Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 2758: Chapter 2759: The Will of Flame

"Interesting." After pondering for a moment, the Black Earl seemed to think of something and chuckled softly.

"Previously, I speculated that those four sheep might have been summoned through a special summoning technique, bringing forth special creatures with special abilities, which is why they surrounded the Speedy."

The word "special" initially signifies phenomena deviating from the norm. These deviations from the norm are rare.

The Black Earl used the word "special" three times consecutively, and the meaning of these three instances is not equal but progressively intensifying. It could be understood as targeting all clams in the ocean, among all clams focusing on those that can produce pearls, and among those, pinning down the clam that produces the most perfect pearl.

It is indeed the rarest of the rare, a selection from the select.

The probability is extremely low, infinitesimally close to zero.

Thus, after speaking, the Black Earl couldn’t help but mock himself: "Thinking about it now, it’s quite laughable."

"And what do you think now, my lord...?" Angel asked.

Black Earl: "It should be unrelated to the summoning technique, but rather the Shepherd’s ability."

"What I can ascertain is that the Shepherd is certainly a Rhythm Apprentice of the Wind Element, but he is not solely a Rhythm Apprentice."

Dox frowned: "Dual-element talent?"

Black Earl: "No, he belongs to the elemental side of the Wind Element, just that his wind is somewhat special."

As the Black Earl mentioned this, he looked at Kaier: "You’ve faced his wind directly; what do you think characterizes his wind?"

Kaier paused for a moment, recalling the sense of the Shepherd’s wind on the competitive stage. That wind could be gentle and also weighty, fierce and also serene. His wind was extremely variable, and it gave Kaier a special feeling...

Kaier pondered over the words and hesitated for a long time before saying: "It always felt like his wind was alive."

Black Earl: "Your sensitivity is sharp."

"Is it really living wind?!" Kaier exclaimed, "I mean, can wind be alive?"

Black Earl: "Why couldn’t it be alive? The Speedy is a living wind."

The Black Earl then looked at Angel and Dox, whose expressions mirrored bewilderment like Kaier’s; while Angel squinted his eyes, seeming to have thought of something.

The Black Earl observed Angel: "Do you have an answer?"

Angel shook his head: "No, I just suddenly thought of someone."

Seeing the Black Earl still watching him, Angel softly said: "It’s unrelated to this matter."

Black Earl: "You’re aware that inspiration doesn’t appear without reason, correct?"

Angel: "I know, but the person I thought of truly has nothing to do with this matter."

After giving Angel a deep look, the Black Earl didn’t extend the topic further, instead returned to the main subject: "Regarding the Shepherd’s ability, I couldn’t be sure initially, but the situation described by the Speedy reminded me of something."

"There’s an interesting wizard in the Frostmoon Alliance who published a paper in the ’Plane Conquest Records.’ This paper is intriguing and is titled ’The Will of Flame.’

The paper ’The Will of Flame’ discusses how to actively give flame a will, and once the flame possesses a will, how to advance into a flame creature."

As the Black Earl spoke, Dox interrupted: "I think I’ve read that issue of ’Plane Conquest Records.’

Dox: "This paper was the featured article for that issue of ’Plane Conquest Records,’ taking up almost half the pages. But it was filled with all sorts of speculation, impossible to realize; even the author of the paper stated that it was his rational speculation."

"Rational? Ha, it should be idealistic speculation."

"Because of that paper, that issue of ’Plane Conquest Records’ received much criticism from many wizards; even people in my tavern mocked this, saying it was published as a favor in ’Plane Conquest Records.’

"Afterward, the subsequent issues of ’Plane Conquest Records’ from Frostmoon Alliance didn’t publish any papers anymore, which helped recover the fermenting public opinion." Dox paused, recalling: "I think it was issue 245 of the Resting Breath supplement."

While Dox spoke, Angel was also reminiscing. Before going to the Abyss, he had crammed a lot of ’Plane Conquest Records’; Wizard Madeline even prepared a series of journal directories for him, indicating which issues were worth reading and which were not.

Issue 245 had the Spring Festival supplement and the Resting Breath supplement, and Madeline only recommended the Spring Festival supplement, excluding the Resting Breath supplement from worthy issues.

Hearing the issue number given by Dox, Angel suddenly realized why he couldn’t recall a paper despite reading so many issues of ’Plane Conquest Records.’ It turned out he happened to skip that issue.

However, hearing the situation described by the Black Earl and Dox, Angel understood why Wizard Madeline hadn’t recommended that issue.

