Chapter 468: Can a Warlock's Ladder be used for farming?

Not only did Ang swat the bottle away, but he also unleashed a wave of black Holy Flame, slapping it directly onto the pure water. A consciousness that had just projected over let out a shrill, miserable scream: "Ah! What is this? So black, so dirty! Ah! I'm no longer pure—"

The screaming faded into the distance.

Negris was stunned: "Shyamala's Corruption Force? You contaminated it? What is that thing?"

Anthony was also stunned: "My lord, is it something I brought back? What is it?"

Ang nodded: "Tom."

"The Water God Tom? Uh, you mean a pure water spirit similar to Tom, right?" Negris asked.

Ang nodded.

Anthony immediately understood what had happened and said angrily: "They ambushed me? They have a pure water spirit just like the Water God Tom, and they used the opportunity of me bringing back pure water to project over and pinpoint our location? Our location has been exposed?"

Ang shook his head.

It wasn't exposed. Ang's perception was too keen; the moment the opponent projected over, they were slapped silly, and they didn't even have time to see where they were.

"Location not exposed? That's a relief." Although he said this, Anthony's anger didn't subside. He calmly analyzed: "It seems I still misjudged them. Based on my contact with Cabrera, he doesn't seem like the type to flip on us; he shouldn't have used such methods to probe our location."

"They probably just wanted Holy Water at first, but once I brought out the samples, they were quickly attracted by the pure water. Is this pure water that important to them? Important enough to risk falling out with us just to find our location?"

Speaking of this, Anthony muttered to himself: "How should I retaliate? We can't let them offend us without paying a price, but some of my arrangements aren't ready to take effect yet. How should I retaliate?"

Hearing Anthony's muttering made Negris's scalp tingle. It knew this black-bellied Pope too well; once targeted by him, the Warlock Alliance would definitely pay a heavy price.

However, before Anthony could decide how to retaliate, a message came from Cabrera:

"A misunderstanding, a total misunderstanding, Lord Anthony. It really is a misunderstanding. I didn't expect such a thing to happen. Lord Loloka isn't very familiar with the etiquette of our mutual dealings; it wasn't trying to probe your location. After all, Lord Loloka isn't human."

"Not human" wasn't an insult, because it truly "wasn't human"—it was one of the twelve chairs of the Warlock Alliance, the Pure Water Loloka, a pure water spirit.

"We were acquiring Holy Water this time specifically for Lord Loloka. As elements decompose, shift, and become polluted, the place where Lord Loloka resides has become increasingly murky. It desperately needs fresh, clean water. The Holy Church's Holy Water was already quite pure; with a few impurities, it could be filtered. We just didn't expect you to bring another kind of water."

"Lord Loloka was very interested in this pure water, but it doesn't understand our etiquette, so it presumptuously projected into the sample you brought, leading to this misunderstanding. It really wasn't intentional," Cabrera explained sincerely.

"Heh." Anthony didn't speak, only let out a few laughs.

Cabrera hurriedly said: "I know you won't believe it so easily. Compensation—to express our apologies, can we offer compensation?"

Anthony chuckled: "Offend us and then try to dismiss it with compensation... What? Compensate us with a Warlock's Ladder?"

Anthony subconsciously looked at Ang and Negris. Negris's eyes went wide. A Warlock's Ladder? Cabrera was actually going to compensate them with a Warlock's Ladder? Are you kidding me?

Negris, having no integrity, nodded hurriedly. What did an offense matter? What was there to fear if the location was exposed? At worst, they could just run. If they really got a Warlock's Ladder, all of this was forgivable.

After hearing the details described by Cabrera, Anthony coughed a few times and said slowly: "We accept your apology."

Hanging up the communication, Anthony let out a breath and looked at Ang in shock, saying: "Cabrera suffered a huge loss and hopes we will show mercy. They are willing to compensate us with a small Warlock's Ladder."

Ang tilted his head. Negris asked: "What do you mean? Suffered a huge loss? What kind of loss is big enough to be worth a Warlock's Ladder? That's the kind of ladder that can rise to the height of the Starburst Array, you know."

