Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 3139: Chapter 3140: Alchemy Forbidden Zone

As for whether Sterling would offer conditions other than points, Angel currently doesn’t know.

However, if Portia really proposed exchanging the knowledge of Life Transformation Magic Pattern with him, he could only go and ask Sterling...

Yes, he plans to ask in his own name.

As for the price to be paid, it will definitely be him who pays it.

After all, when Lord Kanter responded to his "call for help" in the Sea of Mist, this friendship is something Angel definitely needs to repay.

"If I need to find Sterling later, I wonder if I can ask Antonio to help contact him." Angel looked at Antonio.

Antonio nodded: "Of course, I believe Mr. Sterling will definitely agree to meet."

This isn’t just Antonio boasting. In the past few hundred years, as long as it’s a member of the Research and Development Institute looking for Sterling, he has never refused.

How can plucking the wool from other wizards compare to plucking the wool from the Institute’s members?

So, if Sterling knows Angel is looking for him, he will definitely agree to meet.

Angel: "Then it’s trouble for you."

Antonio placed his hand on his chest and bowed: "No need to be polite, serving the members of the R&D is my duty."

Angel thanked Midora again, as this suggestion of his currently looks the most feasible. Indeed, when it comes to the Institute’s matters, looking for Midora is definitely not wrong.

Midora smiled and said: "Do you need me to back you up when you meet with Portia next?"

He said he would back him up, but in reality, he would be there to support.

Moreover, if Midora is present, Portia is unlikely to mention anything about Life Alchemy.

This sounds like a good thing, but Midora being present might also make Portia suspicious. - Those who secretly do bad things are often more sensitive than others.

Although what Portia does hasn’t been completely banned, in the eyes of the general public, it’s still taboo.

Otherwise, Portia wouldn’t have to go and do it secretly.

So, after thinking about it, Angel still refused Midora’s support.

He plans to have a direct chat with Portia.

If there’s really no room for negotiation with Portia, it’s fine as he has already received information from Sterling and can take another route.

Seeing Angel insist on meeting Portia alone, Midora did not persuade him otherwise. As long as Angel doesn’t support Portia’s involvement in the Alchemy Forbidden Zone, there’s no big deal about meeting Portia alone.

Midora even faintly felt a bit regretful; were it not for Angel’s young age, he would have considered matchmaking him with Portia, hoping that the nourishment of love might gradually loosen Portia’s longing for Life Alchemy?

However, on further thought, although matching Angel with Portia wouldn’t be appropriate, other methods might be tried to subtly deter Portia.

Although his behind-the-scenes tactics weren’t as good as Dean Muse’s, he could still give it a try.

While pondering ways to deal with Portia, Midora bid farewell to Angel and temporarily left the Signal Tower.

He didn’t leave immediately but stayed in a nearby alchemy shop he frequented, planning to contact Angel again after Portia left to see how far Portia has ventured on the path of the Alchemy Forbidden Zone.

After Midora left, Antonio also left. However, before leaving, Antonio helped contact Portia.

It just so happens that Portia is in Fantasy Mechanical City and it won’t take much time for her to come to the Signal Tower.

Angel looked at the empty Light Screen opposite, silently waiting for Portia’s arrival.

...

During the wait, Olao looked curiously at Angel: "May I ask you a question?"

In their previous conversation, Olao heard many things that puzzled him, but he didn’t want to interrupt and could only hold back until now to find an opportunity to ask.

Angel glanced at Olao, didn’t answer immediately but first turned off the "call" function of the Light Screen to prevent their conversation from transmitting to the other side.

After doing all this, Angel nodded: "Go ahead."

Olao immediately leaned closer to Angel, bent down, and asked: "Just now, I heard you say that Life Alchemy is an Alchemy Forbidden Zone?"

"Sort of." Angel said as he stepped back a bit, looking up at Olao: "You’d better stay a bit farther from me, I’m not used to someone looking down at my head while talking..."

Standing three meters tall, even as Olao bent, he still overlooked him.

Earlier, when they stood at some distance, the awkwardness wasn’t noticeable, but now, in the room, it became apparent.