—To give flame a will, let the flame become an elemental creature. It sounds unreliable, and according to Dox, even the author said it’s ’rational speculation,’ to put it plainly, it’s mere imagination, so it’s understandable that Madeline wouldn’t recommend it.

Angel figured even if he had read that issue, he would likely dismiss it. But now, with the Black Earl suddenly mentioning this paper, is it possible the arguments in the paper could indeed be realized?

Black Earl: "You’re correct; the paper faced significant criticism, but as far as I know, the paper wasn’t a favor entry but did produce some results, just that the author didn’t write about it."

"You mean, using the paper’s method could indeed give flame a will?" Dox asked in surprise.

Black Earl: "Whether the paper can give flame a will, I don’t know. But through some control group experiments, the author did discover some flames with unusually high activity, seemingly exhibiting a situation with a will bestowed upon. However, due to the author’s health reasons, he couldn’t continue experimenting, so the study ended there."

At this point, the Black Earl added: "These details should be accurate since Monty mentioned them personally in our conversation."

Conversing with Lord Monty?! The highest Controller of the Frostmoon Alliance?

Dox looked at the Black Earl in surprise, but soon, he accepted it. It seemed reasonable too; the Black Earl was on the same tier as Lord Monty, whose desire to advance to Legend was well-known, thus exchanging ideas with peers for mutual enhancement made sense.

Angel looked at the Black Earl: "Since you can’t ascertain the paper’s effectiveness, why bring it up? Also, how does the paper relate to the Shepherd?"

Black Earl: "I indeed cannot confirm if ’The Will of Flame’ is effective, and I’ve never prioritized that paper. However, upon seeing the Shepherd, I noticed he shares a commonality with the author of the paper."

"The Shepherd appears to be an ordinary Wind Element apprentice, while the author looks like an ordinary Fire Element wizard." Black Earl emphasized the word ’ordinary’ with enhanced intonation: "But are they truly ordinary? How can an ordinary Fire Element wizard bestow a will upon flame?"

At this juncture, Black Earl finally revealed the name of the paper’s author.

"This extraordinary Fire Element wizard, also the paper’s author, is named... Winchester."

Winchester?! Hearing the name, Angel was taken aback.

Not only because he had seen Winchester, but... upon this name’s appearance, Angel understood why the Black Earl suddenly broached a paper seemingly unrelated to the Shepherd.

The reason was now clear, as this Fire Element wizard, nicknamed "Burning Blood Flame," was an incredibly exceptional Fire Element wizard.

He is a—Fire Transmuter!

As it happens, when the Black Earl mentioned earlier that the Shepherd might not just be an ordinary Wind Element Apprentice, Angel’s mind also connected to someone.

Of course, it’s not Winchester, but Nausicaa’s friend, the Water System Apprentice who almost intercepted Angel on the third floor of Sky Tower: "Flow of the Sleeping Pitch" Xiliu!

Xiliu, like Winchester, is an Element Transmuter; Xiliu is a Water Transmuter!

When these clues were connected, Angel understood the Black Earl’s meaning.

"Wind Transmuter? You mean the Shepherd is a Wind Transmuter?"

The Black Earl looked at Angel with some surprise; he hadn’t yet revealed the final answer, but Angel had already guessed it.

You should know that the fact of Winchester being a Fire Transmuter is little known.

"That’s right, I suspect the Shepherd might indeed be a Wind Transmuter." The Black Earl: "Winchester is a Fire Transmuter and also Monty’s student. I’ve heard Monty mention that Winchester’s thesis might only be possible for an Element Transmuter to accomplish."

"Winchester has taken a small step forward. Unfortunately, Winchester’s constitution is weak, and using abilities causes him to cough up blood profusely, so he could only speculate to write the latter part of that thesis."

"If the core argument of that thesis is correct, and Monty’s speculation is also accurate, then if one can artificially impart will to elements, even allowing elemental will to have a prototype of advanced elemental creatures, then it can only be accomplished by an Element Transmuter."

"The answer is obvious; the Shepherd is not just a Rhythm Apprentice; he is actually a Wind Transmuter."

The crowd hearing this came to a sudden realization.

Although there are still some flaws in reverse deducing from these clues, the logic finally makes sense. Indeed, the Shepherd can only be a Wind Transmuter to have the possibility to imbue the Wind Element with will.

This is much more reliable than the Black Earl’s previous speculation of "Special Summoning Technique, summoning unique summoned creatures, and those creatures having special talents."

The Black Earl pondered: "However, can a Wind Transmuter really so easily imbue elements with will? Why do those strange sheep and that sheepdog have a physical presence? I think the Shepherd might have read that thesis, gaining some inspiration, but he must still harbor other secrets."

