Wizard: Starting with Dealing with Magical Plants

Chapter 214 Rest and Recuperation

"Throat of the dead — altar — key —" He chewed on these words over and over.

"It seems that the Pale Hand's activities deep within the Ash Plains are more extensive and dangerous than we anticipated."

"They not only took advantage of the deadly environment there, but also seem to be trying to get their hands on some ancient entity related to the source of corruption."

He looked at Rolin: "Vice Captain Rolin, the things you brought back, along with the dying words of the Bone Collector, are of utmost importance."

"The research department will conduct an analysis overnight."

"Your team has done a great job this time, but Lehman is seriously injured and needs time to rest."

"Over the next few days, you will rest and recuperate at the base while assisting the research department with intelligence analysis and follow-up planning."

"Yes, General," Blake replied on behalf of the squad.

When Luo Lin returned to his dormitory after leaving the command center, he felt extremely exhausted, both physically and mentally.

After a quick wash, he lay down on the bed and fell asleep almost instantly.

I slept very soundly.

He was not awakened until noon the next day by a slight knocking sound on the dormitory door.

The door opened, and Ella stood outside, carrying a food box and wearing a relaxed smile.

"You're awake? I brought you some food."

"Lehman's condition has stabilized. The therapist said that his arm injury was severe and he would need at least a month of rest and rehabilitation, but his life is not in danger and he will not suffer permanent disability."

"That kid's lucky."

Rowling took the food box and thanked him.

"Also," Ella leaned closer and lowered her voice.

"We have news from the research department."

"From the black metal box you brought back, they deciphered part of the encrypted information; it seems to be a fragmented—map?"

"Or rather, it's a kind of energy pathway diagram."

"The location it points to is deep within the Bone-Eroding Hills, but even deeper and more remote than the place we went to this time."

"Also, the analysis results for that small fragment are in. The corrupting source energy inside has indeed been tamed, and—an extremely faint residual mark, similar to a mental coordinate or a summoning beacon, was detected."

Ella paused, her eyes becoming somewhat strange: "The old guys in the research department speculate that the Pale Hand may not only be using the environment and energy of the Dead's Throat, they seem to be trying to establish some kind of connection with some being deep within the rift, or—to make some kind of deal."

"And that fragment and the information in the flat box might be part of the key."

How to establish a connection with the ancient beings deep within the rift?

transaction?

Roland recalled the bone collector's peaceful, relieved look in his eyes before he died, and the words he hadn't finished saying.

It seems that the secrets deep within the Ash Plains are far from being revealed.

The medical room of the Seventh Forward Base was filled with the scent of herbs, disinfectants, and a faint holy light.

Lehman lay on the bed against the wall, his left and right arms wrapped in bandages soaked in medicine. His face was still pale, but his eyes had regained their former sharpness, only now with a hint of suppressed anger.

When he saw Rowling and Ella come in, he gave a slight smirk as a greeting.

"How are you feeling?" Ella pulled up a chair and sat down, placing the fruit she had brought on the bedside table.

"I won't die, but I'll be like a cripple." Lehman's voice was a little hoarse as he moved his right arm, which was immobilized, and his brows furrowed slightly.

"The therapist said my arm needs to be gently healed, and I can't use any magic on it for at least a month. Damn it!"

For a battle wizard like Rayman, being unable to use his core power for a month is nothing short of torture.

"Being alive is better than anything else." Ella peeled open a fruit that resembled an orange, a specialty of the Scorching Hell, and handed it over.

"The base has already applied for merit and resource compensation for you, enough for you to exchange for a batch of top-quality warming medicine."

Lehman took the fruit, said nothing, and took a big bite.

Luo Lin stood to the side, feeling the peaceful energy field in the medical room.

A stabilizing and nourishing barrier has been set up here, which is very beneficial for the recovery of the wounded.

Although Lehman is impatient, he has a solid foundation and with proper treatment, he should be able to recover completely.

"What new news is there outside?" Lehman asked, swallowing the fruit.

Ella glanced at Rowling, and Rowling nodded.

She then briefly told Lehman the research department's preliminary analysis results on the black metal box and the small fragment, as well as General Hossman's speculation.

"Making a deal with an ancient being?" Lehman sneered.

"Those lunatics from the Pale Hands really dare to touch anything."

"That thing under the crack gives me a very bad feeling."

"Cold, ancient, greedy—if they really cause any trouble, we'll be in big trouble."

"So the general asked us to assist in developing the next steps," Rowling interjected. "The base is gathering more historical records and reconnaissance data on Bone-Eater's Hill and the Throat of the Dead."

"We also need time to digest the lessons learned from this mission and adjust our mindset."

Lehman paused for a moment, looked at his immobile arms, a hint of resentment flashing in his eyes, which finally turned into a low sigh: "This time I've dragged them down."

"Don't wait for me for the next operation."

"Stop talking nonsense." Ella patted his shoulder. "Focus on recovering! Once you can move again, there will be plenty of tough battles to fight."

After leaving the medical room, Rowling and Ella went to the base's small training ground.

