Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 2728: Chapter 2729: Promotion

The first duel, Dox won. After the match, the reactions of both parties were different.

After the Gray Merchant saved the Wicked Woman, she still hadn’t regained her senses and remained in a violent state of combat. To Angel and the others, the conventional method to return her to normal was to achieve the Wicked Woman’s goal—to kill Dox. But that was clearly unrealistic; the duel was over, and persisting was unwise.

But if the Wicked Woman’s condition wasn’t addressed, the duel couldn’t proceed. The Gray Merchant was up next, and if he left, none of the remaining apprentices would be able to restrain the rampaging Wicked Woman.

In this dilemma, Angel was curious about what the Gray Merchant would do.

The Gray Merchant’s approach was simple: he forcibly grabbed one of the Wicked Woman’s tentacles, wrapped it around his wrist, and tied it into a bow.

As everyone puzzled over his confusing actions, the Wicked Woman surprisingly stopped bellowing. Her bloodline seemed stimulated halfway, reversing, and the ferocious gaze subsided while her vast body began to shrink.

Soon, the Wicked Woman returned to a "human" form, but from the appearance, she couldn’t yet be called human.

Because the half of her body previously bound by bandages was now fully exposed. There was no imagined beauty, but withered flesh, yellowed bones, and shriveled organs.

She looked nearly indistinguishable from a half-dead person.

The Wicked Woman’s half-face was also ruined, yet she seemed unconcerned. She glared viciously at Dox and then, somewhat ashamed, said to the Gray Merchant, "I lost."

A very straightforward admission of the truth, without claiming Dox won by external forces, nor offering any excuses.

The Gray Merchant: "No matter, not dying is already lucky. This also exposed your weakness; striving for both cunning tricks and boundless brute strength is unrealistic. No matter how powerful the strength, without corresponding intelligence to control it, it can only become a child’s swinging hammer."

The Wicked Woman’s weakness was not only seen by the Gray Merchant; anyone present with intact eyes could basically discern it.

Early in the fight, her abilities were quirky and mysterious, but later, as her bloodline fully activated, her strength became so great that even a punch caused shockwaves. But the "mystique" disappeared, replaced by "awkwardness."

The more awkward it became, the more defects appeared.

Of course, now it’s judging the Wicked Woman’s shortcomings based on the outcome. If Dox had been thwarted by the curse initially and hadn’t received help from the Sunlight Sanctuary, leading to her victory, then it would be a different scenario now. Even if the Gray Merchant spotted the Wicked Woman’s weaknesses, he wouldn’t point them out because sometimes you only recognize your deficiencies after experiencing and self-reflecting on them. Otherwise, well-intentioned reminders could be merely annoying to the overly confident.

Indeed, the Wicked Woman lost and didn’t resist the Gray Merchant’s advice. However much she heeds, whether she will change and how, that’s her own concern.

"Hmph, the previous you wouldn’t have said such things." The Wicked Woman snorted and turned her head aside.

The Gray Merchant wasn’t bothered. After confirming the Wicked Woman had regained her senses, he did something that shocked everyone.

He directly broke off the arm tied with the Wicked Woman’s hair from the shoulder and tore it away.

Then, he tossed the severed hand lightly to the Wicked Woman.

Though the Gray Merchant said nothing, the Wicked Woman seemed to understand, accepting the hand, her eyes immediately flaring with crimson bloodstains. Amidst everyone’s eyes, she crazily bit into the severed hand like it was food.

As the Wicked Woman devoured it, the withered half of her body gained a bit more vitality. No longer could one see the bones and organs at a glance.

But that was as far as it went. Complete recovery still required a long time.

On Angel’s side, Vay watched the Wicked Woman consume the Gray Merchant’s hand, scrunching up his expression and clicking his tongue, "Resorting to such desperation? Eating a companion’s flesh... If energy was needed, why wasn’t there prior preparation?"

Vay’s voice was soft, but the Gray Merchant across still heard it.

The Gray Merchant turned his head towards Vay, warmly saying, "You misunderstood."

