Wizard: Starting with Dealing with Magical Plants

Chapter 245 The Forward Base of the Silent Corridor

"The base can allocate some supplies. The environment in the south is unfamiliar, so it won't hurt to bring more." He handed the package to Rolin and patted him on the shoulder. "Take care! We'll keep an eye on things over here."

"Please contact us anytime if you need support."

"You too." Rowling took the package and shook hands firmly with Blake.

Without further farewells, Rowling picked up his luggage and headed back towards the teleportation room.

This time, the destination is an outpost on the southern edge of the Scorching Hell Fragment.

From there, he would step alone into an unknown place called the Silent Corridor.

Behind them, the base's lights appeared both solid and fragile against the eternally dark red backdrop of the scorching hell.

The road ahead, however, was hidden in deeper darkness and silence.

But he didn't turn around.

The teleportation array to the southern edge is not as reliable or efficient as returning to the Santa headquarters or heading to the forward base.

The spatial structure of the fragments of the Scorching Hell is not very stable. The closer to the edge, the more chaotic the energy background becomes, and the fewer stable teleportation coordinates are available for anchoring.

When the small teleportation array that Rolin stepped into, located deep within the Seventh Forward Base, lit up, it was an unstable, slightly noisy dark red, and the buzzing sound was more piercing than usual.

The wizard in charge of the operation had a tense expression, his hands firmly pressed on the control runes, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

"The coordinates have been locked, but the energy field reported by the southern outpost is fluctuating."

"The teleportation process may be bumpy, so please take precautions," the wizard warned quickly.

Lorin nodded, hugged the incubator tighter, and Baha on his shoulder subconsciously tucked its claws in.

Star power flowed slowly through his body, especially the power of [Quiet Dust Star], which, like a solid foundation, provided him with an extra sense of stability.

The light suddenly became blinding, followed by the familiar pulling sensation and weightlessness.

Unlike before, during this teleportation, the surrounding light streams seemed to be mixed with some irregular black cracks and distorted color blocks, and the body also felt a sluggish feeling and a slight tearing sensation, as if passing through a viscous liquid.

The silvery light of the honeysuckle seedlings in the incubator shimmered faintly, as if they were also fighting against this discomfort.

Fortunately, the bumpy ride didn't last long.

After about ten heartbeats, my feet felt solid, the light faded, and a mixture of dry dust, a faint metallic smell, and a deeper sense of silence filled my nostrils.

Arrived.

The teleportation point was a simple circular room constructed of heavy black stone, with energy crystals embedded in the walls that emitted a stable, faint light, making the room dimly lit.

The room had only one heavy metal door.

Regular, slightly stiff footsteps came from outside the door.

The door was pushed open from the outside, and a middle-aged soldier wearing slightly worn imperial light armor and with the marks of time on his face appeared in the doorway, followed by two soldiers in the same uniform.

"Wizard Rowling?" The middle-aged soldier's voice was a little hoarse as he confirmed Rowling's identification insignia and Master Veranika's warrant. "I am Walker, the stationmaster of Southern Outpost No. 3."

"Welcome, although there's not much to welcome here."

Station Master Walker stepped aside, and Rowling walked out of the teleportation room. Outside was a narrow passage also made of black stone, with rough walls and a thin layer of dust on the ground.

The air was drier than in the conveyor belt, and the temperature seemed a bit lower, but it wasn't cold; rather, it was a lifeless, constant chill.

"Is this the outpost?" Rolin looked around. The passage was not long, and there was a faint light at the end.

"I suppose so." Station Master Walker led the way, his footsteps echoing in the silent passage. "It's basically an underground outpost built in stable rock formations, with only three floors and fewer than thirty people. Its main task is to monitor the energy fluctuations and spatial stability of the Southern Silent Corridor, and incidentally provide supplies and intelligence to the occasional fearless explorers or researchers who happen to pass by, although hardly anyone comes throughout the year."

His tone carried a numbness born from long-term service on the fringes, and a faint mockery.

Walking along the passage to the end, you'll find a slightly larger hall, which is considered the core area of ​​the outpost.

