Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 2742: Chapter 2743: Shadow Ghost

Gray Merchant looked pleased: "Really? Does Mr. Earl Mi really have a way?"

Angel nodded.

Gray Merchant: "If Mr. Earl Mi can really retrieve my memory, all the conditions I proposed before will take effect, and I will swear in my personal capacity to owe you a favor."

Just as Angel was about to speak, the Wise Sovereign in midair interrupted: "Any demands, discuss them after the duel ends. Now, each of you has five minutes to adjust and prepare for the upcoming duel."

The duel between Official Wizards had ended. The next duel would take place among the apprentices.

Gray Merchant opened his mouth, wanting to say that if Earl Mi could really release his memory, there might be no need for the upcoming duel.

But in the end, Gray Merchant remained silent because this duel was not just about his personal memory; it also determined whether they could continue exploring the Underground Aqueduct.

Even though both Gray Merchant and the Shrew, as Official Wizards, could no longer continue, if the apprentice won the duel, at least the apprentice would have the opportunity to delve deeper.

Moreover, this could very well be their only chance to explore deeper into the Underground Aqueduct.

They had encountered powerful Mirror Bearers and presiding judges in black robes standing at the pinnacle of the Wizards’ Realm, as well as a Black Earl’s avatar. Without any unexpected incidents, The Garden Labyrinth is likely to become a scene of chaos in the future.

Originally, the Gumman Kingdom was already teetering on the brink of chaos, and now a group of concealed experts hidden in the Underground Aqueduct appeared, further escalating the turmoil.

What the future holds, Gray Merchant did not know. But it was clear that after this, the Birlos Family should no longer harbor any extravagant hopes for The Garden Labyrinth. The so-called Merchant Organization is likely at its end as well.

But the future is to be discussed later. Right now, he is still a Traveling Merchant, one of the three responsible for clearing the Magical Creatures from the Underground Aqueduct and searching for secrets. As long as he holds the position, he will fulfill his duties.

Also, for Gray Merchant, most of his life was closely tied to the Underground Aqueduct, and his most important memory occurred there. Therefore, more than anyone else, Gray Merchant wanted to explore the unknown secrets of the Underground Aqueduct.

He did not want to give up on this opportunity. Even though he himself had lost the qualifications to explore, the apprentice he brought might still have a chance.

Thinking of this, the phrase "no need for the duel" in Gray Merchant’s throat was swallowed back down.

Gray Merchant cast an apologetic glance at Angel’s group, expressing his determination to continue with the duel.

Angel and the others didn’t mind; completing the duel was better than abruptly stopping midway. Besides, they also had supporters for continuing the duel—Black Earl.

As for the reason, just look at Vay’s rolling eyes to know why.

Once both sides reached a consensus, they entered the "preparation" stage.

But in fact, neither side did much in the way of preparation during this so-called preparation stage.

The only thing Black Earl’s side did was remove the Birdcage, giving the Shrew her freedom.

And on Gray Merchant’s side, with Powder Jasmine silenced, no one spoke. The apprentices merely exchanged glances, seemingly forming a tactic through their mutual understanding, showing their high level of coordination from regular practice.

Time slowly passed... during this time, Vay occasionally glanced at Black Earl, as if wanting to say something, but in the end, he remained disheartened.

Vay really didn’t want to fight, and if he had to, he hoped for some support... like support from Lord Chaowei.

But his lord seemed disinclined to let him employ extraordinary methods, which made Vay feel quite troubled.

Finally, the Wise Sovereign announced that the time for both sides to prepare had ended.

"Go on, at least your lord won’t leave you to die. Moreover, you should have some real combat experience. The last time I saw you fight was... decades ago?" Dox patted Vay’s shoulder, his words comforting, but his expression revealed a hint of schadenfreude.

Vay shrugged off Dox’s hand with a cold snort: "Don’t get too proud. Don’t forget, you were my defeated opponent back then. I still have the evidence of your loss. Do you want me to show it to everyone?"

Dox’s eyes widened suddenly: "You recorded it with the Photostone back then?"

Vay hummed twice: "Worthwhile commemorations should be preserved for a long time to revisit occasionally."

Dox pointed at Vay, his hands trembling slightly, his cheeks flushed red. But in the end, Dox said nothing, swallowing down his indignation.

Dox’s reaction piqued everyone’s curiosity about the Photostone in Vay’s possession... It seemed Dox had some dirt being held by Vay?

Though Vay had gained the upper hand in his dialogue with Dox, it didn’t bring him much comfort.

He still had to go on stage after all!

