Wizard: Starting with Dealing with Magical Plants

Chapter 333 Evacuation

Icy.

hard.

And also—bumps and jolts.

Consciousness is like being submerged in a viscous deep sea, struggling to rise upwards.

There was the sound of wind in my ears, along with heavy breathing and the sound of metal scraping against the ice.

My eyelids were so heavy I couldn't lift them. Every part of my body was screaming in pain and emptiness, especially my head, which felt like it was being pierced repeatedly by countless needles. The excruciating pain from the depletion of my mental energy far exceeded the physical damage.

"Almost there—hang in there—"

It seemed to be Baal's voice, hoarse, filled with suppressed pain.

"His mental energy was severely depleted—and the amulet was completely destroyed—"

Master Evelyn's voice was tired, but still relatively steady.

"What exactly was that thing—the last thing thrown into the tunnel?"

Oleg's voice was filled with lingering fear and doubt.

"I don't know. But the passage is closed, and that Purger—it seems—was dragged back."

Lina's voice trembled slightly, as if she had survived a close call.

"What's the situation with Priestess Sharna?" Evelyn asked.

"It has stabilized—but the holy power is overdrawn, and rest is needed."

Another team member answered.

Rowling tried to concentrate, but the excruciating pain and weakness made his thoughts like shattered glass.

I could only passively feel the swaying beneath me, as if I were being dragged along on some kind of makeshift stretcher.

The biting wind swept across my cheeks, carrying the unique chill of the icy plains.

Fragments of memories surged forth: the Purifier's icy blade, the Cleanser's terrifying pressure, dark purple shards thrown into the portal...

The deafening crash of the collapsing passage—and the unsettling throbbing deep within my wrist.

The markers seem different now.

It was neither a burning pain nor a resonance.

Rather, it is a more subtle and profound sense of connection, pointing to a source of some distant and cold order.

The interference amulet in my arms was no longer warm; it was probably completely destroyed.

The life-saving dark purple shard was also thrown into the passage.

The bet was won.

temporary.

The cost was that it was almost completely drained, and — it may have sown deeper hidden dangers.

The bumpy ride stopped.

The familiar, slightly damp, and chilly air.

"We're here, hurry inside!"

Marcus's voice.

The body was carefully lifted, moved, and placed on a relatively flat surface covered with a moisture-proof cloth.

It's that ice cave from before.

The warm and gentle holy light descended once more, like lukewarm water flowing over a dried-up riverbed, slightly easing the throbbing pain deep within my soul.

Priestess Sharna was barely managing to continue the treatment.

Someone poured some thick, slightly sweet liquid into his mouth; it was a high-grade energy potion with stimulating medicinal properties, forcibly awakening part of his spirit.

"Cough—cough cough—" Luo Lin coughed a few times before finally managing to open his eyes.

My vision blurred for a moment before gradually clearing.

The ice cave was dimly lit, with the light from the magic lamps flickering.

Master Evelyn sat not far away, leaning against the ice wall, her eyes closed as she regulated her breathing. Her face was pale, and her silver staff lay across her knees, with several fine cracks appearing on the crystal at the top of the staff.

Bal lay beside him, blood seeping through the bandages wrapped around his chest, and a teammate was reapplying medication to him.

Oleg's arm was slinged across his chest, while Lina was applying ointment to a wound on her arm that had been abraded by energy.

The other team members were all injured to varying degrees and looked exhausted, but their eyes held a mixture of relief and vigilance at having escaped death.

"woke up?"

Master Evelyn opened her eyes and looked over.

Luo Lin wanted to speak, but his throat was dry and he couldn't make a sound, so he could only nod with difficulty.

"Don't move yet." Master Evelyn gestured for him to lie down. "Your mental energy is most severely depleted; you need time to recover."

"Sharina's holy light can only stabilize physical injuries; you'll have to heal your spirit on your own."

A team member handed over a water bag.

Luo Lin was helped to drink some water; the cool liquid slid down his throat, bringing a sense of clarity.

"The passage is closed?" he asked in a hoarse voice.

"It's temporarily closed." Master Evelyn nodded, her expression still grave. "What you threw in last triggered a violent protocol conflict and spatial disturbance. The passage itself seems to have initiated some kind of emergency shutdown or self-destruct procedure."

"but----"

She paused for a moment: "The last message the Purifiers sent, and the fluctuations from the other end when the passage collapsed—something's very wrong."

"It's not like a simple shutdown, it's more like—being forcibly cut off, or entering some kind of deep silence state."

"And did the mark on your wrist eventually react?"

Roland examined his wrist. The mark was silent, but the faint connection beneath his skin remained, pointing towards nothingness.

"Yes, in the end it seems to have activated some kind of directionality."

"It's related to the other end of the passage."

Master Evelyn frowned: "Directivity—could that thin piece be more than just a fragment of a key; could it be some kind of—beacon or locator?"

"By throwing it in, you're essentially sending coordinates to the other end, or—activating some kind of pre-programmed procedure?"

This speculation made the atmosphere inside the ice cave even more somber.

If that's the case, then closing the channel might only be temporary.

The being on the other end may have already remembered this place, and may even have vaguely identified Rolin through markings.

"The Pale Hand—they probably wanted to use something similar to enter or control that node." Oleg spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva. "They failed, suffering heavy casualties."

"We—it seems—have unexpectedly triggered another reaction."

"No matter what, we can't stay in the ruins any longer." Baal struggled to sit up, his voice weak but firm. "It's too dangerous here."

"We must immediately withdraw from parliament and report the situation."

"That purger, and what's at the other end of the passage—they're beyond our control."

Master Evelyn did not object. "Marcus, check everyone's injuries and the remaining supplies."

