Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 1098: Section 1099 The Trace of Canaan
 

Metal eyes forged, hovering above the chain sickle.

The continuous rumblings within the surrounding furnaces never ceased, and the high temperatures steaming from the lava pool twisted the transmitted images incessantly.

In these distorted images, Angel seemed to see the equally twisted expression of the chain sickle’s owner, its struggles, roars, and despair.

No matter how it begged for mercy, cursed, or spewed insults, the chains still devoured its life, leaving not even bone scraps behind.

Such chains felt very alien to Angel.

Were these really the chains he had forged?

After calming his emotions a bit, he glanced at the empty lava pool surrounding him. Angel didn’t linger and controlled a scouting puppet to leave the place.

While the scouting puppet was leaving the lava pool, Angel also diverted some of his thoughts to contemplate Popota’s matter.

He still remembered the question the demon, devoured by the chains, had once posed, “Hua Que, why do you do this?”

Previously, Angel had felt the name Hua Que sound faintly familiar, and when he associated it with Popota, a deep memory unfolded.

Angel’s interactions with Popota were in fact quite limited. In the few encounters they shared, Angel’s impression of Popota was rather positive. He was a sociable person. During their first meeting, Popota struck up a conversation with ease and covered many topics. In the process, he considerably lowered Angel’s guard.

Speaking of which, the memory about “Hua Que” came from what Popota had mentioned during that conversation.

The reason Angel could remember these trivial memories was partly because his memory was enhanced as his strength grew, and partly because the topics Popota had brought up were quite interesting.

He began with a self-deprecating jest about his name, which left a fresh impression on Angel—

“Anyone hearing my name for the first time always finds it strange, but that’s the custom where I come from. Our names have to be unforgettable once heard, even if it means making an enemy of time.” Standing in the depths of his memory, where his entire body emitted a pale glow, Popota chuckled and said to Angel, “If someone forgets your name, it’s the greatest insult. So, the older generation deviated in style to make our names memorable.”

“My name is actually quite normal now. My sister’s name is really peculiar. Hua Que is our national bird, and to make sure people remember my sister’s name, my dad directly named her Hua Que Que. Isn’t that funny?”

At that time, Popota, by making fun of himself in this way, explained his own name. The importance of a name to a person goes without saying, and Angel remembered it vividly as the first time he had heard someone, not a slave, joking about their own name in such a manner.

It was like framing a memory with an actual frame, placing it along the long cliffs of time. Angel could forget many details and the names of many people over time, but paradoxically, this particular conversation made it difficult for him to forget. Just as Popota had said: even if it meant becoming a laughingstock, even if it meant making an enemy of time, our names must never be forgotten once heard.

Angel hadn’t forgotten, and hence he recalled the name Hua Que Que.

Since Popota himself had acknowledged that Hua Que Que was his sister, and by linking previous clues together—whether it was the chains hand-forged by Angel or Popota’s remarkable resemblance—they could surely remove the ‘suspected’ label; that demon was Popota!

“Previously, Popota seemed to have said some inexplicable things too, something about being ‘devoured by that greedy old thing’ and ‘becoming the kindling that reignites our race’…”

What did that mean? And what about ‘our race’? Wasn’t he human? Vert clearly, Popota’s Bone Card had recorded his human identity.

The deeper Angel thought, the more mysterious he found Popota to be. The words he uttered, the simple effects of that chain, and the Blood Soul Sacrifice… A series of events seemed interconnected by an unseen thread, yet without knowing the underlying logic, it appeared as if veiled by a curtain—vague and indecipherable.

There were also unresolved doubts about Hua Que Que.

When Angel first heard the name Hua Que Que, a flash of insight crossed his mind, but now, trying to recall, he couldn’t come up with any answer.

“Aside from being Popota’s sister, perhaps I’ve heard the name Hua Que Que in some other context?” Angel pondered briefly but couldn’t find any other information about Hua Que Que in his memory. So where had that flash of insight come from?

The trail on Hua Que Que went cold, and as for Popota’s matter, no matter how much Angel pondered now, there was no answer at hand. He decided to put it aside for the time being and wait for an opportunity to find Popota or to inquire with other humans.

Perhaps, Popota was just a Scout sent by the Witcher Organization to Demon City. Of course, the likelihood was slim. Even if they needed a Scout for recon, they wouldn’t send an Apprentice to such a dangerous place.

