Wizard: Starting with Dealing with Magical Plants

Chapter 237 The Vortex of the Shadow Raven

"Gone—gone?" Abel's voice trembled, and his glasses were askew.

"For now." Blake wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his face grim.

"Their target—is probably still the boiling blood lake, or the throat of the dead."

"We might just be an anomaly that was detected incidentally."

With Liana's help, Rolin sat down against a rock, feeling his internal organs churning and his vision blurring.

That last extreme maneuver consumed even more energy than the one at the Throat of the Dead. If [Quiet Dust Star] hadn't been holding her mental core firmly, she probably would have already passed out.

"They—mentioned benign individuals and heritage protection clauses," Rowling said breathlessly.

"The Moonflower—may have caused a conflict in their cleanup logic."

"The arbitrator—perhaps he played a role."

Liana carefully opened the incubator.

The silvery sheen of the silvery flower seedlings had dimmed considerably, and the leaves were slightly curled, making them appear listless. Clearly, the fright and scan had had a significant impact on them.

But life still exists, and the fear in one's spirit is slowly subsiding.

"The arbitrator said he would try to communicate—" Ella put away her longbow and checked her quiver; there were less than ten arrows left.

"It seems it did. But the Purifier went to the Boiling Blood Lake—was it to deal with the Pale Hand?"

"Or... a surveillance aberration?"

"Anything is possible," Blake said in a deep voice.

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"Regardless, we must return to base immediately and report the news of the Purifiers' appearance along with the intelligence provided by the Arbitrator!"

"This is beyond the capabilities of our small team!"

No one objected.

After resting for about fifteen minutes, and once their strength had recovered and Rolin was able to move on his own, the team immediately set off, avoiding routes that might attract the attention of the Purifiers, and heading to the nearest evacuation teleportation point as quickly as possible.

The journey was fraught with danger but ultimately safe.

Several hours later, when the solid outline of the Seventh Forward Base reappeared in sight, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The base had clearly detected the presence of the Purifiers and the energy burst through remote monitoring, and raised the alert level to the highest level.

General Hossman was personally waiting at the entrance.

Seeing that the seven members of the squad, though battered and bruised, had all returned alive, General Hossman's tense expression eased slightly, though his eyes remained grave.

"Go to the medical room immediately for examination and treatment."

"Then, the command center gave a detailed report," the general said succinctly.

In the medical room, Rowling underwent a comprehensive examination.

He is severely mentally exhausted and has multiple minor tears in his body, requiring a long period of rest and gentle nourishment.

The good news is that the foundation remains intact, and the stabilizing properties of [Quiet Dust Star] have once again played a crucial role.

Most of the others suffered from visceral injuries and internal organ tremors caused by energy shocks, as well as some minor corrosion damage; these were not serious problems.

The therapist gave Rolin the best mental nourishment and physical repair cream, and instructed him not to engage in high-intensity spellcasting or intense combat for at least a week.

After their injuries were treated, the group arrived at the command center.

Blake, as the captain, gave a detailed report on their encounter in the Boiling Blood Lake:

Discover the Maintainer Outpost, exchange information with the Arbitrator, and obtain crucial intelligence about ancient experiments, aberrations, covenant beacons, and the Purifiers.

Lorin then added details about the connection to the Moon Silver Flower seedlings, as well as the thrilling encounter with the Purifier at the end.

As the report progressed, the atmosphere in the command center grew increasingly heavy.

General Hossman and several senior officers and research department representatives all looked extremely grim.

"Observer Civilization Legacy — Automated Maintenance Unit — High-Privilege Armed Purifier —" A veteran officer muttered to himself, his voice hoarse.

"This is beyond the scope of our usual response. It's another level of power and rules."

"The key is how to deal with it." The representative of the research department, an old wizard with gray hair, pushed up his glasses, his eyes flashing with a mixture of anxiety and excitement.

"Intelligence is of paramount importance! The data models and technical information provided by the arbitrator are invaluable!"

