The Wizard's Secret Journey

Chapter 242 Outbreak (4k)

'Something unusual has appeared at the Gray Forest ruins?'

Samuel's message startled Lynn, whose brows furrowed in shock.

He recalled the origins of the Greywood ruins.

This place was once just an ordinary wasteland. Then one day, the Gray Forest Ruins suddenly emerged from the ground, causing the earth to shake and completely changing the landscape of the entire area.

The residual radiation continues to affect the area to this day, causing the entire gray forest to almost turn into a black forest.

When Lynn and his group arrived, they saw the Ashwood Ruins after they had calmed down, and they didn't know what it had looked like back then. But just from the various traces they saw, such as the surging mounds of earth and the countless huge cracks in the ground, they could deduce that it must have been a disaster.

It is said that the dust and smoke that was stirred up that day took three days to completely dissipate, a large number of animals died, and the earth was stained brown with blood.

Thoughts flash like lightning, reality passes in the blink of an eye.

Lynn quickly realized the seriousness of the situation. Dark purple lightning flashed all over his body, and his figure instantly leaped to a distance. A few moments later, he arrived outside the watchtower.

Lynn stepped into the watchtower, while Samuel looked tense, surrounded by a screen of light.

"How is the situation?" Lynn asked.

“I don’t know. I’m urgently recalling the apprentices who are out on patrol.” Samuel shook his head, his face focused on the light screen.

"let me help you."

Lynn stepped forward and moved half of the light screen in front of him.

Each of these light screens corresponds to a patrol team that needs to ensure that every Golden Thorn Apprentice can safely return to the watchtower and survive this sudden disaster!
A moment later, Samuel exhaled, and Lynn also stopped what he was doing.

They notified all Goldthorn apprentices who were out and confirmed that every Goldthorn apprentice had received the urgent notification.

"Did the camp explain what kind of anomaly has occurred at the Graywood Ruins, or what kind of situation we might face?" Lynn asked in a deep voice, while opening the message.

“No, nothing at all, just telling us to get ready.” Samuel shook his head and, like Lynn, activated the watchtower’s message screen.

Just as Lynn could have checked it himself but still asked him a question, Samuel, though he had been there the whole time and knew there were no new notifications, couldn't help but check it carefully again.

Although things were calm during this period, Lynn and Samuel never let their guard down.

The words Horsens had spoken during his late-night visit still echoed in their ears. The third-tier wizard had repeatedly emphasized the dangers of the Graywood Ruins, even saying that if they encountered an unavoidable situation, they should prioritize saving their own lives and save as many Golden Thorn Apprentices as possible.

Lynn and Samuel had kept this instruction in mind, which is why they were so nervous at this moment.

“In any case, let’s gather the apprentices and keep an eye on things. If anything seems amiss, activate the magic array immediately,” Lynn said, his expression serious.

“Hmm.” Samuel nodded, hesitated for a moment, and then said, “There are several patrol teams of wizard apprentices that are far away and will take at least twenty minutes to get back. I want to go and fetch them.”

A first-tier wizard's flight speed is far beyond that of a wizard apprentice, even when carrying others. If Samuel goes to pick them up, he can reduce the return time of those Golden Thorn apprentices to less than 5 minutes.

After a moment's consideration, Lynn said, "I'll take my Black Falcon; it'll be faster that way."

Samuel's suggestion is worth considering; the sooner we bring back those Golden Thorn Apprentices, the sooner we can activate the Watchtower Witch Array.

After all, the watchtower's defensive magic array is easy to activate and easy to deactivate, but it cannot be activated again for a short period of time.

This is the flaw of this watchtower, which is only partially a second-order structure, but it is also the reason why it can activate a protective shield with strength equivalent to that of a second-order structure.

Samuel shook his head. "No, you must stay in the camp. You are stronger and know more about magic arrays than I do, so you can control this watchtower better."

Lynn was silent for a moment, then said, "Then at least take my Black Falcon."

Samuel shook his head again. "The Black Falcon won't be much faster. But if it stays here, it can save more Golden Thorn Apprentices in critical moments."

Lynn remained silent, offering no further advice, and simply nodded gently.

The conversation between the two seemed long, but in fact it was all done through telepathic communication, and no time was wasted.

After saying this, Samuel walked straight out of the watchtower.

Lynn waved his hand to summon the monitoring screen, and Samuel's figure appeared silently.

