Phantom Master

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

Suddenly, a voice rang in the ears of everyone aboard the Bauhinia. It sounded like a child of seven or eight, yet lacked a child's innocence and naivety, carrying instead a hint of strange seductiveness.

Angel heard a commotion on the deck outside, along with sailors crying out, "How is this possible? The Mirror Spell has failed!" Angel thought that Flora, the Blood Witch who terrified all wizard apprentices, must have arrived.

He wanted to sneak over to the window and look outside, but before he could rise, Irene grabbed him tightly. Tears filled Irene's eyes as she repeatedly shook her head, silently mouthing: You'll die. Don't move.

Alan, on the other side, also clutched his sleeve, fear in his eyes.

Angel curled his lip, thinking the brother and sister were really spineless.

However, he did not know—

When Flora's body passed through the Mirror Spell barrier created by the Nightmare Stone, ripples of magical power spread through the air like water patterns. At that moment, every ordinary person present was crushed breathless by the aura leaking from those ripples. That aura filled all ordinary people with fear and the instinct to avoid it. This was actually the effect of the Mirror Spell. Yet when the spell was broken, its effects naturally dispersed into the air, though a tiny portion remained lodged within the bodies of ordinary people.

Even though this was an inferior Mirror Spell cast by wizard apprentices, to ordinary people, even the faintest trace of supernatural aura was as lofty and unreachable as a towering mountain.

Irene and Alan's inexplicable terror stemmed from this. Some sailors on the deck were so frightened that they climbed straight over the railings and leapt into the endless, unfathomable Devil's Sea.

Angel had not been affected by that aura, but there was another reason for it, which would not be mentioned for now.

As Angel inwardly mocked the spineless siblings, an angry shout came from outside. "Stop! Flora, think this through! If you dare touch the Nightmare Stone, you'll be provoking our Sky Mechanical City!"

"Sky Mechanical City? Heehee, I was wondering who could afford such extravagance. So this is your ship? Tsk, tsk, tsk. There are even three fly-by-night organizations stationed here. Is this an induction ship?" Flora said, "What a pity—there isn't even a whiff of blood. The reserve apprentices brought in by an induction ship like this are probably all cowards like you."

Angel, a reserve apprentice of a "fly-by-night organization," silently wiped the sweat from his forehead.

The voices outside went back and forth. During that time, Angel quickly sorted through the information he had heard.

The people trading barbs with Flora clearly were not from the three major wizard organizations. Wizard apprentices would never dare talk back to a formal wizard. Flora had just mocked them as "fly-by-night organizations," and they could only nod and accept it.

The one who dared speak bluntly to Flora had to be a formal wizard of the same rank.

"Sky Mechanical City." Angel pondered inwardly. Moro had once said that the Bauhinia's background might be extraordinary. Perhaps this was the confidence that allowed the Bauhinia to ride the wind and cleave the waves? "I heard aboard the ship that a formal wizard was stationed on the Bauhinia. That must be the Sky Mechanical City wizard outside, trading words with Flora, right?"

Everyone present was being crushed breathless by the pressure of the formal wizards. Angel was probably the only one with the leisure to analyze all this and that.

.

The voices outside grew quieter and quieter. Flora and the wizard aboard the Bauhinia seemed to have reached some agreement. Before Angel could listen more closely, the two of them had completely departed.

By the time Angel stood at the observation window and looked outside, he saw only two figures flying toward the cloud whale.

One was the broad-backed figure of a burly man, presumably the wizard from Sky Mechanical City. The other was a petite figure in a red gown and black veil, holding an exquisite parasol—surely Flora.

As he watched Flora's retreating figure, Angel vaguely felt that a black shadow seemed to be circling behind her.

Was it... just his eyes playing tricks on him?

Before Angel could think further, the two little ones beside him began wailing at the top of their lungs.

Irene and Alan seemed to know the danger had passed. Their previous tearful restraint now turned into tears pouring down like rain and voices booming like thunder.

Angel rubbed his temples. Helplessly, he pulled out a spare silk handkerchief from his inner lining, suppressed the urge to leave, and lowered his voice to soothe the siblings.

As Angel gently comforted them, the door to the observation deck was pushed open, and Moro walked in. His face was somewhat pale, his brows furrowed as though something troubled him.

When he saw Angel caring for the siblings, Moro's expression toward Angel softened slightly.

"Grandpa, has she left?" Irene asked tremulously between sobs.

Moro nodded. He did not tell them about Flora, merely ruffled Irene's hair and comforted her, telling her not to cry.

After the siblings had finished sobbing, Moro led the three children away from the observation deck. Only then did Irene cautiously ask, "Grandpa, why did that wizard come to our ship?"

