Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 2611: Chapter 2612: Dominator of Wisdom

Although the Black Earl said so, everyone was actually very curious about this ancestor of the Noah clan.

What exactly did they do that it can’t even be mentioned?

Everyone looked at Zhou, trying to read his gaze. But... Zhou’s eyes were nothing but indifferent.

Actually, they didn’t know that besides Zhou, there was another person present who knew the reason.

And that person was Angel.

Angel was very aware of why Zhou dared not mention the name of that Noah ancestor, as that ancestor was someone daring enough to have a romantic relationship with Franklin’s daughter.

It’s gossip about the daughter of his superior, as a guard of the Hanging Jail Stairway, how could Zhou dare to disclose it?

"Since it’s inconvenient to disclose matters regarding this Noah clansman, let me change the question..." Angel pondered, "Is what’s ahead the Hanging Jail Stairway?"

Zhou glanced coldly, "Do you still need to ask me this? The answer is already obvious."

Zhou didn’t answer directly, likely due to a contract. However, from his tone, it was basically confirmed that the Hanging Jail Stairway was ahead.

"Any other questions, ask them quickly, I’m somewhat tired and wish to return to the candlestick to rest."

Everyone looked wordlessly at Zhou, he did nothing, yet he got tired?

"This guy’s being overly perfunctory, isn’t he?" Dox said in the Mind Ribbon, "I really feel like poking him with a sword."

Angel: "If you want to bear the backlash of the Magical Energy Array alone, feel free to do so."

Dox immediately fell silent.

Angel: "You don’t need to mind his current attitude, he won’t leave until we’ve finished asking. He’s just mentally unbalanced now, deliberately acting haughty."

To put it simply, he felt that he made a poor display earlier at the Gate of Dreams, and now he’s trying to restore some dignity, commonly known as being tsundere.

Dox said with meaningful implication, "It seems that your secret conversation just now allowed you to know him better?"

Angel looked at Dox speechlessly, East to talk here, to beat it there, isn’t just to satisfy your curiosity, to know the content of the conversation? In this situation, the best approach is to ignore it.

Angel directly bypassed Dox, continuing to face Zhou.

This time, Angel didn’t ask directly but presented the statue of the peeing boy fountain in front of Zhou as an illusion.

Zhou looked at the illusion in front of him, with a trace of complex emotion flashing in his eyes. It seemed both reminiscent and emotional.

"You recognize this statue," Angel stated with certainty instead of asking.

Zhou: "I recognize it, but it was mostly destroyed thousands of years ago, now it’s impossible to piece together its original form. I didn’t expect to see it in full again in this way. To be honest, it doesn’t surprise me that you know about the Hanging Jail Stairway or that person’s name, but being able to recreate the Punishing Angel statue in full, that truly surprises me."

"So, what you want to ask now is how I know the origin of the ’Punishing Angel’ statue?" Angel had previously not known about the Punishing Angel, but Zhou’s words revealed some intriguing information.

"I won’t ask, there’s no need." Zhou paused, then said suggestively, "There are many people with secrets, but few who can keep them."

Angel: "Although I don’t see it as a secret, if you say it is, then so be it. Back to the main topic, is this statue ahead?"

Zhou: "I cannot answer directly. But you should know the answer."

"Then let me rephrase, is this question the same as the previous one?" Angel’s previous question was if the Hanging Jail Stairway was ahead. If now the statue is also ahead, then they haven’t gone the wrong way.

Zhou: "Yes."

Angel: "To reach the location of that statue, is there another path? I mean, not the path we’re currently on."

Zhou: "Although this question is bordering on the line, since you already know the location of the Hanging Jail Stairway, I think I can tell you."

"Yes, there is indeed another path."

Angel quickly asked, "Is that path collapsed?"

Zhou squinted his eyes and replied with a question: "You wouldn’t be planning to take that path, would you?"

Angel was about to respond when Zhou interrupted, "Never mind, I won’t ask, wherever you go is none of my concern. However, I can remind you, taking that path may lead you to face a very, very strong presence."

Angel: "Can you elaborate?"

Zhou: "Do you think there’s a safe path leading to the Hanging Jail Stairway? Although that path is remote, quite a few people know about it, but even thousands of years ago, few dared to take it."

"Because of the strong presence you mentioned?"

Zhou nodded.

"Using the wizard’s level, how strong is it? Also, after thousands of years, are you sure it’s still there and hasn’t been dealt with by predecessors?" Angel asked.

"Its strength doesn’t lie in its own power, but in here," Zhou pointed to his brain.

"Furthermore, I can reveal that it is, in fact, a Dominator, one that ascended by wisdom." Zhou paused, "As for whether it’s still there, I can tell you clearly, it definitely is."

Angel noticed that when Zhou spoke of this presence, he didn’t use the human pronoun but used a general term. This implies the presence is likely not human.