Lynn watched as he soared into the sky and quickly disappeared into the crimson light.

After a brief moment of distraction, Lynn gently waved his hand, and the scene on the light screen changed to the nearest camp.

The towering beam of light was still as dazzling as ever, and the same warning beam could still be faintly seen in the distance.

The sun had completely sunk below the horizon, but the entire Gray Forest Ruins were as bright as day. However, everything in sight was shrouded in a blood-red cloak.

At this moment, Lynn noticed that many apprentices had arrived outside the watchtower. They had different expressions, glancing at the watchtower from time to time, and then at the distant pillar of light.

After a moment's thought, Lynn temporarily shut down the light screen and walked out of the watchtower.

"Lord Lynn!" the apprentices greeted him.

Lynn nodded and reassured them, "Don't panic. Just continue with what you're doing, except for avoiding deep meditation. If anything unusual happens, Samuel and I will let you know immediately."

“Yes, Your Excellency Lynn,” the apprentices replied.

"And what about Lord Samuel?" an apprentice asked.

"He went to pick up the Golden Thorn apprentices who were patrolling in the distance," Lynn explained simply, and looked up at the distant sky with the apprentices.

Beneath the blood-red dome, the Gray Forest Ruins appeared particularly terrifying. Each of the collapsed buildings seemed like a crouching beast, waiting for the right moment to launch a fatal attack.

A few minutes passed, and with Lynn filled with unease, Samuel led the first group of Golden Thorn apprentices back to camp.

The Golden Thorn apprentices who were watching cheered.

Samuel smiled, gave Lynn a nod, and then soared into the sky again to catch the next batch of Golden Thorn apprentices.

Based on Samuel's efficiency, in a few minutes all the Goldthorn apprentices, including those who were closer and returned on their own, should be back at camp.

However, at that moment, an orange-yellow signal flare suddenly exploded in the sky not far to the east.

'Yellow... indicates that a Tier 1 intruder has been detected, and support from the nearest outpost is needed.' Lynn was slightly taken aback, but quickly realized what was going on.

With such a conspicuous anomaly appearing at the Graywood Ruins, any wizards lurking around the perimeter of the Graywood Ruins who are trying to infiltrate it will definitely not let this opportunity pass them by!

Sure enough, this distress signal was just the beginning. In the following minutes, several more distress signals appeared in the blood-red sky!

The atmosphere became extremely tense. The Golden Thorn apprentices, who had initially been talking, were now all silent.

At a certain moment, a powerful figure shot out from not far away; it was a third-tier wizard!
He snorted coldly, his icy voice echoing throughout the night sky as the magic spread.

"Trying to enter the Graywood Ruins at this time? You've underestimated Silver Ring Academy! All watchtowers and outposts, continue patrolling. Maintain normal patrols at least until the Graywood Ruins fully erupt."

"Any violation will be treated as serious dereliction of duty!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Lynn noticed the corresponding command message coming from the watchtower.

Lynn's face turned ugly.

'The Gray Forest Ruins erupted... What erupted?'
'Furthermore, being treated as serious dereliction of duty... means the best outcome is being imprisoned and forced to do hard labor for 50 years!'

The Golden Thorn apprentices also heard this news and all looked at Lynn.

Lynn remained silent, unsure of what to say.

At this moment, Samuel landed slowly with the last group of Golden Thorn apprentices, exchanged a glance with Lynn, and a wry smile appeared on his face.

"What should we do now?"

Lynn thought carefully for a moment and said slowly, "Two teams at a time, go out on patrol again immediately! But remember, patrol carefully, don't just skim the surface, there are a lot of wizards trying to take advantage of the situation!"

"To ensure the effectiveness of the patrol, I strongly recommend that you proceed on foot and do not overlook any suspicious traces."

"Of course, keep an eye on the Gray Forest Ruins at all times. If an outbreak occurs, return to the watchtower as quickly as possible!"

Lynn's words were cryptic, but the Golden Thorn apprentices present were not fools. Most of them understood the deeper meaning behind Lynn's words, and even those who did not understand suddenly realized it after being reminded by others.

Lynn's meaning was simple: he was just dawdling!

The orders of the Silver Ring Academy cannot be disobeyed; the nearby watchtower will record everything. Even if they manage to escape the eruption of the Ashwood Ruins, they will still be purged by the Silver Ring Academy afterward.