There were some simple tables and chairs, a rough map of the southern region of the Scorching Hell hanging on the wall, and the screens of several energy monitoring devices flickering with monotonous light, which two soldiers were operating.

When Walker brought Rowling in, they simply looked up, nodded, and went back to their business.

The atmosphere was dull and listless.

"The conditions are basic, please don't mind." Walker pointed to an empty chair. "Sit down, would you like something to drink?"

"The only refreshing thing is tea made with plain water and a bitter root that grows in the crevices of local rocks, but it doesn't taste very good."

"Just plain water is fine, thank you." Luo Lin sat down and placed the incubator at his feet.

Baha flew off his shoulder and landed on the edge of the table next to him, his six eyes curiously surveying this unfamiliar place.

Walker poured a glass of water and handed it to Rowling, then pulled up a chair and sat down. He took out a pipe, thought for a moment, and then put it back—the ventilation here wasn't good.

"I've seen Master Veranica's hand; I need to find something deep within the Silent Corridor."

Walker cut to the chase, his gaze sweeping over Rowling's face, as if trying to figure out why this seemingly not-so-strong young wizard had accepted such a task.

"That place—isn't very friendly."

"The Silent Field is just an appetizer. The terrain inside is as complex as a maze, and the spatial structure in some areas is as brittle as a biscuit. One wrong step and you might fall into a spatial rift."

"There are also all sorts of strange things caused by changes in the energy environment; some of them look like stones, and touching them could be fatal."

He paused, took a sip of water, and said, "Besides, the Silent Corridor hasn't been very peaceful lately."

Luo Lin's spirits lifted: "Why isn't it calm?"

Walker tapped the table, signaling to the soldier operating the monitoring equipment: "Pull up the abnormal readings from monitoring points three and seven for the last three days."

The soldier operated the device a few times, and a fluctuating energy curve appeared on the monitor screen.

"Did you see that?"

Walker pointed to several irregular, brief energy spikes and low-frequency vibrations on the graph.

"This kind of fluctuation was rare before, but it has started to occur frequently in the last two weeks. The location is not fixed, and the intensity is slowly increasing."

O

"We sent out unmanned reconnaissance spheres twice. One lost signal after going in about fifty miles, while the other sent back some blurry images showing new, unnaturally formed energy patterns on the surface of some ancient stone peaks. The style was very strange, unlike anything commonly seen in the Scorching Hell."

He looked at Rowling: "We suspect that either something is changing inside the Silent Corridor for some reason, or—something else has gone in."

What else?

Rowling immediately thought of the other potentially benign imprinted individuals or safe houses left over from ancient experiments that the arbitrator had mentioned.

Could it be that something related to it has been activated?

Or is it that other forces have their eyes on that place?

"Are there any more specific images or energy characteristics analyzed?" Rowling asked.

"Yes, but not much." Walker gestured for the soldier to project a blurry video clip onto the wall.

The scene was shaky and dimly lit, revealing only a cluster of towering black stone peaks. At the base of one of these peaks, intricate patterns emitting faint, ever-changing pale blue and silvery-white light flowed slowly, as if they were alive.

The style of the pattern is indeed unique, with a cold geometric beauty that is completely different from wizard spell runes or necromancy patterns.

"We've tried to analyze this energy characteristic," another soldier chimed in, his voice younger. "It's very pure, with a high degree of order, but the fluctuation frequency is very peculiar, making it difficult for our instruments to fully capture and analyze."

"It feels somewhat like the visitor energy style that was previously reported, but not exactly the same, and more...ancient?"

Or, more fundamentally?

The arbitrator mentioned that observer civilizations have units with different functions.

Visitors tend to observe and record, maintainers are responsible for maintaining monitoring, and purifiers are armed cleaners.

Is this pattern part of a more basic facility or some kind of general sign?

The silver flower seedling in the incubator suddenly moved slightly, conveying a faint sense of resonance with an inquisitive feeling, directed towards the location of the glowing patterns in the image.

It seems I was right; there really is something there related to ancient experiments.