The Wizard's Secret Journey

Chapter 230 Gray Forest Ruins (4k)

The massive airship landed on the open ground in the center of the base, creating waves of air.

Dust and grass clippings rushed toward the Golden Thorn apprentices standing nearby, but suddenly stopped a few meters away and fell silently.

Samuel withdrew his hand and looked at Lynn beside him.

The latter nodded slightly, turned around, and gave his final instructions to the Golden Thorn apprentice behind him:

"Due to the time constraints, we don't have time to bring in the school's airships, so this airship provided by Silver Ring Academy will be the vehicle you use to travel to the Graywood Ruins."

"It should be noted in advance that in order to ensure transportation efficiency, Silver Ring College has converted the original four-person rooms into eight-person rooms, so the next week may be a little tough. We hope everyone can persevere."

Because Lynn's current strength is superior to Samuel's, Horsens appointed him as the main wizard in charge of this recruitment.

After Lynn finished speaking, the Silver Ring Wizards responsible for recruiting them arrived before them.

The group consisted of three people: a first-level novice wizard and two first-class apprentices.

They were also the pilots of the airship.

Although this silver-white airship looks imposing, it is actually an airship specifically designed for transport. Except for its flight speed, which can reach the first tier, everything else is at the tier 0 level, so it can be easily controlled by a single first-tier wizard.

It's worth noting that this shuttle is likely not an asset of Silver Ring Academy, but rather one that was conscripted. A badge on the shuttle that Lynn wasn't familiar with supports this conclusion.

Perhaps because of their status as allies, the pilot wizard was very gentle. After a brief conversation with Lynn, he instructed the two first-class wizard apprentices to do their work.

One of them took out the roster, and the other was in charge of checking it, and they began to have the Golden Thorn apprentices line up to enter the airship.

"Let's go, it's time for us to set off too."

After all the apprentices had boarded the shuttle, Lynn spoke at the opportune moment and walked towards the Black Falcon parked in the corner.

Samuel followed closely behind.

For this recruitment, Silver Ring Academy is only providing free transportation for wizard apprentices; qualified wizards will have to find their own way to reach the Ashwood Ruins within the specified time.

Samuel, of course, did not have a private shuttle, so he chose to ride in Lynn's shuttle.

It wasn't that Samuel couldn't afford a shuttle; it was just that he had never considered buying a private shuttle before. Now that the conscription order had come so suddenly, he had no way to get a suitable shuttle in a short period of time.

After all, while flying shuttles are common, silver ring passage rights are not easy to obtain.

Lynn only met Kira, who was an expert in this field, by sheer chance; otherwise, it would have been impossible for him to obtain the right to pass through the Silver Ring so easily.

boom--

The massive airship slowly ascended into the air.

Samuel withdrew his gaze and followed Lynn into the Black Falcon.

This was his first time inside the Black Falcon, and he was immediately taken aback by its "simple" decor.

When Lynn routinely tested the Black Falcon, aside from a few very specific functions, most of the testing took place at the base. Although Samuel didn't specifically observe it, he inevitably encountered it, so he had some understanding of the shuttle's formidable performance.

Samuel knew it was a high-performance, expensive shuttle.

'But the interior, devoid of any decoration and so simple it's almost barren, is truly mismatched with the performance expected of the Black Falcon!'

Samuel thought to himself, and couldn't help but say, "Your Excellency is not only diligent in your cultivation, but also simple in your life."

"It just looks simple, but it's functional enough." Lynn smiled, without explaining further.

He had heard the same words not only from Kira and Daphne, but also from Lia a few days ago.

In reality, the interior of the Black Falcon was an extremely high-end minimalist style by the standards of the previous life. Stepping inside felt like being in a spaceship in a futuristic science fiction world. It was not only simple but also highly practical.

However, the mainstream aesthetic of wizards in the Gunn world still prefers elaborate decorations, much like the Victorian era in the West in the previous life, which featured a dazzling array of colorful items, exquisite trinkets, and extremely intricate carvings.

Therefore, it's quite normal for Lynn's minimalist interior design to attract attention.

“According to the airship pilots, this voyage should take about 10 days.” Samuel stood by the cockpit window, watching the airship take off in the distance.
"If there are no unexpected events along the way and the weather is good, we may be able to arrive 1 to 3 days earlier."

