Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 3355: Chapter 3356: Teacher

The embarrassed glance was just a moment. Soon, Kukurus restrained his emotions and gave them a slight nod: "Welcome, both of you. Ms. Glaipnir and Lord Aiya have been waiting inside for quite some time."

Although he bowed to them together, Kukurus’s gaze was mostly on Laplace.

Laplace said indifferently, "Lead the way."

Kukurus nodded, first giving Khuntela a glance, then turned to walk toward the door.

"I will take my leave then." Khuntela bowed respectfully to Angel and Laplace, then said to Angel, "The crystal shell you requested, I will have Aor Shanzhuo bring a sample later."

With those words, Khuntela flapped his wings and flew towards the bottom of the ladder.

After Khuntela left, Angel and Laplace followed Kukurus into the cloud cave surrounded by gray mist.

"Where’s Luigi?" A gentle voice came from ahead, the speaker was Kukurus.

Laplace: "Asleep."

With just the words "Asleep," offering no explanation or further comment, Kukurus pondered for a long while before hesitantly asking, "Did he go to the Crystal Origin of Dreams?"

Laplace did not respond verbally, merely nodded slightly, not caring whether Kukurus, ahead, saw it or not.

Although Kukurus did not turn his head back, judging by him not continuing to question, he must have sensed Laplace’s answer. He was silent now simply because he didn’t know how to communicate with Laplace.

Laplace’s identity was too unique... Maintaining respect was necessary, but for Kukurus to completely lower his face and flatter like Aor Shanzhuo, she still couldn’t do it.

Moreover, Laplace’s attitude was exceptionally aloof, no matter how warm the greeting, it easily ended up on a cold shoulder.

Kukurus at this time, however, began to miss Luigi...

Although Luigi was most likely this person’s temporal body, his personality was entirely different from Laplace, and communication posed no difficulty.

Unfortunately, Luigi went to the Crystal Origin of Dreams.

Fortunately, within the cloud cave there were no complicated passages, stepping into it immediately led to a vast space behind.

At this time, several vague figures had appeared within the vast cloud cave.

Moreover, it’s worth mentioning that although the gray mist half-obscured their forms, based on their silhouettes, all these figures were in human form without exception.

The only dragon form was that of Kukurus, beside Angel.

As they approached, the surrounding gray mist gradually receded, allowing Angel to see the environment within the cloud cave more clearly.

The environment of the cloud cave... how to put it?

There was nothing notable, except for the spaciousness and the fact that there was almost no sign of man-made objects in sight.

The only thing with a bit of an "artificial" feel was a long table in the center of the cloud cave.

The figures Angel had seen earlier were now gathered near this long table.

"You’ve... arrived." A familiar, ancient voice echoed within the mind ribbon.

There was no doubt that the speaker was Glaipnir. As they approached, their previously disconnected mind ribbon reconnected.

Glaipnir sat at a corner of the long table, with a few seats vacant around her, clearly reserved for Angel and Laplace.

Angel gave Glaipnir a distant nod and walked towards her with Laplace.

As they got closer, Angel also saw the others near the long table.

There were six people in total.

On the same side as Glaipnir, but not seated on chairs, stood what seemed like a six-meter-tall Transformer-like crystal person, looking extremely imposing.

However, if looked at closely, one would realize the so-called "Transformer" was merely a crystal shell. Inside this colossal crystal shell was a hunched figure, standing at most a meter and a half tall.

It was a Crystal Eye Clan elder cloaked in a cape. Inside the shadows of the cloak, one could vaguely see an emaciated old man with skin sagging like ravines.

The reason this Crystal Eye Clan elder wasn’t seated at the long table was that inside this colossal crystal shell, there were more comfortable facilities.

With just one glance, Angel could see a soft sofa, a crystal-clear small round table, and steaming tea and brightly colored fruits inside the "colossus" crystal shell.

This kind of treatment was much more luxurious than the empty long table outside, which had nothing but a few teacups.

Although they didn’t know who this Crystal Eye Clan elder was, based on inference, this one was undoubtedly an elder of the Crystal Eye Clan.

Behind this colossal crystal shell were also two human-form crystal shells floating in mid-air, each housing a Crystal Eye Clan resident.