"Yes, that's the one. They probably thought we couldn't detect Loloka, and combined with the lord's pure water truly piquing their interest, they tried to detect our location. They didn't expect that as soon as they projected over, they'd be slapped silly by the lord."

"Now they can't find our location, and the pure water spirit has been contaminated by the lord's Corruption Force. They can't purge it, so they have to come and beg for mercy, willing to compensate with a Warlock's Ladder in hopes that the lord will remove the Corruption Force. My lord, what should we do?" Anthony couldn't help but feel conflicted.

Ang tilted his head: "Warlock's Ladder, can it be used for farming?"

"Farm your head, always thinking about farming." Negris pushed him aside in annoyance and continued to consult with Anthony.

Ang didn't mind; he didn't have much of an opinion. Negris's reaction already told him that a Warlock's Ladder couldn't be used for farming, so it was useless.

"They can't clear the Corruption Force? But that still doesn't justify compensating us with a Warlock's Ladder. This thing can go straight to the Starburst Array; aren't they afraid we'll take the opportunity to launch a surprise attack on the Starburst Array?" Negris said.

"It's not that simple." Anthony shook his head: "First, they don't think we can operate a Warlock's Ladder. This thing is likely a very complex warlock construct; once it's in our hands, whether we can even turn it on is a question."

"Heh, Duluoken! Duluoken!" Negris gave a disdainful laugh and called for Duluoken.

The Warlock Alliance probably didn't know they had an Alchemy King on their side.

Duluoken hurried over with messy hair, his face covered in black and gray smudges, clearly traces of a failed alchemy experiment: "What's wrong? What do you want me for? I'm busy."

Negris explained the Warlock's Ladder situation. Duluoken scoffed: "I won't be able to turn it on? No way, this concerns my reputation. You must get it back, let me try. If I can't turn it on, I'll twist my own head off."

Negris sneered: "You're not confident either, are you? Otherwise, why twist your head off? You won't die if you twist your head off; if you've got the guts, twist your Soul Casket."

Duluoken nodded: "Fine, I'll twist the Soul Casket. A battle for dignity, bring it on!"

Negris felt a bit embarrassed. It was just teasing; no need to be so serious, right? What if the Soul Casket gets twisted and breaks? Will he die?

"No, if it breaks, I'll just refine another one. Regardless, you must get it back for me, and watch if I can turn it on or not," Duluoken said confidently.

Fine, for someone who can refine their own Soul Casket, isn't it normal to just refine another if it breaks?

Anthony smiled helplessly and continued: "Second, once we get the Warlock's Ladder, it will be even harder to hide. They'll probably assume we won't even be able to find the tracking beacons hidden inside the ladder."

Duluoken said dismissively: "That's easy, I'll just trace the energy circuits and check them one by one. It'll just take a little time."

Anthony nodded: "Third, once we get the Warlock's Ladder, what will we use it for?"

Negris and Duluoken looked at each other. This was indeed a problem. As soon as they heard "Warlock's Ladder," everyone couldn't hold back. This was a super aircraft capable of rising to the Starburst Array; its value was immeasurable.

But now that they had calmed down and thought about it, what was the use of getting the Warlock's Ladder? Drive it to the Starburst Array?

Don't dream. The Warlock Alliance wouldn't let that happen. The sky is wide open, and the Warlock's Ladder was manufactured by the other side; it's definitely not top-tier merchandise. Wouldn't flying up there be the same as sending themselves to their deaths?

Ang is the one who sees things clearly. If it can't be used for farming, what's the point? Is this dead skeleton really stupid, or just pretending to be?

"Then what do we do? Don't take it? It's a Warlock's Ladder." Negris said conflictedly.

Just as Anthony said, it's useless to have, and instead increases the risk of exposure. If they didn't have Duluoken, they wouldn't even be able to drive the Warlock's Ladder.

And one has to suspect, is the other side compensating with such a thing to drag them down? Because maintaining a Warlock's Ladder definitely requires massive resources and energy; a little money won't cut it.

If the Holy Church were to face financial collapse because of maintaining the Warlock's Ladder, that wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing.

But give it up? It's a Warlock's Ladder! It's equivalent to giving a super-large 300-meter-long sea ship with three catapults and space for over a thousand flying wings to Nightmare Nightmare Shaya when she was poor and destitute.