Moro shook his head. "It's better not to pry into the affairs of those great figures."

When they reached the cabin door, Moro used testing them on the Triangle Guidance Method as an excuse to take the siblings to the upper deck. After bidding them farewell, Angel quietly returned to his little nest.

As Angel walked, he scratched his back. For some reason, it felt a little itchy.

The itchy spot happened to be where the Queen of Cards' fingernail had scratched him before he escaped from the bizarre illusion during the talent test.

After the test had ended, Angel had specifically checked himself in a mirror. The place where the Queen of Cards had scratched him in the illusion showed no sign of injury in reality, and there had been no wound on his back.

But why had it suddenly started itching now? Angel reached back to touch the itchy spot, but there was nothing unusual there. The smooth feel of the skin was no different from anywhere else.

After Angel scratched for a while, the itching stopped.

Angel guessed the itch came from some kind of flea or insect. Thinking this, he decided that he absolutely had to visit the communal bathhouse that night.

At the same time, atop the cloud whale.

A miniature estate resembling a ranch stood quietly constructed on the cloud whale's broad back.

.

There were tents of all sizes within the estate, but the most striking was the magnificent domed tent at its center.

Inside the tent, the burly man who had flown up from the Bauhinia—Sabo, the formal wizard from Sky Mechanical City known as the "Mad Bear"—was speaking carefully and deferentially to a lean middle-aged man with his back turned. There was not a trace of the "Mad Bear's" wildness left in him.

The lean middle-aged man wore a black tailcoat, a white shirt trimmed with lace, and a tall top hat. With his green curls and refined features, he looked like an elegant nobleman.

No one could have imagined that such a nobly styled middle-aged man was the great figure whose strength alone inspired awe throughout the entire Southern Region—a level-two wizard known as the "Phantom Master," Sanders!

Sanders' attention was clearly not on Sabo. Wearing a gold-rimmed monocle, he watched an experiment nearby with utter concentration. Smoke rose from his hands, and all manner of illusions sprang forth. Sabo stole a glance, only to feel a stabbing pain in his eyes. He did not dare lift his head again and could only speak with it bowed.

"...The Barbie Restaurant's location is unpredictable. We have sailed the Devil's Sea for several weeks, but the sea-area locator has shown no trace of Lady Gloria," Sabo said respectfully.

Sanders clenched his hand, and the illusions in his palm burst like bubbles and vanished. Then he turned to look at Sabo.

"It is normal enough that we have not found the Barbie Restaurant for the time being. Gloria likes playing these games of hide-and-seek. She is clearly a food wizard, yet she always enjoys that mysterious talk of fate favored by prophecy wizards. If you want to encounter her, you need a bit of luck." Sanders smiled and shook his head. "Since that is the case, if Sabo has time, I will leave the next part to you."

Sabo froze, then abruptly looked up at Sanders, seeing only a faintly smiling face.

"What? You're unwilling?" Flora spoke. She sat on a tall stool to one side without shoes, her small, bare feet swinging rhythmically, looking utterly relaxed. Yet when she spoke, the fleeting glimmer in her eyes sent a chill through Sabo's heart.

"No. How could I be unwilling? I would be more than willing. I will arrange for the captain of the Bauhinia to patrol the nearby waters and search for the Barbie Restaurant until the matter is settled." With the situation stacked against him, Sabo ultimately nodded. Even though Sky Mechanical City stood behind him, distant water could not put out a nearby fire. For now, he could only take things one step at a time. In any case, returning the gifted ones to the Southern Region was not urgent. What Sanders wanted with the Barbie Restaurant was none of his concern. He could only wait and see for now. At least until they found the Barbie Restaurant, the Bauhinia should remain safe.

After Sabo left, Flora muttered in a low voice, "At least he knows what's good for him. Otherwise, hmph hmph..."

Sanders merely shook his head without saying anything, returning his attention to the experiment at his side.

Suddenly, Sanders frowned, gave a soft sound of surprise, and looked outside.

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

Sanders did not speak, but inwardly found it strange.

"How odd. Why is there a trace of Nightmare Realm aura leaking out here?" Sanders lowered his gaze. "Could there be an unknown passage connecting to the Nightmare Realm somewhere in the Devil's Sea?"

If it really was a passage... a flicker of delight passed through Sanders' eyes.

Sanders closed his eyes and carefully sensed that aura, which was almost of the same origin as his own. After a while, Sanders opened his eyes. The delight was gone, replaced by even deeper confusion.

The instant he sensed the Nightmare Realm aura, it had actually vanished? Not a single trace of it was leaking out now.