Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 2713: Chapter 2714: Requested Terms

Two flowers bloom, each expressing itself.

While Adanis was plotting how to intercept Angel and the others, on the other side, the Wise Sovereign had already explained the issues omitted in the contract from the True Words Tome.

The entire contract is relatively lenient, except for the rather severe punishments. However, these punishments only appear stringent; in fact, they are a way for the Wise Sovereign to indirectly amplify rewards.

The reason is quite clear. The first two contract terms relate to the Wood Spirit, mainly to protect the Wood Spirit and respect its wishes. There is significant ambiguity in these terms, with many expressions lacking clarity, allowing Angel numerous ways to exploit loopholes. Even if he violates the contract, he can avoid punishment.

The third contract term prohibits revealing information about Naraku City to outsiders, excluding matters related to the Wood Spirit.

If only the first half of the sentence existed, there would be limited ambiguity. But the Wise Sovereign supplemented with the latter half without specifying the scope, leading to interpretation freedom.

As long as there is interpretation freedom, whether one is subject to punishment no longer depends on the "contract’s power," but on your own thoughts.

If you feel you haven’t done well and deserve punishment, then the contract’s power will take effect. If you are thick-skinned and devious, thinking you’ve done nothing wrong, then the contract’s power won’t affect you.

It can be said that the restrictions of these three contracts are quite lenient, and each term has methods for dodging them. Because of this, even severe punishments are ultimately empty threats.

In Jon’s words, this is a typical "gentleman’s agreement."

It only binds honorable people, not scoundrels and rogues.

On the surface, the Wise Sovereign gives Angel ample respect, but the deeper reason is the Wise Sovereign’s concern for the Wood Spirit.

...

Returning to the issue of the contract, the Wise Sovereign explained it clearly.

The scope of the third term is that Angel must not disclose matters about the "Legacy Grounds" to outsiders, except for Wood Spirit matters, which Angel may judge himself.

Undoubtedly, the scope is broad.

Another issue is why there are punishments but no rewards in the contract terms?

The Wise Sovereign’s answer was simple and direct: "You can specify whatever rewards you want when you sign the contract."

These words astonished Angel, and others were also surprised.

Previously, everyone thought the Wise Sovereign deliberately left blanks in the reward column to throw a big surprise, but they didn’t expect it to be so astounding.

"The contract rewards directly proposed by Lord Chaowei, without even mentioning a limit, it’s just..." Vay was so amazed that he covered his slightly open mouth.

Everyone understood Vay’s unfinished words and nodded, feeling similarly.

However, at this moment, the Black Earl poured cold water on the enthusiastic Vay through the Mind Ribbon: "Rewards indeed have no stated upper limit, but the limit itself already exists. Think carefully, and you’ll know where that limit lies."

After the Black Earl’s reminder, Vay pondered for a moment, nodding thoughtfully.

Indeed, it seems there is no set upper limit. But realistically, when proposing rewards, many personal considerations come into play.

Vay, putting himself in Angel’s shoes, would certainly worry about whether his demands are too excessive or might anger the counterpart... Yet too few, and the counterpart might feel happy while he himself feels at a loss.

Just these considerations made Vay feel quite conflicted. Of course, the main issue is that they are currently in the Wise Sovereign’s domain, where even an overlord must tread cautiously.

If it were at the Noah Manor, Vay wouldn’t bother with such concerns, as he has backing.

Vay thinks this way because he has a background. For wizards without such backing, they are even less daring to make excessive demands.

Apart from these reasons, the blank rewards actually harbor hidden limits.

One cannot propose to the Wise Sovereign requirements that are unachievable, such as Angel demanding: Ensure I become a Legendary Wizard, gift me Naraku City, kill a true Abyssal Demon God, ensure to give me a clearly lost treasure, or make you Wise Sovereign destroy your own life... and so forth.

These examples are extreme cases, but if one seeks something lesser, the Wise Sovereign might still fail to fulfill them. Like Angel demanding: Forget about a Legendary Wizard, I know it’s hard to realize, but make sure I become a True Knowledge Wizard.

This demand isn’t overly excessive, because in the Wise Sovereign’s eyes, it’s clear that Angel is already standing at the threshold of True Knowledge’s path, only a matter of time and accumulation away.

Does it sound like it’s guaranteed to happen? Not necessarily.