She would definitely pounce over, hug your thigh, and beg you to insult her—the kind where any position would do.

Anthony smiled bitterly: "If we don't take it, there will be several problems. First, we reject the Warlock Alliance's apology, leading to a complete break, and we must prepare for an all-out war with the Warlock Alliance. Second, we reject the Warlock's Ladder but exchange it for other compensation, remove the Corruption Force from Loloka, and our relationship returns to normal."

"But in that case, the Warlock Alliance will definitely be on guard against us, because we were able to reject even a Warlock's Ladder. Either we have a grand scheme, or we look down on it. If they think we look down on it and have other ways to get to the Starburst Array, they will definitely be on guard against us."

"Third..."

Negris couldn't take it anymore and interrupted: "Forget the third. Can't we just not take it? Then what? Take it back and smash it?"

Duluoken retorted in annoyance: "We can sell it to Guster. You guys discuss it, I'll go..."

Before he could finish, Anthony slapped his thigh: "Good idea! Sell it to Guster! Genius, Lord Duluoken, your idea is brilliant."

"Uh, brilliant? A flash of inspiration, a flash of inspiration. I just thought of it by chance. What's brilliant about it?" Duluoken asked modestly.

"What's brilliant is that we have more room to maneuver. What price would Guster be willing to pay for a Warlock's Ladder that can fly to the Starburst Array to rescue the Emperor? What price would the Warlock Alliance be willing to pay to prevent this ladder from falling into Guster's hands? These are all things we can manipulate," Anthony said.

Negris and Duluoken looked at each other, unable to help but mourn for those being schemed against by Anthony.

"Selling it to Guster is quite good. If we can use their hands to rescue the Emperor, that's also a good thing," Negris said.

Anthony, however, seemed to have found a new line of thought and pondered: "Do you still remember that Warlock's Ladder that was raided and fell to the Undead Council? Only one main pillar remains. If Lord Duluoken gets a good Warlock's Ladder, could he use it as a reference to repair the one that only has one main pillar left?"

Duluoken retorted in annoyance: "Why are you like this little golden dragon? Are you questioning the strength of me, the Alchemy King? Don't talk about having a reference; even without one, as long as I have enough materials, I can refine something that can fly, fly to the Starburst Array! I, Duluoken, am the Alchemy King!"

Negris sneered: "Yes, yes, yes, the Alchemy King who was slapped to death by spatial turbulence."

"Lord Nai Ge, you won't have any friends if you keep acting like this." Du Luo Ken said, angered.

"Alright, alright, I get it. How about this: I'll go sweet-talk Guste and get him to hand over the main pillar of the Warlock Ladder, and then Lord Du Luo Ken can fix it. How does that sound?" Anthony hurriedly tried to smooth things over, lest the meeting veer off into some unknown direction.

In truth, wasn't their constant bickering exactly why they were getting more and more familiar with each other? It was precisely because they were familiar that they could joke and expose each other's shortcomings without restraint.

If it were Nai Ge Li Si and Du Luo Ken back when they were still in the Palace of Rest, how could they possibly have gotten along like this? Du Luo Ken would have long since turned anyone who bickered with him into a rabbit or a bald man—like a certain bald brewer, for instance.

"Don't worry, no problem, leave it to me." In order not to tarnish his reputation as the King of Alchemy, Du Luo Ken hurriedly patted his chest in assurance.

He didn't even bother with his experiments; he went straight to find Laite, telling him to round up all the members of the Du Laite family and prepare to train them.

For training materials, they would use the airships and flying cars they had seized earlier. By dissecting the technical lineage of the Warlock Alliance from these construct creations, they would be prepared. If the Warlock Ladder were to be swapped back, he alone wouldn't be able to quickly control everything on the ladder; he needed enough manpower to assist him.

Of course, this was a small matter. When building the World Transit Station, Du Luo Ken had managed a construction team of tens of thousands; he had plenty of project experience. The 'King' in his title of King of Alchemy didn't just refer to a king of technology.

