Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 3002: Chapter 3003: Didia

Wilderness of Dreams, New City.

Angel was still in the airborne Rose Garden on Sky Street, where he found Ironclad Granny.

Granny sat at a white lacquered, carved table, silently observing the New City below amidst the swirling rose petals, as if trying to take in every plant and tree.

It wasn’t until she heard Angel’s footsteps that Ironclad Granny turned her head.

"You look quite relaxed. This suggests the exploration of the relics went smoothly?" Ironclad Granny motioned for Angel to sit while pouring a cup of flower tea and handing it to him.

Angel took a sip before speaking: "I’ve already come out of the relics, and it went relatively well; at least I didn’t encounter any danger."

Ironclad Granny: "You’ve left the relics already? Did you come to see me to discuss adventure stories or do you need my help with something else?"

Angel: "Just talking about adventure stories doesn’t have much immersion. If Granny is willing to wait, I can create a special shadow box to record this adventure."

Of course, Angel could use the Illusion Technique to present this experience now, but there are some things, like the experience in the Daylight Mirror Domain, that Angel doesn’t plan to reveal. Even if he omits this part, hastily simulating with illusions may lead others to discover logical gaps.

So, Angel’s idea is to take time to carefully edit this experience later. Of course, by "edit," he means to "organize": organizing the tellable parts and making them more coherent; crafting a more suspenseful and engaging narrative, trimming away the unnecessary travel, making the shadow box more captivating.

Essentially, this is akin to editing a movie, which naturally requires some time.

Ironclad Granny nodded with a smile, "Of course, I’d be happy to wait. Speaking of which, Lianna mentioned recently that your shadow boxes are in high demand in the Sky Mechanical City. She hopes you can make some shadow boxes as invitations, serving as a prelude to the tea party."

Angel was taken aback, is there such a thing?

"Seems like Lianna hasn’t mentioned this to me..."

Ironclad Granny: "Because before she could approach you, Rhein vetoed it."

Angel: "Oh, Lord Rhein vetoed it for me? Why?"

Angel remembers that previously, Lianna wanted Tree Spirit to open the Life Pool as the main venue for the tea party, which is highly significant for Tree Spirit, yet at that time, Lord Rhein didn’t assist Tree Spirit in rejecting Lianna.

But this time, Lianna hadn’t even found Angel before being turned down by Lord Rhein?

Ironclad Granny sipped her tea with a smile and said, "This time around, just having the Wilderness of Dreams as a bombshell for the tea party is enough; anything more would be just gilding the lily."

Hence, there’s no need to add these embellishments.

With Lord Rhein speaking up, Lianna, despite her intentions, had no choice but to comply. Naturally, Angel remained unaware of this matter.

"I see." Angel suddenly understood.

Speaking of which, if Lianna truly had asked, Angel would have declined. Not that Angel was stingy, but shadow boxes and invitations are two different things. Shadow boxes are long-term, repeatedly watchable "stories," while invitations are disposable items. Surely last month’s invitation wouldn’t be viable for this month’s party, right?

They are inherently different, and forcibly combining them would be meaningless.

It would also make Angel’s value stance on Alchemy seem superficial.

Thus, Angel was firmly opposed to such matters.

"Since you didn’t come to share stories this time, do you need my help with something?" Ironclad Granny looked at Angel.

Angel nodded slightly embarrassed: "Indeed, I have something in mind. Are you familiar with Starlit?"

"Starlit... Are you referring to the Didia family’s business?" Ironclad Granny paused at this, seemingly recalling something, and looking up at Angel: "Now that you’ve mentioned Starlit, could it be that you’re currently at Starlit? Let me think, the closest Starlit to the Garden Labyrinth relic should be Bilun Tree Court’s ’Starry District No. 13,’ so you’re currently there?"

Angel was taken aback. He only asked a single question about Starlit, yet Ironclad Granny deduced even his location.

"G-granny is well-versed in Starlit?" Angel stammered.

Ironclad Granny chuckled, seeing Angel’s expression, she knew she guessed right. Angel was indeed at Starlit, although it wasn’t entirely unexpected considering the Observer behind Starlit from the Didia family.

"Fairly familiar." Ironclad Granny replied: "Do you have some doubts about Starlit?"

Angel hesitated for a moment before nodding: "There are some doubts. I’m currently at Starry District No. 13, but I find my arrival here was somewhat mysterious."

