Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 2202: Chapter 2203: The Illness of His Highness the Sandstorm

Angel stayed in the Baya Desert for two days and two nights.

The first day, he communicated his purpose and handed over the Shadow Box to The Sage Bitter Platinum.

On the second day, after seeking Bitter Platinum’s consent, Angel began to explore the ancient palace, rumored to have existed since ancient times.

By dawn on the third day, Angel prepared to bid farewell to Bitter Platinum and leave the Baya Desert.

During these two days in the Baya Desert, Angel never saw Sandstorm Sanders. The reason was not that Angel did not seek an audience, but because of The Sage Bitter Platinum’s advice.

Two days ago, after learning about Angel’s identity and purpose, Bitter Platinum did not immediately inform His Highness Sandstorm but instead requested to see the Shadow Box first. Angel, thinking it made no difference whether it was watched before or after, thus played the Shadow Box.

What Bitter Platinum felt after viewing it, Angel did not know, but Bitter Platinum directly gave a suggestion, which was to advise Angel not to meet His Highness Sandstorm.

After inquiring about the reason, Angel then understood the depth of Bitter Platinum’s intention.

Sandstorm Sanders, whether in Magu’s or Posia’s narrative, was depicted as an autocratic, paranoid, and somewhat hot-tempered monarch. Even in Dangross, an Elemental Sprite’s imagination, Sandstorm Sanders was a tyrant who would unleash a terrifying sandstorm without a word.

From Bitter Platinum’s account, Angel finally understood that the external information was mostly accurate, but His Highness Sandstorm was not really bad-tempered, nor was he truly a tyrant, but because he was ill.

Yes, this was what Bitter Platinum personally stated.

Sandstorm Sanders’s arbitrariness and paranoia, the odd and quirky rules set, and the resistance to visits from Elemental Creatures from other regions, all stemmed from his illness.

His symptoms, put elegantly, can be called living in constant vigilance, but in simpler terms, it’s paranoia.

Sandstorm Sanders might have been affected in his childhood; he constantly feels that a terrible cataclysm could befall at any time, either a natural disaster or an external enemy.

Thus, he began to imitate the ways of the Wild Stone Barrens, creating multiple defense lines in the Baya Desert; yet, the natural conditions of the Baya Desert itself already form a formidable barrier, making such defenses unnecessary for external enemies.

Besides the defenses, he also set up many bizarre restrictions, such as prohibiting any non-Baya Desert Elemental Creatures from flying over the desert, fearing an "air raid."

The various paranoia-induced rule restrictions are numerous. Bitter Platinum shared these situations with a helpless, wry smile.

Precisely because His Highness Sandstorm has such an illness, Bitter Platinum advised Angel not to meet him.

Bitter Platinum even foresees that once His Highness sees Angel, this "outsider" who is not an Element, even knowing he is of the same race as the Savior, the first thought wouldn’t be to get close but to be on guard, more so than with other Elements, as the unknown is the greatest fear. To His Highness Sandstorm, humans belong to an unknown domain.

If at that time Angel presents the Shadow Box, upon witnessing humans "capturing" Elemental Creatures and the world-destroying power of human Wizards, even without Bitter Platinum’s explanation, Angel knows His Highness Sandstorm’s paranoia level would max out.

With his neurotic way of thinking, he wouldn’t analyze the pros and cons; he wouldn’t listen to Angel’s explanations or dissuasions, and it would surely turn into a direct conflict.

Sandstorm Sanders, who controls all the Elemental Creatures in the Baya Desert, might even launch a comprehensive pursuit and blockade.

In this scenario, Bitter Platinum gave a conscientious suggestion not to meet His Highness Sandstorm.

As for the Shadow Box matter, Bitter Platinum clearly told Angel that after Angel leaves, he will find an opportunity to inform His Highness Sandstorm.

Bitter Platinum has a profound understanding of Sandstorm Sanders; he knows what rhetoric to use to guide the topic and induce thinking; coupled with the "Incarnation of Disaster" Angel not being present, His Highness Sandstorm should be able to listen to Bitter Platinum’s words,

After thinking it over for a while, Angel agreed to Bitter Platinum’s proposal.

