Becker shrugged. “Okay. You say the words, boss!”
On the other side, Angor, who just drew the attention of everyone, was on his way into the depth of Phantom Island. He had been here many times, so he knew his way well.
Angor was still thinking about what happened just now. He was a bit frustrated at how the trio stopped him. However, he did not intend to hold grudges since they seemed to be doing their job and did not actually do anything bad in the end. The important thing was, why were there so many apprentices?
Did they come because of the professor’s Sorcerer’s Garden?
After visiting Phantom Island last time, Angor looked into some information about Sorcerer’s Garden and checked about the “laws” that would generate in these gardens. Unlike real laws in this world, the laws in the gardens were unstable. They acted like some kind of particles in the air or fragments left behind when a real law fixed itself. These fragments would go away slowly with the passage of time. It did not matter if a law that did not do anything to humans disappeared. However, a beneficial law, such as the “purification” law in Floating Mech City, would slowly get exhausted if too many people used it.
Such a law in Sorcerer’s Garden could slowly recover on itself though. When exhausted, it would come back in time.
Angor was curious about which law Sunders’ garden had. If it could benefit them, it could not possibly serve so many people.
The Sorcerer’s Garden in Floating Mech City was sealed away for centuries and had its law energy fully saved up. Even then, they still set a restriction on who could use the garden.
From a brief glimpse, Angor believed there were at least a thousand people gathering around Phantom Island. A newly-built Sorcerer’s Garden could not hold much law energy. It would benefit a hundred people or at most, two hundred.
As Angor went over his questions in his mind, Butler Goode appeared on the path ahead of him.
“Good afternoon, Mister Padt,” Goode greeted the boy while inspecting Angor up and down, using eyes that were hidden behind his mask. “Mister Padt really broke through in one month? The master will be very happy about this.
“The master is still staying near the Sorcerer’s Garden. Please follow me, Mister Padt.”
On their way, Angor tried asking about the situation outside.
“Oh, those people? They only wished to find their destiny here,” said Goode as he chuckled.
“Did the professor make a restriction like Floating Mech City, that anyone who meets the condition can use the garden?” Angor asked.
“Not quite. When a newborn Sorcerer’s Garden receives its law, it’ll naturally generate a ‘rhyme’, as if the world’s consciousness bestows a certain law to a toddler as its parent. Anyone who approaches Phantom Island will sense the newly risen rhyme. This, is the destiny they’re trying to find.”
“I see…” Angor wanted to ask what “rhyme” could do, but he already found themselves entering the vicinity of the garden. Sunders was not far from them now.
The Sorcerer’s Garden was still under construction, but it already gained a basic shape now.
Just like the outer area of the island, many people had gathered around the garden too. However, these people each carried a deep and mighty aura. Every movement on them seemed to bring a mysterious ripple in the air. Just looking at them gave Angor great fear.
“These are all wizards?! They’re… so scary,” Angor thought to himself.
No one paid attention to the boy’s arrival. To them, lifting an eye at an ordinary apprentice meant wasting energy.
No one, except Sunders.
Sunders took the boy to a private spot nearby.
“Now that you’re an apprentice, what’s your next goal?” Sunders did not ask if Angor used another locator method. The man did not find it necessary to ask.
“To improve myself and challenge the Sky Tower,” Angor answered.
Sunders was a bit surprised. Then he smiled. “Having a goal is good. I believe you already have a plan on how to improve yourself.”
With that, Sunders turned to leave.
Angor looked at the man’s back and revealed a bit of disappointment.
A burst of eerie and charming laughter suddenly reached Angor’s ears. “Angor, sweetie, what’s that look for? Something on your mind?”
The charming voice seemed to have magic in it. Without realizing it, Angor spoke his mind straight away, “I thought the professor could teach me spells. But he didn’t mention anything like that.”
“Alas, spells? I can teach you.”
Angor looked up abruptly and saw Flora, who he had not met for a long time. She was floating in the air, covering her smile with a hand. Little Red, who was still behind her, greeted Angor by turning the flames in the eye sockets into the shape of a crescent moon.
“Can you?” Angor brightened up. The first step of becoming stronger was naturally studying spells. But he had no idea what spells to start with.
Flora grinned. “Of course I can—”
“Flora!” Sunders stopped her.
Flora rolled her eyes and changed her words quickly. “—Of course I can not.”
Angor displayed a sad face.
Seeing the boy’s look, Flora added, “Oh my. The professor’s being so nice to you.”
Without explaining her words, Flora stepped in the air and floated away. She left something else before leaving. “Oh right, if the half-blood asks for me, tell him I’m away for work. I’ll come back when he made a good achievement in his training.”