"Why are you so sure? Is it like you, constrained by the Magical Energy Array?"

Zhou: "I can’t tell you the answer, but it is not constrained; it occasionally leaves its abode. If you’re lucky, you might not have to face it."

Zhou’s words revealed important information: this is an entity that can move around freely, most importantly, it’s very powerful and still alive.

"Do you think our team can handle it?" Angel asked after discussing with everyone in the Mind Ribbon.

"Probably not."

Zhou didn’t give an absolute answer, which might be a hint?

"Is there a way to communicate with it, to obtain its consent to give way?" Angel proposed another possibility.

Zhou: "That depends on if there’s anyone among you willing to communicate with it. A friendly reminder, aside from the stone slab behind you, the other idiots have absolutely no chance of getting an opportunity to communicate with it."

Angel always thought Zhou hadn’t noticed the Black Earl, but now it seemed he had always known.

"If we have to fight, how should we face it? If we want to communicate, what topic should we discuss?" Angel consulted with the Black Earl and asked.

"For battle, I don’t know, even if I knew, I couldn’t say. As for communication, I don’t know, but do sages need to deliberately find topics to discuss? Any topic could lead to a natural conversation."

"Remember, don’t be fooled by its appearance, its intelligence far exceeds your imagination."

Judging by Zhou’s tone, this "Sage" might be an unimpressive-looking character?

"I heard the ’Basket Witch’ Xia Lu and the ’Grafting Maniac’ Dong La both issued a bounty seeking a lost ancient tribe. It’s said that this tribe looks very ugly, but is extremely smart. Could Zhou be talking about this ancient tribe?" Vay suddenly spoke up.

"I never heard of it... How do you, someone who never even steps out the door, know about this?" Dox asked suspiciously.

Vay: "Don’t underestimate me, I have my own information sources too."

While Dox was still puzzled, the Black Earl spoke, "Tea Party is a great place for information exchange."

Although the Black Earl merely said this faintly without specifying anything, the eyes of the crowd looking at Vay instantly changed.

Undoubtedly, Vay is male. And the Tea Party is a gathering place for witches, strictly forbidding men from entering.

And the only way to attend the Tea Party is to become female. Of course, a wizard doesn’t need a permanent change, they can use the Shapeshifting Technique, as it’s the hardest to detect.

Seeing the strange looks from everyone, Vay quickly said, "It’s not me, I haven’t been to the Tea Party. It’s my maid!"

"Maid?" Everyone still looked doubtful.

Seeing this, Vay might as well just admit it: "Even if I really went to the Tea Party, what about it? I don’t care about others, but I just don’t believe, Dox, that you won’t go to the Barbarian Cave for the Tea Party!"

The large group that turns into women to attend the Tea Party is the Wandering Wizards.

Ordinary Tea Parties aside, at large Tea Parties, a bunch of unfamiliar witch faces will definitely pop up.

Of course, some wizards are well-prepared, often transforming into witches and moving around as women. After gaining a certain reputation, the chances of being exposed are much lower.

All of this, Vay heard from the Black Earl. Therefore, Vay has always deeply suspected whether his lord once had a witch disguise, only to have that witch accidentally "perish" after standing at the top.

Dox: "Don’t accuse me, I definitely won’t go."

Vay: "I don’t believe you."

After speaking, Vay turned to look at Angel: "Chaowei lord, this time the Tea Party is held in the Barbarian Cave. Please, my lord, inspect strictly then, so that someone doesn’t sneak in."

Someone—Dox, at this moment, was already breaking out in a cold sweat on his back and secretly glanced at Angel.

Angel, on the other hand, looked at Dox with a smile: "If it’s Sir Red Sword, I believe I won’t mistake it."

Dox: "We’re friends, no need to be so harsh... cough, I don’t mean the Tea Party, I mean no need to be so harsh usually."

Angel smiled without saying a word.

At this time, Black Earl, who opened the topic again, redirected it to the right track: "What Vay said is indeed possible. Dong La and Xia Lu are Carabits. In the Carabits’ children’s rhymes from thousands of years ago, it said they have the Bloodline of the Sage inside them, and that Sage refers to that ancient race."

"There are many ruins that also prove that this ancient race existed. However, because this race looked too ugly, the Carabits revised the rhyme and deleted the segment about the Sage Bloodline in them."

Upon hearing this, Angel silently thought: How truly realistic...

"The specific name of this ancient race has never been translated into Universal Language and needs to be read in Carabit language. Moreover, their name has iterated several times. The original rough meaning was ’wise sage,’ which now has become ’short but mighty sage.’

"Because they appear very short and only their heads are relatively large."

"This race has not been found alive in the Southern Domain to this day. But listening to yesterday’s words, perhaps it really might be this race."

After Black Earl explained, Angel didn’t hesitate and directly turned to ask Zhou: "How tall is it approximately?"