Angel recounted his journey from leaving the Garden Labyrinth relic, using The Gate of Void to arrive outside Bilun Tree Court, getting noticed by Natural Sprite Buru, and subsequently being led to Starlit.

"The Gate of Void I opened was at random placement. Yet, I feel like that Natural Sprite seemed aware I’d appear and deliberately waited for me, then invited us to the secretive Starry District. It’s quite odd, as if there are many coincidences involved."

After a pause, Angel voiced some of his speculations: "I know the ’Preacher of Starlight’ stands behind Starlit. She’s the Observer from Crown Star Church. I’m wondering if she calculated my landing spot with prophecy and instructed Buru to guide me to Starlit?"

"But if she truly schemed with prophecy... why did my anti-prophecy items not show any anomaly?"

Angel frowned, lost in his thoughts and deductions.

Ironclad Granny didn’t interrupt, smilingly listening to Angel’s reasoning.

Only when Angel finished speaking did Ironclad Granny start, "Are you worried about being calculated by the Observer’s prophecy?"

Angel: "Not exactly worried, just suspicious of any potential conspiracy behind it."

Angel wasn’t really concerned about being schemed; he could call for backup if needed. What truly caught his attention was this "coincidence."

It mainly stemmed from previously being transparently arranged by Feng with the "Book of Kael," making Angel very conscious of coincidences. So, encountering such an unlikely event again felt like a startled bird, anxious about any underlying conspiracy.

Ironclad Granny laughed gently, "There’s no conspiracy, but there is an overt scheme."

"An overt scheme?" Angel asked in confusion.

Ironclad Granny: "I know you’re concerned about ’coincidence,’ but I can assure you, you don’t have to worry about it. That Observer isn’t targeting you; she’s targeting all Transcendents in the Gumman Kingdom."

Angel relaxed hearing "the Observer isn’t targeting me," but was immediately astonished by Ironclad Granny’s subsequent statement.

Targeting all Transcendents in the Gumman Kingdom?!

’Preacher of Starlight’ is this bold? Isn’t she afraid of being targeted in return?

Observing Angel’s shock, Ironclad Granny already sensed his thoughts: "I mentioned earlier, this is an overt scheme. Since it’s overt, naturally, there won’t be many undercurrents and machinations. She’s candidly using benefits to entice the Transcendents of Gumman Kingdom. Those willing to take the bait will naturally do so; those unwilling can also withdraw anytime. Hence, very few find it discomforting."

Angel: "What kind of open conspiracy is this?"

Ironclad Granny: "To explain it clearly, it’s a long story."

Angel: "I have time now, I’d like to hear it in detail."

Ironclad Granny sipped her tea and said, "Then I’ll start from the beginning. This story originates from a family named Didia..."

Once, in the Gumman Kingdom, there was a hereditary home radiant with glory, and this family was the Didia family. In the mouths of the Gumman people, the Didia family was also known as the Defender Family.

Famed for being "Defenders," it was clear the Didia family held a crucial position in the Gumman Kingdom.

And because of the Didia family’s status, this glorious family caught the eye of King Gumman.

It wasn’t that their achievements threatened the throne, but rather King Gumman needed to sacrifice such an important family to become a part of his secret ceremony of power.

Thus, a once Defender family was utterly broken under King Gumman’s casual decree.

However, it was only the main branch of the Didia family that was utterly destroyed. For those branch members not at the center of the kingdom’s power, although King Gumman issued orders to hunt them down, he did not take it very seriously. Therefore, many branch members of the Didia family managed to escape alive.

The surviving members of the Didia family mostly went into hiding, completely giving up their Defender glory and went to live in other countries; but some did not forget this blood debt and aspired to revive the family’s glory, with the first step being to overthrow King Gumman.

But to overthrow King Gumman, one must become a powerful Transcendent. Yet, the Didia family was not a Transcendent family, nor did they have any Extraordinary Bloodline. Seeing no hope, they could only temporarily lay dormant.

And this dormancy lasted decades.

When everyone thought the Didia family had vanished into history, a Witch named "Mona Didia" suddenly emerged, showcasing terrifying prophecy talents at the Crown Star Church.

In just twenty years, she rose from being a mere prophecy apprentice to being one of the eighteen observers stationed at the Crown Star Church.

Her moniker was... "Preacher of Starlight"!

She also happened to be a descendant of the Didia family.