Perhaps they were guards of the Crystal Eye Clan elder?

"The elder inside the largest crystal shell is the Great Elder of the Crystal Eye Clan Elders Council, named Yota." Perhaps Angel’s gaze was too evident; even Glaipnir noticed, and she introduced them to Angel through the mind ribbon.

"Also, Yota is the current Prophet of the Crystal Eye Clan." Glaipnir added, "In terms of status, he’s currently the most authoritative figure within the Crystal Eye Clan."

It could also be understood that Yota was the ruler of a nation.

No wonder his display was so grand, and the setup inside the crystal shell was so luxurious.

As for those two Crystal Eye Clan members behind Prophet Yota, according to Glaipnir’s introduction, one was Mosita, and the other was Kulintra, also members of the Elders Council.

However, there was no need to mind them; they only had the right to participate but not to speak. - That’s also Glaipnir’s original words.

While those words were spoken, Angel still nodded slightly in acknowledgment of the three Crystal Eye Clan elders.

The three Crystal Eye Clan elders returned the gesture by nodding in response to Angel, but their gaze, much like Kukurus’s earlier, lingered more on Laplace.

Stealing glances while lost in thought.

After greeting the Crystal Eye Clan members, Angel’s gaze shifted to the opposite side of the long table, which was the focus of this gathering as well.

Three figures stood across from them, to be precise, two people and one dragon. Among them, the "one dragon" was Kukurus. After bringing Angel and others into the cloud cave, he had quietly moved to the other end of the long table.

Position-wise, Kukurus was still seated at the corner of the long table, suggesting his status was even lower than the two "people" beside him.

One of them, a graceful woman standing about two meters tall, was holding hot tea and sipping it elegantly.

She wore a white long dress, with unknown sparkling points on the skirt, like a gathering of gliding fireflies.

Along with her elegantly upstyled hair and gentle features, she gave off the vibe of an upper-class noblewoman often attending tea parties.

Upon seeing her, a name instantly popped into Angel’s mind... Jasmine!

Previously on the main exhibition stage, Angel had seen Jasmine.

On the main exhibition stage, Jasmine looked like the Queen in darkness. She wore a black feather cloak, stepped on raven feather heels, and donned a black multi-tiered lace evening gown; complemented by dark purple lipstick, chillingly elegant brows and eyes, and striking makeup, it added a sharp edge.

But away from the exhibition stage, Jasmine seemed to have retracted her "Dark Queen" aura, transforming into a gracefully elegant dodder flower.

Is this a contrasting persona Jasmine concocted?

Angel’s eyes flashed with curiosity, and opposite Jasmine seemed to catch the inquiry in Angel’s eyes, chuckling softly: "You must be Angel, right?"

Angel nodded.

Jasmine: "I just heard Glaipnir mention you—not only are you one of the primary founders of the Dream Mirror, but most importantly, you are also a human, which surprised me... Perhaps you’ve heard of me; though I am merely Jasmine’s Temporal Body, I also inherited her fondness for humans."

Jasmine’s voice was gentle, yet carried a certain magic power, drawing Angel to listen unintentionally.

Though she was merely greeting Angel, her words subtly addressed Angel’s deepest question of the moment.

A contrasting persona? No, the Jasmine now and the Jasmine on stage are fundamentally two different people.

The one on the main exhibition stage is the true self, while the one in the Cloud Cave now is the Temporal Body.

That’s why their attire and aura gave such distinctly different impressions.

Jasmine stopped at that point, greeted Angel, nodded lightly at Laplace, then went on to savor her tea without speaking further.

Meanwhile, Angel directed his gaze towards the last person at the long table, the one sitting in the main seat.

Since entering the Cloud Cave, Angel actually saw him at first glance; yet for some reason, Angel’s gaze kept drifting, never truly focusing on him?

Was it because of the aura, afraid to face directly? No, the person in the main seat didn’t emit any aura.

Or was it because his appearance was peculiar, making it hard to gaze upon? Not that either, as he wasn’t unattractive; he might even be considered handsome, and paired with glasses with a gold chain, he gave a genteel impression.

Upon closer examination, it could only be said he gave Angel a strange feeling; sometimes his presence was overwhelmingly high, while at times it was unconsciously overlooked.