Because "time" and "accumulation" inherently encapsulate unknown "processes." And once "processes" are involved, variables arise, such as Angel being suddenly slain during his "foundation accumulation" or Angel getting lost in thoughts one day, resulting in an energy backlash, causing chaos in his Mind Space.

Hence, he may not eventually become a True Knowledge Wizard.

Such variable-filled requests, even if within reach, remain dreams susceptible to shattering anytime.

Dreams, being hard to realize, reveal the upper limit.

Firstly, one must avoid excessive demands that the Wise Sovereign cannot fulfil; Secondly, the requests mustn’t be too vague, needing grounding in reality; Lastly, proposed demands should abide by equality and fairness—how much cost you incur equates to how much reward you should receive.

This is the restriction behind the Wise Sovereign’s blank reward setup.

Not only Vay analyzed this, but Angel, being directly involved, could naturally deduce it.

All the perceived benefits are actually costs in another form. Every single "gift" you receive is tagged with a price; excessive demands will only make your costs, albeit invisible, more significant.

For instance, in this contract, if Angel makes excessive demands, the Wise Sovereign will inevitably agree, perhaps even delighted to see Angel propose such excessive requests.

This is because Angel will pay a larger cost, making previously vague contract terms increasingly clear.

Originally, the Wise Sovereign merely hopes for Angel to form bonds with the Wood Spirit, ensuring the utmost safety for the Wood Spirit through emotional ties.

"Hope" is not "certainty," Angel may completely dismiss it with a laugh. But once he makes excessive demands, shrugging it off might become impossible.

This is akin to a bump on the road ahead—a normal, equal contract represents a modest curve, causing little effect.

But pursuing unfair contracts transforms this curve into a pit you can’t escape. The more excessive your demands, the deeper the pit, eventually potentially trapping you eternally.

Understanding this, Angel clearly recognizes the purpose behind the Wise Sovereign’s intentional blanks.

Seeing Angel remain silent for a while, the Wise Sovereign spoke up: "How about it, if you’ve decided, let’s sign the contract."

Contract... Angel is definitely signing it.

This contract isn’t harsh, plus signing it equates to making the Wise Sovereign stand on their side.

The prophecy by Dororo—that "the Wise is not foolish"—reminds Angel that venturing into the Legacy Grounds inevitably involves the Wise Sovereign. Having the Wise Sovereign on their side, the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks.

However, what kind of reward to stipulate is what Angel needs to consider.

The best request is certainly knowledge. However, the Wise Sovereign has already promised to hand over his collection of the Alchemist’s Manual, as well as his early original manuals to Angel.

So, in terms of knowledge alone, Angel has already obtained quite a lot. As the "Wise One," the Wise Sovereign undoubtedly has other reserves of knowledge, but these are not necessarily what Angel needs. The only attractive Alchemist’s Manual he has already obtained; other knowledge is either not impressive to Angel or considered by him as unnecessary in the short term.

Moreover, the foundation of the Barbarian Cave is certainly superior to Naraku City, and the Cloudtop Library continues to increase its collection of books daily, many of which are rare editions, primarily written by the Book Elder.

In terms of knowledge, Angel is not very worried at the moment.

Then what kind of reward should he ask for?

After pondering for a moment, Angel spoke: "I can sign this contract, but I hope the Wise Sovereign can tell me some... past events."

"Past events?" The Wise Sovereign raised an eyebrow: "Are you interested in the past of Naraku City?"

Angel: "I am not interested in the destruction and rebirth of Naraku City; what I want to know is something else."

Wise Sovereign: "Oh? Then feel free to ask, and I’ll see if I know."

Angel did not speak but quietly observed the Wise Sovereign.

The Wise Sovereign immediately understood Angel’s intention. What he wanted to know, he did not wish to disclose, not even to his own teammates.

What could it be? Could it be related to Angel’s visit to the Underground Aqueduct?

The Wise Sovereign’s curiosity was piqued, and without hesitation, he directly cast a Mind Ribbon, connecting himself and Angel.

Although it’s called a Mind Ribbon, it actually differs slightly from a regular Mind Ribbon. Its energy source does not rely on the Wise Sovereign’s physical form but is dependent on the Magical Energy Array beneath his feet.

This means that if you want to eavesdrop on the conversation within the Mind Ribbon, you’ll face not just the Wise Sovereign alone but be confronted by the entire Underground Aqueduct’s Magical Energy Array.

Even if the Black Earl’s true form came, he wouldn’t be able to eavesdrop.

