Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 2426: Chapter 2427: Swan Song on a Dead End Path

"I understand." Angel lowered his eyes and nodded gently.

The white-haired old man thought for a moment, feeling that his previous statement might make himself appear weak. Although it was true, he was, after all, an Observer. It’s rare to interact with a native Southern Domain Wizard, especially one with ties to Frost. If saying "powerless" causes Angel to look down upon him, and he mentions it to Frost later, it would be quite embarrassing.

With this in mind, the white-haired old man added, "Worrying about what happened there is useless. As an Observer, I cannot directly intervene, but there will always be a way to solve it."

"Observer, sir, what solution might there be?" Angel asked hurriedly.

The white-haired old man smiled faintly, "The future is undecided, everything is hard to say. Perhaps it will be resolved by forces from the Origin World, the World Will, or maybe by a certain person..."

Angel contemplated the Observer’s words. He understood the first two: either someone from the Origin World will come to resolve it, or the World Will will intervene in the process; but a certain person capable of resolving it—what does that mean? Who is this certain person?

Angel intended to ask, but at that moment, the white-haired old man suddenly mentioned another matter, "I heard that the Peach Heart Theater is about to dock, this time arriving at the Southern Domain."

Angel instinctively nodded, this information had been prophesied by Dororo.

The white-haired old man: "Why has the Peach Heart Theater chosen to land at the Eternal Night territory?"

Angel abruptly raised his gaze, "Sir, do you mean..." Is the Peach Heart Theater coming because of the Nightmare Realm’s dome?

The white-haired old man shook his finger, "I don’t know, nor do I have any information sources. I’m just speculating freely. However, the Void merchants have already spread the word that the Peach Heart Theater is about to dock, and soon, various parties will arrive, making the Southern Domain lively."

As the white-haired old man’s words fell, Angel seemed to think of something, but before he could ponder further, the ground suddenly shook again.

Moreover, this time the tremor was more severe than before.

The corridor they stood in tilted slightly.

Only, the tilting of the corridor did not affect Angel, because at the moment the tremor appeared, the white-haired old man’s distorted force field stabilized the surrounding space.

Their bodies seemed to stand within reality, yet also appeared to exist in an incongruous gap. The surrounding corridor looked like a false oil painting, with only themselves being real, vibrant entities.

This was undoubtedly the white-haired old man’s power.

And this time, Angel could not use the "Domain Field" to shield the distortion, clearly demonstrating the white-haired old man’s active intervention.

As he existed between reality and illusion, within twisted rules, Angel’s previously slightly settled heart grew uneasy once more.

"Observer, sir..."

The white-haired old man once again gestured for silence, turning his gaze upwards. His eyes were bright, seeming to pierce through all veils, looking at the unknown void.

After a while, the white-haired old man withdrew his gaze, murmuring softly, "Though I haven’t seen him, his presence has arrived. I wonder will it be a bloodline ancestor visiting, or the city official, or perhaps..."

His voice was faint, with the latter part being unclear.

Angel’s mind also stirred with unspoken thoughts. Who might the "him" the Observer mentioned be?

After the white-haired old man expressed his own sentiments, he turned to Angel, "I hadn’t intended to reveal myself, but you captured a third-class citizen, so I had to come to see you."

A third-class citizen? Angel paused, his gaze languidly shifting to the misty shadow enclosed by the Domain Field.

"Sir, are you saying this misty shadow is a third-class citizen? A third-class citizen of Phantom Spirit City?"

The white-haired old man nodded, "I see you know quite a bit. It is indeed a third-class citizen of Phantom Spirit City, but its name isn’t misty shadow... never mind, just call it misty shadow. Knowing their clan’s name won’t benefit you, and its elders might directly sense your existence."

Angel was silent. Although the Observer didn’t state it explicitly, merely knowing the name invokes a sense, which indicates at least a Demon God level existence, equivalent to something beyond a Legend.

