Wizard: I can refine all things.

Chapter 25 Blackrock Mountains (Please continue reading)

Half an hour had passed by the time Ellie finished changing her clothes.

Looking at the youthful and lovely girl in front of him, Richard couldn't help but sigh that the best cosmetic for a woman is youth.

Upon arriving at the mission hall, Richard noticed that the fat man named Loken seemed to have already found a team.

"It seems that it's common for low-level apprentices to team up, but aren't these people worried about being double-crossed?" Richard thought to himself.

Although the Blackrock Mountains are within the Academy's sphere of influence, there are no Academy overseers within them, and apprentices will no longer be bound by school rules.

Moreover, which apprentice who successfully entered the academy didn't have blood on their hands? In the desolate wilderness, Richard dared not sleep soundly unless he had a companion he knew well.

Upon arriving at the counter to accept the mission, after confirming that Richard and Ellie would be teaming up, the clerk readily assigned the mission to Richard.

"Let's go back and pack. We'll take the airship there tonight."

As Richard walked down the street, he felt that Ellie was always watching him subtly. But whenever he looked at Ellie, she would quickly look away.

"Is there something on my face?" Richard asked.

"Um...no."

"Then why do you always look at me?"

"Who was looking at you? Don't flatter yourself. I...I was just looking at the streetlight."

Richard shook his head, truly unable to understand the girl's thoughts.

Next time, just get a recording crystal to record it and see if she still denies it.

Back in his dorm, Richard not only packed his clothes but also fully geared himself up. He carried a greatsword on his back, wore armlets on his arms, ice spike rings on his fingers, a magic dagger at his waist, and finally, he took his Lesser Fireball staff. Richard was now fully equipped.

After they finished packing, Richard and Ellie went to the airship field located on the outer perimeter of the academy.

There were quite a few apprentices at the airship field, and the sharp-eyed Richard even spotted the group that the fat man, Locken, had joined in the crowd.

After boarding the Zeppelin-type magic airship, Richard was exempted from the airship ticket after showing his mission credentials, much to the envy of the surrounding apprentices.

Tickets for these airships aren't cheap; they start at one magic stone, and for farther places, they can cost five or six magic stones.

Ellie looked at the ticket price on the airship: "Richard, how did you know that taking on an academy mission would get you a free ticket?"

If calculated based on the airship ticket price, the two of them would need four magic stones to get to Blackrock Mountain Range, which would be more expensive than their reward.

The airship ticket seller didn't even bother to tell them about this rule.

"Hehe, it's a secret."

This passenger airship is different from the airship used for recruitment. The huge airship cabin no longer has individual rooms, but instead has rows of wooden seats.

Richard and Ellie were seated by the window. Once they sat down, Ellie, who was used to sleeping, yawned and leaned against Richard, closing her eyes.

Seeing Ellie fall asleep almost instantly, Richard helplessly took a piece of clothing from his luggage and draped it over her.

The bright moonlight shone through the window and fell on Ellie's face, as if a veil had been draped over it.

"Sleeping is such a waste. It's not as efficient as meditation."

……

The airship was very fast, and it arrived at the Black Rock Mountains, which were thousands of miles away, in just half a night.

As the morning sun shone into the airship, Richard moved his shoulders and woke Ellie.

"Wake up, we're here."

"Huh? So fast?"

After humming for a while, Ellie stretched and swayed as she followed Richard off the airship.

The airship docked at a small town inhabited by many ordinary humans. Along with Richard, Loken's group disembarked, but this group seemed very familiar with the Blackrock Mountains, heading straight there after disembarking.

As soon as Richard and his companion entered the small town, several people immediately surrounded them.

"Wizard, would you like a guide? I know the Blackrock Mountains very well."

"My lord wizard, I know Blackrock Mountain better than anyone. For just a quarter of a magic stone, I guarantee you'll complete your mission quickly and smoothly."

"My lord wizard, don't listen to them, I'm telling you..."

Richard coughed as he looked at the tour guides huddled together.

"Quiet down, everyone. We're here to inspect the survival of the White Crystal Deer and to hunt a magical beast called the Black-striped Water Python. Does anyone here know anything about these two creatures?"

Richard's words silenced the director.

The white crystal deer was fine, but very few of them had actually seen the black-striped water python.

"My lord wizard, I am familiar with the white crystal deer, but I have only seen the black-striped water python once in the past six months. I don't know if it is still in that area."

An elderly tour guide with a full head of white hair but full of energy stepped out from among the other tour guides, and none of them dared to steal his business.

There's no other way; the work of a wizard is both highly rewarding and risky. If the wizards feel they've been tricked, even the city lord can't protect them.

"Alright, you're the one. How many magic stones?"

"Half a magic stone is enough, Wizard."

"What's your name?"

"Just call me Old John, Wizard."

……

With the transaction completed, Old John wasted no time and immediately led the two men to the Black Rock Mountains.

The Black Rock Mountains were shrouded in mist in the early morning, and from a distance, it looked as if a black monster was lurking in the white fog.

Old John led the two men along the mountain path deeper into the Black Rock Mountains, where they were overwhelmed by the various strange and wonderful plants and insects.

"My lord wizard, is this your first time visiting the Blackrock Mountains?"

Richard carefully gathered the freshly picked plants and turned to look at old John.

"Indeed."

"Haha, I can tell from your expressions that this is your first time here."

Old John chuckled, casually reaching into the grass beside him and pulling out a mushroom.

"Wizard, stop looking at those trinkets and take a look at Old John, this mushroom."

Richard took the mushroom and, upon examining it with his spiritual power, discovered that it contained magical energy.

"What is this?!" Richard asked in surprise.

Old John shook his head. "I don't know what this is either. I just see other wizards who come to the mountains often collecting this stuff."

Richard understood the implication, put away the mushroom in his hand, and took out a magic stone with one-fifth of its magic power remaining from the pocket at his waist.

"Later, show us what other wizards often collect."

Old John accepted the magic stone with a beaming smile: "Alright, Old John guarantees you'll be satisfied, sir."

The Blackrock Mountains are vast, stretching for thousands of kilometers and even beyond the boundaries of the academy.

As the moon rose high in the sky, Richard and his group, having spent the day hiking in the mountains, lit a campfire in the woods. Richard and Ellie sat around the fire, quietly watching Old John demonstrate his culinary skills.

Having been a guide for decades, old John was quite adept at the job. Seeing that Richard and his companion were visiting the Black Rock Mountains for the first time and weren't fully prepared, he started preparing game for them on the way.

As Old John rubbed a layer of secret spices onto the golden-brown pheasant skin, a rich aroma of meat instantly exploded on the sizzling, oily skin.

"It smells so good." Ellie sniffed, staring longingly at the roasted pheasant.

Richard, who was standing to the side, was getting a little hungry. Although he had prepared dry rations, who would want to eat dry rations when there was fragrant roast meat to eat?

Just as the two were getting hungry, several noises suddenly came from the woods.

Old John, with his keen ears, glanced alertly at the woods and suddenly stuck the barbecue into the ground.

"My lords, if someone comes, there will likely be a fight. Old John won't hold you back."

With that, old John's figure vanished into the woods in an instant.

Just a few seconds after he disappeared, a rustling sound came from the woods in front of Richard.

A figure covered in blood emerged from the forest.

(End of this chapter)