Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 2308: Chapter 2309: Prohibition

Rhein wasn’t completely certain either, after all, the Gift of Heaven had not been obtained by anyone for many years.

However, whether or not they obtained the Gift of Heaven, discovering and developing the Tidal World first gave them a significant advantage. Even without acquiring the Gift of Heaven, they could achieve almost the same level.

Angel observed the excitement in Rhein’s eyes and Sanders’ subtle contemplation, and recalling his previous conversation with Feng, a hint of doubt arose in his mind.

Feng was quite surprised when he learned that Angel had no idea what the Gift of Heaven was. In his view, the Gift of Heaven was basic knowledge.

Yet Angel had never seen any mention of the Gift of Heaven in any book.

Previously, Angel thought it might be because the Southern Domain was too marginal, and much foundational knowledge from other places had gradually disappeared. But now, from the expressions of Rhein and Sanders, it was clear they knew what the Gift of Heaven was, so why wasn’t it recorded in books or taught by anyone?

Angel voiced his doubts.

Sanders sighed softly: "It’s not that I didn’t teach you, but I didn’t expect you would come into contact with the knowledge of the Gift of Heaven so early." Moreover, he had even obtained the Gift of Heaven.

Rhein added: "The Gift of Heaven cannot be recorded in books, that’s a generally accepted norm in the Southern Domain Wizard World. However, if you advance to a True Knowledge Wizard, someone will eventually tell you about it; we just didn’t expect you to encounter this aspect so soon."

Angel curiously asked: "Why can’t it be recorded in books?"

Rhein snorted lightly from his nose, showing a slightly disdainful expression: "Only they could forcibly establish such a rule in the Southern Domain; you can probably guess."

Angel seemed to have realized something: "Is it... the Extreme Sect?"

Rhein nodded: "Yes, they were the ones who actively banned it. However, they didn’t dare to completely offend the major Witcher Organizations, so they didn’t entirely forbid the circulation of related knowledge, they just said it couldn’t be recorded but could be passed down by word of mouth."

"After all, they are said to align with the Southern Domain’s will, carrying out actions under the emblem of Heavenly Destiny. No one knows what cards they hold, so the major Witcher Organizations agreed to avoid trouble."

Though the various organizations were displeased with the Extreme Sect’s ways, the sect didn’t push matters to the extreme, so they tolerated it.

Of course, this "tolerance" was spoken lightly, but it contained countless struggles. Yet the Extreme Sect endured it all, displaying remarkable strength and resilience, and with the emblem of Heavenly Destiny in hand, no one knew how much willpower rewards they received. Their cards surpassed many large Witcher Organizations, so organizations had to endure it.

"Why do they want to ban the dissemination of the Gift of Heaven?"

"I don’t know, maybe it’s that the more they lack something, the more they want to ban it," Rhein said.

Although the Extreme Sect claimed they aligned with the Southern Domain’s will, they actually did not possess the Southern Domain’s Gift of Heaven. Only when a new will is born could one possibly have direct access to the Gift of Heaven. The Four Directions Wizard World had been around for countless years, making it impossible for anyone to possess the Gift of Heaven.

Sanders: "Or perhaps there’s a secret hidden behind the Gift of Heaven."

Rhein nodded: "That’s possible too, but we’ve never obtained the Gift of Heaven, all our information comes from past records. Such knowledge might lose information or change over time in the transfer. If there really is a secret, only the Extreme Sect would know."

Sanders looked at Angel: "If the Gift of Heaven really holds some secret, my suggestion is that you should not spread the word that you’ve obtained the Gift of Heaven, especially not to anyone from the Extreme Sect."

Rhein concurred: "The Extreme Sect’s inexplicable ban on the Gift of Heaven does indeed suggest something strange. In the past, it didn’t matter, but you have a high probability of having obtained the Gift of Heaven, and it is indeed necessary to be cautious. Sanders’ suggestion is very appropriate. Moreover, the Gift of Heaven is a vague symbol; as long as you don’t speak of it, no one should know."

Angel nodded: "I understand."

After a moment, Rhein asked, "Have you told anyone else about this?"

"So far, I’ve only told my Mentor and Lord Reine."

Rhein: "Then it’s no problem."