Zhou gave Angel a suspicious look: "Are you guessing its race? Stop guessing, you won’t guess it. When you see it, you’ll be greatly surprised."

"So, is it taller than me or shorter?" Angel still persistently asked.

"Unspeakable, but I can tell you, your humans and its race are reproductively isolated. Simply put, the sizes don’t match."

What size, there was no need to explain.

But whether humans are bigger, or it is bigger, that’s hard to say.

Seeing Angel looking conflicted, Zhou couldn’t help but say: "Why must you take that path? If you want to explore the Hanging Jail Stairway, you can still return and take the current path. There’s no need to take the chance on the other side. Besides, there’s nothing good there... unless you plan to loot that one."

"If you really want to loot that one, you’ll definitely have a great harvest because what it has most is books. And books mean knowledge... but do you really have the guts to loot?"

After Zhou finished speaking, everyone remained silent. After all, they didn’t know what the other party was, but Zhou’s warning made it clear that the other party was not to be trifled with.

An old monster that lived for ten thousand years and can move freely in the Magical Energy Array—just thinking about it is terrifying.

Everyone turned their eyes to Angel. After all, the next step was Angel’s decision. Perhaps Angel knew another route that wouldn’t involve passing through that presence?

While everyone waited, Angel was pondering another matter.

Zhou said that existence had the most books... If he remembered correctly, in the Nightmare Realm, the only place with bookshelves was in a certain huge hall.

Angel thought for a moment and softly uttered, "Triclops."

Zhou’s head immediately turned, looking at Angel with puzzled eyes: "You..."

From Zhou’s reaction, Angel knew he had guessed right. The blue-skinned giant in the hall of the Nightmare Realm, the Triclops Blue Demon, indeed corresponded to that existence in reality.

However, the blue-skinned giant in the Nightmare Realm wasn’t strong, whereas in reality, based on Zhou’s words, it should be incredibly powerful.

For a race to reach the position of a Dominator, it indeed had exceptional Talent.

Angel: "Does it like Alchemy?"

Zhou looked puzzled: "Since you know it, why did you ask me before then."

Angel: "I just suddenly remembered some... unpleasant memories."

As Angel said this, he also communicated through the Mind Ribbon to everyone: "I’ll explain later. I roughly know what that existence is now."

Zhou didn’t ask what unpleasant memories Angel recalled but answered Angel’s previous question: "Whether it likes Alchemy, I don’t know, but it indeed knows how to do Alchemy, and at a very high level. Besides Alchemy, it is good at many other Skills, its Sage title wasn’t for nothing."

"With a sage who has accumulated for ten thousand years, proficient not only in Alchemy but also in other skills, do you really want to face it?"

This question, Angel honestly couldn’t answer for a moment. If Zhou’s words were accurate, they could be facing a versatile opponent.

Alchemy sub-categories include Magic Potions, Magic Patterns, Mechanics, Apparatuses...etc. Just a simple setup would be a headache.

Like back when Angel left a bottle of Mushroom Magic Potion at the Princess Castle; using just one bottle that made mushrooms constantly grow drove the Princess mad. And what they would face might have even more fearful and elusive Magic Potions than mushrooms.

Magic Potions were just one part; Magic Patterns weren’t even accounted for yet... Speaking of Magic Patterns, Angel suddenly had a suspicion that if the other side can move freely in the underground Magical Energy Array, could it be that this Magical Energy Array also had its contributions?

If this suspicion were true, then it would be even more difficult to deal with.

Angel was already considering if it was infeasible, just to give up this path and see if they could go through other entrances. This path would surely encounter the other side, not necessarily the other entrances.

"Regarding that existence’s situation, I’ll ask up to here; I’ll explain further later. Do you have any other questions?" Angel asked through the Mind Ribbon.

Angel first looked at the Black Earl, who directly said: "What I want to ask, I guess, only you can answer me. So I have no problem now."

Angel pursed his lips and looked at Dox.

"I have a lot of questions..."

Angel: "Concise and to the point, I don’t have time to ask each one for you."

Dox quickly said, "Help me ask, what valuable things are ahead, where they are, and how to obtain them! If possible, it’s best to ask where the remains of the pioneers are."

Angel: As expected of Dox, just being greedy for relics isn’t enough; he even wants to cash in on the fortune of the dead.

Angel then looked at Kaier and Vay.

The two apprentices were surprised that they even had the opportunity to ask questions, feeling both astonished and touched. Especially Vay, who was already inwardly cheering, "Long live the idol."

Kaier’s question, without a doubt, related to history, which Angel estimated Zhou likely wouldn’t answer.

As for Vay’s question, it was very much like him.

"My lord, could you help ask if, beyond that very strong existence, there are other dangers inside? Like magical creatures, mechanisms, or traps."

This was a typical Vay-styled question; though it may sound a bit timid, it’s no bad thing to be prepared against any contingency.

So the first question Angel posed to Zhou after that was Vay’s question.