Chapter 1256: Section 1257: Night Seraphine
In the end, each of the three apprentices had given Angel five Magic Crystals through Bone Card transactions.
The five Magic Crystals were actually a symbolic fee charged by Angel. Considering the value of the Sea Rhythm, it could have been higher.
However, during the transaction, they were still somewhat reluctant to part with them.
All three of them had been brought halfway by Mentor Knight Vila, who had simply mentioned there would be benefits for them. They had previously thought it was a chance to make money, but they ended up having to spend instead.
Fortunately, it was only five Magic Crystals. If it were like the Mentor had said before, by initiating a forced task and having Angel conscript them, then it would be troublesome. Who knew if Angel would harm them? Although they had heard of Angel and were very much looking forward to getting on good terms with him, that didn’t mean they were willing to put themselves in jeopardy.
Thankfully, Angel was more understanding and amiable than the Mentor.
...
Even so, they still felt somewhat indignant. They already knew what the Mentor had brought them here to do… just to help test the effects of Angel’s alchemy work, and they had to pay for it too?
Feeling aggrieved but not daring to voice it in front of Knight Vila, they could only exchange sorrowful glances with each other in secret.
The small gestures of the three were not hidden from Knight Vila, whose face turned somewhat ugly. Although she said nothing, she cursed inwardly: These fools, had I known they were this stupid, I wouldn’t have brought them along!
If it hadn’t been for the chance sight of Sanders that reminded her of Angel—a topic of much discussion in the core circle recently—and the scene in the Spirit Tree Hall that had attracted her curious gaze, she wouldn’t be here.
Knight Vila, recalling the significant improvement that “Sea Rhythm” had brought to the ocean lineage Apprentice named Duru recently, became somewhat restless. She had no need for it personally, but her disciples greatly needed it, especially since the Barbarian Cave lacked the ocean lineage inheritance, making it difficult to train with the water system techniques. This was a rare opportunity, and she had gone to great lengths to bring these three fools here, yet they failed to grasp her intentions.
Knight Vila’s expression was cold, and she felt like turning around and leaving right then and there.
Fortunately, at this moment Angel said, “Now that everyone has paid a price, shall we begin?”
The Tree Spirit nodded, and Knight Vila’s expression softened slightly as she faced Angel, offering him a slight, apologetic smile.
For Angel, it was no big deal. He could see the reluctance in the hearts of the three apprentices, but since they had not opposed him on the spot nor made him feel embarrassed, he thought it was not much of an issue.
Angel addressed everyone, “Just relax. Next, you’ll embark on a quite different journey. Whether or not you gain anything from this experiential journey, I can assure you, it will at least do you no harm.”
With Angel’s words, the gazes around him gradually became peaceful and calm.
Even Knight Vila’s three apprentices put away their aggrieved expressions, exuding calmness from within.
This scene made Knight Vila raise an eyebrow.
It was neither a soothing spell nor a psychic synchronization. Angel had simply used a simple Illusion Technique, adjusting his tone subtly, like water seeping into every crevice, soothing the restless emotions of everyone and calming them without them realizing it.
This display of Illusion Technique may appear light and unremarkable at first, but the subtleties showed a solid foundation.
Knight Vila did not doubt Angel’s Alchemy, which even Rhein had praised and the core circle of the Barbarian Cave had agreed upon as a significant skill. However, she hadn’t expected that Angel, while juggling Alchemy, was also so adept in Illusion Technique.
While inwardly admiring Angel, Knight Vila couldn’t help but look at her three apprentices again and shake her head.
Previously, she felt that although her apprentices couldn’t match Angel in Alchemy, they were probably superior in strength. Now it seemed, all three combined might not even be able to defeat Angel.
All these years truly gone to the dogs.
The three apprentices were unaware that their Mentor was internally ranting about them. Right now, they just felt very comfortable, as if everything had calmed down. As Angel announced “the journey begins,” the surrounding Water Element surged, gently comforting them, and they felt as though they were being carried to a vast blue ocean…
When the blue light shone, all the apprentices, including two newcomers, started their experiential journey.
Knight Vila took this opportunity to once again thank Angel, her thanks containing more of an apology for her apprentice’s lack of respect.
When Rhein had brought Angel into the core circle, the collective of Wizards had already come to a consensus: there was no need to oppose Angel. Maintaining a friendly relation with a Talented Alchemist was undeniably the best choice.
Knight Vila did not want to spoil the connection with Angel because of her apprentices.
If Angel were a mature and experienced Wizard, Knight Vila would not have to worry, but Angel was still quite young, someone who detested evil and was hot-blooded. Therefore, Knight Vila treated him cautiously.
However, Knight Vila was overthinking it. Although Angel was young, he had been tutored by Jon since childhood, and from a young age, he held standards of his own for judgment, which were not necessarily perfect but definitely showed more foresight than his peers.
After exchanging a few words with Angel and making sure there were no hard feelings in his heart, Knight Vila felt more at ease and refrained from saying more. The atmosphere on site turned towards tranquility, and the only thing that could be heard was the calm breathing of the participants on their experiential journey.