Olao adjusted his hat and obediently stepped back a few paces.

Olao: "Why is Life Alchemy an Alchemy Forbidden Zone?"

Angel looked at Olao with curiosity: "Are you very interested in this question?"

Olao scratched his hair under the brim of his hat: "Not particularly interested... It’s just that I remember Miss Margaret was seeking the methods of Life Alchemy for a time, and everyone in Naraku City knew about it."

Precisely because he knew about this, Olao was puzzled: thousands of years ago, Margaret could openly seek the methods of Life Alchemy, but how did it become an Alchemy Forbidden Zone now?

Upon hearing Olao’s words, Angel was also stunned for a moment: "Margaret seeking Life Alchemy methods? Are you sure you didn’t mistake it for Biological Alchemy?"

Biological Alchemy and Life Alchemy are quite different.

Although Biological Alchemy sounds somewhat terrifying, it’s actually a discipline with meticulously rigorous academic closure. But Life Alchemy is different, as it touches upon the Taboo Laws of the world’s most foundational logic.

Biological Alchemy focuses on modification, while Life Alchemy emphasizes... creation.

In the words of some religious fanatics—the creation of life belongs to the "domain of gods," and it’s treacherous for humans to touch it.

Of course, wizards don’t believe in gods, but based on countless experiences of predecessors, it’s basically certain that the creation of sentient life inevitably touches deep laws, and everything related to those is strictly forbidden.

Because of its absolute prohibition, Toby’s birth remains an unreplicable miracle to this day.

However—

An absolute prohibition doesn’t mean wizards dare not touch it.

Wizards are seekers of truth, a group that can go headlong into danger for it, like moths to a flame.

Only, to touch the absolute prohibition, two conditions are necessary, which are the "thresholds of qualification."

Either you are powerful enough to withstand countless dangers of deep laws, or the breadth of your knowledge is sufficient to dissect the secrets of deep laws.

If neither of these two conditions are met, touching the absolute taboo usually leads to bad outcomes.

Death, madness, mutation, or even disappearing without a trace... these are all consequences of touching the taboo.

Initially, Ivor vanished quietly. Although later found unintentionally by Angel, confirming he had lost all his memories and turned into an "NPC" within some chaotic thing, one must admit, this outcome isn’t particularly favorable either.

Precisely because the Research and Development Institute knows the horror of the absolute taboo, it repeatedly warns members not to get involved.

However, what isn’t explicitly prohibited seems allowed.

Some genius wizards, finding it hard to see their path forward, often opt for alternatives.

Whether it was Ivor Schubert back then or Portia now, it’s the same.

As Angel’s thoughts shifted, Olao pondered for a moment, saying: "I’m quite sure it’s not Biological Alchemy, it’s Life Alchemy."

Angel was momentarily surprised but soon calmed down.

The answer was unexpected... but logical.

Olao: "Hasn’t the Alchemy Circle shown deviation over millennia?"

Angel thought for a bit and replied: "The trajectory of research and development hasn’t deviated from a thousand years ago to now. However, the overall context is somewhat different."

"A thousand years ago, the Southern Domain hadn’t severed passage with the other three Wizards’ Realms, there were ways directly to the Origin World, and many Legendary Wizards emerged." Angel paused: "Even Miracle Wizards occasionally appeared in the Southern Domain."

"In such a grand background, Life Alchemy is a challenge, but not an absolute taboo."

Having Legendary Wizards or not is a completely different situation. Legendary Wizards represent mighty power and immensely deep knowledge bases.

And the entry threshold for exploring Life Alchemy is precisely: mighty power as the sail, knowledge as the path mark.

With such conditions, exploring Life Alchemy naturally doesn’t become an absolute taboo. At most, it’s... an ordinary taboo, advising people not to enter, but if you do, no one will stop you.

After Angel’s explanation, Olao seemed to understand something: "I see, so now the Alchemy Circle isn’t as good as it was?"

Angel: "Different environments lead to naturally different developments."

