The Wizard's Secret Journey

Chapter 203 The Reason (4k)

Durant's mutterings filled Lynn with a sense of unease.

"Mr. Durant, what is it that you can't leave? Can't you leave the world of moss?"

Durant remained silent, but glanced at the unconscious Felicity once more.

In the dim light, the old wizard's cheeks seemed even more sunken, and his whole face was pale and lifeless.

Lynn frowned slightly and analyzed carefully: "We have been in the Mossy World for more than half a month now... Judging from the crystal just now, Lady Felicity has explored the surrounding area quite thoroughly. In addition, my discoveries in the underground world are more than enough to handle this exploration mission. It's time to go back."

“It’s not a matter of whether the mission is completed or not.” Durant shook his head, his sharp eyes sweeping across the cave walls as if he could see through the rock to the dark green, undulating moss forest outside.

"...Even disregarding the mission, Lady Felicity is currently seriously injured and unconscious, with no fighting ability whatsoever. The mission should be terminated and she should return to Gunn as soon as possible to seek treatment."

"Furthermore, if Lady Felicity was injured because of 006, it means that the enemy in the shadows is at least stronger than 006."

"That means it is at least a peak first-tier being, or even an unknown second-tier being... To be on the safe side, we should return to Gunn and make further plans."

"It can't be a second-tier world. A fragment of a first-tier world can't possibly support second-tier beings!" Durant shook his head and said decisively.

Lynn wanted to argue, but Durant interrupted him in a deep voice: "If Felicity was injured because of the doll, then we can't leave... This kind of mental trauma usually requires finding the doll to better heal it!"

Lynn still felt uneasy. Ever since receiving Durant's message, he had felt a faint sense of unease.

Especially during the flight, Lynn felt several times that something was quietly following behind him, which made him suspicious and prone to overthinking.

"Lord Durant, firstly, we do not know why Lady Felicity fell into a coma. We only guess that it may be related to the doll... Therefore, the best way is to return to Gunn and find a more professional wizard to treat her."

"If it is indeed necessary to retrieve Lady Felicity's doll at that time, we can find more powerful helpers, which will be more reliable."

“Once you return to Gunn World, you may not come back.” Durant’s tone turned slightly colder.

Lynn frowned, then said frankly, "My relationship with Lord Felicity is indeed not very deep, and I would not risk my life for him. But Lord Felicity is indeed my friend, and I would not mind helping him return to normal within my capabilities."

"Moreover, I am very interested in the Mossy World, and I would come again even if it weren't for Lady Felicity."

That's the truth. After all, it's not as easy as the Mossy World for ordinary people to receive the blessings of the world!
Lynn's calm and frank words silenced Durant, who narrowed his eyes as if considering something.

The atmosphere in the cave suddenly became tense.

However, the next second, Durant's expression suddenly changed.

"Crack! Boom—!"

A chilling cracking sound suddenly exploded overhead!

Then the rocks crumbled and chunks of earth fell!
The entire cave seemed to have been struck hard by an invisible giant hammer. The cave ceiling was instantly covered with spider web-like cracks, and large chunks of rock and soil, carrying moss roots and a damp, earthy smell, poured down like a torrential rain!

In an instant, the light inside the cave was blocked by the rising dust, turning it into a dim and gloomy place.

The illuminating crystals, which were originally intended to provide light, were also struck by the rocks, their light flashing violently before suddenly going out! Dust from the shattered rocks rushed towards us, almost suffocating us.

hum-

Lynn and Durant reacted almost simultaneously, instantly casting protective spells on themselves!

Durant seemed to have the energy to spare, and even created a protective barrier for the unconscious Felicity.

Looking back, the entire cave had completely collapsed.

Through the cracked skylight overhead and the billowing dust, several enormous shadows were already clearly visible!

They look different, covered in thick moss "armor" and have fierce eyes!

Among them were three exceptionally large ferocious beasts, whose auras indicated they had all reached at least the mid-level of the first rank!
"...We've been targeted after all!" Lynn's heart sank as he looked at the menacing beasts approaching, his gaze sweeping over the three most ferocious beasts with the strongest auras.