"But the threat of the Purifiers—is very real."

"They possess a force and logic of action that are difficult for us to comprehend."

General Hossman remained silent for a long time before slowly speaking: "Immediately encrypt and transmit all intelligence back to the Santa headquarters and the Imperial Supreme Command."

"Requesting the highest level of instructions and resource support."

"At the same time, the base was ordered to enter a state of first-level combat readiness, strengthen all defenses, and suspend all non-essential missions."

"Increase the density of remote monitoring of the throats of the dead and the boiling blood lake."

He looked at Blake and Rolin: "The Scorching Flame Patrol Team has done an excellent job on the mission."

"Now, everyone enters a state of rest and standby."

"Rolin, your injuries need to heal."

"Also, Master Veranika has new instructions for you."

General Hossman handed a secret order, which he had just received through special channels and which bore the spiritual imprint of Master Veranika, to Rolin.

Luo Lin took it and quickly glanced at it.

The gist of the secret order is:

In light of the emergence of the Purifiers and the intelligence provided by the Arbitrators, the high command of the Holy Tower held an emergency consultation and decided to conduct the highest-level integrated analysis of the Origin Pact project and the intelligence from the front lines of the Scorching Hell. They also established a cross-departmental Observer Legacy and Anomaly Response Committee, personally led by Master Veranika.

The committee needs Rowling, as the key liaison and intelligence provider, to return to Santa headquarters immediately to participate in the development of a comprehensive response strategy.

At the same time, given the special nature and potential value of the moonflower seedlings, Rolin was instructed to ensure their safety and bring them back to Santa for further research.

Once again, we returned to the headquarters of Santa.

Moreover, this time, it seems that it will be involved in higher-level decision-making and power struggles.

"I understand." Roland put away the secret order. "I will set off immediately once my injuries have stabilized."

"The base will prepare everything for you." General Hossman nodded.

"Take good care of yourself. The upcoming storm will likely require everyone to be in peak condition."

Over the next few days, Rowling stayed in the base's medical room and dormitory, focusing on his recovery.

The Santa headquarters sent even more valuable medical resources, and with his own regenerative abilities, his injuries healed faster than expected.

During this period, he maintained contact with Duden, the researcher at Santa's headquarters, and the Root Pact project team through encrypted channels, keeping them updated on the latest analytical progress.

After obtaining the arbitrator's data, the project team made rapid progress and greatly deepened their understanding of ancient experiments, rule imprints, and the nature of aberrations.

However, there is still no clue as to how to deal with the Purifiers, as it is beyond the current technology and understanding of the Holy Tower.

Ella, Liana, Blake, and others were busy assisting the base with defense deployments and training.

Abel was urgently summoned by the research department to analyze the technical data obtained from the arbitrator. Gore and the Anvil returned to the furnace guard unit.

On the surface, the situation in the Scorching Hell is temporarily calm due to the Purifier's deterrence and the Pale Hand's setback, but the underlying tension is increasing day by day.

Everyone knows this is just the calm before the storm.

A week later, Luo Lin's condition had basically stabilized. Although his body still needed to be nurtured, his daily activities and general spellcasting were no longer a problem.

The silver flower seedlings have also regained their vitality, their silvery light is warm and their spirituality is more transparent. It seems that after knowing their own origin, their growth rate has accelerated slightly.

The day has come to depart and return to the Santa headquarters.

This time, not many people came to see him off.

Blake's squad has a new patrol mission, and only Ella and Liana are available to come.

"Take care." Ella patted Rollin on the shoulder.

"The headquarters of the Holy Tower is a place with many rules and a lot of cunning."

Be careful.

Liana then handed him a small, fragrant sachet: "Inside is a new blend of calming herbs that will help soothe the mind."

Luo Lin thanked him and accepted the gift, his gaze sweeping over the busy yet solemn scene at the base.

This is where he fought, where he had comrades-in-arms and fallen companions.

