Chapter 2719: Chapter 2720: The Trial Before Battle

Dox, as a Bloodline Wizard, has always held his battle strength in high regard. So, when he saw the questioning eyes of the Wise Sovereign, his pride was deeply hurt.

"I have never been afraid nor timid in the face of battle; this time there was a special reason!" Dox declared with emphasis.

Vay, who was beside him, nodded in agreement: "That’s right, he’s always been fearless in battle."

Dox was moved as he looked at Vay, proving once again that true friends shine in times of adversity.

However, Vay’s next statement felt like an arrow to Dox’s chest.

Vay: "The reason he is fearless and not timid in battle is due to his intuition, which is quite good. If he feels he can win, he’ll go for it; if not, he won’t provoke. So indeed, there’s no issue of cowardice or fear."

Dox: "..."

Vay: "As for why he changed his mind this time, he’s right, his inspiration talent was damaged, so he couldn’t foresee whether this battle was worth fighting, leading to his bold words."

Vay accurately revealed Dox’s inner thoughts, and most importantly, was almost spot on, truly worthy of a long-time friend.

With Vay’s reasonable and evidence-supported explanation, Dox’s attempt to refute became noticeably weak.

Dox stared at Vay hatefully, grinding his teeth, wishing he could pulverize Vay at that moment, this guy only undermines, no respect for seniors!

While Dox was in a predicament, the Black Earl, who usually didn’t get along with Dox, surprisingly spoke a few words on his behalf.

"Dox’s main bloodline is the Sword-backed Sandworm bloodline." Black Earl: "While Grey Merchant’s bloodline is the Gem Earth Dragon, a bloodline that naturally suppresses all earth-element bloodlines."

Thus, the Black Earl’s implication was that Dox was just unlucky.

Everyone thought carefully and realized this indeed made sense. The Sword-backed Sandworm, within the sandworm bloodline, is the strongest branch. Moreover, Dox is skilled in swordsmanship; the Sword-backed Sandworm can control the sword spine for attacks, highly compatible with Dox’s combat style and rhythm. Together, Dox’s battle strength is definitely not weak.

As for Grey Merchant’s strength, it’s still unknown. But since he hasn’t stepped onto the path to True Knowledge yet, their combined strength shouldn’t differ much from Dox’s.

Dox’s disadvantage is in the bloodline suppression.

The importance of a Bloodline Wizard’s main bloodline is undeniable. If one’s bloodline is naturally suppressed, then Dox’s chance against Grey Merchant significantly reduces.

With a simple sentence, Black Earl resolved Dox’s dilemma. Grateful, Dox turned to Angel: "How about I face the Wicked Woman, and you take on Grey Merchant?"

Just moments ago, Dox suggested the Black Earl and Grey Merchant should face off; now with Black Earl speaking for him, he did not hesitate to change his stance.

"Alright then." Angel nodded ambiguously. He actually advocated the Black Earl remaining out for now; the Black Earl is considered a trump card, and being a descendant of Noah makes him an absolute target for ’that one.’ If he goes up, it’s possible an Out of Discussion blow might strike from above.

Angel wasn’t worried about the Black Earl’s safety; rather, he was concerned that if the Black Earl’s nose avatar perished, the True Body would arrive. Would they then have to bother Ironclad Granny?

Better not.

After discussing the Official Wizard of the Merchant Organization, Kaier weakly raised his hand: "Should we discuss their apprentices? I feel like we might lose just between you and me."

Vay also nodded in resignation: "Why don’t we just concede?"

Vay has been a recluse for so long that his remaining combat strength is a mystery. But his desire for battle is undoubtedly the lowest among those present. So his suggestion is understandable.

However, Kaier was not willing to give up, even if alone, he wanted to fight against the four apprentices of the Merchant Organization.

For historical ruins, especially places like the Remnant Land, Kaier truly didn’t want to miss out.

Faced with the differing opinions of the apprentices, Angel and the others fell into contemplation.

Actually, their thoughts were that even if the apprentices lose, as long as the Official Wizards win, they can still venture into the Remnant Land, and the Black Earl can represent Noah’s descendants to enter.

But now that Kaier expressed a desire to visit the Remnant Land, Angel had to consider carefully.

Kaier is the origin of this relic exploration, and in Angel’s mind, his opinion surpasses others’.

But how to make Kaier and Vay win the apprentice battle?

This question feels even more mentally taxing than achieving their battle victory.

The silence of the Wizards caused Kaier’s gaze to dim slightly. Judging by the present situation, he was already convinced that entering the Remnant Land might not be possible this time.

