Chapter 972 The Goat Demon <TOC> Chapter 974 The Vanishing Apprentice
Translator: SumTLMan
The stark branches in the firepit gradually consumed themselves, crackling and popping intermittently. The flickering firelight cast long and wavering shadows across the dim cave, the light dancing unpredictably across each face.
Most of them were intently meditating, striving to replenish their magic to its full capacity.
After what seemed an eternity, when the crowd had somewhat recovered, a soft whisper began to permeate the gathered mass. Sineva was yet to return, this fact stirred hushed conversations among them.
“Can Lady Sineva vanquish the Goat Demon?”
“If it’s just the Goat Demon, she should have no problem.”
“But half the day has passed, and Lady Sineva still isn’t back. Why?”
Indeed, the time was becoming unreasonably prolonged, causing some to grow restless. Until now, it had been only the apprentices murmuring, so in an effort to soothe them, Maher spoke up:
“The strength of Goat Demons varies considerably. The one we encountered earlier almost reached the peak level of a first-level true knowledge wizard. Given the augmentation from the power of the Abyss, it’s quite likely that Lady Sineva is in a closely contested battle.”
Pausing briefly, Maher continued, “Defeating a Goat Demon is a daunting task. I presume that Lady Sineva is currently devising a strategy to elude the Goat Demon. Given her power, she shouldn’t face any problems.”
Maher’s assured tone seemed to pacify the apprentice’s anxiety, if only slightly.
At this point, Angel began to understand the truth in Madeline’s words: the unpredictability of the Abyss was immense, making the relocation of the base city extremely challenging.
Imagine if Emberstone Titan’s stragglers encountered a creature of the Goat Demon’s caliber en route to Immortal Street, it would be a stroke of good fortune if even 1% of those thousands of apprentices could escape.
The atmosphere within the cave was heavy with silence and tension, and just when it seemed the silence would endure, it was broken by a Frost Moon guard stationed at the cave entrance.
This guardian, an elemental wizard, unexpectedly assembled an earthen armor formation around himself. He cast a suspicious glance towards the entrance tunnel, and after a while, he disbanded the armor formation.
His actions elicited puzzlement from the crowd.
“Kage, what’s the matter?” Maher queried.
“Nothing much, I just heard some strange noise earlier. After scanning with my mental power, I discovered it was just the wind blowing outside, entering the cave and making that sound.”
Though Kage explained his actions, the apprentices present had been suppressing their emotions for too long. The mere hint of a storm, a cry of a crane, was enough to rupture the surface calm.
Complaints began to bubble up, whispered curses filled the air, and a few silently shed tears.
The apprentices’ anxiety about the journey ahead greatly surpassed that of the full-fledged wizards. Thus, this wave of negative emotion grew unceasingly, even beyond Maher’s control.
The full-fledged wizards, however, remained unperturbed, occasionally engaging in hushed discussions with their peers.
Feeling the thick negative mood within the cave, Angel, too, couldn’t help but feel increasingly oppressed. Seeing this, Madeline, seated on the other side of the fire, said gently, “Harboring such gloom is harmful to oneself. Why don’t you let it out as well?”
“Controlling one’s emotions is the foundation of mental spells. Even if one needs to vent, there are many ways to do so,” Angel replied calmly.
“Such as?”
Angel said, “Such as sleeping, chatting, or even reading, and listening to musicals.”
“Where would we find a musical in a place like this… Oh, right, I nearly forgot. You are the Music Box Magician,” Madeline raised her eyebrows. “So, are you planning to play some music to soothe our emotions?”
“Despite the present tension, I’ve yet to reach a point necessitating respite. Moreover, playing music in this bleak cavern will likely serve to amplify the dread rather than ease it,” stated Angel, scrutinizing the surrounding stygian grotto. Their vision was compromised by the all-encompassing darkness, which inevitably stimulated ghastly images conceived by their fear-stirred imaginations. A haunting melody, particularly in this constricted environment ripe for eerie echoes, might only further unsettle them.
“Fair enough. If music is out of the question, then perhaps a chat might serve as a suitable distraction,” Madeline countered with a smile. “I’ve noticed a furrow of concern has taken permanent residence on your brow. Anything on your mind?”
Angel hesitated for a moment before venturing, “Captain Maher previously mentioned unspeakable dangers lurking in the Cold Ancient Ruins. Could you elaborate?”
Madeline shrugged, her expression one of uncertainty. “I wish I could provide more insight. As an apprentice, I frequented this place and never encountered any peril. I remember the Frost Moon Alliance once considered this site as a potential outpost. However, for reasons unknown to me, the idea was abandoned.”
“For a detailed account, we’d have to seek answers from the internal members of the Frost Moon Alliance.”
Driven by curiosity rather than urgency, Angel had no intention of reaching out to the Frost Moon Alliance over this, particularly given his lack of familiarity with them.
“While we were flying in, I noticed that the local ecology and landscape seemed superior to those beyond the ruins. However, I saw no buildings… where exactly are the ruins of the Cold Ancient Ruins?” Angel changed the subject.
“I’m afraid I have no answers,” Madeline replied, her mind traversing back to her adventures in the Abyss. “In fact, I remember scouring the Cold Ancient Ruins without finding any sign of architectural remnants. I sought answers then, but found none.”
