Chapter 27: Phantom Demon Master

"Hehe, look what I found! A Nightmare Stone, such a huge piece of Nightmare Stone. Could today be my lucky day?"

Suddenly, a voice echoed into the ears of everyone on the Bauhinia. The tone sounded like that of a seven or eight-year-old child, yet it lacked a child's innocence, possessing instead a hint of eerie charm.

Angell heard a commotion on the deck outside, along with a sailor crying out, "How is this possible? The Mirror Illusion has failed!" Angell thought to himself that the Blood Witch, Flora—the one who struck terror into the hearts of all wizard apprentices—had surely arrived.

He wanted to sneak to the window to see the scene outside, but before he could even stand up, Irene pulled him back firmly. With tears in her eyes, she shook her head incessantly at him, her lips silently forming the words: *You'll die, don't move.*

On the other side, Allen also gripped his sleeve, his eyes filled with dread.

Angell curled his lip, thinking these two siblings were real cowards.

However, he did not know—

As Flora's body passed through the Mirror Illusion barrier created by the Nightmare Stone, ripples of magical energy, like waves on water, surged through the air. At that moment, every mortal present was suffocated by the aura leaking from those ripples—an aura that instilled a sense of "fear" and "avoidance" in all mortals. This was actually an effect of the Mirror Illusion, but since the witchcraft had been broken, the illusion's effect naturally dissipated into the air, though a tiny fraction remained embedded in the mortals' bodies.

Even if this was a low-quality Mirror Illusion cast by a wizard apprentice, to a mortal, even the slightest trace of transcendent aura was as overwhelming as a towering mountain.

This was the source of the inexplicable terror felt by Irene and her brother. On the deck, some sailors even jumped directly over the railings into the endless, deep Devil Sea out of pure fear.

Angell was not affected by this aura, but for reasons he would not disclose for now.

While Angell was inwardly mocking the cowardly siblings, a furious shout came from outside: "Stop! Flora, think carefully! If you dare touch the Nightmare Stone, you are provoking our Sky Mechanical City!"

"Sky Mechanical City? Hehe, I was wondering who was so wealthy and powerful; so it's your ship? Tsk tsk, there are even three 'wild chicken' organizations stationed here. Is this a reception ship?" Flora continued, "A pity, there isn't even a scent of blood. With a reception ship like this, I expect the reserve apprentices being picked up will be just as weak as you lot."

As a prospective student of a "wild chicken organization," Angell silently wiped the sweat from his forehead.

As voices traded blows outside, Angell quickly organized and categorized the information he heard.

Those engaged in a war of words with Flora were clearly not members of the three great wizard organizations; wizard apprentices would not dare talk back to formal wizards. Since Flora had just mocked them as a "wild chicken organization," they could only nod in agreement.

Those who dared to speak directly to Flora must be formal wizards of the same level.

"Sky Mechanical City," Angell pondered inwardly. Mo Luo had mentioned that the background of the Bauhinia might be extraordinary; this was likely the confidence that allowed the Bauhinia to ride the waves. "I heard on the ship that there are formal wizards stationed on the Bauhinia. I suppose the one currently trading barbs with Flora is a wizard from Sky Mechanical City?"

Everyone present was being suppressed by the aura of the formal wizards to the point of breathlessness; likely only Angell had the leisure to analyze such things.

The voices outside grew quieter. It seemed Flora and the wizards on the Bauhinia had reached some sort of agreement; before Angell could listen closely, they had both departed completely.

By the time Angell stood at the lookout window to look out, he only saw two figures flying toward the Cloud Whale.

One was the broad back of a male, presumably the wizard from Sky Mechanical City; the other was a petite figure in a red dress and a black veil, carrying an exquisite parasol—most likely Flora.

Looking at Flora's retreating figure, Angell vaguely felt as if a dark shadow was circling behind her.

Was he... seeing things?

Before Angell could think further, the two little ones beside him began their wailing mode.

Irene and Allen seemed to realize the danger had moved away; their previous breath-holding and tear-suppressing had turned into a torrential downpour of tears and thunderous sobs.

Angell rubbed his temples and, with a sigh of helplessness, pulled a spare silk handkerchief from his lining. Resisting the urge to leave, he lowered his voice to comfort the siblings.

As Angell was softly soothing them, the door to the lookout tower was pushed open, and Mo Luo walked in. His face was slightly pale, and his brow was furrowed, appearing troubled by something.

Seeing Angell taking care of the two siblings, Mo Luo's expression softened slightly.

"Grandpa, is she gone?" Irene asked tremulously through her sobs.

Mo Luo nodded. He did not tell them about Flora, but merely rubbed Irene's hair, comforting her to stop crying.