Vay sighed heavily, slowly walking onto the arena. This short path was filled with such a dismal atmosphere by him, as if it was his last walk of life and death to the execution platform.

And as Vay stepped onto the stage, not only was the atmosphere set, but it also left Gray Merchant’s group full of surprise.

Gray Merchant’s group had planned to step up first. After all, they had four apprentices on their side compared to the two on the other. With such an advantage, if they insisted on going up second, it would be rather ungracious.

So they were prepared to step up once the Wise Sovereign made the announcement. But they didn’t expect that before any announcements were made, the other side went up first.

Though uncertain about the name of the apprentice who stepped up from the opposite side, the fact that the Mirror turned red earlier indicated they were facing a Noah descendant.

"It’s your turn now." The Wise Sovereign glanced at the downcast Vay and then turned his gaze towards Gray Merchant’s side.

Gray Merchant and the Shrew exchanged a knowing glance and wisely chose not to say anything. With Vay already on stage, their keen eyes naturally assessed Vay’s strengths and weaknesses. Offering guidance would mean taking advantage of the other side, so it was better for the four apprentices to decide among themselves.

Among the apprentices, it was previously decided that the Magic Elephant would go up first. This was because the Magic Elephant had a battlefield advantage against any opponent.

But now, their focus was on the Noah descendant, someone they were particularly interested in. This required a new tactic.

Daring to step on stage first, despite showing an appearance of "unwillingness to fight", meant the Noah descendant undoubtedly possessed considerable strength.

Backed by a prestigious family, he likely carried powerful offensive items and ample Alchemical Potions, none of which were barred from use in the duel.

So, sending up the Magic Elephant, who was best at frontal combat, could lead to a disadvantage.

The four apprentices exchanged glances once more, eventually focusing on the apprentice with the lowest presence among them.

...

The first duel among the apprentices was Vay versus the Ghostly Shadows.

Previously, when the Wise Sovereign introduced the Grey Merchant’s party, he focused on the Wicked Woman and the Grey Merchant, mentioning only briefly the general affiliations of the four apprentices. Mainly because apprentices don’t have much that merits close attention.

Ghostly Shadows, there’s no need for the Wise Sovereign to elaborate; from his nickname, it’s clear that he’s a Shadow Series apprentice.

Dispatching a Shadow Series apprentice is not particularly unexpected.

On their side, there are two apprentices, Kaier and Vay. Kaier’s demeanor is unmistakably that of the Academy Faction, and the Practical Faction has always looked down on the combat capabilities of the Academy Faction, so Kaier is certainly disregarded. As for Vay, he has the characteristic of the mirror turning red, already verified as a descendant of the Noah Clan, which surely makes the opposing side very attentive.

In such circumstances, deploying a Shadow Series apprentice—a type with strong survival capabilities and a style leaning towards scouting—is actually a good choice. With the abilities of the Shadow Series, they can engage in prolonged battles completely.

The longer the combat duration, the more it can expose the abilities of the opponent.

Even if Ghostly Shadows ultimately loses, he still probes most of Vay’s abilities, benefiting the next competitor to deliver a targeted attack.

To avoid this situation, the only way is to seize the opportunity and swiftly and decisively eliminate Ghostly Shadows.

However, Angel thought carefully that Vay is an Earth Element apprentice, and the Earth Element within the Elemental Side excels in material layer confrontation. In contrast, the Shadow Series tends toward energy, making it uneasy if Vay faces off against Ghostly Shadows.

This is likely the opposing side’s strategy.

"Oh-ho-ho~ Being targeted, aren’t we~" Dox’s laughter was somewhat arrogant, prompting Vay on the arena to involuntarily turn back and glare at him.

Kaier also muttered within the Mind Ribbon, "Perhaps, I should have gone first..."

Within the Mysterious Side, the Space Series belongs to the strong series, capable of countering the Material Realm and disrupting the energy realm, essentially immune to constraints. This is why, when most wizards choose cross-series cultivation, the Space Series invariably appears on the list.

If Kaier faced Ghostly Shadows, the latter wouldn’t dare to prolong the fight, necessitating a swift resolution. Otherwise, Kaier could compress Ghostly Shadows’ movement space by continuously creating spatial fractures around him. If he directly created a fracture on Ghostly Shadows’ body, Ghostly Shadows would have no choice but to surrender immediately to stay alive.

Therefore, delaying the fight with Kaier is fundamentally impossible. The longer the delay, the smaller the advantage.

This is the reason for Kaier’s current lament.

