Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 2718: Chapter 2719: Blood Origin and Pureblood

"As for the strongest Grey Merchants..." Dox paused, raised his head like a rooster, and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword at his waist: "Of course, leave it to your Red Sword Master!"

"..."

Vay looked at the laughing Dox, utterly speechless: "Actually, you just want to fight the Grey Merchants, right?"

Dox said solemnly, "This is not a matter of want or want not, this is a Destiny Battle."

"Destiny Battle?" Kaier, beside him, looked up at Dox in confusion. Had the Red Sword Lord met the Grey Merchants before? Otherwise, where does destiny come from?

Dox nodded deeply: "That’s right, we’re destined to have this battle."

The more Kaier listened, the more confused he became.

At that moment, Vay hinted: "Mackie Declaration."

Kaier paused for a moment, seemingly recalling something: "Is the Red Sword Lord a supporter of the Mackie Declaration?"

Vay pursed his lips, nodded a bit disdainfully.

Kaier then showed a look of understanding: "I see. No wonder the Red Sword Lord says it’s a Destiny Battle..."

Vay unhesitatingly quipped: "He’s just hyped up now. If he feels the Grey Merchants are stronger in a moment, he’ll probably chicken out immediately."

During Vay and Kaier’s conversation, Angel was left puzzled because he didn’t understand why Dox said it was a Destiny Battle. He thought Vay would explain, but with just a mention of the Mackie Declaration, Kaier understood.

But Angel still didn’t grasp the connection here.

Angel is not someone who stubbornly clings to his pride; when seeking knowledge, he is not ashamed to ask.

As soon as Angel asked, The Wise Sovereign beside him also curiously looked over: "Mackie Declaration, is this some sort of alliance oath?"

Hearing the questions from the two, the Black Earl looked over and sighed inwardly: This old one and young one...

Angel is too young, lacking enough knowledge reserves to know the Mackie Declaration. The Wise Sovereign is too old and rarely leaves the Underground Aqueduct, so he doesn’t know the Mackie Declaration either.

The Black Earl silently mocked, but did not explain. Such matters don’t require his explanation. Moreover, since Angel asked, naturally, someone would rush to answer.

Indeed, the person who answered quickly stepped forward.

Vay: "The Mackie Declaration is actually the Mackie Square Declaration..."

With Vay’s explanation, Angel and The Wise Sovereign came to understand this declaration, which essentially has no significant meaning—

If asked which Otherworld the Southern Domain Wizard World interacts with the most, undoubtedly, the answer is the Abyss.

But when it comes to which Otherworld the Bloodline Wizards interact with the most, it’s not the Abyss, but the Wilderness World filled with Barbarians.

In fact, in the Wilderness World, there is a rather prosperous Extraordinary City built by Wizards—the Floating City.

Of course, the Floating City was not built solely by Bloodline Wizards, but rather, it’s an Otherworld metropolis created by the full force of various Witcher Organizations.

All three major domains of Wizards are present in the Floating City. However, Bloodline Wizards dominate, with seven out of every ten wizards being Bloodline Wizards.

The main reason is that Bloodline Wizards mostly enjoy the thrill of melee combat, and the Barbarians and Wild Gods of the Wilderness World are all excellent at close combat.—This statement was Vay’s personal opinion. According to Dox’s additional explanation, the main reason is that many Bloodline branches in the Wilderness World are very suitable for the Bloodline side. Who is right, Angel can’t determine.

Putting aside disputes, the existence of the Floating City indeed provides a secure post-battle hub for Bloodline Wizards.

The Floating City has four very famous squares known as the Four Seasons Squares, named: Dawn, Midsummer, Mackie, and Forest Deer.

The Mackie Declaration is a statement made publicly by a Bloodline Wizard on Mackie Square.

Though called a declaration, most wizards treat it as a "joke" or a "curiosity"; even slightly professional magazines don’t publish it, which is why Angel had never heard of it.

The specific situation was that a pureblood wizard named Nagir made derogatory and discriminatory remarks to all Blood Origin Wizards on Mackie Square.

The remarks basically stated that Blood Origin Wizards are the shame of the Bloodline side, fundamentally incapable of seeking the truth or becoming mainstream, and Bloodline Apprentices should never choose the Blood Origin lineage, among other things.

These remarks are undoubtedly wrong. If Blood Origin Wizards were on the wrong path, they wouldn’t be one of the three major mainstream branches of the Bloodline side.

To become a mainstream branch means there’s a complete path leading straight to miracles.

This path is the result of countless predecessors filling in gaps, and to question it, you at least need to become a miracle. Otherwise, as an ordinary little wizard, you start talking about "truth," which is truly laughable.

Moreover, from Angel’s perspective, in terms of the major mainstream branches of the Bloodline side, he also appreciates the Blood Origin path more.

The three major mainstreams of the Bloodline side are Blood Origin, Pureblood, and Transformation.