Angel’s words sounded quite official, but what he truly sought to convey, he had already expressed: "Environment" and "Development."

Environment naturally refers to the grand background. And development... since it’s development, it means moving forward a big step, whether that step is right or wrong, at least it progressed.

Angel doesn’t exalt the past nor belittle the present, Jon’s enlightening teaching gave him a more reasonable mind.

Comparing good and bad holds no significance; it’s merely a different template for the unfolding of civilization.

He once chatted with Frost and learned many secrets, such as even the other three Wizards’ Realms, not severing connections with the Origin World, had failed to tread any notable path in alchemy.

Therefore, the existence or lack of Life Alchemy isn’t the standard for judging the quality of the Alchemy Circle.

Even in the Origin World, Life Alchemy remains a field explored by very few, it’s truly a domain for geniuses.

"More than this, I’m actually more curious about how far Margaret has progressed on the path of Life Alchemy?" Angel looked at Olao.

Olao: "I don’t know about that. However, as far as I know, before Margaret met with an accident in Naraku City, she hadn’t found the method for Life Alchemy."

Angel frowned: "She hasn’t found it? The magical energy array for material-to-life conversion, she hasn’t found it?"

The Margaret from millennia ago was an Enchantment Alchemist, Angel can confirm this. The various alchemy books he found in Margaret’s boudoir in Nightmare Abyss City attest to this conclusion.

And knowing Margaret was an Enchantment Alchemist back then, Angel also understands the Life Alchemy she sought must be the magical energy array for material-to-life conversion.

——This is the same thing Portia hopes Angel will help find, but Portia doesn’t know of the magical energy array’s existence; she asked Angel to help find related magic patterns rather than the magical energy array.

"I am sure, Miss Margaret did not find it." Olao reaffirmed.

His words left Angel deep in thought.

Because, in the alchemy books Angel found in Nightmare Abyss City, related magical energy arrays were recorded... more than one, in fact.

Angel knows that after the Nightmare Realm reflects reality, many things undergo astonishing changes.

For instance, the Wise Sovereign of Nightmare Abyss City is merely a greedy Triclops Blue Demon devoid of intelligence.

Again, for instance, the Qingkong Poetry Room in reality is where Augustine met with Margaret; yet in Nightmare Realm, the Qingkong Poetry Room is terrifyingly mutated! Based on Augustine’s own account, he once went to Nightmare Abyss City, but didn’t dare enter the Qingkong Poetry Room, not even dare approach, a glimpse into its nature.

Although the Nightmare Realm reflects reality, it far surpasses reality.

Angel knows matter and life in the Nightmare Realm undergo horrifying twists, but what he didn’t anticipate was that even knowledge... could mutate.

Margaret hadn’t found the method for Life Alchemy, but in the "Alchemy Fundamentals" Angel found in the Nightmare Realm, related magical energy arrays were documented.

And this was merely alchemy "fundamentals."

It’s worth noting, the knowledge Angel remembers isn’t limited to "Alchemy Fundamentals"!

The more he understands about the Nightmare Realm, the more Angel feels estranged from it... the mighty power that reflects and twists reality, where does it originate from?

Angel even speculated, could the Nightmare Realm be "mystery" itself?

After all, such completely illogical power, Angel has only ever seen in mysterious objects.

Yet, for an entire Nightmare Realm to embody mystery, that evidently seems unlikely...

Angel pondered for a long time without arriving at a reasonable explanation, so he shook his head, discarding all these cumbersome thoughts.

Currently, he is merely a small wizard, thinking about worlds far beyond his position would only invite ridicule from others.

Moreover, knowledge of high position carries high position traps.

The best approach is simply not to think, to avoid falling into pitfalls.

After Angel abandoned contemplating the Nightmare Realm’s questions, a few more minutes passed before the image on the light screen suddenly jiggled a bit.

A witch wearing a witch flower headscarf appeared on the screen.

The scarf is thin, allowing a clear view of the witch’s smile beneath the mesh.

"Little brother Angel, we meet again."

A familiar aura, a familiar address.

Unquestionably, the arrival is Portia.