The Wizard's Secret Journey

Chapter 231 Differences (4k)

"Lia, look! This forest is so strange!"

Inside the airship restaurant, Rosia leaned against the porthole and exclaimed in surprise.

“It is indeed a bit strange. These trees give me a very uncomfortable feeling.” Leah nodded, looking at the withered and grotesque trees outside, a look of worry in her eyes.

"Will we stay in a place like this forever?" Rosia murmured softly, then changed her perspective to gaze at the vast gray forest ruins.

“I don’t know…” Leah shook her head, then rallied her spirits and said, “However, I guess the conscription is probably temporary. So many of us have come here; we can’t all stay here forever.”

The Golden Thorn apprentices had already asked Lynn and Samuel this question before setting off, and the two of them replied that they didn't know.

Samuel offered some reassurance to the Golden Thorn apprentices, saying that even if the Silver Ring Academy didn't take any action, the school would send people to rotate them, so they wouldn't be left here indefinitely.

But Lynn offered no comfort whatsoever, simply replying that she didn't know.

This filled the Golden Thorn apprentices with a mixture of excitement, worry, and confusion.

The ruins of Black Moon Academy—something every wizard in the Aurora Domain dreams of encountering—and now they stand before them.

A mix of emotions surged within the Golden Thorn apprentices. Rosia didn't respond to Lia's words, but simply gazed quietly out the porthole as the airship swept across the forest and arrived at the edge of the ruins.

The entire vast gray forest ruins are roughly oval in shape, longer from north to south and shorter from east to west.

The airship carried them toward a low hillside.

At the top of that hillside stood a cluster of gray and white buildings that looked out of place with their surroundings. They were very new and seemed to have been built recently.

This is true.

This was the work of the wizards from the Silver Ring Academy who arrived at the ruins earlier, and it was also the only "camp" within a hundred miles.

If you get closer, you'll find silver ring logos everywhere in these buildings.

The so-called camp is a level of outpost stationed outside the Gray Forest Ruins.

The camp is the highest-level outpost besides the four large fortresses in the east, west, south, and north where numerous Silver Ring wizards gather. Below it are two other levels—

From largest to smallest, they are: outpost, sentry tower.

According to the Silver Ring Academy's plan, the wizards recruited this time will be stationed around the entire edge of the Greywood Ruins, completely surrounding it.

The specific method is to establish outposts one by one, expanding from points to lines, covering the entire perimeter.

As for the specific locations, they are roughly arranged in the following order: 'sentry tower' - 'sentry post' - 'sentry tower' - [camp] - 'sentry tower' - 'sentry post' - 'sentry tower'.

The camps are mainly staffed by full-fledged wizards and outstanding apprentices from the Silver Ring Academy, while the outposts are staffed by full-fledged wizards from the common school, and the watchtowers by wizard apprentices.

However, the specific situation will vary depending on the actual environment. Generally speaking, the places where outposts are established are relatively more dangerous and easier to breach.

After a while, the airship arrived at the open space outside the camp and began to descend slowly.

"We're finally landing," Rosia exclaimed, straightening her body.

At this moment, most of the Horsens School's Golden Thorn apprentices were gathered in the restaurant, and upon hearing her words, they all expressed a sense of relief.

"Indeed, we've finally arrived. If we had sat any longer, I would have suffocated."

"Exactly, the guest rooms here don't provide magical energy, making meditation inefficient, far less so than my accommodation at Silver Ring Academy."

"It's good enough that I can still meditate. I don't know if the conditions here will be as good as on the airship."

"It can't be that exaggerated. The area underneath isn't like an airship; it's limited in size."

“Living space is one thing, but magical energy is more important! Haven’t you noticed that the concentration of magical energy has decreased since we came here?”

Upon hearing this, the expressions on the faces of many apprentices immediately changed.

The importance of magic energy to wizards is self-evident; if the concentration of magic energy here is too low, various aspects will be affected.

Meditation practice, in particular, is a matter of great importance concerning one's future and even life!
"Sigh, what bad luck. The previous batch of Golden Thorn Apprentices encountered the Holy Ring Contamination, and this batch has the Gray Forest Ruins."

"I was initially excited to see the Black Moon Ruins. But thinking about it carefully, we garrisoned wizards can only look at them from afar at best."

The atmosphere gradually fell silent.

