Witch Training Manual: My Water Magic Is Wrong

The old man knelt on the ground, his knees sinking into the mud.

Lillian stepped forward, supported the old man's arms with both hands, and helped him up from the ground.

"Old man, you don't need to kneel. Bishop Wayne is the spokesperson for the goddess's private time, and it is his duty to relieve suffering and distress."

Wayne stepped forward and patted the old man on the shoulder.

"It's all the goddess's arrangement. If you want to thank someone, thank the goddess."

The old man raised his head, looked at Wayne's young face, then lowered his head again and drew a holy symbol on his chest.

"Goddess bless... Goddess bless..."

After he finished drawing the emblem, he lowered his hand from his chest and then realized he hadn't introduced himself yet. He took a half step back and straightened his hunched back.

"Your Excellency, my name is Lute. Old Lute. I'm the village chief of Mosa Village. Everyone in the village calls me Old Lute, you can call me that too."

"Village Chief Lute," Wayne nodded, "You're welcome. Tell me about the Rock Demon."

Old Lute raised his hand and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"That thing... has been in the mine north of our village for several months. That mine is our village's only source of income. It produces a kind of ore called 'cold iron,' which, although not very valuable, can still be exchanged for some money in town. The villagers rely on that for their livelihood."

His voice paused.

"After the Rock Demon arrived, no one dared to go down into the mine. At first, a few brave souls tried to go in and take a look, but they all got injured. One of them was even thrown out of the cave by the Rock Demon and broke his leg. After that, no one dared to go in again."

"The mine has been shut down for almost two months," Old Rut's voice lowered. "The villagers have no income and are running out of money. Some families have already moved away, and the rest won't last much longer. We old folks are still okay, but the young people have families to support. If this continues, Mosa Village will fall apart."

Lillian, who was standing to the side, frowned slightly when she heard the last sentence.

"Old man, besides the Rock Demon, are there any other monsters near the mine?"

Old Rut was stunned for a moment.

"Yes...yes! How did Your Excellency know?"

Lillian's lips curled up slightly. She glanced at Wayne, then turned back to look at old Ruth.

"Tell me, what are they?"

Old Rut counted on his fingers.

"I heard from the villagers that someone saw tree people outside the mine. There are also earth dragons, burrowing around underground and ruining the crops in the fields. And sand lizards..." He paused, as if recalling something, "Sand lizards didn't used to come this way, but I don't know why they've started coming recently."

After listening, Lillian turned to look at Wayne.

Wayne didn't say anything, but his mind was already racing.

Tree Man, Earth Dragon, Sand Lizard.

Three different types of monsters.

They appeared in the same area at the same time.

These magical beasts usually occupy their own territories, keeping to themselves and rarely getting together.

Unless something attracts them.

Wayne quickly figured out the logic. If nothing unexpected happened, it was highly likely that a rare magical potion was about to mature and be released.

Wayne looked at old Ruth. "Village Chief."

"exist."

"Besides the Rock Demon, have you seen anything else in the mine? Like... glowing plants? Or anything with a peculiar smell?"

Old Ruth frowned and thought for a long time before shaking his head.

"No, I've never seen one. We've been digging in that mine for years, and we've never seen any glowing plants."

He paused, then added.

"However, about two months ago, it seems like a section of the mine collapsed at its deepest point. Then the Rock Demon appeared. I don't know if the two events are related."

Wayne nodded.

"Village chief, have any strangers visited the village recently?"

Old Rut thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No. In our poor place, even peddlers don't bother coming. Apart from you, no strangers have come for months."

Wayne absorbed the last message into his mind.

He turned around and looked at old Ruth.

"Village chief, we need someone to lead the way."

Old Ruth nodded quickly.

"Yes, yes, yes. I'll have my grandson take you." He turned around and shouted towards the village, "Amu! Amu!"

A boy ran along the dirt road in the village.

He looked to be about thirteen or fourteen years old, as thin as a bamboo pole, with tanned skin, wearing a patched gray short-sleeved shirt and straw sandals. He ran up to old Rut and called out breathlessly, "Grandpa!"

Old Rut patted him on the back of the head.

"Call me Your Excellency, Bishop!"

Amu was stunned for a moment, then looked up at Wayne, his eyes wide and his mouth agape. It took him a long time to finally manage to squeeze out a sentence.

"Lord, Lord Bishop?"

"Um."

Amu's throat bobbed. He had heard his grandfather say that a young bishop had come to town; he was handsome, kind, and would treat the sick for free, often helping the poor. He thought his grandfather had made those up to fool him, but he never expected there to actually be such a person, and that this person was standing right in front of him now.

Wayne looked at Amu and said.

Do you recognize the roads in the mine?

Amu nodded.

"Yes, I know him. My dad used to work in the mines, and I went with him several times. I know the way well."

"Do you dare to go?"

Amu straightened his chest.

"dare!"

Wayne nodded.

"lead the way."

Amu walked at the front, taking large strides, as if to prove that his "daring to go" was not just empty talk.

Wayne followed half a step behind him, Emma and Ella walked in the middle, and Lillian walked at the very back.

The group of five walked through the village and went up the mountain from the ridges of the fields to the north.

Amu's control panel popped up during the journey.

【Amu Mosa Village】

[Identity: Resident of Mosa Village, thirteen years old.]

[Past: His father died three years ago in a mine collapse. His mother died last winter after a serious illness. He and his sister now live with Lute. Lute is not his biological grandfather, but a comrade-in-arms of his grandfather. Amu's biological grandfather, Alva, was a scout in the Northern Legion of the Kingdom of Wiggins and died fifteen years ago in the war against the demonic tide. Old Lute was in the same squad as him at the time.]

[Note: Amu's grandfather saved Old Lute's life. During a scout mission, they were ambushed by monsters. Alva pulled him out of the mouth of a third-tier monster, but was seriously injured in the process. From then on, Old Lute treated Alva like a brother.]

[Note 2: Amu knew in his heart that his grandfather, Lute, had been incredibly kind to him. He called him "Grandpa," and he knew how heavy that title was. But his thoughts were simple: to survive. He still had his younger sister to support. His grandfather was old, his sister was still young, and he was the only one in the family who could work.]

[P.S.: Amu plans to take you to the mine entrance and then turn back. It's not that he's not brave, it's that he can't let anything happen to him. He promised his mother that he would take care of his younger sister no matter what. After his father died, his mother lay beside him, holding his hand, and her last words were: "You are the older brother, you must take care of your younger sister. Promise me." He promised.]