Warlock Apprentice

While Docks sighed softly, Angel returned from the Sandworm Market with great speed.

Under Docks’ puzzled gaze, Angel tossed out a sandworm larva about ten centimeters long: ”Will this feed the cactus?”

”Did you go buy a sandworm?” Docks asked in surprise.

”How else would I get one, steal it?” Angel replied grumpily, then couldn’t help but mutter under his breath: ”Another 3 Magic Crystals, this will have to be charged to Kael. If Kael doesn’t reimburse me, I’ll go find Esos.”

Listening to Angel’s muttering, Docks felt inwardly speechless.

Docks looked at Angel with a deep gaze, then nodded: ”That’s enough. Although this orange peel sandworm is a larva, it’s still an extraordinary creature, and just ten drops of its blood will satisfy it.”

Without another word, Angel cut a small slit at the larva’s tail and let the blood drip onto the cactus.

Docks’ judgment was incredibly precise; at the tenth drop, the cactus trembled slightly, and its crown flower grew even more vibrant. Subsequently, Angel sensed the surrounding energy becoming active, probably indicating that the cactus had triggered some mechanism, activating a hidden node.

As the energy node changed, the large stone in front of them slowly moved aside, revealing a downward passage.

”Let’s go, Kael is in the black market.”

Docks resumed the lead, while Angel followed slowly behind, contemplating... how should he handle this sandworm?

The value of sandworm larvae is low, often used as food for adult worms. Currently without an adult worm, and after bleeding, this larva seemed rather listless; likely even the adult worm would find it lacking in meat.

Angel thought for a moment, then turned to look at Dangross, who was curiously looking around on his shoulder.

”Ahem, you’ve been following me for so long, and I haven’t officially given you a gift. I’ll give you this sandworm.” Angel directly tossed the sandworm larva to Dangross.

Dangross couldn’t help but roll its eyes at Angel. It wasn’t foolish; judging by Angel’s hesitant expression while holding the sandworm earlier, it knew he was figuring out how to deal with it. Now, to claim it as a gift — who would believe that!

That’s what Dangross thought, but it still picked up the sandworm and began twirling it around its fingers.

Seeing that Dangross didn’t reject the gift, Angel was somewhat relieved. Since Dangross accepted his gift, he would no longer feel any psychological burden when using its fire in future alchemy. This was a trade!

As Angel happily thought this over, they had already reached the end of the staircase.

There was no door at the end, allowing a clear view into the black market.

The black market is actually quite similar to the previous Underground Market, just much smaller than expected, with only one street. This street is winding and twisting, causing the shops on both sides to be unevenly placed, lacking any aesthetic appeal and dizzying to ordinary people after a while.

There are quite a few people in the black market; some narrow streets are even crowded shoulder to shoulder.

However, this did not hinder Angel’s progress.

Almost everyone on the road, upon seeing Dox, automatically made way for him. Clearly, they were aware of Dox’s identity.

”Red Sword” Dox, a Level 1 Wizard, even though he’s a Wandering Wizard, he is still an Official Wizard. In a place full of Apprentices, Dox’s existence is at the Great Demon King level.

The journey was very smooth, Angel even had the leisure to observe the black market.

His attention was not on the shops on both sides, but on the overall structure of the black market, especially the top.

Previously, he thought this was just a cavity, because there are very few level grounds, and everything is winding, with many sediment stones on the ground.

But when he saw the top, he discovered that the pothole-ridden top occasionally had some corners with obvious artificial Pattern traces.

Those Patterns were Magic Patterns. But obviously, they are from long, long ago, already broken and ineffective. However, judging from the number and distribution of the Patterns on the entire top, if the Magic Patterns were complete, it must have been a huge Magical Energy Array.

Many, many years ago, possibly thousands, or even more ancient times, this place might not have been simply a cavity.

As Angel was scrutinizing the structure of the black market, Dox announced: ”We have arrived.”

Only then did Angel withdraw his gaze and look around.