The Black Earl paused at this point.

It’s difficult to ascertain what other secrets the Shepherd might harbor just from analysis.

However, Black Earl merely guessed the Shepherd’s identity as a Wind Transmuter through some clues from Speedy, which still greatly impressed Angel.

The differences in experience and judgment often reflect in such details.

"If Speedy’s judgment is correct, those black-faced sheep could soon advance to become Wind Elemental Creatures..." Angel mused, "Then I do look forward to their future."

Not only did Angel display anticipation, but Dox and Kaier couldn’t help but nod their heads.

Even though they are not on the elemental side, elemental abilities are a mandatory course for every wizard, and once they become Official Wizards, elemental partners are something every wizard seeks.

In this context, almost all wizards pay great attention to theses related to the elemental domain and information regarding Elemental Creatures.

Even Dox, who is not from the Academy Faction, is eager to learn about such research: what are the differences between artificially nurtured Wind Elemental Creatures and naturally born Elemental Creatures?

Those four black-faced sheep, capable of cooperation and having Spirit Intelligence, are viewed as truly promising entities in their eyes.

The only regret is that the answers to these questions are likely to remain unseen. After all, the future is uncertain; whether the Shepherd will manage to cultivate Wind Elemental Creatures remains unknown. Even if he succeeds, they cannot watch the Shepherd daily and can only hope for him to, like Winchester, share his achievements once successful.

However, that’s likely difficult. The Shepherd has no background, and the Southern Domain Wizards’ Realm desperately lacks Elemental Creatures; once the Shepherd rises, unlike Winchester who had Monty’s mighty backing, he might simply vanish.

Thinking about this, everyone couldn’t help shaking their heads in regret.

While everyone focused on the Shepherd, the duel on the field had reached its climax.

Vay versus the Magic Elephant, under normal circumstances, Vay barely stood a chance of winning. However, in this battle, the Magic Elephant, a Bloodline-side Apprentice, appeared somewhat below standard.

It’s evident that the Magic Elephant was acting absent-minded and, during combat, seemed to restrain himself.

If it was due to concerns about harming Vay and ending up on the Noah Clan’s blacklist, that’s unlikely. Because previously, Ghost Shadow faced a similar dilemma yet showed no burden.

This left everyone bewildered.

However, the Magic Elephant’s self-restraint provided Vay with an opportunity.

Vay, already in a state of agitation, activated the Noah Bloodline, combined with the Power of Earth, exhibiting formidable defensive power, matching the Magic Elephant in combat without being inferior.

Now, during the height of the battle, Vay even gained a slight advantage, leaving the onlookers astonished.

Especially Dox, clicking his tongue in amazement. Previously thinking Vay spent so many years cooped up in Mesomyia, his combat awareness was nearly wasted, but it turned out Vay still had burning energy.

Combat driven by anger often leads to recklessness due to a spirited frenzy, but Vay was different. It was apparent that although Vay’s offensive tactics were aggressive, when facing the Magic Elephant’s counterattack, he was well-balanced in advancing and retreating.

To find courage and strength through fury yet retain reason amidst frenzy is something even Dox finds hard to achieve.

Under these circumstances, Vay gradually expanded his advantage.

The Magic Elephant, on the other hand, became increasingly passive in the battle, and it’s unclear what psychological burden he bore. However, from his frequent glances towards the Grey Merchant and Evil Woman, it could be speculated that the Magic Elephant’s current situation is related to them.

A few more minutes passed.

Vay, with a balance of attack and defense, unexpectedly unleashed the Noah Secret Technique, catching the Magic Elephant off guard and nearly trapping him within the encirclement of Earth Spikes.

If the Earth Spikes continue to restrict movement, the Magic Elephant will surely be defeated in under two minutes.

At this moment, the Magic Elephant finally made up his mind.

He slowly removed the Brown Mammoth mask, revealing a face that looked genuinely honest and sincere.

Subsequently, under the eyes of all, the Magic Elephant took out a blood-red object and pressed it against his forehead.

The blood-red object appeared like a semi-transparent glass sphere, but once it made contact with the Magic Elephant’s forehead, blood-colored tendrils began to spread across the "sphere," growing longer and penetrating deep into the Magic Elephant’s skull.

The entire scene induced physical discomfort.

A few seconds later, a blood-red organ resembling an eye appeared on the Magic Elephant’s forehead.

Witnessing this, Angel was still speculating about the identity of the blood-red eye on his forehead, while Dox’s face changed, commenting sternly, "This is... the Ownerless Organ!"