Because he learned from Loga that everything Bitter Platinum said was true, Sandstorm Sanders was indeed ill! Even when Loga came to study, he was obstructed; if it weren’t for Loga being an earth-type creature and Bitter Platinum persuading from the side, saying, "In case a war with Wild Stone Barrens breaks out, Loga could serve as a hostage in Baya Desert," only because of this Sandstorm Sanders agreed to Loga’s studies.

Bear in mind that the Wild Stone Barrens and Baya Desert were "brotherly" allied, with a deeper bond than with the Region of Fire. But even so, Sandstorm Sanders could consider the notion of "war," showing how deep-seated his paranoia was.

Facing such a mentally affected individual, it’s better left to professionals. He’d surely become a trigger for a collapse if he went, so Angel agreed to Bitter Platinum’s suggestion.

...

As Angel was leaving the palace, Bitter Platinum solemnly told Angel, "Humans are about to enter the Tidal World, an immense affair. I will do everything I can to persuade His Highness, to prompt it to meet Magu the Wise as soon as possible, and to have a profound discussion about this irreversible major trend."

Angel nodded: "Let us hope His Highness can figure it out soon."

After a pause, Angel hesitated for a moment, and finally asked Bitter Platinum about the biggest doubt in his heart over these two days, "Setting aside His Highness’ thoughts, I really want to know, Mr. Bitter Platinum, what do you think of this matter?"

Bitter Platinum smiled: "I trust Mr. Magu’s judgment; I also feel that cooperating with humans is not such a bad choice."

"Why?"

Bitter Platinum: "If there were no major trends ahead, I would certainly hope for no changes in my peaceful life. But since fate has chosen this path, we can only roll forward in sync with the turning gears."

"In the impending future of the Tidal World, our options are limited. The option Mr. Pat offered, to me, is actually quite good... And my perception of humans is very different from His Highness’; whether it is the Savior or Mr. Pat, I think they’re quite commendable."

Angel was taken aback; Bitter Platinum deemed the Savior commendable, that could be overlooked, but suddenly mentioning him... why was that?

Bitter Platinum chuckled, and a kind look appeared in his eyes as he gazed at Angel: "Because, well, those Elves quite like you."

After a moment, Angel understood that Bitter Platinum was referring to the over forty Elemental Sprites he brought back with him.

However, do these Elemental Sprites actually like him? Angel didn’t feel it; if they truly liked him, they shouldn’t have spit sand on the Gondola...

After bidding farewell to Bitter Platinum, Angel made a point to meet Loga, who was preparing to stay and study there.

Both to say goodbye and to express gratitude.

He had a very favorable impression of Loga, for after seeing too many troublesome children, it was rare to encounter a normal Elemental Creature, and with such contrast, the impression naturally improved.

Moreover, Loga helped him meet The Sage Bitter Platinum first, sparing him a direct encounter with Sandstorm Sanders, which was well worth Angel personally saying farewell and expressing his thanks.

Upon departure, Angel also painted a grand picture for Loga, who loves to study.

"When the grand door of the Tidal World opens in the future, you are welcome to come to the Barbarian Cave, where there is more and broader knowledge; I believe you will like it."

After all was said and done, Angel then boarded the Gondola and slowly departed.

Watching as the solemn and imposing palace with an exotic religious vibe gradually disappeared from view, Angel let out a long sigh of relief.

The journey through the Baya Desert was over, and the only regret was that palace.

Perhaps it was because too much time had passed, or maybe due to renovations and reconstructions, he spent an entire day there but still couldn’t find much information in the palace.

The only potentially useful information was found on a stone pillar at the front of the palace, where there was a pattern that looked like an emblem mark.

The pattern showed a seven-stringed harp floating on gentle waves in a simple drawing.

It looked like the emblem of some music academy.

It was the first time Angel had seen this pattern, and he didn’t know what it represented, so he could only make a note of it for future reference.

Beneath this emblem was a painting by Feng of a former Desert Monarch.

However, there was nothing unusual about Feng’s painting, and after checking it several times, Angel moved on.

...

The gondola was leisurely flying through the air, and ahead of the gondola, a Sand Hawk was soaring with its wings spread.

This Sand Hawk was the accompanying flight arranged by Ke-Platinum.

"Tired of flying? Why not rest on the ship for a while?" Angel communicated with the Sand Hawk.

The Sand Hawk, however, flapped its wings triumphantly and said, "No need, I won’t get tired flying in the Baya Desert."