Leah took a deep breath and said loudly, "Don't be discouraged, everyone. After all, the concentration of magical energy hasn't been officially measured, so relying on feelings alone isn't accurate enough."

"Besides, the area surrounding the Gray Forest Ruins is so vast, and we haven't even determined where we're responsible yet. We don't know what the environment will be like then, so it's too early to be discouraged."

Rosia was the first to respond: "Lia Jinji is right!"

"Moreover, even if this place is terrible, we still have schools of thought."

"The Horsens school is different from other schools of thought!"

All the Golden Thorn apprentices nodded in agreement, but then a discordant sneer rang out.

Lucia frowned and looked over, seeing a familiar figure in a black robe slowly leaving the restaurant.

After careful examination, she remembered that it was the McKinley School wizarding apprentice who had previously bullied a green-haired boy.

Looking around, the few McKinley School wizarding apprentices in the restaurant also got up and left.

Perhaps it was because the airship was about to land, or perhaps it was because the boy in the black robe had started it.

The airship's restaurant was a public area, and although the Horsens School students often gathered there, they never considered it their own territory.

However, the McKinley School's wizarding apprentices are quite reclusive; outside of mealtimes, no more than ten apprentices come to the restaurant each day. Today, as they approach the Graywood Ruins, only three to five apprentices have come.

At this moment, they've completely left.

"This is infuriating," Rosia frowned.

"Never mind those McKinley school wizarding apprentices," Leah said reassuringly, continuing from Rosia's earlier words.
“Yes, our Horsens School is different, which is why we are gathered here at this moment, and why Lord Lynn and Lord Samuel are traveling with us…”

Her voice was calm and unhurried, stating the facts in a plain and even tone.

The Golden Thorn apprentices listened quietly, their anxiety subsiding.

The airship gradually approached the ground, and finally, with a slight sway, it came to a stop in the open space outside the hillside camp.

……

Inside the Black Falcon.

Samuel rose from his seat, gazing at the decaying, solemn ruins outside the porthole, and let out a soft sigh: "Finally here." Lynn sat in the pilot's seat, maneuvering the Black Falcon to a stop beside the airship, before looking up to carefully observe the unfamiliar ruins in the distance.

The location of this campsite is excellent; from their mooring position, they can see the entire Greywood ruins through the portholes.

Looking at the Black Moon emblems he had once seen in the Crimson World, Lynn couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion.

'I never expected to end up here.'

When Lynn first heard about this site, he felt an urge to come and explore it.

After all, the resources he obtained from the Crimson Ruins back then are still benefiting him to this day.

The reason I gave up on all the ideas afterward was not because I didn't want to, but simply because the risks far outweighed the rewards.

Although it now seems that the risks far outweigh the rewards, the Black Moon Ruins are right before his eyes.

Lynn couldn't help but waver for a moment.

Lynn took a slow breath, stood up, and walked outside with Samuel, gradually suppressing his emotions and regaining his rationality.

Although the Black Moon Ruins were right in front of him, Lynn would only think about it at most, and would never do such a risky thing unless absolutely necessary.

……

"All apprentices, come here and line up according to your school of thought!"

At the camp entrance, a gray-haired wizard from Silver Ring Academy greeted the wizarding apprentices who had just disembarked from the airship, his tone carrying the usual indifference.

"Line up, let's go together!" Lia called to the Golden Thorn apprentices.

Unexpectedly, the McKinley School apprentices next to them were even faster. They didn't even gather together; the whole group went straight to the Silver Ring Academy wizards at the camp entrance and lined up.

What appears to be a chaotic rush actually contains an underlying order.

Some apprentices, whose aura was clearly stronger than those around them, went ahead first, while the rest of the apprentices only dared to follow behind them.

"A bunch of idiots, keep dawdling here,"

Leah heard the familiar, chilling voice again. The black-robed youth sneered as he passed by the Golden Thorn apprentices, and wherever he went, the McKinley apprentices made way for him.

The black-robed youth quickly moved from the back to the front. He glanced back at the Golden Thorn apprentices who had just assembled and sneered inwardly:
'The Horsens School is indeed a remote one. It seems none of the apprentices were warned that good garrison locations are limited, and the later it gets, the harder it is to find a good spot.'