Confirming that Du Luo Ken had the ability to receive the Warlock Ladder, Anthony immediately feigned an inability to resist the temptation and contacted Ka Bu Lei La, settling on the method and date for the transfer of the Warlock Ladder.

When the handover date arrived, a smaller-sized Warlock Ladder descended to the location Anthony had specified. A normal Warlock Ladder was over seven hundred meters long,

but this smaller one was only three hundred meters. Even so, it still counted as a behemoth.

The sixty alchemists of the Du Laite family boarded the Warlock Ladder and, following the methods Du Luo Ken had taught them, checked every position on the ladder to ensure there were no uncontrollable tracking, signaling, self-destruct, sealing, or automatic navigation mechanisms, and so on...

In an airship hovering in the distance, the green-haired Ka Bu Lei La watched the members of the Du Laite family moving in and out below, smiling as he shook his head: "Anthony, you clearly saw through my goal, yet you chose to step into the abyss. The greed and wishful thinking in human nature often lead people into a dangerous abyss."

The deputy behind Ka Bu Lei La was somewhat puzzled: "My lord, such a large ladder—where would they hide it? If they can't hide it, wouldn't that be equivalent to telling us where the headquarters of the Church of Light is?"

Ka Bu Lei La pointed to the sky: "Hide it in the Void. They'll bring it down when they need it, and usually, they'll travel back and forth through a teleportation array. They will definitely build a teleportation array inside the ladder; I've even left the location for them."

The deputy was even more confused: "Then wouldn't it be very dangerous for them to get the ladder? They could attack the Starburst Array at any time."

"That won't happen. We aren't blind, are we? Would we not notice such a large ladder approaching?" Ka Bu Lei La laughed.

"Then there's no need to use the ladder for an exchange, is there?" The deputy still didn't understand.

"Do you know how many people it takes to pilot and maintain a ladder? How many materials are needed? How much money is required? How many supporting facilities are needed for eating, drinking, and sanitation? And there are some special materials and tools that only warlocks can refine. As long as they use these things, we can infer a lot of information about them through various channels."

"In the past, they hid in the shadows, and we couldn't catch a glimpse of them. The ladder is a bait—a bait to make them surface to the water." Ka Bu Lei La said with full confidence.

The deputy still didn't understand: "What if they have a large-capacity storage bag that can hold a lot of supplies, have their own channels to find materials, can refine things themselves, or don't need to eat, drink, or defecate?"

"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you? If they had those things, would the Church of Light still need to hide?" Ka Bu Lei La scolded irritably.

The Warlock Ladder, just as Ka Bu Lei La had expected, slowly rose, ascending all the way into the Void, disappearing into the depths of that pitch-black expanse.

As long as they kept a sufficient distance and there was no tracking, it would be fundamentally impossible to find a Warlock Ladder in the vast, boundless Void.

Du Luo Ken assembled the teleportation array at top speed and activated it. Ang and his party walked out from the teleportation array.

Opening his Divine Realm, he took out all kinds of daily necessities at once, enough for everyone to use for a month or two.

"My lord, do you have any refined gold?" Du Luo Ken asked.

Ang reached out and took one, and a refined gold ingot appeared in his hand.

"My lord, bring me a branch of the World Tree."

"My lord, help me cut a groove here, but don't consume the air. We don't have much air, so we can only rely on your Spot-Removing Technique."

"Uh, water decomposed into air and fuel? Isn't that too mana-intensive?"

"My lord, the Elf Beans save too much space. One bag is enough for them to eat for months, and they don't even need to defecate."

"My lord..."

Nai Ge Li Si and Anthony were there munching on nuts, laughing as they said: "If Ka Bu Lei La knew that our logistics could be handled by the lord himself, I wonder what kind of expression he would have?"

"Later, we'll bring over those night watchmen from La Mo. We don't even need living people to guard the ladder here; it won't consume much of anything." Nai Ge Li Si also laughed.

When everything was handled, Ang teleported back himself and quickly teleported back. This time, he used his Divine Realm to carry a full Divine Realm's worth of water.

Tom, who hadn't been seen for a long time, was taken out. It didn't even know what was happening before it saw Ang stuffing pure water into it.

PS: Two and a half chapters, asking for monthly votes.