The Blood Origin path focuses more on pursuing the purity of the bloodline, advancing through continuous enhancement of "one kind" of bloodline, so a great deal of caution is exercised in choosing which type of bloodline.

The Pureblood path doesn’t choose from a single category of bloodline; instead, at different stages, it selects the bloodline most suitable for itself. It’s called pureblood because every time they change bloodlines, they undergo a thorough purification, aiming to rid every bit of impurity—that’s the essence of pureblood.

The Transformation path, as the name suggests, leans towards pursuing transcendent organs, hosting multiple bloodlines in the body, and using special methods to balance different bloodlines. This path offers the most diverse and bizarre abilities, though maintaining a balance among different bloodlines is challenging, with high lower limits and somewhat narrow upper limits. However, this is also the first choice for many non-Bloodline Wizards when practicing across systems, such as Sanders’s transplanted Phantom Mantis’s sickle arm and Angel’s transplanted Pliant Worm skin... if really categorized, they’re in the Transformation path.

The above outlines the three major mainstreams of the Bloodline side. Purely from the Bloodline side’s mainstream perspective, Blood Origin wins more of Angel’s favor because his Projected Bloodline is somewhat similar to Blood Origin... But Projected Bloodline isn’t "one kind" of bloodline. Thus, Projected Bloodline can actually become a branch of the Bloodline side, just currently unknown to people.

From the different branches of the Bloodline side, it’s evident that their directions are essentially entirely different extremes.

This also results in the theoretical disputes and internal competition within Bloodline Wizards never diminishing.

As for the Mackie Square declaration, it’s essentially just a pureblood wizard venting dissatisfaction at the Blood Origin Wizards.

Normal wizards wouldn’t spare it a second glance.

But why did this Mackie Declaration become so noisy and prominent, even transmitting back from the Wilderness World to the Wizards’ Realm?

Because this pureblood wizard named Nagir had a slightly different status; he was a... wandering wizard.

Among wandering wizards, those who choose the Bloodline side, over ninety percent are either pureblood or transformation. Very few choose the Blood Origin path.

The reason is simple, not that they don’t want to choose, but they can’t afford to.

The Blood Origin path requires extreme caution when selecting a bloodline; it must be "one kind," and this type of bloodline must have growth potential. Ideally, this type should have seen Legendary Level creatures emerge from it.

One can imagine that the Blood Origin path requires a vast amount of resources, not just once-off, but long-term and persistent investment to get the best feedback.

Most of the Wandering Wizards are strapped for cash, and following the path of Blood Origin would only exacerbate their already impoverished lives.

In short, they are poor!

And although not everyone who follows the path of Blood Origin is wealthy, the majority are indeed well-off.

Because of this, Nigel’s McField Manifesto, even if it’s not worth mentioning and is merely a laughingstock, still resonates with many Wandering Wizards.

Dox is one of those infected by the McField Manifesto.

The so-called internal conflict between Pureblood and Blood Origin, expressed in layman’s terms, is a typical envy of the rich mentality.

"So don’t try to persuade me, I must solve Gray Merchant myself. This is a destined duel, a battle between men." After Vay finished reciting the McField Manifesto, Dox resumed his rant.

"Others might not even want to fight with you, maybe you’re just being wishful," Vay retorted to Dox’s enthusiasm.

The Wise Sovereign then showed a look of realization: "So that’s how it is... Previously, Blood Origin and Pureblood stood on the same front, both had major disputes with the Modification lineage, but now there’s conflict between Blood Origin and Pureblood too."

Vay: "Your Lordship misinterprets. This is the one-sided resentment of Pureblood Wandering Wizards, Blood Origin Wizards have no real issue with Pureblood Wizards."

Although Blood Origin Wizards might consider their lineage superior, it’s a normal mindset. Similar to how in Metallography, the Blending lineage believes it to be better than Enchantment, while Enchantment thinks Blending lacks flexibility and is instead more straightforward. It’s a subjective bias: the theory I studied must be the best.

Though there is this sense of superiority, Blood Origin Wizards also appreciate some of Pureblood Wizards’ philosophies. In particular, the Condensation Technique and Bloodline Purification Technique from the Pureblood lineage are mandatory studies for Blood Origin Wizards, and, crucially, the most important skill for Bloodline Wizards: Bloodline Purification, was created by predecessors from the Pureblood lineage.

So, Blood Origin Wizards do acknowledge most of Pureblood Wizards’ philosophies.

Contrarily, as stated by the Wise Sovereign, Blood Origin Wizards have greater disdain for Modification Wizards as their philosophies completely oppose each other, akin to two extremes. Hence, whenever there’s a philosophical dispute, regardless of the occasion, Blood Origin Wizards and Modification Wizards just don’t get along.

The situation within the Bloodline side is generally like this, seemingly chaotic, but in reality, it’s the norm in the Wizards’ Realm. Not only is the Bloodline side affected, but also the Mysterious side and Elements side face issues of incompatible ideologies internally.

"Whether Grey Merchant has any opinions on the Pureblood lineage or not, I’m calling it a destined battle!" insisted Dox, hellbent on confronting Grey Merchant.