“By the way, Spirit Tree Hall master. How are those Talented Ones I brought back last time doing?” Angel broke the silence with his question.
Angel wasn’t too worried about Duru; although he had a bit of a Holy Mother complex, the subsequent experiences, including losing an ear, had begun to change him.
He was mainly worried about Feng Man and Gu Yina, or to be more precise, just Gu Yina.
He did not like Feng Man and Gu Yina in his heart because they were basically dark from the inside out. However, considering the environment they lived in and their past humble pleas, Angel could understand them.
Gu Yina, compared to Feng Man, was even more ruthless at heart, but Gu Yina was now only a seven- or eight-year-old girl, lacking limbs, and even her mouth had been sewn shut. It was precisely because of the shortcomings of her body that Angel couldn’t help but worry.
After all, he had led her here, and there was at least a touch of affection between them.
The Spirit Tree’s answer was just as Angel had expected. Duru was doing fairly well, and his ocean Talent was very strong; he had adapted to life in the Barbarian Cave. But when it came to Feng Man and Gu Yina, the Spirit Tree sighed.
“You don’t need to worry about those two either. It’s already quite good that they aren’t bullying others. Gu Yina, that child, in the future, probably has the ability to stir up storms that won’t be lost to Flora,” the Spirit Tree remarked.
Knowing that their current situation was not bad, Angel also let out a sigh of relief and didn’t continue to inquire further.
They would live their own lives in their own ways, he thought.
While they were conversing, a minute had passed.
At a minute and a half, one of Knight Vila’s Apprentices awoke. Barely awake, he couldn’t help feeling overjoyed and wanted to report his gains to his Mentor. However, Knight Vila cast a silence spell to prevent him from disturbing others. He had to suppress his glee and gave Angel a look of thanks and admiration, then dove into self-cultivation.
Knight Vila had heard before that the longer one stayed in the rhythm of the ocean, the greater the benefits obtained. She had assumed that the two newcomers would wake up first, but unexpectedly, her own Apprentice was the first to awaken.
A Second Level Apprentice, still not as quick as the uninitiated!
Knight Vila was already feeling a bit uncomfortable because of their attitude earlier, and now she was even more annoyed.
The second one to wake up was Arthur. He was momentarily disoriented since he hadn’t yet been initiated and didn’t know what he had gained, so he was somewhat confused. Nevertheless, as he had learned knightly manners, after coming to his senses, he didn’t bother others, but gave Angel a bow and then stood aside, silently watching his dear friend Merlin.
The third to wake up was also one of Knight Vila’s Apprentices, showing the same ecstatic expression: from the unwillingness and sorrow of a few minutes ago to pure elation now!
Arthur, observing their expressions, gradually understood the benefits this event had brought them, and his gaze towards Angel grew even more reverent.
Since two Apprentices had woken up later than a newcomer, Knight Vila’s face grew even more unpleasant.
Now, those still immersed in the experience were Merlin and the only female Apprentice Knight Vila had brought.
Everyone was curious about who would wake up first, everyone except Angel.
Angel knew very well that waking up earlier or later did indicate the amount of gain, but it did not represent potential. After all, when Angel himself first entered, he couldn’t even last a minute.
Luck was the most important thing since the storms at sea were variable—if you encountered a storm as soon as you entered, that was just bad luck.
Of course, willpower was also part of it.
Four minutes had already passed, which was a remarkably good time limit. To have held on until now was partly luck, but willpower was indispensable as well.
This made Angel look at Merlin with a bit more admiration.
Previously, Merlin seemed much weaker than Arthur, but Angel hadn’t expected Merlin to hold on for so long.
Eventually, Merlin awoke first, which improved Knight Vila’s mood somewhat. However, only a few seconds after Merlin woke up, the female Apprentice also awakened, and generally speaking, the time they woke up was about the same.
With everyone awake, it was time to see what they had gained.
What pleased Knight Vila was that all three of her Apprentices had made significant progress, especially the female Apprentice, who had been recently delving into the original healing tricks of the Water System. Yet, as she was cross-discipline training, her progress was slow, and she had been stuck for a long time. After this experiential journey, although she couldn’t say she had immediately figured it out, she felt her gains were tremendous.
From the gains of the Apprentices, Knight Vila finally saw for herself just how impressive the Alchemy piece ranked within the top three of the ocean lineage as described by Archmage Rhein.
“Since you’ve all had such good gains, shouldn’t you thank Angel?” Knight Vila hinted with her eyes, hoping her Apprentices would get along well with Angel, the creator, after witnessing the strength of the ocean’s rhythm.
The Apprentices couldn’t help but turn their gaze towards Angel. Their eyes, once full of impatience and frustration, now looked at Angel with gratitude. They stepped forward to express their thanks.
Angel accepted their thanks with neutrality.
As for the gains of Merlin and Arthur, it was still not apparent, but Merlin was visibly excited, his emotions fluctuating greatly, muttering thanks repeatedly.
It was later revealed by Merlin himself that during the experiential trip, he finally saw the light again. His desire to see more allowed him to endure for so long, which was the reason for his excitement.