"But if the weather is bad, it will probably be delayed by 1 to 3 days. If there are any unexpected events, then it's even more uncertain."

Samuel turned around and watched Lynn take off with the Black Falcon, then sighed, "I hope everything goes well."

Lynn paused slightly, then said calmly, "You should take back what you said."

"Why?" Samuel was taken aback.

"The more you try to avoid any unexpected events, the more likely they are to happen, right?"

“…That’s true.” Samuel laughed, then continued, “I haven’t asked you yet, where will I be staying for the next few days?”

Lynn pointed to the living area behind him: "The Black Falcon only has one bedroom, so you'll have to make do here for a while."

The journey to the Graywood Ruins was long and dangerous, so Lynn only took Good Luck and Sia with him.

“Okay.” Samuel didn’t seem to mind; instead, he joked, “Sitting in a chair isn’t comfortable. Luckily, I brought my own blanket.”

This shy boy, who was very bad at socializing, became noticeably more cheerful after advancing to the first level of wizard, perhaps because he proved himself to his father. He was able to relax and make jokes when facing familiar people like Lynn.

Lynn didn't reply, but simply touched the control crystal.

The next moment, the two chairs in the middle of the activity area slowly approached and closed together, and then the chair backs automatically flattened to form a small bed.

Samuel raised an eyebrow: "Indeed, as you said, the Black Falcon is in no way inferior in terms of functionality."

As the two talked, the Black Falcon slowly took off, following the airship ahead as it gradually disappeared into the distance.

……

In the apprentice airship.

The Golden Thorn apprentices were gathered in small groups, discussing the mission with great enthusiasm in the restaurant.

Most wizard apprentices still need to eat, and the huge airship provides three free meals a day, just enough to fill their stomachs, nothing delicious.

At Lynn and Samuel's suggestion, the Goldthorn apprentices actually carried a lot of food with them, including many delicacies.

However, the Golden Thorn apprentices still prefer to come to the restaurant.

It wasn't that I wanted to get the free food, but rather that the cabins were really cramped. In contrast, the restaurant, perhaps because it hadn't been renovated in time, still retained its previous comfortable and spacious environment.

Therefore, the apprentices preferred to stay here.

"I really hope we get there soon. I feel like I'm going to suffocate from being stuck in the airship all day." "You can't stand it after only two days? There's still at least another week to go. How are you going to get through it, Rosia?"

Leah scooped up a spoonful of rich, creamy seafood soup and mumbled something to the witch in front of her.

"Yeah, how am I supposed to get through this?!"

Sitting opposite Leah was a tall witch. She had short, deep red hair and healthy tan skin. Although she was saying discouraging things, her expression clearly showed that she wasn't really in pain; she was just venting.

Leah was used to her friend's flamboyant personality and chuckled, "You can also buy your own flying shuttle. Not only will it have plenty of space, but you can also get to the Gray Forest Ruins earlier."

“A shuttle with a 0-ring speed is nowhere near as fast as this airship, and a shuttle with a 1-ring speed…” Rosia shook her head, dejected, “Even if I sold it, I couldn’t afford to buy it!”

Leah was amused by her and pursed her lips.

“I wish I could ride in Lord Lynn’s shuttle!” Rosia suddenly said, chuckling as she stared at Leah. “I don’t have that chance, but you can definitely try, after all, you call him Senior Lynn!”

Leah blushed, coughed from the choking sensation, and quickly put down her spoon: "The Black Falcon only has one bedroom, I've been up there. Even if Lord Lynn is willing to let me ride it, I have nowhere to rest."

Rosia wasn't about to let the shy girl off the hook, so she pretended not to understand and asked, "If there's nowhere to rest, isn't there a bedroom?"

"...Rosia!"

"hey-hey."

Just as the two were playfully bickering, a slightly trembling voice suddenly came over:
"May I sit here, gentlemen?"

Leah turned her head and saw a boy with bright green hair. His fair face showed some panic, and he wore the badge of the McKinley School on his chest.

Before Leah and Rosia could respond, a cold voice came from behind the green-haired boy: "My two friends from the Horsens School, I advise you not to meddle in other people's business."

The speaker was dressed in a gray-black witch's robe and wore a hood, revealing pale skin. Judging from his appearance, he was a young man.