Angel was indifferent to this, anyway, there were just two Wizards from the opposing side, whoever he faced off with didn’t matter.

Nonetheless, Angel still asked: "What bloodline did Grey Merchant choose?"

The Wise Sovereign pondered for a moment: "I can’t pinpoint the specific bloodline, it may be a recently developed bloodline of thousands of years, but I can show you his appearance after the bloodline is activated."

After saying this, the Wise Sovereign intended to manipulate some Illusion Nodes to create an illusion but found that despite the abundance of Illusion Nodes here, none could be invoked?

Bear in mind, the Wise Sovereign had confronted True Knowledge Level Illusionist Wizards, and even when surrounded by their illusionary realms, there was some weak control over Illusion Nodes that he could manipulate.

Yet now, within the extravagant illusionary realm of Angel’s castle hall, he couldn’t use even one Illusion Node?

Was Angel’s spiritual power so strong he could control all the Illusion Nodes?

While the Wise Sovereign was puzzled, Angel coughed twice, softly tapping his fingertips on the table, manifesting a structured pattern of Illusion Nodes before the Wise Sovereign.

No explanation from Angel was needed, as the Wise Sovereign could instantly tell by a glance that by lightly applying spiritual power, he could make these Illusion Nodes form the illusion he desired.

Although it’s convenient...the Wise Sovereign still wondered why Angel’s illusionary realm had no weak Illusion Nodes at all?

The Wise Sovereign cast a deep look at Angel but refrained from questioning. After all, having signed a contract meant they were on the same side, probing too deeply might spark mistrust.

With readily available Illusion structures, the Wise Sovereign didn’t refuse, stirring the air with a finger.

An illusion materialized before everyone.

If not for the Wise Sovereign’s prior explanation, it would be very difficult to discern Grey Merchant within the illusion, or even the semblance of a human form.

Though the overall shape seemed human, the entire surface was covered in crystals, a multitude of amber crystals formed a jagged armor, enveloping the head save for two fierce blood-red eyes, with blood-red horns on his forehead which, upon closer inspection, were also crystal-made.

And this was just the upper half; below the waist was more outrageous. Not only was his physique as robust as a small mountain, now his legs even resembled those of an elephant, huge, thick, and full of bulk. Thick referred to diameter, dense described crystal coverage, and big referred to the muscles that crystals couldn’t conceal.

Behind him, there was also a tail filled with energy, made of earth-toned crystals.

Overall, rather than a human, it looked like a crystal monster.

Wise Sovereign: "This is Grey Merchant after his bloodline activation, I don’t know what bloodline this is, have you seen it?"

After a moment of silence, Dox swallowed his saliva and asked: "How many bloodlines were activated?"

Wise Sovereign mused: "It’s probably the initial form."

Dox: "..."

Dox turned his head to Angel, hesitated briefly, and finally looked towards Black Earl: "Well, my talent hasn’t been restored yet, fighting now would be tough. Maybe you should take on the task?"

Black Earl snorted coldly, but said nothing.

Vay simply covered his mouth and laughed out loud.

The Wise Sovereign looked at Dox with confusion, weren’t you keen on that destined battle, why retreat suddenly now?

The Wise Sovereign didn’t comprehend until Black Earl provided the answer.

"Grey Merchant’s initial bloodline is the renowned Crystal Earth Lizard from the Wild Realm, a bloodline purified and developed thousands of years ago, which upon emergence became one of the top bloodlines on the Blood Origin side."

"Crystal Earth Lizard isn’t very strong, but its type of bloodline has been thoroughly explored. Reportedly, there are Blood Origin Wizards from Origin World who’ve developed it to the sixth stage."

Developing means finding bloodlines similar to Crystal Earth Lizard. This belongs to a lineage continuation, increasing success rate and force.

Sixth stage implies a discovery of a six-step evolution of the same type of bloodline to Crystal Earth Lizard.

Although the strength differs per bloodline, giving rise to variations across stages, generally speaking, a fourth-stage bloodline suffices to reach Legendary Wizard. While sixth stage... it’s unimaginable.

"Grey Merchant has currently reached the second stage, Gemstone Earth Dragon bloodline. His subsequent bloodline choices can be Abyssal Dragon or Barbaric Dragon among Wild Gods, and for the fourth stage, Void Rainbow Dragon can be selected. After that, I’m not sure." Black Earl outlined the progression path for Crystal Earth Lizard bloodline.

The Wise Sovereign wasn’t well acquainted with Gemstone Earth Dragon but was quite familiar with Abyssal Dragon and Void Rainbow Dragon. Abyssal Dragon has the potential to attain Legendary status, with substantial probability; as for Void Rainbow Dragon, it belongs to the mature dragons, undeniably Legendary in state.

Having grasped the might of this lineage’s bloodline, the Wise Sovereign roughly understood.

So, did Dox change his mind suddenly because the opponent’s bloodline is too strong?