Chapter 1230 Bizarre Transformation <TOC> Chapter 1232 Commence the Alchemy
Translator: SumTLMan
After a short pause, the apprentice from Gravity Forest suddenly knelt down, tears of blood streaming down his face.
The other apprentices looked on, dumbfounded. A moment of silence had passed between Angel and the Gravity Forest apprentice, and they had no idea what had transpired. Yet, he was suddenly on his knees, tears of blood streaking his face?
“You may all depart now. As for him, let him weep his heart out,” the voice of Angel resonated in everyone’s ears.
Though curiosity gnawed at their hearts, wondering what could have transpired in the hushed interval, when Angel, the “supreme powerhouse” bid them to leave, they dared not utter a word. Sharing a glance, they swiftly scattered, fleeing in every direction.
Angel cast a glance at the apprentice on the ground, his face awash with tears of blood, and turned away.
Not long after Angel’s departure, the aura of the Gravity Forest apprentice faded, consumed by the swirling dust of the desolate land, consigning him to eternal slumber.
After bidding a reluctant farewell to Greaves, Angel and Popota set their course towards Ice Valley in the north.
Opting for a Gondola ride would have drawn too much attention. The Abyss was teeming with demons, and even with his augmented abilities, Angel had no desire to get embroiled in unnecessary combat. After all, they were not far from Ice Valley, so they did not require transportation.
Throughout the journey, Angel maintained a steady pace, his mind wrapped in the reminiscence of recent events.
As for the news about Zefal, it was just as Angel had anticipated. It was an unexpected incident, and the messenger indeed turned out to be the previous Gravity Forest apprentice.
According to his account, the wizards of Gravity Forest were united in their proposal to deal with Sanders, given their unresolvable animosity. However, extending this hatred to the entire Phantom Island lineage was a matter of dispute.
Now, they were broadly divided into two factions. The moderates opined that there was no need to fan the flames of hatred towards others; it was not only imprudent but could also incite full-fledged retaliation from the Savage Grottoes. The radicals, on the other hand, believed that the Phantom Island lineage and Sanders were mutually complementary. Therefore, it was necessary to cast the net wide and eliminate all of them, or else they would be a persistent threat.
Both sides presented arguments, but no consensus could be reached in the end.
Zefal was one of the radicals. Given his proximity, when the apprentice identified Angel, he passed the news to Zefal, hoping to gain some merit by doing so.
This pretty much summed up the entire process, and it was not far off from Angel’s initial guess.
Therefore, Angel did not pay much attention to the news about Zefal. Instead, he was more concerned about something else.
The method he used to get the Gravity Forest apprentice to speak was, in fact, a spell of mental illusion.
By imposing psychological pressure, he could create a mental illusionary space. All the questions Angel asked were in the other person’s mind, which is why, to the others, it seemed as if they were performing a mime, descending suddenly into silence.
This spell of mental illusion was something Angel had used in the past. However, due to his limited understanding of mental illusions, it could only work when there was a significant disparity in power.
The earlier apprentice from Gravity Forest, in essence, peaked as a second-level apprentice. When compared to Angel’s current strength, excluding physical power, the disparity is not profound. Initially, Angel had not envisioned manipulating his opponent with the mental illusion spell. His objective was merely to expose the vulnerabilities in his opponent’s psyche, using the Fear spell to coerce him into revealing his inner thoughts.
However, to his surprise, just the use of the mental illusion spell caused his opponent to break his silence. The Fear spell unexpectedly became a lethal weapon.
The underlying cause was that this time, Angel had altered the channel for casting the mental illusion spell. Instead of using his habitual right hand, he switched to his right eye.
Casting the mental illusion spell through his right eye considerably amplified its effect. Could this enhancement be an inherent attribute of his right eye?
Angel conducted an experiment, and found that while the Fear spell, among other illusion spells, did not receive this boost when channeled through his right eye, the mental illusion spell did exhibit a slight increase in power.
Angel revisited what Sanders once explained about the characteristics of the mental illusion spell. It targets emotions and desires, and mastering psychology is a prerequisite to learning this. Given the complexity of human nature, the entry threshold for mental illusions is high.
“Targets thoughts, emotions, and desires?” Angel murmured to himself. Suddenly, it seemed as if he had stumbled upon a revelation.
Eyes are often the gateways for emotions. Many times, mere eye contact is enough to express emotions and desires. It is plausible that using the eye as a conduit for the mental illusion spell could influence emotions. However, this effect is usually negligible, but because of the significant transformation in his right eye, this effect has become more noticeable due to the stark contrast.
Unable to find another explanation, Angel chose to hold this hypothesis for now. When he has time in the future, he might conduct a targeted study on this as evidence for the channel of spellcasting.
…
“Angel, what did they say about that little girl?” Popoca suddenly inquired.
Angel didn’t hold back, and shared all the information he had gathered previously.