One resembled a giant triangular lizard, its back covered with sharp, dark green crystal clusters; another was like a giant ape, but its fur had turned into moss, and the ends of its muscular arms were sharp claws that emitted a black sheen; the last one was slightly smaller, like a cheetah covered in scales and moss, with two thin, sharp blades that gleamed with a cold metallic light extending from its shoulder blades!
"Mr. Durant, after dealing with these ferocious beasts, we must leave this world as soon as possible!"

Durant didn't respond; instead, he quickly walked towards Felicity!

Lynn suddenly sensed something was wrong and quickly turned his head away.

Durant grabbed the unconscious old wizard by the back of his collar with one hand and pulled him to his side like he was carrying a rag bag.

Then, a thick circle of yellowish-brown light instantly spread out from the ground beneath his feet, enveloping him and Felicity's figures.

Their bodies began to sink silently.

Lynn was shocked and furious at the thought of Durant doing such a thing. Without hesitation, he activated his magic power, transforming into a golden mist, and tried to rush towards the two people who were about to sink into the ground!
Roar--!
However, the three menacing first-tier ferocious beasts all came after Lynn.

The giant crystal-backed lizard was the first to attack, its massive body bursting with speed disproportionate to its size. Like a moving crystal fortress, it charged straight at us from the front with an overwhelming momentum!

The giant ape let out a piercing scream, and its enormous figure leaped high into the air like a ghost!
The two bladed wings on the leopard cat's shoulder blades vibrated at a high frequency, turning into a gray-green afterimage that rapidly circled around Lynn.

"...Why are they all attacking me?!" Lynn had no choice but to stop, his figure forcibly turning back in mid-air, his heart filled with anger.
"Go away!"

Stab it!

Suppressing his doubts for the moment, Lynn pointed to the sky, and a thick, white lightning bolt tore through the air, heading straight for the giant ape descending from the sky!
boom!
The lightning struck the black giant claw violently. The giant ape let out a strange cry, its body convulsed, and it was sent flying backward, quickly losing its life.

Swish!
The cheetah-like behemoth seized the opportunity when Lynn was attacking and pounced like a phantom!
Lynn's expression remained unchanged, and a bolt of lightning suddenly shot out from the soles of his feet!

In an instant, a lightning field several meters in diameter spread out on the ground, centered on Lynn!

Countless blue arcs of electricity suddenly exploded, instantly freezing the cheetah beast that had rashly entered.

Stab it!

With another casual wave of his hand, Lynn sent out a bolt of lightning that completely extinguished its life force.

As for the last crystal-backed giant lizard, it was no match for Lynn, being all alone, and soon followed in the footsteps of its companions.

It all sounds like a long story, but it was actually just a fleeting moment.

But when Lynn looked back at the spot where Durant had just stood, they could no longer be found.

Swish-

Lynn used all the detection magic he knew, but to no avail.

He had only recently advanced to the intermediate level of the first tier wizard, and had only had time to make up for his shortcomings in attack and movement. His other aspects of wizardry were still at the beginner level of the first tier.

Although Durant looks young, he is actually much older than Felicity, having been a first-tier high-level wizard for over a hundred years and possessing considerable experience in witchcraft.

In this do-or-die battle, the outcome is still uncertain. But under these circumstances, Durant has a slight edge.

Lynn landed slowly on the ground with a gloomy face and walked to the earthen bed where Felicity was lying.

Durant left him two things on the earthen bed: a recording crystal and a witchcraft tool.

“If you have figured it out, you can come to the ‘Sky-Reaching Fern’ to find me.”

"Or, you can find a secluded corner to hide in—I've left you a concealment artifact, which should keep you safe. Once I revive Felicity, I'll contact you to return to Gunn together."

Peng——

Lynn listened expressionlessly, and the recording crystal in his hand quietly turned into dust.

He simply couldn't understand why Durant insisted on staying in the world of Moss, even at the cost of leaving in this way, without leaving any room for negotiation!

Unfortunately, the portal beacon is still on Durant, so if Lynn wants to return to Gunn's world, he can't get around him!
rustling—

Suddenly, the leaves nearby rustled, and a giant beast appeared, lunging straight at Lynn!