Once the siblings finished sobbing, Mo Luo led the three youngsters away from the lookout tower. Only then did Irene ask cautiously, "Grandpa, why did that Great Wizard come to our ship?"

Mo Luo shook his head. "It is better if we do not dwell on the affairs of such great figures."

When they reached the cabin door, Mo Luo used the pretext of testing their knowledge of the Triangle Guidance Method to lead the siblings to the upper decks. After bidding them farewell, Angell silently returned to his small quarters.

As Angell walked, he reached back to scratch his back. For some reason, he felt an itch.

The itchy spot happened to be exactly where the Queen of Hearts' fingernail had scratched him in the eerie illusion before he escaped during the talent test.

After the test ended, Angell had specifically checked in front of a mirror; the scratch from the Queen of Hearts in the illusion had shown no manifestation in reality, and there was no wound on his back.

But why was it suddenly itching now? Angell reached back to feel the spot, but there was nothing strange; the smooth skin felt no different from anywhere else.

After scratching for a while, the itching sensation stopped.

Angell estimated the itch came from some kind of insect or mite. Thinking of this, he decided he must go to the large bathhouse for a wash tonight.

***

At the same time, atop the Cloud Whale.

A miniature manor, resembling a ranch, sat quietly constructed upon the broad back of the Cloud Whale.

There were tents of various sizes within the manor, but the most prominent was a magnificent, large domed tent in the center.

Inside the tent, the burly man who had flown up from the Bauhinia—the formal wizard from Sky Mechanical City nicknamed "Mad Bear," Sabo—was speaking with lowered eyes and cautious words to a thin middle-aged man whose back was turned to him. There was none of the wild ferocity associated with the name "Mad Bear."

The thin middle-aged man wore a black tailcoat, a white lace-trimmed shirt, and a top hat. With green curly hair and a refined countenance, he looked like an elegant aristocrat.

No one could imagine that this aristocratic-looking man was a great figure who commanded the respect of the entire Southern Region through his own strength—a Level 2 Wizard, nicknamed the "Illusion Master," Sanders!

Sanders' attention was clearly not on Sabo. Wearing gold-rimmed monocles, he was looking intently at an experiment on the other side. In his hands, smoke billowed and various illusions sprouted; when Sabo stole a glance, his eyes felt a stinging pain, making him dare not look up again, forced to speak with his head bowed.

"...The location of the Barbie Restaurant is elusive. We have been sailing in the Devil Sea for weeks, but there is no trace of Lady Graea in the sea positioner," Sabo said respectfully.

Sanders reached out and pinched his palm, crushing the illusions like bubbles until they vanished; then he turned around to face Sabo.

"It is normal not to find the Barbie Restaurant immediately. Graea loves playing this game of hide-and-seek. Despite being a gourmet wizard, she always insists on playing by the mysterious rules of a prophecy wizard. To meet her, one must rely on a bit of luck," Sanders said, shaking his head with a smile. "In that case, if you are free, Sabo, I shall leave the next part to you."

Sabo froze and jerked his head up to look at Sanders, only to see a face wearing a half-smile.

"What? Are you unwilling?" The speaker was Flora. She sat on a high stool to the side, barefoot, her small, delicate feet swinging rhythmically in an extremely leisurely manner. But when she spoke, the fleeting dark light in her eyes sent a chill through Sabo's heart.

"No. How could I be unwilling? I am most willing. I will arrange for the captain of the Bauhinia to patrol the nearby waters to search for the Barbie Restaurant until the matter is settled." Faced with a situation where his position was weaker, Sabo ultimately nodded. Even though Sky Mechanical City stood behind him, distant water could not put out a nearby fire; he could only take it one step at a time. Regardless, there was no rush to return the gifted talents to the Southern Region. He didn't care what Sanders wanted the Barbie Restaurant for; he could only wait and see. At the very least, the Bauhinia should be safe until they found it.

After Sabo left, Flora muttered under her breath, "At least he knows his place. Otherwise, hmph..."

Sanders merely shook his head without saying anything, his gaze returning to the experiment.

Suddenly, Sanders frowned and let out a sound of surprise, looking outside.

Flora asked in confusion, "Teacher, what is it?"

Sanders did not speak, but thought to himself in secret

*Strange, why is there a trace of Nightmare Realm aura leaking out from here?* Sanders lowered his eyes. *Could there be an unknown passage connecting to the Nightmare Realm within the Devil Sea?*

If it truly was a passage... a flash of joy crossed Sanders' eyes.

Sanders closed his eyes, carefully sensing this aura that was almost identical to his own. After a moment, he opened his eyes, the joy gone, replaced by even greater confusion.

Just after he had sensed the Nightmare Realm aura, it had vanished instantly. Now, there was not even a trace of it left.

(End of Chapter)