"Even if you entered, the opposing side might not necessarily choose Ghostly Shadows. Perhaps you’ll face the Magic Elephant." Dox added from the side.

The Magic Elephant is a Bloodline Apprentice, evident from the purity of the blood aura it emits, indicating his future path aligns with the Blood Origin, like the Grey Merchant.

The Bloodline Apprentice balances long-term engagement with potentially rapid explosive outcomes, achieving swift victory. A Bloodline Apprentice of the Practical Faction like the Magic Elephant makes things tough for an Academy Faction member like Kaier without extraordinary measures.

Kaier considered, acknowledging Dox’s point, however...

"Then there’s actually no need for Vay to go first. If they take the initial move, we can determine whether I should go first or if Vay should engage."

Dox: "Well..."

Dox paused momentarily, glancing at the hovering Black Earl. Whether Vay goes first or later is surely Black Earl’s decision, thus Kaier’s question should be answered by Black Earl.

However, Black Earl seemed disinclined to respond, prompting Dox to ponder for a moment, then said, "When you explore the ruins and become embroiled in a skirmish, do you intend to ask the opposing side to accommodate you, preferably those countering your attributes?"

"Moreover, even if it’s not a sudden skirmish, in the Sky Tower competitions, you can’t predict the opposing forces you’ll face, whether it’s countering them or being countered."

Kaier: "Though that’s true, but..."

Dox signaled "hush" and continued, "Enough with the buts. Consider Vay’s identity a bit more deeply."

Although Dox lowered his voice, within the Mind Ribbon it had no significance.

"The opponent represents the Birlos Family’s minions, whereas Vay is an esteemed descendant of the Noah Family. Among Wizard Families, winning isn’t the sole prize in view, just this point demands navigating greater complexities."

Certainly, these words are speculations by Dox. Yet, they’re not entirely unjustified. Having adventured with Vay previously, Vay often complained about how, at certain times, family background not only fails to serve as a positive attribute but becomes a substantial burden instead.

Wizard Families and Witcher Organizations ultimately differ greatly. Families face collective gain or loss, sharing the sentiments of glory or dishonor, thus valuing reputation heavily—a notion even the elite Noah Clan finds difficult to shake.

This doesn’t imply Witcher Organizations neglect reputation; it’s just that intra-organizational factions are numerous, and conflicting interests around resource allocation often lead to internal strife among factions. Occasionally, external reputation dilemmas emanate from schemes of rival factions within the organization, where mutual denunciations make reputation inadvertently an edge concern. It’s not unimportant, just... lacks the imagined significance.

Based on this understanding, Dox formed his conjecture.

Because Black Earl evaded refuting, one could perceive he wasn’t outright wrong. Perhaps it’s not the most correct answer; it may be Black Earl intends to enhance Vay’s crisis management skills, but family burdens seemingly contribute partly to this decision.

Kaier listened intently, baffled by how Wizard Family dynamics contained such intricacies.

Angel understands relatively better though. Bringing Wizard Families into the context of traditional noble relations, Dox’s statement becomes plausible.

...

While they engaged in secret chitchat, the battle on the arena had commenced.

As they conjectured, the opposing side dispatched Ghostly Shadows, who aside from making a brief appearance, was identified as a man wearing a pitch-black mask before vanishing into the ground shadows like Earl Mi.

However, Ghostly Shadows is merely an apprentice, far from Earl Mi’s league.

Earl Mi can navigate within shadows or transform into a Shadow Giant to fight directly even without shadows. But Ghostly Shadows differ; his abilities solely function through utilizing shadows, while the arena is brightly illuminated with no architectural elements to cast shadows—Vay produces the only shadow.

Ghostly Shadows couldn’t brazenly delve into Vay’s shadow at the outset, which is suicidal.

Thus, to generate shadows locally, Ghostly Shadows formed a cloud of mist over the arena before disappearing. He used the mist’s shade for shelter.

This mist differs from the Illusion Technique utilized by Angel; it’s a common trick in the Shadow Series known as the Mist Technique.

Though bearing a similar name, most Shadow Series apprentices—or precisely all who’ve employed Mist Technique—demonstrate varying origins of the technique.

Some use bespoke materials, others create energy mist from trick combinations, some manipulate light and shadow for illusions, and others employ alchemy tools...

Due to the diverse sources of Mist Technique, cracking its mystery necessitates robust foundational knowledge and sharp perception.

For Vay to prevail over Ghostly Shadows, his foremost task is unraveling the Mist Technique, leaving the opponent shadowless to hide.

Staring at the dense white mist overhead, Vay’s mind rapidly churned...