Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 1122: Section 1123: Umbrella
 

“`n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

It’s not the entity’s power, is it … an external force? Rivetta looked at Sanders with surprise and suspicion.

Sanders pressed down his hat, his cool and narrow eyes obscured by shadows, “Of course, this is just a guess. There’s also a high probability that it’s Nitotipu’s own power. However, if it is her inherent power, then this nearly invincible nature must be bound by even stricter conditions.”

Monty neither nodded nor shook his head at Sanders’s words, but simply said, “Even if there is some external power, we can’t ascertain any specific information and can only treat the external force as if it were her own power to cope with.”

“However, as you mentioned, whether it is external or inherent power, the strength that Nitotipu currently exhibits is enough to crush us. Yet, it hasn’t done so, which must mean this power has constraints,” Monty said, then turned to Maher, “Go call for Luci.”

Before long, a Wizard dressed in a robe akin to church vestments came over.

He had a young face, skin as smooth as a baby’s. But he possessed a pair of eyes that seemed to have seen through the vicissitudes of the world, and his white hair was as dry as weeds.

Youth and old age, two contrasting qualities, seemingly fused in him.

Even stranger was that his robe was adorned with twelve round clocks, each clock’s design unique, whether absurd, representational, or simple. On closer inspection, the hour hands on the clocks were each pointed to a different time, while the minute and second hands were at the starting point.

“The Pendulum Clock” Luci, a First Level Prophet Wizard, his faith in the Wheel of Time.

Previously, using fortune-telling techniques and the choice of bad luck to corroborate Angel’s claims about the human purification plan being true and not false, it was Luci who did this.

“Lord Monty, the Wheel of Time of the Abyss is hidden in nothingness, hard to discern. The future of Aoluxiya is still unclear,” said Luci while manipulating a clock with the sun and moon as its motif, turning it full circle with a flick of his slender fingers.

Monty, “The Wheel of Time of the Abyss is influenced by The Unparalleled Great Demon God, and clarity is indeed difficult. You have worked hard,” he acknowledged.

Luci bowed his head, respectfully saying, “It is my honor to serve Lord Monty.”

A look of satisfaction flashed in Monty’s eyes, “I called you over this time not for matters concerning Aoluxiya. I hope you can figure out Nitotipu’s constraints and weaknesses.”

Monty relayed to Luci the speculations about Nitotipu that they had discussed earlier.

Luci looked troubled, “Information is too scarce to discern the weakness, but I’ll try my best.”

Luci began his prophecy in a very peculiar manner, his back sprouted three pairs of arms, eight altogether, phantasmal as they manipulated the clocks on his body.

With each manipulation, images of different points in time bubbled up before Luci’s eyes, like froth. However, many of the times Luci attempted to observe would encounter bubble bursts, unmeasurable effects. This was due to insufficient information and to the overwhelming power of Nitotipu.

“Eight arms, is that the Naga Demon Bloodline?” Sanders noticed the changes in Luci’s form.

Monty nodded, “Yes, the Eight-Armed Naga.”

“It seems, Lord Monty thinks highly of him,” Sanders remarked indifferently. An Eight-Armed Naga was already among the top tier of Naga Demons, generally at the pinnacle of the Second Level True Knowledge Wizard, even at the level of a Third Level True Knowledge Wizard. With Luci’s strength, it would be impossible to hunt such a Demon. The only explanation then was Monty’s intervention.

Monty just smiled without saying a word.

After a while, Luci opened his eyes, and the three pairs of arms behind him slowly retracted.

Luci sighed and shook his head at Monty, “The Wheel of Time of Nitotipu is obscured by layers of froth, trying to peek in, all I see is an endless deep sea… I’m sorry, there is too little information for me to make a cross-level prophecy.”

Monty sounded somewhat disappointed, “It seems, we can only use higher-level energy and forcefully overpower it.”

He had intended to keep this trump card for after capturing Aoluxiya to handle the possible pursuit from the Demon God’s followers, but now it seemed he had underestimated these powerful Demons; he had to use it in advance.

Monty was about to instruct Maher to bring out the new trump card, but at this moment, Rivetta, who had been silently contemplating on the side, suddenly said, “I think I remember something, some very important information…”

Rivetta closed her eyes, her thoughts spinning ceaselessly.

As someone who could sift through thousands of messages to highlight the most eye-catching news, turning “Glowing City Night Talk” from an ordinary publication into a best-selling magazine required by Witches, Rivetta had her own Talent. She possessed a special intuition that could pinpoint the key clues amidst a jumble of information.

Although she had just borrowed the eyes of a Sylph to see the situation in the rain clouds for a mere few seconds, countless pieces of information were now accumulated in her mind.