After lying dormant for decades, the emergence of Observer Mona invigorated this group of Didia family members determined to revive their family’s glory with unprecedented motivation.

With Mona’s help, the Didia family quickly sought a large number of talented orphans, transforming a mortal family into a Wizard Family.

With the foundation of a Wizard Family, the Didia family restructured their plans and step by step returned to the Gumman Kingdom...

"And the Starlight’s Radiance is the property of the Didia family, or you could say it’s the property of Witch Mona," Ironclad Granny said.

"So, the real name of the ’Preacher of Starlight’ is Mona Didia," Angel murmured softly.

Before this, he had no idea of this observer’s name, only knowing she went by the title ’Preacher’; it should be known the observers at the Crown Star Church in the Southern Domain are in the public eye, including all major gossip magazines, and to keep one’s origins and name hidden under such scrutiny speaks volumes about the Preacher’s capability.

This kind of secret information is likely only known by someone of Ironclad Granny’s level of existence.

Angel: "Her situation is quite similar to White Bear’s."

"White Bear? You mean Maya The Witch’s disciple, Hobson Sile?" Ironclad Granny asked.

Angel nodded: "The Sile family and the Didia family were both persecuted by King Gumman, and White Bear is also from the prophecy system."

Angel also knew that White Bear’s relative, the Witch Eulica, was secretly targeting King Gumman, and had even managed to turn ’Red-haired’ Suise against him.

So, the Sile family and the Didia family seem extremely similar in every way.

Ironclad Granny shook her head after hearing Angel’s words: "It’s not the same, at least the Sile family can’t achieve what the Didia family has."

"I previously told you that King Gumman’s power secret ritual involves a three-sided gamble. The Extreme Sect is on one side, the Witcher Organization led by Wizard Monty on another, and lastly King Gumman himself."

"These three are the main players in the gamble; others wishing to join in can only engage in minor skirmishes."

"Even if it’s you, with your current reputation, strength, and skills, joining this gamble wouldn’t cause much of a splash."

"But the Didia family is different; their longtime ambition is to overthrow King Gumman. Years of planning have allowed them to establish a massive gray force in the shadows of the Gumman Kingdom."

"This force is the Starlight’s Radiance."

The Starlight’s Radiance has its properties in major cities, at major Wizard Markets, and at major Transcendent gathering points throughout the Gumman Kingdom.

But just speaking about the properties of the Starlight’s Radiance alone doesn’t pose a threat to King Gumman, nor could it allow them to become players in King Gumman’s grand game.

The reason Starlight’s Radiance holds such deterrent power, as spoken by Ironclad Granny, is primarily due to Mona.

Mona is a Witch of tremendous resolve. The reason being, Mona once voluntarily gave up the opportunity to become a True Knowledge Level prophecy wizard. She exchanged this opportunity for a way to undermine King Gumman, establishing Starlight’s Radiance as an unbearable thorn in Gumman’s Kingdom.

——Uncomfortable and impossible to remove.

"An opportunity to become a True Knowledge Wizard, traded for a... thorn in the side of Gumman’s Kingdom? How was this exchange made? What is this thorn in the side?" Angel asked, bewildered, having no idea what it meant.

Ironclad Granny: "I don’t know how the exchange was made. However, I suspect it’s related to a very secretive Mysterious Object at the Crown Star Church."

This Mysterious Object is named: Hall of Time.

The specific effects are unknown even to Ironclad Granny. However, it’s said that Mona once entered the Hall of Time and had a significant chance of becoming a True Knowledge Wizard there.

But Mona gave up becoming a True Knowledge Wizard, instead obtaining a thorn in the side of King Gumman."

"A thorn in the side, for King Gumman; to other Transcendent Lives, this thorn should be called: faction detection field."

"A faction detection field is quite literal, it can determine your faction. Here, faction does not mean order and chaos, good and evil; rather, it means whether or not you stand on King Gumman’s side."

"All properties of the Starlight’s Radiance possess the effect of a faction detection field. They can use this to clearly assess who can be recruited and who cannot, and even identify spies placed by King Gumman."

"Anyone not standing on King Gumman’s side has a chance to enter the Starlight’s Radiance."

As she said this, Ironclad Granny looked at Angel: "Do you understand now? Your entry into the Starlight’s Radiance wasn’t manipulation; it was a determination by the faction detection field of Starlight’s Radiance that you are not on King Gumman’s side and have a chance of being drawn into the Didia faction."