"Since you know about third-class citizens, you should also understand the significance of third-class citizens to Phantom Spirit City."

Angel nodded. Though third-class citizens seem relatively low-level in Phantom Spirit City’s hierarchy, once they are citizens, they will certainly be under Gluz Deward’s protection. Just look at the situation with No. 01; after killing a third-class citizen, he was forced into a desperate situation, even going mad to the point of hardly surviving.

From this, one can see the importance of third-class citizens.

"By the way, this guy is a third-class citizen, but its elder is a first-class citizen. It’s said that it’s about to be designated as a Diamond Citizen by the City Lord. Moreover, their clan currently only has these two known existences." The white-haired old man paused, "So, do you still plan to capture it?"

Angel: "...No."

Having seen No. 01’s miserable fate after killing a third-class citizen, Angel guessed the consequences would be even more severe if he acted against the misty shadow.

Moreover, without Gluz Deward needing to order, given their tribe’s numbers, the elders might act themselves.

Angel looked at the misty shadow trapped by the Domain Field, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Observer, sir, I actually just wanted to invite it as a guest... will it believe me?"

The white-haired old man chuckled, "What do you think?"

Angel: If it were him, chances are he wouldn’t believe it.

The white-haired old man understood Angel’s concerns, likely worried about retaliation from the misty shadow. He extended his hand and gently waved, causing the misty shadow in Angel’s hand to fly into his palm.

At the same time, the Domain Field enveloping the misty shadow automatically dissipated.

Seeing the misty shadow about to reform and levitate, the white-haired old man extended a finger, pointing gently at the misty shadow’s center. A wave of twisted power entered the misty shadow.

"I’ve twisted its memory from five minutes ago; it won’t remember you captured it," the white-haired old man spoke, then tossed the misty shadow back into Gomito not far away. "It will awaken soon, and how to proceed is up to you."

Angel bowed in gratitude, "Thank you, sir."

"I just don’t want the Southern Domain to be targeted by ’him,’ after all, I am here observing." The white-haired old man spoke lazily, using freehearted obligation as a public justification. Without this justified stance, he, as an Observer, would find it difficult to interfere in Southern Domain matters.

Of course, he could frame anything under freehearted obligation, allowing him to manage quite a lot, but there’s no need.

His overt reason for helping Angel was for the Southern Domain, but the hidden true reason was still out of regard for Frost. Both he and Frost were members of the Orderly Guild, and previously mystic hunters who cooperated many times, maintaining a good relationship. Frost suddenly descended upon the Southern Domain last time, and stayed longer for Angel’s sake, which the Observer noticed.

He understood Frost’s background and intentions, which were evidently focused on Angel’s potential to become a mystic Alchemist. He wished to nurture Angel, and should Angel succeed, perhaps helping accomplish that goal.

The old man with white hair felt it was an endless task, but since Frost valued Angel, he was willing to lend a hand.

This was the real reason he appeared and chatted with Angel for so long.

If it were really just for the so-called stability of the Southern Domain, he would likely just mention it offhandedly like he did before with Ferro.

As the old man spoke, another tremor struck, more terrifying this time, as if the entire corridor was about to flip upside down.

The old man glanced upward again: "That guy is indeed a madman. Such commotion will only lead him to a quicker death."

"Sir, what happened outside? Why is the entire laboratory shaking?"

The old man replied softly, "A lunatic is playing his swan song on his path to ruin."

"Has Number 01 already killed the Sydz’s larva?"

The old man glanced at Angel: "You know quite a lot. However, he hasn’t killed it yet. If Sydz were so easy to kill, its bloodline’s ancestor wouldn’t have been numbered among the Diamond Citizens by ’him’."

"However, it’s not that he has no chance to kill the Sydz’s larva. He is attempting it right now. If he succeeds, he can kill the Sydz’s larva. But by then, what this place will become is hard to say... Perhaps, by then, the Devil’s Sea will be even more terrifying."