He was accompanied by two wizarding apprentices, both wearing the badges of the McKinley School.

The airship sent by the Silver Ring Academy was enormous, carrying not only the Golden Thorn apprentices of the Horsens School, but also Silver Ring exchange students of the McKinley School and some ordinary apprentices.

Like the Horsens School, the McKinley School was an affiliated school of the Silver Ring Institute.

However, the McKinley School was quite close to the Silver Ring College, while the Horsens School was practically in the countryside.

It is precisely for this reason that the Horsens School recruited not only all the McKinley School's Silver Ring students, but also many ordinary McKinley School apprentices.

Upon hearing the black-robed youth's words, Lia instinctively frowned, feeling somewhat uncomfortable.

The fiery-tempered Rosia immediately wanted to retort, but was stopped by Lia.

"It's better to avoid trouble than to get involved in something else; there's no need to pay attention to a little verbal dispute."

"Besides, we don't know their current situation."

The green-haired boy seemed to realize that they were unwilling to talk, so he quickly took a step forward, intending to go find the apprentice at the next table.

But after taking just one step, he suddenly felt lost again.

The green-haired boy had observed for the past two days and concluded that the female apprentice from earlier must be the leading apprentice of the Horsens school, but she didn't dare to speak. So who could he rely on?
Just as the green-haired boy hesitated, the two apprentices accompanying the black-robed boy came to his side, one on each side, and reached out to put their hands on his shoulders.

The green-haired boy trembled, his body going limp as if his bones had been removed. Resigned, he leaned against the two apprentices, who then helped him turn and leave.

The black-haired boy's face showed satisfaction. He glanced at Lia and Rosia one last time and said coldly, "A wise choice."

Rosia was furious at his arrogant attitude, but she held back her anger for the sake of Lia beside her.

Only after the black-haired boy had walked away did she say with annoyance, "Where did this idiot come from? He can't even speak normally."

"I thought it was strange enough that the McKinley School apprentices spent all their time in the lounge and even when they came to the restaurant, they would sit alone."

"I never expected there would be apprentices like this today!"

"One was timid and cowering, seemingly afraid of nothing, while the other was wearing a hood and was incredibly arrogant... Who couldn't tell that he was bald under the hood? Really!"

Leah was amused by Rosia's teasing again and asked in a low voice, "Is he really bald?"

"Of course, have you forgotten that my pupils have been modified?" Rosia said confidently, then murmured curiously at the end.

"What do you think they want to do with that green-haired boy?"

“Who knows? Anyway, it’s none of our business.” Leah shook her head, then added after thinking for a moment, “Maybe it’s a power struggle. The other schools of thought aren’t as united and friendly as our Horsens school.”

“That’s true.” Rosia nodded in agreement, putting her doubts aside.

……

……

Perhaps it was because Samuel had successfully brought down the flag that the entire journey to the Greywood Ruins went very smoothly, and even the weather was nice.

Just eight days later, Lynn and his group arrived at the outskirts of the Graywood Ruins.

Lynn piloted the Black Falcon, following the airship as it moved forward, gradually descending in altitude.

Samuel stood by the porthole, looking down at the ground below.

As the shuttle descended, the scenery below gradually became clearer.

This is a dense forest, though some of the color has faded.

This fading is hard to describe; it's like a vibrant color photograph turning into a desolate black and white one, but it feels even more unsettling.

Moreover, as they continue to move forward, this fading process worsens.

A decaying, stagnant gray hue has replaced the vibrant green that should have been there.

The towering ancient tree was twisted and deformed by some force, its bark peeling off to reveal the gray, skeletal wood beneath.

The dense foliage also had a sickly leaden gray color, as if the life force of the entire forest had been silently drained, leaving only decaying remains. Even through the window, one could almost smell some indescribable stale odor.

Finally, after traversing this oppressive, gray forest, a vast complex of buildings, stretching as far as the eye could see, came into view.

Its overall tone is gray and black, with the exposed architectural ruins appearing as if forcibly torn from the depths of the earth, half-buried in decaying gray soil and broken wood. On some broken columns or collapsed walls, one can still vaguely see the unique lunar symbols belonging to the Black Moon School.

This is the Gray Forest Ruins.

(End of this chapter)