After discussing the matter of the Gift of Heaven, Rhein asked for some details about Angel’s conversation with Feng, but did not inquire about the "first item acquired" that Angel had concealed.

Because in Rhein’s view, the Book of Kael followed a certain equitable principle: the effort Angel put into this situation would determine the rewards he received. Based on what Rhein knew, Angel’s contribution in this matter wasn’t substantial; he acted more like a hub, and only under the influence of various external forces did the Demon God’s True Spirit fall.

Purely from the value of a "hub," Angel’s performance in this event would merit a reward as significant as the Gift of Heaven.

Angel mentioned receiving three rewards, and it’s estimated that the leverage of the Gift of Heaven accounts for more than seventy percent of the total reward value.

Moreover, discovering the Tidal World itself counts as a reward, and its value is considerable as well.

Excluding these, the other two rewards, including the "item" and "painting," are probably insignificant and not worth mentioning.

Rhein’s thought was correct; indeed, the Book of Kael had such a rule. But what Rhein didn’t know was that Angel’s contributions in this affair far exceeded what he imagined.

From a certain perspective, even the True Spirit of the Lord of the Flameless was "killed by Angel himself."

Based on such a level of contribution, if one were to deduce the rewards Angel would receive, it would be evident that the Gift of Heaven and the so-called painting were greatly exaggerated, and the truly most valuable item was the "object" Angel concealed.

Subsequently, Rhein inquired about matters concerning the Tidal World’s native affairs and information regarding various Elemental Lords.

During this time, both Rhein and Sanders repeatedly expressed their amazement.

The elemental creatures they had observed in the past were essentially individual entities, while the Tidal World’s elemental creatures were all in settlement forms, almost showing the budding form of a special civilization.

"The emergence of the Tidal World will inevitably change some rules of the future Southern Domain Wizard World," Rhein almost assuredly stated.

Every Official Wizard would seek their own elemental partner. Previously it was a matter of luck, and encounters might not always suit them best.

In the Tidal World, where many elemental creatures are gathered, one could precisely find the one most compatible with oneself.

Just this aspect alone is enough to change the previous rules and models.

Let alone, the Tidal World has something that all Elemental Wizards yearn for—the World’s Harmony, or the Elemental Tide.

The existence of the Elemental Tide may lead to an explosive growth in the creation of Elemental Wizards in the future. This also constitutes a rule change.

Angel naturally understood this point but maintained some worries: "I just hope that future changes in the Tidal World won’t result in its elemental creatures becoming an unconventional pet market."

Sanders: "Such a situation, if it were three thousand years ago, would be highly likely to occur. As of now, it should be somewhat better."

If a massive gathering of elemental creatures occurred, even the Wizard Realm might struggle to handle it.

Forcing an all-out war over this would be something the Wizards would be loath to do.

Nonetheless, even if it wouldn’t entirely become a pet market, as long as interests exist, such situations will still emerge in a limited capacity unless comprehensive measures are implemented during future developments to fill the gaps completely.

Yet, this is quite challenging, because developing the Tidal World for real will involve even more considerations, and gaps will surely exist, whether large or small.

Of course, that’s a story for later.

After Rhein and Angel had a thorough talk, he stood up and said, "I should head to the New City to meet with Nami Midori. I hope it won’t become an obstacle in developing the Tidal World."

Angel: "It shouldn’t be. Lord Nami Midori is rather easy to talk to."

Rhein: "That’s good."

Nami Midori’s energy level is already comparable to Rhein’s. If with such strength it becomes an obstacle, even Rhein would find it troublesome.

As he saw Rhein heading out, Angel suddenly thought of something: "By the way, about Lord Nami Midori’s breakthrough..."

Previously, when Angel spoke of Nami Midori, he mentioned the concern about breakthrough, and Rhein naturally understood his worries: "Since Mr. Feng advised you to let things take their course, let’s just wait and see."

Angel thought for a moment and nodded. Since Nami Midori itself decided to let things be, that’s how it will be for now.

"It’s a good thing Nami Midori hasn’t broken through. If it really did, it could protect the Tidal World on its own." Rhein said, shaking his head as he walked out the door.

Once Rhein’s figure disappeared, only Angel and Sanders were left in the room.

Knock knock knock—

Sanders’ bony knuckles slowly and rhythmically tapped on the ironwood tabletop. — This was a subconscious action Sanders would do when deep in thought.