It can be said that this is the exclusive ability of the Wise Sovereign, as the current controller of the Magical Energy Array in the Underground Aqueduct is the Wise Sovereign himself. Only he has such confidence to manipulate the Magical Energy Array as a basis.

"You can speak now; no one will interrupt. What information do you wish to know?"

Angel pondered for a moment: "I want to know what experiments Naraku City conducted ten thousand years ago, and all information related to the ’snake entwined spike.’

Along the way, Angel had encountered several experimental areas, substantially proving that Naraku City was conducting human experiments.

Human experiments are not a novelty in the Wizards’ Realm, but almost all the equipment in these experiments bore the emblem of the snake entwined spike. Angel always believed that the snake entwined spike was the symbol of the Fairy Tale World’s land of giant snakes, but upon arriving at the Underground Aqueduct, he discovered that the snake entwined spike had existed for millennia.

The Black Earl also shared a secret with Angel: the snake entwined spike is related to the Baiyuanians.

Angel previously asked Cicia, but her responses were either that she didn’t know or that she couldn’t disclose due to contract restrictions.

Thus, perhaps only the Wise Sovereign could inform him about the snake entwined spike.

The Wise Sovereign was silent for a long time after hearing Angel’s question. He initially thought Angel might inquire about Naraku City, Augustine, or even about Franklin and Margaret.

But unexpectedly, Angel posed a question that the Wise Sovereign deemed completely unrelated to him.

For a moment, it seemed as if the person standing in front of him wasn’t Angel but someone sitting cross-legged on a throne, looking down on him — Cicia.

"Are you very interested in this?"

Angel: "I think what the Sovereign wants to ask is, why am I interested in this, right? The answer is simple, I’ve seen the emblem of the snake entwined spike elsewhere."

Angel’s explanation, not to mention the Wise Sovereign disbelief, would likely be met with skepticism by anyone present if voiced.

Nevertheless, Angel’s explanation revealed some information: he was unwilling to discuss the snake entwined spike with anyone else, not even the Wise Sovereign.

The Wise Sovereign did not expose the evident falsehood, instead contemplating briefly before saying: "Naraku City conducted numerous experiments back then. I cannot tell you about the core experiments, but I can select a few to speak of."

Seeing Angel furrow his brows, the Wise Sovereign added: "Rest assured, the few experiments I mention will indeed be related to the snake entwined spike."

Upon hearing this, Angel somewhat relaxed, but a new doubt arose: "Are the core experiments related to the snake entwined spike?"

The Wise Sovereign gently shook his head: "Whether they are related or not, I cannot tell you. That was settled in the contracts with various Sovereigns thousands of years ago, preventing the dissemination of such experimental details."

Angel could only nod.

"As for the matter of the snake entwined spike, I can certainly inform you. But for things I cannot divulge, I will have to avoid them."

The Wise Sovereign didn’t have to mention the last part, but by saying it, he implicitly reminded Angel that the snake entwined spike is probably really connected to Naraku City’s core experiments.

"Additionally, you mentioned that anything related to the snake entwined spike — this is quite broad. Are you sure you don’t want to narrow it down somewhat?"

Angel was silent for a moment before saying: "Anything associated with the snake entwined spike and... the Baiyuanians."

The Wise Sovereign squinted slightly, internally muttering: As expected.

Previously, he was puzzled about why Angel suddenly brought up the snake entwined spike — it’s just a symbol on experimental equipment, akin to a brand in essence. It might not hold any substantial meaning.

But if tied to the Baiyuanians, that’s a different story.

It’s worth noting that the snake entwined spike itself originated from the Baiyuanian clan.

Angel’s inquiry into the Baiyuanians — is it out of personal curiosity? Or is Cicia influencing from behind? Furthermore, is investigating the Baiyuanians and Naraku City’s experiments perhaps the reason Angel has come to the Underground Aqueduct this time?

The Wise Sovereign closed his eyes in contemplation for a moment, temporarily shelving his doubts, then nodded to Angel: "Alright."

Angel: "Then let’s formalize the contract."

The Wise Sovereign chuckled, manipulating the energy to inscribe the words "information intelligence" in the reward section of the True Words Tome contract.

Then, the Wise Sovereign took the lead and engraved his energy onto the contract.

The contract in the True Words Tome records the energy you release, offering a stronger bind than mere name constraints.

Angel watched as the Wise Sovereign had already signed the contract; he hesitated for a moment before extending his hand.

Still... the right hand.