The fluctuating presence made it so Angel was unable to capture his essence.

"Hello, it’s nice to meet you, you can call me Aiya." The man with the unusual presence stood up, gave a slight bow, and smiled at Angel.

This action brought an expression of puzzlement from the three Elders of the Crystal Eye Clan.

Even Kukurus and Jasmine, nearby, turned slightly.

The reason ... this courteous act was not directed at Laplace but towards Angel.

Angel, who was merely a human, even with the identity of "Dream Mirror founder," what merit did he have to receive such a bow from the mighty Mystic Book Dragon?

Indeed, this gentleman with glasses, exuding an elegant aura, was the Mystic Book Dragon who had briefly appeared on the main exhibition stage earlier.

However, the Mystic Book Dragon had now contracted his colossal dragon form and took on the appearance of a slender man.

Angel didn’t know why the Mystic Book Dragon suddenly became so formal, but as the dragon began speaking, Angel realized that the previous feeling of fluctuating presence had vanished.

The Mystic Book Dragon seemed to return from an unknown dimension to reality, the feeling he gave Angel no longer differed from others.

Given such a stance from the other party, Angel also couldn’t end things half-heartedly, and introduced himself properly.

Aiya pondered briefly and smiled: "Knowing you might be my honor."

Aiya’s words once again drew attention, yet no one dared to inquire.

Aiya offered no explanation, instead turning his gaze to Laplace, with whom Angel had arrived.

Previously, the Elders of the Crystal Eye Clan were puzzled why Aiya bestowed courtesies to Angel instead of Laplace... Now Aiya provided the answer.

His courtesy was indeed directed toward Angel, but when facing Laplace, he showed even more courtesy, even... respect.

Aiya stood up, bypassed the long table and came in front of Laplace, solemnly caught his chest and bent his knee, "It’s been a long time, Teacher."

...

Aiya’s calling of "Teacher" stunned everyone.

The two Elders of the Crystal Eye Clan covered their mouths in shock; Prophet Yota paused his body in awe, having held fruit that spilled to the ground.

Even Jasmine and Kukurus, fellow Mirror Dragons, looked at the scene in disbelief.

Aiya’s prestige in the Hundred-Dragon Divine Kingdom was second only to Grandfather Wan.

And such a respected Aiya called out "Teacher" to Laplace.

How could they not be surprised?

Perhaps they had already guessed Laplace’s identity, but they didn’t know that someone as learned as Aiya actually had a teacher?

On the scene perhaps only Angel and Glaipnir weren’t too surprised.

Though Aiya’s call of "Teacher" startled them for a second, they quickly understood the reason.

Initially, Aiya’s talent didn’t shine; despite his efforts, compared to other holders of the "Dragon God Mark," he seemed utterly useless.

Even Aiya’s presence led to questioning the authority of the "Dragon God Mark."

Such discouraging years continued until Aiya encountered Laplace. With Laplace’s help in analyzing his talent, the truth of his talent—the "Book of Time"—was understood.

Meanwhile, Laplace also helped Aiya develop a special ability from his talent: the Secret Treasury Within the Book.

Even though in Laplace’s view, it was just a small favor, yet from Aiya’s perspective, Laplace’s assistance not only cleared his grievances but helped the Hundred-Dragon Divine Kingdom re-establish prestige: carriers of the Dragon God Mark are extraordinary.

Moreover, Laplace originally taught Aiya knowledge—and precisely the most important "talent enlightenment" knowledge for him.

From this view, Aiya calling Laplace "Teacher" was absolutely reasonable.

While others might be somewhat surprised, only Laplace glanced at Aiya and said softly, "I said before, I am not your teacher. Besides, your current knowledge reserve could surpass a hundred of me."

The Mystic Book Dragon, named "Book" and rooted in "knowledge," naturally had his strengths. Laplace didn’t think she could surpass the Mystic Book Dragon in terms of knowledge.

Laplace may not know the saying "The learned is the teacher," yet she inherently embraced this concept.

"Knowledge reserve doesn’t represent everything. Moreover, speaking in breadth, I fall short." Aiya stood up again, placing a hand on his chest and bowing: "Regardless, in my heart, you are my teacher."