After listening, Popoca responded with a puzzled tone, “The contrast in Ethel’s behavior is too stark. When those apprentices were forcing her to give up the stolen object, she was continually asserting her innocence. Plus, considering the strength she demonstrated before, it’s absolutely impossible for her to be forced to flee by a group of apprentices. There’s a huge discrepancy in both her strength and behavior…”
“Why would she attack you all of a sudden after hiding for half a month?”
Angel is certain that he has never met Ethel before, so why did she suddenly attack him? Could it be that Ethel and Zefal are in league, and seeing Zefal in trouble, she decided to take revenge?
But then, Ethel opened her maw and swallowed Zefal, which didn’t look like the action of an ally.
This mystery could probably only be solved by Ethel herself.
However, Angel doesn’t want to encounter Ethel again. There have been multiple hiccups on this trip to Ice Valley, and he doesn’t wish for any more unnecessary trouble.
From Moliere Land to Ice Valley, they encountered no more enemies along the way.
Amidst the woodland beyond Ice Valley, they encountered a roving band of half-demons. But the sight of the Mark of Flame dangling from Angel’s ear sent this crowd of half-demons fleeing in panic.
In other locations, the significance of Odeklaes’s mark might be contested, but here, in the vicinity of Ice Valley, its deterrent effect is unequivocal.
They successfully arrived at the mouth of Ice Valley. Below, endless snow flurried, perpetually shrouded in a gusty wind, making it impossible to discern the specifics of the situation.
Angel activated the Mark of Flame, wrapping him and Popoca in a fiery aura.
“Let’s go, jump in.”
With Popoca in tow, Angel jumped into the snow-filled Ice Valley.
The icy wind howled, utterly obliterating any semblance of a path ahead.
Angel could only rely on his memory to push forward, inching his way through the unknown. All the while, he cautioned Popoca never to stray from the circle of firelight.
The snow and wind in Ice Valley were not ordinary — they were composed of a unique energy. Anyone who came into contact with this snowfall would be cursed.
Apart from the forbidden winds and snow, there were many dangers lurking here. Even Angel, bearer of the Mark of Flame, found his journey fraught with trepidation.
After seemingly endless turns and bends, Angel finally spotted, on a cliff far off, what appeared to be the silhouette of a palace.
He was just about to fly with Popoca towards the palace, when Popoca suddenly began shaking uncontrollably. His trembling legs barely supported him as he pointed behind them.
Turning around, Angel was met with an unexpected sight.
A monstrous dragon, body ablaze with terrifying crimson flames, had appeared suddenly behind them. He emitted no presence, not even warmth from his flames.
Compared to Angel and Popoca, the dragon was dozens of times larger.
Clouds and mists swirled around his ferocious head, his cold vertical pupils fixed silently on Angel.
The moment Angel saw the dragon, he immediately realized who he was, and gave a respectful bow. “Honorable Lord Odeklaes,” he addressed, “I’ve understood the method to forge Firestone, and also acquired the necessary materials. I’ll expedite the creation of the Firestone you require.”
The cold eyes of Odeklaes stared quietly at Angel. After a long while, he spoke, “You’ve changed quite a bit.”
Usually, Odeklaes was succinct, never voicing things he found unnecessary. The fact that he was expressing such irrelevant sentiments suggested his inner astonishment.
Angel hadn’t expected Odeklaes to utter such words. As he was pondering how to respond, Odeklaes, with no intention of waiting for an answer, spread his terrifying wings and flew towards the icy palace on the cliff.
A bit taken aback, Angel, along with Popoca, followed.
After a while, they entered the palace. The interior was as they remembered, no changes, still as eerily quiet and cold as ever.
By this time, Odeklaes had transformed from his dragon form to a human one.
Positioned before the palace, he stood with his back to Angel, enveloped in the tableau before him, a silent sentinel rooted in stillness.
Angel studied the painting, a surge of recollections of Feng unbidden in his heart. Despite the fact that the art piece was not directly created by Feng’s hands, it was a composition born of his guidance given to Odeklaes.
Feng’s role in this intricate game of life was starkly apparent.
If Angel were to return to the Southern Region, he was likely to find himself entangled with Feng once again; after all, the Tidal Realm awaited his exploration.
After a considerable passage of time, Odeklaes finally rotated, granting Angel a glance.
The humanoid form of Odeklaes retained an ineffable aura of majesty and oppression, his hair a flaming tapestry of red silk, dancing as though aflame. His robes were as black as night, yet fringed with bright crimson patterns that seared across with no particular order, like molten magma thrumming beneath a shadowed earth.
Angel, no stranger to such an encounter, remained calm. However, for Popoca, this was his maiden experience, and he found himself trembling.
Angel quietly stated, “This is my… assistant.”
He originally intended to refer to Popoca as ‘friend’, but upon reflection, he deduced that the title of ‘friend’ may not be received favorably by Odeklaes. Instead, he chose to present Popoca as his assistant in the art of alchemy.
Chapter 1230 Bizarre Transformation <TOC> Chapter 1232 Commence the Alchemy