Wizard: Starting with Dealing with Magical Plants

Chapter 273 Skeletons

In the latter half of the night, Ellie took over the night watch.

Luo Lin entered into deep meditation, accelerating his recovery while also processing the insights gained from his experiences during the day: the perilous encounter in the canyon, the discovery of the ruins, and the rescue of the Rainbow Feathered Sparrow.

Every day in the wilderness seems to temper one's spirit and strength in some way.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Rolin ended his meditation.

Full of energy and brimming with star power.

Checking the panel, the second-circle wizard's experience progress had unknowingly increased by 2%, reaching 41%.

He walked over to the two rainbow finches to check on them.

The rainbow finches that had broken off their own tail feathers were in much better condition and could barely stand up. Although their steps were unsteady, their eyes had regained their sparkle.

When it saw Rowling approaching, it didn't coo warily like it had the night before. Instead, it tilted its head and quietly looked at him with its beautiful eyes, which were edged with gold.

The other rainbow finches, which was less seriously injured, recovered faster and was already able to preen its ruffled feathers slightly.

Lorin gave them another dose of the recovery aid and left the pebbles with them.

"We won't rush today; let's rest here for a day," Rowling said to Ellie. "You need to consolidate yesterday's gains, and I also need to study that pebble and the newly acquired mutated moonlight moss."

"And while you're at it, keep an eye on these two little guys."

Ellie naturally had no objections.

Being able to practice in a relatively safe place is exactly what she needs.

The platform remained quiet throughout the day.

Under Rowling's guidance, Ellie continued to practice the fine manipulation of natural energy, this time trying on a few withered but not completely dead moss plants in the corner of the platform.

Meanwhile, Luo Lin stood to the side, studying the milky white pebbles and the mutated moonlight moss, occasionally offering pointers.

The rainbow finch that had broken its own tail feathers—which Rolin temporarily called "Broken Feather"—recovered very quickly.

By the afternoon, it was able to move around a small area on the platform. It would occasionally walk near Rowling and Ellie, tilt its head to look at them, and sometimes gently peck at a small handful of energy-rich grains that Rowling had placed next to it to test its recovery.

Its behavior reveals a clear intelligence and curiosity, quite unlike that of ordinary birds.

The other rainbow finch, Blue Feather, was much quieter because its feathers were a more vibrant blue-purple. It spent most of its time preening its feathers or resting with its eyes closed, but the way it looked at Rowling and Ellie was clear and friendly.

As evening fell, Luo Lin was trying to gently stimulate a mutated moonlight moss with star power and observe its energy response when Duan Yu suddenly flapped his wings and flew to a higher rock next to him.

Although it flew with great difficulty, it was less than a meter off the ground.

It made a series of short, rhythmic "cooing" sounds at Rowling, while pointing its beak northwest, the direction they had originally planned to go.

Luo Lin stopped what he was doing and looked at Duan Yu.

"What are you trying to tell me?"

When Duan Yu saw Luo Lin looking over, he cried out even more urgently, his wings slightly spread as if in a warning gesture, and then he pointed forcefully to the northwest again.

A thought struck Luo Lin.

He focused his mind, extending the perception of [Quiet Dust Star] to the northwest with all his might.

At first, there was only the sound of the wind, common in the wilderness, and the faint outline of distant mountains.

But gradually, he detected some extremely subtle and discordant energy disturbances.

It was a chaotic energy fluctuation carrying a violent and bloody aura, not naturally formed, and unlike any demonic creature.

More like—the aftermath of some intense battle or act of destruction?

And the scale seems to be quite large!

The distance should still be quite far, at least several dozen miles away. If Duan Yu hadn't specifically reminded him, he might have overlooked it while focused on his research.

"There's something going on in the northwest, possibly a large-scale battle or disaster," Rolin said to Ellie with a grave expression. "The Rainbow Finch is extremely sensitive to changes in energy and wind direction; it's probably giving us a warning."

Ellie tensed up too. "Then we—"

"The plan remains unchanged; we'll continue northwest tomorrow," Rolin pondered. "But we need to be more cautious."

"It's always better to know in advance that there's danger ahead than to rush headlong into it."

"Get some rest early tonight, and set off at dawn tomorrow. We'll get closer to observe first, and then decide how to respond."

Duan Yu seemed to understand Luo Lin's words, and quieted down, squatting on the rock, still glancing warily towards the northwest from time to time.

Lan Yu also came over and nestled beside Duan Yu.

That night, Rowling entrusted the task of keeping watch to Bahar.

The mutated six-eyed crow's night vision and alertness are sufficient for the task.

He took the time to rest and conserve his energy for the unknown situations that might arise tomorrow.

On the morning of the third day, we packed up the campsite.

The two rainbow finches have recovered to about 60-70% of their original condition. Although they are still unable to fly long distances, they can glide and walk without any problems.

Looking at them, Luo Lin thought for a moment, then took out the last bit of that energy grain from his pack, placed it in his palm, and handed it to Duan Yu.

"We need to move on. Will you stay here to recover, or—come with us for a while?" Roland asked calmly, as if he were discussing something.

Duan Yu looked at the grain in Luo Lin's palm, then at him, then at the northwest direction, and let out a clear and melodious cry.

Instead of eating the grain, it spread its wings, circled low over the platform, and then landed back at Rowling's feet, gently nuzzling his trouser leg with its head.

Lan Yu also came over and made a similar intimate gesture.

The meaning is quite obvious.

"Alright." Rowling put the grain away, a barely perceptible smile curving his lips. "Then let's go together and look out for each other on the way."

Ellie watched this strange scene with delight in her eyes. Having two more companions in this desolate wilderness was always a reassuring thing.

The team, which had grown from two people to two birds and a crow, embarked on their journey once again.

As they continued northwest, the lingering, chaotic energy in the air became increasingly noticeable.

The wind began to carry a faint smell of burning and—a very thin, extremely unpleasant, fishy-sweet, putrid stench?

The terrain also gradually changed.

The vegetation became sparser, and large cracks began to appear on the ground. In some cracks, dark red traces of lava, which looked as if they had not yet completely solidified, could even be seen.

The sky also became murky, with leaden-gray clouds hanging low as if they might press down at any moment.

"The geology here is very unstable, and the energy background is extremely chaotic." Roland's brows furrowed even more deeply. "It's like—it has experienced some kind of large-scale, destructive energy eruption."

"It's either a natural disaster or man-made."

After walking for about an hour, they crossed a mountain ridge covered with black pumice. The sight before them made Rowling and Ellie stop in their tracks and gasp in shock.

Below the mountain ridge lies a vast basin that appears to have been ravaged by a giant beast.

In the basin, the rivers, forests, and hills that may have once existed have all vanished.

Instead, there were large swathes of charred, glass-like ground, crisscrossed by countless bottomless cracks, some of which emitted a dark red glow.

The air was thick with a mixture of sulfur, ozone, and the smell of burning flesh.

In the center of the basin, the most shocking sight is the skeleton of several enormous beasts, completely carbonized but still retaining the posture of struggling before death!

The smallest of the skeletons was over ten meters tall, and the largest was over thirty meters tall. They had bizarre shapes, some resembling insects magnified countless times, while others were indescribable.

Scattered around the skeleton were numerous charred metal fragments that appeared to be some kind of building or machinery.

The entire basin was deathly silent, save for the mournful whistling of the wind as it passed through cracks and skeletons, like the weeping of the dead.