The Silver Ring Academy wizard in charge of reception seemed oblivious to this scene, merely frowning and urging the Golden Thorn apprentices on:
"What school of thought are you apprentices from? Hurry up, after I finish arranging yours, a new batch of apprentices is coming. Don't waste my time!"

Faced with the rebuke of a formal wizard, the Golden Thorn apprentices instinctively felt a little flustered.

Jin Jiwei steadied himself and was about to answer when he heard a familiar voice behind him:
“They are from the Horsens School, sir,” Lynn said calmly, a faint smile on his face.

The first-tier wizard from Silver Ring Academy raised his head, looking at Lynn and Samuel, who were also first-tier wizards, and his tone softened immediately:
"So you're an apprentice of the Horsens school. No wonder you're so well-behaved."

"You two must be Lord Lynn and Lord Samuel. I am Sefors Kenny."

"Lord Courtney has already given us instructions. Please take your apprentices and follow me."

After the first-tier wizard finished speaking, he gave a wink to the two apprentice assistants beside him. The latter understood immediately, and one of them instructed the McKinley School apprentices who were lined up in front of him: "Everyone, move a few steps to the side and make way for the camp gate."

Another person approached the Golden Thorn Apprentice and said in a gentle tone, "Everyone, come with me."

“…Okay.” Vic’s tense face relaxed.

Lia pursed her lips, a happy smile curving her face.

Rosia, who had been somewhat dejected after hearing the black-robed youth's sneer and being startled by the first-tier wizard, immediately straightened her chest and stared arrogantly at the McKinley School wizard apprentice not far away, like a victorious general.

Especially the boy in the black robe.

The black-robed youth felt her gaze, met her eyes for a moment, then glanced at Lynn and Samuel in front of him. He said nothing, not even a fierce look, and simply looked away, his head bowed and meek.

Seeing him like this made Rosica feel even more pleased.

However, Lia frowned slightly, feeling as if she had punched a cotton ball.

Regardless, at the invitation of the Silver Ring Apprentices, the Goldthorn Apprentices entered the camp first.

"As Lord Courtney instructed, we have reserved the three best-positioned watchtower locations. Which one do you prefer?"

In the office, the gray-haired wizard activated the map projection and marked three locations.

To ensure sufficient defensive forces on the perimeter and prevent them from being overly dispersed and defeated one by one, Silver Ring Academy stipulates that the guard posts should be maintained at a strength of at least 250 first-class wizard apprentices.

This number of wizard apprentices, plus the supporting wizard arrays that may be established in the future, is sufficient to deal with ordinary first-tier wizards.

The officially recruited wizards were, in principle, concentrated at outposts so that support could be mobilized in a unified manner.

This arrangement seems less ideal than equipping each watchtower with a full-fledged wizard, and it could lead to an over-concentration of full-fledged wizards, potentially causing support to be delayed.

However, in reality, such an arrangement can greatly reduce the losses of formal wizards and prevent them from dying one by one.

Moreover, the boundary marked out by Silver Ring Academy's outposts is still quite a distance from the truly valuable Greywood Ruins, so the official wizards at the outposts or camps have ample time to intercept intruders, and the wizard apprentices at the watchtowers only need to serve a basic warning role.

Of course, the downside of doing so is that it will greatly increase the mortality rate of wizard apprentices.

This doesn't mean the plan is bad; it just means that the Silver Ring Wizard, after weighing the options, chose a plan that was unfriendly to wizard apprentices.

However, the Horsens school is an exception.

Strictly speaking, the watchtower should only be guarded by wizard apprentices, whose main responsibility is patrolling and warning.

But Horsens managed to get special treatment from the Silver Ring Wizard.

Lynn and Samuel will be stationed at a watchtower, not a post, with the Golden Thorn Apprentice.

In this way, Lynn and Samuel are essentially patrolling as wizard apprentices while holding the status of first-order wizards, which undoubtedly greatly reduces the danger.

After all, the wizard apprentices stationed at the watchtowers were only required to patrol, and if they encountered intruders they could not defeat, they only needed to issue a warning and then retreat. Unlike the regular wizards at the outposts, who had to expend effort to intercept them, and even if they were outmatched, they had to find a way to hold out until reinforcements arrived.

Furthermore, the Golden Thorn Apprentices also have the protection of two Tier 1 wizards, making it a win-win situation!

So, which base should we choose?

Lynn and Samuel carefully examined the projected map in front of them.

(End of this chapter)