After a long while, Sanders finally raised his narrow eyes.

"Can you speak of it?"

Without any prompt or prelude, Sanders spoke up.

Others might not understand, but as someone who knows Sanders best, Angel naturally understood his implications.

Sanders knew exactly how the Demon God’s True Spirit had died, so he knew that the price Feng had to pay, as indicated by the Book of Kael, was definitely not just an ethereal title of divine right.

Angel had no reason to hide anything from Sanders, and nodded: "A mysterious object."

"Was it left for you by the Magic Painter Wizard?"

Angel nodded.

"What kind of mysterious object is it?"

Angel: "It’s related to alchemy, specifically, to enchantment alchemy. It’s called—Frenzied Hatter’s Coronation."

Frenzied Hatter’s Coronation. Sanders murmured slowly under his breath. Just from the name, it’s hard to deduce its function, and Sanders wouldn’t usually associate it with enchantment alchemy.

At the mention of enchantment alchemy, a glimmer flashed in Sanders’ eyes as he thought: as expected.

He had considered before, since the Book of Kael orchestrated such a complex scenario across time and space, the price it required Feng to pay should naturally be most suitable for Angel.

Divine right, while remarkable, felt a bit too intangible.

A mysterious item exclusively for enchantment alchemy, this was evidently the most suitable for Angel.

"The specific effects of the Frenzied Hatter’s Coronation..." Angel was just about to explain when Sanders interrupted: "When I come to find you later, it’s not too late to discuss it then."

With a mysterious object of this caliber, Sanders preferred to witness it himself.

Sanders didn’t question why Angel concealed this mysterious object from Rhein. To him, it wasn’t a major issue, even if Angel had hidden it from him too, Sanders wouldn’t have minded.

After that, Sanders casually chatted with Angel for a while, then went offline.

After all, he had to leave, and it was necessary to give Flora some heads up.

With nothing to do, Angel used God’s View to observe the situations in various places. Over in the New City, Ironclad Granny, Rhein, and the Tree Spirit were conversing with Nami Midori at Rosewater Pavilion.

He eavesdropped a bit, and from what he could tell, the atmosphere was relatively harmonious. Although Nami Midori seemed somewhat indifferent, it was its nature. At least from Nami Midori’s eyes, Angel didn’t sense any rejection towards the others.

Since their discussion mainly revolved around the situation in the Tidal World and occasionally probed Nami Midori’s attitude towards the Barbarian Cave and the future development of the Tidal World, which Angel was already aware of, he shifted his focus after a while.

In a lush forest near the mother tree, Angel observed from God’s View.

Soon, he spotted a purple flesh mountain.

This mountain of flesh was Greya, clad in a purple gown. Her figure was extremely grand, standing out even amidst the dense forest.

Just as before, Greya sat in front of a bonfire, and opposite her was Sumishe.

The elegant and handsome Sumishe appeared like a skinny bamboo rod in front of Greya.

Even though he already seemed insignificant compared to her stature, his eyes further conveyed a sense of insignificance, looking at Greya as if she was an unreachable lighthouse.

Greya clearly had obtained permission for the Membrane of Rhythm, with an iridescent glow swirling around her.

She paid no attention to Sumishe’s gaze and continued creating dream realm creatures in her palms.

Most of these creatures were rather small, resembling simple insects, but even as insects, they appeared solid. Their movement paths followed the instincts of bugs, and when Greya casually tossed them into the bonfire, they crackled, emitting a scorched aroma.

They were already tangible entities.

Sumishe, on the other hand, hadn’t created any tangible creatures yet. It was no wonder he looked at Greya as if gazing at an insurmountable peak.

Finally, Sumishe couldn’t stand it any longer and went offline directly. Staying here to watch Greya create creatures was enough to drive him crazy.

Greya was indifferent to Sumishe’s departure, continuing to create various uniquely shaped bugs, tossing them into her mouth, throwing them into the fire, and when they didn’t taste good, casually tossing them into the forest.

Rustling sounds began to arise from the underbrush.

The previously quiet forest had unknowingly become lively.

Unbeknownst to Greya, these changes had already alerted the distant Dream Plant Fairy, and a Treant, bearing golden fruit, had stepped out of the mother tree’s bounds and was heading towards her...