This isn’t anyone’s fault; rather, the arrangement by ’that one’ in the mirror set truly unfair rules. Apprentices are human too...

While Kaier was internally lamenting, Angel spoke up: "It’s too early to concede."

Vay and Kaier were taken aback, raising their heads to look at Angel.

Angel, however, turned to the Wise Sovereign seriously and said: "Isn’t it quite normal for a wizard apprentice to have a wind-type creature as a partner?"

Wise Sovereign: "???"

...

Several minutes later, the Wise Sovereign quietly said: "They’ve arrived."

As his words fell, everyone heard the sound of footsteps echoing from the direction of the door of the Hanging Jail Stairway.

Vay, perceiving the vibrations of the earth, sensed the distant sounds: "Why are there only four sets of footsteps?"

Soon, Vay’s question was answered.

A group of people slowly emerged from behind the door of the Hanging Jail Stairway.

Leading the group was a man resembling an iron tower, wearing a gray mask, with a gray cloak enveloping his body.

Undoubtedly, this was Grey Merchant. Based on appearances, aside from his abundant blood energy and robust physique, there was nothing particularly extraordinary about him.

However, behind Grey Merchant was a woman of exceptional strangeness.

This woman hovered in mid-air, her knee-length purple-red hair flowing freely. Her figure was graceful, but half of her body was wrapped in bandages, even the bandages on her ankles were directly connected to Grey Merchant’s wrist, appearing as if Grey Merchant was flying her like a kite.

The uncovered half was adorned with a splendidly glamorous half-skirt, modestly revealing collarbones decorated with large patches of vivid red patterned tattoos.

Her face was also half-covered by bandages, but through the strands of hair, one could see that her left face was exceedingly beautiful. However, her eyes, lip color, and the snake tongue she occasionally flicks were quite abnormal.

The aura she exuded was no weaker than that of Grey Merchant. From this, one could basically deduce that she should be the transformed Wizard—Wicked Woman.

With two Official Wizards leading the way, naturally, those behind were Grey Merchant’s apprentice followers.

The man wearing the brown elephant mask, a girl with pink hair who looked like she hadn’t come of age yet, and a freckled, lazy-looking young man with green hair.

"Strange, wasn’t it said there were six people? Why does it look like there are only five now, and I only hear four footsteps?" Vay wondered.

The malicious woman floated in mid-air with no footsteps. Each of the other four corresponded to a set of footsteps, so the numbers matched up. There were only five people.

While Vay was puzzled, Angel pointed to the shadow of the pink-haired girl.

Following Angel’s direction, Vay looked and saw that the shadow on the ground, which should have reflected the girl’s slender figure, appeared obviously not female, but rather a broad-shouldered man’s shadow.

Vay remembered what the Wise Sovereign had mentioned earlier, that the four apprentices were: Pink Magnolia, Magic Elephant, Shepherd, and Ghostly Figure.

That shadow on the ground, was it the Ghostly Figure? Was he actually the last apprentice?

While Vay speculated, the group with Gray Merchant had already stepped out of the Hanging Jail Stairway’s door.

The pink-haired girl looked around energetically: "Huh, weren’t they supposed to be here? Why haven’t I seen any shadows?"

The languid green-haired youth stretched, hanging the mask on his waist, then replied, "Isn’t it better if they’re not here? I wouldn’t want to fight the outsiders without figuring out what’s going on. Besides..."

Turning the short flute in his hand, the green-haired youth lowered his voice: "Besides, I trust Lord White Merchant’s judgment."

The pink-haired girl slumped her shoulders and muttered in a slightly dejected tone, "I trust Lord White Merchant’s judgment too, but, but..."

—But, I’m not in control of my actions.

White Merchant believed the outsiders were more inclined towards goodwill than provocation. He advised that even if they caught up, it would be best to communicate first and see if the issues could be resolved amicably.

It sounded like White Merchant had a conservative dove stance, but that wasn’t the case. Usually, in similar situations, he’d go through processes such as tracing, imprisoning, and interrogating, and if they dared resist during pursuit, being killed wouldn’t be undeserved.

The reason White Merchant leaned towards communication this time was purely because the outsiders included at least two wizards. And, unusually, one of them was a specialist in magical energy array technology.

Faced with two unknown wizards, whom they had not yet met, White Merchant, from the standpoint of the Merchant Organization, from the standpoint of avoiding casualties, and from the perspective of the Birlos Family, did not recommend direct combat.

Unfortunately, they were not in control of their fate. They had encountered the "Mirror Person" on their way, and Gray Merchant’s most vital memory had been entrapped inside the mirror.