“Intriguing. With no visible ruins, how did the Cold Ancient Ruins come to be named as such?” Angel inquired, his curiosity piqued.
Madeline proceeded to recount a tale she had heard, “I was told that the name originated from a half-demon who claimed this area, known as the Cold Ancient Ruins, was a sacred site for the abyssal natives during the Cold Ancient Era—a time dating back hundreds of thousands of years. Ancient wizards later confirmed from other abyssal tribes that the half-demon had not lied, indeed, this was the Cold Ancient Ruins. Thus, the name carried on.”
An epiphany sparked in Angel’s mind: perhaps a concealed archaeological site truly lay hidden here, but as of yet, it remained undiscovered by mankind.
“From what you’re saying, it’s possible to communicate with half-demons?” someone inquired.
“Many demons can indeed communicate, but it presupposes that you have an overwhelming power,” Madeline paused momentarily before adding, “However, demons are notoriously deceitful, with none showing a tendency towards humanity. Yet, amongst the half-demons, a scarce minority show a certain affinity for humans. For instance, the establishment of Immortal Street is partly owed to some assistance from these particular demons.”
Half-demons are hybrids, born from the coupling of an abyss-native and a demon, scorned by both their parent races and often attacked by the latter.
In such precarious circumstances, some half-demons started to show a slight bias towards humans. Nevertheless, such cases remain an extreme minority.
Subsequently, Angel and Madeline delved into topics relating to demons, the Abyss, and the different stronghold cities of various realms. As the fire was stoked for the third time, some movement was finally heard from the cave entrance.
The Frost Moon’s guards immediately assumed a defensive position, only slightly relaxing when a figure with frost-touched flaming eyes appeared in the cave mouth.
The newcomer was none other than Sineva.
Sineva looked somewhat pallid, causing Maher to ask with concern, “Lady Sineva, are you alright?”
Sineva shook her head, “I’ve overtaxed my magical powers. A moment’s meditation will put me right.”
Maher: “And the Goat Demon, how fares it?”
Mention of the Goat Demon caused a flash of fierce resolve to gleam in Sineva’s eyes: “Under the bolstering power of the Abyss, its strength is not yet my equal, but the gap is closing. And with the Abyss as its home turf, the possibility of it turning the tables on me became increasingly likely, forcing me to devise a way to shake it off. However, with its relentless pursuit, I had no choice but to take a detour.”
“Circumvent?” Maher’s memory traced the vicinity of the Demon Monastery, only one place seeming plausible for shaking off the goat demon.
A flicker of surprise flashed in Maher’s eyes, “Lady, you surely didn’t visit…”
Sineva nodded helplessly, “I journeyed to the Ice Valley, only then did I manage to give it the slip.”
When Sineva mentioned the Ice Valley, every wizard present, save the clueless apprentice, furrowed their brows. The name of Ice Valley was infamous amongst wizard circles who had dallied with the abyss. It was an unequivocal forbidden ground, not just due to the capricious abyss dragon that lurked there, but more terrifyingly due to the curse of the Ice Valley.
Whoever ventured within the boundaries of the Ice Valley was invariably subjected to the curse.
The origin of this curse remained a mystery. Once afflicted, freeing oneself was far from a simple task.
“That curse…” Maher hesitated slightly, his gaze filled with worry as he looked at Sineva.
Sineva pulled down the fabric on her right shoulder, revealing a strange white symbol that stood out starkly before everyone’s eyes. This symbol bore an artistic semblance, granted one could ignore the overpowering aura of the curse it held.
Following the display of the cursed symbol, Sineva readjusted her garment, “This is the Frost Chaos Curse. I cannot wield the power of frost until it is dispelled.”
Upon the conclusion of Sineva’s words, the wizards present furrowed their brows even further.
Everyone knew that Sineva’s strength was rooted in her ability to simultaneously master two “contradictory” powers: frost and flame. Now, with the frost power restrained and the flame unable to maintain balance, her strength was likely reduced to a mere tenth.
Sineva’s strength has dramatically waned; under these circumstances, if they encounter another entity akin to the Goat Demon, they will find themselves in an exceedingly disadvantageous position.
For a brief moment, the atmosphere that had slightly relaxed upon Sineva’s return once again tightened like a wound-up spring.
Angel, through Madeline’s words, learned about the Curse of Ice Valley, his eyebrows knitting together as if a bothersome puzzle was presented before him: “Does the curse of the Ice Valley have no solution?”
“To lift the curse of Ice Valley is a Herculean task; it’s a curse rivaling a third-level true knowledge wizard. Either seek the Abyss Dragon in the Ice Valley or pursue a third-level true knowledge wizard… but the only one now in the Abyss who fits that description would likely be Lord Mengke.” Madeline’s face held a thread of concern, like a cloud subtly obscuring a clear sky.
“Abyss Dragon?” Angel echoed, taken aback.
“In Ice Valley, there is an Abyss Dragon. Part of the curse of Ice Valley is, in fact, stirred up by this dragon, so seeking it to lift the curse is an exercise in futility.”
“The only way forward is to tread lightly, step by step. We must pray for a smoother journey ahead and hope we won’t stumble upon formidable enemies like the Goat Demon again,” she concluded, her words hanging in the air like a faint whisper on a gust of wind.
Chapter 972 The Goat Demon <TOC> Chapter 974 The Vanishing Apprentice