As for what was misunderstood, the Gray Merchant didn’t say, but the Black Earl beside him supplemented, "That severed arm was originally the Wicked Woman’s, merely attached to the Gray Merchant at first."

Otherwise, how could the Gray Merchant use just a hand to restore the Wicked Woman from her stupor? That was clearly impossible.

The only answer is the Wicked Woman anticipated losing control and prepared in advance. The innovation lineage is best at dismantling their bodies; dismantling her own hand and grafting it to the Gray Merchant is perfectly normal.

And as a Bloodline Wizard himself, the Gray Merchant could control his bodily changes anytime, grafting an external hand wasn’t difficult.

So, the Wicked Woman was simply consuming her own hand.

It was only her meat that she could so quickly digest, allowing her swift recovery from a critical state.

The Black Earl’s explanation drew appreciation from the Gray Merchant, his friendly intentions evident.

But the Black Earl was indifferent; concerning himself over a minor wizard’s goodwill would undermine his renowned stature.

In contrast to the Wicked Woman, the other party involved in the duel—Dox—didn’t reflect on his shortcomings at all.

In his view, the biggest flaw was not recovering his inspiration talent. Had he had inspiration talent, he wouldn’t have suffered from the curse, and thus no subsequent issues would’ve arisen.

Besides, even if there truly were flaws, Dox had no intent to self-reflect now.

At this moment, his focus was solely on selling merchandise.

The merchandise, naturally, was the Sunlight Sanctuary’s tickets.

He tirelessly praised how wonderful the Sunlight Sanctuary was; indeed, everyone showed longing, some even excitement, yet no one responded to Dox.

When Dox felt puzzled, Vay finally couldn’t bear it and told him, "Everyone knows it’s good, but its duration, lasting effects, and whether it could affect beliefs mentally or spiritually all require clear answers. These questions you can’t answer..."

So, they’re waiting for Angel to provide clear answers. It has nothing to do with Dox’s boasting sales pitch.

And Vay’s explanation had covered most of everyone’s doubts.

But one doubt that Vay didn’t consider was—

"The Mysterious Parchment, it can’t possibly be all positive effects, can it? What’s its negative effect?" The Black Earl voiced the biggest doubt.

Mysterious Objects were something almost every wizard had heard of, but few truly understood and classified them, especially in the Southern Domain. They mostly just knew Mysterious Objects were indeed useful, but conversely, they came with side effects.

The Black Earl shared this understanding.

It’s not their fault; most research results on Mysterious Objects are in the Origin World. The Southern Domain has been out of touch with the Origin World for many years, and little related information is transmitted here.

But in fact, this is a misunderstanding. Many controllable mysterious objects basically have no side effects. Just like the Endless Corridor of Sky Mechanical City; if there were side effects, would anyone dare to challenge it?

Moreover, the Mystery of the Stars of Crown Star Church—if it had side effects, would so many Prophet Wizards undertake the pilgrimage on every Stargazing Day?

Of course, if the half-year recharge period required after using the Mystery of the Stars is considered a side effect, then indeed it has one. However, this doesn’t have much impact on the Wizards themselves.

Mysterious objects with significant side effects are mostly those that are semi-controlled or completely uncontrolled.

However, such mysterious objects also possess unimaginably powerful effects.

And the most important point: the word ’side effect’ is merely a human value judgment. In fact, many so-called side effects are actually the true essence of mysterious objects, while the positive effects might be considered additional.

Angel naturally couldn’t expound on the mysterious objects in detail at this moment, so he simply responded to Vay and Black Earl’s questions.

"First, correct a mistake: the Magic Rune Scroll of the Sunlight Sanctuary is not a Mysterious Parchment; it can only be considered a scroll containing a bit of Mysterious Aura."

In simpler terms, it is a half-step mystic object.

"Therefore, its side effects are not significant, or perhaps you could say there are none." Angel originally wanted to outright say ’no side effects’, but after some thought, he decided to leave some room. If someone dislikes ’mental tranquility’, prefers turmoil in their Spirit Sea, or detests being shone upon by holy light, then these could all be seen as ’side effects’ for some people.