The old man sighed and turned to Angel: "You should leave. You should know what choice to make here."

Angel: "I understand. Thank you for your guidance, Observer. May I have the honor of knowing your esteemed name?"

The old man: "I am just the Observer now, and I can only be the Observer. When one day a new Observer comes to take my place, if there’s a chance, I can tell you my name."

While in position, the Observer is a calm and indifferent observer; even knowing his name could be judged as a loss of impartiality. Because of this, even the "Culori Chronicles" doesn’t clearly state the Observer’s name when mentioning him.

Having spoken, the old man waved his hand gently, sending Angel out of the twisted time-space.

Angel was once again standing in the corridor, but this time, the corridor had begun to noticeably incline.

The Observer’s presence was nowhere to be seen around, except in the distance, the figure of Gomitto, who was about to awaken.

This time he wasn’t prepared to fight Gomitto head-on; its aura was too glaring, better to leave first out of respect.

Angel took a deep breath: "Let’s go."

If it were before, Dangross would surely chime in, but the pressure from the old man with white hair was too much for it just now. It was still in a daze and could only instinctively cling to the Blood Night Shelter to avoid falling to the ground.

On the contrary, Toby was unaffected by the twisted forces and chirped at Angel normally, signaling: Let’s go!

Angel immediately released an Illusion Node, first concealing himself, then ran forward.

But as Angel had just taken a step, a familiar voice came to his ear.

"Observer?" Angel was stunned for a moment.

"It’s me."

"Does the lord have any instructions?"

"Your bird just chirped and reminded me of something..."

At this moment, in the twisted time-space, the old man with white hair looked through a membrane, seemingly both illusory and solid, at Angel on the other side... and the bird in his pocket.

"My bird?" Angel instinctively lowered his head to glance at his trousers, then silently met Toby’s eyes: "Is the lord referring to Toby?"

"Yes, your bird’s origin is very mysterious, and I can’t discern its background. Such a creature should be considered unique in the world."

After a pause, the old man continued: "I mentioned before, ’they’ are coming. Their experiences are abundant, unlike this young Mist Shadow, unaware when encountering a treasure."

The old man didn’t speak further, but seeing Angel’s subsequent actions through the membrane, he knew Angel understood his message.

Angel naturally wasn’t stupid. Although the Observer didn’t explain, he understood the meaning implied.

’Who are they?’ Considering the Observer later mentioned Mist Shadow, it was easy to deduce that the coming ones must be the extraordinary beings of the Phantom Spirit City.

Their arrival is certainly for Number 01.

As for why the Observer suddenly mentioned "Toby," it was simple because Toby’s uniqueness made it a "treasure" in the eyes of some beings.

Back then, Frost clearly warned Angel when discussing the Phantom Spirit City that if he ever visited the Origin World, especially with Toby in tow, he must avoid the Phantom Spirit City.

Gluz Deward harbors greed for any magical creatures. Toby’s existence is quite peculiar; if discovered by Gluz Deward, he would certainly go to great lengths to capture Toby.

Whether Gluz Deward himself will come is uncertain; but if his subordinates arrive and discover Toby, they will likely capture Toby.

Therefore, the Observer’s additional caution serves as a warning to Angel.

From Angel’s perspective, if Toby were caught due to his negligence in detail, he wouldn’t forgive himself. Hence, the Observer’s reminder was more valuable than any other information he had received.

Angel didn’t know where the Observer was at the moment; he could only voice his gratitude to the air.

Then he quickly placed Toby into the bracelet space, thinking it safer to avoid being outside for now.

Not long after placing him inside, Angel pondered and took Toby out again, creating a domain field with dancing green patterns around him before placing him back in the bracelet.

Although it’s unknown who from the Phantom Spirit City will come, just the bracelet’s protection might not be enough, so adding a layer of domain field is more secure.

Having done all this, Angel heard the humming of Gomitto behind him, guessing it was about to wake.

It was time for him to leave here too.