Stab it!

A flash of lightning streaked through the air, and the giant beast collapsed.

"Another giant beast is attacking... and it seems like I'm the target."

Something's not right!

Lynn frowned, a growing sense of dread creeping into his heart.

……

……

Durant and Felicity moved silently underground, the dark brown mud and rocks flowing past them like water under the influence of magic, without causing any hindrance.

'Indeed, Felicity has lost her fighting ability...' Durant glanced at Felicity beside him, a hint of annoyance in his eyes.
He wasn't unaware that Lynn's words made sense, nor was he unaware that returning to Gunn now was the safest course of action.

He wasn't worried that Lynn would stop caring about Felicity once he returned to Gunn, nor was he so concerned about finding Felicity's doll in order to better treat her.

Durant and Felicity were friends, but that was decades ago.

What truly keeps Durant here isn't Felicity, but this world called Moss!
Durant has not yet achieved his goals in this world, nor gotten what he wants!

Lynn may have forgotten, but the message from Durant and Felicity to let her know they were safe came very late one night two weeks ago…

It wasn't because Durant and Felicity forgot, but because they were arguing.

The subject of the argument was whether or not to return to Gunn ahead of schedule!
At that time, Felicity had just discovered the first Tier 1 ferocious beast in this Tier 1 fragment world, and it was even a mid-Tier 1 beast.

Felicity's years of experience immediately made her realize something was wrong. She wanted to end the mission, return to Gunn ahead of schedule, and report the abnormal situation.

Objectively speaking, in such extraordinary circumstances, it is indeed permissible to terminate the mission in advance, which is entirely in accordance with procedure.

But Durant was unwilling.

Lynn didn't know, and neither did Felicity.

However, the information about the Moss World given at the beginning of this Moss World exploration mission was obtained by Durant during his initial exploration.

Yes, this isn't Durant's first time visiting Moss World.

After the Silver Ring Academy discovered this world, Durant was among the first wizards to take on the initial exploration mission.

It was then that he discovered the unique nature of the mossy world.

It is clearly a fragmented world of level 1, yet it nurtures many first-order beings... It is clearly a world full of decay, but the barrier at the edge does not represent a dark crack of slow destruction, but rather a faint white light that leads to good.

There's a classic saying in the wizarding world: "Anomalies often contain new knowledge!"

New knowledge is new power for wizards!
For Durant, who had been stuck at the first-tier high-level wizard level for over a hundred years and whose lifespan was running out, the new power meant a rebirth!

Therefore, he was absolutely unwilling to let this opportunity slip by and had no intention of returning to Gunn World now.

If Durant were to return to Gunn now and let more wizards know about the anomalies of Mossfield World, then the opportunities behind it would not be Durant's turn!

'Of course, this could also mean the danger of death... but I only have 10 years left to live, so what is there to fear?'

Durant muttered to himself, his eyes filled with unwavering determination.

After a while, feeling that he had reached a suitable place, he slowly emerged from the ground, selected a mountain wall, and carved out another cave.

After setting Felicity down, Durant carefully set up a protective magic array, using almost every protective item he could find for this defense.

Whether you survive or not depends on your fate, Felicity... At least I've used all my strength to set up these defenses for you.

Durant thought to himself, although he hadn't taken life and death lightly, he was by no means a heartless or ungrateful person.

Otherwise, Feliciti would not have been able to eventually find him as a teammate.

Durant was actually very grateful to Felicity, since he had just returned from exploring the Mossy World and didn't have any more missions available.

If it weren't for Felicity, it would probably have taken him much longer to return to the world of Moss.

'And Lynn... young lad, I hope you can learn from this experience.'

'At least, I left you with my witchcraft tools, and I took away Felicity, that burden…'

"With this arrangement, both you and Felicity have a better chance of survival."

Durant let out a long sigh, gave Felicity one last look, and then disappeared underground.

They wandered through the land for a long time.

When Durant emerged from the ground again, what he saw before him was a giant fern that was more magnificent than mountains and seas.

And this is what he and Felicity called—

"The Sky-reaching Fern Tree".

(End of this chapter)