Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 2999: Chapter 3000: Jon’s Method

"So, the mentor is letting me try the photography function?"

"Of course not, it’s for..." Jon smiled mysteriously, intentionally pausing for a moment.

While Angel was puzzled, Jon leaned close to him, holding the Mother Tree Interlinker in one hand and making a peace sign behind Angel’s head with the other: "Of course, it’s for a group photo! Come, say with me, ’Cheese~’"

Jon spoke in Chinese, and Angel, unsuspecting, followed Jon’s lead and said, "Chee...se."

With a strange fluctuation, a white light flashed on the Mother Tree Interlinker.

Soon after Jon’s operation, Angel noticed a new photo appeared on the Mother Tree Interlinker.

The scenery in the photo reflected the previous moment: Angel’s mouth was open, looking like he was smiling, but with a hint of bewilderment; Jon’s face was bursting with a bright smile, and his once somewhat cloudy eyes appeared much brighter in the photo.

"It’s quite similar to the photos in the Holographic Tablet," Angel mused after closely examining it, reaching this conclusion.

Undoubtedly, with Jon’s feeble spiritual power, he certainly couldn’t handle "consciousness drawing."

The appearance of this photo must be the product of function iteration?

As for how the function was iterated, if Angel wanted to know, he just needed to probe with spiritual power. But he didn’t do that and instead looked at Jon curiously.

Jon didn’t immediately explain but watched the photo on the Interlinker with a look of joy.

"This should be our first group photo. It’s a pity Lyon isn’t here; it would be even better then."

Angel: "It’s okay, next time when brother Lyon comes in, we’ll find a nice scenic spot to retake..."

Just as Angel began to express his imagination, Jon quickly covered his mouth.

In Angel’s confused gaze, Jon said slowly and deliberately: "Don’t jinx it; I don’t want the next group photo to be incomplete."

Angel uttered a sound of acknowledgment and obediently kept quiet.

Jon then looked at the photo once more with satisfaction and carefully saved it. Then he said to Angel, "That’s all for the photography function. It’s not bad, right? However, photography is just a feature of the test version. In fact, the internal development version has a more advanced feature—"

"Videography!"

Through Jon’s narration, Angel was able to grasp the gist.

Indeed, the image function of the Mother Tree Interlinker has undergone significant functional advancement, and the source of it all comes from... Sumishe.

Sumishe, as the actual possessor of the "Membrane of Rhythm" Authority, finds his ability to create life much weaker compared to Greya, the "sub-controller." Greya can use the Membrane of Rhythm to freely create any life in the Wilderness of Dreams, though for her, these are ingredients, for the Wilderness of Dreams, they are the origin of life.

But Sumishe is not like that; what he can create are life forms with extremely simple structures—half-baked fungi, single-cell microorganisms, and flowers and plants with a bit of life consciousness... and the like.

While Sumishe cannot compare to Greya in Creation, he nonetheless holds the complete Authority; even low-level life forms created by him can be given certain functions.

The photography function of the Mother Tree Interlinker originates from a type of special light-sensitive coloring microorganism created by Sumishe, which possesses a certain operational logic.

These microorganisms reside within the Mother Tree network, so the development team only needs to use some interference technology to project their power into the integrated functionality of the Interlinker, allowing it to manifest photos anytime.

This type of photo generation is claimed to be extremely easy to operate, accessible to anyone.

The only drawback is that it needs to rely on the Mother Tree network.

Currently, the vegetation developed by the Mother Tree covers seventy percent of the Wilderness of Dreams, meaning the Mother Tree network also covers seventy percent of the area.

However, once going to areas beyond the coverage of the Mother Tree network, such as the Inner Sea, Outer Sea, and endless wilderness, it becomes unusable.

Nonetheless, even so, this function is quite splendid.

"Who would’ve thought Sumishe has quite a talent; though not very good at creating complex life forms, he has room to excel if he focuses on these microorganisms residing in the Mother Tree network,"

"There already appears to be a nascent form of a biological network," Angel remarked with feeling.