With Lehman seriously injured, the team's combat strength is now lacking, and we need to find a way to fill the gap.

Ella needs to maintain her archery skills, and Rolin needs to get used to the feeling of casting spells in the base environment.

Several other teams were practicing in the training field, and they all nodded in greeting when they saw them.

The news that the Scorching Flame Patrol Squad had taken down a high-level Pale Wizard's stronghold and brought back crucial intelligence on their first mission had already spread within the base, earning them considerable respect.

Ella found a human-shaped target area and began practicing rapid-fire shooting and multiple arrow techniques while moving.

Her archery skills were already superb; her practice was more about maintaining muscle memory and adapting to different environments.

Roland then walked to the energy control zone.

The ground and walls here have been specially reinforced to withstand a certain degree of magical impact.

Instead of practicing attack spells like [Disruption of Order] or [Spiral Star Arrow], he focused on the refined manipulation of [Starflow Aquatic Field] and the initial attempts to utilize the power of [Quiet Dust Star].

【Starflow Water Field】is effective in interfering with the undead and clearing paths in the rifts, but Rolin feels there is still room for improvement.

He attempted to divide the stellar field into smaller, independently controllable tentacles, and manipulate them to pull, squeeze, or rotate in different directions.

This requires extremely high mental strength, micromanagement, and multitasking. At first, I always had to focus on one thing and neglect another, but I gradually got the hang of it.

As for [Quiet Dust Star], its characteristics of settling, harmonizing, and filtering information are more reflected in passive support during battle.

Rolin attempted to actively activate this power to calm chaotic energy fluctuations in an area or to provide additional stability to a specific spell model.

It is effective, but the costs are also considerable, so we need to find the best balance.

After training for about an hour, both of them were a little tired, so they stopped to rest and replenish their fluids.

"The next few days will probably be filled with meetings and intelligence analysis." Ella stretched her slightly sore and numb arms.

"Hopefully, we can dig up more useful information before the next operation."

Rowling nodded.

After returning to his dormitory, he did not rest immediately, but instead took out the black metal flat box he had obtained from the bone collector.

The flat box was still cold to the touch, and the twisted runes on its surface gleamed with a dark luster under the light.

The research department has cracked the first layer of encryption and obtained some directional energy network information.

Luo Lin carefully probed inside using his mental power.

The flat box has an ingenious internal structure with more than one layer of restrictions.

The research team only cracked the outermost layer; there seems to be a more complex encryption inside, bound to the soul or bloodline.

Luo Lin did not force a breakthrough, but carefully sensed the faint but clear direction of the remaining energy.

This sense of direction is very clear. It is not a map coordinate, but more like an energy-level signpost. It follows a specific trajectory of death energy flow and eventually converges on a certain "point" deep in the Ash Plains.

The energy characteristics of that "point" faintly overlap with the ancient throbbing deep within the crack and the spiritual coordinate imprints in the small fragments.

It seems that the bone collector's dying words about the key being at the altar were not unfounded.

This flat box, or the information contained within it, may very well be one of the keys to finding and opening the so-called altar.

Over the next three days, the base's research and analysis work proceeded intensively.

Rowling, along with Ella, Blake, and Liana, participated in several analysis meetings jointly hosted by the Research Department and the Intelligence Department.

More historical fragments about the desolate hills are being pieced together.

In ancient times, it seems that this place was once a large-scale ancient battlefield, or a site where a powerful civilization carried out large-scale sacrifices or sealing.

The unique energy environment of the Scorching Hell, coupled with the countless lives lost there, has resulted in the accumulation of a massive amount of resentment and soul remnants from the dead.

Over the long years, this energy did not completely dissipate; instead, it settled and accumulated under the influence of some unknown factor.

The distortion created a unique bone-corroding environment and energy anomalies such as the throat of the dead.

It was no accident that the Pale Hand chose that location as its base.

They likely learned of the place's peculiarity from some ancient records or relics, and attempted to utilize or even control that stagnant death power, as well as the corrupting source power that might accompany it, which was then "tamed".

As for the non-human visitors, their presence there and their conflicts with others are unclear in their purpose.

But what is certain is that they were equally interested in what lay deep within the throat of the dead, and thus clashed directly with the Pale Hand.

Based on existing intelligence, the research department has initially drawn a sketch of the energy distribution and danger level of the core area of ​​the Bone-Eroding Hills, and speculated on several possible secondary nodes and candidate locations for altars.

However, these all need to be verified in the field.

Base Commander General Hossman has drafted an initial plan for follow-up actions:

Once Lehman's condition stabilizes and the base has completed a new round of replenishment of supplies and personnel, two elite squads, including the Scorching Flame Patrolmen, will be dispatched to conduct a more in-depth and systematic exploration of the Bone-Eroding Hills, focusing on identifying the location of the altar, the remaining power of the Pale Hand, and the latest movements of the visitors.

Just as the plan was taking shape and everyone thought they could have a few days of relatively peaceful rest, a sudden police report shattered the peace of the base.