Ancient Wizards: A Little Progress Every Day

On a desolate, rocky plain forever ravaged by raging winds, a suffocating silence filled the air.

There is no vegetation, no water source, and even the most drought-resistant low-level demonic insects have disappeared.

The plain is covered with pebbles of various shapes. They are not naturally formed, but rather the remains of some magnificent building that collapsed and was eroded by the elemental winds over millions of years.

The surface of each rock has been weathered to a mirror-like smoothness, displaying colors ranging from deathly gray and dark brown to a crimson red resembling dried blood.

The wind howled, whipping up fine stone chips that struck the ground with a crackling sound, like the whispers of countless departed souls.

Suddenly, two distorted ripples flashed across the sky above the wasteland, and elemental particles violently churned.

Two figures burst through the air, surrounded by force field shields used to repel sandstorms, and quietly landed on the rocky ground.

These are two wizards dressed in grey robes.

The one on the left has a thin face and sunken eyes, with some undried potion stains on his cuffs; the one on the right is slightly plump, with his fingers adorned with various amplification rings.

Both men appeared to be middle-aged, with a calm yet wary demeanor, and both exuded the mental energy fluctuations of a first-ring wizard—a cold aura honed over the years and honed through countless life-and-death experiments.

As soon as he landed, the slightly overweight wizard Ballow quickly pulled out a withered finger bone from an unknown creature from his pocket and rapidly drew a simple warning circle around him.

After doing all this, he turned around and stared intently at his companion.

"Austin, now that we're here, retract your mental tentacles."

Barlow's voice was hoarse, tinged with a hint of displeasure at being offended. "The magnetic field of this gravel plain is extremely unstable. Your crude method of exploration is of no use other than attracting those wandering elemental creatures."

The gaunt wizard known as Austin snorted and withdrew his projected spiritual energy, but his right hand never left the storage pouch at his waist.

He looked around, his brow furrowed, and said, "Barlow, my patience is limited. What exactly is your purpose in inviting me to this godforsaken place? To explore the Mechanical Heart?"

Don't be ridiculous. That's a remnant of the ancient goblin civilization. It's no secret that the mechanical heart exists in this wasteland, but you should know that without the 'key,' we have no way of entering that space.

"Did you perhaps obtain the key to this ancient site from some reckless wizard apprentice at last month's sunset gathering?"

"A key? That's something only second- or even third-ring Grand Wizards deserve. I don't have that kind of luck."

Barlow shook his head, a mysterious and greedy smile curving his lips. He lowered his voice, as if afraid of disturbing some being in the wind: "But I have another way. Knowledge is power, Austin, and information is often more expensive than magic stones."

He took out a metal box wrapped in layers of sealing runes from deep within his robe and carefully opened it a crack.

"When I was collecting 'Ash Blossoms' around here before, I encountered a broken metal golem. It looked like a short-legged gray goat missing a horn, but that doesn't matter."

Most importantly, the thing's outer metallic structure was virtually immune to most level-one spells I possessed, such as acid missiles and fire rays! Even mental penetration couldn't leave a mark on its core.

Austin's previously nonchalant gaze froze instantly. He stared intently at the metal box, his breathing becoming rapid: "Magical metal? Or shape-memory alloy?"

"Neither."

Barlow snapped the lid shut, blocking the other person's prying eyes. "That's 'Active Machinery' technology."

Austin, you should know that aside from true ancient dwarven forging or long-lost goblin technology, no wizard on the Southern Wizarding Continent today can do this, right? It involves the restructuring of matter, a profound realm of alchemy.

Barlow paused, his eyes gleaming with fanaticism: "I have reason to suspect that the lame gray goat is either a 'gatekeeper' that accidentally emerged from the mechanical heart, or some kind of 'overflow'."

If we can capture it using your divination magic and reverse-analyze its movements, we might be able to find the 'back door' to the Mechanical Heart Ruins.

Even if you can't get inside, several large alchemy workshops in Sunset Market would be willing to pay high prices for the remains of these antique metal golems to study ancient rune circuits. The magic stones you get in return might be equivalent to the profits from several life-or-death explorations of secret realms.

Austin's eyes flickered violently, his fingers unconsciously stroking the gem at the tip of his staff.

He weighed the pros and cons, and greed ultimately triumphed over the fear of the unknown.

For wizards, in this cruel world, not having enough resources means stagnation and being trampled underfoot by those who come after.

"I hope you're not lying to me. If it's some kind of trap, I promise I'll turn you into a toad before I die."

Austin said ominously, "So, what should we do next?"

"Use your divination magic to help us locate that goat."

Austin couldn't help but frown, revealing a hint of difficulty: "My research in prophecy magic is still far from that of a true prophetic wizard; I would probably only be considered an apprentice."

In such an environment with strong magnetic field interference, the failure rate is very high.

"That's enough. Its scent lingers here; it can't have gone far."

Barlow stepped forward and patted the other person's shoulder in a seemingly comforting manner, but in reality, he subtly added a layer of defensive force to himself.

Then, he quickly took out several ordinary-looking stones from his storage pouch, almost indistinguishable from the loose rocks under their feet, and handed them to Austin.

"This is a stone that the puppet goat stepped on. It still has extremely faint special radiation fluctuations. You should be able to use it."

"Hurry up, or we'll be left without even a drop of soup if the other wizards find out."

Austin nodded and took the rock from the other person's hand.

He felt the faint, cold, mechanical sensation on the stone, and without further hesitation, he took out a bottle of silver powder from his pocket—precious star sand—and immediately began to prepare the various ritual materials needed to cast prophecy spells.

He muttered incantations, the obscure syllables stimulating the surrounding elements, constructing a complex six-pointed star magic circle on the gravel ground.

Wizard Ballow stepped back a few paces and stood quietly to the side, full of anticipation, while one hand remained clasped over the storage bag.

To guard against any unforeseen events—whether from that mysterious goat or from the "ally" in front of them.

Time passed second by second, and the light from the magic circle grew brighter and brighter.

But before the wizard Austin could finish his ritual, the pointer in the center of the magic circle had even had a chance to turn.

suddenly.

The sounds of heaven and earth disappeared.

The sounds of the wind and the rolling of gravel were all stripped away in that instant.

A cold, immense, and ancient pressure descended from mid-air as if the sky had collapsed and the earth had caved in.

This pressure is not just at the energy level, but also an absolute crushing on the level of life itself.

On the barren wasteland, the originally dry air instantly froze. Suddenly, scattered snowflakes appeared; these were not natural snowflakes, but ice crystals formed by extreme compression of elements.

Winter arrived silently and without warning in this very second.