Initially, Angel thought, it was slightly unfortunate for Sumishe to bear this Authority, thinking Greya was more appropriate for it, but to save Sumishe’s Nightmare Realm, the Authority was imperative.

Now it seems, Sumishe is quite spiritual; if creating larger forms isn’t feasible, why not create smaller ones? Moreover, by integrating with the authority of "Tree Civilization," the Membrane of Rhythm has been given more possibilities.

"Videography, was it also developed by Sumishe?" Angel asked curiously.

Photography tends to be static. Videography, on the other hand, tends to be dynamic.

Jon nodded: "Yes, but according to the information provided by Sumishe, the videography feature was also developed based on those special microorganisms from before. However, every time the videography function is used, a large number of microorganisms die, which is somewhat regrettable."

While speaking, Jon handed the Interlinker to Angel.

The screen already started playing a segment recorded with the "videography" function.

On the stage of the grand theater, a spotlight shone down, and the little gentleman Adar, dressed in a tuxedo, bowed to the camera and then sat on the piano stool, taking a deep breath before starting his performance. Shortly thereafter, Shanni, clad in a red dress, walked on stage and began her singing...

In a short five-minute segment, it recorded the achievements Adar and Shanni had learned during this period with Jon.

Lighting, imagery, composition... everything was beautiful; the only downside was there was no sound.

Neither Adar’s performance nor Shanni’s singing was recorded.

"This is also one of the flaws of videography." Jon sighed: "It’s still somewhat incomplete. However, Sumishe has joined the development team, and according to him, he’s already started working on microorganisms sensitive to wave frequencies, so videography should soon include sound."

On the whole, the shortcomings of videography lie in the excessive consumption of microorganisms and the temporary inability to capture sound.

However, when Angel slightly sensed the group of microorganisms residing within the Mother Tree network, he realized these two flaws can actually be improved upon, and Sumishe has already begun making these improvements.

The first flaw is due to Sumishe’s videography principle, which involves dynamic combinations of multiple photos. The seemingly dynamic footage is actually a static image collection. Although this can also achieve videography results, too much footage recorded by microorganisms at once leads to significant microorganism mortality.

Improvements would require either changing videography principles or enhancing the information-processing capabilities of microorganisms.

Overall, improving it isn’t too difficult.

On the contrary, the second drawback seems easy when Jon says it, but in Angel’s view, it’s much more difficult for Sumishe. Jon said Sumishe has started creating microorganisms sensitive to frequency waves... but in fact, Sumishe has made more than one type of microorganism.

But none have achieved the desired effect.

Because one is sensitive to light, and the other is to waves, these are entirely different types of microorganisms. They can achieve various functions separately, but assembling them together is very difficult.

In other words, for Sumishe to perfect the camera function, he must delve deeper into the Membrane of Rhythm, creating microorganisms that simultaneously possess sensory and wave capabilities.

Of course, if Sumishe sought help from Greya, this issue could probably be resolved quickly, but it seems Sumishe doesn’t plan to do that; otherwise, this problem wouldn’t have dragged on until now.

Angel is indifferent to this, as long as Sumishe doesn’t interfere with the Mother Tree network, he’s free to create at will.

...

Jon’s intention for Angel to try the photography and filming functions is more about boasting.

The advancement of the Mother Tree network holds significant meaning for Jon. After all, having experienced the era of information explosion, Jon greatly wishes for such a network to be set up in the Southern Domain, not necessarily to become an information explosion, but to witness different cultures and various extraordinary events through the network, which is enough for Jon.

After all, experiencing a journey but having to remain in one corner is somewhat regretful. The development of the Mother Tree network, even if it can’t let him personally see different regions, allows him to see people and culture from different places, which is comforting.

Angel understands Jon’s sentiments and conforms to his tone.

When Jon finished boasting, he brought up the main topic: "By the way, you’re here for more than just visiting me, right?"