Now there was no option but to fight.

Seeing the pink-haired girl’s dejected demeanor, Gray Merchant spoke to console her: "Pink Magnolia, don’t overthink it. Battles have winners and losers, but they don’t always decide life and death. Also, isn’t getting acquainted through battle more thrilling?"

The pink-haired girl, known as Pink Magnolia, nodded perfunctorily but couldn’t help but sigh as she turned around.

Lord Gray Merchant was not usually this kind of person. The more she saw Gray Merchant acting elegantly and gently, the more uncomfortable she felt. A gentle Gray Merchant was an emotional time bomb; once his emotions were suppressed excessively and couldn’t be vented, the consequences of rebound would be more severe.

"Getting acquainted through battle? Hehehe, Gray Merchant, you’ve become indecisive. In the fight I desire, there is only life or death, not levels." A sharp female voice emitted from the mouth of the bandaged woman floating in midair.

She spoke while casting her malevolent gaze all around.

"Only rats in the sewers hide and sneak. Leaving various hints, isn’t it just to provoke us? Why aren’t they daring to show themselves now?"

As the malicious woman finished speaking, everyone, including Pink Magnolia and the lazy Shepherd, withdrew their relaxed looks, vigilantly watching their surroundings.

They hadn’t forgotten their purpose in coming here: to defeat the intruders and retrieve Gray Merchant’s memory!

...

The people in the Nightmare Realm frowned upon hearing the malicious woman’s sharp voice.

"Shall we... go out now?" Vay turned his head to look at Angel.

Angel really didn’t plan to hide; he reached out, ready to snap his fingers to dispel the Nightmare Realm. But at that moment, the Wise Sovereign sitting across the long table suddenly stopped Angel’s motion.

As Angel expressed his confusion, the Wise Sovereign lightly tapped his foot. A gentle energy rushed to the edge of the Nightmare Realm.

Angel didn’t know what the Wise Sovereign intended to do but still waved his hand, allowing the energy to leave the Nightmare Realm.

Once the gentle energy exited the Nightmare Realm, it seamlessly merged into the underground magical energy array.

Elsewhere, the malicious woman floating in the air squinted her eyes, the corners of her mouth gradually cracking into a grin until they split to her ears. The hideous red mouth revealed sharp, white teeth.

Cackling sinisterly, the malicious woman began spreading countless white bandages in all directions, raging like a tornado, rampaging over every vacant spot.

Clearly, the malicious woman intended to force out the outsiders with such an all-encompassing assault.

However, instead of the outsiders being forced out, a black-robed figure with unidentifiable features slowly rose from the underground.

Upon seeing the familiar black robe, everyone furrowed their brows.

The previous mirror person had worn the exact same black robe. Although the physique was different, since this person was dressed the same way, he might be related to the mirror person?

Thinking of this, everyone except Gray Merchant glared angrily at the black-robed figure.

While they had agreed to deal with the outsiders, they genuinely loathed the mirror person.

However, they could also see that the black-robed figure was not a true body, just an illusion, so even if they wanted to destroy him out of anger, it was to no avail.

"It seems you really don’t like Her Majesty the Goddess... That’s normal because I don’t like her either."

The black-robed figure’s words stunned everyone. Weren’t they on the same team? How could he say such a thing?

The black-robed figure seemed to notice the confusion in their eyes and chuckled, "We’re merely collaborators. I’m sorry I can’t disclose specific information."

"For now, let’s put other matters aside. Let me introduce myself first." The black-robed figure suddenly stopped, scratching under his hood, "Never mind, let’s skip the introduction. I’ll get straight to the point: I am the adjudicator of this test."

"Before you engage in battle with them, how about I present you with a little quiz first?"

The malicious woman snorted disdainfully, the foul words in her mouth ready to spill. However, Gray Merchant slightly moved his wrist, and the bandage connecting the malicious woman’s ankle tightened, prompting an irritated glare from her. But Gray Merchant merely smiled warmly at her.

Seeing Gray Merchant’s gentle smile, the malicious woman instead became silent, turning her head away haughtily, without further comment.

Gray Merchant then looked to the black-robed figure: "Hello, I’m Gray Merchant."

The black-robed figure responded, "I know, I know all of your information."

Gray Merchant wasn’t too surprised, smiling as he said, "I wonder what little quiz you mentioned, sir?"

The black-robed figure replied, "It’s straightforward: locate where your opponents are. I’ll give you a tiny hint: they are also watching you. Alright, start searching. If you find them, I might personally offer a small reward~"

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