"Those who are mobile, depart in half an hour, return to the previous hiding place, and then retreat back to Wooden Tower City via the remote teleportation array."

"Seriously wounded, use stretchers."

"yes!"

A short break.

Everyone quickly treated their wounds, replenished their food and water, and adjusted their condition.

Luo Lin lay there, silently circulating the [Star Source Meditation Technique].

This meditation method has unique advantages in recovery, especially in nourishing the spirit.

Although the process was slow, a gentle and peaceful energy was slowly flowing into the depleted sea of ​​consciousness.

He looked inward at himself.

The star power was also exhausted, and the magic power was depleted, but the foundation was not damaged, and recovery was only a matter of time.

The problem lies in mental energy. Overdrawing it has damaged the very foundation of one's being, and a full recovery will likely require a considerable amount of time and precious resources.

And—that mark.

He cautiously extended his mental energy towards the inside of his wrist.

Beneath the skin, the hidden dark gold mark now appears in a strange semi-activated state.

It is no longer hidden, nor fully revealed, as if shrouded in a thin mist.

Deep within the imprint, that cold connection pointing to nothingness is like an extremely thin thread extending into the unknown distance.

Try to use the power of [Quiet Dust Star] to touch and analyze that "line".

The moment the force approached, it was gently repelled by a colder, higher-level fluctuation of order.

For example, denying low-privilege access.

Sure enough, the level of the mark seems to have been upgraded.

It is no longer a simple tracking beacon, but rather like—a terminal of some kind of protocol.

Whether it will bring good fortune or misfortune is hard to predict.

Half an hour passed quickly.

The able-bodied team members helped each other to their feet.

Barr insisted on walking on his own, but his steps were noticeably unsteady.

Oleg and Lina were in slightly better condition and were responsible for guarding the flanks.

Marcus and another less seriously injured teammate carried Rollin and another unconscious teammate on a makeshift stretcher.

Master Evelyn walked at the front of the group. Although she was tired, she kept her back straight and used her silver staff for support, making each step steady.

Leaving the ice cave, we once again stepped into the raging blizzard.

The sky remained overcast, and the snowstorm seemed to have lessened somewhat compared to when we arrived, but visibility was still extremely low. The journey home was even more difficult than the way we had come.

Everyone was injured, exhausted, and had to carry the wounded.

The group moved forward in silence, with only the crunching sound of their feet breaking the ice and their heavy breathing.

Rowling lay on the stretcher, looking up at the leaden sky and the constantly falling snowflakes.

My body swayed slightly with the movement of the stretcher, but my thoughts drifted to distant places.

The Purifiers, the Cleansers, the Observers—the agreements they left behind are cold and efficient, like precise machines, yet they also carry a kind of incomprehensible "purposefulness."

What exactly is the purpose of the Cleanup Protocol?

Is the purification rule malfunctioning?

Recovering benign mutants?

Maintaining a certain "order"?

Is Yue Yinhua a pawn in this game of chess, or—an unexpected variable?

And pale hands.

They clearly know more, and may even possess the technology to interfere with the observer unit.

What do they want to get from that node?

The mysteries kept piling up, and instead of diminishing, they grew larger and deeper with this exploration.

After trekking for nearly two hours through the wind and snow, we finally returned to the hidden ice cave in the canyon we had visited before.

The team members who stayed behind were shocked to see their disheveled appearance and quickly went to help them.

After settling the wounded and lighting more magic lamps and heating arrays, the ice cave finally felt a little warm.

Master Evelyn immediately began setting up a small remote teleportation array.

Due to limited materials, only a temporary, one-time teleportation portal can be constructed to send key personnel and seriously wounded soldiers back first.

Complex runes lit up on the ground, and spatial energy began to gather.

"Baal, Oleg, Lina, Sharna, Rolin, and these two seriously injured team members, you go first," Master Evelyn called out. "Marcus, you take the others to clean up the traces, and then retreat on foot to the nearest outpost via the alternative route."

"Be careful and avoid any remnants of the Pale Hand."

"Understood!" Marcus nodded.

The light from the portal stabilized, forming a rotating vortex.

Baal was the first to step inside, and then his figure disappeared.

Next came Oleg, Lina, Sharna, and two seriously wounded soldiers.

It was Rowling's turn.

The two team members carefully carried him to the teleportation portal.

Master Evelyn looked at him and whispered, "Go straight to the medical department when you get back. Don't wander around."

"The top leaders of parliament will definitely summon him for questioning immediately."

"Report truthfully, but be cautious about the details regarding the markings and slices."

Rowling understood what she meant.

The mutations of the markers and the role of the flakes are too sensitive, involving his own secrets and the core of the Observer Protocol, and must be handled with caution.

"I understand." He nodded.

They were carried into the vortex of light.

The familiar dizziness and spatial pulling sensation came, even more intense than the directional teleportation that brought them here.

Light and shadow flickered before my eyes, and my body felt as if it were being disassembled and then reassembled.

A few seconds later, my feet landed firmly on the ground.

The familiar, slightly musty air, and the cacophony of voices.

When I opened my eyes, I was back in the underground teleportation hall of Wooden Tower City.

The bright light from the magical lamp was somewhat dazzling.

The medical staff who had been waiting there immediately surrounded the injured person, took the stretcher from the injured person, and conducted a preliminary examination and treatment.

Luo Lin was lifted onto a padded trolley and quickly pushed toward the medical department.

My gaze swept across the hall and fell upon Hawke, who had rushed over, and several high-ranking members of parliament with grave expressions.

Before falling into a coma, the last things she heard were Hawke's urgent questions and Master Evelyn's calm reply.