This reserved way of speaking wasn’t meant for dialectics but to avoid bickering. Their team had a bickering enthusiast. However, this person was currently keen on promoting Sunlight Sanctuary tickets, so they certainly wouldn’t argue about this matter. Ultimately, one’s stance dictates one’s words, and self-interest is only human.

"As for its duration... as long as it isn’t deliberately destroyed, it will remain standing as a sanctuary in the darkness."

"Whether its effects will lessen needs to be viewed separately."

Angel: "To first resolve a confusion, the primary effect of the Sunlight Sanctuary is to dispel evil and curses, warding off most malevolent methods. Other effects like healing, restoration, and mental comfort are secondary."

"The primary effects rely on the enhancement of mysterious power, which diminishes as the mysterious power is consumed. One day, it will completely disappear."

"Though the secondary effects—healing and restoration, stabilization and cleansing of the Spirit Sea—also benefit from the mysterious power, making them strongest when the mysterious power is at its peak. Gradually, these will weaken too. But as long as the sanctuary exists, these effects won’t vanish, only reduced, perhaps even inferior to a Healing Spell."

"Some effects are inherent to the Sunlight Sanctuary itself and will persist as long as it remains intact, including: self-cleansing, contamination prevention, constant temperature, life aura release, meditation enhancement, and more."

These effects are actually akin to those of the Sunlight Garden. Essentially, over time, the Sunlight Sanctuary will slowly transform into the Sunlight Garden.

After hearing Angel’s explanation, everyone showed expressions of realization.

So, it’s not a truly Mysterious Parchment...

No wonder there’s a limit on its usage, and no wonder its effects aren’t as extraordinary as imagined.

While this might be disappointing for the likes of Black Earl and Wise Sovereign who covet the scroll, it’s actually better for others.

Because even a half-step mystic is still linked to the mystic.

Moreover, its concentrated effect not only lacks side effects but might also provide more focused, better restoration.

Dox, seeing the group already eager, quickly spurred the mood: "My talent of inspiration was still recovering, but now it’s fully restored. Its soothing effect on the Spirit Sea is simply transformative."

Truth be told, even without Dox mentioning it, everyone already noticed. This was another reason many were inclined to give it a try.

Besides, the Spirit Sea is an area with few direct influencing methods.

The Windsor series of high-level Witch’s Soup could affect it, but such costs are beyond most wizards’ means, and even some True Knowledge Wizards may not afford it.

Thus, even if their Spirit Sea wasn’t in too bad a shape, alleviating some ’Dust’ would be significantly beneficial.

With this in mind, Vay was the first to express his interest in experiencing it.

As for the ticket... would Vay pay? Of course, but his payment was a verbal promise: "In the future, when you seek my Death Sense, I’ll do it for free."

Dox: ...I never paid before anyway.

However, Dox felt embarrassed to say anything, for every time he needed it, Vay proactively came to assist, claiming to charge but essentially just having drinks at his tavern as payment.

So, this time, Dox genuinely didn’t feel right barring Vay.

In other words, Vay’s promise was essentially a non-commitment. His experience was basically free.

Nonetheless, Dox still hoped a little and said to Angel: "Do you ever need Death Sense? I can transfer you some tries."

Dox hoped to slightly reduce whatever price Angel might ask for.

But Angel, with a smile, replied, "No need."

After all, he had Dororo at his back, so why would he need Death Sense?

Dox murmured, "Well then, what do you need? Whatever you ask for, I’ll find a way to get it."

Angel: "At the moment, I don’t need anything. However, I could use a... general servant."

Dox shook his head furiously, "No, please don’t treat your most sincere friend like this, okay?"

Angel smiled but said nothing.

Dox: "Didn’t you want Little Gold before? I can give you more."

Angel: "You already promised me Little Gold before; I just need one."

Seeing Angel so meticulous, Dox was at a loss for words. Is he really going to... lose his freedom just like that?

Dox felt like crying but aimed to struggle a bit more as he looked toward the Black Earl.

Perhaps the Black Earl could offer a decent price?