The wizard era begins with the alchemist wizard

Chapter 25 Black Rock Mountains (Seeking follow-up reading)

By the time Ellie had changed her clothes, half an hour had passed.

Looking at the young and lovely girl in front of him, Richard couldn't help but sigh that the best cosmetic for women is youth.

When he arrived at the mission hall, Richard saw that the fat man named Locke seemed to have found a team.

"It seems that it is common for low-level apprentices to form teams, but don't these people worry about being robbed by their fellow apprentices?" Richard thought to himself.

Although the Blackrock Mountains are within the academy's radiation range, there are no academy supervisors there, and apprentices will no longer be restricted by school rules.

And the apprentices who successfully entered the academy all had blood on their hands. In the wilderness, Richard would not dare to sleep peacefully if he was not with a companion who knew him well.

I came to the counter to accept the task. After confirming that Richard and Ellie would form a team, the teller readily assigned the task to Richard.

"Let's go, go back and pack up, we'll take the airship over there tonight."

As Richard walked along the road, he felt that Ellie was always looking at him vaguely. But every time he looked at Ellie, she quickly looked away.

"Is there something on my face?" Richard asked.

"Um...no."

"Then why do you always look at me?"

"Who was looking at you? Don't be so self-indulgent. I...I was looking at the street light."

Richard shook his head, really not understanding what the girl was thinking.

Next time I’ll just ask Crystal to record it and see if she denies it.

In addition to packing his clothes, Richard also armed himself fully after returning to the dormitory. He carried a large sword on his back, wore armlets on his arms, wore ice pick rings on his fingers, and a magic dagger on his waist. Finally, he took the lesser fireball staff. Richard's equipment was complete.

After packing up, Richard and Ellie came to the airship field located on the outer level of the academy.

There were many apprentices in the airship field, and the sharp-eyed Richard even saw the team that Fatty Locke had joined from the crowd.

After Richard showed his mission certificate and boarded the Zeppelin magic airship, he was exempted from the airship ticket, which made the apprentices around him jealous.

The airship ticket is not cheap, the price starts from one magic stone, and it may even cost five or six magic stones to distant places.

Ellie looked at the ticket price on the airship and said, "Richard, how did you know that you can get a free ticket if you accept the academy mission?"

If calculated based on the airship ticket price, the two of them would need four magic stones to buy tickets to the Black Rock Mountains, which would be more expensive than the remuneration.

The ticket seller of the airship had no intention of telling them the rule at all.

"Haha, secret."

This passenger airship is different from the airship for recruiting students. There are no single rooms in the huge airship cabin, but instead rows of wooden seats.

Richard and the other man sat by the window. Ellie, who was used to sleeping, yawned, leaned against Richard and closed her eyes.

Seeing Ellie fall asleep in a flash, Richard reluctantly found a piece of clothing from his luggage and put it on her.

The moonlight outside the window was bright, shining in through the window and falling on Ellie's face, as if covered with a layer of veil.

"Sleeping is such a waste. It's not as efficient as meditation."

……

The airship was very fast and reached the Black Rock Mountains, thousands of miles away, in just half the night.

As the morning sun shone into the airship, Richard moved his shoulders to wake Ellie up.

"Wake up, we're here."

"Huh? So fast?"

After groaning for a while, Ellie stretched and followed Richard off the airship.

There was a small town where the airship landed, where many ordinary humans lived. Loken's group also got off the airship with Richard, but this group seemed to be very familiar with the Black Rock Mountains, and they headed straight for the Black Rock Mountains as soon as they got off the airship.

As soon as they entered the town, several people immediately surrounded Richard and his companions.

"Master Wizard, do you need a guide? I am very familiar with the Blackrock Mountains."

"Master Wizard, I am most familiar with the Black Rock Mountains. I only need one quarter of a magic stone, and I promise to complete your mission quickly and smoothly."

"Master Wizard, don't listen to them, I am right..."

Looking at the huddled guides, Richard coughed. "Everyone, be quiet. We are here to inspect the survival of the white crystal deer and hunt a magical beast called the black-striped water python. Who among you is familiar with these two things?"

Richard's words silenced the guides.

The white crystal deer is nothing, but few of them have ever seen the black-striped water python.

"Master Wizard, I am familiar with the white crystal deer, but I have only seen the black-striped water python once in the past six months. I wonder if it is still there."

An old guide with white hair but full of energy stood out among the group of guides, and no other guide around dared to steal his business.

There is no way. The job of a wizard has high returns but also high risks. If the wizard feels that he has been cheated, the city lord cannot protect them.

"Okay, then it's your turn. How many magic stones?"

"Half a magic stone is enough, Master Wizard."

"What's your name?"

"Master Wizard, just call me Old John."

……

After the transaction was completed, Old John did not waste any time and immediately took the two of them to Black Rock Mountains.

The Black Stone Mountains were covered with a layer of fog in the morning. From afar, it seemed as if a black monster was lurking in the white fog.

Old John led the two men along the mountain path all the way into the Black Rock Mountains. Along the way, Richard and the other man were dazzled by all kinds of strange-looking plants and insects.

"Master Wizard, this is your first time in Blackrock Mountains."

Richard put away the plants he had just picked and turned to look at Old John.

"Indeed."

"Haha, I know from the way you two look that this is your first time here."

Old John laughed and pulled out a mushroom from the grass beside him.

"Master Wizard, don't look at those little things, look at this mushroom, Old John."

Richard took the mushroom and used his mental power to investigate, and he discovered that the mushroom actually contained magical power.

"What is this!" Richard asked in surprise.

Old John shook his head and said, "I don't know what this is, but I've seen other wizards who come to the mountains often pick this thing."

Richard understood the hidden meaning, put away the mushroom in his hand, and took out a magic stone with one-fifth of magic power left from the pocket on his waist.

"We'll show you what other wizards often pick later."

Old John accepted the magic stone with a smile on his face: "Okay, Old John promises to satisfy you, sir."

The Black Rock Mountains are very large, with thousands of kilometers of mountains extending even beyond the academy.

The moon was high in the sky, and Richard and his group, who had walked in the mountains for a day, lit a bonfire in the forest. Richard and Ellie sat in front of the bonfire, quietly watching Old John show off his cooking skills.

Having been a guide for decades, Old John was very experienced in this field. During the day, he saw that Richard and his friend were not well prepared for the Black Rock Mountains because it was their first time. So he started preparing game for them on the way.

As Old John spread a layer of secret spices on the browned skin of the pheasant, a rich meaty aroma instantly exploded from the sizzling, oily skin of the pheasant.

"It smells so good." Ellie twitched her nose and looked at the roasted pheasant eagerly.

Richard on the side felt a little greedy at this time. Although he prepared dry food, who would want to eat dry food when there is delicious barbecue?

Just as the two were enjoying the food, there were suddenly some noises heard in the forest.

Old John, who had sharp ears, glanced at the forest alertly and suddenly stuck the barbecue into the ground.

"My lords, if someone comes, there will probably be a fight. Old John will not hold you back."

After saying this, Old John's figure instantly disappeared into the forest.

Just a few seconds after he disappeared, a rustling sound was heard in the forest in front of Richard.

A figure covered in blood emerged from the woods.

(End of this chapter)