Angel opened his mouth, wanting to tell it that the reason he suggested coming on board wasn’t out of concern for its fatigue, but because it was flying too slowly!

The reason the gondola appeared to be flying leisurely was entirely due to this "accompanying flight" not keeping up. It’s not that the Sand Hawk was slow; by ordinary standards, this Sand Hawk was already very fast, comparable to Sanders’ pet Magic Falcon, but its speed still lagged significantly behind the gondola’s.

The normal three-hour flying distance of the gondola would take the Sand Hawk at least a day or two of full-speed effort.

At the current speed, they would likely reach the border of the Baya Desert by early morning.

Seeing the Sand Hawk’s smug expression, Angel couldn’t bring himself to dampen its spirits, and after a moment of silence, he refrained from speaking, deciding to let it lead the way as a chance to relax. It was just right for him to take this leisure time to visit the Wilderness of Dreams.

He arranged for Toby to take the helm and silently sent a mental message to make sure Earl Mi was on guard, after which Angel closed his eyes and stepped onto the Dream Bridge.

Wilderness of Dreams, Originheart City.

Angel appeared at the top level of the Sky Tower, and after crossing the balcony, he walked into the inner room.

At that moment, Frode was sitting at the table, holding a pen and working on something.

However, unlike usual, Frode didn’t seem to be that focused, occasionally turning to glance at a small disc on his left.

When Angel entered the room, Frode was looking at the disc, so deeply engrossed that he didn’t even notice the sound of footsteps.

It wasn’t until Angel stood in front of Frode that he finally reacted.

"My lord." A hint of embarrassment flashed across Frode’s face, and he stood up somewhat awkwardly to pay his respects.

Angel nodded, his gaze sweeping over the two items on Frode’s desk.

On the right was a research topic he was writing, clearly titled in black ink on white paper as "Application Report of Soul Blind."

It appeared to be the development and usage manual for Frode’s first Soul Trick.

The item on the left was the small black disc—the Mother Tree Interlinker.

The screen showed that Frode was chatting privately with someone, with message bubbles popping up intermittently. Previously, Frode had been so engrossed, likely because he was reading other people’s messages.

"What are you doing?" Angel asked, puzzled.

Frode: "I was chatting with Mr. Jon..."

According to Frode, he was chatting with Jon in the morning about Adar’s progress in piano studies when halfway through the conversation, Jon told him that Ironclad Granny had arrived.

Recently, Ironclad Granny often visited the library to chat with Jon, so Frode wasn’t surprised and planned to end the private conversation with Jon.

Then, Frode began writing a developmental report for Soul Blind, and while writing about some application techniques, he encountered some questions. Unable to find someone to answer them right away, he thought of Ironclad Granny on Jon’s side. He attempted to privately chat with Jon, asking him to inquire about Ironclad Granny.

It was initially a hopeful inquiry, but unexpectedly, Ironclad Granny actually replied, and she patiently provided a comprehensive analysis of the solutions to his questions.

When Angel arrived, Frode was reading the information Jon had forwarded on behalf of Ironclad Granny.

"I see." Angel smiled at Frode. "Ironclad Granny’s knowledge reserve is probably among the best in the Barbarian Cave. You’re quite lucky."

Frode chuckled, "I didn’t expect to get a reply from Ironclad Granny... but this made me discover a special feature of the tree network."

Angel: "A special feature? Do you mean remote mentorship?"

Frode nodded, "Sort of, but more importantly for me, it’s the ’remote’ aspect of this feature. If I were face-to-face with Ironclad Granny, I wouldn’t dare make any requests, but with a screen separating us, I find myself much braver. Even though I still don’t dare be disrespectful, I have the courage to ask for help."

As Frode said this, he couldn’t help but smile, looking quite silly.

Angel shook his head; while he said that, Frode still relied on Jon to pass messages. Ironclad Granny did have the tree network, and Frode still didn’t dare to privately chat directly.

Angel didn’t point it out, waiting for Frode to finish chuckling before asking, "How are things on your end? How are Adar and Shanni coming along in their practice?"

Frode regained his composure and said, "I’m still near that cave altar, and there’s no need to worry about Adar for now. His emotions have been stable, and he’s completed the initial practice. Shanni’s temperament isn’t as stable as Adar’s, so it’s a bit tricky, but currently, she’s also in a calm state."