Since there was nothing left to explore around the lava pool, Angel shifted his focus to the “rain cloud cage” he had discovered earlier.

He had sent a scouting puppet into it before, but it lost contact as soon as it entered.

Since Angel’s attention had been on the lava pool before, he wasn’t clear about what had happened, and he prepared to investigate the situation again.

Controlling the Scouting Puppet near the Magma Pool, it flew towards the area where the rain cloud cage was located.

Some time had now passed, and the rain cloud cage was even more grandiose than before.

The dark low clouds in the sky had completely merged with the incessant rising smoke from the ground, thoroughly sealing off that area. From a distance, nothing could be seen clearly except for the misty clouds and the faint, looming shadows of buildings.

As the Scouting Puppet approached, Angel distinctly felt the image become blurred.

It was obscured by both the fog and the interference of Chaotic Energy.

When the Scouting Puppet was about to penetrate deep into the rain cloud cage, the image suddenly went black, and the transmission was interrupted.

This time, Angel finally understood why the Scouting Puppet had previously experienced a loss of contact. Although the image was lost, just before the interruption, Angel had heard the thunderous noise of battle inside, more intense than any he had heard before, as if the fight had reached a fever pitch.

It was definitely a battle of Wizard Level or higher.

Such a level of combat could even pierce the Void, and peeking into a region disturbed by such energy with a low-grade alchemical item like the Scouting Puppet was nearly impossible. Unless Angel upgraded the material and made an intermediate or high-level Scouting Puppet. But even if he were to make one now, it would be too late.

Unable to probe the rain cloud cage left Angel somewhat helpless. He could only redirect a Scouting Puppet to linger nearby, waiting for the battle to end before assessing the situation.

While this Scouting Puppet was facing continuous setbacks, Angel, feeling a bit disheartened, received a message from another Scouting Puppet that was flying towards the Central City.

Angel saw Canaan.

Previously, when a large area of fire patterns appeared in the sky and countless flames began to go out of control, Canaan had flown out of the shop, saying he was going out to scout the situation. Afterward, when the flowing fire occurred and the sea of flames covered the Misty Cabin, Fafnir opened the Domain of Wind… Throughout all these events, Canaan had not returned.

Angel had been a bit worried earlier, but thinking that Canaan was a half-blooded Water System Demon, it wouldn’t have the issue of losing control over flames, and knowing it was very familiar with Lassudral, he assumed it wouldn’t encounter any problems, and so he didn’t dwell on it.

Angel had even felt that it might be for the better to part ways like this, since his business in Lassudral was concluded and he was prepared to return to Ice Valley.

Unexpectedly, he would once again see Canaan through the Scouting Puppet—

Canaan’s current state didn’t look good. It lay at the base of an undulating cliff, with a stone concealing it, appearing very hidden.

The reason it was discovered was that a large amount of smoke was rising from Canaan’s location, which had drawn the Scouting Puppet’s attention.

And when Angel saw Canaan’s state through the Scouting Puppet, he realized that the smoke came from the blood flowing out of Canaan, steamed by the scorching Scorched Earth.

Indeed, it was blood.

Canaan was bleeding profusely, one could even say it was soaked in its own blood.

There was a dark, penetrating wound in its chest and abdomen. A substantial amount of blood flowed from the wound. The only consolation was that Canaan hadn’t completely lost consciousness; it had coated the area around the wound with a thin layer of healing shimmer, which seemed somewhat effective, but the healing was not ideal as blood continued to pour out.

Canaan’s complexion was pale, its eyes wide open, repetitively mumbling a phrase.

Listening closely through the Scouting Puppet, it was heard saying, “I can’t sleep; if I sleep, I can’t maintain the healing effect, I’ll die… I don’t want to die, I can’t sleep…”

Canaan’s strong will to survive allowed it to sustain the healing shimmer on its wound. But the price was unending excruciating pain; Angel could clearly see sweat all over Canaan’s forehead, all blood vessels and muscles throughout its body bulged out and twitched continuously, indicating that the pain was persistent and intense.

Had it been someone with weaker resolve, they probably would have given up long ago. After all, this was a desolate wilderness, and now, as demons and humans ignited the flames of war, who would care about a demon struggling to survive in this corner?

Canaan’s perseverance up to this point was a testament to its desire for life and the result of a struggle with willpower.

But willpower alone was useless; Canaan would still inevitably die in pain and despair unless someone extended a hand to help.

And currently, the only one who could save it was probably Angel.

So, should he save it?