.

They thought Angel and the others were hiding in a place they couldn’t possibly imagine, but what they didn’t expect was that Angel and the others were right in the center of the field, less than ten meters away in a straight line.

Most importantly, they were facing the opposing side.

If the black-robed judge’s words were true, and the opposing side had been watching them secretly all along, it meant that every expression and action they made had been seen?

At the thought of this, everyone felt a bit complicated. Especially the three who had been actively searching for them; apart from the Wicked Woman, whose face was obscured by bandages, the other two wore expressions of embarrassment.

However, they’re usually mentally tough, quickly recovering from this embarrassment.

They had always been curious about the identity of the outsiders, and the White Merchant judged that the outsider might have more goodwill than malice. So they were even more eager to know who discovered the entrance to the Underground Church? Who cracked the church’s complex Magical Energy Array? And who left them hints along the way?

Now, everyone on the opposing side had appeared.

Altogether, four people: a red-haired, golden-eyed boy dressed in noble attire, and a red-haired young man with a sword at his waist, both clearly Official Wizards. Meanwhile, the other two apprentices were trying their best to appear brave, but the fear in their eyes had not been entirely suppressed.

No, there was also a very obvious presence of Official Wizard aura.

A stone slate with a nose engraved on it? Is this considered an opponent in the confrontation, or just someone’s trick?

While the others were confused, the Traveling Merchant softly spoke: "Red Sword, Dox?"

Dox paused for a moment, then laughed heartily: "My reputation does precede me; wherever I go, people recognize me."

After laughing, Dox looked at the Traveling Merchant: "I know you’re the Traveling Merchant, since you know me, it’s only fair I should know you, too. Why don’t you remove your mask and let me see who you are? Could it be you’re an old friend of mine?"

The Traveling Merchant responded indifferently: "I don’t know you, I’ve only heard some rumors about you. As for my true face, it doesn’t matter. For now, I only have one identity: the Traveling Merchant of the Merchant Organization."

Dox shrugged: "Unwilling to reveal your true identity, surely you’re someone I’ve heard of, met, or known. But that’s fine; I’m curious, what rumors have you heard about me? Unmatched swordsmanship, or invincibly handsome and dashing?"

The Traveling Merchant: "Neither. I just read one of your submissions in a miscellaneous magazine. I remember the title of your article was—"

"’On the Significance of McField’s Manifesto to Bloodline Wizards aaahhhh’