Just as Angel understands Jon, Jon also understands Angel.

He could tell Angel had something to discuss, but judging from the details, it’s not urgent, which is why Jon shared his joy first. If there were indeed an urgent matter, Jon would naturally handle it differently.

Angel: "I do have a small matter, probably need the Mentor’s assistance."

Jon paused in surprise: "Need my help?"

After a moment, Jon suspiciously asked: "Are you thinking I’m getting bored here and want to find me something to do? Don’t worry, I’m quite busy with my tasks, taking care of the development team, organizing library documents, and handling theater performances, no need to worry about me being idle."

Angel chuckled: "You’ve misunderstood, I genuinely have a task."

Under Jon’s half-believing gaze, Angel snapped his fingers, demonstrating the situation within the "Uriel’s Choice" instance.

The middle-aged man Uriel was playing the piano in an attic with emotional conflict, while Luigi strummed harmoniously below.

Angel faithfully recreated the scene of Luigi responding to the main storyline.

Jon, still bewildered after watching the entire illusion, asked: "These appear to be two quite decent musicians? Do they have any problems?"

Angel: "The problem is significant; in fact, it’s a special space where time continuously repeats... you might understand it as a game instance."

"The biggest boss of this instance is the middle-aged man Uriel in the attic, and the one trying to snag the instance first kill is the Bard Luigi playing the harp below..."

Facing Jon, Angel’s explanation became more relatable—Earth-like, and Jon truly could understand this kind of explanation more easily.

Sure enough, after Angel explained it once, Jon understood.

"Musical challenge instance, involving music theory, psychology, and misunderstood negotiation tactics." Jon stroked his chin: "If it’s just about solving the piano piece, it shouldn’t be too difficult."

Angel: "Indeed, according to my demonstration, solving it isn’t hard. But this instance is still a dynamic one, with Uriel playing different piano pieces each time; that’s where the difficulty lies."

Dynamic? Jon furrowed his brow: "Does that mean Uriel’s mood differs each time?"

Angel: "Not exactly. Uriel’s mood remains conflicted; it’s just that each time the piano piece changes."

"I see... let me think." Jon didn’t bother to ask why such an instance appeared, since anything can happen in the Extraordinary World, instead he began to carefully contemplate how to break the deadlock in these circumstances.

Fifteen minutes later, Jon arrived at the theater front desk.

The current theater is no longer as desolate as before. Even when there aren’t any performances now, people are still working in the theater. There are cleaners tidying up, staff setting up the stage, and sound engineers maintaining the instruments...

However, upon seeing Jon, everyone immediately bowed to greet him.

In terms of position, Jon is their immediate superior, necessitating a formal greeting. Emotionally speaking, Jon’s usual conduct earns their respect.

But the most crucial factor remains their strength; the theater staff are very aware of Jon’s technical prowess. In terms of performance skills, Jon completely crushes every pianist they know, which is the biggest reason why Jon commands everyone’s adoration.

It is precisely for this reason when Jon sat on the piano bench, opened the lid, and gently stroked the keys, everyone’s movements softened, afraid of disturbing Jon.

As the piano sound reverberated through the theater, everyone immersed themselves in the music.

Yet, as time slowly progressed, everyone increasingly sensed something amiss.

Jon’s performance is undoubtedly top-tier; that kind of moving power, only Jon in the entire theater can effortlessly achieve.

But previously, Jon’s performances were primarily for student demonstrations, whether joyful or sorrowful, tender or desolate, the emotions were mostly single-threaded, with some instances being dual-threaded.

However, today Jon’s playing conveyed an amalgamation of countless emotions, more than just multithreading, it was entwined and conflicted.

Just listening felt incredibly distressing.

The piano melody is a reflection of one’s heart.

Could Jon have encountered something causing his emotional conflict?

As everyone speculated, Jon pressed the final note.

Immersed in the musical aftertaste for a whole minute, Jon stood up and looked at Angel: "Did you remember that?"