If there truly was an external force aiding Nitotipu, maybe it was among these bits of information. Even if the direct external power wasn’t in the known data, there certainly would be clues that could affect the known information.

Both Monty and Luci turned their attention to Rivetta. If Rivetta really could think of something crucial, perhaps prophecy could advance further.

“Was it the long skirt embroidered with story patterns? No, that story told only a common tale of redemption; was it the twisted tentacles? It doesn’t seem right, the tentacles are part of her own power; was it the bracelet, no…” Rivetta’s mind flashed through an abundance of information, then suddenly, a bizarre sound echoed inside her head.

“`

——Drip, Drip.

Her intuition told her something was off about that sound.

“But, what’s strange about this sound? Isn’t it just the noise of the rain dripping…” Rivetta wondered to herself, when suddenly her pupils constricted, “No, that sound isn’t from the raindrops, but from the tooth-filled mouth that killed the Airy Banshee! It must be it… Who is it? Who is it?!”

As a flash of insight passed through Rivetta’s mind, she opened her eyes and looked towards Monty, “I think I might know what that external force is, but I’m not quite sure.”

Luci’s calm and serene gaze rested on her, “Miss Rivetta, trust your instincts. Many times, when I make judgments, instinct is the most important part of the information I consider.”

Perhaps Luci’s steady and comforting voice soothed Rivetta’s chaotic thoughts, and she nodded at Luci, “Thank you.”

“There’s no need to mind, whether it’s right or wrong, that’s for me to judge,” said Luci.

Rivetta pondered for a moment, then shared her own judgment, “Umbrella.”

“Nitotipu’s umbrella, it gives me an uncomfortable feeling.”

Upon hearing this, Maher seemed to recall something and stepped forward, “Earlier, Samantha mentioned that the umbrella’s handle has a mouth, and it keeps muttering ‘drip, drip’… Now that you mention it, it does seem a bit off. Drip, drip is an onomatopoeia for the sound of raindrops falling, and raindrops come from rain clouds!”

“Therefore, I will use ‘umbrella’ as my clue and turn the Wheel of Time once more.” With these words, three pairs of flamboyant arms stretched out once again from behind Luci.

…

“Is it really the umbrella?” Angel looked at Canaan with doubt. Among those present, Canaan was the most deeply knowledgeable about Nitotipu.

Canaan, too, had seen the previous scene on the ice through the Illusionary Realm.

“I don’t know, Nitotipu didn’t make any noticeable moves in Lassudral before, but indeed, that umbrella is one she always carries,” said Canaan, shaking his head in confusion.

Angel sneaked a glance at Fafnir, who coldly said, “I am not interested in octopuses… However, your mentor’s analysis is not bad, its strength far exceeds that of other Great Demons, and that’s abnormal.”

Canaan also nodded, “If Nitotipu is so powerful, not just overwhelming humans but also easily crushing other Great Demons, then she would likely have full control over the Void Tower. But she hasn’t done so, obviously she can’t.”

“Perhaps it just doesn’t want to turn against its own kind,” muttered Angel.

“Shopkeeper, it seems you still don’t understand enough about Demons. Especially Great Demons, if one could monopolize the Void Tower, the benefits it would reap would be much more than splitting it seven ways; why would they share with other Demons.” Having lived among the Indigenous People, Canaan understood that, like humans, they too pursued what they called kindness and rules; when Canaan first came to Demon City, it did the same, but what was the result? As soon as its dorsal fin would grow, other Demons would chop it off.

The world of Demons is much more brutal.

With a soft sigh, Canaan was reminded of much when answering Angel… A series of images were unearthed from deep within the Memory Casket, some of which Canaan had itself forgotten.

Like the memories of its father.

These memories may have been intentionally buried by Canaan, but at this moment, they involuntarily resurfaced in its mind.

Amid the strange and motley scenes, those filled with sorrow, desolation, and anger, kept passing before Canaan’s eyes.

Suddenly, Canaan seemed to see something.

“Umbrella?” Canaan suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

Angel looked back, “What? What about the umbrella?”

“My mother once told me that my father left because of an umbrella… In the deeper layers of the Abyss, there is a sea with no known origin or end, a paradise for sea Demons, and at some point, an umbrella started floating above that sea.”

Angel, “And then? Is there something special about this umbrella?”

“I don’t know; I just heard from my mother that my father wanted to get that umbrella, and so he left.”

Angel, “Are you suggesting that this umbrella is the one in Nitotipu’s hands?”

Canaan still shook its head, “Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. But I do know one thing, both Nitotipu and my father were born sea Demons of that ocean.”