Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 1058: Section 1059 Fate Guidance
 

The old man walked along, touching the freshly piled gravestones with his ancient cane. As the cane probed, faint phantom shadows began to emerge from beneath the soil.

Sanders was familiar with the actions of this old man.

——Spirit Summoning, using a staff to awaken the slumbering souls.

Does this mean that the old man is a soul spellcaster?

Rhein approached the stooped figure, who seemed to be an old friend. They stood in front of a newly erected grave, discussing something. After a while, Rhein led the stooped elder toward Sanders.

“Belus was an old acquaintance of mine,” Rhein said with a touch of nostalgia, sighing, “It’s been a millennium since we’ve met, and I’ve had no word of him. I hadn’t expected to encounter him here, before heading into the Abyss.”

The stooped old man, who was Belus, bowed slightly to Sanders and said, “Illusion Demon, Your Excellency.”

An old acquaintance of Rhein’s from a thousand years ago, his prowess now was even less than the later-coming Sanders’s, appearing to be merely a Second Level Wizard without having trodden the path to True Knowledge. Even though his age might far surpass Sanders’s, he still addressed Sanders respectfully as “Your Excellency.”

Sanders nodded to Belus, then looked at Rhein with some confusion. He wondered why Rhein suddenly brought him to meet a soul spellcaster.

Rhein’s mouth moved slightly, and Sanders sensed a message wrapped in an energy circle in his ear. The energy circle wasn’t dispelled until Sanders had received the message fully.

This was Rhein’s method of transmitting messages, one that, for now, no wizard could intercept or decipher.

In an instant, Sanders had read through all the information Rhein transmitted. Rhein had shared all of Belus’s details with Sanders, clarifying Rhein’s intentions.

Belus might seem only a soul spellcaster, but in truth, he was a wizard with a double talent in magic. Not only did he possess a talent in the Soul Sect, but he also had an even rarer talent from the Prophecy Sect.

According to the information from Rhein, Belus’s rise and fall were both due to his dual talents. His initial advancement was rapid because of his dual talents, and prophecy allowed him to acquire vast resources preemptively, swiftly becoming a Transcendent Wizard.

However, due to these same talents, his path was constrained. Filled with confidence, Belus sought to advance both talents concurrently to True Knowledge, and the result was an unambiguous failure. His indecision led to wasted years thereafter.

Rhein had advised Belus to focus on one path first and consider Fusion later, but Belus didn’t listen. Going around in circles, the once prodigy was surpassed by generations of successors.

It wasn’t until the past two hundred years that Belus, realizing the difficulty of progressing in both sects simultaneously, joined the Frostmoon Alliance as a “Soul Walker,” dropping his former moniker of “Soul Prophet,” and dedicating all his efforts to the Soul Sect, in hopes of attaining True Knowledge.

After reading Belus’s information, Sanders felt a sigh escape him, and his mind couldn’t help but think of Angel.

Angel, too, was a wizard with talents from both the Illusion Series and another sect, similar to Belus. According to the Tree Spirit, his dual talents also pertained to the mysterious side. However, Angel’s dual talents were partially concealed: the Illusion Series was externally visible, but the nature of his inner talent remained undiscovered since the Tree Spirit was unable at the time to delve deep into Angel’s Spirit Sea.

Sanders was aware of the difficulties in cultivating dual talents, so he deliberately kept Angel’s secret.

Initially, he thought to reveal it to Angel after he became an Official Wizard. Now, seeing Belus’s situation, Sanders mused whether he should wait until Angel reached True Knowledge before telling him.

Of course, Sanders was just pondering; once Angel became an Official Wizard, the functions of the Spirit Sea would become immediately evident. Perhaps Angel might realize his dual talents on his own, without Sanders needing to inform him.

With a sigh, regardless of the outcome, Sanders hoped Angel wouldn’t follow in Belus’s footsteps.

Just as Sanders had digested the news about Belus, he approached, “Prophet Rhein has already shared your request with me, and what follows may require some cooperation on your part.”

Sanders knew that Belus was probably planning to use Divination to locate him, and with a wry smile, he said, “My student has an item that shields against Prophecy. I’m afraid, Mr. Belus, that it won’t be possible to capture his traces through Divination.”

Initially, Sanders had instructed Angel never to remove the Blood Night Shelter, and now, because of it, they couldn’t use Divination to track his whereabouts.

Belus and Rhein both looked surprised at Sanders’s words.

Seeing the skepticism and disbelief on Belus’s face, Sanders continued, “Previously, even ‘The Phantom Shadow’ Gauss couldn’t penetrate Angel’s Prophecy shield and suffered for it.”

Gauss was one of the eighteen Observers at the Crown Star Church, a Prophet Wizard at the pinnacle in the Southern Domain, and even he couldn’t break through Angel’s Prophecy-shielding item. It was even less likely for Belus to manage it.

Belus looked doubtfully at Rhein, who seemed outwardly calm but was inwardly surprised as well.

Rhein could tell Sanders was not lying—the Prophecy-shielding item capable of evading Gauss was no trifling matter. He was completely unaware of this development! Moreover, Rhein was curious why Gauss, who usually resided at the Crown Star Church, would try to peer at Angel through Divination.