Now, he is heading to another battlefield, one that may be more complex and obscure.

Lifting the incubator containing the silver flowers, with Baha crouching quietly on my shoulder.

Roland took one last look at the dark red sky of the Scorching Hell before turning and stepping into the teleportation array that would take him back to the Holy Tower headquarters.

As the light shone, the familiar scene quickly blurred and disappeared.

Santa headquarters, seventh deep laboratory.

The atmosphere was more somber than last time.

On the massive analysis platform, in addition to the projection of the Civilization Stone Tablet and the data of the Moon Silver Flower, there are also energy characteristic analysis charts of the Purifiers, partial star maps and data models provided by the Arbitrators, and the latest energy status chart of the Scorching Hell fragments.

Master Veranica, Master Aldrich, and Ms. Serena were all present, along with several elderly men with composed demeanor, sharp eyes, and wearing different styles of robes. They were clearly high-ranking members of the Santa or important figures from various academic schools.

Is this the newly established committee?

As soon as Luo Lin entered, all eyes were on him.

"Rolin, you've come at the right time." Master Veranica gestured for him to sit down.

"The situation is urgent, so let's get straight to the point."

"The committee has conducted a preliminary analysis of all the intelligence you brought back."

"The conclusion is that the threat level posed by the fragments of the Scorching Hell needs to be reassessed as a potential global crisis."

"The intervention of the Purifiers has made the situation full of uncontrollable variables."

An elderly man in a dark blue robe, with a stern and solemn face, spoke up, his voice like the scraping of metal: "Based on the analysis of the fragments of the Pan-Star Domain Convention provided by the Arbitrator and the behavior patterns of the Purifiers, the logic they follow is likely to be in fundamental conflict with the ethics and interests of our wizarding community."

"Their cleanup efforts may disregard the existence and loss of native civilizations."

Another elderly man, dressed in a white robe embroidered with star patterns and exuding an elegant air, said with concern: "What's more troublesome is that we lack the means to have an equal dialogue with the Purifiers and to effectively restrain them."

"As a secondary unit, the arbitrators have limited influence. Once the Purifiers determine that large-scale purification is necessary, we may not even be able to stop it."

A sense of powerlessness and anxiety permeated the committee.

Faced with a power beyond its comprehension and technological level, even a behemoth like the Shadow Raven Tower felt unprecedented pressure and—internal divisions.

Rowling listened in silence.

He could sense that while these high-ranking officials feared the Purifiers, they were also filled with a longing, even greed, for the ancient knowledge and technology offered by the Arbitrators.

There was clearly intense debate within the committee about how to balance fear and greed, and how to formulate strategies that both protect their own interests and cope with crises.

Master Veranika tapped the table, drawing everyone's attention back: "The most important task at present:

First, do everything possible to improve the monitoring and early warning capabilities for those who purify, and try to establish non-hostile contact channels.

Second, we should accelerate the digestion and absorption of the technical information provided by arbitrators, especially the technical information on rule stability, energy shielding and space interference, and look for possible means of self-protection or countermeasures.

Third, unite the Empire and intensify the purge of the remaining forces of the Pale Hand within the fragments of the Scorching Hell, eliminating any sources of contamination that could trigger the Purifiers' actions.

Fourth, strengthen research on individuals with benign imprints such as aberrations and moonflowers, and explore the possibility of utilizing or controlling their regulatory forces.

Her gaze fell on Rolin: "Rolin, you will continue to serve as the committee's core liaison with the front lines of the Scorching Hell and with research related to the Moon Silver Flower."

"You need to assist the research department in conducting more in-depth research on the symbiotic rules and potential development of the moonflower."

"At the same time, the committee may need you to travel to the Scorching Hell again to carry out some high-risk exploration or contact missions."

""

Luo Lin nodded without refusing.

He had already been swept into the center of the vortex.

After the meeting, Master Veranica kept Rolin behind alone.