However, the Silver Ring order only required them to continue patrolling, without specifying how to patrol.

As long as the Golden Thorn Apprentices walk slowly enough, they won't stray too far from the watchtower, and they can return immediately if danger arises.

Lynn still felt uneasy, so he said in a deep voice, "Samuel and I will lead patrols separately, and you will follow behind us."

The watchtower's patrol area is located on both sides, so both of them need to lead the team at the same time.

In this way, we can escape back to the camp with the apprentices much faster!

Lynn was in charge of patrolling the east side, accompanied by Elaine and the Golden Thorn apprentices.

In the blood-red night, everything seemed exceptionally eerie and silent.

They patrolled on foot, at a very slow pace, almost like they were taking a stroll.

But neither Lynn nor the apprentices had any interest in appreciating the scenery around them.

They vigilantly observed their surroundings, wary of potential intruders. Lynn, meanwhile, glanced towards the Graywood Ruins from time to time, watching for any unusual activity.

"What exactly does the 'outbreak' of the Graywood Ruins refer to?" Lynn pondered silently. "Could it be something like when the Graywood Ruins appeared, where new structures surged up from underground?"

The question remained unanswered, and Lynn didn't dwell on it.

At that moment, a new orange-yellow flame suddenly appeared in the corner of his eye.

The distress signal was exceptionally close to them; it must have been sent from the neighboring Pablo School watchtower!
Lynn instinctively stopped in his tracks.

The Pablo School was in the direction they were patrolling, so a distress signal was definitely not a good thing.

However, this gave Lynn a perfectly legitimate reason to slack off.

"You all stay put, I'm going up in the sky to check the situation."

Lynn instructed his apprentice to cast a detection spell on himself and gradually ascend into the air.

Here, the watchtower behind him was just a step away. Lynn was determined to spend more time observing the situation, hoping to stall until the Graywood Ruins erupted.

Thanks to the excellent illumination provided by the blood-red pillar of light, and with the enhancement of the detection magic, Lynn was able to clearly see the Pablo School watchtower, which was also located on the low hill.

At this moment, Pablo's disciples were gathered around the watchtower, their faces generally filled with panic and dismay.

Although they sent out a distress signal indicating the presence of a Tier 1 intruder, they did not raise any defensive barriers.

This could be to conserve magic stones for the upcoming outbreak at the Graywood Ruins, or it could be because the warning was issued at the camp earlier, but it had to be canceled due to Silver Ring's order, so it can't be activated now.

As for the apprentices waiting outside on patrol... that is indeed a possibility, but objectively speaking, it is not high.

"But where are the intruders?"

Lynn searched carefully and finally spotted five flying wizards west of Pablo's Watchtower!
Two wizards fled ahead, while three wizards pursued them from behind.

Clearly, the two wizards in front are the intruders!
Their position was already at the edge of Pablo's watchtower's range, and in the instant Lynn was stunned, they officially flew into the Horsens School watchtower's range.

Lynn felt a chill run down his spine and strained to look, only to be suddenly stunned.

He recognized those two invading wizards who were fleeing ahead!
They turned out to be the two from the French Chamber of Commerce, suspected of possessing Black Moon relics, but unwilling to sell them to his team leader!
"They were invaders... No wonder they acted so suspiciously back then."

Lynn watched silently, then suddenly remembered something and felt a surge of joy.

He quickly landed and called to the Golden Thorn apprentice:

"A Tier 1 invading wizard has been detected within the range of Watchtower 16-8! According to Silver Ring Academy regulations, we should immediately send out a distress signal and then return to the watchtower!"

As he spoke, Lynn remotely controlled the watchtower to send out a distress signal using the silver ring badge.

boom!
An orange-yellow signal bloomed in the blood-red sky.

Samuel, on the other side, paused, a look of confusion on his face.

But the next second, he received a message from Lynn, and the doubt on his face turned into excitement.

Samuel looked up, preparing to call the apprentice back to the watchtower.

A terrifying aura suddenly gripped him, causing him to freeze abruptly, and the hairs on his body stood on end!

Samuel turned his head with difficulty and saw that the Gray Forest ruins on his right had been lit up with a dim, star-like gray-white light at some point.

It was so faint that, under the glow of the blood-red pillar of light, it was as inconspicuous as the stars compared to the moon.

But at this moment, no wizard dared to ignore this faint light.

(End of this chapter)