Rhein gave Sanders a probing look, sensing some secret matters that Sanders hadn’t mentioned to him.

Of course, Rhein couldn’t inquire about it in front of Belus and instead, sidestepping Sanders, asked Belus directly, “If Prophecy shielding is in play, are there alternative methods at our disposal?”

With Rhein posing the question, Belus naturally understood his intent.

Belus was silent for a moment.”We can predict without Angel as the focal point. How about using Illusion Demon Your Excellency as the basis for the prophecy? Your choices will serve as the will for this prediction.”

Belus was evidently about to make a “Fate’s Decision.”

Sanders asked in confusion, “My choice? Do you mean to say, choosing between the good fortunes offered by ‘Ask the Bell’?”

The so-called choice of good fortunes refers to the good fortune technique of the Prophet Wizard faith under the ‘Ask the Bell’ sect. It’s about choosing a preferred option out of two conflicting choices where ‘Ask the Bell’ will offer you one to your liking.

It seems like a blessing for the indecisive, but in reality, it does not involve prophecy; it’s merely a recommendation feedback that aligns with your personal information after big data processing.

Sanders naturally understood this; if he solely relied on the good fortune technique, it wouldn’t necessarily mean “good fortune.”

However, Belus shook his head, “The sect I follow is one of the three mainstreams, the River of Fate sect. My decision is not about good fortune techniques but about Fate Guidance.”

Fate Guidance?! A flash of surprise crossed Sanders’s eyes. Although he knew very little about Divination, he had heard of the renowned Fate Guidance spell technique.

This was about intervening in future events directly within the River of Fate, a high-level spell technique of the Prophet Wizards.

In the Prophet Wizard discipline, there’s a saying: It’s simple to see the future, difficult to speak of it, and even harder to intervene in it.

Those capable of using Fate Guidance were essentially figures at the level of Observers from the Crown Star Church.

It wasn’t until then that Sanders’s gaze upon Belus became filled with a newfound solemnity, realizing just how gifted Belus was in the field of prophecy through his ability to cast Fate Guidance.

“Then I shall trouble you, sir,” Sanders said with gravity.

Belus nodded and closed his eyes, constructing the spell technique model associated with Fate Guidance within his mind. An obscure and ancient aura surrounded him, and behind his hunched figure, phantom shadows appeared, seemingly those of his younger self. Time appeared to interchange endlessly around Belus.

After an unknown period, Belus suddenly moved. He thrust the walking stick he held with a fierce swing, murmuring praises to the River of Fate, and eventually, the walking stick stood firmly before Sanders.

In an instant, Sanders felt as though he stood on the banks of the River of Fate, the roaring sound of the tumultuous river by his ear, each syllable brimming with endless significance.

“Illusion Demon Lord, you may now voice your doubts in your heart, and fate shall guide you towards the relatively correct direction.”

Before Sanders’s eyes, the vision changed once again, the River of Fate morphed into a diverging path.

To the left, a signpost; to the right, another signpost, with Belus’s walking stick standing in between.

Sanders silently recited his dilemma, and as his thoughts took form, an inscription appeared on the left signpost: “Abyss Level One,” while on the right, the blurry signpost also revealed an inscription: “Abyss Level Three.”

When the signposts revealed their inscriptions, the walking stick in the center began to tremble incessantly as if the waves of the River of Fate were washing over it.

After a long time, the walking stick shifted and, following a bit of shaking, it settled on the ground, pointing to the right side of the diverging path.

At the same time, the signpost on the right dispersed like smoke, turning into a faint stream that merged into Sanders’s brow, a torrent of information racing into him.

Once Sanders had processed all the information, he looked up, intending to thank Belus.

However, when he looked up, he found that Belus was no longer before him.

Standing at his side, Rhein said indifferently, “He’s already moved on to the next graveyard. You needn’t mind, as I’ve already conveyed our thanks to him on your behalf.”

After Rhein finished speaking, he added, “So, do you know what to do next?”

Sanders nodded; Fate Guidance had prompted him to remain on the Third Level of the Abyss, and everything would unfold naturally. However, as to how things would unfold, Sanders still had to wait and see, hoping for some turn of events.

Having received an affirmative answer, Rhein nodded and, without asking what guidance fate had offered Sanders, he inquired about another matter, “Speaking of which, you said earlier that Gauss had once attempted to spy on Angel, is that true?”

…

Meanwhile, Lassudral remained as tranquil as ever, though no one knew that a hidden storm was about to sweep through it.

Near the southern outskirts of Lassudral, on its streets, the Primeval Flame Demon Greerwu and its Fire Essence Demon butler Tandin stood in front of a Hunting Museum.

Following Aoluxiya’s orders, they were searching Lassudral for the Primeval Flame’s location; however, what puzzled them was that despite having scoured Lassudral entirely, Greerwu had not detected any trace of the Primeval Flame.

When they were at an impasse, Tandin recalled that not long ago, he had faintly sensed the scent of the Primeval Flame in this Hunting Museum.

Although Greerwu immediately dismissed the possibility, with no other options, they ultimately returned to this Hunting Museum, which, to them, wasn’t particularly large.